Chapter 390: Ganliu Medicinal Garden

Master Qiao Wei nodded slightly and said nothing more.

At this moment, gazing into the distance, one saw layered ridges of Qingshan stretching continuously, their peaks towering high above the clouds, where endless gale-force winds and flowing mists circled back and forth, making the mountain body appear as if it were suspended in midair, truly precipitous and dangerous.

And within sight lay the Ganliu Medicinal Garden, vast enough to span tens of thousands of li.

It was so expansive that a single glance could not reach its edge, boundless to the extreme...

Chen Heng saw that at the boundary of Qingshan, there faintly hovered a ring of Jin Jin Guang, rippling and swaying like flowing water.

This Tian Ren Fa formation had, in one breath, forcibly enclosed this entire region of tens of thousands of li, trapping it all within.

Outside the formation, colorful towers rose high everywhere, palace walls stood towering, dense and thick, built along the mountain's contours, creating a brilliant spectacle of blazing light shooting toward the heavens, dyeing half the sky's rosy clouds luminous and magnificent.

Moreover, from time to time, Tian Ren would fly out from among the colorful towers, diligently welcoming guests; various voices mingled together, making the scene appear exceedingly lively.

At this moment, Master Qiao Wei took a small colorful pouch from her sleeve bag and handed it before Chen Heng, saying indifferently:

"Minghe Sand; you previously sought information on this medicine externally. As it happens, I still have one leftover pill in my possession. I know you are unwilling to owe too much in personal favors, so I will accept that cloud-flower dragon ointment and the law coins."

Hearing this, Chen Heng's eyes flickered with movement as he reached out to take the small colorful pouch Master Qiao Wei offered.

Upon untying it to look inside, he saw suspended within exactly one cinnabar pill, about the size of a chicken egg, clear as autumn water, its radiance flowing and shifting, dazzling and mesmerizing to behold.

When held in hand, it felt as though grasping a wisp of cloud or mist, possessing not even Ban Fen Zhong of weight, light and drifting.

Yet when one exerted force to clench it tightly, one could distinctly feel a shell harder than metal and stone, securing the essential yuan inside the cinnabar pill, preventing even a single thread of it from leaking out.

Such a state was indeed quite peculiar...

"Gathering yin to form heaven, accumulating yin to form earth, stealing the principle of the three powers, the cinnabar sand aligns with nature... This top-grade Minghe Sand is truly extraordinarily mysterious."

Chen Heng carefully stored this item away, silently praising it in his heart, then immediately bowed respectfully to Master Qiao Wei and expressed his gratitude with solemnity.

During these past few months within the Master Qiao clan of Mishan,

while he was in secluded cultivation refining the Southern Bright Separation Fire, he had also been inquiring everywhere externally about the whereabouts of the two external medicines, Minghe Sand and Old Immortal Beard.

However, although he had attended several treasure assemblies, his gains were few; he had only managed to purchase one portion of Old Immortal Beard that was damaged in form and substance.

And although this external medicine also belonged to the top-grade category,

due to improper harvesting methods, it had been injured by the fierce qi of Jin Ge, rendering it imperfect.

Chen Heng had purchased it merely as a contingency, a choice to be made only when absolutely necessary.

After emerging from the Ganliu Medicinal Garden, he would still need to seek out Old Immortal Beard again, finding a portion that was truly top-grade in every sense!

As for Minghe Sand, although he had obtained news of it at a major treasure assembly in Xi Su Zhou, he would have to wait a full six years before the Minghe Sand at that assembly could mature to perfection.

This was only because the master of the treasure assembly, considering his status, had specially reported to those above and managed to negotiate some flexibility.

Six years of time was neither long nor short.

But for Chen Heng,

barring any accidents, six years of cultivation would be sufficient for him to condense his Jin Dan and achieve the station of a True Person, so it was hardly worth stubbornly waiting and suffering over a single external medicine.

Furthermore, Xi Su Zhou could, to some extent, be considered territory belonging to the Master Qiao clan of Mishan.

His matter of seeking to purchase the two external medicines, Minghe Sand and Old Immortal Beard, at the treasure assembly, if investigated even slightly, would naturally not escape the ears and eyes of those with intent.

