Cultivation Is Money-Grabbing C03

Chapter 3: Buy One, Get One Free—Tricking Fools

Lian Mu was completely enraged. Tearing down her house was fine—just fix it and be done with it—but stealing her food was unacceptable!

“You guys must have a death wish, huh?” Her eyes darkened slightly, and the air around her grew heavy, her gaze turning icy.

She had been avoiding these people as much as possible during the month since she arrived. She disliked trouble, yet they had come knocking on her door—clearly asking for a beating.

So what if she had no spiritual power? While she couldn’t yet compete with someone at the fifth level of Qi Refinement or above, she had inherited one hundred and eighty sword techniques from her family. She could randomly pick a few techniques that specialized in overcoming the strong while being weak. The ones before her didn’t seem like serious cultivators, so what she had would be more than enough.

The two were provoked by her words and immediately rolled up their sleeves, cursing, “You little waste, let’s see how you like this!”

The one on the left lunged forward, swinging his fist straight at Lian Mu’s face with full force, not holding back in the slightest.

Who starts at full strength right away? He was just rushing to expose his openings.

Lian Mu was momentarily speechless. With a push of her feet, she stepped onto a tree beside her, dodging the attack.

The man had put too much force into his punch and couldn’t stop himself. Missing his target, he stumbled forward uncontrollably.

Lian Mu jumped down from the tree, swung her broomstick down a few times, and, using the downward force, stomped on his back, pinning him to the ground. She then mercilessly ground her foot into his face twice.

The remaining person: “…”

He gulped and immediately dropped to his knees, sliding forward. “Junior Sister, please, don’t be rash! I’ll fix the door, I’ll fix it!”

Lian Mu gripped the broomstick and stared at him for a moment before coldly saying, “Compensate me for my fruit.”

Under the threat of the broomstick, the only one left unscathed trembled as he went to find materials and repair the door.

Since she had managed to get free labor, Lian Mu made full use of him, tricking him into repairing the entire house under the guise of mutual help.

An hour later, Lian Mu contentedly accepted a full basket of ice-blue, glistening fruit and amicably shook hands with the helpful senior brother.

“You senior brothers are too kind. No need for such trouble. Feel free to visit often.”

The three of them were silent: “…”

Who would want to visit again? If they had known earlier, they wouldn’t have come! Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had to spend an hour picking fruit, not daring to straighten their backs, all for a beating.

Shen Si felt bitter, pain still lingering in his lower body, but he didn’t dare make a sound. He felt like this junior sister was different from before. However, her arrogance was still the same… no, it had grown even more composed, as if she feared nothing.

But this face was undeniably that of his junior sister. Suddenly, her movements had become so swift—what had gone wrong…

Could she be possessed?!

The thought sent cold sweat dripping down Shen Si’s back. He looked at Lian Mu as if he were staring at a monster. Taking advantage of the moment she turned to count her fruit, he and the other two scrambled away.

Lian Mu turned back to find they had already fled. She didn’t bother stopping them—after all, they were of no use to her now. Happily, she moved into her newly reinforced wooden hut and had a peaceful sleep.

The Next Day

As the sun rose, Lian Mu decided to take the day off. She now had a full basket of Giant Spirit Fruit and fresh fish, enough to last her for a while.

To make preservation easier, she slaughtered some of the fish and turned them into smoked, dried fish for easy storage and travel.

She wanted to take this opportunity to go down the mountain.

After preparing a pot of creamy white fish soup for breakfast, she had just scooped a bowl when someone suddenly flew out from the woods.

“Master!”

Lian Mu: “…”

Xu Qianxing excitedly ran up to her, his eyes shining. “Master, I saw it all last night!”

“Saw what?”

“That!” Xu Qianxing mimed a few moves, waving his hands animatedly. “You beat them up in just a few moves! You’re amazing! Can you teach me?”

He sincerely pulled out a wooden sword and earnestly said, “I want to be a sword cultivator in the future, but my father says fighting damages karma and won’t let me find a master.”

“I didn’t—”

Lian Mu was about to refuse when he quickly added, “I can pay tuition! I won’t let Master suffer a loss!”

