Chapter 26

Ji Wenyue stared at the drawing for a good while before saying, "I remember now. This is Jin Wu Grass; I saw it in an ancient medicinal formula in my family's collection."

"Jin Wu Grass belongs to the fire-yang category of herbs. Its medicinal properties are extremely fierce and cannot be consumed directly. It must be decocted with the heart of an Ice Rabbit to neutralize its properties before it can be taken. That medicinal soup is called Jin Wu Origin-Returning Soup."

"Even so, after neutralizing its properties, the Jin Wu Origin-Returning Soup still requires at least a seventh-rank Great Wu Shi level to consume. Otherwise, the medicinal power is too violent; not only will it fail to nourish, but it will instead cause harm."

"To think that even after neutralizing the medicinal properties, it still requires at least a seventh-rank Great Wu Shi level to consume. It seems this Jin Wu Origin-Returning Soup is truly a potent tonic and must be extremely precious," Xia Daoming said.

"That goes without saying. According to the ancient formula, if a Great Wu Shi has cultivated to the seventh-rank peak, consuming this neutralized soup gives them a significant chance to break through the eighth meridian and become an eighth-rank Great Wu Shi. And for an eighth-rank Great Wu Shi, it has a great nourishing effect on improving cultivation," Ji Wenyue said.

Upon hearing this, Xia Daoming was both surprised and delighted. He hurriedly asked, "What exactly is an Ice Rabbit, and where can one be found?"

Xia Daoming was currently only a fifth-rank Great Wu Shi, so Ji Wenyue did not suspect anything. Hearing his question, she replied without hesitation, "Juvenile Ice Rabbits are generally first-rank mid-stage demonic beasts, and they can reach first-rank high-stage once they reach adulthood. In Mangzhou, a large portion of demonic beasts live in the Cangmang Mountains, and the Ice Rabbit is no exception."

"If this Jin Wu Grass is used to decoct the medicinal soup with juvenile Ice Rabbits, you would need at least ten; if they are adults, three would be about enough."

Xia Daoming secretly gasped in cold air upon hearing this.

He was no longer the naive country lad he once was; he naturally understood the power of demonic beasts and the dangers of the Cangmang Mountains.

The Blood-Feathered Eagle he encountered in the Scarlet Flame Valley last time was only a first-rank initial-stage demonic beast, yet its combat power was equivalent to a third or fourth-rank Wu Shi.

It would even instinctively release feather arrows when severely injured.

A first-rank mid-stage demonic beast is equivalent to a fifth or sixth-rank Great Wu Shi, while a first-rank high-stage one is equivalent to a seventh or eighth-rank Great Wu Shi.

A second-rank demonic beast is at the Grandmaster level.

A juvenile Ice Rabbit was already as formidable as a fifth or sixth-rank Great Wu Shi, and he would have to venture deep into the Cangmang Mountains to hunt them—at least ten of them. Just thinking about it made Xia Daoming's scalp tingle.

"It seems this Jin Wu Grass can only be stored for now. The most urgent task is to find a way to purchase some high-quality elixirs elsewhere, complete the ninth-level meridian strengthening, and break through to a sixth-rank Great Wu Shi as soon as possible," Xia Daoming mused.

Next, Xia Daoming specifically asked Ji Wenyue for knowledge regarding precious medicinal herbs and elixirs.

These were Ji Wenyue's areas of expertise, and since it was Xia Daoming asking, she naturally explained and informed him without reservation, even drawing several diagrams for him.

The diagrams depicted precious herbs that had significant nourishing effects even for Great Martial Masters and Grandmasters.

These herbs were extremely rare and generally grew deep within the Cangmang Mountains in Mangzhou. Even though the Ji Clan were major herb merchants, the family did not have them in their collection.

Ji Wenyue had only seen them in some ancient medicinal pharmacopoeias kept by the family.

Xia Daoming collected the diagrams one by one, and later, unable to resist Ji Wenyue's soft entreaties and coquettish pestering, he reluctantly accepted the bundle she had brought.

Night fell.

The study in the back courtyard of the Xia residence.

Xia Daoming opened the bundle given by Ji Wenyue and discovered that, besides five thousand taels in silver notes, there were also elixirs worth at least eight thousand taels.

