PDLP Chapter 29 Leaving the Mountain Gate
Chapter 29 Leaving the Mountain Gate
Three months later, Wan Baoshan appeared in the Spirit Garden. This was the third time he had come to collect the list of spiritual herbs since Du Fan became a disciple.
"Junior brother, you've only just started, yet you've managed the Spirit Garden so well, always completing the tasks on the list with high quality and quantity. It's truly astonishing. I'm sure Uncle Shen is quite satisfied with you." Wan Baoshan looked at the hundreds of acres of boundless medicinal garden, marveling at it with a surprised expression.
"Senior Brother Wan, you're joking. I've only been able to complete the missions these past few months because of good luck. The medicinal herbs on the list are actually already planted among the many herbs in the garden. I just picked them." Du Fan waved his hands repeatedly.
"Junior brother, there's no need to be so modest. The list contains a wide variety of medicinal herbs. It's impossible for you to be so lucky every time." Wan Baoshan's eyes flashed, clearly disbelieving Du Fan's words.
Du Fan could only force a smile and remain silent.
After collecting the spiritual herbs, Wan Baoshan left. Before leaving, he looked at Du Fan with admiration in his eyes. But what the fat man was really thinking, only he himself knew.
Over the past three months, Du Fan has rearranged the medicinal herbs in the garden according to the Five Elements planting method, resulting in significantly improved growth. Therefore, the herbs in the garden are not only of better quality than before, but there are also more of each variety. His own private experimental plot is also well-maintained, with all the excess seeds planted there. The herbs in this plot will be his private property, also arranged according to the Five Elements planting method and fertilized, essentially a smaller version of another medicinal garden. Because the medicinal garden contains a large variety of herbs, representing all five elements, there is no longer a need for companion plants such as motherwort.
During this time, Du Fan got along well with Wang San, the warehouse handyman. Each time, he would give Wang San more seeds and seedlings than he was entitled to. Of course, when Du Fan went to collect the seeds and seedlings, he would give Wang San some mature medicinal herbs as a kickback.
Du Fan had also secretly traded with Zhang Dashan of the Monster Farm several times, earning dozens of low-grade spirit stones. Even compared to inner disciples, he was now quite wealthy. Du Fan knew that the monthly salary for menial servants in the Kongsang Sect was one spirit stone, outer disciples received two, and inner disciples received five. Most importantly, Du Fan's prospects for earning spirit stones were very promising.
Therefore, Du Fan's mind became more active, and he planned to go to the sect's scripture pavilion to buy a beginner's cultivation technique for cultivators. In the meantime, while researching and cultivating spiritual herbs, he could also practice a bit of it so that he could study the principles of magic as soon as possible.
On this day, Du Fan carried with him all the spirit stones he had earned in the past few months, totaling about thirty, and headed towards the Scripture Pavilion.
An hour later.
When he looked up and saw a magnificent five-story pavilion standing in front of him, Du Fan took a deep breath and strode towards the entrance of the Sutra Repository.
Half an incense stick later, Du Fan walked out of the Sutra Pavilion again, his face gloomy.
"I never expected that even the most basic introductory cultivation technique would cost a hundred spirit stones. I don't know if cultivation techniques are really that expensive, or if the sect is deliberately making things difficult for people like me who are not qualified to cultivate, or even if it's some kind of ulterior motive of the Scripture Pavilion servants."
Du Fan returned to the Spirit Garden dejectedly. It wasn't that he couldn't sell some of the spiritual herbs to the pharmacy, but the pharmacy was too unscrupulous. The low price they offered for the herbs was secondary; the key issue was the risk involved. It could easily attract the attention of the deacons of the Enforcement Hall within the sect, so he immediately abandoned the idea.
"No, whether it's the cultivation technique, the experimental equipment, or even Ruoxi and Xiaohu's matter, I must leave the mountain gate and make a trip to Sangcheng."
Once Du Fan made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. With a resolute look in his eyes, he stepped out of the Spirit Garden once more.
Half an hour later, Du Fan arrived at a cave with its entrance tightly closed. At first glance, the cave seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, it gave off an unusually grand and somber feeling.
"Disciple Du Fan greets Martial Uncle Shen." Du Fan took a deep breath, bowed deeply, and spoke respectfully.
"What is it?" A cold voice came from inside the cave. It was Shen Hong, the Foundation Establishment stage deacon.
Those few words already conveyed a chilling and impatient tone. If it weren't for Du Fan's good behavior over the past few months, judging from his expression, he would have already taught Du Fan a lesson by now.
"Uncle-Master Shen, I wish to leave the mountain to take care of some matters. I hope you can grant me permission," Du Fan said cautiously, his heart pounding with anxiety.
"Since you haven't caused me any trouble these past few months, you can leave the mountain gate freely from now on, I won't interfere. However, if any problems arise at the spirit garden, I won't be lenient. Don't bother me in the future unless it's something important. You'd better watch yourself, hmph!"
