Chapter 23: A Spirit Medicine

Jiu Shixiong was so angry he nearly smoked, jumping up to say: "How am I not a good person? I am just teaching you not to be a pushover."

Xu Chen curled his lip and said: "Then yesterday you still blocked me in front."

Jiu Shixiong immediately let out a grunt and stopped talking, picking up his teacup to gulp down hot tea, his face turning red, not knowing if it was from shame or the heat.

"Heh heh heh heh!" Zhao Xuan covered her mouth, laughing until she trembled, and shot the two a glare: "Alright, you two say less. The current situation is unfavorable for us; it is better to get the Spirit Medicine and rush to Jingshi as soon as possible, otherwise, I fear a long night will bring many dreams."

Xu Chen sighed: "I always thought Shijie was a kind person, I didn't expect her to be so black-bellied as well!"

Zhao Xuan's eyebrows curved as she scoffed and laughed: "Junior Brother, don't disparage me. We met Zhao Qian by chance; why should we be the scapegoats and risk our lives for her family's messy affairs? Even if Zhao Qian finds a way to latch onto the thigh of the Yuqing Hall, if the Spirit Medicine she produces does not satisfy the Yuqing Hall, the Yuqing Hall still won't care about this matter. Immortal Sects do not interfere in mortal affairs; this is the rule of the Immortal World. Without visible benefits and interests, Immortal Sects are even more snobbish than the mortal world. Junior Brother will understand after gaining more experience in the mortal world for a few years."

Jiu Shixiong said sarcastically: "I like hearing Shimei say this; Junior Brother has been made stupid from picking up manure."

Xu Chen's face darkened as he curled his lip: "Isn't that thanks to you? Now the Medicine Garden has been destroyed..."

Speaking of this, Xu Chen suddenly remembered and looked at Jiu Shixiong to ask: "Jiu Shixiong, yesterday you killed that guy from the Ziyang Sect, did you get his Guiyuan Pill?"

Upon hearing this, Jiu Shixiong's face twitched a few times before he put down his teacup and sighed: "I did get it, but it was hidden in a Storage Bag. That Storage Bag has an Array seal and is locked with a Divine Sense secret technique. It cannot be opened right now; I can only try to find time to test it more later. If it still cannot be opened, I can only hand it over to the three Elders for disposal after returning to the sect."

Xu Chen was pleasantly surprised: "There is actually a Storage Bag? It seems that fight yesterday was not in vain; we have made a fortune this time!"

Jiu Shixiong immediately said proudly: "That goes without saying, otherwise my Phantom Spirit Talisman would have been used too wastefully. It cost me a whole five Spirit Stones back then, which I only saved up after a year of not eating or drinking."

Xu Chen asked in surprise: "A Third-tier Spirit Talisman is only worth five Spirit Stones?"

Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan both revealed strange smiles almost simultaneously.

"Uh, isn't it?"

"Haha, Junior Brother is indeed too pure. That wasn't a Third-tier Spirit Talisman at all, just an ordinary First Stage Spirit Talisman; it was merely a trick of the eye. However, at the time, it was fortunate that Junior Brother had a powerful secret technique to scare him, otherwise, he would have seen through it instantly, and the outcome would have been quite dire. Rest assured, this credit will be recorded under Junior Brother's name. Once we open the Storage Bag, you can pick whatever you want from the contents first, excluding the Guiyuan Pill."

"That's more like it. It would be best if there are more pills and Spirit Stones, otherwise, we will really have to eat dirt later."

Just as Xu Chen finished speaking, Zhao Xuan suddenly raised her hand to signal: "The Xiyun Princess is back!"

The three stopped talking. Sure enough, after waiting for a moment, they heard light footsteps outside the door, and then the Xiyun Princess's voice sounded: "Three Immortal Masters, Zhao Qian requests an audience."

The corners of Jiu Shixiong's mouth lifted slightly, but he said coldly: "What are you still here for?"

The Xiyun Princess said: "Without the protection of the three Immortal Masters, Zhao Qian knows she cannot reach Jingshi, nor can she clear her father's name. Therefore, I hope to offer the Spirit Medicine and beg the three Immortal Masters to take me to Jingshi."