She swallowed her words and warmly grabbed his hand, immediately changing her tune. “I am proficient in multiple sword techniques, skilled with over a dozen weapons, and highly experienced. Satisfaction guaranteed. Two thousand spirit stones per hour—no refunds after payment.”

A chance to make money? Why waste it?

This kid didn’t seem to know good from bad. As long as she avoided techniques that required spiritual power, teaching him a few basic skills wouldn’t be a problem.

“That’s so expensive!” Xu Qianxing exclaimed. “Last time, I secretly found a cultivator, and they only charged a thousand spirit stones!”

Lian Mu: “…”

She had no idea what two thousand spirit stones were worth—she just instinctively guessed that this kid was rich but foolish.

To successfully scam someone, confidence was key. He had delivered himself to her doorstep.

“That’s the price—take it or leave it.”

Xu Qianxing hesitated for a moment. Thinking about how he couldn’t hire anyone back home and had finally snuck out, he figured he had to learn something before going back. Gritting his teeth, he agreed.

Lian Mu beamed, suddenly finding him much more pleasant. She negotiated, “Pay half the deposit first, and we’ll settle the rest after the lesson. But I need to go down the mountain first—you’ll have to wait for me to return.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Just taking a look around.” She had originally planned to go sightseeing, but since someone was giving her money, she might as well buy some things to nourish herself.

Xu Qianxing immediately raised his hand. “Take me with you! I know lots of fun places down the mountain—I can guide you, Master!”

The two quickly reached an agreement and immediately set off.

Down the Mountain

The Hidden Guest Mountain, where the Gui Xian Sect was located, bordered mortal lands. Three hundred miles from the mountain lay a bustling city filled with all sorts of people. Anyone passing by could be a hidden expert, and the streets were always lively.

This city was under the jurisdiction of the mortal emperor. The immortal sects and the royal family each had their own roles and did not interfere with each other. In the eyes of the world, the immortal sects were naturally more revered.

As she recalled her dream, Lian Mu couldn’t help but sigh. Who would have thought that the places that relied on the Gui Xian Sect for peace would eventually be destroyed by the very disciples people trusted?

Flashes of rivers of blood and her own death ran through her mind, making Lian Mu rub her arms uncomfortably.

She had to start cultivating again!

After wandering through the market and gathering information from Xu Qianxing, she sent him away.

She bought medicinal herbs to nourish her body, along with daily necessities and new clothes, completely refreshing her look. Everything else was stuffed into the Spatial pouch she had swiped from Xu Qianxing.

As she passed by a magic item store, a vendor shouted, “Fish Swallowing Stones on sale! Buy one, get one free! First come, first served!”

“Low-price clearance” and “Buy one, get one free” triggered Lian Mu’s attention, and she couldn’t resist returning to take a look.

The shopkeeper saw someone approaching from a distance, walking with a confident and affluent air. Her clothes were new, making him think she was a wealthy customer. He immediately greeted her, “Oh my, Miss, take a look and see what you’d like. My fish-and-goose stones are the finest in all of Xi City. Various shapes and distances are available, and if you buy one now, you’ll receive a bonus rare stone—this is the only one.”

Lian Mu got straight to the point, “What is a fish-and-goose stone?”

The shopkeeper paused for a moment before explaining, “…A fish-and-goose stone is a commonly used transmission tool for cultivators. It allows communication over long distances and is one of the lowest-grade spiritual artifacts. The ones in my store all have a range of at least a hundred miles.”

“How do you use it?”

The shopkeeper replied, “You drip blood to recognize ownership, then exchange a strand of spiritual energy with the person you need to contact.”

Lian Mu found it quite fascinating. This thing was probably the primitive version of a communication terminal in her world, using spiritual energy as a signal. Though she didn’t have spiritual energy yet, buying one at a low price for future use seemed like a good idea.

“How much is one?” she asked.

The shopkeeper beamed and held up five fingers. “Not expensive—just five hundred spirit stones, and you can pick any one you like.”

