Flower-Appreciation Gathering (5)

The other party had clearly witnessed Wen Jian's earlier rescue of the medicinal herb. Seeing this, Wen Jian hurriedly said modestly, "It was merely a small effort. There is truly no need to thank me."

After saying that, he was about to quietly retreat behind his fellow disciples to avoid further entanglement. However, as though she had anticipated it, Gu Yueyao shifted slightly and blocked his path at just the right moment.

Her smile was radiant, bright as the warm sun of spring, yet excitement gleamed in her eyes. "The method you used just now was exquisitely ingenious and truly opened Yueyao's eyes. Might you honor me by discussing it with Yueyao?"

Alarm bells immediately went off in Shen Yuxi's heart, and he could not help complaining inwardly again. Holy shit! That form of self-address... this is absolutely a beauty trap! Sis, my dear sis! Why have you started using this delicate little white-flower way of referring to yourself too?! Is this what an ambitious female lead is like? For the sake of her career, she would even resort to a beauty trap?

Hearing his second senior brother's inner voice, Wen Jian's expression instantly stiffened, and he secretly groaned.

He did not actually understand anything about knowledge from the Outer Domains. How could he dare to discuss it in depth with the young valley master of Medicine King Valley? He could only decline. "Young Valley Master, you flatter me. I merely happened to see this method in an ancient text and tried using it on a whim. There is truly nothing worth discussing, and I fear I would be unable to help you much."

Yet Gu Yueyao did not give up. Still smiling, she said unhurriedly, "It is no matter. It would only be a simple exchange.

"I see that this junior brother cares deeply about spirit herbs. You must be quite passionate about them as well. Medicine King Valley may not understand much else, but we have done some research into medicinal herbs. If we exchange insights, it may greatly benefit both sides in refining ourselves. What do you think, junior brother?"

Her tone was sincere, and her eyes were full of expectation, making it difficult to refuse her outright.

Shen Yuxi continued to grumble inwardly at the side. When doing it herself did not work, she immediately switched the 'beauty' into exactly the type the enemy likes. Ruthless! Too ruthless!

Wen Jian was deeply conflicted. He truly yearned for Medicine King Valley's research into medicinal herbs.

I want to go, I really want to go!! But I genuinely do not understand knowledge from the Outer Domains! Once we start exchanging ideas, I will definitely be exposed. He shouted inwardly, his face revealing his struggle.

Gu Yueyao seemed to have keenly noticed Wen Jian's hesitation. She smiled understandingly and said, "Since junior brother has concerns, Yueyao will not press you relentlessly. We can speak of this another time."

Her smile remained gentle, but Shen Yuxi quietly complained inwardly, As everyone knows, 'another time' does not mean never. This young valley master definitely will not give up easily.

Wen Jian heard Shen Yuxi's thoughts and felt helpless. He could only respond silently in his heart, Second Senior Brother, please shut up. Outwardly, he gave two awkward chuckles, trying to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere.

After a brief exchange, the two sides bid each other farewell. The people of the Profound Heaven Sect politely took their leave first and continued on their way.

Once the Profound Heaven Sect group had gradually gone far away and vanished from sight, Gu Yueyao slowly turned her head. Her gaze, like a sharp bolt of lightning, instantly swept toward the two disciples desperately trying to diminish their own presence.

The warm, approachable smile on her face when she had faced the others, bright as spring sunshine, abruptly cooled. In its place was a stern and frosty expression, as though she had stepped from warm spring into the bitter cold of winter in an instant.

Her tone was cold enough to pierce the bone, as though layered frost clung to every word. "Spirit plants are all exceedingly precious. From the first day you entered Medicine King Valley, you were repeatedly instructed and warned that you must treat them with care and caution, leaving no room for the slightest carelessness. Yet you still made such a grave mistake!

"If not for that Profound Heaven Sect disciple happening to know how to save it, this spirit plant, cultivated through so much effort from the valley, would have been utterly ruined! If it had truly come to that, how would you have borne the consequences?" Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

The two disciples knew they had committed a great error. Ashamed beyond measure, they could only hang their heads and did not dare make the slightest sound.

"Go receive your punishment yourselves." Gu Yueyao coldly uttered those few words.

