The color drained from Liu Qingchen's face in an instant, leaving his skin as pale as parched bone. He stared down at his nephew, who was currently wailing on the ground like a pile of mud, and his chest began heaving violently with suppressed fury.
Today, his face had been completely ruined in public by this idiot.
He forced down the powerful urge to kill Liu Qingyuan with a single palm strike right there on the street, then he stiffly turned back toward Chen Jinshu and spoke with forced courtesy, his voice tight.
"Daoyou, this Liu truly has nowhere to put his face after this. Misfortune within the family gave birth to this wretch. He offended you, and death a thousand times wouldn't atone for it. I hope Daoyou won't take it to heart."
She was still angry, her heart beating fast from the confrontation, but she also knew this was the Medicine King Valley's territory. If she caused unnecessary bloodshed here, things would surely spiral out of control and draw the attention of the inner valley elders. It was better to exchange this messy situation for something tangible and useful for her cultivation.
The Golden Core outer elder likely held some significant influence among the outer ranks of the valley. She might as well have him compensate her with guidance related to spirit plant cultivation or access to restricted knowledge.
With that thought, a faintly inscrutable smile flickered in her eyes, though she kept her expression neutral.
"Elder Liu isn't being too serious. A temperament like this is nothing more than a stumbling stone on the path to immortality. Kick it aside and move on. Adding to my killing karma isn't something I want at this stage.
Still, although your valley's grass and wood enlightenment art is a secret not passed on to outsiders, Elder Liu surely wouldn't begrudge sharing some personal insights on spirit plant cultivation, just to smooth over today's farce?"
Liu Qingchen's heart clenched, and his gaze tightened as he calculated the cost of her forgiveness.
After hesitating for a long moment while the crowd watched, he took out a palm-sized jade slip from his storage ring. The jade was warm and translucent green, vibrating with stored information as he handed it over.
"Please calm your anger, Daoyou. This is a bit of Liu's personal experience from many years spent tending spirit plants, titled Hundred Herbs Heart Scripture. It's crude and far from elegant, but it might offer Zhēnrén some minor help in identifying various plant properties, regulating the balance of soil and spiritual energy, and a few common nurturing and growth-accelerating techniques."
As he spoke, there was a visible hint of pride in his tone. He had built his entire standing in the sect on his plant arts, and among the outer ranks, he believed himself unmatched in his field.
The scripture might be considered ordinary by the standards of core disciples, but to those outside the valley, it was still a rare and precious collection of knowledge.
She took the jade slip and immediately scanned the contents with her divine sense.
In an instant, massive amounts of text and diagrams flooded her mind, expanding her mental map of the medicinal world. Vivid illustrations of spirit plants appeared one after another in a mental cascade, accompanied by astonishingly detailed descriptions of growth environments, companion organisms, and potential medicinal conflicts between different species.
General growth-accelerating techniques for dozens of second-tier and below spirit plants were clearly laid out for her to see. There were even small formation designs for adjusting earth-element balance and gathering water and wood spiritual energy within a small plot.
The contents were broad and rich by any measure, covering a lifetime of practical experience.
Yet her expression didn't brighten as she pulled her consciousness back to the physical world. Instead, her face slowly darkened, and a chill settled over her features.
The technique was undoubtedly good for a common gardener, but it completely lacked the one specific thing she truly wanted for her space.
There wasn't a single word about enlightening the spirit of grass and wood to create attendants.
"This Hundred Herbs Heart Scripture is truly thorough and ingenious when it comes to plant identification and soil regulation. It certainly opened my eyes."
Liu Qingchen had just managed to squeeze out a relieved, awkward smile when her next words froze him in place.
"Is Elder Liu trying to brush me off with this, thinking my knowledge is shallow and that I can't tell true methods from common scraps? Or do you believe that today's matter can be written off with cultivation basics anyone on this street could find with enough spirit stones?
What I want is the true essence of enlightening plant spirits and commanding them as attendants. Elder Liu, is this really the sincerity your valley offers to a Zhēnrén?"
The elder's face shifted from a dull gray to a bright red. His lips trembled as he tried to find a way to argue, but under her dark and steady gaze, no words came out of his mouth.
He had indeed intended to muddle through the situation. He thought that even if this female cultivator was in the Golden Core realm, she was still young and an outsider to the valley's ways. He assumed she likely couldn't distinguish the Medicine King Valley's true core planting arts from advanced common knowledge.
"Daoyou, you misunderstand. A huge misunderstanding!" He hurriedly waved his hands in front of him.