Lian Mu was surprised. “Isn’t this supposed to be a low-grade spiritual artifact? Are you trying to scam me with five hundred spirit stones? Two hundred and fifty! If not, I’m leaving.”

She scanned the display table, which held bracelets, rings, and pendants of various styles, none of which looked particularly valuable. Even some of Xu Xianxing’s high-grade spiritual artifacts only cost a thousand spirit stones.

Spirit stones were extremely valuable, and her total spending on this trip hadn’t even reached two hundred yet.

The shopkeeper’s smile stiffened slightly. For the first time in decades, he felt he had misjudged a customer. He had assumed that someone with such an aura must be a rich young lady who spent money freely. He hadn’t expected her to haggle over five hundred spirit stones.

“Three hundred spirit stones, and I’ll throw in the rare stone. Any lower, and I’ll be at a loss.”

“Two hundred!”

“Two hundred and forty!”

“One hundred and fifty!”

“One hundred and seventy!”

Lian Mu pressed her lips together and, without hesitation, turned to leave. “Too expensive. I only have seventy spirit stones left—forget it.”

“Wait!” The shopkeeper, drenched in sweat, hurriedly called out, “Since you’re my first customer today, I’ll give you a special discount—take it for sixty-nine!”

Lian Mu grinned. “Deal.”

She had already noticed that this store had few customers, and the display items were gathering dust. As expected, it was the best place for bargaining.

She picked a bracelet-style fish-and-goose stone and dripped her blood to bind it. The shopkeeper then took out a black, tower-shaped stone that emitted a faint dark-purple glow.

“This is the free gift—a naturally shaped luminous tower stone. It glows at night, and many wealthy families love collecting them. You can also drip blood to mark it, so if you lose it, you can find it again.” The shopkeeper carefully watched her reaction.

Lian Mu guessed from the name that it was probably just a worthless decorative item. She didn’t examine it closely and simply dripped two drops of blood on it before tossing it into her storage pouch.

As night fell, Lian Mu found Xu Xianxing waiting for her at the foot of Hidden Guest Mountain. The kid had an inexplicable admiration for her and eagerly ran over to greet her.

“Master, what did you gain today?” Xu Xianxing’s eyes sparkled. “I didn’t tell you the wrong place, did I?”

“It was alright,” Lian Mu answered honestly. “Thanks for the help.”

Xu Xianxing immediately noticed the fish-and-goose stone on her wrist and quickly pulled out the one hanging around his neck. “I have one too, Master. Can we link them?”

“Sure.” Lian Mu extended her hand, letting him infuse spiritual energy into the bracelet.

He had just begun his cultivation journey and had very little spiritual energy—barely stronger than an ordinary person. Fortunately, low-grade artifacts didn’t require much, and his amount was sufficient.

She asked, “How much did yours cost?”

Xu Xianxing replied, “One hundred spirit stones. Fish-and-goose stones are the cheapest among spiritual artifacts. Even the most expensive long-distance transmission ones only cost two hundred. Mortal merchants selling spiritual tools like to inflate the price under the pretense of ‘immortal use,’ but in reality, fish-and-goose stones cost less than fifty spirit stones to make.”

“I see,” Lian Mu murmured, deep in thought.

Good thing she didn’t get scammed.

Casually, she took out the free gift and asked, “How about this?”

Xu Xianxing examined it for a moment before explaining, “Just an ordinary decorative stone. My family’s lamps are made from the same material, though the tower shape is rare.”

His brows furrowed slightly. He felt a strange discomfort.

For a brief moment, he thought he saw faint black smoke rising from the stone.

“Then it’s fine.” Lian Mu didn’t have cultivation yet and couldn’t determine if the stone had any spiritual energy. If it did, she had scored a bargain.

Xu Xianxing had seen many spiritual artifacts, and if he said it was ordinary, it probably had no special use.

Lian Mu lost interest and put it away before heading home.

“Master, wait for me!”

Seeing her indifference, Xu Xianxing suspected he had been mistaken. His master showed no reaction at all.

Maybe he had just eaten too much salty food today and was imagining things.