Dream Shopkeeper glanced at him, noticing the anticipation and tension in his expression, and couldn't help but become cautious. He carefully opened the package, squinting to look inside.
About the size of a bowl, dark red in color, it resembled a mushroom or a lingzhi, with a rather impressive shape, exuding the aura of a rare treasure.
"Cough... cough..." Dream Shopkeeper couldn't help but clear his throat.
Yang Kai looked at him nervously and asked softly, "What is this?"
Dream Shopkeeper gave him a strange look without answering, instead asking, "Where did you find this?"
"In a cave, there was even a Level 1 monster guarding it. I killed it and picked this out."
Dream Shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat: "You encountered a monster? Didn't I tell you not to go deep in?"
"I didn't go deep. I don't know why it was in the outer area of Blackwind Mountain," Yang Kai said, feeling a bit wronged.
Dream Shopkeeper sighed, thinking that the reason this young man was in such a state was probably because of the fight with the monster. With his strength, dealing with even a Level 1 monster wasn't easy.
Poor kid, he worked so hard, running around Blackwind Mountain for three days to earn just sixteen contribution points, and then fought a Level 1 monster, barely surviving. If he knew what this thing was, it would be too cruel.
Forget it, I'll do a good deed this time, it'll be a virtue.
Yang Kai saw Dream Shopkeeper's serious expression but didn't get an answer, so he couldn't help but feel anxious. Just as he was about to ask again, Dream Shopkeeper sipped some tea, smacked his lips, and forced a smile, saying, "You're quite lucky, kid!"
Hearing this, Yang Kai's heart, which had been on edge, finally relaxed. He was really worried that this thing would be worthless, which would be a big joke.
"Dream Shopkeeper, what is this? How many contribution points is it worth?" Yang Kai rubbed his hands, full of anticipation.
"Hmm... This thing is called Blood Spirit Mushroom! It's a rare herb, a... common..." Dream Shopkeeper didn't finish his sentence when he saw disappointment on Yang Kai's face, so he quickly corrected himself, "No, no, no, it's a low-grade Earth-class herb, yes, low-grade Earth-class! That's right!"
His tone was so firm that Dream Shopkeeper almost believed it himself.
"Low-grade Earth-class?" Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised, "Did you see it right, Dream Shopkeeper?"
Dream Shopkeeper put on a stern face: "Nonsense, I've seen countless... cough, herbs in my life, with a pair of keen eyes. How could I be wrong?"
"How many contribution points can it be exchanged for?" Yang Kai was only interested in this.
"Let's say twenty points."
"Only that much." Yang Kai was a bit disappointed. He thought this thing would be at least a few dozen points.
"Not bad, kid." Dream Shopkeeper thought it was free, so he couldn't give too much, but he found a reason to say, "Although this Blood Spirit Mushroom is indeed a low-grade Earth-class herb, it's small in size and not very old, so it's only worth twenty points."
"Oh." Yang Kai didn't argue, agreeing, "Then twenty points it is."
Dream Shopkeeper nodded and recorded it in the ledger.
This time in the mountain, besides the Three-Leaf Soul Flower and the Desolate Land Withered Grass he needed, he earned a total of thirty-six contribution points. Adding the points he had saved before, he now had forty-eight contribution points. Yang Kai suddenly felt quite wealthy.
However, although entering the mountain to gather herbs could earn contribution points, it also took a lot of time for cultivation and relied on luck, which seemed to put the cart before the horse. Although he was excited, Yang Kai decided that unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't do this again.
The purpose of accumulating contribution points was for cultivation. Yang Kai could distinguish the main and secondary aspects and didn't let this harvest cloud his judgment.
He now had quite a few Three-Leaf Soul Flowers, picking about thirty to forty in that cave, but the Desolate Land Withered Grass was scarce, with only five or six plants. If he really used them for cultivation, it might not be enough, so he needed to exchange some from the Contribution Hall, just to be safe.
Deciding this, Yang Kai said, "Dream Shopkeeper, give me ten Desolate Land Withered Grass plants."
Old Dream looked at him, though curious about what he needed them for, he didn't ask much, just looking at him calmly and saying, "Ten low-grade Earth-class herbs, ten contribution points, are you sure you need them?"
Yang Kai frowned, suspiciously, "That's not right, didn't you say two herbs for one point?"
"The purchase price is one thing, the selling price is another, they are different," Dream Shopkeeper smiled particularly brightly, exuding a strong aura of a cunning merchant.
Yang Kai was angry, pointing at Old Dream's nose, "This is pure buying and selling, making a profit in between, it's shameful, did you eat your conscience with a dog?"
Old Dream waved his hand, "This isn't me buying and selling, it's the sect's pricing, it has nothing to do with me. All items in the Contribution Hall are clearly priced, no cheating, I'm just in charge of the hall. Otherwise, how do you think the sect supports you three thousand disciples?"
Yang Kai was taken aback, thinking it made sense. Business is about making money, and a huge sect like Lingxiao Pavilion wouldn't be able to support three thousand disciples without some means. Although it did seem like they were making a profit, no one was forcing him to buy or sell.
"Do you still want the Desolate Land Withered Grass?" Dream Shopkeeper saw Yang Kai's pained expression and felt quite pleased.
"Yes." Yang Kai gritted his teeth, he would need it eventually, and since he didn't want to enter the mountain to gather herbs, he had to buy them here.
Dream Shopkeeper turned and went to the back room, returning shortly with ten Desolate Land Withered Grass plants. Yang Kai counted them, and Dream Shopkeeper recorded it in the ledger.
"Humph!" Feeling a bit aggrieved, Yang Kai took the herbs and left.
"Come back often." Dream Shopkeeper called out warmly from behind.
Come back to be swindled, Yang Kai finally understood where the nickname "Dream Skinflint" came from.
He hurried out, almost colliding with someone entering as he reached the door.
Both reacted quickly. Yang Kai stopped abruptly, and the other person also stopped, but a refreshing fragrance wafted towards him.
Looking up, Yang Kai saw a pair of eyes as bright as the moon staring at him, but he couldn't see the face clearly because the person was wearing a veil.
It was a woman. Although he couldn't see her true face, judging by her skin color, she was probably young, likely his senior sister.
Yang Kai nodded at her, slightly apologetic, and moved aside, gesturing for her to enter first.
To his surprise, the woman hesitated, her ears suddenly turning red, and she avoided his gaze.
This made Yang Kai think she was quite shy, so he quickly looked away to avoid embarrassing her.
Xia Ningshang was extremely embarrassed.
She never expected to run into Yang Kai at the Contribution Hall entrance. Seeing his face, Xia Ningshang immediately thought of...
And then she thought of...
Instantly, her face turned red, her ears heated up, and she hurriedly rushed into the hall, not daring to look up.
Yang Kai found it amusing. He rarely saw a woman so timid. Although there were many female disciples in Lingxiao Pavilion, martial artists were generally more open-minded, unlike her, who blushed just from a glance. No wonder she wore a veil.
This senior sister was quite cute, but why did he feel that her fragrance was familiar, as if he had smelled it before?