Chapter 113
“After a long journey, you must be tired. Why not take a good rest first? Qingran, later I’ll take you to the herb garden.”
With that, Su Qinian walked over to check on Da Ha’s injuries.
The foolish dog’s chest had completely caved in. The force of the whip kick had exploded from its back; while its chest wasn’t pierced, the back was a bloody mess.
However, being a guardian beast of the sect, there was a reason the attacker hadn’t gone all out—at least it still had a breath of life left.
But if not treated promptly, it would likely remain unconscious for several days.
He shook his head, sighing and stamping his foot.
He thought his hints had been quite clear.
Yet, Li Qingran stubbornly stepped forward, cupping her hands and saying, “Sect Master, I’m not tired and don’t need to rest. I want to go to the herb garden to find Elder Liu right now!”
Su Qinian: “…”
“Master, you take Junior Sister with you. I’ll carry Da Ha to the main hall so the elders can take a look,” Yue Qianchi chuckled, quickly taking the task upon himself.
Upon hearing Yue Qianchi, Li Qingran realized something. She glanced at the guardian beast, which had been beaten to a pulp by her master, and her ears turned red.
But… so what?
Her master’s matters were always the top priority!
With that thought, she continued to gaze at Su Qinian with determination.
…
Su Qinian led Li Qingran to the herb garden, where Elder Liu was already waiting at the entrance, looking rather displeased.
“Elder Liu,” Li Qingran greeted with a bow.
Su Qinian teased, “Old Liu, why the long face? I haven’t visited your herb garden to admire the flowers these past few days.”
Liu Yuanqing huffed and ignored Su Qinian, leading Li Qingran into the herb garden and slamming the door shut behind them.
He didn’t care about Su Qinian’s loud protests outside.
Liu Yuanqing forced a smile and asked Li Qingran, “Did you manage to gather all the spirit herbs on the list?”
“Yes, Elder Liu. I’ve got everything. Can we move on to the next step?” Li Qingran’s eyes sparkled with urgency and anticipation.
The refining of the Baicao Detoxification Pill was quite complicated.
It required an additional step of spirit tempering compared to ordinary pills.
Spirit tempering needed a special alchemy furnace, and before setting off for Lingxi Valley, Elder Liu had promised to help her acquire one.
“Very well, but we need to think this through regarding the spirit tempering…” Liu Yuanqing sighed, looking troubled.
“Why?” Li Qingran’s heart sank, her brows knitting together.
Liu Yuanqing paced back and forth, tugging at his beard, and after a long silence, he finally admitted, “I know that the Pill Sect’s master, Zhou Xuanzai, possesses a dragon-patterned cauldron. This cauldron, forged from seawater, is exactly what we need for tempering the spirit herbs.”
“In the past, I had some connections with Zhou Xuanzai and thought borrowing the cauldron would be easy. But to my surprise, he flatly refused, even when I offered him spirit stones.”
“Why wouldn’t he agree?” Li Qingran bit her lip, anxious. “It’s just a temporary loan! If he wants compensation, we can negotiate. As long as he’s willing to lend it…”
“No way.” Liu Yuanqing’s eyes flashed with anger, his voice growing cold. “He’s a snob. Before I left Zhenwu, he treated me with utmost respect. Now that I’m hiding here in the Sword Pavilion, what does he say? He refuses to associate with beggars!”
“How outrageous!” The door to the herb garden was kicked open.
Su Qinian stormed in, fuming. “Who dares to call our Sword Pavilion a bunch of beggars? Old Liu, clarify this! I’ll go kill someone right now!”
“The Pill Pavilion, Zhou Xuanzai, and a perfected Divine Transformation—go ahead!” Liu Yuanqing shot a cold glance at Su Qinian and pointed to the door. “One hundred low-grade spirit stones, pay up!”
“One hundred low-grade spirit stones for that shabby wooden door? Why don’t you go rob someone instead?!”
“I’ll rob you right now, what’s it to you?”
“Not happening, I don’t have the money!”
“If you don’t have money, leave your flying sword behind.”
“I won’t give you my flying sword either!”
“You’re a real piece of work!”
“You’re the real piece of work!”
Li Qingran: “…”
This wasn’t right. In her mind, Elder Liu should be different from Sect Master Su.
