Medicine Garden Guardian

Who could have imagined that Li Ergou, so high-spirited just days ago, would today be undone by excessive joy?

Lan Chang'an sighed at the unpredictability of worldly affairs.

When a person was basking in glory, they absolutely must not let themselves drift too high.

Lan Chang'an said, "You needn't be so pessimistic."

"Brother Lu, I know my own skill in combat. If I go to the mine area on the front lines, whether I live or die is impossible to predict."

Li Ergou wore a bitter expression.

He had no confidence he would return alive. That was why he had sought out the Lan Chang'an he trusted most to entrust his last wishes to him.

"Actually, you have one advantage."

"What advantage?" Li Ergou froze.

"You know yourself well. You know exactly how much you weigh."

Li Ergou had neither courage nor nerve. His combat skills were weak beyond measure, and he had barely any real battle experience.

"Brother Lu, at a time like this, you're still putting me down?"

"That may not be a bad thing when it comes to keeping yourself alive."

"What cultivators fear most is being overly confident—thinking themselves unrivaled among those of the same rank, looking down on ordinary cultivators. Who knew how many gifted cultivators had let down their guard, only to capsize in a gutter?"

With a sigh, Lan Chang'an took two Talismans from his Storage Bag and handed them to Li Ergou.

"These are a Healing Talisman and a Wind Speed Talisman. This is all your brother can do for you."

After all, they had known each other for eight years.

Perhaps this would be the last time he saw Li Ergou.

Lan Chang'an was not so miserly. The two Talismans he gave away were both fine products of the same grade.

By now, he was considered a veteran First-Order Talisman Master in the Mu Family and occasionally produced Mid-Grade Talismans.

"Thank you, Brother."

After taking the Talismans, Li Ergou looked at Lan Chang'an with pleading eyes.

"Fine, I promise you."

Lan Chang'an sighed. "If it truly comes to that, then within the limits of my ability, I will look after your wife and daughter a little."

Only then did Li Ergou's sorrow turn to joy, a heavy stone finally dropping from his heart.

Before parting, he could not help asking one question:

"Brother Lu, should I not have changed my name?"

Before changing it,

Li Ergou's life had gone smoothly, and he had lived in untold comfort.

Yet after changing his name to "Li Changqing," one foot had stepped into the abyss.

"Fate and fortune are profound and mysterious. Who could ever explain them clearly?"

Lan Chang'an shook his head, unable to answer.

After all, in his Previous Life, he had merely been in the Golden Core Realm, hardly some great power.

There were too many things in the Cultivation World that he could not understand.

The next day, Li Ergou left Jade Moon Mountain Villa and followed the Lineage's young and able cultivators to the Purple Copper Mine Area.

Lan Chang'an watched his departing back.

He pondered for a long while.

Then he looked toward the center of Jade Moon Lake, where the outline of Moon Heart Island could faintly be seen.

That was the Dao Field where the Mu Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor resided year-round.

Lan Chang'an's soul was extraordinary, and with the enhancement of the Soul Imprint lit up within the First Life of the [Nine Imprint Tablet], his divine sense rose by an entire level.

He sensed that the Mu Family Old Ancestor was still alive, but his aura was weakening by the day.

Back in Golden Cloud Valley, Lin Yi had heard some rumors that the Mu Family Old Ancestor would not live beyond ten years.

According to Lan Chang'an's distant perception, that was more or less accurate. The Old Ancestor likely had only three to five years left.

This judgment did not rely entirely on his soul perception. It also came from the Ancient Wood Evergreen Art's keen grasp of the aura of time and lifespan.

Lan Chang'an's bottom line was that as long as this Foundation Establishment Ancestor could hold steady, he would continue watching from the sidelines and would not rush to flee.

"But three to five years from now, if the Mu Family has not produced a new Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, it absolutely won't be able to protect a Second-Order Spiritual Vein. By then..."

Lan Chang'an withdrew his gaze and silently mapped out several plans in his heart.

Two months later,

there was still no news of Li Ergou from the mine area on the front lines.

Because the mine area was far away and he was an outsider, Lan Chang'an's information was relatively limited.

However, wounded men occasionally returned, while ever younger Mu Family cultivators headed to the front lines.

The tense situation eventually affected Lan Chang'an as well.

"Go serve as a Medicine Garden Guardian?"

One day, while handing over a batch of Talismans, Lan Chang'an received an assignment from the Mu Family higher-ups.

Lan Chang'an's cultivation had not yet reached the Qi Refining Mid-Stage. As a Talisman Master, unless absolutely necessary, the Lineage would not send him to the front lines.

But beyond the mine area front lines, the Mu Family also had assets that needed guarding.

Such as Medicine Gardens, Spirit Fields, water sources, and the like.

The Mu Family had a Medicine Garden in a valley two hundred li from Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

Since it was close to the Lineage's residence, guarding the Medicine Garden was comparatively safe.

"The Medicine Garden sits on spiritual land and has a Spirit Gathering Array. You can cultivate and make Talismans there, while also helping the Lineage guard the Medicine Garden."

The family steward taking Lan Chang'an to the Medicine Garden explained it this way.

Lan Chang'an had no reason to refuse.

Li Ergou had gone to the front lines already. Him handling logistics at the Medicine Garden was only reasonable.

Since it was not far away,

Lan Chang'an rode the Black Gold Saber directly to the Medicine Garden.

Two or three Mu Family youths accompanied him, each with cultivation around the Qi Refining Second Layer.

The valley containing the Medicine Garden possessed a natural formation that gathered the essence of sun and moon, making it suitable for growing medicinal herbs.

The entire Medicine Garden covered several thousand mu and was protected by a First-Order formation.

