I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 225 - 138: Divine Secrets Sought, Trading Three Thousand Years of Life for Three Taels_2

Chapter 225: Chapter 138: Divine Secrets Sought, Trading Three Thousand Years of Life for Three Taels_2

Heavenly Mechanism Flow wasn’t all that glamorous; it seemed more like using one’s lifespan to obtain answers in advance and engaging in some sort of barter to acquire the necessary items—fleeing if things went south, allowing others to take over one’s liabilities, and finally needing Gu Shanhai himself to slay the creditor.

It was akin to directly trading with the world, dealing with an elusive yet actual entity.

In this process, it wasn’t about seizing an opportunity; rather, it was about buying it. Those who failed usually followed the ways of the Evil Path; legitimate methods on the righteous path were unlikely to fail.

Just like before, Gu Shanhai had used techniques from the Evil Path to seize an opportunity—similar to obtaining an item worth one hundred yuan for just one, and whoever lost out was just unlucky.

And the original owner of the opportunity? What did their loss have to do with players of Heavenly Mechanism Flow? They were buying the opportunity from the world, not stealing from the owner. If you hadn’t secured it, how could you claim it was yours?

This time, in pursuit of the Spirit Grass King, Gu Shanhai had paid an equivalent in lifespan to purchase the opportunity—except this opportunity didn’t include home delivery; he had to fetch it himself. If he didn’t collect it within the given timeframe and something went wrong, the world wouldn’t take responsibility.

So now, Gu Shanhai was preparing to collect his purchase; having paid the money, it was time to take delivery.

"That’s it? For this, I spent three thousand years of my life; no wonder every player in Heavenly Mechanism Flow is like a gambling degenerate on the Evil Path," Gu Shanhai griped.

"Oh, it seems I also got my chance through Heavenly Mechanism Flow..."

Realizing this, Gu Shanhai thought that if he cursed this way, wouldn’t he be cursing himself as well?

Divination and fortune-telling were just the most basic techniques of Heavenly Mechanism Flow; many players were like locusts, especially in this flow, as they regarded lifespan merely as a currency, possessing various methods to extend life as well as many ways to spend it expendably.

He was still at a basic level, with no further development. Although Gu Shanhai primarily dealt in Spirit Plants, his actions were guided by the methods of Heavenly Mechanism Flow.

"Once I get the Spirit Grass King, I’ll trick Huang Yanshan into coming out and scavenging with me; by then, he should be strong enough," Gu Shanhai planned. The reason he aligned himself with the protagonist was precisely a method of Heavenly Mechanism Flow to seize opportunities—first, gain the protagonist’s favor, then acquire, through the protagonist’s help, what could ultimately be transferred to himself. This process would certainly consume lifespan.

Because locating and seeking these opportunities required detailed work, but compared to Gu Shanhai’s three-thousand-year old grievous lifespan usage, he reckoned bringing along Huang Yanshan would take at most thirty years.

However, Huang Yanshan was still weak, and bringing him along could delay his own strengthening.

As a qualified player of Heavenly Mechanism Flow, one should not treat the protagonist as a mere tool for treasure hunting, but should regard them as a true friend—except for heartless or dark-themed protagonists. Simply staying around the protagonist, with a sufficiently good relationship, meant that if you truly faced backlash from Heavenly Mechanism Flow or were pursued, the protagonist would stand up and defend you.

They might even help you find various Cultivation Techniques, skills, or even one-time use items and the like.

Thus, besides excellent prophetic divination, players of Heavenly Mechanism Flow also needed to ensure sincerity in their interactions. They clearly understood the saying "no gain without sacrifice," just as they freely spent their lifespans.

Some players with talents like hints, insights, or simulators had these talents precisely because they were akin to the inherent talents of Heavenly Mechanism Flow, formed through means like divination and karmic effects.

Therefore, Gu Shanhai didn’t envy these talents at all; he was fully capable on his own. The only drawback was spending lifespan, but he had much more flexibility compared to these talents.

