Because she was thinking about going to the market to sell things, Mu Wanwan woke up very early.
The sky outside was a little dark. She lit a lamp and washed up and worked in the slightly chilly temperature.
Inside the room, she had only felt that it was a bit cold, but once she walked out, she realised it was truly cold. The sky was gloomy and overcast too; she did not know whether it was going to rain again.
“Mr. Dragon, I’m leaving.” Mu Wanwan packed everything properly and walked to the bed. Seeing that he was sleeping steadily, she lifted the quilt again and checked his tail. There did not seem to be anything unusual, but after thinking about it, she still felt a little uneasy. After all, last time, she had also checked Mr. Dragon’s tail before leaving, yet after she had only been out for a few hours, his tail had rotted.
This time, she had to be more careful. Mu Wanwan thought for a moment, then cut a small slice of ginseng to replace the previous slice in Mr. Dragon’s mouth. She tucked the quilt around him properly, and although she knew he could not hear her, she still promised softly, “I’ll try to come back quickly this time.”
Mu Wanwan closed the door and checked several times that the courtyard gate was properly locked before taking the broken umbrella, carrying the basket on her back, and leaving.
This time, her feelings as she left Mr. Dragon behind and set off for the market were very different from last time. Last time, she had been a little afraid, even worried that she might not be able to return. This time, she was more worried about Mr. Dragon.
“Madam, are you going to the market?”
Just like last time, not long after Mu Wanwan walked out, Hongye appeared. Only this time, she appeared leading an ox cart.
“Mm.” Mu Wanwan gave Hongye a smile. “I want to go out today.”
“Alright, Madam, please get on.” Hongye smiled cheerfully. “Are you still going to the elf clan’s market?”
“Yes.” Mu Wanwan replied, first carefully placing the basket from her back onto the ox cart before climbing up herself.
Hongye caught sight of the extra bundle she had compared to last time, and her heart stirred. “Madam, what’s that thing covered with cloth? Are you going to the market to sell it this time?”
Mu Wanwan nodded and generously lifted the cloth she had prepared last night, revealing the vegetables inside. Calmly, she said, “I bought quite a lot of seeds from the market last time. This time, I’m going to exchange them for some money.”
Hongye glanced a few times at the basket. It was stuffed full of vegetables. There were the most radishes, and quite a few leafy greens too. Very quickly, she lost interest. She sat in front and began driving the ox cart, throwing the veiled hat to Mu Wanwan. Her tone carried a faint hint of disdain. “Madam, don’t forget to wear the veiled hat. Also, I’m afraid these vegetables won’t earn much money, right? Madam is at least a first-rank cultivator. Using spiritual energy to grow vegetables for mortals to eat is really…”
Mu Wanwan secretly let out a breath of relief, but her tone carried a trace of helplessness. “His Lordship is seriously ill now. The monthly allowance isn’t even enough for his medicine expenses. It’s difficult to say, but if cultivators weren’t fine skipping meals now and then, perhaps I wouldn’t even be able to scrape together the money for vegetable seeds.”
“Right now, I only have two silver coins on me that cultivators can’t absorb. I’m relying entirely on these vegetables to exchange for some money.”
“Sigh, if you ask me, Madam, you shouldn’t have bought so much meat and cloth last time.” Hongye believed her. Seeing Mu Wanwan’s lack of worldly knowledge, she felt that Mu Wanwan’s life was not even as good as hers, a maidservant’s. “Instead of spending those silver coins, you might as well have bought some needles and thread, made embroidered pouches and things like that, and taken them to sell.” Hongye said, “If a pouch is embroidered well, it can sell for ten or so copper coins.”
Mu Wanwan had only been listening casually at first, but when she heard “ten or so copper coins,” she really became a little interested. “Ten or so copper coins?”
Hongye’s nature was not bad after all, and she was willing to explain. “Yes. A few of my older sisters and sisters-in-law who never entered the path of cultivation all help support their families this way. I think it’s better than growing vegetables.”
As the two chatted, the ox cart gradually moved away from the palace. Just like last time, they passed through the barrier, left the tyrant’s manor through the side gate, and arrived safely near the market.
“Madam, I think it’s going to rain soon. I’ll go find a place to settle the ox cart first. Later, I may have to trouble Madam to hold the umbrella yourself while riding the ox cart.” After chatting along the way, Hongye’s attitude toward Mu Wanwan had improved even more, even becoming a little more respectful than before.
“Then we’ll meet around the same time as last time.” Mu Wanwan bid farewell to her and walked toward the market.
