Chapter 24 My Almost Zero Formidable Combat Power

The next morning, Yu Qingshuang was focused on her breakfast, holding a bowl of rice.

The Spirit Plant Elder applied medicinal wine to the bruises on Chen Qing's arms and calves, "Does it hurt?"

Chen Qing gritted his teeth, "No, it doesn't!"

While applying the medicinal wine, the Spirit Plant Elder commented, "Chen Qing, don't blame your senior sister for being rough. Learning the sword is as tough as killing."

After saying this, the Spirit Plant Elder shot a glance at Yu Qingshuang, "And you, it was Chen Qing's first day learning the sword; couldn't you have gone a little easier on him?"

Yu Qingshuang continued to focus on her meal. Chen Qing said, "It's alright, Senior Sister teaches well."

After the 'battle' with Yu Qingshuang last night, Chen Qing finally had a clear understanding of his own combat ability.

It wasn't that he couldn't win.

After all, he hadn't even had a chance to fight back.

Yu Qingshuang hadn't used her sword Gu or her cultivation to suppress him, yet she beat him without him having a chance to resist.

If Yu Qingshuang truly got serious, calling her a humanoid beast would be underestimating her.

To be modest, she could be called a killing machine.

Despite Yu Qingshuang being so fierce, the Spirit Plant Elder still wouldn't trust her to go out for training. As for himself, it was better to stay honestly on the mountain.

Putting on his clothes and finishing breakfast, Chen Qing glanced at himself in the mirror.

Hey, you might not believe it, although Yu Qingshuang was tough on him, his face was blissfully unharmed.

He went to tend to the spiritual ginseng in the Spiritual Ginseng Field. Seeing the ginseng gradually sprouting, Chen Qing dragged his 'battered body' to the Spirit Plant Hall.

He found a quiet room, sat cross-legged, and fed the last bit of Red Silver to the Alcohol Gu.

This should be enough to promote it to the seventh transformation.

After absorbing the Alcohol Gu into his body, Chen Qing drank a large gulp of Spiritual Ginseng Wine, crossed his legs, and began cultivating, recovering his spiritual energy.

Two hours later, Chen Qing felt a stirring within him, and he immediately manifested the Alcohol Gu in his palm.

It twisted and then suddenly stiffened.

Chen Qing reached out and pressed it; it had become hard and was about to shed its skin.

An hour passed slowly, and a white Alcohol Gu emerged from its shell, now fatter than before.

[Mortal Grade Alcohol Gu]

Quality: Seventh Transformation

Life Span: 24/64

Effect: Extract essence from spiritual ginseng, forming ginseng wine and slightly improving its quality

Growth Requirements: Iron Tree Bud

Growth Progress: 0/100

Promotion Requirements: Ninth Transformation, ten drops of Fire Spirit Essence, three Dew Flowers

Previously, it looked like a winter melon; now it resembled a wine jar.

Truly fitting for its name.

There were Iron Tree Buds in the Spirit Plant Garden, so he planned to grab one at some point.

As soon as he absorbed the Alcohol Gu into his body, a commotion rang out outside.

"What happened?"

"Hurry and fetch the Hall Master and Elder!"

"Cover the wound!"

Hearing this, Chen Qing opened the door of the quiet room and walked straight in the direction of the voices.

When others saw Chen Qing approaching, everyone except Wang Ye, who was pressing on Xie Dayou's wound, backed away, "Hall Master!"

Xie Dayou, who had been out on a task, was now bleeding profusely from his thigh.

Chen Qing stepped forward and pressed two acupoints on Xie Dayou, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

"Has someone gone to get the Elder?"

Wang Ye replied, "Yes, someone has been sent."

Chen Qing nodded, took out his wine gourd, and handed it to Xie Dayou, "Brother Xie, take a sip first."

Xie Dayou didn't waste words, downing a mouthful of Spiritual Ginseng Wine.

Chen Qing lifted the gourd, uncovering the wound on Xie's leg, where flesh gaped open and a bone-deep cut was visible.

While cleaning the wound with wine, Chen Qing asked, "Brother Xie, what happened?"

Xie Dayou explained, "It was an ordinary task, but on the way, the Lotus Cave disciples and I discovered a Two Life Flower."

