This name...

Gu Changhuan raised an eyebrow. Interesting.

A shop bold enough to call itself that ought to have something to offer. Why not take a look? If it could solve his problem, so much the better.

Thinking of this, Gu Changhuan walked toward the Worry-Relief House without a second thought.

Inside, the furnishings were simple but inviting. Soft chairs and small round tables stood on either side of the entrance, with flowering spiritual plants on the tables. A screen embroidered with a sky full of stars stood opposite the door, dividing the hall in two.

It felt rather like a cat cafe from his previous life.

Just as Gu Changhuan was examining the interior decoration, an attendant with a delicate face and a Late Qi Condensation cultivation base walked out, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

The attendant gently placed the spirit tea on a small round table and smiled as he spoke.

"Esteemed guest, please sit. Please wait a moment; there is another guest inside. This is our shop's specially prepared Mojiu Spirit Tea. Please try it first."

Gu Changhuan glanced at the dark-colored tea. Mojiu Spirit Tea? He had never heard of it.

After confirming that the tea had no hidden issues, Gu Changhuan took a polite sip.

Spiritual Qi burst across his tongue with the first sip, startling him. The Mojiu Spirit Tea was at least Middle-Grade Second-Tier, and the water was High-Grade Second-Tier. Fine tea and fine water made an excellent pairing.

After about the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, a cultivator with an unfathomable aura emerged from behind the screen, beaming, and hurried out of the shop.

Gu Changhuan watched the cultivator depart, feeling that the shop was growing increasingly mysterious.

The man had seemed stronger even than Gu Xuanzhan, at least at the middle stage of Purple Mansion.

He had not expected that this shop would attract Purple Mansion Realm experts as customers.

Yet if this establishment could resolve problems even for Purple Mansion Realm experts, his own troubles surely would not stump them.

Indeed, not long afterward, the attendant led Gu Changhuan behind the screen.

The space behind the screen was compact, containing only a small round table and two chairs.

A youth sat in one of the chairs, wearing a silver mask that revealed only a smooth, pale chin.

"My apologies, Fellow Daoist. We can only see one customer at a time. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Gu Changhuan sat opposite him, surprised by his voice. The youth sounded younger than he was, yet his cultivation was higher, probably already at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

As he looked at the youth, he had the fleeting impression that the other's gaze was exceptionally deep. Could this youth have cultivated some kind of spiritual pupil secret technique?

Gu Changhuan kept the thought to himself. "No matter. If you can solve my problem, I wouldn't mind waiting two hours."

The youth smiled.

"Straight to the point. I like that. My name is Xuance. Let me offer you a toast with this tea."

With that, Xuance finished his cup in a single draught. Setting down the cup, he smiled once more.

"Fellow Daoist, please state whatever trouble brings you here."

Gu Changhuan outlined his situation.

As he listened, Xuance nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. You want Heavenly Spirit Fruit and several other rare herbs, all still alive, and need to know where to buy them?"

Gu Changhuan nodded.

"If you want to buy them here in Heng Prefecture, I do know a way. Have you heard of Mist-Autumn Valley?"

Gu Changhuan lowered his head to ponder for a moment.

"Could it be the Mist-Autumn Valley in northern Heng Prefecture, where Perfected Luofeng resides?"

With a serious expression, Xuance answered, "Precisely."

Gu Changhuan felt an initial flash of anger, which he quickly forced down.

"Can you arrange for me to trade for herbs from Perfected Luofeng, Fellow Daoist Xuan?"

Perfected Luofeng was a Golden Core stage rogue cultivator of unknown origin whose combat prowess was terrifyingly formidable, and his mastery of alchemy and formations was exceptional. Like many high-level experts, he was notoriously arrogant and eccentric.

An unknown cultivator like him could hardly turn up at a Golden Core expert's cave dwelling and ask for herbs without an introduction. Being turned away would be getting off lightly. If he offended the expert, a single palm strike might cost him his life.

With a smile, Xuance produced a square golden token and handed it over.

"Of course. Take this token with you. I can't promise you an audience with Perfected Luofeng himself, but you should have no trouble trading for a few herbs."

Gu Changhuan took the token and turned it over to inspect both sides. The front bore only a single character, 'Worry', while the back was etched with a sky full of stars.

He tucked the token away.

"Then how much do I owe you?"

An even wider smile appeared on Xuance's face. "My fee is simple: five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones will suffice."

Gu Changhuan's mouth twitched. Painful as it was, he handed over five thousand Spirit Stones without letting it show.

A Second-Tier High Grade Magical Artifact cost only three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. He had spent less than half an incense-stick's time in the Worry-Relief House, and five thousand spirit stones had vanished.

His Storage Bag felt significantly lighter once more.

Yet if he could truly gather the ingredients needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, five thousand spirit stones were a small price to pay.

With his answer secured, Gu Changhuan left the Worry-Relief House feeling a mixture of financial pain and satisfaction. After taking a few steps away, he glanced back at the shop's signboard. An establishment capable of making a Golden Core expert honor a token possessed not only genuine capability but also an astonishing background.

After escorting Gu Changhuan out, the attendant returned behind the screen to find Xuance drinking tea in large gulps.

"That must have been tiring, Young Master. The Purple Mansion customer was quite difficult. At least the one after him was more ordinary. You dealt with him in just a few words." The attendant refilled Xuance's cup.

After finishing two more cups to quench his thirst, Xuance chuckled at the remark.

"You considered that later Foundation Establishment guest normal?"

The attendant looked bewildered. "Was I mistaken? He only wanted to know where to buy herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills. Don't we get one or two customers like that every six months?"

Xuance set down his teacup.

"His problem was ordinary, but the person himself..."

Unconvinced, the attendant muttered, "He merely reached Foundation Establishment at a young age. Such individuals are hardly rare within our Xuan family!"

"I have told you many times not to judge people solely by their cultivation and age," Xuance said, shaking his head at the attendant's continued incomprehension. "Indeed, within the Xuan family, achieving Foundation Establishment at his age is nothing extraordinary. But what was the nature of his inquiry?"

Light finally dawned on the attendant.

"I see! He must belong to a Foundation Establishment or Purple Mansion power. Their resources are limited, so his aptitude must be better than most for him to have come this far."

Xuance sighed. What a blockhead!