They had talked quite a lot along the way, and she had also learned more about Hongye. According to Hongye, their family had been extremely poor since their grandparents’ generation. But for some reason, perhaps smoke had risen from their ancestral grave in this generation, both she and her older brother had luckily stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Her older brother, Qingye, had even been very outstanding. Before he was forty, he had already become a second-rank cultivator. At the time, Hongye had said very angrily that if he had not encountered that slut Bai Shuiyao this time, Qingye would not have been crippled like this, causing Qingye’s mortal wife at home to have to rise early and work late every day doing embroidery to support the children and her husband.
When Mu Wanwan heard this on the road, she was very surprised. She had always thought Qingye was single. It turned out he had a wife and children, and was already forty. Bai Shuiyao really had impressive tolerance. Qingye was also truly a scumbag; he had a wife and was still hooking up with other women.
But in this world, men, especially men with power and status, could have many wives and concubines. Likewise, women were the same. As long as they were strong enough, they could have many husbands and male favourites.
Just like Mr. Dragon. Although she was his first wife, if he wanted to in the future, he could also marry many women back.
At the thought of this, Mu Wanwan’s mood suddenly became a little uncomfortable. She secretly gritted her teeth. Anyway, according to the plot, after Mr. Dragon woke up, he would fall in love with Bai Shuiyao. When the time came, she would simply leave decisively. What did it have to do with her how many women Mr. Dragon married afterward?
Mu Wanwan even thought a little sulkily, At worst, after Mr. Dragon abandons her, she will work hard at cultivating. Even if she has to rely on cultivating spiritual plants, she should be able to earn quite a lot of money. Then she could keep seventeen or eighteen mortal men, a whole group of handsome male favourites serving her every day. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Mu Wanwan silently sulked for a while. Only after some time did she realise what she had just been thinking, and she helplessly shook her head—
How had she gone from Qingye to thinking of Mr. Dragon? Mr. Dragon was still only a vegetable dragon right now. He was really being wronged all the way to the Pacific Ocean. He had not even woken up yet, and she was already imagining all kinds of scumbag-dragon actions he might take after waking.
Maybe Mr. Dragon would not be like in the original book and brainlessly fall in love with Bai Shuiyao the moment he woke up?
Mu Wanwan took a deep breath and stopped thinking about these vague, distant things. She buried her somewhat complicated feelings toward Mr. Dragon deep in her heart. Just like last time, she tested her rank, paid two silver coins to enter the city, and headed straight for Uncle Zong’s shop.
This time, without Lan’er and her brother leading the way, and with relatively heavy things on her back, Mu Wanwan did not walk quickly. But she had arrived early, and there were not many people in the market to begin with. By the time she reached the street in front of Uncle Zong’s shop, there was almost no one around.
“Uncle Zong.” Following her memory, Mu Wanwan came to the front of Uncle Zong’s shop and knocked on the half-closed door. “Is Uncle Zong here?”
Only this time, Uncle Zong’s hearty voice did not come from inside the shop. Instead, there was a thin female voice. “He went out… cough, cough… Are you… are you here to buy something?”
Mu Wanwan immediately thought of the coughing sound from last time in Uncle Zong’s shop, the one that had instantly made him calm down. “Yes. Hello, may I come in?”
“Mm, come in… come in.” The woman’s voice was very soft. After receiving her permission, Mu Wanwan walked in. As soon as she entered, she noticed that behind the counter, the cloth curtain that had been covering the back last time had been lifted. A pale and haggard-looking woman sat on something like a stool and gave her a faint smile.
“You’re the little girl from last time… cough… the one Brother Lei said gave spirit stones to Lan’er and the others, right?” The woman looked at Mu Wanwan for a while and slowly spoke. Her expression was very gentle.
Brother Lei was Uncle Zong?
How did Uncle Zong know that she had given Lan’er and the others spirit stones…
Mu Wanwan was a little slow to react and looked somewhat dazed. Her reaction pleased the haggard woman, who revealed a happy smile. “Child, why have you stopped talking?”
But after smiling for a while, she began coughing uncontrollably, one cough after another. It sounded as though she was about to lose her breath.
“Are you alright?” Mu Wanwan hurriedly took off her basket. Just as she was about to walk over and help, she felt someone roughly grab her arm.
“Move aside!” Uncle Zong walked in from outside with a body full of cold air. He casually placed the breakfast he had just bought on the table and, in two steps, reached the woman’s side. His large hand gently stroked her arm, and even his voice seemed to turn into water. “Yun’er, I’m back. Don’t speak anymore. I’ll carry you to the back to rest.”
