Chapter 212: Chapter 202: Rumor 4
"I’ve looked into it," Qiu Yiren said with a nod. "Based on the information we had at the time, they’re backed by a local Great Martial Arts Hall called Hongfei Hall. Like us, Hongfei Hall has a major power from the Inner City supporting them. They were previously in collusion with the Ten Thousand Medicine Mountain Villa. This time, they might have come prepared."
"Hongfei Hall... Who’s behind them?" Lin Hui looked at Wang Hongshi.
"I checked. It’s the Carefree Pavilion," Wang Hongshi replied swiftly.
"The Carefree Pavilion again?" Lin Hui remembered the past incident with Zhou Tian and Li Chi—that had been the Carefree Pavilion’s doing. Back then, his power was insignificant, and he had neither the time nor the means to settle the score.
’To think the Carefree Pavilion of the New Martial Alliance would dare to show their faces again, pushing their luck!’
"The Carefree Pavilion and the Golden Crow Sect are the two pillars of the Inner City’s New Martial Alliance. Now that the Carefree Pavilion is making a move against us, could this mean someone in the Inner City is dissatisfied with your older brother, Observatory Master?" Wang Hongshi reminded him.
"It’s not that they’re deliberately targeting us. I remember my brother saying that the one backing the Carefree Pavilion is a Government Office genius named Su Yuhong. They’ve always been rivals and have fought many times without a clear winner." Lin Hui knew a little about this.
He pondered for a moment.
’I can’t reveal my true strength. With the ability of the Blood Progenitor’s Heart, I daren’t expose myself until I’m certain I can defeat a Blood Progenitor.’
’Otherwise, I’ll likely be targeted by a horde of Blood Progenitors and treated as a future resource to be devoured for their own strengthening.’
The Blood Progenitor’s Heart grew stronger by devouring everything from the powerful, using them as nourishment.
"On this matter, you can post a related mission and handle it yourself. You may ask the sect’s Inner Strength Martial Artists to take action. Try not to escalate the situation. Killing a few of their people to give an account to our dead and injured disciples will be enough." Not wanting to act rashly without understanding the full picture, Lin Hui decided against a direct confrontation.
Especially not when he knew who was watching him from within the city.
"Understood! But Senior Sister Xia wants to go..." Wang Hongshi said, sounding troubled.
"Let her," Lin Hui replied.
After asking about Qiu Yiren’s injuries and confirming she was fine, Lin Hui issued a sect reward: all her medical expenses were covered, she would receive an additional bonus, and it would be counted as a medium-level mission contribution.
Having dealt with Qiu Yiren’s matter, Lin Hui returned to his courtyard alone and took out the box of Treasure Medicine that Tao Xuehai had respectfully presented to him.
Ever since discovering the Labyrinthine Ruins, a natural No-Fog Zone, Lin Hui didn’t want to stay in the Outer City a moment longer. He was desperate to complete his Blood Seal’s evolution and move all his people there.
Unfortunately, the evolution of the Nine Heavens Gate still required a long time.
’Let’s see if these things from Xiaohai will work. If they do, it looks like I’ll have to make a few "guest appearances" myself...’
Lin Hui waved his hand, a gust of wind shutting the courtyard gate.
"I need to enter seclusion for a while. Make sure no one disturbs me," he instructed.
"Yes, sir," the disciple standing guard outside the gate replied respectfully.
Lin Hui sat cross-legged in the courtyard and gently opened the jade box. Inside was an entire box of Purple Cloud Ganoderma, arranged in two rows, a full ten stalks in total.
"This kid... he’s really too thoughtful..." Lin Hui sighed in admiration.
He suddenly felt that Tao Xuehai had helped him a bit too much. This Treasure Medicine was impossible to find on the market; it was obvious he’d obtained this stock after slaughtering an Inner City family.
Always thinking of his master—Tao Xuehai’s reverence for his teacher was the strongest Lin Hui had ever seen.
