The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

The two put away a set of battle flags each and then walked around the room again.

In the right corner, there were several pieces of scrap. Li Ping used his foot to push them aside, revealing a broken array plate underneath. Its spiritual energy had long since dissipated, and it would crumble at the touch.

Mu Fangxu pulled out several bundles of brittle silk threads from the other side, which turned to powder with a light touch.

Apart from that, there was nothing else in the room.

Seeing this, the two turned and left.

In the courtyard, Mu Fangxu sat down on a stone bench, opened the wooden box, and took out a battle flag.

The flag unfolded in his palm, its dark blue background shimmering with silver patterns. He stared at it for a long time before suddenly sighing.

"With these Formless Array Flags, this trip has not been in vain."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping did not respond.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the three small houses before finally settling on the outside of the courtyard wall.

"The array flags are good, but I always feel that there are not many treasures or opportunities in this cave."

Mu Fangxu raised his head and put the array flag back into the box.

"The entrance hidden in the boulder, and the Returning Origin Restriction on the door." Li Ping paused. "Judging from these two points alone, the owner of this place was no ordinary person. The cave dwelling left behind by such a person should not contain only these things."

Mu Fangxu pondered for a moment and said, "It is a bit lacking. But after all, it has existed for a thousand years. What if someone has already visited it during that time?"

"Since someone has come, why not take the Formless Array Flag?"

Mu Fangxu opened his mouth, but couldn't answer for a moment.

He pondered for a moment, but still couldn't figure it out, so he simply closed the lid of the box, stood up, and said, "Why bother with all that?"

After saying that, he raised his hand and pointed outside the courtyard wall, adding, "This place is extremely large; there might be undiscovered opportunities and treasures here."

Li Ping glanced at him and smiled.

"Shall we each go and look for them?"

The two exchanged a glance and instantly reached an agreement.

After leaving the courtyard, Mu Fangxu went to the right, and Li Ping went to the left.

This space is larger than I imagined.

Outside the courtyard, apart from the winding stream and the herb garden, most of the area was empty, with a thin layer of fine sand and gravel covering the ground, making a rustling sound when stepped on.

Li Ping walked slowly, focusing intently on exploring every inch of the ground.

Upon arriving at the stone wall, one sees it covered with dark green vines, their leaves thick and veins clearly visible. But when touched, the leaves rustle down and shatter into pieces on the ground.

It turned out that the vine had long since withered and died, and was only maintaining its shape by the remaining spiritual energy.

Undeterred, Li Ping continued to feel his way along the stone wall.

Every few steps, he would reach out and tap the stone wall to listen for any hollow echoes behind him.

dong dong dong.

As you knock along the way, the sound is dull and solid, all solid.

As we walked, we came to another low-lying area.

The ground here is slightly sunken, like a dried-up pond.

Li Ping squatted down and used his hands to dig away the surface rubble, revealing a layer of dry, cracked soil underneath. The soil was grayish-white and devoid of any spiritual energy.

He inserted his finger into the soil, probing half a foot down, until his fingertip touched the hard stone bottom.

There was nothing there.

Half an hour later, the two returned to the courtyard.

Mu Fangxu looked dejected and shook his head: "I didn't find anything on my end."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping sighed as well: "Same."

After a moment of silence, Mu Fangxu stood up and said, "The Formless Array Flags, along with the spiritual plants outside, should be enough."

Li Ping nodded.

Without wasting any more time, the two turned and left the courtyard, heading straight for the herb garden.

The black soil in the herb garden was soft and moist, and a faint, exotic fragrance lingered around the nose.

Eighteen sacred plants stood quietly in the soil, their leaves thick and their roots robust.

Li Ping was the first to step into the herb garden and walk to the nearest Jade Spirit Grass.

The leaves of this Biling Grass are as large as palm fans, and so green they look like they're about to drip water.

He gripped the base of the plant with both hands, took a deep breath, and pulled upwards with all his might.

The Jade Spirit Grass remained completely still.

"As expected." Li Ping loosened his grip and flexed his wrist.

He channeled his magical power, his aura surged, and he gripped the plant's roots tightly with both hands once more.

"rise."

The plant swayed, and its roots made a slight creaking sound underground, but there was still no sign of it emerging from the soil.

Mu Fangxu stood outside the herb garden, watching this scene, and shook his head.

"These spiritual plants have been growing for thousands of years, and their roots have long since penetrated deep into the ground. If we want to pull them out, we can only dig them up slowly."

Li Ping nodded, then immediately squatted down and used his hands to dig away the black soil around the plant's roots.

The black soil is loose and moist to the touch, so it's not too difficult to dig.

Soon, the outline of the roots of the spiritual plant became visible.

The roots are thick and bluish-black, resembling several coiled dragons.

Li Ping continued digging down, following the direction of the roots.

The black soil was turned over one handful at a time, and soon it was piled up into a small mound next to it.

Mu Fangxu wasn't idle either. He walked to another spiritual plant, rolled up his sleeves, and squatted down to dig it up.

The two men worked diligently, and for a time, only the rustling sound of turning the soil filled the small courtyard.

