The moment the L ing Xū Cǎo appeared, a few people around opened their eyes wide.

They reached out to put the L ing Xū Cǎo back, stood up, and tore down the paper from the bulletin board, taking the suddenly emerged savior to a corner where no one was around.

The lights turned on, the shadows of the trees swayed, and L in Zhú Shēng pulled out the L ing Xū Cǎo again.

It was a big handful, definitely L ing Xū Cǎo, and at a rough glance, it looked like there were at least three hundred pieces—enough for two people to keep their studies intact. A few people stared in disbelief and asked, “Where did you get so many herbs?”

L in Zhú Shēng scratched his head and answered half-truthfully, “I stumbled into a forest today and found them.”

L ing Xū Cǎo is not easy to store; it can only be freshly picked and processed. He didn’t want to change the default narrative, so he selectively altered the picking time.

“……”

A few unlucky souls on the edge of leaving the sect looked at each other and then at the herbs, and after a tacit glance, they all raised their hands in unison, eager to buy first.

There were only so many herbs, and someone was bound to leave the sect, but it absolutely couldn’t be themselves.

One hand was raised, while the other was frantically poking the elbow of a fellow disciple beside them. A few people were pushing and shoving, and just as it was about to escalate into a fight that would damage their friendship, L in Zhú Shēng timely extended a hand of justice to stop it.

In front of everyone, he rummaged through another sleeve and pulled out a handful of white-green herbs, saying, “There’s more here.”

A large pile of L ing Xū Cǎo, stacked like weeds, brought tears to the eyes of those who saw it.

Now there was no need to fight; everyone could get some herbs. The internal conflict paused, and a few people squatted in a row, watching their savior L in Zhú Shēng help count the herbs.

The L ing Xū Cǎo lay in their palms, like the lost identity of a disciple returning to their hands, and in an instant, their whole bodies warmed up.

With the herbs in hand, the next step was the payment. Someone offered a price far exceeding the original, but L in Zhú Shēng waved his hand and firmly said, “Let’s stick to the previous price.”

He didn’t want to extort; he just wanted to maximize benefits without going down the wrong path.

An unexpectedly upright person!

What was originally an ordinary face suddenly became sacred, and a few fellow disciples quickly elevated their perception of him.

The one closest, who had been squatting nearby, suddenly remembered something and asked, “So, did you come specifically to give us L ing Xū Cǎo?” Earlier, they had heard some chaotic breathing sounds.

Basically, yes. If he hadn’t fallen asleep in the afternoon, he should have been able to come more leisurely, L in Zhú Shēng nodded simply.

L ing Xū Cǎo is not easy to store; it can only be freshly picked like this today. He had been slacking off in the academy in the morning, and the herbs could only be picked in the afternoon, which took quite a bit of time. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up picking until dark.

Then he hurried here after it got dark for them.

“……”

Thinking of this, a few fellow disciples were moved to tears, calling him righteous. The closest disciple even reached out and hugged him tightly.

Not knowing how rich their imaginations were, L in Zhú Shēng accepted it well, thinking that the emotional task had found its resolution. He reached out to pat their back in a comforting manner, saying, “Don’t be afraid, it’s all okay,” showing great understanding.

With the L ing Xū Cǎo in hand, he still had to hand it over to the manager before they left. After comforting them, he waved his hand, urging a few people to hurry and find the manager while there was still time.

Suddenly reminded, the few DDL warriors finally remembered that getting the herbs didn’t mean it was over. They quickly tucked away the precious herbs, confirming nothing was left behind, and rushed to find the manager.

L in Zhú Shēng stood in place, waved goodbye, and watched them leave, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

The departing disciples stepped onto the mountain stairs, and after walking a distance, they turned back to see a figure in the distance, small like a grain of rice, still standing there. Noticing them looking back, he waved again.

Their eyes, which had just dried, became moist again, and someone ran while saying, “I didn’t expect there to be such a good person in the world.”

Another person echoed, “Kind-hearted and loves to smile.” Although they often arrived late and slept during class when they weren’t late.

Yet another said, “And their waist is so slim.”

“……”

It felt like something strange had been added to the topic, and the others looked at the speaking disciple in disbelief: “?”

The disciple quickly covered their mouth, realizing they couldn’t speak like that, then let go and explained, “I didn’t mean it like that! It was just when I hugged you that I noticed… No, I didn’t mean it like that! I really am not that kind of person!”

Their companions completely ignored the explanation and had already dashed away at lightning speed.

The few people on the slope had already gone far, now looking like a few moving stick figures, but their voices could still be faintly heard, drifting in the wind.

Standing halfway up the mountain, L in Zhú Shēng pressed down his hair, which wanted to fly with the wind, squinting at the distant stick figures and saying, “They really have a lot of energy.”

Or rather, their voices were quite loud; he could still hear them from so far away.

“Whoosh—”

A little cat that had wandered off during the transaction popped out from the nearby grass, curiously asking, “How much did you earn?”

