She squatted on the ground counting them one by one—five High-Grade Spirit Stones, thirty Mid-Grade ones, and five hundred Low-Grade ones. “I’m rich, I’m rich!” Shen Ci grinned until her eyes narrowed into slits.
Suddenly feeling capable again, she stood up. “Da Hua, I have money to buy rice for you now!”
The Sect was truly impoverished—the outer courtyard was barren, the library had no books, and the Alchemy Room lacked furnaces. They needed to stock up on basic necessities first.
Carrying her sword, Shen Ci went to the market in the city at the foot of the mountain.
The Cultivation World had five major sects, each guarding the east, south, west, north, and central regions, occupying the five main Spirit Veins.
Danxia Valley: Located in the Yunxia Spirit Marsh, known for having the most Pill Refining cultivators, positioned in the east.
Shangyun Sect: Based in Red Cloud City, with diverse types of cultivators, positioned in the south.
Beast Taming Sect: Residing in the Ten-Thousand Beast Forest, where each member possesses one to three powerful spiritual pets, relying on demon beasts for combat, positioned in the west.
Tai Xu Sect: Settled in Green Bamboo Mountain, with disciples mostly practicing talisman, formation, and divination arts, positioned in the north.
Heaven Sword Sect: The largest in scale and number of disciples, located in the Ten-Thousand Peaks Mountain Range, overseeing the entire central continent.
The remaining countless minor sects relied on secondary Spirit Veins or had none at all, barely managing to be self-sufficient.
Of course, there were hardly any as destitute as the Shang Yun Sect, which was practically nonexistent.
Both Shen Ci’s former Shangyun Sect and her current Shang Yun Sect were located within Red Cloud City.
Though she couldn’t perform sword control, she had mastered the Cloud-Treading movement technique to perfection. Moving swiftly, she reached the market in no time.
Amid the bustling crowd, genuinely feeling the vibrant atmosphere of daily life, Shen Ci felt grateful once again—she had truly come back to life.
Her mood soared.
“Fifty jin of spirit rice, one dozen each of chicken, duck, goose, and quail eggs…”
Shen Ci counted on her fingers, budgeting carefully, when a sudden idea struck her. “That’s right! Hotpot!”
She could almost smell the spicy, numbing, and aromatic broth already. “I’ll need some Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, peanuts, beef tallow, hawthorn…”
“And a few old hens!”
The shopkeeper, amused by her serious demeanor, teased, “Little girl, where are your parents? Why are you doing the shopping?”
Without looking up, Shen Ci focused on poking the clucking hens in the cage. “They’re all dead.”
The shopkeeper froze, regretting his words. “Come, come, uncle will give you an extra dozen eggs.”
Shen Ci grinned, revealing her canine teeth. “Thank you, uncle!”
As the hens clucked in their bamboo cage, Shen Ci hummed a cheerful tune, already envisioning a bright future running a Spirit Food shop. With a steady income for the Shang Yun Sect, her senior brothers and sisters wouldn’t have to be away from home all year round.
After purchasing plenty of daily necessities, fruits, and vegetables, Shen Ci hurried off to the spiritual plant market. But standing in the middle of the street, her little face fell in dismay.
The spiritual plants she used to help cultivate at the Shangyun Sect—why were they all so expensive now?
On the verge of tears, Shen Ci felt the remaining Spirit Stones in her pouch. Gritting her teeth, she pointed to the wilted seedling in the farthest corner. “Boss, I’ll take two Moon-Glow Trees.”
The shopkeeper lazily lifted his eyelids. “Four hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.”
Shen Ci handed over four High-Grade Spirit Stones, her heart aching at the expense.
One High-Grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to one hundred Mid-Grade ones, and one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for one hundred Low-Grade ones.
As for Spirit Crystals, one was worth a hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones. Shen Ci did have one Spirit Crystal that Bu Ranchen gave her yesterday, but she couldn’t bear to use it.
