Chapter 143: Visiting the Green Wood Sect
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“Yu Zhao, why are you here alone? Didn’t Senior Sister Zhou come with you?”
Mu Ye, having calmed down, quickly wiped away her tears and feigned curiosity to cover up her earlier reaction.
Yu Zhao smiled gently. “I’m traveling alone for this training session, so I didn’t come with Senior Sister Zhou. What’s the matter? Are you unhappy to see me?”
“How could I be unhappy? I’m overjoyed!” Mu Ye puffed up her cheeks. “Come on, let me show you around the Green Wood Sect. I suppose you’ve never been here before?”
“No, I haven’t,” Yu Zhao replied.
“Great! There are a few places with stunning scenery here. It’d be a shame to miss them. Follow me.”
True to her energetic nature, Mu Ye wasted no time, grabbing Yu Zhao’s hand and leading her out of the guest hall toward the inner sect.
“The Green Wood Sect has two main peaks,” Mu Ye began explaining as they walked. “One is Pill Peak, where disciples of the Pill Hall refine elixirs, and the other is Herb Peak, where disciples cultivate spiritual herbs. The disciples of the Martial Hall live in the valley between the two peaks…”
On their way, Mu Ye briefly introduced the sect’s layout to Yu Zhao. Since this information wasn’t a sect secret, she shared it without hesitation.
Yu Zhao nodded quietly, all the while contemplating how to broach her request for borrowing the pill refining chamber.
The pill refining chamber was meant for crafting elixirs, and Yu Zhao intended to use it for artifact crafting, a purpose that could easily offend alchemists. She could, of course, hire a master craftsman, but her unique cultivation technique and the highly hallucinogenic materials needed for crafting posed a risk. If something went wrong, it could harm the craftsman. Therefore, Yu Zhao felt it safer to handle the task herself, even if she failed.
Now, her challenge was finding the right moment to explain her situation to Mu Ye.
“Yu Zhao, up ahead are Pill Peak and Herb Peak. Which one do you want to visit first?” Mu Ye pointed to the two mountains in the distance.
“Let’s go to Herb Peak first,” Yu Zhao decided without hesitation. She wanted more time to think.
Mu Ye nodded enthusiastically. “Perfect! I need to pick up some herbs from Herb Peak anyway. We can do that together.”
For alchemists, success was never guaranteed. A 50% success rate in crafting elixirs was already impressive, marking someone as a master. However, such expertise came at the cost of enormous amounts of spiritual herbs.
Mu Ye, for example, used herbs worth at least a hundred mid-grade spirit stones every month. It was an expense far beyond her personal means, so most of her resources came from the sect. Disciples of the Pill Hall could collect a set amount of spiritual herbs from Herb Peak every month. However, this wasn’t entirely free; at the end of the year, they had to provide a corresponding quantity of elixirs to offset the cost.
Chatting along the way, Yu Zhao and Mu Ye followed the main path leading up Herb Peak. After walking for less than an incense stick’s time, Yu Zhao noticed the spiritual energy around her growing denser, accompanied by a familiar medicinal fragrance.
The scent brought back memories of her time on Lone Moon Peak, where she tended the herb fields for Cui Jue.
Deep down, Yu Zhao didn’t mind working in the herb fields. Unlike some people who dismissed her efforts as insignificant, the herb fields responded honestly to her care. As long as she put in the effort, the fields would reward her with lush growth.
Unlike the constant criticism she faced elsewhere, the herb fields offered her peace and solitude. No one would come to scold her for no reason there, and she could enjoy the serenity all to herself.
As the familiar and calming fragrance filled the air, Yu Zhao felt her tension ease.
“Yu Zhao, are you ready? What you’re about to see will amaze you,” Mu Ye suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Yu Zhao, and a proud expression flashed in her eyes.
Yu Zhao smiled and nodded.
Mu Ye gave a mysterious grin, took out her identity token from her waist, and waved it forward. The air trembled violently, and then the forest on both sides of the path shifted apart, creating a clear passage.
“Let’s go. This passage only lasts for five breaths,” Mu Ye urged while pulling Yu Zhao forward.
As soon as Yu Zhao entered the passage, she felt as though she had stepped into an immortal’s dwelling. Thick spiritual energy surged toward her, and her body instinctively opened its pores, greedily absorbing the energy around her.
“Ahh…” Yu Zhao let out a sigh of satisfaction, only to catch herself and abruptly cut off the cultivation technique she was unconsciously running.
This wasn’t some ancient secret realm left by predecessors—it was the Medicine Garden of the Green Wood Sect. Absorbing spiritual energy here essentially meant competing with the garden for nourishment. That was considered extremely disrespectful.
“Mu—” Yu Zhao began to apologize.
“You stopped so quickly?” Mu Ye interrupted, looking surprised.
Noticing Yu Zhao’s hesitant expression, Mu Ye waved dismissively. “I know what you’re about to say. Don’t worry. The spiritual energy you absorbed is negligible compared to what the entire garden holds. Sometimes, disciples from the Pill Hall or Medicine Hall come here to train when they’re stuck on a bottleneck. As long as you don’t interfere with their work, nobody will mind.”
Although the spiritual energy array in the garden was built with the combined power of the entire Green Wood Sect, making it a resource for everyone, the disciples of the Medicine Hall maintained the spiritual herbs. Still, Mu Ye clearly didn’t care.
Her respect for Yu Zhao deepened, however, seeing her restraint. Yu Zhao’s ability to stop herself voluntarily reflected her courtesy and self-control, making Mu Ye’s smile even brighter.
They continued onward, arriving at vast, neatly divided fields of spiritual herbs, with different sections dedicated to various plants. Several disciples of the Medicine Hall were inspecting the herbs.
Looking at the endless fields, bursting with vibrant crops, Yu Zhao felt a deep sense of joy and fulfillment.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Mu Ye said with a proud smirk.
“Absolutely,” Yu Zhao nodded sincerely.
“Come, let me show you the Medicine Storage while I collect my herbs.”
Herbs harvested by the disciples were typically stored in the Medicine Storage, where they could be processed as needed. To streamline the system, Pill Hall disciples also collected their herbs there.
The Medicine Storage was on the eastern edge of the fields, built against a cliff. As Yu Zhao and Mu Ye approached the entrance, a figure emerged from within.
Both parties stopped and stared, equally stunned.
“It’s you!” Wang Qian exclaimed, his face pale with shock.
Of all places, he had never expected to encounter Yu Zhao here. Remembering her illustrious reputation, his face alternated between pale and flushed, as though he’d seen a ghost.
Mu Ye, unaware that Wang Qian was addressing Yu Zhao, thought he was speaking to her. Arching her brows, she retorted bluntly, “The Medicine Peak isn’t yours alone. Why wouldn’t I be here?”