Besides the divided planting areas, the Medicine Garden contained a cluster of houses built before a stream, resembling a small village.

Once they entered the Medicine Garden, each person was assigned an individual Wooden Hut.

The conditions certainly could not compare to Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

"Lan Chang'an."

Hearing someone call his name, Lan Chang'an turned to the side.

It was a one-armed young man with a familiar face, several places on his body wrapped in bandages.

"Mu Yunfei?"

After thinking back for a moment, Lan Chang'an recognized the identity of the one-armed young man from his handsome features.

Eight years ago, Mu Yunfei had escorted their group of Immortal Seedlings home and distributed Spirit Stones to them along the way.

The two could be considered comrades who had once fought side by side.

Back then, Lan Chang'an had, with Qi Refining First Layer cultivation, killed a Zheng Family cultivator at the Qi Refining Third Layer, earning Mu Yunfei's admiration.

"Brother Yunfei, your arm... was it lost at the mine area on the front lines?"

Lan Chang'an was slightly startled.

"Yes. My injuries need a year of recuperation, so the family head had me watch over the Medicine Garden as well. After all, this is an important place for the Lineage. The elder who guarded it before went to the front lines."

Mu Yunfei's voice was low and slightly hoarse.

He was no longer the promising family talent from eight years ago.

Mu Yunfei was two years older than Lan Chang'an and had cultivation at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer Peak. He counted among the clan's young and able members.

Lan Chang'an secretly thought, Even the wounded are being put back on duty. The Mu Family truly is short of manpower.

Several days later, Lan Chang'an had adapted to life in the Medicine Garden.

The spiritual qi of the Medicine Garden could not compare to Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

But the dense essence of vegetation here enhanced Lan Chang'an's cultivation of the wood-element Ancient Wood Evergreen Art.

Therefore, his cultivation speed was no slower than it had been at Jade Moon Mountain Villa, atop a First-Order Spiritual Vein.

Over the past few days, Lan Chang'an had become familiar with Mu Yunfei and learned about the situation at the mine area on the front lines.

Deep within that Purple Copper Mine Area, they had indeed discovered associated Violet Heart Copper.

The Violet Heart Copper was not included in the territory the two clans had originally agreed to divide equally.

Moreover, the Violet Heart Copper deposits were scattered and limited in quantity, making them easy to hide away privately.

Now, cultivators from both clans were each using whatever means they could to excavate Violet Heart Copper, and clashes broke out from time to time.

"Didn't the Beast Taming Zhou Family, the original arbiter, step in to stop this?"

Lan Chang'an asked Mu Yunfei curiously.

"The Beast Taming Zhou Family?"

Mu Yunfei snorted disdainfully. "That Zhou Family is clearly favoring the Zheng Family! A pair of Zheng Family sisters with spiritual roots were married to the young master of one of the Zhou Family branches."

As one of the Seven Great Clans, the Beast Taming Zhou Family had a Pseudo-Core True Person overseeing it, along with nearly ten Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

Its power was immense, and its internal branches and factions were likewise rather complicated.

Fortunately, only one branch had been won over by the Zheng Family. Otherwise, the Mu Family could have surrendered outright.

The reason Mu Yunfei said the Zhou Family was playing favorites

was because the Zheng Family had more young and able cultivators, while their family Old Ancestor still had twenty or thirty years of life remaining and was in better condition.

If the Zhou Family did not uphold justice, then through such prolonged attrition, the Zheng Family would have a chance to gradually nibble away at and annex the Mu Family's assets.

"You needn't worry. Our Mu Family is in contact with the Maple Leaf Huang Family, and there may be a marriage alliance. The Huang Family has three Foundation Establishment cultivators in one clan and is extremely powerful."

Seemingly seeing Lan Chang'an's concern, Mu Yunfei revealed this.

"The Maple Leaf Huang Family, a marriage alliance?"

Lan Chang'an fell into thought.

It seemed that both the Zheng Family and the Mu Family were seeking powerful allies.

"Move your hands faster! Pick those Mist Orchid Grasses. Ge is waiting to refine pills."

One day, while Lan Chang'an was chatting with Mu Yunfei, an impatient, hoarse voice rang out from the Medicine Field area not far away.

"Who is he?"

Lan Chang'an glanced toward an elderly man in ancient robes with swollen bags beneath his eyes.

He had not noticed before that there was actually a senior at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer in the Medicine Garden.

"He is Alchemist Ge Yi, one of the Lineage's four Guest Elders. Because pills have been in urgent shortage recently, Elder Ge has been stationed at the Medicine Garden for easy access to materials for alchemy."

With respect on his face, Mu Yunfei introduced him.

Lan Chang'an understood. So he was a veteran Alchemist. No wonder his temper was so foul—he barked orders at several Mu Family youths as though commanding his grandsons.

After Ge Alchemist left,

Mu Yunfei lowered his voice. "Elder Ge has a bad temper. Be careful around him normally, and do not offend him. Elder Ge has ties with the Old Ancestor; even the family head must yield to him by three parts."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Yunfei."

Lan Chang'an nodded.

He was at the Medicine Garden to assist in guarding it and cultivate quietly. He had no need to deal with Elder Ge.

The Medicine Garden lay in the rear and had remained peaceful and free of worry.

More than half a year passed in calm cultivation.

One day,

Lan Chang'an was seated cross-legged in his room, circulating his art and absorbing the spiritual qi of vegetation, when he abruptly opened his dark eyes.

"Qi Refining Third Layer Peak."

Since he was rebuilding his cultivation, he essentially had no bottlenecks in the Qi Refining Realm.

That meant he could step into the Qi Refining Mid-Stage at any time.