Two People with Different Thoughts

"Sir, what do you think of this Heart-Heaven Orchid Fragrance?"

Ye Lingling had not been gone long before she returned with a sealed box. She opened it and pushed it before Chen An.

The Heart-Heaven Orchid Fragrance did not look particularly unusual, but its faint scent was somewhat intoxicating. If that were its only effect, Chen An would not have considered it special. It merely contained a relatively large amount of energy.

"This Heart-Heaven Orchid Fragrance has a special effect on soul beasts. It allows raised soul beasts to improve more quickly and belongs to the category of catalytic herbs."

Ye Lingling calmly and thoroughly explained its effects, which piqued Chen An's interest. This thing was rich in energy. Aside from being somewhat volatile, it was very good. As long as the problem of the energy rampaging after entering the human body could be handled—or the medicinal effect neutralized—it would be an excellent item.

"Then I'll take this one. How many Heart-Heaven Orchid Fragrances do you have here?"

"Five can be sold."

Ye Lingling having high authority did not mean she was experienced in business. Under normal circumstances, she would not have said something like that or revealed her bottom line so directly. Chen An smiled faintly and said nothing else.

"Alright, I'll buy them all."

Chen An handed over two Seven Treasures Glazed black cards, each with a considerable balance. Ye Lingling naturally could not handle such a transaction herself, so she had her aunt downstairs take care of it. As for Ye Lingling, she began chatting with Chen An.

"Sir, you seem to be someone who enjoys flowers and plants. You have a deep understanding of herbs."

Ye Lingling spoke with a rare smile.

She thought highly of the Heart-Heaven Orchid Fragrance, but anyone without deep knowledge of herbs would not recognize its value. She even felt she might have underestimated it. Otherwise, why would the man before her pay so quickly?

"I know a little." Chen An was modest, but he did not deny it.

Its effects truly were significant. If cultivated, it could considerably increase his students' cultivation speed. It would also help him develop the Beast Realm and could be used in a Spirit Gathering Array.

"Then, sir, do you know of any immortal herbs that can repair a martial soul's flaws?"

Ye Lingling's fondness for herbs was also because she wished to break the limitation of the Nine-Heart Begonia. Saying that it was passed down through a single line sounded nice, but to her, it was more like a curse.

She had phrased it indirectly only to avoid exposing the Nine-Heart Begonia, as she was accustomed to hiding herself. After all, when one possessed the Nine-Heart Begonia, it was best not to be arrogant or draw attention.

Keeping a low profile was one of the important reasons the Nine-Heart Begonia lineage had survived until now.

"I do." Chen An naturally knew. Not to mention that the Nine-Grade Purple Mushroom could allow that jade good-for-nothing to break through and improve the Golden Dragon that had been ruined by carrots for years, the Aromatic Silk Beauty could evolve Seven Treasures Glazed into Nine Treasures Glazed.

He even knew of immortal herbs and spiritual medicines that did not belong to this world. But what was the use? They were not what Ye Lingling needed.

"Oh?"

Ye Lingling's expression changed. This was the first time someone had said the word "know" with such certainty, and she did not feel he was deceiving her. Her interest was immediately stirred, and she continued, "Could sir tell me about them?"

Chen An shook his head and sighed, causing Ye Lingling to doubt her judgment. But he soon said, "Aromatic Silk Beauty, Sky Dream Jade Orchid, Dragon Scale Phoenix Tail Flower..."

He named several in succession. They were basically things that existed in this world, but could they be found? Even if they were found, there was a high chance they would only be sprouts, of little use.

Chen An did not care about naming a few herbs. Even if they were found, he could only say that the other party was fortunate.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir." Ye Lingling gave him a respectful salute before speaking.

She did not think he was lying because she knew of one of those herbs.

Chen An waved his hand. It was nothing. He had been watching Ye Lingling all along, then said with a trace of pity.

"Do you really think those herbs can solve your condition?"

Ye Lingling smiled helplessly and unconsciously stroked her teacup.

"There must be some hope."

Their family had researched this matter for generations. They had found some clues and a direction, so how could they give up so easily?

Seeing that she had not understood what he meant, Chen An decided not to explain. The Nine-Heart Begonia's limitation lay in the essence of its martial soul. Such an ability could only have originated from the Tree of Life in the God Realm.

Then there was a chance the restriction had been imposed by the God Realm. But was it truly only the God Realm's restriction? He did not believe so. Without the intervention of the world's will, he simply could not believe it.

So could a single immortal herb truly solve those problems?

"Sir, your black cards."

Large transactions used black cards. The balance on the Seven Treasures Glazed black cards was naturally more than enough to buy these items, so they had needed to make a trip to the bank to complete the transaction.

After accepting the black cards and putting away the herbs, Chen An planned to leave. There was no point staying here, so Ye Lingling rose to see him off.

Before he left, she gave Chen An a token and said, "Sir, this is a token of the Ye Family. I hope we can meet again."

Chen An did not refuse and put away the token as well. He said with certainty, "We will."

Yet he thought, It won't be long. We'll meet again in a few days.

This was not the right time to take her as a disciple. He would see in a few days. Their fate had not ended yet.

After Chen An left, Ye Lingling returned to her cool and lonely expression.

"Auntie, I'm going upstairs to continue training."

She was here today because it was her team's rest day.

There was nowhere in Suotuo City for her to go, so she stayed at the herb shop. As for cultivation, Qin Ming put a great deal of pressure on them, constantly saying they were only allowed to win, never lose.

She did not know why he was like this as a teacher. She could only obediently comply.

Yet while cultivating, her thoughts drifted to Chen An's kindness during their conversation and those immortal herbs whose whereabouts were unknown. As she thought, she forgot about training and began imagining what it would be like once the flaw in her martial soul was removed.

Gradually, her mind wandered away entirely.

On the other side, Chen An returned to the hotel and saw that all the children had returned. They were all cultivating, and a smile inevitably appeared on his face.

Later that night, after the daily discussion with his direct disciples was over, Chen An took several boxes of clothes from his storage ring and distributed them among his four direct disciples.

"Zhuqing, these are clothes your master bought for you. Don't wear purple all the time. It's good to change things up now and then."

Zhu Zhuqing happily accepted the clothes. The clothes themselves were small things, but the thought behind them meant a great deal. "Little Stone, this is yours."

Luo Xiaoshi's family circumstances were much the same as Zhu Zhuqing's—poor.

"Rongrong, Yiran, these are gifts for you two..."

He had not prepared clothes for them. As long as they asked, their elders would take care of such things.

So he gave them gifts of equal value instead, some handicrafts. They were still a token of his thoughtfulness.

Without exception, they all said, "Thank you, Master."

Every child now had a smile on their face. How wonderful.

With nothing else to busy himself with, Chen An simply stayed in the hotel and did not go out, waiting for the battle against the Imperial Fighting Team a few days later.

Compared to the calm on their side, the Imperial Fighting Team was in turmoil, especially Qin Ming.

He received the news that Shrek would be coming to watch the match, along with the opponent information sheet from the supervisor. After just two glances, he was stunned.

"How is this possible?!"