Jiu Shixiong said: "This Spirit Medicine of yours is too precious; I fear our Taiyuan Sect cannot afford to accept it."

"Thump~"

The sound of someone kneeling outside the door rang out, and then the Xiyun Princess's weeping voice came: "I hope the three Immortal Masters will show mercy and save my life. As long as I can arrive at Jingshi alive, I dare not ask for anything else."

Jiu Shixiong winked at Xu Chen, and after deliberately remaining silent for a long time, he sighed: "Princess, it is not that we are unwilling to help, but the situation is too complex and involves too much. Although you are of noble birth, you do not understand the affairs of the Immortal World. This Spirit Medicine might bring a catastrophe to our Taiyuan Sect. Once the news spreads, not only will you die, but we will all die. We do not want to take this risk. When I asked earlier, I just wanted to broaden my horizons; please do not overthink it."

The Xiyun Princess's sobbing and weeping sounded from outside the door, "Zhao Qian knows. It is only because of this object that my father died suddenly, and my family members were all implicated and are to be beheaded after autumn. Therefore, I did not dare to bring it out easily. Yesterday, the three Immortal Masters risked their lives to save me; Zhao Qian is truly grateful. Today, I am willing to offer this object to the Immortal Masters, only asking to follow you to Jingshi. At that time, I will not dare to disturb the three Immortal Masters again. Regarding the Spirit Medicine, Zhao Qian will also let it rot in her stomach and will absolutely not reveal a single word. Now that Zhao Qian is at the end of her rope, please do not refuse."

The room was silent for a long time again, and finally, Jiu Shixiong's sighing voice sounded: "Since that is the case, you may come in and speak!"

"Thank you, three Immortal Masters!" The Xiyun Princess's voice, crying with joy, sounded outside the door, and soon the door was pushed open.

The Xiyun Princess wiped her tears as she entered, turned to close the door, and Zhao Xuan gently swept her Divine Sense inside and outside the room before nodding slightly at Jiu Shixiong.

The Xiyun Princess was already crying like rain on pear blossoms; she walked to the front of the three, knelt down, and offered a small Yujia with both hands: "This is that Spirit Medicine. Because the Spirit Box is sealed with Immortal arts, Zhao Qian truly does not know what it is!"

Jiu Shixiong nodded and took it. After a slight sweep of his Divine Sense, he couldn't help but exclaim: "It is actually a Soul Locking Array. It seems your father's cultivation was quite good."

The Xiyun Princess knelt and sobbed: "My father had the cultivation of the early Kaiyuan Realm. This Soul Locking Array was exchanged from another Immortal Master. Because it is too complex, I have a low realm and have never been able to open it."

"Hmm, this is a Five Elements secret technique. Few people in the mortal world know it. Even a Zhenyuan Realm expert cannot open it without knowing the method. It seems your father was very cautious..."

Jiu Shixiong spoke very gravely, but in reality, he only swept it with his Divine Sense, and soon the Spirit Box popped open, revealing a strange plant about five inches long, blood-red all over, and resembling coral.

The moment the Spirit Box opened, a mass of crimson, misty radiance soared into the air, and rolling Spirit Qi rushed toward their faces, while a strange fragrance permeated the entire room.

Xu Chen was struck by this strange fragrance, and his originally weak Soul suddenly became restless. Even the Blue Jade Bead suspended in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly brightened a bit, vibrating slightly and swelling gently, as if it were taking deep breaths of this strange scent.

At the same time, Xu Chen felt an extremely violent and bloodthirsty impulse rising from the depths of his soul, as if a ferocious Demon Beast hidden in his body was about to be activated.

"Not good!"

Jiu Shixiong's expression changed drastically. He raised his hand and waved, and a surge of Yuan Qi immediately permeated the room, attempting to suppress this aura, but the effect was not very good. The misty red light churned above the Spirit Box, and the Spirit Qi and strange fragrance continued to permeate in all directions.

