Chapter Eighty-Nine: Winning Him Over at Sky Source Mountain

He only wanted to train in martial arts in peace and grow as powerful as he could; he had no desire to be dragged into those tangled quarrels. Better to keep oneself safe by knowing when to bend and when to stand.

“Actually, the fact that your master agreed to let you join already shows our position. And that Foundation-Building Elixir was our answer. We simply did not expect your master to value you so highly that he would seek the elixir on your behalf. Of course, given the talent you have displayed, you are worth it. And precisely because of that, I am willing to say so much to you. Your talent is worth winning over.”

Liu Qingyan looked at Chen Yushu with grave sincerity and said this.

Chen Yushu fell silent.

His mind raced, but found no answer.

He was too lowly a figure; more often than not, he was only carried along by events.

And being Shopkeeper Su Ming's disciple was itself a label. Once his master chose to step forward and join the struggle, then he, too, was marked with the sign of the Third Branch.

Unless he betrayed his master.

Clearly, that was even less acceptable.

So after some thought, he said, “What can I get out of this?”

His master's decision he could not change.

But since Liu Qingyan had mentioned winning him over, he naturally needed to receive some benefit.

As for the Foundation-Building Elixir, that was his master's reward, not his.

“Ten taels of silver in monthly pay, plus five portions of Vital-Nourishing Soup medicine. Right now, your strength is still too low, and you are still in River Ring Town, so you are not of much help to me. But later, in the county seat, our Third Branch will be your support. When it comes to competing for resources, or for certain relatively important posts, if you need anything, just say so, and we will naturally help you strive for it.”

Liu Qingyan thought for a moment, then spoke at once.

“Can the Vital-Nourishing Soup be exchanged for Foundation-Cultivating Pills?”

Chen Yushu considered it and asked.

Five portions of Vital-Nourishing Soup, bought through internal channels, cost about twelve taels of silver. It was already quite generous; with the ten taels of salary, it was almost free money.

Liu Qingyan’s offer was indeed substantial.

But his martial cultivation had already entered the outer tempering stage, and the effect of the Vital-Nourishing Soup was beginning to weaken. Foundation-Cultivating Pills, as an improved version of the same remedy, were naturally more effective, and were the preferred choice of most outer-tempering martial artists.

“Yes. But you may only receive three pills each month.”

Liu Qingyan agreed at once.

Though Foundation-Cultivating Pills sold for ten taels each outside, and cost nine taels through internal purchase, their actual cost was of course much lower, at most three or four taels. To her, the difference was insignificant.

“Good.”

Only then did Chen Yushu agree.

“You need not worry too much. This time, if we can find the rare medicinal flower, the Dark Yin Spirit Blossom, and gather the ingredients needed to cure my grandfather, the struggle among the Third Branches will be brought to an end. Naturally, it will not spread to River Ring Town.”

Liu Qingyan smiled softly to reassure him.

Chen Yushu nodded, then turned to Lu Yizhi and asked with curiosity, “What is a geomancer mainly for?”

He was genuinely curious about this.

“Observing mountains and terrain, drawing the yin qi of the earth to gather. In any place, there is earth energy, so a geomancer can borrow the momentum of any land.”

Lu Yizhi smiled faintly and answered.

“Then do geomancers also rely mainly on incense-vow cultivation?”

Chen Yushu asked.

“Of course. Incense-vow cultivation is in fact the foundation of our trade. Whether geomancers, spirit walkers, illusionists, ghost women, divine summons, or even shamanic spirit-mediums... all of them rely mainly on incense-vow cultivation.

But because their techniques differ, so too do the strengths they emphasize.

Of course, that does not mean the higher the incense-vow cultivation, the stronger the person.

For those in trades like divine summons and shamanic spirit-mediums, most of what they borrow is the power of ghosts and spirits, and incense-vow cultivation cannot fully reflect their true strength.

So in the future, whenever you encounter such people, you must still be as careful as possible. For no one knows how much power an ordinary-looking disciple of a shamanic spirit-medium can borrow from the immortal beings they worship.”

Seeing that Chen Yushu lacked experience and knew less about these trades than he had imagined, Lu Yizhi did not stint on explanation.

After all, Chen Yushu could now be counted as one of their own.

“Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Lu.”

Chen Yushu thanked him.

For some reason, he thought of Shi Hao.

Was he not precisely a disciple of a shamanic spirit-medium?

And with that peculiar constitution of his, one so special that even a passing chance encounter could make ghosts and spirits come to him in dreams to ask a favor, the power he could draw from the immortal beings he served must surely be formidable.

Though he still did not have much cultivation, his true combat strength was difficult to say.

And so they talked as they traveled.

Before long, their group had already left River Ring Town.

At first they took the imperial road, which was relatively smooth, but after an hour the carriage turned onto a smaller path and began to jolt more and more.

By then, the people inside the carriage had little appetite for conversation.

Liu Qingyan closed her eyes to rest, while Lu Yizhi entered a meditative state, as though cultivating something.

Seeing this, Chen Yushu also entered meditation in the blink of an eye and began to practice the White Tiger Contemplation Method.

Thread after thread of spiritual particles gathered toward him as he visualized.

Another hour passed like this.

The sun was bright overhead when a burst of clamor reached them.

Chen Yushu opened his eyes, and saw that their party had already entered a village.

