Painting Legendary Plants (1)

A slight wind blew into the office, as Shi Yuanfe inhaled and looked towards Elder Wang with an inquisitive gaze.

"Devil cultivators, that too here? Uncle Wang, don't tell me this is some veiled conspiracy to keep the Fire Dominion from seeing the real things happening here? "

Devil cultivators, true to their name, were different from mainstream cultivators, in the sense that instead of using the various elements of essence flowing through the world, they use the lives of living beings.

Elder Wang smiled. Shi Yuanfe took it as an answer, and shook his head in worry.

"This is far too much for me, uncle. I was supposed to be living here in exile, without worry; now I have a devil sect 'preying' on the city, and the aggravated locals to deal with. I'm afraid, I can't allow things to continue as it is… "

Shi Yuanfe before had full belief in the fact that his father wouldn't leave him in some city that'd end up killing him. Although the situation here didn't seem that dire, he worried that his citizens would revolt and die under his rule a few months later.

Shi Yuanfe was a knowledgeable scholar. The men from Fire Dominion, the empire of similar rank just next to the Shi Dynasty, were fiercely loyal to their nation. They'd rather die than submit. So why did his father, being such a wise ruler, absorb Yanhaven? Furthermore, what was the matter he masking by using the newborn devil sect?

"I'm afraid your old plan won't work that well, master. " Elder Wang coughed, and continued, "Since, somehow, Essence Vessels have formed on your body, you won't be able to escape from the limelight for long. Nonetheless, this is your city. You can rule however you like; you have complete autonomy here.

If you'd like, I can go and execute the entire devil sect myself. They're just mere insects. However, before that, young master, you have to do something for me. "

Rarely would Elder Wang want something from him. Shi Yuanfe looked at the elderly man in front of him. His gray-hair, black changshan, and orderly behavior would form the illusion of a harmless old man.

What realm of cultivation he had reached, Shi Yuanfe didn't know. But he was far, far stronger than any of the elders of the Shi Dynasty.

"What would that be, uncle? I'll try my best! "

"Breakthrough into the Mortal Coil Realm. "

A strict, domineering aura burst out of Elder Wang's body as he sneered and materialized a thin scroll of skin from the air.

His frail and bony fingers gripped into the dry scroll, as he delicately handed it to Shi Yuanfe. A mesmerizing luminescence shone from his eyes at that moment, as he returned to his kind smile.

"This here, master, is the Human Emperor's Mortal Law. I snuck into the Golden State and took it from His Venerable. "

The fact that Elder Wang managed to cross millions of miles in a few moments didn't astonish him, but the shocking behavior made by him did.

The Human Emperor of thousand worlds before had truly left his method of ascension to his descendants. But being too wise for their own sake, his sons divided the technique into hundreds of sections, and passed them onto their clans. As such, different grades of the technique were formed. Of which, the better ones were kept by the powerful and influential sects and clans of the world.

The Human Emperor's Law was divided into five grades:

Mortal Law

Spirit Law

Earth Law

Emperor Law

Immortal Law

Heaven Law

Transcendence Law

It was quite regrettable that Shi Yuanfe only had a Mortal Fate Wheel, and thus could only use the Mortal Law.

The average time it takes for someone using a Mortal Law to breakthrough into the Mortal Coil Realm is two years. Although it would also depend on his other qualities.

Shi Yuanfe inhaled, and nodded with closed eyes. He had a way to cultivate faster than any human; painting.

Elder Wang just wanted to delay his plans, of course. It was quite obvious from the very beginning, that he didn't want the matter to escalate.

"Then it remains a deal. "

As soon as Elder Wang left, Shi Yuanfe dropped his bemused smile and started to read through the scroll.

The first thing that caught his eyes were the words written above the scroll,

'Es pi fa, ra mo ye. Du re es pi fa ra mo ye.'

The text was rather faint, but beautifully written. The age of the scroll had caused it to decay, but the mystical words could still be distinguished.

He read through words and words, and carefully studied the drawings on the scroll. Within a few moments, Shi Yuanfe had gained a basic understanding of cultivation from it.

The world is filled with various elements of essence; it is free for taking. By absorbing the invisible form of essence floating in the air and refining it in the essence veins into a gaseous form. It sounded easy, but how hard it was Shi Yuanfe didn't know.