The Moon Glow Tree is the most common, cheapest, yet most fundamental and indispensable spiritual plant in the Cultivation World. Its blossoms, the Moon Glow Flowers, function like a cure-all—essential for pill refining, talisman drawing, medicine-making, and weapon crafting.
Most importantly, this spiritual plant is incredibly easy to cultivate. It only requires a trace of Spiritual Qi and the presence of moonlight to bloom.
Clutching the hard-won seedling, Shen Ci suddenly noticed a pile of withered, yellow cuttings beside the vendor’s feet. “Boss, could you give me those dried branches?” she asked, blinking her large eyes. “I’ll use them as firewood.”
The vendor looked at Shen Ci in surprise, then waved a hand dismissively.
Shen Ci cheerfully gathered the cuttings. These were all pruned branches from Moon Glow Trees—if planted, they might just take root!
Her storage bag was nearly full, and she prepared to return to the sect. Smiling inwardly, she comforted herself: It’s alright, it’s alright! Spiritual plants will come, Spirit Stones and Spirit Crystals will come too—everything will come!
“Senior Brother, does Yao Yao look pretty in this~?”
Shen Ci’s face fell again.
She turned toward the source of the voice. Inside the Cloud Garment Pavilion, Shen Qingyao twirled in a fairy-pink dress, flanked by Rong Yuan, Luo Xingyao, and Song Heyu, all gazing at her with doting expressions.
They were all her former senior brothers.
Luo Xingyao crouched to eye level with Shen Qingyao and tapped her nose. “Little Junior Sister looks lovely in anything.”
Rong Yuan, holding his sword, smiled warmly. “If Yao Yao likes it, we’ll take the entire Cloud Pattern series.”
Song Heyu chimed in proudly, “Of course! Our Shangyun Sect’s Little Junior Sister deserves only the best.”
Shen Qingyao giggled, her voice clear as a brass bell.
Shen Ci’s fingers unconsciously twisted the frayed, faded hem of her robe.
She stared blankly at Shen Qingyao’s charming, delightful appearance, then touched her own gaunt, sunken cheeks. Perhaps everyone is drawn to beautiful things—that’s why she herself was so unwelcome.
Ever since returning to the Shangyun Sect, Shen Ci had desperately tried to please everyone, granting nearly every request. She had given her monthly allowance to her senior brothers and sisters.
Even after her Dantian was damaged, she dragged her sickly body to plant spiritual plants, refine pills, and copy scriptures for them, toiling like a faithful old ox.
What had she done wrong? She was only begging for a pitiful shred of familial affection.
Shen Ci stared vacantly at the three men’s adoring looks directed at Shen Qingyao.
So, some things were never meant to be hers. She had crushed herself into dust to please them, yet they wouldn’t even glance her way.
Shen Ci lowered her head and turned to leave, but that cloying voice rang out again. “Ah, that’s Elder Sister!”
Everyone in the Cloud Garment Pavilion turned in unison. Rong Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as he flashed in front of Shen Ci, his voice cold and sharp. “Shen Ci! How could you be so thoughtless? Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?”
Shen Ci slowly raised her head to look at him—this man who was once… her most respected senior brother, Rong Yuan.
The chief disciple of the Discipline Hall, the most prized student of her birth mother Ye Shuyin, and also… the only person who had ever given her warmth.
When Shen Ci first returned, it was Rong Yuan who guided her—a graceful gentleman, gentle as jade, steady and composed. He patiently taught her the rules of the Cultivation World, guided her cultivation, never tiring of it.
One could say Rong Yuan treated her far, far better than her nominal older brother Shen Qingze.
And Shen Ci reciprocated his kindness. Whenever she obtained something rare or developed a new delicacy, she would deliver it to him first.
He would smile and praise her: “Xiao Ci has great talent as a culinary cultivator.”
Yet it was also Rong Yuan who, because of Shen Qingyao’s simple words or her aggrieved glance, would invoke the authority of the Discipline Hall’s head disciple to punish Shen Ci, as if blinded by devotion—believing whatever Shen Qingyao said without question.
Eventually, Shen Ci’s heart grew cold, and the two gradually drifted apart.