Chapter Ninety-Three: Strange Fruit

  Yaofang is a fairly well-known market in Heishi City. This market has all sorts of rare and precious spiritual medicines, and the number of spiritual medicine varieties that an ordinary martial artist might see in their lifetime may not be comparable to what can be seen in Yaofang in just one day.

  Apart from the medicine workshop organizing martial artists to enter the valley to collect medicine at regular intervals, many wandering martial artists also spontaneously set up stalls in the medicine workshop to sell their wares.

  At this moment, Qin Hao was swaying in the medicine workshop. The air was filled with the fragrance of various medicinal herbs and spiritual fruits, which smelled refreshing. What caught his eye were the scarlet flowers and emerald green fruits, a dazzling sight to behold. Qin Hao's gaze swept back and forth, but the Fire Fox Flower wasn't particularly rare, so he had seen it several times in this medicine workshop. However, those were all small shops with some scale in this medicine workshop, and the prices were naturally outrageous.

  Those who set up stalls on their own, the quality of the fire fox flowers is not good, the petals are withered, and the leaves are mixed with red and green colors. The effect of using such fire fox flowers to make a seal array can be imagined.

  After turning over several stalls, Qin Hao's disappointment grew more intense. He had searched the entire medicine shop but couldn't find any high-quality herbs; if things continued like this, he would really be delivered to his death.

  Lowering his head and walking a few more steps, Qin Hao weighed the amount of Xuanjing on him and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that this fat sheep was going to have to take the fall today.

  "How can you run a business like this?"

  Just as Qin Hao was about to turn around, a sharp and piercing voice entered his eardrum. Then, a figure flew backwards at high speed, rushing towards him.

  Qin Hao furrowed his brow, raised his right hand, and with a rotation of the mysterious energy, he released a mid-level martial skill, Soft Palm Slap, which struck the person's back.

  Bang!

  That figure was slapped by Qin Hao's soft palm, and the two forces cancelled each other out. When he fell to the ground, he stood up straight, without seeing any injury.

  The figure turned around, saw Qin Hao's appearance, first with a slightly open mouth, a surprised look, and then repeatedly clasped his hands in gratitude: "Thank you, thank you, little brother."

  Qin Hao sized up the man in white robes in front of him, his face was ordinary, but there was still a hint of anger between his eyebrows. He didn't change his expression and nodded slightly at him.

  The man thanked him a few more times, then strode forward and scolded the owner of a stall: "What do you mean by this? Do you want to do business or not?"

  "You're saying this crimson fruit costs 500 gold coins? Why don't you just go rob someone?"

  "Dare to make a move in this medicine shop and you're not afraid that I'll go find the person in charge and expose you?"

  ……

  Qin Hao listened to the man's scolding and began to observe the person being scolded. The owner of the medicine stall who was being scolded, was a middle-aged man in his thirties, with fierce eyebrows and two flying eyebrows, seemingly with a hint of arrogance on his face.

  At this moment, he was holding a scroll in his hand, carefully flipping through it, occasionally gesturing with his fingers, as if he hadn't heard the white-robed man's curses at all. After a while, he raised his head, and only one word came out: "Get out."

  Qin Hao only felt a deafening explosion in his ears. This shout had already mobilized the mysterious energy, but he didn't expect that even tens of feet away, he would still be affected. Qin Hao looked again at the middle-aged man's eyes and felt that the man's gaze was extremely fierce for an instant.

  This middle-aged man's cultivation is absolutely not ordinary!

  The man in white robes stumbled back three steps, his face alternating between red and green. He stared at the middle-aged man for a long time, seemingly wanting to say something, but with a hint of fear in his eyes. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and turned around abruptly, running away.

  The middle-aged man lowered his head again, focusing on studying the scroll. As the blue-robed man walked away, a cluster of flowers like solidified flames appeared in front of Qin Hao at the spot where he had been standing.