"Setting aside the cultivation manuals and the Jin Wu Grass, if I include the elixirs, I currently have the equivalent of seventy thousand taels in cash on hand."

"Money only exerts its true value when it is spent. It seems I must go on a long journey as soon as possible." Looking at the money and elixirs before him, Xia Daoming decided to take a long trip in the near future.

However, plans often fail to keep up with changes.

Originally, his plan was to follow Zhuo Xingji on a few long-distance escort missions, which would allow him to broaden his horizons, buy elixirs, and earn money—three birds with one stone.

But early this morning, he had ransacked Wu Yueli's treasury and made a windfall, and by evening, Ji Wenyue had given him another large sum.

Therefore, Xia Daoming really didn't care much for the small change from the Xingyou Escort Agency.

Moreover, to go on an escort mission, he would have to accommodate their schedule and see if the destination was suitable.

Xia Daoming, however, was somewhat impatient.

The next day.

Zuiyun Tower, third floor, Yungui Chamber.

Because Xia Daoming was about to go on a long journey, he specifically invited his fellow sect brothers and sisters to a banquet.

"Strange, it's already this late, why hasn't Junior Sister Liu arrived yet?" Yuchi Xiao asked, frowning slightly.

"I've already sent someone to urge her; I expect she'll be here soon," Jiao Yongbao said.

Before Jiao Yongbao's voice had even faded, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open violently, and a waiter burst in.

"Proprietor, it's bad! Something has happened at the Yaohua Tower," the waiter said, panting.

"What happened?" The crowd's expressions changed slightly, and they blurted out.

"It is said that Shi Yingdeng of the Shi Clan wanted Miss Wanqing to accompany him to bed, and then a conflict arose," the waiter replied.

As soon as the waiter said this, everyone's faces filled with anger, and Xia Daoming was no exception.

Just three months ago, Shi Yingdeng had joined forces with Xu Shisen to severely injure Gu Ren, cutting off his path to the Martial Dao. Liang Jingtang, considering the strength of the Hidden Dragon Qianjiao Wu Guan and the overall situation, ultimately swallowed his pride and suppressed the matter.

Unexpectedly, only three months after the Gu Ren incident, Shi Yingdeng had actually come to cause trouble again.

"Bang!" Yuchi Xiao slapped the table and stood up, his hair and beard bristling. "Those sons of bitches, Shi Yingdeng is truly going too far! Let's go, to the Yaohua Tower!"

Having said that, Yuchi Xiao had already rushed out the door first.

Seeing this, Zhuo Xingji, Jiao Yongbao, and Xia Daoming naturally followed in a hurry.

As they reached the door, Jiao Yongbao specifically gave an order to the waiter.

The waiter, having received the order, took off running toward the Hidden Dragon Qianjiao Wu Guan.

The four of them hurried along and soon arrived at the Yaohua Tower.

The Yaohua Tower, which was usually bustling with singing and dancing, appeared exceptionally quiet today.

A group of women gathered in the front courtyard, all pale-faced, looking toward the back courtyard with worry and anxiety, yet no one dared to rush in.

This was because four burly men were standing in front of the moon-gate leading to the back courtyard.

"Head Instructor Yuchi, Escort Chief Zhuo, Boss Jiao, Instructor Xia, you've come! Please, hurry and save Sister Qiang and Miss Wanqing!" As soon as the four of them stepped into the front courtyard, the group of women, as if seeing saviors, surrounded them, weeping.

"Where are they?" Yuchi Xiao asked.

"In the back courtyard," one woman replied.

Having said that, the women automatically cleared a path.

The four of them headed straight for the back courtyard.

"Stop! Young Master Xu is having fun inside, no one is allowed to disturb him!" A man dressed in green martial attire, with a black tiger icon with wings embroidered on his sleeves, reached out to block them.

"Young Master Xu? Which Young Master Xu?" Yuchi Xiao, who was in a rage, had his expression change suddenly, a hint of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

"Young Master Xu Shisen!" the Xu Clan retainer replied.

"It's Xu Shisen again!" Yuchi Xiao's face turned livid, his iron fists clenched tight, and the veins on his forehead throbbed incessantly.

"Alright, you all should retreat. Wait until my young master is done playing..." Seeing Yuchi Xiao's livid face but his hesitation to act, the Xu Clan retainer couldn't help but curl his lips in a disdainful sneer.