The village was not large, with perhaps only a few dozen households and two or three hundred people. At that moment, a crowd had gathered together, apparently to welcome them.

“May I ask whether this is Third Miss in person? I am Xu Zhisheng, the shopkeeper of the Qianjia Village apothecary. Greetings, Third Miss.”

One person in the crowd hurried forward.

“Shopkeeper Xu, you are too courteous.”

At this point Liu Qingyan also stepped down from the carriage. Close behind her came Lu Yizhi, and naturally Chen Yushu could not remain alone in the carriage, so he too got down.

“Please, Third Miss, come this way. We have already prepared lunch. We have also arranged rooms. Please do not disdain them and rest here for the time being.”

Shopkeeper Xu hurried to say.

“There is no need for lodging. We will set off after lunch. Also, please help arrange for two herb gatherers who are skilled and experienced, to guide us. The compensation can be discussed.”

Liu Qingyan waved her hand and said.

“You need not worry about that. Shopkeeper Su already sent word before, and everything has been prepared.”

Xu Zhisheng said quickly.

Liu Qingyan nodded, then led the group toward the Qianjia Village branch shop.

By the time they were done eating, another quarter hour had passed.

Without any rest, the group soon gathered outside the branch shop.

By then, Shopkeeper Xu had also called over two people from Qianjia Village who were very familiar with Mount Tianyuan.

One was the village hunter, Qian Hu; the other was Qian Yungen, who had spent thirty years gathering herbs in the mountains.

An old man and a young man.

“Let’s go. We need you to lead the way and help us find a rare medicinal herb. If we find it, there will be a heavy reward.”

Liu Qingyan did not waste words. Once she found the two, she stated her purpose directly, and carefully described the herb’s characteristics and the kind of environment it needed to grow in.

“I do not know anything about the Dark Yin Spirit Blossom, but judging from Miss’s description, such a medicinal herb would only grow in places that are dark, damp, and never see sunlight all year round. In that case, the side of Mount Tianyuan facing us is absolutely impossible. Only the shaded side, that is, after crossing the outer slopes and entering the inner region, would do.”

The old man with thirty years of herb-gathering experience, Qian Yungen, pondered slightly before saying with certainty, “But that place is much more dangerous than the outer mountain.”

“In the inner region of Mount Tianyuan, ferocious beasts roam. And from here, it takes three or four hours to reach the inner region; by then it will be dark. We would have to spend the night there...”

Even hunter Qian Hu hesitated.

Ferocious beasts. Spending the night.

For anyone living in a mountain village, those were major taboos.

Either one could threaten a life.

“You can rest assured about that. We have experts among us. If any ordinary ferocious beast dares come, it will come at its own peril and leave with none of its kind returning. As for the danger at night, you need not worry either. Since we dare to come, we have certainly made enough preparations.”

Liu Qingyan said repeatedly.

Nodding, Qian Yungen and Qian Hu also knew that this group was no ordinary company. Their strength should not be weak, and most importantly, they were generous with their money; otherwise, they would not be willing to take the risk.

“I have only been into the inner region of Mount Tianyuan once. By the growth conditions of such a medicinal herb, it could only possibly grow in the Wraith Ghost Cavern. However, that Wraith Ghost Cavern is said to be hidden with fierce ghosts and sinister evils... In our village, anyone who has entered has never come out alive. When the time comes, we will only take you to the entrance of that cavern, and then turn back directly. As for whether you go in or not, that is not for us to care about, nor dare we.”

Immediately afterward, Qian Yungen also hurriedly laid down his conditions in advance.

Having been able to gather herbs in Mount Tianyuan for thirty years and still come and go safely, he relied on more than experience alone; caution and prudence mattered as well.

Any place that might threaten his life, even if it held good herbs or precious medicines, he would not step into it.

“No problem.”

Liu Qingyan nodded and agreed.

Then the group set off at once.

Since they were going up the mountain, they naturally did not bring the horses; they were left at the branch shop, where they would be carefully tended.

Chen Yushu also carried a bundle on his back and had a long blade hanging at his waist.

That blade had been taken from his master’s weapon rack. It was not a particularly fine weapon, but it looked fearsome enough in one’s hand.

Altogether, it weighed some twenty or thirty pounds.

Fortunately, he was no longer what he once had been.

His Medicinal King Posture Skill had reached mastery, and his Medicinal King Locking Strength Skill was at the level of initial success. He was solidly in the flesh-refining outer-tempering stage, and both strength and stamina were far from weak.

Walking mountain paths, he did not stride them as though on level ground, but he felt no fatigue at all.

The others were the same, most carrying supplies, and some even had a large pot strapped to their backs.

Very soon, the group arrived at the foot of Mount Tianyuan.

Looking up, a towering peak appeared before them.

The mountain was vast, broad, and long, stretching almost without end.

Within it were all stone and dense forest, and now and then strange cries drifted out, lending the place a desolate and terrifying air.

“We need to climb to the summit, then cross over and enter the far side of the mountain,” said the herb gatherer Qian Yungen.

Liu Qingyan and the others naturally had no objections. Under the guidance of the two from Qianjia Village, they quickly entered the mountain.

The moment Chen Yushu stepped into Mount Tianyuan, he felt something different.

There was a cool, refreshing feeling here, like the crispness of early morning air blowing in, yet also a little like yin energy.

For just then, a flash of movement appeared at his waist, and a blurred figure darted out.

It was Little Yin.