Xiang Family's Medicine Manor

Xiang Family's Medicine Manor

The news of the Lu Family's extermination was no different from a raging tempest sweeping through the small town of Qinghu Town.

First the Cai family had been wiped out, then the Lu Family. Some of the town's wealthy households were all in danger, wondering whether they ought to move into the city. Even the town's surroundings no longer felt safe.

The town magistrate had also sent people to search for clues, hoping to discover who had committed such a vicious crime.

Yet aside from one face Lin Le had once assumed, they found nothing at all.

As for Lin Le, he focused wholeheartedly on digesting his gains. Steward Lu had been somewhat wealthier than Gentry Cai; at the very least, Gentry Cai had not kept so many cultivation resources at home.

This also convinced Lin Le that the Cai family likely had some outstanding descendants elsewhere.

Unfortunately, he did not know any divination spells. Otherwise, he could find the time in the future to pull up the weeds and dig out the roots.

Within a single day, Lin Le had consumed all the resources plundered from the Lu Family.

Yet if cultivation progress were divided into ten parts, he had only completed one part of the First Layer. While this was certainly because he cultivated the Three Paths Cultivation at once, his excessively robust foundation was also a major reason.

Arriving at the mass grave, Lin Le began reciting the Sutra for Rebirth, for the Lu Family's corpses had all been brought here.

After reciting it three times, Lin Le gained ten points of Earthly Dao merit.

After consuming three Human Dao lotus seeds, One thought, three years passed as Lin Le cultivated the Golden Light Divine Mantra.

Facing the rising morning sun, Lin Le opened his eyes. The golden light in the Huangting Secret Realm was also rapidly growing as it absorbed Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi.

Several faint markings gradually appeared on the Universe Ring concealed within that golden light.

Lin Le sensed it and confirmed, "Three minor restrictions, a low-grade dharma artifact."

Taking a sip of water from his gourd, Lin Le carried his long spear toward his next destination.

Longevity Medicine Manor, the Xiang Family's property in Qinghu Town.

It was also Lin Le's foremost objective in coming here.

According to scattered intelligence from the tavern, three cultivators guarded the place in total: two Spiritual Platform cultivators and one Huangting cultivator. The Spiritual Platform cultivators were both at the First Layer, while that Huangting cultivator rarely went out, making his true capabilities impossible to discern.

All that was known was that the other two Spiritual Platform cultivators treated him with considerable respect. His cultivation was likely at the Third Layer.

The defenses really are tight.

Watching the guards posted every ten steps outside the medicine manor, Lin Le raised an eyebrow.

Unconcerned about being discovered, Lin Le openly strode over.

"Who goes there?" a guard called out when he saw Lin Le approaching so brazenly.

"I'm here to buy medicine." Lin Le tossed him a small silver ingot. "I heard Apothecary Xiang can refine Spirit Blood Pills. I came specifically to buy a few bottles."

"Fine, please wait a moment." At the sight of money, the guard's tone immediately softened considerably.

After informing his companion, the guard entered the medicine manor. Before long, he came back out and said, "Apothecary Xiang says he can't be bothered with transactions under a thousand taels. He asks how much you want."

"Five thousand taels, then." Lin Le casually named a figure.

Five thousand taels?! The surrounding guards' expressions changed. The way they looked at Lin Le carried greed, envy, and a hint of killing intent.

Lin Le paid them no mind. "Is that enough?"

The guard narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can you really produce that much money?"

Lin Le rummaged in his pocket and drew out a stack of banknotes. "Enough?"

"Enough, enough. Please come inside." The guard smiled ingratiatingly.

"Hmph." Lin Le gave a soft snort and followed the guard into the medicine manor.

Upon reaching a reception hall, he saw an elderly man with crane-white hair and a childlike face drinking tea. The man glanced at Lin Le. "This old man is Xiang He. What would this guest like to purchase?"

"Spirit Blood Pills. Can you first let me inspect a bottle's quality?" Lin Le asked.

"Certainly. Xiao Wu," Xiang He called.