"Play your head! Get lost!" Before the Xu Clan retainer could finish speaking, Yuchi Xiao, unable to suppress the anger in his heart, let out a roar, raised his dragon claws, and grabbed straight at his chest.

"Audacious!"

The retainer was a fourth-rank Wu Shi. Seeing Yuchi Xiao make a move, his expression changed slightly, and he let out an angry shout, raising his tiger palms to hack at Yuchi Xiao's dragon claws.

But Yuchi Xiao's wrists were as agile as a snake; at the moment of impact, he twisted his body like a snake, dodging the tiger palms. His dragon claws "slapped" onto the opponent's arm, and then with a fierce pull and swing, the retainer, unable to stand steady, was thrown out and fell to the ground.

At the moment Yuchi Xiao made his move, Zhuo Xingji, Jiao Yongbao, and Xia Daoming had already followed like fierce dragons entering a river, rushing toward the other three retainers.

A dragon can be large or small, can rise or hide; when large, it stirs clouds and spits mist; when small, it hides in the shadows; when rising, it soars through the universe; when hiding, it lurks within the waves.

The Hidden Dragon is half-snake and half-dragon, already possessing some dragon attributes, hence it is also called a flood dragon.

Xia Daoming, having observed the Hidden Dragon Spirit Charm Manual for the second time, had already thoroughly understood the seventh and eighth layers of the Snake-Dragon Transformation, though his force had not yet reached that level.

That eighth-layer technique contained the secret of the flood dragon hiding in the shadows.

Of course, the "hiding in the shadows" here was not like the legendary true dragon, which could hide and change its true form; it referred to concealing and changing one's qi, blood, and force.

If Xia Daoming restrained most of his cultivation and used this technique, he could conceal and change a portion of his qi, blood, and force, making his cultivation realm appear one or two ranks lower than it truly was. It would likely require a Grandmaster level to see the truth.

These four guard dogs had at most a fourth-rank Wu Shi cultivation, and the other three were only third-rank. Xia Daoming didn't need to use his full strength to deal with them; he only needed to exert a little force. Therefore, even though Zhuo Xingji and Yuchi Xiao were fifth-rank Great Martial Masters, they couldn't discover that he was already a fifth-rank Great Wu Shi while he was deliberately hiding his strength.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As soon as Zhuo Xingji and the others made their move, they knocked the other three to the ground and sent them flying.

"Don't! You beast, let go of her!"

"Ah, you actually dare to bite me!"

"Slap!"

As soon as the four of them broke into the back courtyard, they heard the sounds of men and women cursing, as well as the sounds of clothes being torn and slaps, coming from the innermost room.

"Damn it!"

Yuchi Xiao, his hair bristling with rage, headed straight for that room.

"Bang!"

Yuchi Xiao kicked the door open.

Inside the room, a young man in brocade clothes who was trying to tear Liu Xiao Qiang's clothes let go and slowly turned around.

Liu Xiao Qiang took the opportunity to pull her clothes together to cover her exposed skin and quickly hid behind Yuchi Xiao, her originally captivating peach-blossom eyes staring at the brocade-clad man with humiliation and grief.

"Why, Yuchi Xiao, are you planning to fight me?" the brocade-clad man sneered, a disdainful smirk curling his lips as he walked toward Yuchi Xiao, unhurriedly straightening his clothes.

Yuchi Xiao's iron fists clenched and then relaxed, his footsteps retreating unconsciously back into the courtyard.

The brocade-clad man walked out of the room in a leisurely manner.

At this moment, the door to the room next door opened.

Miss Wanqing ran out from inside, her clothes disheveled and her face streaked with tears.

Following closely behind Miss Wanqing, a man with a large black mole on his right chin walked out, standing with the brocade-clad man in the corridor, looking at Yuchi Xiao and the others with a triumphant and provocative gaze.

"It's rare for Young Master Xu to have the interest to come to Yaohua Tower for fun today, why must you spoil the mood, Liu Xiao Qiang? And even implicate Yuchi Xiao and the others? Could it be that you also want them to end up like Gu Ren?" the man with the mole said mockingly.

Liu Xiao Qiang, who had been feeling safe while protected by Yuchi Xiao and the others, turned pale instantly upon hearing the man's words.

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