Chapter 193: Chapter 82: Information on the Holy Heart Grass

It turned out the chefs in Sea City were actually quite good. Of course, the main reason was that Hu Mountain Country had a full variety of spices that weren’t expensive. A serving of high-quality roasted venison cost about the same as raw pork in Zhongzhou.

The meat wasn’t expensive, but the alcohol and tea were ridiculously so. To maintain his cover, Wang Ping could only drink the tea he had brought with him.

After eating and drinking his fill, he returned to the rear courtyard. The person in the room across the way had already returned. She was also a sword-wielding Jianghu Traveler, but this one was a Female Knight. She looked to be around thirty years old. Her skin, likely from constant exposure to the wind and sun, had become especially dry, and her hair, which probably hadn’t been washed in a long time, looked a bit greasy.

She wore tight-fitting clothes made of animal hide, with simple iron plates embedded at her wrists and over her chest. A single glance told you she was someone who had been struggling to get by in this place for many years.

She was visibly startled when she saw Wang Ping. Her gaze then fell to the steel saber at his waist, after which she observed his hands. Finally, her eyes met Wang Ping’s, and she gave a slight nod, a silent greeting.

Wang Ping nodded back in acknowledgment.

"This person has such strong Evil Qi, yet she walks a balanced path. If she had the right opportunity, she might even enter the path of cultivation as an Artifact Cultivator," Yu Lian commented from within his Spirit Sea.

"Opportunity..."

Wang Ping couldn’t help but size up the Female Knight again. ’From the looks of her, she most likely won’t ever encounter such an opportunity.’

But that was her business, not his.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, night had fallen.

The Female Knight in the room across the way had returned once at noon, sharpened the saber at her waist, and then left in a hurry. She still hadn’t come back.

That evening, Wang Ping again went to the front hall and ordered some food, keeping up his persona.

Deep in the night, around midnight, just as the sounds of a fight broke out from beyond the courtyard walls, a knock came at the door of Wang Ping’s room.

It was the Shopkeeper from earlier in the day.

"Daoist, please don’t take offense at my rudeness earlier today." He first cupped his fist in a salute and explained his daytime behavior. "Sea City is a chaotic mix of people, with the various clans and gangs constantly fighting for dominance. We have their spies in this very inn every day."

"It’s no matter." Wang Ping waved his hand. Besides his identity as Liu En, he also held the position of Squad Leader in Qianmu Temple’s internal affairs department, which allowed him to mobilize most of their assets within Hu Mountain Country.

Through the dim darkness of the night, Wang Ping could see the Shopkeeper was a little panicked, nothing like the calm man he had seen in the main hall during the day. After a few moments of contemplation, he asked, "What intelligence have you gathered on the Holy Heart Grass?"

"I was just about to report to you, Daoist." The Shopkeeper spoke in a voice as soft as the breeze in the courtyard. "There are three places where Holy Heart Grass grows in Hu Mountain Country. The first is the wetlands west of Biyou Mountain in the Sacred Heart Swamp. That location produces the largest quantity of Holy Heart Grass each season, but it’s controlled by the six great sects. According to their private agreement, the Yuqing Sect takes an exclusive forty percent of the harvest, the Upper Dan Sect takes twenty percent, and the remaining forty percent is divided among the other four sects."

Wang Ping nodded. He had come here this time through the Upper Dan Sect’s channels; Yuan Zheng Taoist had already handled the preliminary arrangements.

"What’s the total yield?"

"According to past records, it’s never more than two hundred stalks."

Wang Ping was taken aback. According to Yuan Zheng Taoist, the Upper Dan Sect was always able to use about thirty percent of their Holy Heart Grass to hire Cultivator guards. The usual method of distribution was to divide the stalks evenly, or to refine them into Sacred Heart Pills before dividing them.

’By that calculation, if things go smoothly, I can get half a bottle of Sacred Heart Pills from the Upper Dan Sect. Add to that the two stalks of Holy Heart Grass promised by Dan Chen Daoist, and it should be barely enough for me to assimilate the Locust Tree Divine Soul.’

"What about the other two locations?" Wang Ping asked again.

