C8 Hsiang Yu Little Fairy

The elder didn't look up this time. Ning Xiaofan, with his unassuming appearance, seemed only fit to purchase an iron furnace, and even that cost him ten Spirit Stones—a considerable sum. The other two items were simply out of his financial reach.

"Some kid just bought the iron furnace."

"Old timer, has the windmill copper not been sold yet?"

"Not yet! Are you interested?"

The elder's eyes sparkled with a hint of disbelief as he gazed at Ning Xiaofan.

"I'll take it."

Ning Xiaofan was in a hurry and didn't bother to bargain.

A flicker of light, and fifty Spirit Stones materialized in a storage bag.

The elder, overwhelmed with astonishment, hesitantly accepted the storage bag and collected the Spirit Stones, then handed the bag back to Ning Xiaofan.

"Alright, it's yours now."

Another flash, and the yellow copper furnace vanished into the air. Could it be true? Did this young man possess a large storage space?

The elder stood there, dumbfounded. The youth before him was wealthy! He had just purchased a storage space, and this young man was swimming in wealth!

Only 65 Spirit Stones remained in the storage space—not a small amount to most, but insufficient for Ning Xiaofan.

Ning Xiaofan, accompanied by Fanh Yichen, navigated several turns to reach the Spirit Herb Pavilion, where the attendant was nearly dozing off.

"Hey, kid, what's the problem? Do you even know where you are? Should someone like you be here? What brings a bird-keeper to the Spirit Herb Pavilion?"

The attendant noticed Ning Xiaofan's Xiaofeng, whose feathers had grown in fully, resembling a green-feathered parrot, albeit much smaller and slightly different in appearance.

"What does it matter to you what I do? Isn't the Spirit Herb Pavilion in the business of selling herbs?"

"Scram, Worker Disciple. You don't belong here. Get moving, or I'll call the guards."

"Xiaofan, maybe we should just go," Fanh Yichen suggested, tugging at his sleeve, fear evident in his eyes.

"Hold on." Ning Xiaofan, left with no other option, conjured a glimmer of light in his palm, revealing three medicinal herbs.

"Fetch the master in charge of herbs from your shop; I have medicinal herbs to sell."

"Head to the side door, the small one. Don't use the main entrance."

"Xiaofan, let's head over."

"Judging me as if I'm beneath them." Ning Xiaofan was itching to teach that guy a lesson, but his cultivation level wasn't there yet.

They made their way to the side door, the shop assistant's grumbling still audible.

"A couple of paupers dreaming of affording medicine pills!"

He should look in the mirror. Wasn't he at the bottom rung himself? As the saying goes, a crow perched on a pig can only see the dirt on others, blind to its own.

"Forget him, let's move on."

Fanh Yichen, always a bit meek, was cowed by the assistant's demeanor. Ning Xiaofan gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. Hadn't he once been the same way?

Ascending from the corner door to the second floor, they found a line of people waiting. It made sense; with so many Worker Disciples in Sky Burning Valley, and its vast expanse, it was inevitable that some would find medicinal herbs to sell.

"Next in line."

A disciple with a box passed through the corridor into an inner room.

"Next."

Half an hour later, it was finally their turn. They followed the calling assistant into the inner chamber.

An elderly man with white hair sat before them. "Young man, what herbs do you bring?"

Ning Xiaofan paused, his hand glowing briefly before he emptied his storage space onto the table.

"Ah!"

The elder stood abruptly, his eyes wide with astonishment at the spread of Spirit Herbs.

"What have we here? Hundred Fragrance Grass, Questioning Fate Flower, Qianji Leaf, Dragonbone Herb... such a collection! But the ages seem off?"

Ning Xiaofan's heart skipped a beat. Were the herbs grown from the Seven-color Spirit Soil subpar? What was amiss?

He had only brought a selection of his Spirit Herbs to the table, a few from each of the four abundant varieties he possessed.

"That's not right; this isn't just any Hundred Fragrance Grass. This is an annual medicinal herb, and this particular one seems rather mature?"

The elder examined each herb closely, pondering their origins. All of these herbs were over five years old. How could such treasures end up with a mere worker disciple?

"Excuse me, sir, would you be interested in purchasing these herbs?"

The old man's mind raced. What was the story behind these herbs?

Ning Xiaofan had only gathered twenty-three herbs, not daring to take more. It's a dangerous world, and who knows what others might do?

"Well, the going rate for each of these herbs is one Spirit Stone, which would make it twenty-three Spirit Stones for the lot. But given their exceptional potency, they seem quite remarkable."

Upon hearing the offer of just twenty-three Spirit Stones, Ning Xiaofan's brow furrowed, sensing it was insufficient.

"Let's do this: tell me where these herbs came from, and I'll make an assessment."

"They were harvested near a spirit spring, which has since dried up."

"Ah, I see. These are indeed rare and valuable. I'll take the liberty of offering you one hundred Spirit Stones for the twenty-three herbs."

"It's a deal."

Ning Xiaofan's expression eased. Receiving only twenty or thirty Spirit Stones would hardly be enough for his needs.

"Young man, try your luck at the spirit spring again sometime. If you find more herbs like these, I'll honor the same price."

Ning Xiaofan nodded in agreement, while the old man internally hoped that Ning Xiaofan wouldn't find herbs of such caliber again. A lower price next time could mean losing a valuable supplier.

"Very well, elder."

"Here are the Spirit Stones. Keep them safe and out of sight."

"Thank you, elder."

"All set then. Xiaoliu, escort our guests out. Next time, you're welcome to enter through the main entrance without waiting in line."

"Yes, old shopkeeper."

