Chapter 91: Living Up to Expectations

Before Su Qinian took the initiative to inform her, Li Qingran had no idea that the Sword Pavilion even had a medicinal garden. She had always assumed that everyone simply marked out a small plot of land in front of their own caves to grow their own herbs, without interfering with each other. Upon arriving at the medicinal garden, she discovered that the Sword Pavilion not only had a proper medicinal garden, but it was also quite large. Compared to the dilapidated ancestral hall and the scripture repository, the medicinal garden looked as if it had been newly built, with everything appearing fresh and vibrant.

Standing at the entrance of the medicinal garden, Su Qinian didn't immediately enter. Instead, he hesitated for a moment, cleared his throat, and called out into the garden, "Elder Liu, ahem, are you there?"

The garden fell silent for a moment.

Then came a furious roar.

"Get out—!!!"

The gate of the medicinal garden slammed open.

A gust of fierce wind rushed out, causing the air to tremble.

The wind swept across the ground, flattening the herbs.

Su Qinian casually raised a windproof barrier, clearly accustomed to such a scene. Once the wind subsided, he dismissed the barrier and said to Li Qingran, "Qingran, the one with the booming voice just now is Elder Liu Yuanqing, the overseer of our medicinal garden. Don't let his temper fool you; he's actually a decent person… Qingran?"

Not hearing a response from Li Qingran, Su Qinian turned to see that she had been blown all the way to the edge of a cliff by the wind. She had just climbed back up, her hair now a disheveled mess.

"Ah, this…" Su Qinian chuckled awkwardly. "My apologies, I didn't make the barrier large enough to include you."

Standing at the entrance of the medicinal garden was an elderly man with the appearance of a crane and the face of a child. His expression was kind and gentle, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp, especially when they landed on Su Qinian, as if they were about to spit fire.

"Pavilion Master Su, I address you as Pavilion Master out of respect, but if you dare come here to steal herbs again, I swear I'll fight you to the death for three hundred rounds!"

Li Qingran looked at Su Qinian in surprise.

Su Qinian ignored her gaze and chuckled, "Elder Liu, today I'm not here to take any herbs. Today…"

"Steal," Elder Liu narrowed his eyes.

"I'm the Pavilion Master, so taking a few herbs…"

"Steal!" Elder Liu emphasized again.

"Fine, I'm not here to steal herbs today," Su Qinian admitted shamelessly, without a hint of guilt. "This disciple wants to refine the Hundred Herb Detox Pill, but there are several herbs in the recipe that I don't recognize. So, I've come to ask for your help in identifying them."

"And then steal herbs from me, right?" Elder Liu remained unmoved, glancing sideways at Su Qinian with a cold laugh. "I'm warning you, the herbs in this garden are the lifeblood of all the disciples of the Sword Pavilion and the foundation of our sect. No matter what excuse you come up with, if you dare to steal, I'll dare to fight!"

With a clang, he drew his sword, his true qi swirling around him, his robes fluttering in the wind.

"Elder Liu, this disciple urgently needs to understand the recipe for the Hundred Herb Detox Pill to save my master," Li Qingran stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed sincerely. "Please, Elder Liu, help me examine the recipe!"

If the Pavilion Master and Elder Liu continued to bicker, they would undoubtedly end up fighting.

She had figured it out.

The Pavilion Master had frequently come to the medicinal garden to steal herbs.

The medicinal garden and the sect were separate entities, and this elder held a position equal to the Pavilion Master, with absolute authority over the garden.

Elder Liu looked Li Qingran up and down, seeing that she was a young, attractive disciple with a sincere attitude. His anger immediately subsided.

"You seem like a filial disciple. Who is your master?"

"Elder, my master is the Supreme Elder of the Sword Pavilion."

Liu Yuanqing: "Huh?"

He had joined the Sword Pavilion halfway and wasn't very familiar with its history. He only knew that the highest-ranking figure in the Sword Pavilion was Pavilion Master Su Qinian and that there was no such thing as a Supreme Elder or Ancestor. If such a figure existed, the Sword Pavilion wouldn't be so poor.

So, he could only shoot a questioning glance at Su Qinian.

Su Qinian nodded. "That Supreme Elder left to travel the world long ago, and his identity has been confirmed in the ancestral hall. So, I'm really not here to steal herbs."

"If you don't steal today, you'll steal tomorrow," Liu Yuanqing snorted, then walked over to Li Qingran, his face now wearing a kind smile. "Since it's for your master, recite the recipe for me."

Li Qingran recited the recipe again, then nervously watched Elder Liu's expression.

To her relief, Elder Liu's expression remained calm, unlike Su Qinian's earlier confusion.

Indeed, everyone in the Sword Pavilion except the Pavilion Master was reliable!

She suddenly came to this conclusion in her heart.

Liu Yuanqing pondered for a while, then pulled out a scroll and flipped through it, sometimes shaking his head, sometimes nodding and muttering.

After a long while, he finally closed the scroll and looked up. "I know all the herbs needed for the Hundred Herb Detox Pill, and the medicinal garden can provide more than half of them. The ones we don't have can be bought from Lingxi Valley. We can gather them all, but…"

Before Li Qingran could feel relieved, the word "but" made her heart leap into her throat.

"Old Liu, stop beating around the bush!"

Su Qinian, who was picking his teeth with a flying sword, looked impatient.

"What's the rush? Can't you think before you speak?" Liu Yuanqing rolled his eyes and frowned. "But there are two key ingredients that are extremely rare: Dragon Tongue Apricot and Blood Wave Citrus. These are spiritual plants that only existed in ancient times. It's likely that they no longer exist in the Cangyun Realm."

"In that case, we'll have to search for them in the secret realm," Su Qinian took over, comforting the pale-faced Li Qingran. "In less than a month, the Central Continent Secret Realm will open. It's filled with ancient ruins, and the entire Sword Pavilion will enter to search for treasures. We'll definitely find those two ingredients. Don't worry."

"That's right," Liu Yuanqing stroked his beard and nodded. "In ancient times, there were many alchemy sects, and resources were abundant. Any sect with a bit of heritage could establish itself. Among them, the Medicine King Valley had the deepest heritage. If you can find the ruins of the Medicine King Valley during this opening of the Central Continent Secret Realm, then this valley, known for housing all the spiritual herbs in the world, will surely have those two ingredients!"

Hearing this, Li Qingran took a step back and bowed deeply. "Pavilion Master, Elder Liu, although my strength is insignificant, I wish to enter the Central Continent Secret Realm."

She knew that her senior brothers and sisters would enter the secret realm to seek their own opportunities and wouldn't spend too much effort searching for the ingredients.

Even if everyone was willing to help, she didn't want to delay their chances of gaining opportunities because of her own affairs.

So, she had to enter the Central Continent Secret Realm this time.

And she had to find those two ancient ingredients.

Su Qinian and Liu Yuanqing exchanged a glance.

He hadn't wanted Li Qingran to go.

After all, her relationship with the Supreme Elder was clear, and her safety had to be ensured.

But seeing the determination in Li Qingran's eyes, he reluctantly nodded.

"Fine! As long as you reach the early Foundation Establishment stage before the secret realm opens, I'll allow you to go."

Li Qingran raised her head, her bright eyes meeting Su Qinian's, and declared firmly:

"Disciple Qingran will not disappoint!"

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