The woman called Yun’er helplessly furrowed her brows and gave Mu Wanwan an apologetic look. Then Uncle Zong carried her away and disappeared behind the cloth curtain.
Mu Wanwan silently picked up her basket and moved to one side. After waiting for a while, she finally saw Uncle Zong walk out from behind the cloth curtain with a face full of murderous energy. Before Mu Wanwan could speak to him, Uncle Zong rolled his eyes at her.
“You cultivated the seeds?” Uncle Zong asked first, his tone irritated.
“I cultivated some.” Mu Wanwan did not think his attitude was bad and said with a smile.
“You cultivated a few dozen stalks of Burning Grass?” Uncle Zong asked. Last time, out of sympathy, he had given Mu Wanwan quite a lot of good seeds. But according to his many years of experience, an ordinary first-rank wood-type cultivator being able to cultivate sixty or seventy stalks of Burning Grass within ten days was already pretty good.
Even with the bag of spirit soil he had given her, at most, she would cultivate ten or so extra stalks. So Uncle Zong had long been certain that if Mu Wanwan could cultivate seventy or eighty stalks of Burning Grass this time, that would already be very good.
But when he saw Mu Wanwan lift the white cloth covering the top of the basket, spread it on the ground, remove the vegetables on top, and reveal the Burning Grass and Blue Star Grass hidden in the centre of the basket, his jaw nearly dropped.
“These were all cultivated by you over these past few days?” Uncle Zong could hardly believe it. He swept his gaze over the things in the basket. There were at least over a hundred stalks of Burning Grass, and there were even more than a dozen Blue Star Grass plants.
“Yes.” Mu Wanwan felt a little embarrassed. “There are still some seedlings at home. I was afraid you wouldn’t accept them, so I didn’t bring them.”
“You’re not lying to me, are you?” Uncle Zong still found it somewhat hard to believe. “You’re just a first-rank little girl, and you cultivated this many?”
Mu Wanwan placed the Burning Grass and Blue Star Grass on the counter, her voice clear. “It’s all because Uncle Zong’s seeds and spirit soil were good. Otherwise, I couldn’t possibly have had such a high success rate.”
Uncle Zong picked up a stalk of Burning Grass—
It was long and jade-green, with a little bit of soil still clinging to the roots at the bottom. But its overall appearance was very good. The other hundred-plus stalks were the same. One glance was enough to tell that they had all come from the same person’s hands.
His expression became a little complicated. But when his gaze touched the Blue Star Grass to the side, it turned into shock.
“You—this is Blue Star Grass you cultivated?” Uncle Zong could hardly believe his eyes. He looked at the somewhat plump translucent fruit held between the two long leaves of the Blue Star Grass and could not help reaching out to pluck a tiny one. For Blue Star Grass of this quality, the impurities contained within were very few. It was a top-grade choice for nourishing the body. If Yun’er used this Blue Star Grass, would it be better than the spiritual plants he had previously spent a great price to buy?
At this thought, Uncle Zong felt he could not wait even a moment. Holding that Blue Star Grass fruit, he only tossed Mu Wanwan the words “Wait here a moment,” then hurriedly lifted the cloth curtain and left.
Mu Wanwan: “…??”
What was going on?
She did not wait long before Uncle Zong returned. The Blue Star Grass fruit in his hand was gone, but there was a trace of a smile on his face. Even his gaze had become somewhat gentle, making Mu Wanwan feel uneasy all over.
“Uncle Zong, what happened? Is there something wrong with the Blue Star Grass I cultivated?” Mu Wanwan asked nervously. Uncle Zong’s gaze was truly a little frightening. He looked as though his soul had suddenly been replaced.
“Nothing’s wrong. Of course there’s nothing wrong with what you cultivated.” Uncle Zong could not help revealing a smile. “You cultivated it very well!”
Mu Wanwan could only smile along. “Then, Uncle Zong, will you still buy this Burning Grass and Blue Star Grass from me?”
“I’ll buy it! Of course I’ll buy it.” Uncle Zong’s eyes were very bright. With one sweep of his divine consciousness over the things on the table, he said, “One hundred and eight stalks of Burning Grass, plus the Blue Star Grass I took earlier—that makes sixteen Blue Star Grass plants, right?”
Mu Wanwan was surprised by his speed, and in her heart, she made a new judgment about Uncle Zong’s strength. “Yes.”
“How about this? I’ll give you twenty-five low-grade spirit stones.” Uncle Zong was very generous.
“Twenty-five?” Mu Wanwan was first surprised and delighted. Then a guess arose in her heart—
She might not be particularly clever, but she was not stupid either. Combined with Uncle Zong’s behaviour just now, she secretly guessed that perhaps the Blue Star Grass she had cultivated was very good and beneficial to that woman called Yun’er.