Initially, it was Master Qiao Xi who had approached him.

He had slapped his chest boldly before Chen Heng, stating that he would resolve the matter of Minghe Sand for Chen Heng.

For this reason, Chen Heng, regardless of his protests, had forcibly handed over a portion of cloud-flower dragon ointment and a substantial amount of law coins to Master Qiao Xi, unwilling to owe a personal favor for nothing.

Unexpectedly, before Master Qiao Xi could arrive,

he had instead first received Master Qiao Wei, accepting this top-grade Minghe Sand from her hands...

And at this moment,

seeing Chen Heng accept the gift and offer thanks, Master Qiao Wei also nodded and said:

"Now that we have arrived at the Ganliu Medicinal Garden, the matters ahead will be handled by the external-path Tian Ren of the Gama and Nanding divisions; I shall not stay longer. You..."

She hesitated slightly for an instant, then continued speaking:

"After you return to the Xiaoming Great Marsh, could you please look after Little Master Qiao a bit more?"

Hearing this, Chen Heng smiled and said:

"True Person, please rest assured; Chen is not an unrighteous person. Even without this matter, if Junior Sister Master Qiao Rui requires any assistance from me, Chen will absolutely not spare any effort!"

His voice was clear, crisp, and decisive, landing with weight like the clashing of Jin Shi, revealing an attitude of utmost seriousness.

Yet as Master Qiao Wei heard these words, she could not help but sigh inwardly.

"The 'looking after' I speak of does not mean this..."

She thought silently, but her expression remained unchanged; after nodding slightly, she spoke not another word.

At this moment, within the remaining cabin,

Master Qiao Xi and several members of the Master Qiao clan also opened the doors and walked out onto the deck.

Upon seeing Master Qiao Wei, they all lowered their heads, observing etiquette with great reverence.

"Those Tian Ren below will provide reception; I must return to Mishan to report my mission, so I shall not linger."

Master Qiao Wei's gaze swept over these few people; she spoke these words indifferently, then immediately turned the tower ship, and within moments, it parted the clouds and vanished without a trace.

Just as Chen Heng and the others stood upon the cloud tops and steadied their forms,

several external-path Tian Ren who had been waiting respectfully for some time below eagerly came forward to welcome them, leading them one by one to the guest quarters to rest.

"Xiao Xiao Shixiong Chen, I was personally handling the matter of that Minghe Sand, but unfortunately, after I found that senior elder and visited his door, I learned that the Minghe Sand he had treasured in his collection had already been purchased by someone from the Yin clan of Master Qiao Qiwu.

Fortunately, after True Person Master Qiao Wei heard of this matter, she voluntarily took it upon herself, preventing me from losing face..."

At this moment, Master Qiao Xi quietly drew near and transmitted a voice to Chen Heng, feeling rather embarrassed:

"Xiao Xiao Shixiong, please allow me to explain; it is not that I was not diligent, but the situation changed truly too fast, something I did not anticipate; that senior elder actually sold the Minghe Sand he had treasured for so long, for which I am truly sorry."

Chen Heng shook his head and said:

"Junior Brother Master Qiao speaks too heavily; you ran about and exerted effort on my behalf, how would I dare to blame you? However, the Yin clan of Master Qiao Qiwu..."

Master Qiao Xi hurriedly interjected:

"It was Yin Yin Ruohua of the Master Qiao Qiwu Yin clan who made the move; out of respect for her standing, it was difficult to offend her, which is why that senior sold the Minghe Sand—otherwise, this item was originally intended to be sold to my Master Qiao clan."

I had already made an agreement with that senior when I was at the Purple Palace Realm; given his character, he would never break his word; it was truly a last resort..."

Chen Heng's eyebrows twitched slightly; lost in thought, he nodded and shifted the topic.

Amidst this conversation, several Outer Path Heavenly Beings had also led them to guest quarters specially prepared for them.

After exchanging thanks, each chose a pavilion and soon entered to rest.

