The old man saw Mu Li’s hesitant expression and quickly said, “If you’re truly set on buying, I’ll give you a ten percent discount. I can’t go any lower.”
Mu Li thought for a moment, then replied sincerely, “I forgot to bring silver when I went out today. If you’re not in a hurry to leave, wait here for me a while. I’ll go to a trading house to exchange some silver and come back.”
The old man’s business had been poor—his goods had sat unsold for a long time. Hearing this, he readily agreed.
But when Mu Li returned with the silver, she found two people she least wanted to see standing at the old man’s stall: Xuanyuan Yunfei, the male lead, and Su Xuening, the heroine, whom she had just run into at the bookstore not long ago.
Enemies meet on a narrow road indeed.
She resolved that from now on, she should check the almanac before going out.
The two had clearly set their sights on the same bundle of dried vines. Su Xue Ning was speaking gently to the old man: “How much did that person offer you? We’ll pay double.”
The old man shook his head. “No, I already promised someone.”
Xuanyuan Yunfei grew impatient and said coldly, “Ten times!”
The old man was stunned by his extravagance, pausing for a moment, but still shook his head.
“One hundred times!”
The old man’s face twisted with pain, but he still refused.
From a distance, Mu Li pondered: What part of the plot was this? What exactly was this bundle of vines? Why did Duoduo want it so badly, and why were the male and female leads willing to pay such a high price?
But since she had found it first, there was no reason to give it up. She tugged down the brim of her hat and walked forward.
The old man brightened when he saw her return. “Ah, you’re finally back!”
Mu Li said nothing, simply handed over the silver she had exchanged.
The old man took the silver and passed her the bundle of vines that had sparked such a contest, his face showing reluctance—clearly pained at losing out on such a fortune.
Mu Li’s sudden appearance and swift transaction left Su Xue Ning and Xuanyuan Yunfei momentarily stunned. By the time they realized the old man had been waiting for the cultivator they’d seen earlier at the bookstore, Mu Li had already completed the purchase and looked ready to leave.
Su Xuening grabbed Mu Li, smiling brightly. “Fellow Daoist, we meet again. What a coincidence!”
Mu Li gave a cool nod without intending to speak.
Xuanyuan Yunfei, clearly displeased, said bluntly, “Judging from your cultivation, you’re only at the Qi Refining stage. You shouldn’t be able to contract high-level spirit beasts. This Purpleblood Vine has a domineering medicinal nature—ordinary beasts won’t be able to withstand it. Why not let us have it instead?”
Seeing Mu Li silent and unmoving, Su Xuening assumed Xuanyuan Yunfei’s tone had offended her. She quickly added, “Fellow Daoist, if you need any pills or other items, we can exchange with you. You won’t suffer any loss.”
But Mu Li barely heard her. She was stunned by the words *Purpleblood Vine*.
In the original novel, after the heroine contracted a little white tiger, she searched everywhere for Purpleblood Vine to improve its constitution. She never found it until much later, after reaching the Golden Core stage, deep within a secret realm. So what was happening now? Had she, with the help of her treasure-hunting mouse, found it ahead of time—while the heroine trailed behind to pick up scraps? Or was it that, since she had snatched one opportunity from the heroine before, the “plot god” was determined to compensate the heroine with another treasure?
As expected of the female lead—treated like a beloved daughter of fate.
Fortunately, the old man was a man of principle.
Of course, Mu Li had no intention of giving it up. Even if she wanted to, Duoduo would never allow it. With a touch of mischief, she said, “Sorry, both of you. My spirit beast happens to need this, so I can’t give it up.”
Her veiled hat hid her face, and she had deliberately concealed her aura. Outsiders could only guess her cultivation level, but couldn’t identify her by her qi. The moment she spoke, however, the two immediately recognized her.
Su Xuening’s face darkened. “So it’s Fellow Daoist Mu. What a coincidence.”
Twice now she had set her eyes on the same treasure, only to be beaten by Mu Li each time—and this was Xuanyuan Yunfei’s former fiancée. The humiliation was hard to swallow.
Xuanyuan Yunfei looked at Mu Li with a complicated expression. After a long pause, he said, “Fellow Daoist Mu, your luck is truly remarkable. But since you need it, we’ll let it go. We can search again later.”
With so many people around, and gossip about the Xuanyuan family’s broken engagement with the Mu family still fresh, he didn’t want to become the center of idle chatter again.
“Then I wish you both good fortune.” Mu Li, in high spirits, waved at them and strolled away.
Behind her, Xuanyuan Yunfei tried to comfort Su Xuening. “It’s fine. Purpleblood Vine is rare, but if we’re determined, we’ll find it eventually.”
Mu Li didn’t hear Su Xuening’s reply, but nearby onlookers were whispering.
“Hey, isn’t that Xuanyuan Yunfei and the Mu family’s eldest daughter?”
“I heard they broke off the engagement—because of that female cultivator in white. Tch, so many mistresses these days.”
“Once the engagement’s broken, she doesn’t count as a mistress. The Mu daughter’s cultivation is too low; she wasn’t a match.”
“True enough. But what’s going on with the three of them here? I heard there’s another young cultivator involved—it’s actually a love quadrangle.”
…
Mu Li didn’t dare listen further and hurried home. The gossipmongers of the cultivation world had imaginations as wild as modern people, delighting in melodrama. Their speculations rivaled soap operas.
What amazed her was that mortals and low-level cultivators alike dared to gossip openly under the pressure of the higher cultivators’ aura. Truly fearless.
With the Purpleblood Vine in hand, Mu Li began searching for the recipe for Purpleblood Pills. Fortunately, the recipe was much easier to find than the vine itself—the Mu family’s library had it. After two days of study, she mastered the method.
Purpleblood Pills were meant for high-level spirit beasts. Since Duoduo was still weak, Mu Li feared that it couldn’t withstand the potency. After several trials, she modified the recipe and refined a weaker version for him.
Even so, Duoduo struggled to endure it. Each time he ate one, he fell into deep sleep.
At first, Mu Li was terrified, thinking something had gone wrong. But when he woke on time after digesting the medicine, brimming with spiritual energy, she relaxed. Still, she limited him to one pill per day.
As for the leftover dregs from refining, Mu Li refused to waste them. She used them to soak in baths, testing the old man’s claim of benefits for humans.
The results were clear. Though the baths were uncomfortable, afterward Mu Li felt her constitution strengthened and her cultivation speed increased. The benefits were immense.
Because of this unremarkable bundle of dried vines, both master and beast grew rapidly. Within less than a month, Duoduo’s body had grown noticeably larger, while Mu Li herself had reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage—ready to build her foundation.