The game starts with escaping from the famine and flipping the table

Su Xiaoya's coming-of-age ceremony has been three days ago.

The hustle and bustle of the town gradually subsided, leaving only the old locust trees in the courtyards of every household, their branches and leaves still carrying a faint lingering spiritual aura.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but all the old locust trees seemed to have more vitality and more lush foliage after their first time emitting light.

The elderly people in the town have been gathering almost every day under the old locust tree in the town center these past few days, whispering to the branches and leaves that are still more lush than those elsewhere.

No one knows who triggered the "heavenly omen" that day; they only believe it was the blessing of their ancestors, and that the Yuanling Clan was about to be blessed.

Therefore, the elderly people wish they could stay under the old locust tree in the center of town at all times.

Every night, it was only after being urged and pleaded by his family that he reluctantly left.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, these old people hurriedly arrived at the old locust tree...

The young people in Qingyuan Town couldn't understand it. Could it be that the old locust tree in their homes was different from the old locust tree in the town center?

Su Xiaoya was even more confused about this.

However, Grandpa is no longer with us.

Therefore, Su Xiaoya didn't pay much attention to the old locust tree in the center of town.

These days, apart from dreaming of the ancient language of the Yuanling Clan every night, nothing else has changed.

During the day, Su Xiaoya is still the same little girl tending her family's medicinal herb field.

However, when she touched the herbs with her fingertips, the spiritual energy flowed more and more smoothly. The few rare Dew Grass plants deep in the herb field had already sprouted bright white flower spikes, maturing nearly a month earlier than ordinary Dew Grass.

This day.

morning.

It's just dawn.

A light knock came from outside Su Xiaoya's courtyard, accompanied by a boy's cheerful shout: "Xiaoya, Xiaoya, open the door quickly! Today is the opening day of the Misty Forest Market, and we agreed to set up a stall together!"

Su Xiaoya wiped the dirt off her hands and quickly ran to open the door.

Three tall, slender boys stood outside the door, like three upright poplars. They were the older brothers from her neighbors' houses and her close friends who had protected her since childhood.

The man on the left, dressed in coarse blue cloth, is our neighbor, Lin Hu.

Tiger is incredibly strong, like a fierce tiger. His father is the head hunter in town, and his hunting skills are unparalleled. He is also honest and straightforward, and when it comes to protecting his own, he is as strong as an iron wall.

When Su Xiaoya was a child, she was bullied by naughty children from other towns. Lin Hu was always the first to stand up for her and support her, like an indestructible fortress.

The one in the middle wearing a light blue cloth coat is Chen Yan. Brother Yan is thoughtful and meticulous, just like a clear spring.

His father was a spiritual practitioner in the town who had some basic knowledge of alchemy. Under his father's influence, he could not only identify many spiritual herbs, but also make simple medicine boxes, just like a skillful craftsman.

The utensils Su Xiaoya used to sell medicine were mostly made by his skillful hands, resembling exquisite works of art.

The man on the right wearing a gray and white short-sleeved shirt is Zhao Yu's younger brother, Zhao Peng.

Zhao Yu was as fast as lightning and had an even more flexible and adaptable mind. He often traveled around with the town's caravans.

Therefore, as long as Zhao Yu was in Qingyuan Town, Zhao Peng would follow closely behind him, imitating him in a very convincing way.

Zhao Yu was very familiar with the rules of the market, like an experienced helmsman, knowing which stalls were the most popular and how to price them to make the most of the profits.

Under Zhao Yu's influence, Zhao Peng also learned almost everything.

"Brother Hu, Brother Yan, Brother Peng, you're here so early! I just finished packing up the medicinal herbs I'm going to sell." Su Xiaoya greeted them as she smiled and stepped aside to let them in.

On a stone platform in the courtyard, several small bamboo baskets were neatly arranged, each containing freshly picked medicinal herbs, categorized by type.

The thick-leaved green grass and the glossy stems of the dew-covered grass;

A refreshing flower with purple blossoms;

There were also a few calming herbs with a faint fragrance...

Each plant is full of vitality, with morning dew still clinging to its leaves; they are clearly of excellent quality.

Chen Yan stepped forward, picked up a Dew-Gathering Grass and examined it for a moment, his eyes full of admiration: "Little girl, you've grown this Dew-Gathering Grass so well. Its spiritual energy is even more abundant than what the pharmacies in town collect. It will definitely fetch a good price at the market today. I've brought the medicine boxes I made for you. Pack these spiritual herbs in a nice way; it will look good and lock in the spiritual energy, making buyers more willing to purchase them."

As he spoke, Chen Yan took out a dozen small, polished wooden boxes from the cloth bag on his back. The boxes were engraved with simple plant patterns, exuding a rustic charm.