Shen Hong's tone was far from friendly, but Du Fan felt a sense of relief upon hearing it.
"Thank you, Uncle Shen. This disciple will take his leave now."
……
The next morning, Du Fan packed his bags, took spirit stones and a batch of mature spiritual herbs, and left the Spirit Garden.
An hour later, Du Fan, carrying a bundle on his back, appeared at the gate of Kongsang Sect, but his face looked rather pale.
"I only know that Sangcheng is the closest city to Kongsang Gate, but I haven't considered the exact distance or the route." It wasn't until he was close to the mountain gate that Du Fan remembered this important matter.
"These items are urgently needed. You must be back by sunset tomorrow at the latest!"
"Yes, Senior Brother Wan, don't worry."
Just as Du Fan was at a loss, he overheard the conversation between the two. Turning around, he saw Wan Baoshan and a disciple dressed in menial clothes. Wan Baoshan was giving him some instructions.
"Hey, Junior Brother Du, what are you doing here? Where are you going?" Wan Baoshan also noticed Du Fan not far away. After seeing the package on his body, he was a little surprised and couldn't help but ask.
"So it's Senior Brother Wan. I'm going to Sangcheng to take care of some things." Du Fan quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"According to the sect rules, inner sect servants are not allowed to leave the sect without permission." Wan Baoshan was slightly surprised, but still kindly reminded him.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Wan, but I already know that. I had already obtained Uncle Shen's approval before I left." Du Fan said calmly, offering a brief explanation.
"Since we have obtained Uncle Shen's permission, then there is naturally no problem. I was just about to send someone to Sangcheng to purchase some items. Would Junior Brother Du like to take a ride?" Upon hearing this, Wan Baoshan nodded, and then a strange light suddenly flashed in his eyes.
"If possible, that would be even better." Du Fan was delighted and spoke up decisively.
"I'm sure you know there's no such thing as a free lunch. One low-grade spirit stone, round trip included." Wan Baoshan smiled subtly, his cunning merchant nature fully exposed.
"Okay, no problem!" Du Fan was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and immediately took out a spirit stone and handed it to Wan Baoshan.
"Little Tang, please take good care of this Junior Brother Du on the road." After receiving the spirit stones, Wan Baoshan beamed and gave this instruction to the handyman beside him.
……
Sangcheng is an extremely special city, its fame astonishing both domestic and international audiences. It is one of the top cities in the Fire Feather Kingdom, its scale even comparable to the imperial city. It is also a heavily armed city with a strict military. However, these are not the biggest reasons why Sangcheng can shake neighboring countries. The reason why this city has such a great reputation is because it is adjacent to the cultivation sect, Kongsang Sect.
Half a day later, Du Fan followed Xiao Tang's carriage to a place ten miles outside Sang City. Looking at it from such a distance, Du Fan was momentarily dazed, because compared with the cities he had seen before, this city was exaggeratedly large.
Looking out, the city walls stretched to the far left and right, seemingly merging with the distant mountains. This single wall alone had as many as nine gates.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the carriage arrived at one of the city gates. Upon closer inspection, Du Fan discovered that the city wall behind the wide moat was ten zhang high, and it was entirely made of gray stone bricks, giving people a sense of grandeur.
After Xiao Tang presented a token, he was able to enter the city of Sang under the awe-inspiring gaze of the city guards.
Once inside the city gate, there was a wide and straight street, more than twenty feet wide, stretching as far as the eye could see. The street was bustling with people, a lively and prosperous scene. On both sides were two or three-story buildings, mostly shops. Every moment, people were coming and going, all of which showed the prosperity of Sangcheng.
After saying goodbye to Xiao Tang, Du Fan began inquiring about the location of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance branch that Wang San had mentioned. He had heard that the Seven Star Merchant Alliance was the largest merchant guild in Qingzhou, with an extraordinary background. It not only sold priceless goods from the mortal world, but also spiritual pills, magical tools, and magical treasures from the cultivation world. They not only sold, but also bought back the goods at high prices, with fair prices and a good reputation.
If that were all, Du Fan wouldn't have specifically sought out this place. Even if the Seven Star Merchant Alliance was extraordinary, other similar alliances existed. Their most unique feature was that only this alliance had the authority to facilitate the trade between spirit stones in the cultivation world and gold and silver in the mortal realm. Any other alliance or shop that dared to interfere would be destroyed by all the cultivation sects. This rule was said to have been in place for thousands of years and had never been broken. This alone was enough to demonstrate the terrifying power of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance.
The Seven Star Merchant Alliance can only establish branch alliances in large cities near sects of the level of Kongsangmen. There is a branch alliance of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance in Sangcheng.
An hour later, Du Fan finally found the location of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance after making inquiries from various sources. However, to his surprise, the branch alliance in front of him looked quite ordinary. It was located on a quiet and secluded street, a three-story old-fashioned building that did not show any signs of luxury. After confirming that the words on the plaque above the gate were correct, he curiously walked in.