Half an hour later, the pit at the base of the first spiritual plant had been dug to a depth of four feet.

Li Ping stood in the pit, only half of his head showing when he looked up.

But the root system continued to extend downwards, showing no sign of ending.

"It's really damn hard to uproot it completely," Li Ping muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

The situation was similar for Mu Fangxu. He straightened up, looked around, glanced at the remaining spiritual plants, and said in a deep voice, "We need to speed things up and try to dig out all eighteen plants before dark."

The two did not want to stay there any longer, so they immediately used all their magic power and buried themselves in digging again.

He channeled his magic into his arms, and the speed at which he dug the soil suddenly increased.

Black soil churned and flew, and the pit deepened inch by inch.

The outline of the root system gradually became clear: taproot, lateral roots, and fibrous roots, peeled away layer by layer.

These roots are extremely well-developed, with some lateral roots extending horizontally, thicker than Li Ping's waist, resembling the branches of a large tree.

Working together, one dug up the main root and the other cleared the lateral roots, which sped up the process considerably.

An hour later, the first spiritual plant was finally dug out intact.

This clover, with its roots and leaves, is more than a person tall, and its root system is larger than the tree crown, making it quite a spectacular sight.

Li Ping carried the entire spiritual plant out of the pit and placed it aside.

Without taking a break, the two moved on to the next plant.

The second plant is a golden vine, with vines as thick as a child's arm and a root system even more developed than that of the green grass.

It took the two of them even more effort to uproot it completely.

Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth...

The two worked up a sweat and were covered in black dirt. Whoever's magic power was depleted would sit down cross-legged and take a pill to recover, while the other continued digging.

They take turns like this, without stopping for a moment.

Time passed little by little.

The black soil next to the medicinal herb garden piled up higher and higher, turning from a mound into a small hill.

After all the spiritual plants were dug out, the two of them were soaked to the bone, their hair covered in black soil, and their clothes were stained with mud, looking utterly disheveled.

Mu Fangxu plopped down on the mound of earth, panting heavily.

Li Ping was also exhausted and leaned against the edge of the herb garden.

"This trip was really damn difficult."

Mu Fangxu wiped his sweat and said with a wry smile, "Without some skill, you can't take this spiritual plant away."

Eighteen spiritual plants were neatly arranged beside the herb garden. Each plant had been dug up intact, with its root system intact and in excellent condition.

Looking at these spiritual plants, the two were exhausted, but their eyes were filled with satisfaction, knowing that their efforts had not been in vain.

"Let's go after we've divided the spiritual plants." Mu Fangxu stood up and patted the black dirt off his backside.

Li Ping nodded, walked to a spiritual plant, and with a flash of spiritual light, the entire plant was put into his storage bag.

Mu Fangxu also took one.

After nine rounds of this back-and-forth, the eighteen spiritual plants were finally divided up.

The two exchanged a glance, then turned and walked out.

Passing by the stream, Mu Fangxu squatted down, washed his face in the water, and rubbed the mud off his hands.

Li Ping also came over to wash his face; the cool stream water instantly invigorated him.

Cross the stream and walk back the way you came.

As he approached the exit, Mu Fangxu suddenly stopped and looked back.

Behind me, a babbling brook flowed, the herb garden lay empty, and the small courtyard stood quietly. The light from the luminous pearl shone like moonlight, and everything was just as it had been when I arrived.

"What's wrong?" Li Ping asked.

Mu Fangxu did not answer immediately. He looked away, a smile appearing on his lips.

"I suddenly have an idea."

He leaned close to Li Ping's ear, lowered his voice, and began to speak in detail.

As Li Ping listened, his eyes gradually widened, and by the time Mu Fangxu finished speaking, his face was filled with astonishment.

Mu Fangxu's idea was very simple.

He wanted to leave behind the spiritual plants he had, and then spread the word about the location of the cave, attracting cultivators to come and explore.

Where there are people, there is business. This cave dwelling is close to the Xikou market, so cultivators flock here and naturally gather in the market to settle down.

During the exploration, fighting and scrambling are inevitable, and cultivators consume a great deal of talismans, pills, and magical artifacts, which in turn boosts business in the market.

This plan can greatly increase the flow of people to Xikou Market.

Is it worth it?

Li Ping glanced at Mu Fangxu and frowned: "That's over 20,000 spirit stones, and you just gave it away so casually?"

Mu Fangxu's expression remained unchanged, his eyes resolute.

"Twenty thousand spirit stones, if it can boost the flow of people in the market, I think it's worth it."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping remained silent for a moment.

Twenty thousand spirit stones is an astronomical sum that any independent cultivator would never dare to dream of.

Mu Fangxu simply pushed it out without even frowning.

The spiritual plants belong to the family, and while the market benefits, the entire Mu family gains.

In the end, Mu Fangxu was using his own resources to pave the way for his family.

Li Ping gave Mu Fangxu a deep look.

He appeared calm and composed, with an upright posture and an inexplicable aura emanating from him.

"With such dedication to the clan, it's no wonder the Mu family disciples regard him as the next patriarch."

Li Ping thought to himself, with such a person, how could the Mu family not prosper?