Su Ze still wanted to argue, but Madam Su pulled him back: "Ze'er, listen to your father. Mother… mother is also afraid you'll get into trouble again."
Seeing his mother's swollen, red eyes, Su Ze finally gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.
Su Jing'an wasted no more time. He summoned his Flying Sword and, taking Su Xinrou with him, transformed into a streak of light as they shot out of the bedroom, speeding in the direction Su Xinrou had sensed.
Before leaving, Su Xinrou glanced back at Su Chen lying on the bed, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
"Big brother, I'm sorry."
"But my Opportunity… I absolutely cannot lose it."
By the time the sun began to set in the west, Su Jin had already harvested most of the half-acre medicinal field.
Her storage pouch was stuffed full, bulging to the point where it couldn't hold another single Spirit Herb. She straightened her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Su Jin swept her eyes over the remaining Spirit Herbs; almost all of them were low-grade and not worth much.
Although she wanted to take everything, her storage pouch was truly full, so she could only leave these seedlings behind.
"Forget it, leaving some behind can be considered accumulating virtue."
"The remaining ones aren't valuable. Even if the female lead picks them, they won't be of much use, and she probably won't earn many spirit stones from them," Su Jin consoled herself.
Supporting her sore and aching back, she looked up ahead.
The cave was located on a mountaintop, high in elevation. Standing here, she could clearly see the scenery below.
At the foot of the mountain was a small town. Though the town wasn't large, from this vantage point, she could see a dazzling sea of flowers within it.
According to the original description, in the center of that flower sea was the grave of Su Xinrou's birth mother.
It was also the location of the jade pendant space.
"That's the place," Su Jin's eyes lit up.
She didn't delay any longer and quickly moved to a secluded spot, changing into a set of coarse cloth clothing. The fabric was rough, but it was clean.
She then took out that black pot, wrapped it in cloth, and slung it over her back. This way, she looked like a destitute, down-on-her-luck minor cultivator.
She had considered disguising herself as a beggar, but upon further thought, it seemed inappropriate.
Even the lowest-level cultivators in the cultivation world knew a few simple cleaning spells.
If she made herself truly filthy, it would only arouse suspicion. It was better to pose as a poor, wandering cultivator—inconspicuous and perfectly reasonable.
Once properly prepared, Su Jin channeled Spiritual Power into her legs, activated a movement technique, and swiftly headed down the mountain toward the town.
Half a quarter of an hour later, she arrived at the town entrance.
The town was called "Bishi Town." A weathered stone stele stood at the entrance. Two guards leaned against it, looking lazy and bored, both at the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Just as Su Jin was about to enter the town, one of the guards reached out to stop her.
"Entrance fee, one low-grade spirit stone," the guard said without even lifting his eyelids, his tone cold.
Su Jin was taken aback: "You have to pay spirit stones to enter a town?"
Su Jin distinctly remembered that entrance fees were only charged when entering certain cities, not for small towns within them. Could she be remembering wrong?
The other guard, seeing Su Jin standing there dumbfounded, sneered and looked her up and down:
"Just a pauper, can't even spare one spirit stone? Pay if you want in, otherwise get out of the way and don't block the entrance!"
"Are gatekeepers this arrogant nowadays?" Su Jin cursed inwardly, but on the surface, she maintained a troubled expression.
She pretended to reluctantly fish out one low-grade spirit stone from her sleeve pocket—this was one she had intentionally kept on hand for purchasing necessities.
Just as she was about to hand it over, three cultivators happened to walk past nearby. Two men and one woman, chatting and laughing, they walked straight into the town without a second glance.
The guards not only didn't stop them but even nodded politely to one of them.
Su Jin's hand froze mid-air.
She glanced at the retreating backs of those three, then at the two guards before her, and suddenly understood.
This was a case of judging people by their appearance—specifically targeting solitary cultivators like her who seemed powerless and without backing.
"Why didn't they have to pay?" Su Jin asked, pointing in the direction of the three.
"None of your damn business! Why do you have so many questions?" the guard snapped impatiently. "Are you going in or not? If not, get lost!"
Su Jin's eyes turned cold, but she ultimately held back. A small impatience could ruin great plans.
Her top priority now was obtaining the jade pendant space. There was no need to stir up trouble over a single spirit stone.
Silently, she handed over the spirit stone.
The guard took it and casually tossed it into a wooden box nearby, waving his hand dismissively.
"Go on in. A reminder: fighting is forbidden within the town. Violators will be expelled. Of course, if you get beaten up, as long as no one dies, we can't be bothered to intervene."
Su Jin said nothing, lowering her head as she walked into the town.
As soon as she stepped inside, the clamor of voices filled her ears. The streets were lined with all kinds of stalls on both sides.
Shouts, haggling, and arguments mingled together. Elixirs, talismans, magical instruments, materials…
A dazzling array of cultivation resources, though none were of high grade. For cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage, however, it was more than enough.
Su Jin felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden—everything seemed novel and fascinating. In her previous life, she had been just an ordinary office worker.
How could she have ever witnessed such wondrous sights! Talisman paper glowing faintly, small flames floating in transparent jars.
Elixirs of various colors emitting medicinal fragrances… Each one captivated her gaze.
"Truly, this is the cultivation world. It’s an eye-opener for someone like me who spent half a lifetime as a corporate drone," Su Jin marveled inwardly.
But she quickly suppressed her curiosity. She had long noticed the faint, lingering gazes following her.
Ever since she entered the town, three or four cultivators with ill intentions had been tailing her from a distance.
Most of them were at the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refining, their eyes filled with greed. They were clearly the type who preyed on solitary cultivators.
"I can't buy anything valuable, and I mustn't reveal that I'm actually quite wealthy," Su Jin warned herself inwardly, forcefully resisting the urge to make purchases.
While pretending to wander aimlessly, she kept an eye out for tools that might be useful for digging graves later.
Spiritual hoes, shovels, and the like. Preferably sturdy, durable, and inconspicuous.
As she walked, the call of a vendor up ahead caught her attention:
"Treasures unearthed from an ancient Secret Realm! Don’t miss out as you pass by! Your Opportunity might be among them—find a treasure and soar to greatness overnight!"
Su Jin paused in her steps.
"An ancient Secret Realm?"
Without hesitation, she turned and approached the vendor, her eyes gleaming as she looked at the "treasures" displayed on the stall.
Though reason told her that ninety-nine percent of such roadside goods were scams, she couldn't resist taking a look.
If she didn’t find any treasure, so be it. But what if she stumbled upon something? It’d be a free gain!
The vendor was a middle-aged man with a sharp, weasel-like face, at the seventh or eighth layer of Qi Refining.
His small, shifty eyes darted around, clearly marking him as someone who enjoyed swindling others. Seeing Su Jin approach, he immediately put on a wide smile: