Chapter 112: The Enchanted Herb Fields

"Hey, hey, hey! My lords, what are you doing?"

The chubby young master looked utterly bewildered. Seeing the three killers reaching out aggressively, his expression changed in an instant, pale with terror. In the next second, he and his several attendants were slammed hard onto the ground by the three Nascent Soul stage assassins. The chubby young master suffered the worst; his head was pressed down, his entire face flattened against the floor, squashing his cheeks into a thick, distorted mass.

"Shut up." One of the killers glared fiercely at the chubby man, growling through gritted teeth. The other two were also filled with palpable rage, making it clear they were ready to kill.

*You fat pig, how dare you be so bold as to try and scam our Jingshen Organization?*

*We were told this was just to take care of a Golden Core stage cultivator... but why the hell didn't you mention that this Golden Core cultivator is named Xu Zhe? Are you trying to bully us by acting like everyone in our Intelligence Hall is incompetent?*

"Uh, that's not what I meant," Xu Zhe said, looking stunned. *What is wrong with these killers? I just meant there were other people around and I didn't want to expose my identity. I was asking them to do me a favor and not kill the Yu family members, so why on earth are they pinning the employer to the ground?*

"This... Xu... ahem, please enlighten us, young master!" The killers hesitated, but realizing that Xu Zhe did not want his identity revealed, they quickly changed their address and asked for guidance.

"It's fine, as long as you understand. But isn't it a bit unprofessional to treat your employer like this?" Xu Zhe asked.

"Young Master, there is no need to worry. This man was clearly using us as a tool to commit murder, intending to endanger the lives of our Jingshen assassins. This grudge is irreconcilable!" The three killers spoke with shared hatred and immense indignation.

*Using them as a tool? Am I the tool?* Xu Zhe was finding it hard to keep up.

"Young Master, do you still have any use for this man?" one of the killers asked, looking at Xu Zhe.

"No, no, handle it yourselves..." Xu Zhe thought for a moment and felt it necessary to add, "Although I am a stranger to this man, if you are doing this because of me, don't be too harsh."

"Understood."
"Rest assured."
"I get it!"

The three spoke in unison, then grabbed the chubby young master and his attendants and left without further ado. Since the prodigy Xu had asked them not to be too harsh, they would grant him the favor and leave these people with their corpses intact.

As the group hurried away, Yu Shuier stood there teary-eyed and dazed, unable to process the situation. Yu Haiqiong looked at Xu Zhe cautiously, wanting to say something but hesitating.

"Your brother will be back after tomorrow," Xu Zhe said simply, offering a reminder. After all, he was using her brother's identity, so he figured he should say something to ease her worry.

*That said, why is there a familiar aura coming from Yu Haiqiong? Is she keeping something of mine?* Curious, Xu Zhe scanned her with his divine sense and realized there was a jade slip inside her dantian.

"Shuier, go help your sister tidy up the room, will you?" Yu Haiqiong patted Yu Shuier's head and whispered.

"Okay..." Still dazed, Yu Shuier glanced at Xu Zhe before trotting off to the room.

"Prodigy Xu, thank you for saving us twice. I..." Yu Haiqiong lowered her head, looking shy.

"No need for formalities. After all, I am using your brother's identity. But how did you get into this trouble? Does it have to do with a pill formula?" Xu Zhe asked curiously, glancing toward her dantian from time to time.

"It's a long story. I was a disciple of the Cangshan Sect, and that Fatty Zhang was my fellow disciple. Some time ago, I found a pill formula in the back mountain. It had a restriction on it, so I gave it to my master. Who would have thought the restriction was too powerful? My master was already nearing the end of her lifespan, and the forced attempt to break the seal exhausted her remaining life force..." As she spoke, a sorrowful look appeared on her face. It wasn't faked; it was clear she held her master in high esteem.

"So your master gave the formula to you, and Fatty Zhang and his group wanted to seize it by force?" Xu Zhe guessed the rest of the story. The reason wasn't complicated, but the mystery was: how did they manage to find it?

"No, that's not it," Yu Haiqiong shook her head suddenly. "After my master passed away, the pill formula vanished into thin air. Fatty Zhang and the others have always believed I took it, but I never received that formula at all. No matter how I explain it, they don't believe me."

"..."

Xu Zhe’s eyes widened in astonishment. *Good grief, this woman is lying through her teeth! The formula is clearly right there in your dantian, and you're telling me it vanished into thin air? The key is... I wrote that formula. It even contains some of my recorded refining techniques. It's written in great detail.*

Xu Zhe was baffled. The jade slip in Yu Haiqiong's dantian was indeed his. Years ago, when he was researching alchemy in the Cangtian Realm, he had some insights and recorded them casually. Later, he seemed to have tossed them away to skip stones, along with the jade slips for the "Righteousness Demon-Sealing Scripture."

It seemed that not only had the "Righteousness Demon-Sealing Scripture" been brought here, but this pill formula had been as well. But that wasn't right—if someone brought them over, how could it be such a coincidence that they fell in the back mountain of the Cangshan Sect? And such a coincidence that Yu Haiqiong found them? *She’s probably lying about that too.*

"Sigh!" Xu Zhe shook his head and sighed. He understood Yu Haiqiong, though; it was normal not to show one's treasures to others. Since that was the case, he couldn't be bothered to expose her.

"Why does Prodigy Xu sigh? Are you also interested in the pill formula? It's a pity that I don't know its whereabouts, otherwise, I would certainly give it to you," Yu Haiqiong said.

"It's nothing," Xu Zhe covered his forehead and waved his hand. Knowing the other party was lying and watching her perform with such clumsy acting, he couldn't bring himself to call her out, leaving him in an awkward spot. If the jade slip had been hidden elsewhere, he might have believed her. But since it was in her own dantian—a place only she could access—how could she not know?

"Prodigy Xu..." Yu Haiqiong opened her mouth to say something else.

Xu Zhe hurriedly interrupted, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going. Your brother will be back tomorrow, and you can explain the identity matter to others then. You don't need to keep secrets for me."

With that, he hurried out of the Yu residence. He didn't really care about the pill formula; it was just a small collection of random notes. If Yu Haiqiong could benefit from it, that was her fortune. But the awkwardness of knowing the truth made it impossible to stay.

...

In the small courtyard of the Yu family, Yu Haiqiong watched Xu Zhe’s retreating figure until it disappeared. She heaved a soft sigh.

"Sigh, he’s my idol! I'm sorry, but this pill formula was passed down to me by my master. I must carry on her legacy; I cannot hand it over." She touched her dantian, a hint of excitement flashing across her face. She had already seen a small part of the jade slip's contents, and it was breathtaking. It contained a formula for a pill, and more importantly, it included detailed explanations of refining techniques. With her knowledge, she could tell at a glance how powerful those techniques were—certainly far superior to the new alchemy methods of the Four Continents.

If she could master it and refine the pill, she would surely become a famous figure in the alchemy world, perhaps even founding her own sect like Saint Master Gu. The thought filled her with longing. She felt that everything she had suffered was worth it.

...

Back at the inn, Xu Zhe was still thinking about Yu Haiqiong. He knew she had lied to keep the jade slip, and he could understand her position. But she had been near death yesterday, and today Fatty Zhang had brought killers to her door, threatening her and her sister, yet she still insisted she didn't have the formula.

Whenever he thought of this, Xu Zhe couldn't help but sigh. *Treasures are good, but you have to be alive to enjoy them. When your family and your own life are threatened, why refuse to hand it over even at the cost of your life? Even if you're afraid of being silenced after handing it over, you could try to trade it for protection from a powerhouse. That’s better than dying with the treasure, right?*

"Forget it. Everyone has their own value system. As long as they don't infringe upon me, I have no right to judge them." Xu Zhe finally let it go, sat down on the floor, closed his eyes, and entered a state of meditation.

The next day, the results of the Alchemy Grand Competition were released. Two "First Place" rankings appeared on Xu Zhe's jade plaque. One was for the grand competition, and the other was for the supplemental four-stage assessment. Even after being deducted fifty points, he was still first. Xu Zhe almost went to beat up the judges, but only almost.

The judging panel announced the rankings and reported the results to the Four Continents Council. Xu Zhe’s identity was recorded as Yu Song; although he had hidden his cultivation level, his background as a guard for the Vermillion Bird Army checked out after repeated inquiries, confirming the result.

The Southern Sky Continent naturally took first place, securing three hundred spots in the Divine Pill Grotto and priority in allocating resource-rich herb fields. After learning the results from the spirit network, Xu Zhe didn't pay it much mind; he took his jade plaque and headed straight for the Divine Pill Grotto.

Of the three hundred spots, one was allocated to his plaque, allowing him direct entry. As for the other spots and resources, he would leave the Southern Sky Continent to handle it—it was a helpful favor to Tong, anyway. However, Chu Xiaotong's injuries couldn't be delayed any longer. According to Lu Yangyun's description, her condition was already in the late stages!

"She's already an old woman over ten thousand years old, and yet she's still so reckless. As I've said before, whoever marries Chu Xiaotong will not only be blind but will also have a lot of suffering in store." Every time he thought of this, Xu Zhe couldn't help but gloat to himself.

As he was musing, he found himself at the entrance of the Divine Pill Grotto. It was a small secret realm, and the entrance was a patch of wasteland with a large pit in the center containing a vortex of spiritual energy. Not many people were there yet; the spots had likely just been allocated, and the various factions were still arranging who would go in.

Xu Zhe didn't waste time. He changed his appearance again, gripped his jade plaque, and dashed into the entrance. Soon, after a slight pulling sensation, his feet touched solid ground.

Above him was a clear sky with gentle sunlight. He took a breath, feeling the rich spiritual energy of the surroundings flowing into his body.

"A good place indeed. The spiritual energy is much denser than outside." Xu Zhe smiled and scanned the area. Everywhere he looked, there were vast, sprawling fields of herbs.