’Looks like after the Nine Heavens Gate finishes evolving, the first thing I’ll do is help the kid deal with his own problems. A disciple with such a good heart... I can’t let anything happen to him.’
Lin Hui made a mental note.
He looked again at the Purple Cloud Ganoderma before him.
One stalk of Purple Cloud Ganoderma could shorten his evolution time by two years. With ten stalks here, that was twenty years...
’Xiaohai...’ Lin Hui sighed again.
He picked up a stalk of Purple Cloud Ganoderma and began to slowly chew it.
With his current level of Body Tempering, he digested and absorbed all the Purple Cloud Ganoderma in just two hours.
The remaining time on his Blood Seal shortened by a large chunk.
’Nine Heavens Gate: Remaining evolution time: 19 years, 3 months.’
The Blood Seal’s information flashed through his vision, and Lin Hui finally felt a flicker of anticipation.
’If I can just get another batch of Purple Cloud Ganoderma like this... I could...’
A desire he had never felt before rose in his heart.
’Those great clans of the Inner City... they really are loaded, aren’t they...’
After processing the Purple Cloud Ganoderma, he rose and continued cultivating his Inner Strength. Another benefit of his Wind Disaster Affinity now revealed itself.
The medicinal toxins were gone!
All medicinal and pill-related toxins were swiftly broken down and dissolved with a single sweep of his Wind Disaster Affinity.
This Wind Disaster Affinity seemed to be able to decompose anything; its uses were endless.
After checking his body for toxins, Lin Hui went to see Lin Xiaoliu. Once he confirmed she was fine and had finished her training for the day, he sent the child back to the Lin Mansion.
The next morning, a new team from Qingfeng Temple set out. Four of the top-ten ranked disciples had accepted the mission to retaliate against Hongfei Hall and the Ten Thousand Medicine Mountain Villa.
Xia Si went with them.
Lin Hui, worried, asked his big sister Liu Xiao, who was home on leave, to follow along just in case something went wrong.
As for himself, he planned to go to the Outer Fog Area again to continue exploring the Labyrinthine Ruins.
But before he could leave...
A person he had long been waiting for had finally returned.
*
*
*
「Inside the rear residence of Qingfeng Temple.」
"Here! The Treasure Medicine resources you wanted!" Mingxia, dressed in a blue dress, had a tattered hem that barely covered her thighs. The bodice was riddled with tears and damage, stained with black and red blood and grime.
Her face veil was long gone, revealing two saber scars on the right and three claw marks on the left. A crescent-shaped burn mark was branded on her forehead. Half of her chin was missing, as if a piece had been hacked off, and one eye was a black hole. Not only was the eyeball gone, but it was constantly emitting a white, frosty mist.
She slammed a large bundle down in front of Lin Hui. Only then did he realize that she also only had one hand left...
"You... how...!!!" Lin Hui stared at her in shock. What kind of dangers must she have faced, what kind of battle had she been in, to end up in such a wretched state?
"Yeah, ran into a massive monster on the way, and was hunted by a Fog Spirit. The ship was destroyed. I found an island halfway, pretended to be a local savage, and lived there for a while. It wasn’t easy, but I finally got a chance to hijack a passing pirate ship and made it to Tianchong City..." Mingxia explained briefly.
’That really wasn’t easy...’
Lin Hui was speechless. Just from her simple description, he could sense the sheer, heart-pounding terror she must have gone through.
Her journey alone was enough to be written into a book: *The Wanderings of Mingxia*.
"It’s a good thing it was me. Anyone else would’ve never made it back from a route with a fifty percent mortality rate," Mingxia said, patting her half-remaining chest with her one good hand.
Lin Hui’s eyelid twitched at the sight.
’No wonder...’ he thought. ’Before she left, she said she could be back in half a year if she was quick. It ended up taking over a year... so this is why...’
"And your injuries...?" he couldn’t help but ask.