Mentioning the money earned, L in Zhú Shēng’s eyes squinted with a smile, patting his pocket and showing a number, saying, “About this much.”

The four of them combined earned over six thousand silver, and his wallet had expanded significantly. He felt like he could walk with his chin held high. Along with that, his favorability inexplicably soared, breaking the 80 barrier, reaching a level where they could call each other brothers.

The little cat gave a thumbs up.

With a full wallet and a warm heart, L in Zhú Shēng strolled down the mountain.

After selling the L ing Xū Cǎo, there were still some left. When he returned, he planned to try making the L ing Xū Sū he had wanted to attempt before.

Climbing up the mountain was tough, and coming down was also hard. He snacked on a couple of round fruits he had discovered while wandering outside, finally regaining some strength.

After finishing the fruit, he reached his doorstep. As he stepped onto the stairs, he suddenly remembered that these fruits could add spiritual power, equivalent to gaining experience. Although it was a small amount, it had some effect, so he checked his experience, which he hadn’t looked at in a long time.

【Current Level: LV1 (99/100)】

L in Zhú Shēng: “……”

So close, stuck at a very delicate point. He looked down at the little bit of pit left from the fruit in his hand, then at his already full stomach. Faced with the choice of running a couple more laps or eating two more fruits, he decided to head back to his room, going with the flow.

The room was dark, with only a hint of natural light. The pages of the book on the table were blown by the wind, making a rustling sound.

He turned on the light, took out a few L ing Xū Cǎo, along with the necessary other items, and placed them all on the cooking counter, then covered it with a lid.

The working principle was unknown; all he needed to do was put the items in, and the rest was up to the cooking counter.

It was hard to say whether this was a product of science or fantasy; in any case, as long as he didn’t have to do it himself, he stood by for a while, realizing it would take some time. He took the opportunity to change his clothes and went to get his book, squatting down to read while waiting.

He didn’t read much, but he secretly glanced at the cooking counter several times. Finally, after another round of persistent observation, a “ding” sound came from the air.

It was similar to the sound of a microwave finishing; he quickly put down the book, and the little cat, curious, jumped over to watch.

When he opened the lid, the pile of things he had put in earlier had disappeared, transformed into a pile of green snacks.

They were smaller than he had imagined, about the size of small round cookies, one bite each.

He ate one and casually fed one to the little cat. Not tasting anything, he stuffed another one into his mouth.

It had a slightly bitter yet fragrant taste; he didn’t feel any refreshing or invigorating sensation, but it was quite tasty. He directly treated it as a snack, tossing it into his mouth while walking to the bed, sitting down, flipping through the book, and starting to study.

There was still a week left, and he hadn’t finished half a brick of material; he had to make the most of every moment.

Having learned from the experience of being late, he had mastered the timing of falling asleep. As the light outside gradually disappeared, he didn’t hesitate to close the book and collapse into bed, instantly falling asleep.

With the only light extinguished, the room plunged into darkness, with a bluish cold light streaming in from the window, filling the entire room.

The sound of wind rustling through the bamboo leaves and the faint chirping of insects began. The little cat turned around twice on the bed, finally choosing a spot by the pillow to lie down, emitting soft purring sounds.

Everything was very peaceful, and the person lying on the bed turned over.

“……”

In the darkness, L in Zhú Shēng opened his exceptionally clear eyes.

He couldn’t sleep. Retracting his earlier statement, the L ing Xū Sū was indeed invigorating, especially at this moment.

He pulled his hand out from under the covers and poked the little cat.

The little cat didn’t respond, its body rising and falling rhythmically. With a squint, the insomniac L in Zhú Shēng stretched lazily, flipping the little cat over from head to tail.

With a whoosh, the little cat woke up, its eyes bleary and confused.

L in Zhú Shēng sincerely apologized, “Sorry, I accidentally woke you up.”

His eyes reflected the faint light, clear and sincere.

But the little cat wasn’t buying it; it had become immune to his deeply affectionate gaze, rolling its eyes and saying, “Really accidentally?”

It said, “You’re not awake because you ate too much L ing Xū Sū, are you?”

L in Zhú Shēng shot up in bed, incredulously accusing, “You don’t believe me!”

He quickly turned the tables, executing a smooth little combo.

【Congratulations on leveling up!】
【Current Level: LV2 (0/200)】

In just the time it took to do a sit-up, L in Zhú Shēng hadn’t even had the chance to pull off more smooth little combos when two notification boxes popped up, interrupting his spellcasting.

A carp leap had accumulated the last bit of required experience points.

The moment the notifications popped up, the entire space darkened.

It felt as if the wind had stilled, and specks of white light glimmered from afar, stretching out while approaching this way, illuminating the bamboo forest path and the empty table.

The light was as light as snowflakes; although it had no apparent origin, L in Zhú Shēng felt inexplicably that it posed no harm. He boldly reached out his hand.

The light cluster landed in his palm, warming slightly, slowly merging into his skin.

【Current Level: LV2 (1/200)】