Chapter 164

Chapter 164: The Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit Appears

After entering the poisonous mist, everyone split up to pick whatever spirit herbs they fancied.

Rong Shu temporarily recalled Little Hamster into the Beast Taming Pouch, then followed the others into the poisonous haze.

Watching Han Cheng Yun and the others recede into the fog, Rong Shu kept her thoughts to herself: [Ever since we entered the medicine garden, Han Cheng Yun and his group seem to have… changed their attitude toward me.]

She reflected further: [In the past, even someone as hot-tempered as Su Hua would not openly offend me. Yet now, even good-natured, careful Zong Wen Shi acts as if he hasn’t noticed how the others are giving me the cold shoulder.]

A moment ago, Rong Shu had tampered slightly with the pills.

In fact, this was not the first time. All along the way, Rong Shu had made small adjustments to the spirit herbs, pills, and jade-slip manuals that Han Cheng Yun’s group handled.

She bore no intent to harm. If Han Cheng Yun and the others could part with her amicably, those little “adjustments” would never activate and would fade on their own with time. But if they did not…

She shook her head and muttered as she reached for a patch of herbs: it does no good to overthink; first, find spirit herbs. The varieties in this medicine garden are plentiful, and hard to find outside.

On the other side of the mist-veiled fields, three who were supposed to be scattered had actually gathered together.

Su Hua asked Han Cheng Yun impatiently: now that we’re inside the medicine garden, we don’t need to keep pretending with that brat, right?

Han Cheng Yun answered coolly: no hurry. Let her refine a few more batches of pills for us; that way, we won’t have to spend Spirit Stones to hire another alchemist once we’re out.

Su Hua frowned at that: we can’t drag this out. He just fused an Exotic Flame and it’s not stable. In the short term we can strip the Exotic Flame away, but if we wait too long, we won’t be able to take it back.

Su Meng, clapping Su Hua on the shoulder, said mildly: what are you so anxious for? That Exotic Flame is guaranteed to be yours.

At this, Su Hua’s expression eased a little as he grumbled: what a pity though. I had my eye on the purple Exotic Flame. Just its aura alone is several times stronger than the blue one.

Su Meng glanced at Han Cheng Yun and said decisively: all the same, we really can’t delay. Later we find a chance to separate them, then make our move on Lin Bu Fan.

Han Cheng Yun did not object, but he cautioned them: absolutely do not get careless. Lin Bu Fan’s cultivation may be low, but he is a third-grade alchemist, and he once had a master of unknown alchemist rank. If he dared to come into this secret realm with us, he must be carrying some life-preserving trump card.

Su Hua gave a thin, vicious smile and said softly: I’ll make sure Lin Bu Fan has no chance to react at all.

Deeper within the medicine garden, two figures rode a Flying Magic Treasure further inward.

The young man looked down over the beds of spirit herbs and said in a low, distant voice: eight hundred years ago, when this secret realm opened for the first time and the great sects and noble clans had yet to react, a rogue cultivator slipped inside and obtained the legendary Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit.

He continued evenly: after refining a single Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit, that rogue cultivator’s aptitude advanced by leaps and bounds, utterly transformed. This time, I must obtain the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit.

The middle-aged man beside him looked doubtful and asked respectfully: young master, is that rumor true? Did a Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit really appear inside this secret realm?

The young man’s tone was firm: it is not that it once existed. Even now, a Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit still exists within the secret realm.

He turned his head toward a stone stele standing ahead, a glint of delight in his eye as he said: we’re nearly there.

He added, excitement slipping into his controlled voice: a Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit that has been nourished in the medicine garden for all these years may well give me a pleasant surprise. Uncle Feng, take out the items I told you to prepare. According to the route, the area ahead is exactly where the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit appeared eight hundred years ago.

The middle-aged man answered crisply: yes, young master.

They alighted in a dense forest.

After walking for quite a while beneath the canopy, they stopped before a tree laden with bright-red fruit. One fruit in particular was wreathed in flame, yet, oddly, neither it nor the tree had been burned to ash.

The young man’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed: found it, the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit.

The middle-aged man sprang forward to pick it.

But just as his hand was about to touch the fruit, the perfectly still Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit trembled, then abruptly detached and fell to the ground.

What?

Before the middle-aged man could react, the fallen fruit bounced once and rolled away. The flames clinging to it condensed into humanlike limbs, with the fruit itself serving as a head.

The now “humanoid” Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit twisted around, waggled its backside at the two, then sprinted off in a blaze.

The middle-aged man’s face tightened as he cried: the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit is running, young master!

Within a few breaths, the fruit had turned into a stream of firelight and vanished without a trace.

Watching the way it bolted off in a streak of lightning and sparks, the young man grew even more excited as he exclaimed: the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit has gained sentience?

He gave chase as he ordered sharply: after it. Do not let it get away.

Yes, young master.

They tried to pursue, but the secret realm suppressed a cultivator’s strength, and the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit knew the terrain far better. In short order, they lost it.

Elsewhere, Rong Shu had not waited for Han Cheng Yun’s group. She walked out of the Mistveiled Spirit Fields on her own.

She had spent enough time inside the secret realm to learn most of what she needed to know. With Han Cheng Yun’s attitude unclear and their bond shallow, she saw no reason to continue following them.

She patted Little Hamster’s head and said in a whisper: Yan Yan, pick a direction for me. We’ll go harvest spirit herbs somewhere else.

Little Hamster obliged.

The moment the Spatial Rift opened, Rong Shu dove in.

In the blink of an eye, she left the shrouded mists and arrived in a dense forest.

She turned in place, frowning as she murmured: now where is this…?

Rong Shu took out a handbook jade slip. She seemed to remember there was a map of the medicine garden in it.

While Rong Shu lowered her head to consult the map, the idle Little Hamster glanced around curiously.

A streak of fire flitted past in the distance and Little Hamster tilted his head, intrigued.

When he realized it was a flaming fruit, Little Hamster jolted, then jabbed Rong Shu urgently with a paw as he squeaked: Gu gu! Fire… fruit!

What fruit? Rong Shu lifted her head and followed the line of his paw; a second later, she froze.

What is that?

It looked like a fruit swinging from vines.

She blinked, stunned, then caught her breath: wait… that shape looks a lot like the Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit described in the handbook jade slip.

She hissed under her breath: oh my. Not just similar. That is a Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit.

The shock was so great she nearly flung away the spirit herbs she had just collected.

Hou hou~ The Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit swung deftly from tree to tree, then finally perched on the topmost bough of the tallest tree, hugging the trunk as if to rest.

Rong Shu hardly dared breathe, afraid of startling it.

She fretted silently: [What should I do? How am I supposed to catch a Fire Spirit Tribulation Fruit that has become a spirit?]