Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8461 8461: Herb-picking (1)

Shortly after the pair plunged into the blood sea, the pursuing cultivators emerged at their previous spot. One remarked, "It looks like Feng Zhongxin has taken Zhao Hai to harvest the blood jade Flower. With the market price soaring high these days, plenty of folks are rushing to gather it. But that's exactly why more rivals will show up to steal it away. Heading down there could spell danger for them."

A second cultivator let out a cold snort and replied, "Wouldn't that suit us just fine? We get to test if Zhao Hai truly excels at poison techniques, and gauge his power too. Should he fall short on poisons, we can deal with him outright and skip the hassle." The speaker sported a savage face and a burly build. Unlike the warrior robes on his companions, his outfit resembled a simple sash. His bare arms gleamed with a bronze hue, as though forged from molten metal.

Wang Liang was this man's name. As the sole body cultivator among them, his prowess stood out, though his hot-headed nature often flared. These folks' lifestyles mirrored the Ghostwind bandits closely—they pillaged and slew without mercy, and in every raid, Wang Liang struck with the most brutality.

The group stayed silent, each pulling out straw hats to don before submerging into the blood sea. They swiftly hit the seabed. As Wang Liang predicted, their aim was to witness Zhao Hai's true capabilities. If he proved weak, they'd seize him and extract the treasure's location bit by bit.

Unaware of the tails on them, Feng Zhongxin guided Zhao Hai over a thousand meters deep until they touched the blood sea floor. The sight left Zhao Hai astonished. Countless blood jade flowers dotted the area. Not quite in endless groves, but their numbers were impressive nonetheless.

Zhao Hai knew the blood jade Flower well. This staple herb excelled at boosting blood Qi, finding its way into numerous elixirs. The Blood Slaughter Sect grew vast fields of it, relying on the plant heavily across their pill recipes in bulk amounts.

True to its name, the blood jade Flower resembled a jade-carved bloom. Standing just a foot high with a single stalk, it bore seven or eight maple-like leaves. Crowning it was a vivid red blossom, dense and solid like sculpted blood jade. Its see-through petals added an extra layer of allure.

Feng Zhongxin eyed the blood jade flowers and spoke gravely, "Time to start. Plenty have harvested these here before, but this spot might be less discovered, keeping crowds away for now. We need to hurry. Delay too long with more arrivals, and we'll miss out—or worse, spark a fight." With that, his hands flashed, revealing a jade knife and a spacious jade box in his grasp. The box could easily hold over thirty blood jade flowers, while the knife served for precise harvesting.

A unique trait of the blood jade Flower was its aversion to direct touch. Harvesters had to rely on tools like jade knives. This held true for many herbs. In the Blood Slaughter Sect, spells plucked the flowers straight into space-teleportation devices, then whisked them to jade-built storage for lasting freshness.

For independents like Feng Zhongxin, such methods were out of reach. Though spells could snag the blood jade Flower, they'd slightly degrade its quality. Any drop in caliber meant a hit to the selling price. Thus, they handled it with utmost care. Feng Zhongxin balanced the jade box beneath the flower with one hand, slicing cleanly with the jade knife in the other. The bloom dropped stem-free into the box, intact. The leftover stalk shriveled and vanished soon after.

Feng Zhongxin worked with impressive speed. Moments later, several blood jade flowers filled his box. Spotting this, Zhao Hai summoned his own jade box and knife. He knew these were standard gear for lone cultivators on herb runs. To avoid suspicion from Feng Zhongxin, he couldn't falter. Making them was trivial for him—a mere thought sufficed—so he casually produced a jade box and knife.

Copying Feng Zhongxin's method, Zhao Hai positioned the jade box under a blood jade Flower, then severed it neatly with the knife, letting it tumble inside. He shifted to the next plant and repeated the process. Before long, he'd gathered a good haul, packing his box full.

Zhao Hai stowed the full box away and grabbed a fresh one. He'd seen Feng Zhongxin do likewise. Clearly, jade boxes were essential for solo cultivators on missions. Their virtue lay in locking in the herbs' potency short-term, vital for any medicinal plant. Plus, they cost little, with some crafters making their own. Hence, every rogue cultivator carried plenty for herb hauls.

Zhao Hai's standing far outshone that of loose cultivators. Blood Slaughter Sect disciples would gape if they learned he was grubbing herbs in the blood sea like any stray. As part of one of the ten great sects, they embodied heavenly favor. Even the lowliest outer disciples, deathsworn, or servants drew envy from hordes of independents. For him to forage like a rogue? Utterly mind-blowing.

Truth be told, such notions never crossed Zhao Hai's mind. Back in the lower realm, he'd ruled an entire domain vaster than the Blood Slaughter Sect could fathom. Yet ascension to that throne hadn't inflated his ego. Power and rank weren't his pursuits—raw strength was, pushing ever higher. Thus, every task became training. Devising strategies against rival sects for the Blood Slaughter Sect? Heart-tempering cultivation. All worldly pursuits—plots, revelries—fueled his path. Picking herbs held no shame; as a rogue cultivator now, it fit perfectly.

As Zhao Hai and Feng Zhongxin wrapped up their second boxes of blood jade flowers and reached for the third, a commotion echoed. Glancing upward, they spotted a throng of cultivators closing in. Feng Zhongxin's face darkened at the sight. He flicked his wrist, summoning a long sword, and told Zhao Hai, "Brother, keep harvesting. I'll stand guard."

Zhao Hai paused briefly in surprise, then agreed with a nod. He hadn't anticipated trouble during a simple herb pick—especially for rogues, juggling sword and harvest in one go. Exhausting, really. Still, he held his tongue and quickened his pace.

This drew eyes from nearby gatherers, who moved in small teams too—one watching while others worked. Feng Zhongxin's stance didn't faze them; instead, they hastened their own efforts.

Though Zhao Hai's expression stayed serene, his hands flew. Swiftly, he crammed three more jade boxes. Their total haul of blood jade flowers now swelled. His blistering speed outpaced the other three, inevitably drawing stares from the crowd.

Zhao Hai paid it no heed, darting about to snag every visible blood jade Flower. The rest had cleared most nearby patches too. They rose then—some departing at once, though two crews eyed Zhao Hai and Feng Zhongxin with clear malice.

Feng Zhongxin's features hardened, yet he brushed off the glares. Turning to Zhao Hai, he urged, "Let's move. Stay sharp." His voice dropped low on the warning, signaling his sense of their ill intent. Zhao Hai assented and prepared to depart, only to find their path blocked by eight arriving herb-pickers. The newcomers glared fiercely, their hostile vibes unmistakable.

Alert now, Zhao Hai and Feng Zhongxin eyed the interlopers warily. Feng Zhongxin declared, "What’s your game? We're all chasing coin here, not crossing paths. Best we part ways peacefully. Push to blows, and it'll end badly for everyone." He emphasized by shaking his sword, which hummed softly as his aura surged powerfully.

A sword cultivator through and through, Feng Zhongxin couldn't match the elites of major sects, but in the wider cultivation realm, such experts intimidated most. Their strikes packed devastating force—straightforward like the blade itself, yet refined, piercing, and unstoppable. Defense might lag, but in raw offense, none dared outrank them.