Lin Hu had already rolled up his sleeves, hoisted two large cloth bags containing bamboo baskets and wooden boxes onto the wall, and said in a deep voice, "Little girl, I'll take care of everything. I guarantee nothing will get damaged. We need to get there early to grab a good spot. Once the market opens, not only people from Qingxi Town will be there, but also herbalists and hunters from the surrounding villages. If we're late, there won't be any good spots left."

Zhao Peng nodded and added, "That's right. Moreover, the market in the Misty Forest is different from other places. Not only do humans trade, but low-level spirits also come to exchange goods. We should be humble and not offend them. In previous years, when I went to set up a stall, I saw squirrel spirits selling spirit fruits and fox spirits selling animal skins. They were all quite friendly. As long as you don't break their rules, you won't have any trouble."

Su Xiaoya carefully placed several of the most precious Dew-Gathering Grasses into the wooden box, then put the wooden box into the cloth bag one by one, and softly replied, "I know, thank you for reminding me, Brother Peng, I will pay attention."

From a young age, she had heard that the spirits of the Misty Forest were on good terms with humans. When her grandfather was alive, he often took her to the Interchange Meeting by Blue Mist Lake. But at that time, she was just a child and didn't understand anything.

After Grandpa passed away, Su Xiaoya never went back.

To be honest, Su Xiaoya had never even left Qingyuan Town, let alone gone to other towns to participate in larger-scale markets.

Therefore, Su Xiaoya felt both anticipation and a touch of trepidation regarding the Blue Mist Lake Market in the Misty Forest.

After the four of them finished packing, they headed south towards Qingxi Town.

The Misty Forest Market is like a dazzling pearl, nestled in a shallow valley on the outskirts of the forest, just half an hour away from Qingxi Town.

The roadside is lush with vegetation, like a green ocean, and the spiritual atmosphere is even richer than in the town. Occasionally, you can hear the clear birdsong coming from the forest, like heavenly music, and the soft sound of deer stepping on fallen leaves, just like a symphony of nature.

Lin Hu, like a vigilant tiger, walked on the outermost edge, constantly watching for any movement around him.

Chen Yan, like a considerate gentleman, stayed by Su Xiaoya's side, telling her interesting stories about the market from time to time, which was like a spring breeze, making her feel happy.

Zhao Peng, like a shining shooting star, strode ahead to explore the way, chatting and laughing all the way, adding a touch of life and energy to the otherwise monotonous journey.

Half an hour later, the entrance to the shallow valley came into view.

Looking into the distance, you can see that the valley entrance is shrouded in a thin layer of white mist, as if the entire valley is covered with a mysterious veil.

The layer of white mist was soft and hazy, like a fairyland, making people yearn for it.

Through the mist, one could faintly hear a cacophony of sounds emanating from within, seemingly a mixture of human voices and animal cries.

If you get closer, you can clearly see two enormous blue stones standing on either side of the valley entrance.

These two bluestones soar into the clouds, carved with many ancient and strange patterns. These patterns are like mysterious codes, exuding an ancient and solemn atmosphere.

Without a doubt, these were marks deliberately set up by the spirits of this misty forest to maintain the normal order of the market and protect it from outside interference.

When you actually step into this market, you'll be surprised to find that it has become exceptionally lively and bustling.

It turns out that a large, flat open space had been created in the valley, by the Blue Mist Lake.

Furthermore, it was cleverly divided into a series of well-organized and neatly arranged stalls.

These stalls are densely packed on the open space, forming a unique market landscape.

Here, not only human merchants buy and sell various goods, but also all sorts of low-level monsters participate.

They either pushed carts filled with bright red spiritual fruits, constantly shouting to attract customers;

Or they might carry an exquisite bamboo basket filled with medicinal herbs, and whisper to the human herbalists who come to buy the herbs about the prices.

Or perhaps it's a short-haired ape spirit, carrying heavy animal bones on its shoulder, busily weaving between stalls, carefully searching for the perfect buyer for its goods...

The air is filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs, the sweet aroma of spiritual fruits, and the faint scent of animal hides, all mixed with rich spiritual energy, creating the unique atmosphere of the Misty Forest Market.

Zhao Peng led the group to a stall near Blue Mist Lake with practiced ease—a place teeming with people, close to a water source, and brimming with spiritual energy, making it the perfect spot to sell medicinal herbs.

"This is it. In previous years, I would fight tooth and nail to get this spot. Today, we've gotten here first, it's quite an unexpected coincidence," Zhao Peng said with a beaming smile.

The group immediately got to work. Lin Hu put down the cloth bag, Chen Yan helped Su Xiaoya arrange the medicinal herbs, and Zhao Peng found a few flat stone slabs to set up a simple stall.

Su Xiaoya carefully arranged the wooden box and then neatly sorted the common medicinal herbs in the bamboo basket. The green-veined grass was lush and green, the spirit-awakening flower was colorful and vibrant, and the dew-condensing grass was crystal clear. The sight was pleasing to the eye and attracted many eyes as soon as it was arranged.