"Don’t worry. I just need to go back to the Inner City and rest for a while. If it weren’t for the residual power of the Fog Spirit in my wounds that has to be purged before I can recover, I would’ve healed on the way," Mingxia said casually.
"That’s good..." Lin Hui nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Come on, check the goods. I went through hell and high water to bring this stuff back. It’ll definitely be worth your price!" Mingxia kicked the large, meter-wide bundle on the ground in front of Lin Hui.
It rattled, filled with an unknown quantity of items.
"Let me see." Lin Hui glanced at her confident expression, then reached out and lightly sliced open the knot on the bundle.
Silently, the bundle fell open.
It revealed a huge, messy pile of Yun Lingzhi, Purple Cloud Ganoderma, and a type of purple, jade-like flower he didn’t recognize.
Looking at this densely packed bag of Treasure Medicines, although Lin Hui had held some expectations, the shock and impact of seeing it for real were simply indescribable.
’Jackpot!!’
That was the first thought that came to his mind.
At a rough glance, the Yun Lingzhi were the most numerous, at least a hundred stalks.
He stood there, stunned, for several seconds before letting out a long breath.
"I’ll count it first!"
"Good! As long as you’re satisfied with it. I’ll be waiting for that Gale Swordsmanship you promised!" Mingxia grinned, revealing that most of her pearly white teeth were gone, leaving her with a mouth full of gaps.
Lin Hui wasted no more words and quickly took inventory.
Half a minute later, he had finished counting all the Treasure Medicines in the bag.
"One hundred Yun Lingzhi exactly, thirty stalks of Purple Cloud Ganoderma, and ten pieces of Purple Snow Jade," Lin Hui recited, his voice filled with emotion. "Your haul this time... is truly impressive."
"Actually, the Yun Lingzhi and the Purple Cloud Ganoderma don’t compare to those last ten pieces of Purple Snow Jade," Mingxia chuckled.
"How so?"
"The real treasure I found this trip, the thing that made all these injuries worthwhile, is these ten pieces of Purple Snow Jade. This stuff is the source essence from which Purple Cloud Ganoderma grows. These ten pieces can build a basic Purple Cloud Ganoderma garden. With it, you can cultivate an endless supply of them! That’s a truly inexhaustible resource!" Mingxia said, a hint of pride in her voice.
"...Are you sure??" Lin Hui’s eyes narrowed, his heart skipping a beat. ’Something like this is actually sold in Tianchong City!?’
"Positive! I spent a great deal of effort and more than half my fortune to get this basic set. Ten pieces is the exact minimum requirement to build the garden," Mingxia confirmed with a nod.
"...Good!!" Lin Hui closed the bundle, his expression solemn. "The Gale Swordsmanship I promised you—come and learn it whenever you want once your injuries are healed. I will hold nothing back!"
"That’s what I was waiting to hear!" Mingxia laughed heartily. "I’m heading back to recover!"
Her figure flickered, and as she turned, she suddenly disintegrated, vanishing into countless points of white light.
She wasn’t even trying to keep up the act anymore.
After all, how could the mere Mingxia possibly possess a Body Technique so profound that even Lin Hui couldn’t comprehend it?
But at this moment, neither Lin Hui nor Mingxia cared about such things.
Lin Hui’s eyes were fixed on the large bag on the ground.
He glanced around, swiftly grabbed the bag, and shot away from Qingfeng Temple.
Wind enveloped his body, and his Inner Strength condensed into footholds beneath his feet. He flickered with each step, soaring through the air. In the blink of an eye, he was out of Qingfeng Temple. Like a great bird, he quickly flew past Xinyu Town and plunged into the Fog Area.
With more than enough Treasure Medicine this time, the evolution of his Nine Heavens Gate could be completed today!
Establishing his own safe territory was finally within reach! And with so much Treasure Medicine left over, he could even try to build his own Purple Cloud Ganoderma garden. ’And what if I use the Blood Seal to evolve the Purple Cloud Ganoderma garden...?’