  One flower with seven leaves, bright red like fire! It's the Fire Fox Flower! Moreover, the fiery red color on the leaves is extremely pure, without any impurities. The petals in the middle of the seven leaves are even more eye-catching fiery red.

  Qin Hao's mouth curled up into a playful smile, he walked over step by step and stood in front of the stall, smiling as he asked: "How much for this fire fox flower?"

  "Five hundred gold coins." The man still hadn't lifted his head, his fingers, covered in calluses, moved across the scroll.

  "Isn't the offer of a Xuan crystal enough?" Qin Hao was somewhat curious. Gold coins, to warriors with higher strength, were far less attractive than Xuan crystals. Having Xuan crystals allowed one to forge powerful weapons, armor, or refine Sealing Arrays, yet this person had asked for gold coins from the start, which was quite strange.

  "No need." The man shook his head and said decisively: "Only exchange for gold coins."

  "Five hundred gold coins, that's too expensive." Qin Hao became even more curious in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He shook his head and smiled: "The quality is not bad, it can be considered mid-to-high-end compared to the famous medicine shops. Three hundred gold coins is already the highest price I can offer."

  "If you're not buying, then leave. Why so much nonsense?" The man rolled up the scroll again and pulled out a document that seemed to be a manual for martial arts techniques. He looked at it carefully. Until this moment, he had not lifted his head.

  "Three hundred and fifty, sell it to me." Qin Hao took out a pouch of gold coins from his ring finger and tossed it in his hand: "Fire Fox Flower, after a few days the leaves turn red and the medicine loses its effect. By then you won't be able to get a single cent."

  "Get lost." The man spoke decisively. With a flick of his right sleeve, a stream of dark energy shot out, transforming into a palm strike that flew towards Qin Hao's chest.

  Qin Hao smiled faintly, his right hand clenched into a fist, with the Xuan Qi attached to it, facing the opposing palm force head-on.

  Bang!

  Qin Hao stopped and took a step back, while that palm force was completely defeated.

  The man seemed to be somewhat surprised, raised his head, and when he saw Qin Hao's face, he frowned even more. Afterwards, he lowered his head again, flipping through the martial arts manual in his hand, but said with a smile: "At this age, you can block my one palm, it's not bad, but if you talk nonsense again, the next palm won't be so light."

  Qin Hao shook his head and was about to say something when the man's voice came over.

  "Four hundred gold coins, either you buy it or get out."

  Qin Hao heard this and immediately took out 400 gold coins from a small leather pouch, placed them in front of the man, then squatted down in front of him, his right hand grasping the stem of the fire fox flower.

  As soon as he held it, the center of his palm felt a wave of heat, as if what he was holding in his hand wasn't herbs, but a cluster of sparks. Qin Hao measured it for a moment before finally lifting the Fire Fox Flower and storing it in his ring.

  After Huohua Hua was lifted up, a round fruit that was leaning on Huohua Hua lost its support and suddenly rolled over to Qin Hao's side.

  Qin Hao picked up the fruit and was about to put it back in its original place on the stall, but after taking a closer look, he couldn't bear to put it down again.

  This fruit is round and crystal clear, with a layer of milky white on the outside, translucent and delicate, like a layer of white jade.

  In the center of the fruit, there are four parts that resemble a human "heart". Between these "hearts", there are fine greenish veins that connect the four "hearts" together.

  "Four Hearts Fruit?"

  Qin Hao's heart skipped a beat, as he was currently refining the Xuanxuan Formation to lure the dark demon wolf. One of the key materials for this formation was the Four Heart Fruit, which was said to allow certain demonic beasts to replenish their energy, increase their cultivation, and even advance in rank.

  However, this fruit is extremely rare. In his past life, Qin Hao had only seen the original picture, and in this life, there was only one left by Baozi. How could it appear in this medicine workshop?

  Qin Hao's eyes were filled with astonishment

  Just a moment later, Qin Hao felt something strange again, and his eyebrows furrowed: the juice flowing inside the Four Heart Fruit was crimson in color, similar to human blood, and it was named Four Heart Fruit because of these characteristics.