At her words, the offending disciples could not help shuddering, their faces full of terror and regret. They knew that although the young valley master was usually gentle, she had always been strict regarding the valley's rules and never showed leniency. How could they dare disobey now? With their heads lowered, they hurried away.

Only after the two disciples had completely disappeared from sight did Gu Yueyao slowly turn around again. In the blink of an eye, a faintly apologetic smile swiftly appeared on her face.

She looked toward Wang Rong and said gently, "I have made Junior Brother Wang laugh. The disciples of my sect acted so rashly and committed an error they should never have made, so I had no choice but to discipline them."

Seeing this, Wang Rong hurriedly waved his hand warmly. A seemingly broad-minded smile instantly bloomed across his face as he said heartily, "Young Valley Master, there is no need to be so polite. What sect does not have a few junior brothers who are occasionally careless? Guiding and restraining them is the unshirkable duty of us senior brothers and sisters."

He spoke with impassioned righteousness, as though he was usually exceptionally strict in disciplining the disciples under him and had never slackened in the slightest.

Gu Yueyao nodded slightly and softly replied, "Junior Brother speaks reasonably."

Yet at the moment she nodded, an almost imperceptible hint of scrutiny flashed through her eyes as she discreetly observed Wang Rong's every movement.

She was not the sort to blindly believe whatever others said. She had her own judgment of right and wrong.

After they had gone some distance away, Lin Mumu finally cautiously peeked back in the other party's direction. Then she could not help saying, "So that was Medicine King Valley's young valley master? At first glance, she looked gentle enough, but that presence... she is rather like Fourth Senior Sister."

As she spoke, she tilted her head, apparently trying hard to recall Zhou Wan's appearance and compare the two.

"Azure Rock Sect moved quickly. They latched onto the young valley master so soon?" Lin Huaixu's attention was clearly focused elsewhere.

"Speaking of it, that Wang Rong... when Ninth Junior Brother refused the young valley master just now, his gaze was so vicious. I almost thought he would cause trouble for Junior Brother on the spot."

Recalling the scene from before, Lin Mumu absently twirled a strand of hair around her fingers. Her almond-shaped eyes still held lingering fear. "Did you see it? His gaze was like a knife. It slashed right over."

Ye Jingxuan glanced at Lin Mumu, a gentle smile resting at the corner of his lips. "Sixth Senior Sister, you are too nervous. Although Azure Rock Sect has always acted flamboyantly, it is still far from being on the same level as the Profound Heaven Sect. He is also the chief senior disciple of a sect, so he can still weigh the gravity of the situation.

"Even if he truly felt dissatisfied, publicly embarrassing a Profound Heaven Sect disciple in front of everyone would not be a wise move."

"But why?" Lin Mumu's brows remained furrowed, her face full of confusion. She skipped over a bluestone floor tile, and the jeweled hairpins in her hair jingled with her movements. "We should not have any grudge against Azure Rock Sect, right?"

Lin Huaixu also began muttering to himself, idly rubbing the dead branch he had just picked up between his fingers. "Who knows—Eldest Senior Brother?"

Chu Shihan shook his head. Having cultivated in seclusion all year round, he truly paid little attention to such trivial matters between sects.

But speaking of interactions between sects... the group tacitly turned to look at Ye Jingxuan, who trailed at the very back. He was reaching out to brush past a flowering branch extending from outside the corridor. As he bent beneath the covered bridge, all eyes fixed on him, making his fingertips tremble. Petals rustled down.

He cleared his throat and began at an unhurried pace. "Azure Rock Sect rose through talisman stones. Though the power of their specially made talisman stones is somewhat inferior to spirit talismans, they can be reused, so they have always sold rather well.

"Two years ago, they developed a new type of talisman stone and planned to make a name for themselves at Wishful Tower's Myriad Treasures Fair, promote it vigorously, and expand their market on a grand scale. Who would have thought that Fifth Senior Brother happened to emerge from seclusion that year..."

At this point, Ye Jingxuan gave Lin Huaixu a meaningful look. Lin Huaixu tilted his head and pointed at himself blankly, unable to understand how this had anything to do with him.