But she did not plan to demand an outrageous price. After all, Uncle Zong had truly been very, very kind. She only said tactfully, “Uncle Zong, could I exchange fifteen low-grade spirit stones for one mid-grade spirit stone?”
Uncle Zong was a little surprised. “You’re only first-rank right now. Low-grade spirit stones are completely enough for you to absorb. Exchanging them for a mid-grade spirit stone instead is somewhat not worth it.”
Mu Wanwan smiled bitterly. “Before my family’s one was injured, he was fourth-rank. I think a higher-grade spirit stone should be better for his injuries.”
Once she said this, Uncle Zong nodded approvingly. “For third-rank and above, it’s best to use higher-grade spirit stones. The small bit of spiritual energy in low-grade spirit stones really isn’t enough. Absorbing just that tiny bit of spiritual energy every time you cultivate is worse than not absorbing any at all. It feels especially uncomfortable.”
Uncle Zong had only honestly spoken about his own feelings, but Mu Wanwan felt uncomfortable listening to it.
Even someone like Uncle Zong, who was probably around third-rank and close to fourth-rank, felt aggrieved absorbing low-grade spirit stones. Then Mr. Dragon, who had once been one of the top powerhouses on the continent, must feel even more uncomfortable relying every day on the tiny bit of spiritual energy she fed him.
“Then I’ll exchange it for one mid-grade spirit stone and give you another ten low-grade spirit stones.” Uncle Zong noticed the change in her mood and, thinking she was worried he would not agree, explained.
Mu Wanwan was extremely grateful and thanked him several times.
“I should be the one thanking you.” Uncle Zong laughed heartily twice. “Speaking of it, I’m the one taking advantage of you.”
He did not know what was special about Mu Wanwan’s spiritual energy, but the spiritual plants she cultivated were truly of excellent quality. After Yun’er used that one Blue Star Grass fruit just now, her complexion had improved quite a lot.
Uncle Zong’s large brown eyes looked at the basket on the ground. After thinking for a moment, he took out a low-grade Spatial pouch from his pocket and handed it to her. “Consider this Spatial pouch a thank-you gift.”
Mu Wanwan looked at the Spatial pouch with burning eyes and hesitated. “Uncle Zong, this Spatial pouch isn’t cheap either. Are you really giving it to me?”
“Mm, take it.” Uncle Zong said. “But you’re not taking it for nothing. I’m still waiting for you to bring me more spiritual plants next time.” Uncle Zong walked over to the two rows of wooden shelves in the shop. “To be honest with you, I gave that Blue Star Grass fruit just now to Yun’er, and the effect was very good.”
“Adding your high cultivation success rate, I think your spiritual energy should be somewhat special.” Uncle Zong said, “This time, don’t cultivate Burning Grass anymore. It’s a waste of spiritual energy. I’ll recommend a few spiritual plants to you.”
…
Mu Wanwan stayed at Uncle Zong’s place for about half an hour before leaving. In her arms, she held the Spatial pouch containing one mid-grade spirit stone, five low-grade spirit stones, twenty silver coins, two packets of first-rank Blue Star Grass and first-rank Hundred Treasures Fruit seeds, and a large packet of spirit soil Uncle Zong had given her as an extra. On her back, she carried the basket filled with vegetables. Even her steps felt a little floaty.
The gains this morning were truly too much!
She had originally thought that she could only exchange everything for twenty low-grade spirit stones. If Uncle Zong had lowered the price, being able to exchange for eighteen would already have been good. But now, she had even earned a mid-grade spirit stone.
Mu Wanwan could not help revealing a smile. Her first pot of gold in another world! The spirit stones would all be kept for Mr. Dragon. She would keep two silver coins for entering the city next time, and she actually still had eighteen silver coins left as spending money.
This was simply a breakthrough from zero!
Mu Wanwan could not quite restrain herself. She even wanted to immediately rush back and tell Mr. Dragon that she had earned money. And according to Uncle Zong, with her somewhat special wood-type spiritual energy, she would be able to support him from now on.
Perhaps, if she worked a little harder, she could even occasionally add extra meals for him, buy him some clothes, and stop letting him be a naked dragon.
The corners of her lips rose. Mu Wanwan took out the silver coins separately and held them in her palm. She felt that her whole heart was about to melt from the wonderful feeling of earning a little money.
Author’s note:
Mu Wanwan, eyes moist: “This feeling of earning money through labour to raise a dragon is damn wonderful.”
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