  However, this fruit also has four hearts, and the juice flowing between the "hearts" is sky blue.

  What's even stranger is that the outer shell of this fruit is extremely hard, comparable to fine iron. Qin Hao pressed down on it with all his might using two fingers, but couldn't leave a single mark, which was another difference from the Four Heart Fruit.

  Qin Hao raised his eyelids, took a peek at the man, and without making a sound, he separated a thread of mysterious energy from his fingers, which entered the fruit. The moment the mysterious energy entered, it flowed unimpeded. However, when the mysterious energy was about to touch the four "hearts" of the fruit, an extremely cold aura burst out like a tidal wave, eroding the mysterious energy and then flowing back along Qin Hao's fingers.

  Qin Hao's body, like a raging river of Xuan Qi, was compressed back into the depths of his Dantian in an instant. Qin Hao felt that all the meridians inside his body were frozen with a layer of ice. Although his hands and feet could move normally, his entire body had become a huge block of ice, wave after wave of coldness drilling through his body, piercing to the bone.

  "This thing has some meaning." Qin Hao clenched his teeth, enduring the heart-wrenching pain, and still maintained a faint smile on his face: "How much is it worth?"

  "Take it away then." The man raised his eyes to take a look, and then carelessly lowered his head again: "This fruit has been untouched for tens of days. Its shell is even harder than fine iron, and no matter how you cut, saw or burn it, nothing changes. I have no idea what its use is. Put down 50 gold coins, and you can take it away."

  Qin Hao didn't say another word, put down the fifty gold coins, picked up the fruit and walked out of the pharmacy. As soon as he stepped out of the pharmacy, his footsteps suddenly quickened, his body straightened, and he rushed towards the location of the Xuanxuan Gate without stopping. He had already activated his technique to resist the cold intent, but the chill was getting stronger and stronger, as if it was about to invade his heart. Qin Hao didn't dare to delay any longer, took big strides, and quickly arrived at the location of the Xuanxuan Gate, rushed in, and ran towards the stone room where he had been before.

  He used this stone room for half a day, and now the right to use it is still in his hands.

  That little fellow saw Qin Hao going in and out, feeling curious, originally wanting to go forward and chat, but seeing Qin Hao's face turning green, lips turning purple, his heart was startled, thinking he was practicing some evil skills, and instead didn't dare to approach.

  During his hesitation, Qin Hao had already disappeared from sight.

  Qin Hao rushed into the stone room and immediately closed the door. He sat cross-legged beside the Feng Xuan array, operating his skills and practicing his breath.

  As Qin Hao breathed, the scorching Heavenly Origin Qi fluctuated, pouring endlessly into his Dantian, dispersing to every part of his meridians, dissolving that bone-piercing chill.

  The chill in his meridians was gradually driven out of his body, and the five internal organs also warmed up again. A hint of redness began to appear on Qin Hao's pale face...

  Half an hour later, a large cluster of white mist suddenly spewed out from Qin Hao's mouth and nose, churning and lingering for a long time. This cluster of mist was the cold air that Qin Hao had forced out.

  Qin Hao opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt relieved in his heart.

  He fumbled with the ring and took out the circular fruit.

  Yuanguo quietly lay in Qin Hao's palm, rolling back and forth with the movement of Qin Hao's hand, just like an ordinary fruit, without any unusual signs.

  Qin Hao didn't dare to try infusing the mysterious energy again. With his current cultivation, just a momentary backlash had left him in a sorry state, and it took half an hour for him to barely recover. If the amount of mysterious energy had been any greater or the rebounding chill any stronger, he might have lost half of his cultivation.

  This shell is milky white and round, absolutely not a Four Heart Fruit. Moreover, in the records of spiritual medicine left by Fat Master, there isn't even a single bit of information about it.

  What is this nonsense?