June 14th.
Zhang Rongfang led more than ten servants, carrying bundles of freshly washed and dried medicinal herbs and ores, toward the Pill Master's cave.
Along the way, before dawn, there were already Daoist priests from the Pill Hall coming and going, preparing for the new day's affairs.
Most of them were Daoist boys with their servants, while a small number were outsiders who had come here long ago to seek elixirs.
The people of the Pill Hall are easy to identify; each of them hangs a sign representing Pill Hall in the most conspicuous place.
Zhang Rongfang glanced at the Chui Xi beside him.
The guy proudly hung the tag around his neck; it looked like a dog tag and swayed as he walked.
Given that she was eating spicy grilled meat skewers at the time, and was occasionally sticking out her tongue and breathing out hot air, it was really a bit eye-watering.
He himself tied the sign to the upper half of his arm so that it wouldn't fall off easily and would be visible to everyone.
"Speaking of which, there have been more and more people coming to ask for pills and medicine lately. Not long ago, I even saw some nobles and high-ranking Noble from the Great Capital come here in person," Chui Xi whispered.
"A high-ranking Noble?"
"Yes," Chui Xi nodded, "Even people from the Yan Shun Royal Mansion, one of the Six Kings of the Great Ling, with immense power, have come to ask for medicine during this time."
"It seems the situation outside is very bad?" Zhang Rongfang said softly.
"It's very bad," Chui Xi sighed. "Recently, there have been all sorts of murders, and fights are breaking out everywhere. Those martial arts masters have such bad tempers; they'll kill someone at the drop of a hat, and if you're not careful, you could be crippled for life. Sigh."
She sighed, it was unclear whether she was lamenting the dangers of the world or the dangers faced by those who practice martial arts.
The two escorted today's alchemy materials, walking along the internal path of the Pill Hall towards Gathering Fire Basin number 134.
They used a dedicated route for transporting goods.
A dozen meters away, there were two separate paths for the Daoist priests of the Pill Hall and for outsiders seeking medicine.
The three roads run parallel to each other, separated only by simple stone blocks and guarded by First Squad of martial arts Daoists.
These Daoist priests, armed with machetes and arm shields, were burly and vigilant, their eyes scanning the surroundings with wary intent.
"Master! I beg you, my son really can't take it anymore! Without medicine, he... he..."
A man in his fifties or sixties suddenly knelt down in front of a Pill Master, weeping bitterly.
"Cloud Stone Daoist, we only need one, just one!! Really, just one!" The man trembled all over, holding a stack of silver notes in his hand, and handed them forward.
Upon closer inspection, the banknotes also contained many small denomination Treasure Note and some broken silver and copper coins.
The Cloud Stone Daoist, who was stopped, looked displeased and didn't even glance at the other person.
"The Ice Crimson Pill have already been distributed in portions; you're too late."
He waved his hand, and the guard on the side immediately stepped forward and dragged the kneeling man away.
"Let's go." Daoist Yunshi said calmly, leading his young disciple towards the Gathering Fire Basin.
The man behind him pleaded in agony, but it did nothing to slow him down.
The man frantically tried to rush forward, but the Daoist priest held him tightly, and he couldn't break free.
Zhang Rongfang withdrew his gaze, sighing inwardly. He had witnessed this scene several times before.
Although I've only been at the Pill Hall for a few days, a similar scene plays out here every day.
Looking into the distance, he took in the entire inner courtyard of the Dan Hall, which stretched for hundreds of meters.
Three roads.
The line for those seeking medicine was packed with people coming to get their prescriptions.
Most of them were dressed in disheveled clothes; although they were wearing fine robes and fine clothes, most of them looked haggard.
Many people had unfocused eyes and red, swollen eyes, as if they had been crying.
Some people were nervous, looking around as if worried that someone would snatch away the pills they wanted. In the blink of an eye, he also saw a thin boy being held in his mother's arms.
The boy weakly opened his eyes wide and struggled to hold a small red windmill between his two hands, which had no palms left.
The wind blows, and the windmill turns.
The boy laughed happily.
"Do so many people come every day asking for elixirs?" Zhang Rongfang asked.
