"Elder Gongsun, I'll take Elder Jiang back to Heavenly Sun Peak now!"
After exchanging a few polite words with Gongsun Hong, Wen Yueyao left the Affairs Hall with Jiang Ye and headed for Heavenly Sun Peak.
About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later.
The moment they set foot on Heavenly Sun Peak, a slightly warm breeze brushed against them. The temperature here was clearly much higher than on the other peaks.
Jiang Ye looked up. Scattered across the mountainside were rows of cauldrons of various sizes.
Some were cast from bronze, others fired from red clay. All were blazing with fierce flames, their firelight flickering beneath the afternoon sun and bathing the entire mountainside in crimson.
Many young disciples sat cross-legged beside the cauldrons, eyes closed as they regulated their breathing. Beads of sweat glistened on their faces, but they seemed not to notice.
"Miss Wen, why are there so many cauldrons on Heavenly Sun Peak? And why are they all burning?"
A trace of puzzlement flickered in Jiang Ye's eyes.
Wen Yueyao followed his gaze and smiled faintly, her voice clear as she explained, "Elder Jiang, our Heavenly Sun Peak specializes in cultivating Fire Element True Qi. Those cauldrons help the disciples nourish their true qi."
"So they draw fire energy from the cauldrons to nourish their true qi..."
A look of understanding crossed Jiang Ye's face.
It seemed that entering the Core Formation Realm was even more profound than he had imagined.
They walked and talked, and before long they arrived at the entrance to a medicine garden.
A plain wooden hut stood by the entrance, and beside it rose a waist-high stone stele bearing the words "Heavenly Sun Peak Herb Garden."
"Is Elder Qin here?"
Wen Yueyao called softly toward the hut.
As soon as she finished speaking, the hut door creaked open, and a figure staggered out.
He was a middle-aged man in an Azure Sky Sect elder's robe, his complexion almost unnaturally ruddy. A scorching aura faintly radiated from him.
His steps were unsteady, and before he could even get his footing, a strong reek of alcohol wafted over, making people wrinkle their noses.
He squinted at the newcomers, then burst out laughing. "Well, look who's back! Wen True Disciple!"
He strode over and clapped Wen Yueyao on the shoulder, grinning broadly. "I heard you took out that beast Black Old Five in Anxi County! Good! Well done! You did much better than that kid Zheng Feng. He fought White Old Three for ages, then let him escape. What a disgrace!"
Wen Yueyao frowned slightly and instinctively shifted to the side, avoiding the strong smell of alcohol. She couldn't very well make a scene, though, so she simply said, "You flatter me, Elder Qin. I only managed to take out Black Old Five thanks to Elder Jiang's help."
She stepped aside to reveal Jiang Ye, then continued, "We came to ask a favor of you, Elder Qin. Elder Jiang has just joined our Azure Sky Sect as a deacon, and we'd like you to arrange a post for him here on Heavenly Sun Peak, guarding a medicine garden."
Qin Lie looked at Jiang Ye and laughed. "That's a small matter. One of my four gardens—the one growing Heavenly Sunflower Grass—could use another guard."
With that, he bellowed toward the garden, "Lv Ming! Get out here!"
Before long, a figure darted out of the garden, nimble and sure-footed, landing without a sound.
He was a slightly plump, round-faced youth of about seventeen or eighteen. His eyes darted about, brimming with cleverness.
He glanced at Wen Yueyao, then at Jiang Ye beside her. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly composed himself and cupped his fists respectfully.
"Greetings, Elder Qin and Senior Sister Wen!"
Qin Lie waved a hand and pointed at Jiang Ye. "Lv Ming, this is Deacon Jiang. He's just joined the sect and will be your colleague from now on. He'll be guarding the Heavenly Sunflower Grass garden. Take him around and show him the way, then explain how the garden works."
"Yes!"
Lv Ming nodded emphatically, his face breaking into a warm smile. He cupped his fists and said, "Deacon Jiang, I'm Lv Ming. You can just call me Little Lv. Come, I'll take you around the garden!"
"Very well. I'll trouble you, young man."
Jiang Ye returned the courtesy.
Wen Yueyao had planned to go with them, but then a disciple hurried up the mountain path and whispered something to her. Her brows knitted together, and she turned to Jiang Ye with an apologetic look.
"Elder Jiang, the peak master has summoned me, so I have to go. Please go with Lv Ming and get acquainted with everything. I'll come see you later."
"Go ahead, Miss. Take care of what matters." Jiang Ye waved a hand, indicating she needn't worry.
Wen Yueyao smiled apologetically, then hurried off with the disciple.
