Chen Muxue rummaged through the sect and finally found a bag of broken silver and two strings of copper coins, as well as a box of stones that looked very impressive, colorful and full of spiritual energy, probably a type of currency in the Cultivation World.
She took the copper coins and broken silver with her, unsure if that made her rich or poor. She planned to first visit the town at the foot of the mountain to get some supplies and take Xiaohua to see the doctor on the way.
After spitting out a mouthful of black blood, Xiaohua didn't feel uncomfortable; in fact, her breathing became a bit smoother.
She wondered if an ordinary doctor could notice anything amiss. She also brought Xiaohu with her, the three boys in the sect were all skinny with yellowish complexions, and she wanted to see if they could be nursed back to health.
However, it wasn't good to bring too many people at once, especially since they were all children. What if one of them got lost or kidnapped?
Chen Muxue didn't think just because she was a cultivator she could be careless in areas where ordinary people were active. After all, when the stakes are high enough, anyone is capable of doing bad things.
And for those who could barely cultivate but had no hope of becoming enlightened, worldly pleasures and possessions were much easier to attain...
Xiaohu was relatively older, though he looked only about four or five due to malnutrition, he was actually almost eight, and having been raised since childhood, he was more reassuring. As for Dafudagui, who was nearly seven, he stayed behind to watch over the sect.
The Qian Ding Sect, though not very well-off, still had some protection spells within.
The town wasn't bustling, but there was a steady stream of people. The shops on either side were simple, but they had the merit of being clean and neat, with a rustic simplicity.
Compared to the shops, the town had more temporary stalls set up by farm folk, some of whom had traveled over a dozen miles just to earn a little extra for their families.
Even in a world where cultivation was possible, most people were ordinary, and for them, life was mostly mundane.
Chen Muxue felt a bit sentimental.
She garnered quite a bit of attention, not because people recognized her as a cultivator. She didn't display anything, and her clothing was ordinary; regular people couldn't tell there was anything different about her—
The only eye-catching thing was the pot she carried on her back, a medium-sized iron pot with handles, which made people look twice.
Who carries a pot into town for no reason?
Such a pretty young girl, yet clearly not right in the head.
It's impossible not to care about other people's gazes, yet Chen Muxue, being new to the area, found the iron pot to be her only source of security.
She had tested it personally; one swipe of the pot could send a male lead flying!
As she walked, Chen Muxue suddenly noticed an uncommon fruit, a purple fruit shaped a bit like an inverted triangle, and she couldn't help but get closer because its fresh scent was alluring, inviting one to taste it.
"Boss, what kind of fruit is this?" Chen Muxue asked with curiosity.
"I call it the Life Fruit."
Hearing the vendor's gentle yet magnetic voice, Chen Muxue's alarm bells went off. With such an attractive voice, he definitely wasn't an ordinary passerby, was he?
With that thought, she took a good look. The vendor wore coarse cloth and a bamboo hat that nearly covered his entire face, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. If not for a specific reason, she wouldn't have noticed him at all.
Could this be the legendary "hiding in plain sight"? Curious to see if this person was a cultivator, Chen Muxue hesitated because her level was too low to discern others' abilities accurately, unsure if he was an ordinary person or someone much stronger.
"Does it taste good?" Xiaohua, having never seen such a fruit, was evidently intrigued.
However, an expression of disgust emerged on Xiaohu's face: "It smells a bit bad!"
Hearing Xiaohu's comment, the corner of the vendor's mouth under the hat seemed to smirk: "Miss, why not buy some for the kids to try?"
Glancing at Xiaohu, Chen Muxue wondered if this vendor had a bit of a wicked sense of humor?
"Is it poisonous?" Chen Muxue asked symbolically. Despite her interest in trying such unfamiliar fruit, she still cared about safety.
Unexpectedly, the vendor replied, "Whether poison or cure, fate has its dictates." As he said this, he seemed to glance at Xiaohua slightly.
Perhaps people in this world are all a bit off, daring to sell something without knowing whether it's poisonous?
Just as Chen Muxue was about to leave, a bratty voice came from behind: "Wait! I'll take them all!"
In front of Chen Muxue appeared a young lady who clearly had some status. She looked Chen Muxue up and down with slight disdain: "How dare someone at Foundation Establishment Sixth Rank try a Life Fruit? Step aside for this lady!"
Catching a glimpse of the jade pendant at the girl's waist, Chen Muxue could tell even with her limited knowledge that it wasn't ordinary.
She suddenly felt the urge to get an almanac.
How could just stepping out the door lead to meeting so many odd people? Isn't this just an ordinary little town at the foot of the mountain, not the Imperial City where big shots gathered!
Not wanting to get involved in strange affairs, Chen Muxue turned to leave, but the vendor's voice halted her: "Apologies, young lady, this fruit, called Life, is only for fated individuals."
"You blind fool, take a good look. I'm Shen Yao, the top disciple of Liuyun Sect!"
Oh wow, the classic malicious supporting character. Although this is a male-oriented novel, there are always a few blind individuals on the path of the male and female leads' love story, frequently sabotaging the first female lead due to jealousy, eventually failing to even become part of the male lead's harem but instead getting eliminated to deepen the female lead's feelings.
Chen Muxue couldn't help but shake her head. Right now, she might be the top disciple, but once Xiao Feng goes to the Liuyun Sect and the Sect Leader's daughter is detoxified, who knows where Shen Yao will rank?
The vendor clearly wasn't impressed by the title of top disciple. He just gently shook his head.
"You—very well!" Shen Yao bit her words, angrily dragging Chen Muxue, who was about to leave, back.
"You, buy these and give them to me!"
Hearing this, Chen Muxue thought, what a wonderful thing? Embracing the principle of profiting as a middleman, she held up two fingers in a peace sign.
"Twice the price it is! Money is the least of this lady's concerns."
Given Shen Yao's original family wealth, practically overflowing in riches, Chen Muxue didn't doubt her honesty about money matters. So, she smiled cheerfully at the vendor.
The vendor seemed a bit speechless; was this open reselling really happening?
He scrutinized Chen Muxue a bit more. Being the sect leader of Qian Ding Sect, didn't she have an apprentice like this who showed no interest in the Life Fruit?
The shock he felt yesterday, wasn't that someone successfully used a Life Fruit?
He hadn't considered that Chen Muxue simply had no idea what a Life Fruit was.
In his view, despite Qian Ding Sect's decline, didn't the sect leader have some tradition?
Seeing Chen Muxue's apparent determination to resell, the vendor chuckled: "The price isn't high, just exchange it for the pot on your back."
"Goodbye." Chen Muxue waved goodbye to the vendor without hesitation.
You must be joking, this pot has been through life and death with me—Chen Muxue felt that the pot must have traveled to this world with her, otherwise how to explain the unexplained presence of an iron pot in the Qiankun Cauldron?
"Don't leave! It's just a worthless pot, and look at you, all shabby, yet you won't part with it?" Shen Yao again forcefully grabbed Chen Muxue.