"You want to ask, if they're not short of money, why are they still like this? Right?" Chui Xi said from the side.
Before Zhang Rongfang answer, she continued.
"Do you know that besides being the second largest sect of the Daoist Sect, our Great Dao Sect is also one of the most famous holy sites of medicine in the entire Great Ling?"
"A sacred place of medicine." Zhang Rongfang could have guessed it already.
The Great Dao Sect has money, manpower, and leisure time, so naturally they have plenty of time to study elixirs and medical techniques.
Even if medical skills are just a side benefit, over time they accumulate to a considerable level.
Suddenly, Zhang Rongfang's gaze shifted, and he noticed a noblewoman in a moon-white robe and a black coral Antler ornament in the group seeking medicine. She was accompanied by two servants and led by a Daoist priest from the Great Dao Sect.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, the woman turned her head, and when she saw him, her eyes seemed somewhat surprised.
Then, the other person gave him a slight smile.
Zhang Rongfang responded with a polite smile.
It was just a smile, but he had already memorized it.
The woman's eyes clearly showed that she recognized him.
Keeping this in mind, Zhang Rongfang ignored everything else and followed Chui Xi to Cave Mansion 134 to listen to the Daoist Qing You's explanation.
Before she knew it, the morning's alchemy demonstration was over, Qingyou left.
Zhang Rongfang and Chui Xi left the cave and went their separate ways.
As soon as he stepped out of the Pill Hall, he saw several people who seemed to have been waiting for a long time outside.
Among the group, the one in the lead was none other than the elegant woman they had just seen.
At noon, the Coral Hairpin on the woman's head was illuminated by the sunlight, reflecting a finely polished black sheen.
The blackness, as dark as the night, contrasted sharply with her snow-white skin.
"Shall we chat?" The woman stepped forward and smiled.
Zhang Rongfang stared at her, then his gaze suddenly narrowed as he caught a glimpse of Golden Character Feather Talisman flashing in her sleeve.
The upper floors of the Golden Wing Tower!
A thought struck him. Although he knew that his secret arrival here would inevitably be discovered by the people at the Golden Wing Tower headquarters sooner or later.
But the fact that it took so long for headquarters to finally find him was quite unexpected.
"Okay." He nodded without hesitation.
The two did not bring any other people with them, but were led by a Daoist priest to a secluded courtyard in the Pill Hall.
There were some abandoned flowerpots in the yard, filled with withered and dead medicinal vines and flowers.
With a creak, the courtyard gate closed, and people were stationed outside to guard the area, preventing anyone from approaching.
"My name is Chong Ming." The woman gently smoothed the strands of hair that had been blown across her forehead by the wind.
"The Golden Wing Tower has one Chief Master and two Deputy Tower. I am the Deputy Tower."
"Chong Ming. A Chongming Bird?" Zhang Rongfang realized.
"Yes, it seems you know a little about this as well." The woman named Chong Ming smiled.
"To be honest, we knew you were in Great Capital a long time ago. We just haven't had time to come and see you."
"Looking for me?" Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly. As a high-ranking member of the Golden Wing Tower, he was merely a Spirit Envoy, and there were many other Spirit Envoy at his level.
Why would the other party say that?
"You are one of the hopes chosen by the Heavenly Maiden, a seed. But right now, you are too weak. Too easily withered," Chong Ming continued.
"Where is the Heavenly Maiden?" Zhang Rongfang asked in a deep voice. "What does she want to do?"
"I don't know. But she has reached the most crucial moment. If she succeeds, her strength will increase greatly, but at the same time she will completely forget about us." Chong Ming shook his head.
"Besides, the situation in Great Capital is very bad right now; you shouldn't have come."
"I lack the Super Grade Secret Art and opportunity, so I had no choice but to come," Zhang Rongfang replied.
"The Great Dao Sect Ancestral Court does indeed present an opportunity, but now," Chong Ming sighed, "It's too dangerous. Didn't the Heavenly Maiden tell you about the Three-Year Pact?"
Zhang Rongfang fell silent.
Yes, I did say that.
