"Brother Ye, are you serious? Can we really take some home?"
Dustin Lee asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Quinn didn't even bother to turn his head. He just waved his spoon in the air. "Knock yourselves out. Take whatever."
His tone was so casual, so dismissive. He sounded like a farmer trying to get rid of excess cabbage.
But these were peerless Heavenly Treasures!
What a flex. So this is the style of a true Hidden Master? Treating priceless artifacts like trash? We stan.
"Thank you, Brother Ye! Thank you!"
Dustin bowed frantically, then signaled Bobby and Serena to start harvesting.
However, even though Quinn said "take whatever," they exercised extreme self-control. They didn't dare to get greedy.
Dustin carefully picked a few stalks of Verdant Origin Grass. Then, with hands shaking as if defusing a bomb, he plucked exactly two Seven-Leaf Crimson Fruits (Tomatoes).
As for the Primordial Mystic Fruit (Pear) tree? The three of them just looked at it with longing eyes. They didn't dare to touch it. That was a Tier-1 Divine Item. Touching that would be crossing the line.
The three disciples were so happy they were practically drooling.
Quinn finished his stew and wiped his mouth. He turned around and saw the trio huddled together, hugging a bundle of grass and holding two tomatoes like they were newborn babies, giggling uncontrollably.
Quinn's brow twitched.
Do these guys have actual brain damage? It's just grass and tomatoes. Why are they acting like they won the lottery?
"Why are you guys being so polite?" Quinn asked, shaking his head. "Come on, don't be shy. Let me get you some more."
Quinn was feeling generous.
He walked over and plucked a few more tomatoes (Seven-Leaf Crimson Fruits). Then, he grabbed a sickle and slashed down a huge bundle of Chives. Finally, he grabbed a hoe and dug up several large heads of Garlic.
"Here. Take these home and try them. They're good for you."
Quinn shoveled the entire pile of produce into Dustin Lee's arms.
Dustin was terrified and flattered at the same time. He looked like he was holding a bomb made of gold.
"Brother Ye! This... this is too much! We are unworthy! We really can't accept this!"
Quinn waved his hand dismissively. "What do you mean 'unworthy'? It's just some vegetables. It's nothing. Take it, take it."
Seeing Quinn being so insistent, Dustin didn't dare to say no again. He hugged the pile of chives, garlic, and tomatoes tightly against his chest.
"Thank you, Brother Ye! Your generosity knows no bounds!"
Suddenly, Serena Xu tugged gently on Dustin's sleeve.
She whispered anxiously, "Senior Brother... we're taking so many priceless treasures... isn't this a bit rude? We look like greedy bandits."
Hearing Serena's words, Dustin immediately snapped out of his euphoria.
She's right! This expert is testing our character! He gives us treasures like they are trash, but if we just take them without showing gratitude or offering something in return, we will look like ungrateful leeches!
"You're right. We can't just take this expert's stuff for free. We have to give him a return gift. It's basic etiquette," Dustin Lee thought to himself, patting his storage pouch.
But his face fell. "I only brought some Essence Pills. I don't have anything else worthy."
Serena Xu chimed in, "I brought my Violet Cloud Sword. Maybe we could..."
"No way!" Bobby Zhao frowned, shaking his head vigorously. "That sword was a birthday gift from the Sect Leader! You can't just give that away!"
Serena hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and pulled out the shimmering purple sword anyway.
"The Violet Cloud Sword is precious, sure," she argued, pointing at the pile of vegetables in Dustin's arms. "But is it worth more than the divine treasures the Senior just gave us?"
Bobby opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He was silenced by cold, hard logic.
Compared to Quinn Ye's "vegetables"—which were literally extinct, god-tier alchemy ingredients—Serena's sword was basically a glorified toothpick. It was trash.
Dustin turned his gaze toward Bobby.
"Bobby, didn't you find a Sky Moon Stone the other day? Take it out."
Bobby clutched his pocket, looking physically pained. That was his lucky find! But under the peer pressure, he reluctantly pulled out a shiny silver rock.