However, just before Chen Heng entered the doorway, a young Heavenly Being wearing jade ornaments and possessing deep emerald eyes suddenly called out to stop him, then respectfully presented a golden letter with an apologetic smile, saying:

"There are still a full seven days before the Ganliu Medicinal Garden opens; Chen Dongxuan Lianshi has traveled all the way from Dongmi, enduring storms and troubles along the road, which is truly exhausting; moreover, my elder brother intends to host a banquet the day after tomorrow for all the honored guests from the Immortal Sects to wash away the dust of travel.

We beg Chen Dongxuan Lianshi to grace us with his presence, to taste some humble wine within; this small hospitality is hardly worthy of your regard."

"You know my name?"

Chen Heng accepted the golden letter handed to him, opened it to read, and found the words inside exceedingly respectful, as if the writer were treading carefully.

At the signature, he saw the name Yin Zan; raising his eyebrows slightly, he immediately understood.

"Dongxuan Lianshi's illustrious name is known to all—second in Dongxuan, the victor of the Dharma Battle from the Yu Yuchen Sect of the Immortal Gate! Who could not know, who could not be aware!"

Seeing him accept the golden letter, the Heavenly Being laughed with joy, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, then sighed:

"My elder brother instructed me thousands of times, urging me to deliver this letter to the Dongxuan Lianshi without fail; now that I have finally fulfilled his trust, I feel as though a great stone has fallen from my heart..."

"With your status as a prince, why need you personally do this?" Chen Heng smiled.

Since this person called Yin Zan his elder brother, his identity must also be that of a prince of the Gama Tribe.

Yet with his status, he still performed duties of welcoming guests and managing comings and goings.

Yin Zan's action was indeed extremely humble and submissive, placing himself in the position of a servant.

The young Heavenly Being lowered his head and said earnestly:

"We are merely refugees and lost souls; entirely relying on the compassion of the Eight Sects and Six Clans for shelter have we obtained a place to reside; for us, disciples of the Immortal Sects are no different from supreme masters; being so, how dare we not be respectful?"

After speaking these words, the young man lowered his voice slightly, chuckled softly, and said:

"Honored Guest, please enter to rest; I shall not linger here to chatter and disturb you; if the Honored Guest requires anything, simply ring the bell in the room, and someone will come to serve... The women of our tribe, even among the Five Tribes of Heavenly Beings, are renowned for their beauty!

Since the Honored Guest has traveled so arduously, crossing oceans to reach here, the charms of this West Su must certainly be experienced!"

Chen Heng cupped his hands in thanks and offered no further reply.

Seeing his demeanor, the young Heavenly Being dared not linger longer; after uttering a few more polite phrases, he bowed and took his leave, returning with an invigorated expression.

And at the very moment Chen Heng also entered the building and closed the door,

far away in the vast sky,

suddenly a person's eyes brightened, a soft sound of surprise escaped his mouth, and an expression of delight inevitably appeared on his face.

"How could I see that boy? No, wait—the Ganliu Medicinal Garden in this Xi Su Zhou was originally a place for gathering herbs; with his current cultivation progress, it is only natural for him to come here to collect medicines; thus, it makes sense..."

After pondering for a while, Fuchan Fuchan Laozu clapped his hands lightly, then shook his head and said:

"However, among the Thirteen Great Medicines, there is clearly an external herb called Old Immortal Beard; since he is going out to seek herbs, why did he not come to Yangrang Mountain to find me? Are my roots not the finest Old Immortal Beard in the world?

This boy is still keeping his distance, not treating Fuchan Laozu as one of his own!"

"Who is it?"

Seeing Fuchan Fuchan Laozu bouncing incessantly on his shoulder and talking to himself,

a young Daoist dressed in a Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Daoist robe, with his hair tied in a Daoist bun and wearing straw sandals, glanced at him sideways and asked in confusion:

"Chen Heng of the Yu Yuchen Sect!" said Fuchan Fuchan Laozu.

"The one who defeated Gu Yi, the second in Dongxuan?"

The young Daoist's face twitched; opening his eyes wide, he said, "Fuchan Laozu, how do you know him? Aren't you just eating and drinking recklessly every day within the sect gates? How could you know figures outside the sect?"

"What recklessly eating and drinking? Yu Tan, you brat, is your skin itching again?"

Fuchan Fuchan Laozu glared.

