As soon as I made it back to my courtyard, I entered the space where I’d placed the Spiritual Rubber Tree and pressed my hand to the bark. Because this tree was only one level up from being mundane, the way to collect its latex to turn it into rubber was similar to the normal method.

I carved out a shallow vertical tapping panel, peeling away the surface. Using a lot of body-cultivation-enhanced muscles and a curved knife, I created a spiraling track in the bark, exposing the cambium. Then I placed a spiritual iron gutter I’d made just for this purpose into the tree directly below, where the incision ended. From there I tied a jade bucket around the trunk a foot under the tap.

To prevent overfilling, I’d have to collect the spiritual latex every couple of hours. This was one of the few things that couldn’t be rushed.

In a few days, after I collected enough of the white substance, I’d do the vulcanization process.

I wiped my forehead and glanced up at the space’s blue artificial sky.

So many steps just to forge quality armor. That, aside from the price of the materials, was the reason it was so expensive. The best way to save my contribution points was to create it myself.

It helped that the armor I was creating would be of a far higher quality than what I could afford.

Now that I’d started the collection process vital to finishing my armor, I needed to look into the last preparations I had to do. Replace some flag sticks.

This would be the easiest thing yet. To do that. I needed to get something at the treasure pavilion — a spiritual wood. One stronger than the kind easily destroyed under sharp crustacean legs. And significantly cheaper than the next highest quality wood which was the Resplendent Charcoal Pine.

I just needed to grab a couple sets of Golden Thunder Walnut flag sticks. And how hard could that be?

***

I slapped my hand against the counter and glared at the disciple. “What do you mean, ‘you’re out?!’”

He sighed. “Look. It’s not just our Peak’s pavilion. Golden Thunder Walnut is out of stock everywhere.”

“How?”

“There is a wood rot decimating these trees. Nobody can find one that isn’t sick.”

“And you can’t use infected lumber to make flag sticks,” I murmured.

Fuck. I’d forgotten that this happened during this time period. This also wasn’t like the bananas from my past-past life that became extinct due to a fungus and had to be replaced with a new variant. This infection had eventually been cured.

There had been something unique about the tree disease that I couldn’t remember. And since, I hadn’t had a fierce rivalry with the talented cultivators who cured it — like I did with Violet Pill Fairy — I’d never looked up its solution either.

Well. If I couldn’t find them here, then I had one last place to check.

***

This time I met my black market dealer in a massive crack that one of the mountain-sized boulders around Indomitable Peak had. This was an unnatural slice cut out during a fight between two Immortal Ascension monsters a thousand years back. Disciples rarely traveled here because the lingering sword energy tended to interrupt flight. But this also made it the perfect place to talk about shady business.

“Dear customer, let’s make this exchange quick.”

“You have the wood?”

Her cloaked head shook. “Of course not.”

I turned to walk away.

She reached out her arm in desperation. “Wait! Customer!”

I glanced back. “If you don’t have the lumber, then why even meet?”

She cleared her throat. “I may not have it now, but I know where to get it.”

“The kind that isn’t rotting from infection?”

Her hood bobbed up and down.

“If what you say is true, then why hasn’t the sect collected some?”

“Because it’s in a mystical forest that is currently closed off.”

This girl!

I stepped away from her, ready to leave.

“Hold on! I didn’t say it wouldn’t be opening soon.” Her cheerful voice almost echoed through the cut in the boulder, but I knew from experience that the wind that blew through this place hid her voice from traveling that far.

I turned back to see the dealer’s pale hand making the money gesture. Obviously, she was implying that to get more than the basics, I’d have to pay.

The smile in her voice was clear as she said, “The opening will unblock in a week or so for several days. You should be able to enter it then.”

There were too many mystical forests that had similar rules and opened around the same time. She could be mentioning any of them.

“If you know, then why don’t you go yourself? You should be able to make a nice profit.”

Her hood twisted one way, then the other in a no. “Dear customer. I prefer to stay in the sect as much as possible. In fact, a lot of the items I sell come from good friends like yourself who are willing to give back to this fair dealer.”

I sighed. “You want me to bring you some of the walnut so you can sell it at an extreme markup?”

I could practically feel her smile hidden behind the shadows that covered her face.

“I’m glad we have an understanding.”

“How much do you need?”

“Oh... enough for, say, two full sets of formation flags.”

A full tree usually made three hundred sets. With the shortage we were having, I wasn’t going to cut it down. If I just took a couple of large branches, then I could make more than the four sets I needed. “Fine.”

“The Tiger Head Misty Forest will open in seven days,” she said through secret sound transmission. “Then You’ll have four days to collect wood from a Golden Thunder Walnut tree, or else you’ll be trapped there for six years.”

I’d been there once in my past life. What was it? Three centuries in the future? Somewhere around then. I had seen some of those trees. If I remembered correctly, there had been some closer to the entrance and middle. Those areas were moderately safe for Qi Condensation and Formation Establishment cultivators. As long as we didn’t travel too deep into it, where even Nascent Souls avoided, we’d be fine.

If they ended up being that deep, then I’d cut my losses and pick up some spiritual plants the forest was known for. I could sell those for contribution points to help pay for the stupidly expensive Resplendent Charcoal Pine that was actually available.

Nobody enjoyed spending 20 times more for a material that was only slightly better. I wasn’t going to do it either, even if it meant taking a quick trip to a mystical forest.

