“I’ve been too flashy… now I’m completely broke. Damn it…”
Chen Huaian calculated his balance and nearly cried.
“Forget it. I’ll just practice the Chao Sheng Jue first. When the three eggs come back, I’ll check the app for missions.”
Now that Li Qingran had safely returned to the sect, there was no need to keep an eye on her.
So, he tuned out the Jiange situation, closed his eyes, and continued practicing according to Li Qingran’s earlier instructions.
At the Jiange mountain gate—
The disciples stared at the battered, unconscious Daha in silence.
“Hiss… this is the first time I’ve seen the demon dog Daha beaten like this…”
“I heard it was some mysterious senior of our sect who did it. Supposedly, he’s also Junior Sister Li’s master.”
“So strong?!”
“I say it’s a good thing Daha got a beating. Now maybe he’ll stop sneaking behind Luoxia Peak to wreck our spirit fields every day.”
“Uh… if I recall correctly, wasn’t it the Pavilion Master who ordered the flying boat to be shot down? Daha didn’t exactly ask to get thrashed…”
“Ahem!”
Su Qinian quickly cleared his throat to silence them, then strode over with a grin to welcome Yue Qianchi and Li Qingran down from the flying boat.
The white-haired elder’s avatar had long since dissipated.
His words might have sounded like a warning to Daha—but the real warning had been aimed at him.
Well… better for Qingran that way.
“Welcome back! How’s it going? With those twenty low-grade spirit stones, I bet any challenge was a breeze.”
Yue Qianchi rolled her eyes, but didn’t mention their close call in Lingxi Valley. Don’t be fooled by this Pavilion Master’s easygoing act.
If he found out Lingxi Valley had deliberately caused trouble for Sword Pavilion disciples, he’d be rushing over sword in hand… demanding “an explanation.”
“Reporting to Sect Master,” Li Qingran bowed, her face alight with joy, “I’ve gathered all the spiritual herbs. Only two ingredients remain.”
Back at the sect, she could finally begin preparations for the pill. Every step forward toward detoxifying her master filled her with hope.
“Not bad, not bad!” Su Qinian laughed heartily, folding his arms. “Our Sword Pavilion’s name is well known. Lingxi Valley wouldn’t dare make things difficult for you! Hahaha—”
Yue Qianchi rolled her eyes again.
Not difficult?
If Master hadn’t stepped in at the last moment, they’d still be stranded in disgrace, their flying boat confiscated.
“You’re tired from the road. Rest first. Qingran, I’ll take you to the medicine garden later.”
With that, Su Qinian walked over to check Daha’s injuries.
The poor wolf’s chest had been caved in by the kick, the force blowing out his back in a bloody mess. His heart wasn’t pierced, but he was still clinging to life with just a couple breaths.
If left untreated, he’d be unconscious for days.
Su Qinian sighed, stamping his foot. He thought his hint had been obvious.
But Li Qingran stepped forward, bowing earnestly.
“Master, I am not tired. I don’t need rest. I want to go to the medicine garden to see Elder Liu immediately!”
Su Qinian: “…”
“Master, you take Junior Sister. I’ll bring Daha to the elders.” Yue Qianchi covered her smile with her hand, volunteering quickly.
Only then did Li Qingran realize… her master had pummeled the sect’s guardian beast into a pig’s head. Her ears grew hot.
But so what?
Her master’s matters came first!
She straightened her back, gaze firm.
Su Qinian led Li Qingran to the medicine garden. Elder Liu was already waiting at the gate, face grim.
“Elder Liu.” Li Qingran bowed.
Su Qinian chuckled. “Old Liu, why the long face? I haven’t been by your garden in two days to admire your flowers, is that it?”
Liu Yuanqing just snorted, ignored him, pulled Li Qingran into the garden, and slammed the door shut.
He didn’t care about the Pavilion Master pounding on the gate outside.
Forcing a smile, he asked Li Qingran: “Did you purchase all the herbs on the list?”