Zhao Xuan's expression also changed drastically, and she immediately followed suit, waving her hand to set up a layer of Yuan Qi barrier.

As the two streams of Yuan Qi overlapped and intertwined, the permeating Spirit Qi finally stopped churning, and the misty red light was slowly compressed to only about a foot in size, while the strange fragrance filling the room remained as it was.

Xu Chen's eyes were wide open, and a trickle of saliva oozed from the corner of his mouth without him realizing it.

Although he did not recognize this thing, he knew that it was definitely a rare treasure of heaven and earth, at least reaching the fourth grade.

It is said that pearls and treasures have luster; many treasures emit treasure light when they appear in the world, and the treasure light aura of this Spirit Medicine could no longer be concealed.

The emotions of Jiu Shixiong, Zhao Xuan, and the Xiyun Princess were not much better than Xu Chen's; all of them had wide eyes and open mouths, their faces full of disbelief.

After a long time, Jiu Shixiong came back to his senses, hurriedly clapped the Spirit Box shut with a 'snap', and after re-applying the Soul Locking Array, he swallowed hard, felt his throat go dry, and stroked his chest: "It is indeed a rare treasure; your father did not die in vain!"

Xiyun Princess:...

Jiu Shixiong knew he had said the wrong thing, but he did not apologize. Instead, he continued: "Don't take offense at what I am about to say, but since ancient times, wealth has moved people's hearts. Your father was only a mortal County Marquis with cultivation only at the early Kaiyuan Realm, yet he foolishly tried to swallow such a treasure of heaven and earth alone; his death was only a matter of time."

The Xiyun Princess's delicate body trembled. Knowing that what Jiu Shixiong said was not wrong at all, she wept with a face full of sorrow: "Zhao Qian understands what the Immortal Master says. But the Pingxi King wanted to swallow the Ancient Tomb Immortal Treasure alone and would not allow my father to report it to the Imperial Court, so he silenced him. Furthermore, to hunt me down, he actually colluded with the Ming Kingdom's Immortal Sect. This Spirit Medicine was originally intended for me to find a way to bring it to Jingshi and present it to the Emperor, so that I could prove this matter was not false. Only with such a treasure present would the Emperor perhaps be willing to overturn the case for my father, and my family members would be able to avoid punishment. If the Spirit Medicine is snatched away by the Ming Kingdom's Immortal Sect, our family will never be able to clear our names for eternity."

Jiu Shixiong nodded seriously, stood up, and said righteously: "Indeed, even if the Pingxi King wanted to swallow the Immortal Treasure alone and frame your family, it is still understandable. After all, with an Immortal Treasure present, no one can resist the temptation. But he colluded with the Ming Kingdom's Immortal Sect, the Ziyang Sect, to kill and seize the treasure; this is not only treason, but it is also endangering the many Immortal Sects of our Great Song. This is an act of rebellion. Princess, rest assured, this time we will definitely take you to Jingshi safely. If there is an opportunity, we will also clarify this matter and the Taiyuan Sect's stance to the Emperor. But you must remember, the matter of the Spirit Medicine must never be revealed, otherwise, we will be powerless to help with what happens later. You know the affairs of the Royal Family better than we do. The Pingxi King holds heavy troops and guards the western frontier, and he is also the current Emperor's own brother. Without absolute certainty and means, trying to topple him to overturn the case for your father is simply extremely difficult. One slip, and the Great Song will be torn apart; this does not conform to the interests of our Immortal Sects."

Upon hearing this, the Xiyun Princess was overjoyed. She wiped her tears, stood up, and said: "I will strictly follow the Immortal Master's decree; Zhao Qian will listen to everything the three Immortal Masters command."

"Since that is the case, you will do as I say next!"

Jiu Shixiong gave detailed instructions, the Xiyun Princess nodded repeatedly, and finally, she wiped away her tears, exited the room, and left.

Once the footsteps outside had completely disappeared, Zhao Xuan also used her Divine Sense to follow Zhao Qian all the way back to her room. Only then did the three let out a long sigh of relief, their faces showing uncontrollable excitement and joy.