"Deacon Jiang, let's talk as we walk."
Lv Ming was a chatterbox. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop.
He led Jiang Ye north along the mountainside, pointing out the sights as he rattled off one explanation after another.
"Our Heavenly Sun Peak has unusual terrain, so there aren't many places suitable for growing medicinal herbs. We only have four gardens in all."
He pointed east toward a fiery red field where the leaves curled like flames. "That field grows Red Sun Grass, the most common Fire Element medicinal herb. The 'Pure Yang Pills' the disciples use in their daily cultivation are refined from it."
Then he pointed west, to vines clinging to a cliff face, with several fist-sized red fruits hanging from them. "Those are Flame Heart Fruits. They're very precious—only one batch ripens every three years."
Next, he gestured south toward a lower-lying area where heat shimmered in the air. "That's where we grow Earth Fire Ginseng. It's even rarer. It grows buried in cracks in the rock, so be careful when digging it up. Damage the roots, and it won't be worth much."
Jiang Ye's expression remained unchanged, but a sudden warmth flared in his heart.
Earth Fire Ginseng and Heavenly Sunflower Grass were both among the main herbs needed to refine the secret medicine in the Diamond Body Refining Technique.
He hadn't expected the medicine garden to have both of them.
Looks like he'd have to find a way to fleece the sect.
As the saying went, if the cook didn't steal, the harvest wouldn't come in.
Apart from the medicine gardens, he learned plenty of other things from Little Fatty.
It turned out that the enormous Azure Sky Sect had a True Disciple Ranking, which only ten of the Inner Sect's thousand-plus disciples could enter.
Wen Yueyao was the only Transformation Strength disciple on the True Disciple Ranking. All the other true disciples were in the Core Formation Realm.
And she'd made the ranking on sheer talent alone.
Jiang Ye had always thought Wen Yueyao and Liu Yiyi were around the same age. In reality, that wasn't the case.
Setting aside her overly mature figure, Wen Yueyao was actually a few years younger than Liu Yiyi...
"Good grief... what did this little girl grow up eating?"
Jiang Ye marveled inwardly.
"We're here, Deacon Jiang. This is the Heavenly Sunflower Grass garden you'll be guarding from now on."
Lv Ming brought Jiang Ye to the northernmost end of the garden. It stood some distance from the other three, and row upon row of blood-red medicinal herbs grew there.
"Little brother, I'm new here, so I'll have to trouble you to show me the ropes. Is there anything I should keep in mind while guarding the garden?"
As he spoke, Jiang Ye discreetly took several silver notes from his robes and offered them to Lv Ming.
"Hey, Deacon Jiang, what are you doing?"
Lv Ming stared at the silver notes, startled, then waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle. "Senior Sister Wen introduced you, so I'll tell you everything I know. Please put those away."
Jiang Ye chuckled as he pressed the notes into Lv Ming's hands. His aged voice held a note of sincerity. "I may be old, but I'm still a newcomer to the sect. I'll be counting on you to look out for me. When an elder gives a gift, you shouldn't refuse. Don't stand on ceremony."
Unable to refuse, Lv Ming accepted the silver notes respectfully, his smile growing even warmer.
He tucked the notes into his robe, cleared his throat, and lowered his voice. "Since you're being so generous, Deacon Jiang, I'll speak from the heart."
He leaned closer, his expression turning serious. "The medicinal herbs grown on our Heavenly Sun Peak are all yang in nature, and quite fierce. Heavenly Sunflower Grass in particular tends to attract something."
"Oh? What?"
Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Fire Centipedes." Lv Ming enunciated each word, his voice tinged with wariness. "Those poisonous pests love burrowing into Heavenly Sunflower Grass and feeding on the yang energy in its leaves. Their poison is no ordinary venom—it's a rare fire poison. If one bites you, it feels like your wound's on fire. The pain can knock you out. Every year, they ruin several of the herbs in this garden."
"Fire Centipedes..."
A strange light flashed in Jiang Ye's aged eyes.
For the past few days, he'd been studying the Poison Control Scripture in the guest lodgings.
Poisonous creatures in the world could, by and large, be divided into five categories:
Scorpions, snakes, centipedes, geckos, and toads.
Fire Centipedes were among the best of the centipede-type poisonous creatures.
Their fire poison was a deadly weapon far beyond what ordinary venomous creatures could muster.
He'd been thinking of finding a suitable poisonous creature to raise once he'd settled in.
He hadn't expected the medicine garden to have one ready and waiting.
He'd come to exactly the right place.
Before you continue