The Fourth Calamity: My Sect Has Countless Prodigies

Chapter 32 Purchasing Spirit Herbs

There's a reason why Zhou Yi was so cautious, asking five players to buy elixirs separately.

After all, if one wants to plant spirit herbs on spirit fields, the amount of spirit herbs needed is quite large.

The fact that Zhou Yi alone purchased a large quantity of spiritual herbs would inevitably attract the attention of others.

If Zhou Yi were a cultivator in the family, that would be fine; they could use the excuse of buying things for the family to cover it up.

But his public identity is still that of a rogue cultivator, and how could a rogue cultivator need such a large quantity of spiritual herbs?

Although it was harvest season in the market, the chances of Zhou Yi and his group arousing suspicion were even lower.

However, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Zhou Yi decided to keep a low profile and let everyone act separately, each purchasing the pre-arranged spiritual herbs.

"Yes, Sect Master, we will certainly be cautious and act with care."

The stars were the first to take the list, patting their chests and guaranteeing it.

The other players then echoed this sentiment, indicating that they would act with caution.

Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good. Then let's go and buy them one by one, and finally meet up at Tianxiang Tower."

Soon, after the group finished their spiritual meal, they each received 30 spirit stones from Zhou Yi and then left one after another, heading towards the Hundred Herbs Hall.

The Zhou Yi group's shopping went very smoothly, and they quickly purchased the spiritual herbs they needed from their lists before returning to Tianxiang Tower.

The stars also took the last list and headed to Baicaotang.

Inside Baicaotang, people were bustling about.

Many cultivators went around to each other, coming to the counter to inquire about and purchase the spiritual herbs they needed.

The stars followed suit, standing quietly in line.

He abandoned his usual carefree demeanor, mimicking the expressions of others, and looked quite serious.

The tasks assigned by the sect leader must not be failed under any circumstances.

Finally, it was Qunxing's turn. He took out the list in his hand and smiled as he spoke to the shopkeeper:

"Shopkeeper, could you please fetch the medicinal herbs listed on this list for me?"

The shopkeeper, surnamed Lin, took the list, glanced at it, and replied calmly, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, I'll go get it right away."

The stars nodded, walked to the nearby rest area, closed their eyes to rest, and waited quietly.

But just then, a sudden voice rang out inside the shop.

"Your Lin family is also a Foundation Establishment family, yet your Hundred Herbs Hall actually sells counterfeit spiritual herbs, causing the death of my young master. You truly have no shame!"

Upon hearing this, the stars opened their eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.

A woman wearing a white hat and with a pale face rushed in.

The attention of the other cultivators present was also drawn to the woman, and for a moment the entire Hundred Herbs Hall was abuzz with discussion.

"The Lin family is a prominent clan; how could they possibly abandon their reputation and engage in such a despicable act?"

"Who knows? There's no smoke without fire; this might actually be true."

"Hmph, I've used the Lin family's spiritual herbs for so many years and nothing's happened to me, but this woman just bought one casually and it's causing problems."

"Fellow Daoist, you're mistaken. People's hearts are fickle, and the world is unpredictable. Perhaps the Lin family had no problems before, but who can say for sure now?"

……

As the commotion escalated, Qunxing grew anxious, for he had not yet obtained the spiritual herb he needed.

However, after a brief moment of thought, a thought suddenly flashed through Qunxing's mind.

"Dude, did I trigger another hidden event this time?"

Thinking of this, Qunxing smiled, and the panic on his face disappeared.

He opened the player panel, brought up the chat box, and immediately sent a message to Qianlong and the others.

"Brothers, there's a hidden quest at Baicaotang! Notify the sect leader and come quickly!"

The woman's behavior became increasingly out of control, and the manager of Baicaotang quickly came out to maintain order.

Looking at the scene before him, Qunxing was also curious. He wanted to see how the shopkeeper would resolve the situation.

To be honest, this kind of thing would be quite difficult to solve even on Earth.

The public says that the public is reasonable, and the mother says that the woman is reasonable.

Even if you manage to get away with it, it will inevitably leave a bad reputation or other hidden dangers.

Even if the impact is minimized as much as possible, dealing with this matter will still consume a lot of energy.

However, the shopkeeper's next move completely surprised Qunxing.

The shopkeeper, surnamed Lin, walked up to the woman and asked her with a smile:

"Young lady, is it you who's crying foul, claiming my medicinal herbs are counterfeit or substandard?"