And, it would be nice to get out of the sect for the two weeks Peerless Resolve thought it would take to take care of the demonic infiltrators.

Even if some other cultivator entered that mystical forest for a Golden Thunder Walnut tree, I might not have a chance to buy any. Chances were that it would already have owners — the disciples or masters who put up the request.

If I had the contribution points, I’d hire someone to collect it for me. But I’d already spent practically all of mine on various raw materials. And by the time I’d earned more, the forest would be closed.

“Have you mentioned this information to anyone else?”

“Of course not, dear customer! You’re the first person I told.”

That didn’t mean that she wouldn’t reveal it to others later.

“How much to keep you silent about it?”

The cloaked figure moved side to side as if thinking exaggeratedly.

“Five mid-tier spirit stones to not mention this to a single other disciple.”

“Then, if I don’t run into any of our sect members—”

She coughed. “Dear customer. It is unreasonable to expect me to prevent all of our sect’s good disciples from entering the forest. There are more reasons to go there than a simple tree, you know?”

I grinned. “Fine, as long as they’re not hunting for Golden Walnut wood, I’ll give you your spirit stones.”

I turned to leave.

“Shouldn’t you pay me now if you want me to keep my mouth shut?”

I called back, “You’re a shady black market dealer. Why should I pay you upfront? That’s like asking you to steal my money and sell me out.”

When she huffed in frustration, I laughed.

***

The first thing I did was fly down to the job pavilion to double-check that I wasn’t getting cheated. To my surprise, not one of the missions going to Tiger Head Mystical Forest asked the disciples to pick up the wood I was after.

But there were definitely more jobs than mission takers, so I grabbed a few of the medicinal herb requests that I could fulfill while I was there.

Since this world didn’t have internet, it was very possible that no one thought about collecting a normally inexpensive tree within a small and dangerous forest that only opened up every 6 years.

I’d give it a shot. But I couldn’t go by myself. It was time to get the band back together!

Oh shit! Did I change the genre again?

***

I waved to Clear Eyes Mad Tongue, who sparred with another Foundation Establishment cultivator. When he saw me, a slash of sword Qi almost slammed into his head. Fortunately, his name wasn’t for show. He barely sidestepped it and took down his opponent in a few simple moves. Since he won, his mood looked pretty good.

“Senior Lin! What brings you over here?”

I gave him my biggest grin.

The smile on his face froze.

“How would you like to join me for a quick mission?”

“Great Martial Aunt…” he practically whined.

“It will be very easy. Into a forest and out all within 4 days. We will be gone for around two weeks.”

“The last time I went with you, our mission ended so awkwardly we don’t talk about it.”

We spent a moment in silence as the horrors and humiliation of those days ran through our heads. I shook it off.

“Hey, what happened on the crab mission isn’t going to happen this time.”

He looked at me skeptically. “Then what about the Demonic Vine mission?”

I waved my hand. “See, the two missions we’ve been on were completely different.”

“And yet, they were both disproportionately dangerous.”

“Just trust your Great Martial Aunt. This won't be like either of those Missions.”

He still looked wary, but he said, “Then what’s in it for me?”

“I picked up a few spirit plant collection tasks. I’ll give you a third of the contribution points we earn from them.”

Once I showed him the slate with the mission information, his eyes widened. “These spirit plants are really worth this much?!”

“Well, they’re not that rare, so… Oh.” He was saying that they were expensive.

“Don’t look at me like that! Just because I’m a sword cultivator doesn’t mean that I’m poor. I gave you that chest full of silver taels, didn’t I?”

“Are you coming or not?”

He looked at me in disbelief. “Of course, I’m going!”

I knew I could count on this guy.

***

Once again, Fairy Garlic brought Little Spring out to meet me. The kid looked exhausted but happy. He chatted with her eagerly about some immortal chef stuff I didn’t pay attention to.

Once they stopped in front of me, I said, “Your student will be away on a sect mission for the next two weeks.”

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed into a frown like she’d tasted something bad. “And why are you only telling me now?”

“I only decided on it today.”

She shook her head. “You can’t just take him away without asking him first. I think you should let your brother decide whether he wants to go or stay here.”

I grinned down at Little Spring. “You’re welcome to remain here where it’s safe.”

He scowled. “Why would I want to?”

Fairy Garlic coughed. Her eyes were wide as she looked down at the good kid. “You could live with your fellow apprentice chefs here. I could give you a taste of what it would be like to be my full-time student.”

“You don’t understand how hard it was to get to this point. My sister actually asked me to go with her. So I’m going.”

Fairy Garlic shot an infuriated gaze toward me. “Your brother is still too young. He should be staying within the sect until he’s at least in foundation establishment and 14 years old.”

I shrugged. “I agree, but the kid doesn’t. I’ve already lost too many arguments against him. I’m not doing it anymore. If you want him to stay, you need to convince him, not me.”

Little Spring clutched my sleeve and glared defiantly at Fairy Garlic. “I’m going.”

She sighed. “Do you at least have someone else to go with you?”

“Of course. Clear Eyes Mad Tongue from Majestic Sword Peak.”

“Oh, him.” For a second, Garlic didn’t look convinced, then she nodded. “Well, he did handle the Demonic Vine Plague nicely, so I’m sure he’ll be able to keep you, children, out of trouble.”

She tossed Little Spring a token. “Break it if you’re in danger. I’ll send help as soon as I can.”

He gave her a massive grin. “Thank you, chef!”