However, his progress far exceeded the constraints of the Three-Year Pact.
Furthermore, with Gong Shuyin's encouragement, he made early contact with the Yin Huai Forest Great Heavy Temple.
"Alright, I'm seeing you because your identity has been exposed. There's no need to hide anymore. Sea Dragon and the Sensing Gate both know you're here."
"So, if you can, stay here and don't leave. If you can't, I'll send someone to pick you up. Under no circumstances should you act alone."
Chong Ming reminded.
"Understood." Zhang Rongfang nodded.
"Also, I must remind you of one more thing: in Great Capital, never use the Red Sparrow for communication. Remember, the Red Sparrow is useless here; too many people already know about it."
Chong Ming thought about it.
"If anything unexpected happens and my men don't come, and you really need help, you can go to the Cloud Mist Mountain Manor and find Eight Sides Divine Sword Wei Feng."
Cloud Mist Mountain Manor is on par with our Golden Wing Tower. Out of respect for the Heavenly Maiden, he will surely lend a helping hand.
"Understood." Zhang Rongfang wrote it down carefully.
"Finally, may I ask one question?" Chong Ming asked, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Are you Zhang Rongfang, Zhang Ying, or someone else?"
"I have always been Zhang Rongfang, from beginning to end, and that has never changed." Zhang Rongfang knew why the other party had such a question.
Judging from Zhang Rongfang's background and experience alone, no one would believe that he could achieve the Ninth Grade rank of martial arts and the Golden Core Civilian Skill at the age of nineteen.
Because if he were just Zhang Rongfang, then according to his experience records, it would have taken him just over two years, almost three years, to go from being completely powerless to having Ninth Grade cultivation level.
What does this even mean?!
Therefore, it is quite normal for him to have such doubts about Golden Wing Tower, whom he knows the most.
Everyone thought that Zhang Ying had been practicing martial arts since childhood, but the Golden Wing Tower's investigation was very clear: it had only taken him a little over two years to go from the start of his training to now.
No wonder the other party didn't believe it.
Chong Ming did not speak again.
Actually, she had some doubts when she first found out all of Zhang Rongfang's information.
Because it's too fast! Zhang Rongfang went from having no martial arts skills to reaching the Ninth Grade at an incredibly fast pace! No human could possibly have such speed.
The only solution is to Worship God.
If it were a spirit medium worshipping a god, disguising his identity, especially since Zhang Rongfang had collected parts of statues of gods back then.
However, the Heavenly Maiden lived and ate with Zhang Rongfang, Sparring Practice daily, which should have ruled out this possibility. If the Heavenly Maiden had nothing better to do all day, how could she possibly find so much time to accompany and teach Zhang Rongfang amidst her busy schedule? If it weren't to prove that he wasn't hiding his Spirit Vein, she wouldn't have wasted so much time.
"Currently, the Eastern Sect's influence in Great Capital is led by the Cloud Mist Mountain Manor, Golden Wing Tower, and Great Bright Light Temple, which are opposing the Western Sect."
"The Western Sect is led by Master Yuan of True Buddha Temple, and it has joined forces with Sensing Gate Taiqing Lineage, Sea Dragon, Heaven-Appointed King, and other forces. If you hear these names, remember to avoid them." Chong Ming added a few more words of advice.
It was clear that she still had some hesitation about Zhang Rongfang's attitude.
"You think I'm Spirit Vein?"
Zhang Rongfang suddenly spoke. He was now in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, which was already considered a high-level cultivator. Moreover, he was only nineteen years old, far surpassing those Nascent Soul cultivators in their fifties or sixties. His reaction speed was incredibly sharp.
I noticed the other party's attitude immediately.
"Actually." Chong Ming his mouth, pondering his words.
Thud! In an instant, Zhang Rongfang pierced the skin of his right arm with one finger.
The hardened fingertips, honed through Eagle Claw Skill, could slice through the skin, revealing the blood-red muscle beneath.
"Now I'm telling you, I'm not Spirit Vein, I'm a living, breathing person!"
Zhang Rongfang said in a deep voice.
This is just a minor injury; it will heal quickly. He mainly wanted to prove himself.