My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

Yanziwu is not a series of rolling hills and mounds, but rather a vast expanse of swamp and dense forest along the Xiushui River.

"Whoo~"

Cui Zhengming went to the market in Yanziwu to accept the mission as planned, but returned empty-handed. He looked somewhat embarrassed as he looked at Cui Ying.

"Girl, we're too early. How about I accompany you into the city first, and then we'll come back?"

"It's alright, Father. You and Uncle Zhao can wait for me here."

Cui Ying could tell from her father's expression that something must have happened again, and she said very understandingly, "I'll go and come back quickly."

Yanziwu is less than ten miles away from Leiyun City. Cui Ying rode a cloud and headed towards the city gate.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Cui Ying was standing outside Thundercloud City.

There was a rule in the city that prohibited cultivators from flying, so Cui Ying had no choice but to stop her cloud-riding technique and travel quickly straight to the spirit medicine shop she had visited before.

When Cui Ying arrived at Lingxi Danfang, it was around noon, and there were hardly any independent cultivators in the huge shop.

With practiced ease, she returned to the central counter.

"It's you?"

Just as Cui Ying was about to take something out of her storage bag, the shopkeeper in charge of inspection recognized her at a glance.

"Senior, do you still remember me?"

Cui Ying had a slight smile on her lips, and her eyes held just the right amount of surprise.

The shopkeeper picked up the teapot on the table, took a sip of the spiritual tea, and nodded slightly with a smile:

"Not long ago, my young friend sold me a jade lingzhi mushroom. If I remember correctly, that's right."

Although the jade lingzhi that Cui Ying brought last time was relatively young, the spiritual energy it contained was extremely pure and rich.

Just then, the alchemist in the shop needed a jade lingzhi mushroom that was twenty years old to make medicine. Before the shopkeeper could explain that the jade lingzhi mushroom was only ten years old, the alchemist left without giving him a chance to explain.

Just as the shopkeeper was filled with fear and trepidation, he received a commendation from the alchemist.

The shopkeeper was completely baffled. After making inquiries, he learned that the alchemist had increased the success rate of pill making by 20% after using the jade lingzhi he had acquired as medicine.

He glanced at Cui Ying's hand reaching into her storage bag, stroked his beard, and couldn't help but tease this incredibly lucky girl: "Young friend, have your elders found another jade lingzhi?"

It's because he's thinking about her jade lingzhi!

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying smiled, then gently shook her head. Ignoring the shopkeeper's slightly disappointed look, she took out the Spirit Communication Grass and some other spiritual herbs she had dug up in the mountains from her storage bag.

"These are... Star Grass, Blood Spirit Grass, Red Leaf Flower, and Mind-Communicating Grass!?"

Upon seeing the pile of colorful medicinal herbs, the person in the display case couldn't help but nod in delight and surprise, forgetting their regret.

Just as he was about to examine it more closely, his attention was suddenly drawn to a large bunch of white spiritual herbs that appeared on the table.

Cui Ying nodded and said with a light laugh, "Please help me inspect the goods."

In the vast hall, the names of many spiritual herbs immediately attracted the attention of many cultivators, who all turned to look in this direction.

"You're really lucky, girl."

The shopkeeper first sighed, then put down the teapot and carefully examined the items on the table.

"Hmm, not bad! They all have excellent character, especially these Mind-Communicating Herbs, which have arrived at just the right time."

One of the Foundation Establishment elders in their alchemy workshop recently had a son, and it's said that his beloved concubine has insufficient milk production, which is causing her great distress.

If he were to offer up these spirit-clearing herbs, he would undoubtedly receive another reward.

If that Foundation Establishment elder were in a good mood and casually offered him a few pointers or even accepted one of his descendants as a disciple, that would be even more wonderful than I could imagine!

"Young friend, look carefully, I'm starting to count the items."

The shopkeeper's face was full of smiles, and his gaze towards Cui Ying became increasingly gentle and kind.

"Here you go, young friend."

After Cui Ying left Lingxi Pill Workshop with more than a thousand spirit stones, she went straight to Shengbao Pavilion next door.

"Hey, this is the skin of the Gale Tiger."

When Cui Ying took out several neatly folded beast hides, especially the Gale Tiger hide, which appeared on the counter, it naturally caused a small commotion.

"These rogue cultivators are all so powerful now, they even dare to kill a demon tiger!?"

"Tsk tsk, this Gale Tiger skin is truly a rare find! It must be worth a lot of spirit stones!"

The display case at Shengbaoge featured a still-charming middle-aged woman who was shaking a round fan in her hand, stroking the several cracks on the skin of the Gale Demon Tiger with a regretful expression.

"Unfortunately, this Gale Tiger has several sword wounds and is no longer intact, so it can no longer be considered a top-quality pelt."

As soon as the middle-aged woman finished speaking, a wandering cultivator in the crowd muttered irritably, "Nonsense, tiger-type demon beasts are ferocious beasts capable of suppressing other demon beasts of the same level. If it weren't for this sword wound, probably no one would bring it here to sell."

The middle-aged woman's ears twitched, and she smiled slightly at the rogue cultivator who had spoken. Then, she quickly quoted a series of prices to Cui Ying opposite her:

"The Swift Wind Demon Tiger skin costs 400 spirit stones, two Five-Colored Deer skins cost 280 spirit stones, the Giant Lizard Armor costs 300 spirit stones, and the Demon Fox Fur costs 420 spirit stones."

"A total of 1,400 spirit stones—wow, that's no small sum."

Unlike the middle-aged woman's surprise, Cui Ying's expression carried a hint of disappointment.

If she were more powerful, this demon tiger skin alone could fetch an additional two hundred spirit stones.

"Here you go, young friend, count them quickly."

When the middle-aged woman turned around and gently waved her fan behind her, the stone wall engraved with runes opened, and she quickly took out a bag of spirit stones and placed it on the counter in front of her.

Cui Ying didn't stand on ceremony and openly began counting the items in front of the middle-aged beauty.

Just as she was taking inventory, the middle-aged woman opposite her lightly waved her fan and spoke with a hint of nonchalance:

"Young friend, you've come with your elders. Things haven't been peaceful in the city lately, so you'd better be careful."

Although Thundercloud City has Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed there, and Qi Refining cultivators patrol the streets every few hours, there are still many rogue cultivators who take the risk.

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying raised her head and smiled sweetly, "Don't worry, senior, my grandfather is waiting for me outside."

The middle-aged woman raised her chin and saw a powerful figure flash past the door.

"I apologize for speaking out of turn. Since the spirit stones have already left the counter, let's settle our accounts."

"Thank you for your kind reminder, shopkeeper."

After speaking with a light laugh, Cui Ying put the spirit stones into her storage bag. She then glanced back at the door.

When she glanced over there unintentionally, she saw several rogue cultivators quickly look away.

Just as the middle-aged woman said, more than a thousand spirit stones is such a large amount that it would take an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator several years to accumulate, and it is enough for those people to take a gamble.

However, it's still uncertain who the prey and the hunter will be.

Thinking of this, Cui Ying's smile widened even more. She calmly stuffed the storage bag into her bosom and was about to leave when...

The middle-aged woman behind the counter smiled charmingly at Cui Ying:

"If you don't mind me meddling, you can come to our Shengbao Pavilion to sell your things next time. Our Shengbao Pavilion is a well-established brand. I will definitely give you the best price then."

Cui Ying nodded, turned and left.

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped out of the threshold of Shengbao Pavilion, she saw several inconspicuous rogue cultivators scattered around the street, pretending to look her over.