Chapter 1311: A Medicinal Garden
Qing Mo stood on Wuyuan Island, holding Zhu Qingyi with one hand. Turning around, she looked toward the shore of Yuan Lake and said, "Young Master, they will definitely follow the safe route we took to reach the island. We must hurry and find the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass."
"Then we'll just have to cause them some trouble."
Zhang Ruochen reached out with both hands toward the void, releasing two streams of spiritual power that twisted the spatial structure above the lake to a certain degree.
The previously safe route was no longer safe.
Of course, even so, given the abilities of the Saint-level cultivators outside, they should be able to quickly rediscover a safe path.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo still had to move fast.
The two of them walked deeper into Wuyuan Island. Before long, they entered a forest filled with a strange floral fragrance. In the forest, no flowers were visible; the fragrance all came from the leaves.
Zhang Ruochen immediately held his breath and warned, "Be careful. That's one of the Eight Illusory Trees—the Flowerless Illusory Tree."
"What is an Illusory Tree?" Qing Mo asked, puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen said solemnly, "Illusory Trees are also plant-type beings. The scent they emit contains illusory poison. Once a cultivator inhales it, they will experience various hallucinations. Some powerful Illusory Trees can even cast illusions, making them more terrifying than human illusionists."
"As for the so-called Flowerless Illusory Tree, it actually does have flowers. However, after a cultivator inhales its scent and falls under the illusory poison, they can no longer see the flowers on the tree."
Qing Mo's face turned pale. "Does that mean we've already been poisoned by the illusion?"
"The fact that we only see leaves on the trees means the poisoning is not deep, and the effect is not too severe," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Could we possibly see something else?" Qing Mo asked.
"The more illusory poison you absorb, the stronger the hallucinations become, and the things you see will naturally differ. When the illusion reaches a certain intensity, cultivators will lose their reason, start slashing at themselves, or even be scared to death by the hallucinations."
Qing Mo quickly released her Immeasurable Saint Flame, condensing it into a spherical flame barrier that enveloped both her and Zhang Ruochen, ensuring they wouldn't come into contact with the outside air and inhale more poison.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "You don't need to be so tense. We've only absorbed a small amount of illusory poison. Once we leave this Illusory Tree forest, the poison in our bodies will dissipate, and the hallucinations will disappear."
This place was once the residence of a Pill Dao Ancestor, so it naturally harbored many dangers. Although Zhang Ruochen wore a smile, he remained cautious, not daring to be the least bit careless.
"Young Master, look! There's a sacred medicine over there."
Qing Mo's face lit up with joy as she pointed to a spot about ten zhang away.
There, indeed, was a three-colored sacred medicine, shaped very much like a lingzhi mushroom, over a meter in diameter, emitting three faint layers of holy light.
"It's probably about thirty thousand years old and quite valuable. It seems Wuyuan Island not only has Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass but also other sacred medicines," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qing Mo had already taken a step forward but stopped after two paces. "What if it's just an illusion?"
Zhang Ruochen noticed that Qing Mo was becoming increasingly shrewd. He smiled and said, "That's not impossible. So, let's not be too greedy. Don't pick it. Let's go straight to find the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass."
Qing Mo stared fixedly at the sacred medicine, biting her lip tightly. "It's really hard to give up without trying."
Then, she raised her right hand. From her snow-white index finger, a vine as green as jade grew and shot toward the sacred medicine.
The moment the vine touched the holy light surrounding the sacred medicine, the spiritual energy in the forest violently trembled. Then, bolts of lightning condensed from the ground and struck upward.
The vine at Qing Mo's fingertip instantly turned to black ash.
Sensing the danger, Zhang Ruochen grabbed Qing Mo and Zhu Qingyi in an instant, using the Thunderbolt Movement Technique to flee the area at top speed.
"How terrifying! It really was an illusion," Qing Mo said, patting her chest, still shaken.
If they had been a step slower, all three of them would have perished in the forest.
"It might not have been an illusion, but there was definitely great danger around that sacred medicine. It could be located at a node of a Great Saint's remnant formation," Zhang Ruochen said.
"What? There are Great Saint remnant formations on the island too?" Qing Mo stuck out her tongue.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Wuyuan Island is located within Yuan Lake. Since Yuan Lake has a Great Saint remnant formation, how could the island not have formation inscriptions?"
Zhu Qingyi was also shaken, feeling that being with Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo was driving her to the brink of collapse. She said coldly, "This is a place where a Great Saint once lived. Can you two be more careful? Don't get me killed!"
"Quiet."
Zhang Ruochen made a silencing gesture, turned around to look behind him, and said in a low voice, "I keep feeling like someone is following us, like there's a pair of eyes watching us at all times."
Qing Mo reached out and touched Zhang Ruochen's forehead. "Young Master, have you absorbed more illusory poison and started having stronger hallucinations?"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away. "I'm perfectly clear-headed and not yet at the point of being fooled by illusions. From now on, we must be twice as careful. This island is truly bizarre."
They continued forward. In the forest, they saw several more sacred medicines, each one precious enough to make any Saint's heart race.