"Under normal circumstances, we ordinary people wouldn’t go near the other two. The first is Gray Water Pond. A number of Spiritual Objects have taken up residence there, and I’ve heard the most powerful among them is comparable to a Four Realms Great Cultivator. An ordinary person who goes in is almost certain not to come out. The other... well, they appear randomly within the Sacred Heart Swamp. The Holy Heart Grass from these spots is the most potent—twice as effective as the grass from the other two locations, and it can be used to refine far more Elixirs."

The Shopkeeper paused here. "It’s rumored that every time this randomly growing Holy Heart Grass appears, it triggers a massive, bloody battle. Sometimes, several Second Realm Cultivators even lose their lives over it."

Wang Ping didn’t comment on this and just asked, "What else?"

"The struggle for Holy Heart Grass has always been limited to Second Realm Cultivators and below. So, aside from the Yuqing Sect’s share, which is rarely contested, conflicts over the shares of the other five great sects break out every year."

Wang Ping was already prepared for this. Holy Heart Grass was a life-saving item. Some Cultivators on the brink of madness were waiting for it to save their lives. To save themselves, they would surely resort to desperate measures they wouldn’t normally dare to attempt.

Wang Ping wasn’t afraid, though. He had made extensive preparations. He had over a hundred Sealing Arrays alone, not to mention an endless supply of Curse Talismans, Soldier Talismans for both offense and defense, and some highly lethal Sword Talismans. Tying someone up in a fight for a while wouldn’t be very difficult.

"Has this inn ever worked with the Upper Dan Sect?" Wang Ping’s question was an abrupt change of topic.

"Sometimes we buy some Spirit Grass. Some of our guests like to bathe with it," the Shopkeeper replied.

"Tomorrow, I need you to give me a task that provides a legitimate reason for me to go to the Upper Dan Sect’s headquarters," Wang Ping stated his request.

"That’s simple enough..."

After confidently accepting the task, the Shopkeeper considered for a moment before adding, "I have an unconfirmed piece of information... It seems the Profound Cyan Sect and the Celestial Water Sect, two of the six sects, have gathered a large number of Second Realm Cultivators. They’re probably planning to make a move when the Holy Heart Grass matures this time. And those two sects have never been on good terms with the Upper Dan Sect."

He then added, "The report also says that half of the Second Realm Cultivators they’ve gathered this time are from Zhongzhou."

...

After finishing his report, the Shopkeeper slipped away quietly into the darkness. Wang Ping used a faint trace of Wood Spirit Qi to connect with the plants in the courtyard, checking to see if the man was being followed. He continued to monitor his movements until he was certain there were no problems, only then did he relax.

「The night passed without incident.」

Just as dawn broke, the Mouse Demon Wang Ping had seen the day before knocked on his door.

"Are you busy for the next few days?" the Mouse Demon asked as soon as the door opened.

"Not particularly. I was planning to head over to the Yuqing Sect’s garrison to see if there are any jobs available," Wang Ping replied with a smile.

"Perfect. The inn’s run out of the Spirit Medicine we use for bathing. The Shopkeeper wants you to make a trip for him. Thirty taels of silver. You in?"

"Where to?"

"The Upper Dan Sect. It’s not far, about a half-month round trip."

Wang Ping pretended to think it over for a dozen seconds or so before saying, "Alright, I’ll take it."

The Mouse Demon wasn’t surprised at all; after all, it was a good job. As he spoke, he took out a receipt and a list. "Just follow what’s on here. Make sure to check the inventory list carefully." He then produced a storage pouch. "Use this to carry the Spirit Medicine."

After explaining the details, the Mouse Demon left in a hurry.

Just then, the Female Knight from across the courtyard, who had been watching them for a while, spoke up. "The Holy Heart Grass is maturing soon. It’s best not to take jobs from the Upper Dan Sect right now."

Wang Ping paused, surprised, and looked at the Female Knight. She had returned just before dawn.

"Thanks for the warning!" Wang Ping cupped his fist in gratitude.

The Female Knight said nothing more. With a casual air, she took off her outer jacket and tossed it into the water trough in front of her. It looked like she was about to do her laundry.