Dao of Money

Chapter 19: Foresting

Chen Ren hunched over a small desk in his room, the only light came from a half-melted candle. His brush moved swiftly, filling the scroll with characters that came to his mind. He paused, the tip hovering over the paper as he thought of the recent encounter with the old lady at the teahouse. A smile tugged at his lips, just barely there.

The deal with her had been sort of a gamble of its own, but one that turned out better than he had expected.

He had proposed writing a story, one of those romantic tales popular on Earth, but not just any tale— one that could tug at heartstrings and spark a fluttering in the hearts of young women.

There was a problem, though. He had never really read those kinds of books back in his world, just watched them in movies. So, he took the fragments he remembered, twisted them with his imagination and stuff he had read about cultivation, and poured them into the scrolls over the last two days.

Writing here had come with its surprises. His thoughts, once sluggish when it came to putting words down on paper, now flowed like a river. Once he had finished the story, Once he finished the story, Qing He's approval arrived quickly, allowing him to obtain the book on herbs and beasts he had been

Chen Ren gritted his teeth, adjusting his stride to match her pace. The mist wrapped around them, swallowing the city behind and leaving only the path ahead.

He moved deeper into the forest, the shadows shifting around him as the mist thinned, replaced by the looming silhouettes of ancient trees. He had initially planned to gather the herbs in the morning when the sun would illuminate the undergrowth, making the search easier. But Yalan had insisted on venturing out at night, her reasoning delivered with her usual disdainful tone.

According to her, training under the moon’s glow would force him to adapt to the challenges of nighttime. Nocturnal beasts often come out during this hour and if he was going to learn how to deal with cultivation shenanigans, it was important to fight them.

“Nocturnal beasts have their dangers,” she had said, her tail swishing with a faint hiss through the air. “Many of them become stronger under the moon's lunar qi, their instincts sharper. It’s the perfect time for training. Besides, no one will be around to interrupt us.”

Chen Ren had reluctantly agreed, knowing that she had a point. Moreover, nighttime brought out not only predators that moved with deadly grace, but also certain plants to bloom— herbs that hid their true qualities during the day, their petals and leaves only unfurling in the moonlight to release their potent essence.

He had a few of such herbs in his list and if he wanted to make a perfume that could truly captivate people, he needed to gather them.

The forest was alive with soft rustlings and distant calls, sounds that threaded through the quiet like a constant, murmuring breath.

He moved carefully over the uneven ground, the notes he had scrawled earlier clutched behind him in a bag. The mist lingered here, draped low over the ground, obscuring the roots and rocks that threatened to trip him with every step.

His eyes moved between the shadows, scanning the undergrowth for any sign of the herbs he sought

After what felt like hours of searching, he spotted the faint glimmer of moonlight reflecting off a cluster of leaves, their edges lined with a pale, silver sheen. He crouched down, brushing aside the underbrush to reveal a low-growing plant, its buds glowing faintly in the dark.

"Martha wood," he muttered to himself, recognizing the herb from his notes. It was known for its fragrant oil and smelled like lavender, a key ingredient that could add a lingering, mysterious scent to his perfume.

Carefully, he plucked the leaves, mindful not to damage the delicate roots that held the plant to the soil. He tucked them into a small pouch, his fingers working with the precision of someone who had done this before, albeit in a different world.

He straightened up, his gaze sweeping the shadows again, his ears straining for any signs of movement.

With Yalan by his side, Chen Ren didn’t feel the same sense of dread he might have if he were alone.

She rarely showed it, but he could sense her power, a quiet, coiled strength beneath her haughty demeanour. If something truly dangerous emerged, he knew she could handle it. It allowed him to focus on his task without constantly looking over his shoulder, without that creeping fear that something might be stalking him through the darkness.

He found another herb tucked near the base of a twisted tree, its flowers closed like tiny fists, waiting for the moonlight to coax them open. This one, a whispering lily, was known for its faint, almost ethereal scent that could lend a subtle layer to his creation. He gently harvested the blossoms, placing them next to the other leaves in his pouch.

Satisfied with his progress, he started toward a small riverbank nestled deeper in the woods. He simply followed the waters, trying to find what he needed: silvermist bloom.

But before he could move further he felt Yalan suddenly halt in her tracks. Her ears twitched and she fixed her gaze toward a dark cluster of trees beyond the lake's edge.

