Chapter 157: Talking with Master
After talking for a while longer, Jiang Yue left Yang Mountain.
This wasn’t because he didn’t want to spend more time with Yu Nianzhen and master Yang but because he had to greet and report to his master.
"Are you already missing him?" Yang Xu sneered.
It was only an hour since Jiang Yue left, and he couldn’t stand the bereft look on his disciple’s face.
"I am not used to his absence." Yu Nianzhen said and frowned.
Other than the first few months in the secret realm, the two had always been together or within sight of each other.
Now that Jiang Yue had gone to the third peak, Yu Nianzhen was understandably uneasy.
"He will be back in a few days."Yang Xu said.
He initially wanted to tease his disciple, but when he saw Nianzhen’s forlorn look, he couldn’t bear it.
"Alright, tell me everything from the moment you entered the thousand herbs garden."
"Yes, master."
For the next several hours, Yu Nianzhen told his master everything that happened in the secret realm.
Once in a while, master Yang would interrupt to ask something, but he mostly listened to his disciple’s narration.
When Yu Nianzhen finished, Yang Xu was frowning, and his face looked extremely gloomy.
"Master, what is the origin of the Death Flower Ascension Front?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
Yang Xu sighed, took a sip of tea, and then went silent for a few breaths before speaking.
"It’s been many years, but we still don’t know how it started." Yang Xu said.
"By the time we noticed the Death Flower Ascension Front, it was already a large group that seemed to be everywhere."
Yu Nianzhen frowned when he heard that.
It wasn’t easy for an enemy organisation to secretly grow under the noses of numerous powerful cultivators.
However, the Death Flower Ascension Front had done so.
This could only mean that the organisation was well managed and the members were bound by a common self-interest that transcended spirit stones.
"You should have guessed something." Yang Xu stated and looked at his disciple.
"Most of the known members have previously been injured, or their cultivation talent is notoriously poor." Yu Nianzhen said.
"It’s like that." Yang Xu sighed.
"Our world is biased for cultivators. Those who can’t cultivate for one reason or other are destined to be ants under a cultivator’s foot. The Death Flower Ascension Front collects such people and gives them hope."
When he heard that, Yu Nianzhen felt silent, and Yang Xu didn’t urge him.
As someone who had fallen from the peak to his current level, Yang Xu understood the desperation of being unable to cultivate.
Were it not for his unyielding nature...
"Master, have they..." Yu Nianzhen began but didn’t finish the question.
"Yes." Yang Xu answered.
Four months after Nianzhen entered the thousand herbs garden, Yang Xu received a mysterious invitation.
The unremarkable invitation only had one line and was signed with a pink oleander flower in the lower right corner.
Fortunately, Yang Xu had always disdained taking shortcuts in cultivation.
"Don’t you suspect your master?"
Yu Nianzhen sneered and didn’t bother to answer.
He may not have spent a lot of time with his master, but he understood the man.
If his master was the kind of person that could join the Death Flower Ascension Front, Yu Nianzhen would never have given his respect.
"Does master suspect anyone in the sect?"
Yang Xu was startled and then laughed freely.
’Fortunately..., fortunately, I have this disciple.’ He thought.
"It is not easy for someone to slip a note without your master noticing." Yang Xu said, and Yu Nianzhen understood the unspoken words.
Since someone had slipped a note to his master without leaving a trace, their identity in the sect was not low.
"Master must be careful."
"Don’t worry."
Yang Xu was in a good mood when his disciple showed his care for him.
It made him feel that all his efforts were worthwhile, and he didn’t mind paying a little more for this disciple.
"I initially planned to accompany you out of the sect, but I don’t dare to leave in the current atmosphere."
"The disciple understands."
Without knowing the identity of the high-level traitor in the Sea Cloud sect, it wasn’t a good idea for master Yang to leave the sect.
It wasn’t just because he was worried about his own safety, he was afraid he would disadvantage his disciple and Jiang Yue.
If they were followed out of the sect, not only would his disciple’s secrets be exposed, but there was a chance he would be abducted and his foundation stolen.
After considering everything, Yang Xu thought it was better for Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen to travel alone.
Although they may encounter danger, in this way, he felt the danger was lower than if he went with them.
"You have to be careful if you understand." Yang Xu said sternly.
Yu Nianzhen nodded and bowed to his master.
When he saw this, Yang Xu sighed and lifted his teacup.
However, he realised the teacup was empty and drunk from his wine gourd instead.
"Master, this is what XiaoYue found for you." Yu Nianzhen said and gave him a wooden box.
Yang Xu took the box and when he opened it, a refreshing smell filled the room.
"Nine thousand years ginseng..." Yang Xu was shocked.
"This is our filial piety; master should accept it." Yu Nianzhen hurriedly said when he saw that his master was about to refuse the gift.
"This thing has more value in master’s hands."
Yang Xu thought about it and finally accepted the gift.
In the end, there was no need to draw clear lines between himself and his disciple.
If Nianzhen or Jiang Yue needed anything in the future, he would also give it without reservation.
"How is your harvest?" Yang Xu changed the subject.
For the next short while, Yu Nianzhen talked about all the herbs they collected from the secret realm.
When he talked about the herb they collected from the rock crack, master Yang asked to see it, and Yu Nianzhen immediately complied.
"Does master know what it is?"
"It is an ancient herb that has gone extinct." Yang Xu said with a smile on his face.
"It is a heaven and earth formation herb that is very useful for setting and breaking formations. You can let Jiang Yue refine it."
Yu Nianzhen took back the herb and nodded.
He had long suspected it was useful for formations. Since Jiang Yue was learning formations, it would come in handy.
"You should not forget to submit the required herbs to the sect. You can also exchange what you don’t need."
"Yes, master."
At the moment, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue were in dire need of contribution points.
They not only needed them to buy spirit stones for the jade box but also for cultivation.
Since they would leave the sect for a long time, they needed to purchase a lot of things before they left.
"Once you report to the sect and remit the herbs, you should retreat for a while and refine everything that should be refined." Yang Xu advised.
"I understand." Yu Nianzhen also had this idea.
When they left the secret realm, he and Jiang Yue received a dewdrop each from the core region.
They also received an explanation for the gift.
As it turned out, it was because they took the time to purify the five bodies corrupted by corpse qi before burying them in the secret realm.
When he thought about it, Yu Nianzhen couldn’t help but marvel at the twists and turns of fate.
At that time, they decided to let the bodies be cleansed by a monk because he worried the corpse qi would contaminate the soil.
To his surprise, this random act had resulted in him receiving a dewdrop from the herb in the core region.
’I wonder if Xuan Ke also received it.’ Yu Nianzhen wondered and frowned a little.
The monk had missed their meeting, but Li Futian assured them that the other was okay.
’We will meet again if there is fate.’ Yu Nianzhen thought and put the matter behind him.
What he needed to do now was to make preparations.
First, he planned to go to the resource hall to submit the portion of herbs required by the sect.
After that, he planned to open a small stall at the inner sect market.
This stall would only be open for a month, and he hoped it would be enough time to dispose of all the loot they didn’t need.
Once the month was over, Yu Nianzhen would close the stall and retreat with XiaoYue to refine the dewdrops and other herbs.
Although this would take several months, Yu Nianzhen didn’t need to be in too much of a rush.
After thinking about it, he concluded his master was right.
Even if Lin Huang was serious, she wouldn’t come to the sect until after she broke through to the qi transformation realm.