That’s what she had always thought.
But now, Elder Liu’s image was starting to overlap with that of Sect Master Su?
“If Zhou Xuanzai has that cauldron, then we’re in trouble,” Su Qinian said, stroking his chin, his expression grim.
Though the Pill Sect was founded on herbs, its nature was entirely different from Lingxi Valley.
Lingxi Valley specialized in spirit herbs, while the Pill Sect gathered various sects through pills, a mixed bag of all sorts, with a heavy presence of the martial world, connected to various forces. They were like a roadside frog that no one wanted to provoke.
It wasn’t just about being weaker than Zhou Xuanzai.
The main concern was the trouble it could bring to the Sword Pavilion disciples.
Usually, when Sword Pavilion disciples went on missions, they had to deal with unfamiliar cultivators, and that’s when they feared being stabbed in the back.
“Is there really no other way?”
Li Qingran bit her lip, feeling lost, her gaze darting around.
They had come this far.
They absolutely couldn’t give up now…
“There is a way.” Elder Liu took out an ancient scroll and showed it to Li Qingran and Su Qinian. “This is a fragment from the Yao Wang Valley, detailing a method to temper spirit herbs using a cultivator as the cauldron, and it must be a water spirit root cultivator.”
Su Qinian flipped through a couple of pages, his expression changing dramatically. He threw it to the ground in anger, shouting, “What kind of evil technique is this? Better to tear it up now! I’ll just go to the Pill Sect and take that cauldron back!”
“Rob the Pill Sect? Are you out of your mind?”
“Is it any better for my Sword Pavilion disciples to suffer like this? Do you see that this method is meant for people?”
In the midst of the two elders arguing, Li Qingran had already picked up the fragment, holding it carefully as she read through it.
The words inside were chilling, but thinking of her master still suffering from the poison, her resolve grew stronger.
“Elder Liu, Sect Master Su.” She interrupted the two arguing elders, cupping her hands. “For my master, I’m willing to give it a try!”
…
…
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**Chapter 120: It’s Decided, It’s You! (When I hit ‘?’ +1)**
The room was silent.
Chen Huai’an was cultivating.
Da Qingyu and Ba Ji were also in their own cultivation.
As the first major cycle of the Tide Technique was completed, spiritual energy surged toward Chen Huai’an, forming a vortex within him.
With a soft pop, a wisp of clear energy rose from the top of his head, dissipating into the heavens and the earth.
Chen Huai’an opened his eyes, unable to hide his joy. “Hehehe, hahaha! I did it! I finally did it!”
Ba Ji, hearing the commotion, opened his eyes briefly, glanced at Chen Huai’an, who was at the Qi Refining stage, and quickly shifted into a more cat-like position to continue his meditation.
“So this is what it feels like to refine Qi?”
Chen Huai’an clenched his fists. It felt completely different from before; he could clearly sense the energy circulating through his limbs, and as he tightened his fists, most of the energy drew from his dantian and concentrated in his hands.
He looked at the wall, a premonition stirring within him.
With another punch, he was sure he could leave a dent in the wall.
A small step in Qi Refining, a giant leap for immortals.
As he stepped into the Qi Refining stage, his perception was now worlds apart from that of a mortal. He immediately noticed something was off with the plants on the windowsill.
He moved closer, and the rich spiritual energy felt like a clear spring, refreshing him with every breath.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, Grass Bro! I’ve sinned!”
Chen Huai’an stared in shock at the ugly little plant, quickly pouring some water into it. Previously, he had completely neglected it, letting it fend for itself on the windowsill.
Now, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the unassuming leaves held great secrets; they were not only crystal clear but also intricately carved with celestial palaces, as complex as a Qingming scroll!
“Looks amazing!”
Chen Huai’an gave a thumbs-up to the Jiu Zhuan Ling Lan.
He had initially thought that such a cool name was just for show.
But it turned out to be the real deal!
Now, the question arose.
The Jiu Zhuan Ling Lan was planted in Nuwa soil. If he were to plant it in Nuwa soil and wait patiently, could it one day transform into Sun Wukong?
Chen Huai’an looked at the small amount of Nuwa soil, which was only about the size of two fists, and decided to put that thought on hold for now.
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