But after their earlier lesson, they dared not pick any.
After spending half an hour, Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo finally emerged from the Flowerless Illusory Tree forest. Before them lay a vast medicinal garden, covering over a thousand mu of land.
At the edge of the garden was a fence made of wicker, entwined with green vines. The leaves were emerald, emitting tiny, shimmering specks of light.
The garden was densely planted with medicinal herbs, and sacred medicines were everywhere. There were vermilion fruits hanging from trees, sacred grasses shaped like white cranes, and medicinal flowers blooming in a riot of purple and red.
A gentle breeze carried a rich medicinal fragrance. Zhang Ruochen took just one breath and felt an incredible comfort; even the pain from his severe injuries seemed to ease.
"This is the treasure left behind by a Pill Dao Ancestor. Even the medicinal garden of an ancient sect pales in comparison," Qing Mo exclaimed in awe.
Zhu Qingyi's eyes also sparkled; she could barely contain her excitement.
Whoever could claim this medicinal garden, with its spiritual and sacred medicines, could nurture a large number of powerful cultivators and rapidly advance their own cultivation.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen sensed a fluctuation in spiritual power not far away. His eyes narrowed. "Who's there?"
"Whoosh—"
He swung his arm, sending a blade of lightning flying.
About twenty zhang from Zhang Ruochen, the spiritual power fluctuation grew stronger, and a translucent figure materialized.
The figure gradually became clear—it was a bald old man.
The bald old man chuckled lightly, pressed his palm forward, and a stream of flames flew from his hand, condensing into a shield of fire over a zhang long, blocking the lightning blade.
Seeing the bald old man, Qing Mo exclaimed, "You old fellow, how did you get to Wuyuan Island so quickly?"
"What do you mean 'old fellow'? You should call me 'senior.'"
The old man was in an excellent mood, a smile on his face. Staring at the medicinal garden before him, flames seemed to leap from his eyes. He said excitedly, "As expected of the Heir of Time and Space—truly extraordinary abilities. Thank you for bringing me here, old man. Now, everything here belongs to me. Haha."
The bald old man was, of course, Gu Songzi.
It was obvious that he had been following Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo all along. However, his spiritual power was so strong that he had concealed his aura, and even Zhang Ruochen had failed to detect him.
There was no denying that this old fellow was quite cunning.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. "How do you know my identity?"
Gu Songzi smiled. "Before you arrived at Xianji Mountain, Jiu Fengzi had already sent me a message, asking me to help you no matter what."
"And this is how you help me?" Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly.
Gu Songzi said, "Young man, why are you so angry? You brought me here, and I'll heal your injuries. It's an equal exchange—each gets what they need. Fair and reasonable. Why are you dissatisfied?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head lightly, too lazy to argue with Gu Songzi. It only proved one thing: Jiu Fengzi and Gu Songzi's friendship wasn't very strong. In the end, he would still have to rely on himself to secure the chance for treatment.
Moreover, Jiu Fengzi was too unreliable, having revealed his identity to Gu Songzi. With Gu Songzi's poor character, would he take the opportunity to exploit the situation?
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since I've brought you here, Senior, shouldn't you fulfill your promise?"
"No rush. Once I obtain the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass, I will definitely reconnect your three meridians. I won't break my word."
Gu Songzi stepped forward and walked toward the medicinal garden. After a few steps, he stopped, pulled a medicine bottle from his bosom, and tossed it to Zhang Ruochen. "From now on, this medicinal garden belongs to me. You and that girl are not to set foot inside even one step. Otherwise, the treatment is off the table."
"Stingy," Qing Mo muttered under her breath.
Clearly, Gu Songzi was worried that Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo would pick the sacred medicines in the garden, or that there might be other valuable things inside. The old man wanted to keep everything for himself.
Zhang Ruochen caught the bottle and asked, "What's in this?"
"After receiving Jiu Fengzi's message, I made some preparations and refined a Meridian-Connecting Pill for you. Once you take it, the three severed meridians in your body will instantly recover. However, it will only last for one day. After that, you'll revert to your original state," Gu Songzi said.
"Are you messing with me?"
Zhang Ruochen's forehead darkened with veins.
Only recovering for one day—could that even be called recovery?
"No rush, no rush."
Gu Songzi remained calm and continued, "An ordinary Meridian-Connecting Pill certainly wouldn't be able to heal you. But once I find the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass, I can refine a superior Meridian-Connecting Pill. Then, you will be fully cured. Young man, now you understand, don't you? Searching for the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass is actually helping yourself."
Gu Songzi stepped into the medicinal garden and reminded them again, "Remember, this is now my private garden. You two must guard the outside and make sure no outsiders break in. If even a single sacred medicine is stolen, I won't reconnect your three meridians."
Qing Mo crossed her arms and gritted her teeth. "He was the one who spread the news and lured those cultivators here. Now he wants us to stop them from entering the garden. Is this old man deliberately making trouble for us?"
"Probably, from the very beginning, he didn't believe that the two of us could make it here on our own."
Zhang Ruochen smiled, appearing indifferent. As long as Gu Songzi kept his promise, everything would be fine.