"Fifth Senior Brother dumped all the spirit talismans he had accumulated over several years into the Myriad Treasures Fair for sale. Cultivators are naturally gamblers at heart. In times of danger, what they need is not talisman stones that must be charged in advance before they can be used repeatedly, but the deterrence brought by absolute power capable of changing the tide of battle in one stroke.

"Thus, the more limited someone's funds, the more willing they are to gamble everything on one throw."

"Moreover..." Ye Jingxuan shook his head helplessly. "The number of spirit talismans Fifth Senior Brother unloaded all at once was astounding. To sell them quickly, he priced them at least twenty percent below market value, so naturally they were snapped up in no time.

"But in doing so, did he not ruin their plans? I heard that in the end, they could only sell their remaining talisman stones at reduced prices and suffered enormous losses. Given that, it is not difficult to understand why they bear us a grudge."

The people of the Profound Heaven Sect all looked astonished upon hearing this. "That happened?"

"That was just their bad luck! Doing business is like cultivation—you should rely on your own abilities!" Lin Mumu spun and leaped, facing the others as she walked backward several steps.

Lin Huaixu shrugged helplessly, putting on an innocent face. "Is that my fault? I only cleared out a little inventory."

"Selling wholesale at retail prices would make my conscience hurt—"

"Smooth-tongued." Wen Jian evaluated him without the slightest mercy.

Hearing everyone's discussion, Shen Yuxi could not help thinking to himself, This plot feels so familiar. Azure Rock Sect... Wang Rong? That name sounds really familiar... I feel like I have heard it somewhere...

He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying hard to search his memories for relevant clues.

Hearing this inner voice, Lin Huaixu's eyes immediately lit up. He deliberately raised his voice and "kindly" helped Shen Yuxi remember, pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears in grievance. "Sob, sob—

"How can you all keep taking outsiders' sides? It is only because our Profound Heaven Sect is so vast and renowned that Azure Rock Sect has no choice but to give way somewhat.

"If it were another sect on Azure Rock Sect's level, such as Heavenly Sword Sect, then even if I were merely doing ordinary business, they would definitely make things difficult for me!"

As he pretended to wipe away tears, he squinted at Shen Yuxi's reaction, hoping to stir his memories.

"Speaking of which, Fifth Senior Brother, I have heard that Azure Rock Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect have always had a grudge, but I never knew why." Lin Mumu blinked curiously, turning an inquisitive gaze toward Lin Huaixu. She had always enjoyed the tangled grudges and affairs between sects, so naturally she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Seeing someone indulge him, Lin Huaixu immediately became interested.

He straightened his back, snapped his folding fan shut with flair, lightly pointed it in Lin Mumu's direction, then cleared his throat and assumed the posture of a storyteller. "An excellent question from this honored listener!"

Then he began to tell the tale vividly:

"Azure Rock Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect are located close to one another, and they had originally gotten along quite harmoniously for a long time. Until a hundred years ago, the previous generation of both sides produced two exceptionally gifted young talents. The two were kindred spirits, became friends, and entered the mortal world together to gain experience.

"Who could have imagined that during their travels, these two brothers would encounter a woman? Both fell madly in love with her and were unwilling to yield her to the other. As for what exactly went wrong in the middle, no one could say. In the end, that woman unexpectedly died.

"Both believed the other had caused her death. From then on, they parted ways and turned from friends into enemies.

"As time passed, the two had each become the leader of a sect, and the grudge between them gradually became an opposition between their two sects. Especially Wang Rong, the chief senior disciple of this generation's Azure Rock Sect, and Tan Yin, the chief senior disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect—they inherited their predecessors' feud. Whenever they meet, there is always an argument, and they have reached the point where the mere sight of each other is unbearable."

As Shen Yuxi listened to Lin Huaixu's account, his brows furrowed even tighter. He muttered inwardly, Wang Rong and Tan Yin? That sounds even more familiar... Where have I heard it? Why can't I remember?

Meanwhile, Lin Huaixu, who had deliberately told the story in detail and wholeheartedly wanted his second senior brother to remember this gossip, silently cheered Shen Yuxi on in his heart. Go, Second Senior Brother! You have to remember!