"It isn't that Liu is hiding anything from you, nor am I trying to brush you off with trifles. It's just that the art of enlightening grass and wood and awakening spirits as attendants is the supreme secret of the Medicine King Valley, which is the very foundation of our foothold in the Eastern region for tens of thousands of years.
This is a sect iron law that can't be broken. Forget a mere outer elder like me. Even inner stewards, or some of the Peak Lords themselves, might not glimpse its full scope. Anyone who leaks it would have their soul stripped and refined in the sect's furnace, never to reincarnate.
Please judge clearly, Daoyou. Even if Liu had the courage of heaven, I would never dare joke about the sect's foundation in such a public place."
"Enough… enough."
Liu Qingchen finally let out a long sigh of relief and spoke again, his voice dropping an octave.
"Perhaps fate has its own arrangement for this meeting. This thing and you might truly share a sliver of destiny."
He stopped circling the topic and met her eyes. His voice regained an elder's steadiness, though it was now tinged with a heavy solemnity.
"Recently, the valley sent word that to celebrate the Valley Master's eight hundredth birthday and to select promising successors in the path of alchemy, a Hundred Herbs Alchemy Gathering will be held three months from now, taking place within the Medicine King Valley's Hundred Herbs Secret Realm. This is a centennial grand event that draws talent from across the continents."
Her heart stirred at the mention of a secret realm, though her expression remained calm and detached.
"Oh? An alchemy gathering? What does that have to do with me and my request?"
"It's everything to do with you. This gathering is different from the past competitions. To honor the occasion and encourage young talent, the Valley Master and the Supreme Elders are offering incredibly rich rewards. The final champion won't only receive massive amounts of spirit stones and rare pill formulas, but also be granted a portion of Five-Color Spirit Nurturing Divine Soil."
Even with her firm resolve, Chen Jinshu couldn't help but feel tempted by the prize.
She had once seen fragmented records in ancient alchemy scriptures of the Xuanming Sect. Five-Color Spirit Nurturing Divine Soil was formed from the convergence and sedimentation of the five elemental source energies over tens of thousands of years in special earth veins. It contained unbelievable life-giving creation within its grains.
It could multiply plant growth speed, transform medicinal effects for the better, and was even rumored to have miraculous effects in breaking through difficult alchemy bottlenecks.
Its value was enough to stir the hearts of even Yuányīng Zhēnjūn.
Liu Qingchen keenly caught the ripple of interest that flashed through her eyes. His last trace of doubt about her motives vanished.
He stroked his long beard and continued with a small smile.
"The Valley Master's word is as solid as gold. How could it be false? There are no stated restrictions. As long as it's a technique recorded in the Medicine King Valley's inheritance vault, the champion may request it as their reward.
Of course, whether it can be granted still depends on a personal discussion with the Valley Master afterward. But with Daoyou's ability and rank, as long as you take the top spot, this is very achievable."
He added, gesturing toward the valley heights, "The gathering is open to all Golden Core alchemists of the Eastern region, regardless of their background or sect. Within two months, bring your proudest third-tier or higher pill to the Medicine King Valley's Guest Pavilion to verify your alchemist status and obtain a Hundred Herbs Token. On the day the gathering begins, you can enter the secret realm with the token to compete."
He pointed his finger toward the deeper, more elegant buildings of the market. "The Guest Pavilion is right beside the inner market entrance. If Zhēnrén is interested, you can head there right now."
She had already calmed completely, her mind working through the logistics. She gave him a slight, respectful nod.
"Many thanks to Elder Liu for the guidance. I will naturally go and give this Hundred Herbs Alchemy Gathering a try. But your nephew's earlier disrespect toward me can't just be brushed aside like this, despite your helpful information."
A cold smile curved her lips as she looked back at the boy on the ground. This old fox was trying to use the news of the alchemy gathering to gloss over Liu Qingyuan's severe offense.
That calculation was indeed deep and well-timed.
"Well… Daoyou speaks reasonably. I'm only an outer elder and hold no secret arts myself," he said awkwardly, his hands twitching.
He had thought the matter was settled. He didn't expect her to bring the offense back up so quickly. Without offering something concrete and immediate, this interaction clearly wouldn't end.
"I've just arrived at the Medicine King Valley and need a place for quiet cultivation while I prepare. Elder Liu likely has some influence in the housing of the valley. Why not give me a cave dwelling?"
"Daoyou, that's difficult. Every inch of the Medicine King Valley is precious and spoken for. Even Liu only has one private cave residence to his name," he said, looking startled by the demand.
"But with my personal recommendation, I could help Daoyou purchase a residence at a significantly lower price than the market rate."
"Then I will trouble Elder Liu with that," she replied calmly.