“Yes, Elder Liu. Everything has been obtained. Can we proceed to the next step?” Li Qingran’s eyes shone with urgency.
The refining of the Hundred Herbs Detoxification Pill was extremely complex. Unlike ordinary pills, it required an additional step—tempering the soul.
Tempering the soul demanded a special alchemy furnace. Before leaving for Lingxi Valley, Elder Liu had promised to help her acquire one.
“That’s good. But as for the tempering of the soul, that matter will require more consideration…” Elder Liu sighed awkwardly.
“Why?” Li Qingran’s heart tightened.
Liu Yuanqing stroked his beard, pacing back and forth before admitting reluctantly:
“The Dan Sect’s Sect Master, Zhou Xuanzi, has a Dragon-Pattern Cauldron. Forged from seawater essence, it is exactly the type required to refine the Hundred Herbs Detoxification Pill. In my younger years, I had some ties with Zhou Xuanzi. I thought it would be easy to borrow. But he refused outright. Not even for spirit stones.”
“Why not?” Li Qingran bit her lip, anxious. “If he thinks the reward is too low, we can negotiate. As long as he’s willing to lend the cauldron—”
“No!” Anger flickered in Liu Yuanqing’s eyes. His voice chilled. “That man looks down on others! Back when I lived in Zhenwu, he was all respect. Now that I’ve retired here in Jiange, what does he call me? A beggar!”
“How dare he!”
The garden door slammed open with a crash.
Su Qinian stormed in, face twisted in fury. “Who dares call Jiange beggars?! Old Liu, tell me who, and I’ll cut him down this instant!”
“Dan Sect. Zhou Xuanzi. Great Perfection of Spirit Transformation. Off you go~” Liu Yuanqing shot him a cold glance, then pointed to the broken door. “That’ll be one hundred low-grade spirit stones. Pay up.”
“One hundred spirit stones?! For your busted door?! Why don’t you just rob me?!”
“I am robbing you. What’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t have any money!”
“Then leave your flying sword.”
“I’m not giving you my sword either!”
“Not giving it!”
“Not giving it!”
“Not giving it!”
“Not giving it!”
“Not giving it!”
Li Qingran: “…”
Wait a second. Weren’t Elder Liu and Pavilion Master Su supposed to be different kinds of people?
Why… did they suddenly seem like the same person?
“Since Zhou Xuanzi has the cauldron, this is troublesome.” Su Qinian rubbed his chin, brows furrowed.
The Dan Sect was not like Lingxi Valley.
Lingxi Valley specialized in spirit herbs. The Dan Sect, however, was a messy coalition built around pills. They had ties to countless forces, their influence stretching wide. They were like a venomous toad by the roadside—filthy, ugly, and best left unprovoked.
Strength aside, the real concern was the risk to Sword Pavilion disciples.
Jiange disciples often went out on missions. Crossing paths with Dan Sect cultivators, they might find knives waiting in their backs.
“Is there no other way?”
Li Qingran’s brows knit tight.
They’d come this far.
She couldn’t give up now.
“There is another way.”
Elder Liu pulled an ancient tome from his sleeve, laying it before them. “This is a fragment from Medicine King Valley. It records a method for tempering herbs using a cultivator’s body as the cauldron. It must be someone with water spiritual roots.”
Su Qinian flipped a few pages. His face darkened instantly. With a curse, he threw it to the ground.
“What kind of demonic trash is this?! Tear it up! I’ll storm Dan Sect myself and seize the cauldron!”
“Storm the Dan Sect? Are you insane?”
“Then what—you’ll let my disciples suffer?! Isn’t this just using people as furnaces?!”
While the two elders quarreled, Li Qingran had already picked up the fragment, reading carefully.
The text was chilling.
But when she thought of her master, still tormented by the demonic poison, her eyes hardened with resolve.
“Elder Liu, Pavilion Master Su.”
She bowed low, her voice steady.
“For my master, I am willing to try it!”