A steam of excitement hit him as he stood up, and left the office. He sneakily descended down the stairs, and entered his carriage. Once inside, he draped on a thick robe above his gown and slipped out with his toolbags and canvas.

Unknown to Shi Yuanfe however, was that from a few meters away from him, Elder Wang was looking at him with disapproval in his eyes. Behind him was a dainty girl in a green attire, who was looking at Shi Yuanfe, but with eyes of curiosity.

"I shouldn't be exerting force over him…but time is valuable; it waits for none.

Ruo'er, follow him. Make sure he doesn't 'mysteriously' injure himself, if he tries to cultivate. "

"Me-me?! But I'm barely familiar with this city! " She demurely cried out, but when she turned around she saw that Elder Wang had already disappeared.

Ruo'er slammed her feet on the ground, and ran towards Shi Yuanfe's direction with haste.

Shi Yuanfe entered the trade area of the city, and found a vast station filled with carriages and beasts. Beside it was a humongous market filled with shops; from butcher houses, to auction houses it lacked nothing. Unfortunately, most of the area was empty; only a few men with melancholic expressions could be seen selling goods in the market.

"The military has sealed exports, sire. This…t-this is very, very risky! "

A hunched figure with a restraining leash on his neck muttered before a tall man standing before him. While speaking, he was simultaneously loading a few boxes of cargo in a massive carriage.

The man derisively glared at the hunched man, and threatened him in a murderous whisper, "Mind your own business, serf. And be careful, each of these boxes cost a million silvers. I could buy, I don't know, a million of you with one? " He laughed, and watched as the slave submissively returned to his work.

Their 'exchanges' were discreet, but not very quiet. The main reason for the man's intense confidence in no one learning of their plan, was the fact that they were talking in the language of the Fire Dominion.

Shi Yuanfe wasn't smart, but neither was he dumb. When he was little, he made sure to learn the languages of the empires near the Shi Dynasty — which ended up benefitting him in many ways.

Slaves were allowed in the Fire Dominion, but owning one was looked down upon in the Shi Dynasty. Shi Yuanfe's face morphed in anger as he watched the old man be treated inhumanely by his owner.

Nonetheless, he didn't move nor did he do anything, as he knew that doing something would just alarm them.

In only a few moments, the carriage had been filled with the help of a few other serfs. The owner nodded, pleased. He whispered something to them, and moved to the driver's compartment.

The man and his servants were all cultivators, thus when they all left from the behind of the carriage, Shi Yuanfe swooped in and jumped inside.

The dry and warm smell of hay and rope hit his nose, as he slowly moved behind a few boxes. Slowly, sounds of neighing rang out as the carriage began to move.

Suddenly, a book fell from the upper corner of the carriage onto Shi Yuanfe's head. After making sure that it made no noise, he picked it up with a silent expression.

The familiar yellow color of the book made him wince. But unfortunately, the cover of the book had faded off, only the image of a flower violet flower on its lower side was distinguishable.

Nonetheless, it probably was an alchemy book. Something that's obviously useless to him.

"Hm, let me check it out anyway. "

As soon as he opened the book, the first thing he saw were dozens and dozens of small pictures of herbs, flowers, and fruits. He instantly recognized the book.

Tanxian Plant Book.

"I…didn't really expect this to be…here. "

Thousands of decades ago, peerless alchemists came together to maintain a record of all of the spiritual plants in the continent. The result of it was the Tanxian Plant Book.

Shi Yuanfe flipped back to the end of the book, and suddenly had an idea.

He looked towards his canvas, and bag, and smiled.

…

…

…

After a few hours, the carriage stopped moving. Shi Yuanfe crawled to the back and hid behind a few containers, and watched as the shutters were lifted and men came to unload the compartment.

And as he expected, only the old man and a little child came to unload the carriage. The owner didn't come. He most likely hadn't boarded the carriage due to the risks inherent in smuggling contraband.

Shi Yuanfe sticked his body to the left edge of the compartment, and ran out in the blind spot of the serfs. After making sure that no one was following him, he began to increase his speed.

With a few moments, he had reached a dirt road.