Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 196 Seeking Good and Avoiding Bad
These kinds of people are never lacking, no matter where you go.

Fortunately, it was just a small amount of money...

Chen Li, seething with anger, returned to the courtyard. Before he could even sit down for a while, Bai Wei came to report that the medicinal herbs for the bath were running low and they needed to purchase a new batch.

With nothing else to do, and reading giving me a headache.

Chen Li informed Zhou Hong and Shuniang, then went out the door.

The autumn rain was dreary and chilly. In the damp alley, a few cultivators walked along the side, their steps hurried.

The alley is very narrow.

It is only about one meter wide.

Even on rainy days, no one holds an umbrella, letting the rain soak their clothes.

Chen Li naturally didn't need to worry about the rain.

The fine drizzle falling from the sky was repelled by an invisible force before it even got close. He was completely untouched by the rain and dust, wearing a moon-white second-grade superior magic robe with flowing cloud patterns and faint magical power, which set off his otherworldly and extraordinary demeanor.

A Qi Refining cultivator walked towards them.

When they were still about ten meters away, they stopped against the wall, bowed, stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, and let Chen Li go first.

This is a world with clear hierarchical distinctions, with a deep chasm separating those who have reached the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages.

……

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you going out?"

"Yes, go and buy some medicinal herbs."

Chen Li encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator he knew on the road and stopped to exchange pleasantries.

This man's surname is Lü and his given name is Dameng.

His residence was not far from Chen Li's home. He was a local wandering cultivator who made a living by traveling around buying low and selling high. He spent most of the year traveling and busy.

Don't be fooled by his honest and kind appearance and his enthusiastic demeanor.

Chen Li knew that most of these people were quite dangerous.

When given the opportunity, he would often take on the role of a thief or murderer.

Of course, on the other hand, if we were to use the moral and legal standards of the previous life, there would definitely be some wrongful executions if all the cultivators here were shot. But if we skipped one execution, there would definitely be some who slipped through the net. Even he himself is now covered in blood and has killed countless people.

The two were just casual acquaintances; after exchanging a few words, they parted ways.

Chen Li walked through winding streets and alleys until he entered his usual herbal medicine shop.

"Please come in, senior!" The shopkeeper hurriedly greeted the regular customer as soon as he saw him arrive.

Chen Li nodded and walked towards the pharmacy counter.

"Fellow Daoist, your body refinement has been quite successful. You'll probably break through soon." The shopkeeper of the apothecary had a sharp eye. He looked Chen Li up and down, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile.

During this period, the changes in Chen Li brought about by the Immortal Muscle Jade Bone Technique became increasingly obvious.

Her skin became fair and delicate, her pores became smaller and smaller, and her whole body seemed to be covered with a layer of precious light.

Her ethereal beauty and jade-like bones are gradually becoming a reality.

"Haha, I appreciate your kind words, shopkeeper!" Chen Li chuckled, not dwelling on the matter, and handed over a prescription: "The herbs, same price as before, shall we?"

"Sigh, you should have come a few days earlier. The price of medicinal herbs has gone up now, and it's the same all over the city. There's been some turmoil on the border lately, and many medicinal herbs are out of stock. We're selling at cost, not making any extra money off you. Let me calculate the price for you..." The shopkeeper took the prescription, took out an abacus to calculate the money, and explained.

Chen Li didn't believe a word he said.

But the borderlands mentioned here, could they be referring to the area around the Zhen Huan Sect?

Since the White Bird breached the gates of the True Recognition Sect, Chen Li had not heard any news from there for a long time.

I wonder what the situation is like now?
"Each serving costs 1,780 low-grade spirit stones. We're all regular customers, so I'll give you a discount. How about 17 mid-grade spirit stones per serving?" Upon hearing this, Chen Li couldn't help but gasp.

The price has increased by more than 30%.

This is still compared to the price of medicinal herbs in Stanley City before. If compared to the time when Zhen Huan Sect was established, it is almost 50% higher.

Even though Chen Li is now very wealthy, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret: "The price has risen way too much!"

"There's nothing we can do about it! However, these high prices probably won't last long. You can buy a small amount first, and perhaps the trade routes will become smoother after a while," the shopkeeper replied.

Chen Li was helpless.

But they didn't try to bargain.

This herbal medicine shop already has the most reasonable prices in the city, and the quality of the materials is also quite good. Chen Li has been a customer here many times, so he figured they wouldn't cheat him.
"Let's hope so. Fifteen servings will do!"

Fifteen portions are enough for one month.

"A generous offer of 255 mid-grade spirit stones."

The transaction was completed quickly. After paying the spirit stones and receiving the medicine, Chen Li began his return journey.

"The medicinal herb business is incredibly profitable right now," Chen Li thought to himself as he walked, a sense of tempting interest stirring within him.

Compared to this business, his previous speculations on magical artifacts were utterly insignificant.

But then I thought about it again and gave up.

Although the medicinal herb business doesn't have the same high barriers to entry as the elixir business, it doesn't mean that just anyone can do it.

Large quantities of medicinal herbs are basically controlled by sects of all sizes, and those who trade with them are all powerful forces. Take the various pill shops and herb shops in Stanley City as an example, which one doesn't have a Golden Core cultivator behind it?

Otherwise, they would have been devoured alive long ago, and wouldn't have survived until now.

In Luanluo City, the Foundation Establishment faction is a moderately powerful force, but in Chizhu City, it is nothing at all.

Small-scale operations are possible, but making big money is simply impossible; it requires a lot of travel and considerable risk.

"Forget it, I don't lack spirit stones right now, I'll just focus on improving my strength steadily..."

……

In the days that followed, Chen Li cultivated while studying magic arrays.

He started by exploring the simplest Yin-Yang Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array, and through continuous experimentation and mutual verification with the array knowledge he had learned, his array-setting skills improved rapidly day by day.

During this period, he also discovered more ingenious uses for the art of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

The art of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune is a form of fortune-telling.

Whenever it is activated, it will sense good or bad fortune, and help one avoid disasters and calamities, giving rise to a mysterious and profound guidance. The max-level "Auspicious Fortune and Averted Misfortune Technique" is incomparably more powerful than the original version. It is no longer limited to sensing good or bad fortune and avoiding disasters and calamities.

Instead, they tend to favor the "good" and avoid the "bad".

Avoid bad outcomes and strive for better ones.

During the formation process, this spell made Chen Li feel as if he were guided by heaven, as if he were divinely aided.

This divine assistance is not only reflected in the formation, but in all aspects. For example, when drawing the Water Element Talisman, the success rate is only around 20% to 30% without activating the Auspiciousness-Avoiding Technique, but after activating it, the success rate can jump to as high as 50% to 60%.

To Chen Li's even greater surprise, the proficiency level of the Water Element Talisman also saw a leap in growth.

This technique for seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune is practically an all-purpose auxiliary technique.

This gave Chen Li a new perspective on many first-order spells that he previously thought were useless, especially the auxiliary ones.

Now that he has the illusion technique, clearing these low-level spells is a piece of cake for him.

He planned to take some time to organize the books in his storage bag, and browse through them. Even if he didn't study them, he could at least broaden his horizons and have a better understanding of the subject.