"We agreed to split it, but unexpectedly they colluded with other Lotus Cave disciples to backstab us!"

"Luckily, I reacted quickly, cutting off one of his arms."

"Unfortunately, he got away."

"Master Chen, will I be able to keep this leg?"

Chen Qing finished cleaning and stitching the wound, "We'll see when the Spirit Plant Elder arrives."

In no time, the Spirit Plant Elder arrived, and opened his hand to let a jade green Gu fly out, landing on Xie Dayou's thigh, merging into his body.

Chen Qing clearly saw Xie Dayou's leg lighting up with little glimmers of light.

Did the Spirit Plant Elder also have a Rejuvenation Gu?

Beads of sweat appeared on the Spirit Plant Elder's forehead, and after half a moment, he retracted his hand, "Hmm, who treated this wound?"

Chen Qing saluted and said, "It was done by this disciple!"

The Spirit Plant Elder smiled, "I didn't expect you to have this skill!"

"If you hadn't treated it beforehand, even with my Rejuvenation Gu, saving his leg might have been impossible!"

Chen Qing thought to himself, isn't this common sense?

"Before coming to the mountain, this disciple learned some medicine."

Upon hearing this, Xie Dayou was full of gratitude, "Thank you, Hall Master, Elder."

The Spirit Plant Elder humbly replied, "If anyone deserves thanks, it's Chen Qing. Without his initial actions to stop the bleeding, I wouldn't have been able to help either."

Xie Dayou thanked Chen Qing once again.

After instructing others to take Xie Dayou to the Spirit Plant Hall's ward, Chen Qing said, "Wash his wounds with wine daily, then apply medicine!"

On the way back with the Spirit Plant Elder, Chen Qing thought to himself: The outside world is indeed turbulent.

The growing tensions between Lotus Cave and Wuyou Mountain indicate that a large conflict is likely brewing soon.

I need to speed up my sword training.

As for going to war, I have no interest in that, and neither does the upper echelon of Wuyou Mountain, I suppose.

Sending a money-making golden goose to battle, that's ridiculous!

Those who are adept in war achieve great feats without fame.

True masters act discreetly, avoiding action when possible.

This is the path to survival.

In recent days, even when going down the mountain to buy materials to improve the Wine Treasure, Chen Qing always took Li He and Wang Ye along.

Indeed, things were unsettled at the foot of the mountain.

Three days later, a sudden commotion arose in the valley below. Chen Qing, awakened from his cultivation, opened the door of the quiet room and asked, "What happened?"

Wang Ye said, "People from Lotus Cave have come to make amends. Many of our bored brothers have gone over to watch."

Chen Qing thought it was time to see how they would apologize, intending to stand back and observe from afar.

As soon as he reached the path down the mountain, still twenty or so feet from the gate, he felt a hand on his shoulder, his body becoming light.

Just about to cry out, he glanced sideways to see it was Feng Qi.

Feng Qi had grabbed his shoulder, and the two of them landed steadily on a pine tree branch. "Brother Chen, you also came to watch the show?"

Chen Qing nodded.

Feng Qi took a puff from his pipe, leaning against the tree trunk, "Brother Chen, you're not skilled at fighting, so better keep a distance."

Many Wuyou Mountain disciples had gathered up ahead.

A Lotus Cave disciple appeared, dragging a defeated cultivator with a severed arm to the front of Wuyou Mountain's gate.

Raising the sword, he decapitated the cultivator, splattering blood over the gate and staining it red.

Is this an apology?

This was clearly a provocation!

The Lotus Cave disciple feigned courtesy and said with a mocking smile, "Having offended Wuyou Mountain, we bring the offending disciple today to apologize!"

With that, the Lotus Cave disciple left behind the mutilated corpse and departed.

It wasn't clear if this was the disciple who had attacked Xie Dayou.

Chen Qing jumped from the pine tree, hearing Feng Qi's sinister remark, "Challenging Wuyou Mountain so blatantly, clearly courting death."

Chen Qing turned to head back to his Spirit Plant Hall but heard Feng Qi's voice behind him, "Brother, you can move now."

Chen Qing silently saluted and prepared to move with Li He and Wang Ye.

War seemed imminent.