The young Daoist called Yu Tan shrank his neck, smiled apologetically to beg for mercy, then could not restrain himself and asked one more question:

"Since even a figure like Chen Heng has come to enter the Ganliu Medicinal Garden to seek herbs, surely many other famous names from the New Year's Evaluation will also be present; if they fight due to clashes of pride, it will be extremely dangerous, and lives may well be lost in blood!

Fuchan Laozu... I am currently only a small cultivator of Qi Refining, still far from being able to gather herbs.

Why did you bring me to a place like Deng Di Zhi Jie? The residual waves from their battles would be sufficient to shake me to death!"

"Afraid of dying?" Fuchan Fuchan Laozu glanced at him sideways.

"Afraid of dying," Yu Tan stated bluntly, adding, "I haven't lived enough yet."

"Look at how little ambition you have!"

Fuchan Fuchan Laozu shook his head.

The Tai Fu Palace has always had a sparse population; this sect establishes no lower academies or Dao lineages to cultivate disciples; accepting apprentices relies entirely on fate.

Among the Eight Sects and Six Clans, it is extremely unconventional, different from all other sects...

Yu Tan is a disciple of this generation of the Tai Fu Palace; he was brought back to the sect gates to be raised by Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun Chang Chaozi of the Tai Fu Palace during a casual journey abroad, prompted by a sudden impulse, amidst a chaotic army.

For Yu Tan, who came from a refugee background and lived day-to-day unsure of survival, this act was no different than defying heaven and changing fate; from then on, he embarked on a path leading to the heavens.

Yu Tan did not disappoint expectations; within merely three months after cultivating Embryonic Breathing, he had already opened the bridge between the internal and external heavens and earth.

He cultivated the unique Qi Refining method of the Tai Fu Palace, the 'Chun Ying Ling Zhen' ranked among the top grade of the Nine Stages, entering the Qi Refining realm.

However, perhaps because he came from a refugee background, with his parents and clansmen all having died under blades and weapons,

Yu Tan acted with extreme caution, never daring to take risks, causing Fuchan Fuchan Laozu to exclaim that his eyes had been opened...

"Rest assured; since your master was occupied with important sect matters and could not spare himself, entrusting you to Fuchan Laozu, how could Fuchan Laozu intentionally lead you to your death?

I brought you to this Ganliu Medicinal Garden merely to broaden your horizons, to let you see the heroic figures of the world!"

Fuchan Fuchan Laozu helplessly slapped the back of Yu Tan's head and scolded:

"With Fuchan Laozu right here, what are you afraid of?"

"You are merely a talisman avatar and cannot fight! Tell me, what am I afraid of?"

Yu Tan first cursed silently, then seemed to recall something; his eyes brightened slightly as he spoke again:

"But since Fuchan Laozu knows that Chen Heng, why do we not go visit him? Later at the banquet, could Fuchan Laozu introduce me to him?"

"Since you have said so, how could I refuse?"

Fuchan Fuchan Laozu shrugged his shoulders:

"Besides, there is no need to wait until the banquet; let us go now! I have not seen that boy Chen Heng for a long time and have a heap of words stored up in my belly!"

As soon as this sentence was finished, Li Yi Mo immediately appeared on Yu Tan's face, but before he had taken more than a few steps, he was suddenly blocked by a Heavenly Being.

"May I ask if this is Fuchan Fuchan Laozu of the Great Talisman Palace and Xiao Xiao Shixiong Yu Tan? I just visited the lodging of two esteemed ones but did not see your honorable faces; to meet you here is truly a fortune."

That Heavenly Being bowed and said:

"This humble one, by order of Prince Yin Zan, has come specially to invite both of you to move your steps for a brief conversation."

"Yin Zan? What does he want to do?"

Fuchan Fuchan Laozu and Yu Tan exchanged a glance, both utterly baffled by the meaning.

"Very well, as guests we follow the host's convenience; let us first go see what words that one has to say..."

After a moment of silence, Fuchan Fuchan Laozu shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly.

And two days of time passed in a flash.

On this day, within the guest quarters.

Chen Heng also set out separately, and under the careful guidance of several Heavenly Beings, proceeded toward the site of the feast.

United

(End of Chapter)