The woman nodded, her face filled with resentment, and said, "It is indeed I. Does your Lin family not allow others to cry foul when you sell counterfeit spiritual herbs?"

Manager Lin's expression remained unchanged as he continued to inquire:

"What evidence do you have, young lady?"

"Evidence? My eldest son is dead, isn't that the best evidence?"

"Is that all there is to it?"

The shopkeeper pressed on, his tone calm and unperturbed.

The woman shook her head and sneered:

"Isn't that enough? Does your Lin family intend to bully others with your power?"

Manager Lin laughed heartily and pointed to the new regulations for the market:

"Anyone who attempts to defame, extort, or damage the reputation of a shop without evidence will be severely punished!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than two servants rushed forward, drew their longswords, and killed the woman on the spot.

"This...this is just killing him like that?"

The stars half-covered their mouths, their faces showing utter disbelief.

Outside the shop, Qianlong and his group, who had just arrived, stared wide-eyed.

NPCs have lives too, how could you just kill them like that?

Manager Lin casually tossed out a Corpse Dissolving Talisman, and then immediately used the Cleansing Spirit Technique.

In a short while, the woman's body and bloodstains disappeared, as if the incident at Baicaotang had never happened.

Manager Lin turned around, looked at the rogue cultivators behind him, and an apologetic expression appeared on his face:

"I apologize, fellow Daoists, for making a fool of myself in front of you all today."

"As compensation, anyone who has just purchased medicinal herbs and elixirs from my Baicaotang can come here with their receipt to enjoy a 10% discount."

"Furthermore, if you do not trust the medicinal herbs of my Baicaotang, you can return them at the counter, and Baicaotang will definitely buy them back at the original price."

Upon hearing this, the entire Baicaotang (a traditional Chinese medicine clinic) became lively again.

Many independent cultivators, upon hearing about the 10% discount, immediately exclaimed:

"Manager Lin is benevolent and righteous!"

"I, Wang, have been buying medicinal herbs from Baicaotang for so many years and have never had a mistake. I think this woman is really desperate to extort money."

"Indeed, Manager Lin's actions are truly a service to the people!"

……

The stars watched the utterly ridiculous scene and found it both absurd and laughable.

His gaze shifted and he spotted Zhou Yi and his group outside Baicaotang. He then walked out of the shop.

Outside Baicaotang.

Zhou Yi glanced at the group and said calmly:

"Let's go. The sect doesn't need these few spirit stones for now. Let's hurry back to avoid causing any more trouble."

His expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

Having been in the cultivation world for over a year, Zhou Yi was already used to these kinds of things.

Whether the woman was trying to extort money or not is another matter, but given the way she sought justice, even if problems arose, Manager Lin would never agree to it.

If this is acknowledged, it means that the medicinal herbs cultivated by the Lin family do indeed have quality problems. This would be extremely detrimental to Baicaotang's reputation built up over many years and its future development.

Therefore, the best approach is to act decisively and decisively.

If we can't solve the problem, can't we at least deal with the person who raised it?

By addressing the root cause of the problem and then offering some incentives to appease the situation, such a crisis can be skillfully resolved.

As for whether this is true or not, who cares?

Since the elixirs from Baicaotang have been used for so long without any problems, it must be your own fault.

Outside the Hundred Herbs Hall, the players were still somewhat bewildered.

Although they had previously killed monsters to level up, Qianlong and the others had even personally killed Jiexiu.

But in essence, these measures are all just for self-protection.

Now that they truly understand the cruelty of the cultivation world, they inevitably feel somewhat lost.

Especially Qunxing, he watched the entire plot alone, his feelings were extremely complicated, and his hands were still tightly gripping the sword hilt.

"In the world of cultivation, the strong are respected and the fittest survive. You are new to the path of cultivation and will need to adapt gradually in the future."

Zhou Yi spoke softly to the players, his tone as calm as still water.

The players nodded silently in response, but none of them uttered a sound.

Zhou Yi didn't force him, knowing that his young players needed some time to process what he was going to say.

The group left the market and headed towards the Qingxuan Sect.

As Zhou Yi walked, he silently sighed in his heart.

Players are indeed players; their resilience is strong. After only a short while, they immediately became energetic again.

The laughter and chatter among the players made the journey less lonely.

But just then, the sound of fighting suddenly came from not far away.