The elder couldn't help but feel a surge of elation. These twenty-three herbs were a real find! He could make at least a thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones from them—a significant sum indeed. Success in this business all came down to having the right eye for value and the right connections.

His gaze shifted noticeably as he looked at Ning Xiaofan and the other individual; these were the high rollers, his golden geese.

As Ning Xiaofan and Fanh Yichen descended from the second floor, the shop assistant sprang to his feet, his welcoming smile quickly giving way to a look of concern.

"Good day, sirs."

Anyone who passed through the front door was revered as a deity in their eyes, deserving the honorific 'sir'—such was the shop's custom.

"Ah, and who might we have here? A mere lapdog, I see!"

Fanh Yichen, sensing his advantage, straightened his spine, a glint in his eye.

"You there?"

Xiaoliu, trailing behind, addressed the man, "You owe our guest an apology."

"Yes, I..."

"Smack! Enough of your 'I, me, my.' Apologize at once; this gentleman is a valued patron of our establishment."

The slap sent the assistant reeling, stars dancing before his eyes.

"I apologize, I was wrong to judge. I'm the dog here, sorry..."

"Enough, I won't stoop to your level. We're leaving!"

"Please return, sirs. Next time, make our shop your first stop."

The assistant's face soured, his few careless words having offended someone of significance. The Second Master himself had seen them out—what a predicament.

Ning Xiaofan checked his storage space: 165 Spirit Stones and numerous herbs. The herbs, however, were no longer for sale; if word got out about his stash of Spirit Herbs, he could kiss his days in Sky Burning Valley goodbye.

Exiting the Spirit Herb Pavilion, they made their way to the Divine Secret Tower, a place to acquire formations.

Upon entering the quaint shop, a graceful, attractive young woman approached them with a flirtatious twist of her hips. "Well, hello there, young men. What brings you to our humble establishment?"

Fanh Yichen, clearly unimpressed, spared her only a brief glance before turning back to Ning Xiaofan. "Miss, do you have any formations for sale?"

"Miss, I like that. You sure have a way with words, young man."

The young woman's eyes sparkled with a cunning light, as if she could devour Ning Xiaofan whole when no one was looking. Her gaze seemed to pierce straight through to the soul, revealing that she was no ordinary woman.

"Miss, how may I address you?"

"Just call me Hsiang Yu, but I do prefer 'Little Missy.'"

"Little Missy Hsiang Yu, could you introduce me to the formation?"

"We have a variety of formations. How many Spirit Stones have you brought with you?"

Hsiang Yu's hand casually drifted towards Ning Xiaofan's lower half, prompting him to retreat several steps. This woman was far too bold, reminiscent of the seductive sirens he'd heard about in college.

"Ha! Little brother, are you scared I'll gobble you up?" Her voice was so sultry it sent shivers down their spines.

In this conservative world, Hsiang Yu stood out. Ning Xiaofan was fond of her audacious spirit, though he thought they might be friends if she were less provocative.

"Ms. Xiangyu, you're quite the tease. Perhaps you'd like to see what I'm capable of?"

Fanh Yichen, who had been silent until now, chimed in with a smile, "Big sister, we're interested in the formations. What kinds do you have?"

His words cut through the tension, earning a disgruntled glance from Hsiang Yu. "We have Illusion Arrays, Killing Arrays, Protection Arrays, four Rank 2 Arrays, and one Rank 3 Array, although we're currently out of stock."

"So many options!"

At Ning Xiaofan's exclamation, Hsiang Yu's tone rose with excitement, "Little brother, which formation are you interested in purchasing? Choose wisely, and there might be a reward in it for you."

Her eyes widened in shock as the beautiful woman's face transformed before him, becoming more alluring, more beguiling, and utterly mesmerizing. This was not mere beauty; it was pure enchantment...

A jolt of clarity snapped her out of the spell. Her soul was resilient, a fusion of two spirits, which allowed her to recover swiftly from the charm. Otherwise...

"Ding! Congratulations, Master, you have overcome Hsiang Yu's enchantment. Your ability score has increased."

"Ding! Congratulations, Master! You've successfully resisted Hsiang Yu's enchanting charm, and your charisma has increased."

Interesting. With women, it's all about attraction; captivate her, and you capture her heart.

Was she testing him by casting Charm on herself? What was she up to?

So she had resisted Hsiang Yu's Charm. Did she now have a fondness for him?

"Sister, you sure move quickly!"

Coming to his senses, he noticed the once plump man beside him now resembled a pig, wallowing in his own mess.

"Hey, little brother, what's the matter? Don't you find me beautiful?"

"Beautiful, very beautiful, but not to my taste."

"You?"

Hsiang Yu's cheeks flushed crimson. Naturally alluring and having exerted her Level 9 powers, she was stunned that this young man was barely fazed!

Such a blow to her pride. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, a sign of backlash, her first ever experience of it. This technique had never failed her before, not even with the elders. This kid was something else!

"Enough, I have no designs on you. I'll withdraw my charm. Please, spare my young brother."

The young woman's brow furrowed, and a spiritual light seemed to pulse through the air. Fanh Yichen came to, wiping away the drool from his mouth.

"Xiaofan, I thought I saw an angel."

"An angel? More like a bewitching sprite, capable of ensnaring hearts."

The young woman across from them chuckled once more.

"Wow, sister, your smile outshines even that of an angel."

This guy sure had a way with words. If only his looks matched his charm, he'd be a heartthrob for sure.

Hsiang Yu was indeed beautiful, and the young married woman's attire was even more captivating. She exuded elegance and allure, her every move radiated seductive femininity.

Ning Xiaofan recalled a saying: "Young men fail to recognize the allure of a young married woman, mistaking young girls for the ultimate prize."