"But I do not feel that Azure Rock Sect is as strong as Heavenly Sword Sect. They still dared provoke them like that—do they think Heavenly Sword Sect would not dare make a move?"

Lin Mumu truly could not understand. Azure Rock Sect's disciples were clearly much weaker overall than Heavenly Sword Sect's in her perception, so why did they dare provoke them with such fearless confidence?

"How should I put it... there is indeed a reason in that regard." Lin Huaixu smiled bitterly. "As Seventh Junior Brother said, Azure Rock Mountain, where Azure Rock Sect is located, is naturally blessed and rich in spirit mineral resources. Azure Rock Sect disciples excel at using those spirit minerals to carve all kinds of rune-inscribed stones.

"Those rune-inscribed stones are highly sought after in the trading markets. Selling any one of them brings in a considerable sum. So even if their cultivation may be slightly inferior to Heavenly Sword Sect's, they can fully rely on their abundant wealth to purchase all kinds of magical treasures and make up for the gap in strength."

As Lin Huaixu spoke, he gently shook his head, seemingly quite moved by Azure Rock Sect's lavish, deep-pocketed approach.

"As for Heavenly Sword Sect..." Lin Huaixu paused, and the bitter smile on his face grew even more obvious. He looked around at his fellow disciples and said helplessly, "Sword cultivators. Everyone understands."

The moment those words came out, no one present could smile anymore. After all, Chu Shihan, Shen Yuxi, Ye Jingxuan, Lin Mumu... everyone there except Lin Huaixu himself and Wen Jian was a sword cultivator.

Sword cultivators were famously impoverished in the cultivation world.

Though once a sword cultivator's combat power reached maturity, they could sweep through a battlefield undefeated and possess peerless fighting strength, they could lack anything else but never a sword. A good spirit sword was not only expensive to purchase, but its daily upkeep was also no small expense.

Sword cultivators differed from practitioners of other paths. Even after reaching extremely high realms of cultivation, they found it difficult to obtain additional sources of income.

They occasionally hunted demonic beasts and sold the materials and crystal cores obtained from them, but that was merely basic raw-material trading with meager profits. How could they compare with artifact cultivators and talisman cultivators who specialized in creating high-end finished products?

The magical treasures forged by artifact cultivators and the runes drawn by talisman cultivators—any one of them could be worth a fortune on the market and be in short supply.

Furthermore, a sword cultivator's formidable combat power also meant formidable destructive power.

The cultivation world was not a lawless land. Once something was damaged during a conflict, compensation was required. For sword cultivators, who were already not wealthy, this was undoubtedly snow upon frost, making their financial situation ever more straitened.

Then there were bounty missions, an important way for sword cultivators to obtain resources, but there were many monks and little porridge. After all, sword cultivators were not the only ones capable of completing bounty missions, yet sword cultivators were practically the only ones who could rely almost solely on bounty missions to support themselves.

With that, the intensity of the competition was easy to imagine.

Although some sword cultivators were hired by certain Lineages as protectors, while every Lineage would naturally prefer more protectors, in practice they still mainly had to rely on their own members cultivating themselves.

The sword cultivator protectors hired with money mostly served as deterrents. Their numbers could not be too great, since if trouble befell a Lineage, they could not expect protectors hired to work for money to risk their lives for it. Usually, a small Lineage needed only one or two.

As a result, even fewer opportunities were available to sword cultivators, and those who could truly obtain such work were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

For this reason, sword cultivators had become publicly recognized as the poorest cultivators, and everyone felt deeply helpless about it.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Azure Rock Sect

A small-to-medium sect. Located on Azure Rock Mountain, where spirit mineral resources are abundant. This is the foundation upon which Azure Rock Sect was established.

The sect's disciples are not skilled in combat, but excel at carving various rune-inscribed stones using spirit minerals. Every member of the sect is a master carver, with ample financial resources, and they purchase all kinds of magical treasures to supplement their combat strength.

They have discerning eyes, are passionate about ores, and are highly skilled at treasure hunting and stone gambling.

Their cultivation techniques are also combined with runes, making them quite interesting.

They are bitter enemies with Heavenly Sword Sect.