A young attendant immediately emerged carrying a bottle of pills and handed it to Lin Le.

Lin Le accepted the medicine, poured out a pill, and swallowed it on the spot. He smacked his lips. "The quality is quite good. I'll take five bottles first."

As he spoke, Lin Le slapped a stack of banknotes onto the wooden tray held by the young attendant.

"Good, straightforward. Xiao Wu, go get them." A trace of a smile appeared on Xiang He's face. Five thousand taels—after deducting costs and the share he had to hand over, he would still earn a thousand taels, more than his monthly salary as an Attendant.

Lin Le casually took a seat beside Xiang He. "Apothecary Xiang, I heard you can also refine Essence Pills?"

Essence Pills were ninth-grade pills meant exclusively for the cultivation of Spiritual Platform cultivators.

"I can. You want some?" Xiang He asked.

"Of course. But do you have the authority to sell them?" Lin Le asked, producing another stack of banknotes.

Xiang He swept his gaze over the amount written on them, and the smile on his face grew even broader. "So long as the price is right, anything can be discussed."

Lin Le leaned closer to Xiang He and spread his five fingers. "Tell me, do you have this amount?"

Xiang He looked over. Just as he was about to say yes, his vision plunged into darkness.

The guard still present was stunned. He had only seen Lin Le lean in and breathe out, then the pair of Yin-Yang Swords pierced through Xiang He's head and nailed themselves into the wall panel in the distance.

Lin Le inwardly examined the newly acquired thirteen points of killing karma and muttered to himself:

Only the Second Layer. Looks like he was respected solely because he could refine pills.

"You—you actually killed Apothecary Xiang!" A voice cried out in shock and fury.

Lin Le turned his head and saw the young attendant who had brought the medicine staring at him in disbelief.

With a flick of his finger, Lin Le sent out a point of golden light. It directly shattered the young attendant's head and, in passing, crushed flat the guard who had brought him inside and was now trying to flee.

After retrieving his money, Lin Le poured all the medicine into his mouth.

Now, ungraded pills such as Spirit Blood Pills were no longer transformed into pill liquid by the Lotus divine ability. Instead, they were directly refined into Blood Essence Treasure Liquid.

Opening his mouth and inhaling, Lin Le drew the Yin-Yang Sword back into his divine ability Inner Scenery, then began clearing out the medicine manor.

Along the way, he also encountered the two Spiritual Platform cultivators.

However, the gap in their fundamental strength was simply too vast. Lin Le still blew apart one head with each thrust of his spear.

After finishing the cleanup, Lin Le followed his usual practice and invited Qingli out to sweep through the medicine manor.

Watching that white wind, Lin Le felt rather envious. If he had such a divine ability, clearing battlefields would be far more convenient in the future.

"How should we deal with that Spiritual Spring Eye?" Qingli asked, looking at a small well amid the hill fields.

"Can it be destroyed?" Lin Le asked.

"It can, but I've heard that damaging spiritual traces naturally born of heaven and earth greatly harms one's luck." Qingli shook her head. "You'd better not destroy it."

"Fine." Lin Le rubbed his chin. "But can we squeeze it dry enough that it won't recover for several decades?"

"That can be done." Qingli nodded. "But once it's done, I want half. This won't be easy for me either."

"Fine." Lin Le nodded. It was practically free loot anyway; having something to split was enough.

"Then I'll begin." Qingli stretched her body as far as she could and moved closer to the Spiritual Spring.

Only then did Lin Le clearly see half of Qingli's body. It was white tinged with blue, blue tinged with green, astonishingly beautiful.

Without Lin Le seeing what Qingli did, a small blue water sphere suddenly rose from the Spiritual Spring.

Qingli brought the water sphere back, a hint of fatigue appearing on her face. "There's quite a lot of spiritual qi in it. Use your gourd to hold half."

"Alright." Lin Le took out the gourd at his waist and drew in half the water.

Qingli swallowed the remaining half, and the weariness on her face lessened considerably.