“It seems like you might finally encounter a beast worthy of my taste,” she remarked, her voice cutting through the quiet like a blade.

Chen Ren stopped, turning to face her. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his brows furrowing as he tried to peer through the shadows.

“A beast is nearby,” Yalan replied, a hint of amusement in her tone. “A Tier 1 creature, nothing you should fear. But it’s enough for some practice. You need to fight it.”

He stiffened, glancing toward the darkness where Yalan's eyes were fixed. His pulse quickened a mixture of nervousness and reluctant excitement stirring in his chest.

“Are you sure I can fight it? I don't think I told you before, but the only beast I fought in my world was a small swarm of mosquitoes,” he admitted, feeling the weight of his unease settle over him. “Also, I only know one fist technique, and even that isn’t very polished.”

“It’s just a Tier 1 beast. If things go poorly, I’ll pull you out before you get hurt,” she replied, the confidence in her tone leaving little room for argument.

Chen Ren swallowed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

He knew that if he wanted to survive in this world, he had to confront this fear sooner or later. The structure of this world, built on the strength of cultivators and the endless struggle against beasts and rivals, demanded courage. Better to start with a small step under the watchful eye of his unusual mentor than to be caught unprepared when real danger came knocking.

“Alright,” he said slowly, nodding as if to reassure himself. “Let’s do this.” He clenched his fists, feeling a tingling in his core as he tried to steady his breathing, and began to move forward.

They moved deeper into the forest until the trees began to thin, following the shimmering surface of the river. The mist had settled low here, hugging the ground and drifting like ghostly veils over the water’s edge. But what drew Chen Ren’s attention wasn’t the serene view— it was the grisly scene unfolding just a few steps from the shore.

Near a cluster of gnarled roots that twisted into the water, a creature crouched, tearing into the carcass of a normal deer with savage hunger.

It resembled a rat and was nearly as large as a wild boar, its matted, bristling fur slick with dark stains of fresh blood. Its long, crooked teeth gleamed in the moonlight as it dug into the flesh, muscles rippling beneath its coarse hide with every vicious bite. Tufts of fur were missing in places, revealing patches of rough, scarred skin, as if it had survived countless brawls in its time.

Its eyes, small and beady, glowed with a faint red light, casting an eerie reflection on the bloodied ground around it. Even crouched over its meal, the creature exuded a wild, untamed ferocity, the scent of blood mingling with the damp air, sharp enough to make Chen Ren wrinkle his nose.

The deer lay limp beneath the monstrous rat's claws, its legs bent at unnatural angles, neck twisted and broken.

Chen Ren swallowed hard, his breath catching as he tried to keep his voice steady. “This... This thing is really Tier 1?” he asked, his gaze flicking nervously from the rat beast to Yalan. “It looks tough.”

Yalan, perched on a nearby rock with a bored expression, simply flicked her tail and gave him a sidelong glance. “It’s nothing you can’t handle,” she replied, a hint of a challenge in her tone. “Don’t worry.”

But Chen Ren couldn’t quite quell the nerves that tightened in his chest as he took in the rat beast’s powerful limbs and the sharp, glinting claws that dug into the deer's flesh. Compared to the small rat he had fought, this one looked more like a predator than prey.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself before stepping forward, feeling the cool air hitting his face.

The rat beast’s ears twitched, and it jerked its head up, crimson eyes locking onto Chen Ren.

Its mouth hung open, revealing rows of sharp, crooked teeth stained with the remnants of its meal. They stared at each other, the air thick with the tension of the encounter. The creature’s nostrils flared as it took in his scent, and for a heartbeat, everything was still— just the faint rustle of leaves and the quiet lap of water against the shore.

Then, with a guttural snarl that seemed to rattle the very trees, the rat beast lunged. It moved with a speed that belied its bulky frame, a blur of matted fur and flashing claws.

Chen Ren’s breath hitched, and his feet seemed to root themselves to the spot as he watched the mass of muscle and fangs hurtling toward him, his mind going blank with the sudden rush of terror.

The ground seemed to shake beneath the creature’s charge, and all Chen Ren could do was brace himself as every cell of his body came alive with the sound of snapping branches and the beast’s roar that almost deafened him.