In his previous life, Gu Shanhai wouldn’t have blinked at spending three thousand years of life; now, it was just somewhat painful, hardly enough to be considered regrettable, let alone a grievous injury. For Heavenly Mechanism Flow players, a grievous injury referred to a lifespan reduced to ten days or fewer.

"This is the place."

Little White had carried Gu Shanhai for over half an hour. After verifying the position based on the divination, and recalculating it multiple times, Gu Shanhai finally relaxed.

He then dismounted the deer, dug a hole at the designated spot, and spontaneously gathered a large amount of dew to continuously pour into the hole.

The water was steadily absorbed, gradually moistening the soil.

He just sat quietly, waiting until the small pit was filled with mud water before he stopped.

All that was left was to wait, there was no need to overcomplicate things. The Heavenly Mechanism Flow frowned upon acting clever and doing things not accounted for in the plan, especially when seizing an opportunity.

As the jade rabbit sank in the west, the golden crow rose in the east.

Out of the small puddle suddenly sprouted a small bud, topped with a fiery red fruit.

The Spirit Grass King, a ginseng weighing three taels, had already arrived. Gu Shanhai knew this was not the time to act; he couldn’t release the slightest hint of his presence, nor could he make his move immediately.

The Spirit Grass King was absorbing water to replenish itself—the importance of water for plants hardly needed to be stated.

As it absorbed enough water, the bud appeared somewhat swollen, even the fruit seemed to fatten up.

As the puddle’s water was completely absorbed, the bud with its fruit withdrew back into the ground.

Seeing this, Gu Shanhai smiled—it was a success. The Spirit Grass King hadn’t left; instead, it had chosen to grow right there and would only uproot and leave if it encountered danger or something of that sort in the future.

He saw a ray of morning sun falling in the distance, covering the puddle.

In an instant, Gu Shanhai acted. A tremendous force pierced through the soil, and with one grab, he seized the constantly wriggling ginseng in his hand.

With a subtle flick of his skilled control, the soil all fell away.

Once freed of the soil, the previously squirming Spirit Grass King instantly calmed down, like a robot that had been unplugged.

"Indeed, it hasn’t transformed into a spirit; what a pity." Gu Shanhai felt a bit of regret. It would have been even better had it transformed.

After inspecting it, he planted it inside his body and refined and nourished it into a Spirit Plant.

"Powerful life force; this move directly replenished my three thousand years of lifespan, and I even gained quite a bit extra. Next, I’ll continue to let the Spirit Grass King elevate the level of the Spirit Plant, which will return even more benefits to me."

"The title of the Spirit Grass King seems quite formidable—it can enhance the medicinal effects of other Spirit Plants, increase my absorption efficiency, and provide extra life force at critical moments; it can even save my life when I’m severely injured and near death."

"It truly deserves its reputation as one of the nine great Immortal Herbs."

In fact, Gu Shanhai was more curious about the golden orchid, the prime among the nine great Immortal Herbs.

"The Spirit Grass King could indeed be used in medicine; although the whole plant shouldn’t be destroyed, I could borrow some of its roots for use since they can regenerate."

Using the entire plant was possible but regeneration might be a bit troublesome. Moreover, at this stage, a third-level Spirit Grass King didn’t have enough auxiliary herbs to match its potency; the roots alone were enough. As Gu Shanhai further advanced in Alchemy and refining medicine in the future, it would prove beneficial.

"Coming here not only didn’t cost me but also earned me quite a bit—unbelievable." Gu Shanhai had initially thought he might lose some of his lifespan, but never expected that, true to the world’s top treasures, in comparison with the previous Seven Treasures Heavenly Lotus, which only provided a Seven Treasures Body Protecting Light, the future care would likely consist mainly of incorporating it into medicines along with the Spirit Grass King.

"Next, should I go to the snowy mountains to find the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus or go back and coax Huang Yanshan to come get it?"

The former would take just three to five days but might cost lifespan, while returning would mean at least two months of travel.

One costs lifespan, the other time.

In the end, Gu Shanhai chose the former; lifespan could be regained, but time, once gone, wasn’t so easily retrieved.