The three of them gathered their "treasures" together: a bottle of pills, a sword, and a shiny rock.
They looked at the pile and felt ashamed.
"Brother Ye," Dustin said, his voice trembling slightly. "We have no way to repay your kindness. Please accept these small trinkets as a return gift."
"We know these items are crude and barely worth looking at, but please don't be offended by our poverty."
Dustin felt his face burning.
This stuff was embarrassing. It was like tipping a billionaire a single penny. They were terrified Quinn would be insulted by such garbage.
"Sure, I'll take them," Quinn said instantly.
He swiped the items without a second thought. No hesitation. No "oh no, you shouldn't have."
Free stuff is free stuff, Quinn thought. A cool sword? A shiny rock? Hell yeah.
Seeing Quinn accept their "trash" so casually, without a hint of disdain, the three disciples were moved to tears.
So this is the demeanor of a true worldly expert!
He doesn't care about the value. He cares about the heart! He makes us feel so comfortable, like a spring breeze.
"Brother Ye, we will take our leave now. We shall visit again!"
"Sure thing, take care," Quinn waved.
Dustin, Bobby, and Serena didn't dare to linger. clutching their bundle of onions and garlic, they rushed down the mountain.
They had to get back to the Mystic Sword Sect immediately. The Sect Leader needed to know about this.
Hundreds of miles away, at the Mystic Sword Sect.
The Sect Leader, Lance Xu, was currently having a meltdown.
He held an invitation card in his hand, his face clouded with worry.
" The Three Sect Tournament... They moved it up by two whole months! What are we going to do?" Lance groaned, pacing around the room.
His wife, Susan Shen , stood by his side, looking at her husband with concern.
"That old fox, Gary Gongsun , just broke through to a new realm recently," Lance complained.
"And Chad Chen came out of seclusion last month. He's powered up, too."
"Both of their cultivation levels have surpassed mine. In this tournament, our Mystic Sword Sect is going to get absolutely crushed by the Nine Soul Sect and the Titan Sect."
Lance sighed heavily. "We're going to be the laughing stock of the Heavenly Martial Empire."
The Three Sect Tournament was theoretically a "friendly exchange." In reality, it was a dick-measuring contest to decide who was the boss of the region.
In the past, Lance wasn't afraid. But now? His cultivation had stagnated for years, while his rivals, Gary and Chad, had leveled up. He had zero confidence.
"Honey," Susan suggested softly, "why don't we just decline the invitation?"
Lance shook his head bitterly.
"If only it were that simple. If we bail, how will we survive in this industry? Everyone will say the Mystic Sword Sect are cowards. Our stock price will plummet!"
Susan didn't know what else to say. The atmosphere was grim.
Just then, a disciple rushed in.
"Sect Leader! The Eldest Brother and the others are back!"
"Let them in."
"Yes, sir!"
Moments later, Dustin, Bobby, and Serena burst into the hall. Their faces were flushed with excitement.
"You three!" Lance frowned. "I sent you to hunt that Rabbit Demon. Why are you back so soon?"
"Master," Dustin said, catching his breath. "We didn't catch the Rabbit."
Lance exploded.
"What?! That rabbit killed our disciples, and you three just let it escape? You—"
"Master! Forget the rabbit for a second!" Dustin interrupted, which was very out of character. "Look at this!"
Dustin hurriedly presented the bundle he was carrying.
Lance looked down.
His wife, Susan, looked down.
They both froze. Their brains stopped working.
It was a pile of vegetables. But not just any vegetables.
Various Heavenly Treasures.
And there were so many of them.
"Th... th... these..." Lance stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. "Where did you get these?"
"Master, we brought them back!" Dustin lifted his chin proudly.
Lance's hands started to tremble violently.
He stared at the green stalks. Verdant Origin Grass. Just eating one stalk would be enough to break his cultivation bottleneck instantly.
"Where..." Lance gasped, his eyes wide. "Where in god's name did you find these?"
His wif