The Matter of the Medicine Plot

Yue Ying had other matters to attend to. Seeing that Jiang Lu had no issues, she returned to the front courtyard. She was not worried that cultivators who passed the test would be unable to find her.

The other apprentices would tell them to wait. Besides, how could there be so many cultivators fortunate enough to pass? Two or three would already be considered good.

The next day, Jiang Lu followed Yue Ying into the courtyard and saw that three people were already standing there.

When Yue Ying saw one of them, she eagerly went over to greet him. Presumably, like her, he was an apprentice assigned to lead them.

The other three, then, were the two cultivators with Fire Spirit Roots. Upon seeing Jiang Lu, they nodded to her.

Jiang Lu returned the greeting, then stood quietly to one side without speaking.

Chi Li and Cangchen were not very large at the moment, so she had taken the chance to make a cloth pouch and hang it at her waist. The two of them were currently nestled quietly inside, their two pairs of curious eyes peeking out.

After all, everyone had seen the two of them. She had neither a storage bag nor a spirit beast pouch in public. If the spirit beasts suddenly vanished, it would naturally arouse suspicion.

Thus, she had not brought them into the space.

Besides, remembering how they had rushed at her when they first met, those two beasts were far from obedient. She could not afford not to take this risk for now. She would wait until she understood more before deciding what to do.

Moreover, though her strength was low and no one paid attention to her, it was still better to be careful. Who knew whether opening the space would create spatial fluctuations that some powerful expert might notice?

There were quite a few powerful experts in the city. She did not dare underestimate anyone. She would decide after learning about the surrounding situation.

Not long after, a cultivator in his forties or fifties walked over. He wore a brown robe, with fine wrinkles on his face and clear eyes.

As he stood before them, an intense pressure bore down on them. Fine beads of sweat seeped from Jiang Lu and the others' foreheads.

The three gritted their teeth, refusing to let themselves make a sound.

After a while, the cultivator nodded in satisfaction. Their dispositions were not bad.

"You have been accepted by the Medicine King Pavilion, which proves that your abilities are not bad. Now, I will explain the rules of the Medicine King Pavilion."

"You are apprentices. The Medicine King Pavilion can teach you certain things, but you must also put in the corresponding effort. The library in the rear courtyard contains cultivation methods, mental cultivation manuals, and other books. You have half an hour each day to study there. If you cannot read, you may ask the disciples on duty."

"Those unwilling to study there will receive two low-grade spirit stones each day."

"Of course, that is only provided you complete your own work. Then there are all the other rules of the Medicine King Pavilion..."

"Alright, I have said what I needed to say. You two, take them to the branch halls."

"Yes."

Yue Ying and the other cultivator answered, then led the three away.

Jiang Lu looked at the courtyards separated one after another, somewhat curious. Yue Ying explained to them:

"These are the branch halls of our Medicine King Pavilion. Inside are disciples sorting spirit herbs or refining Dan, but those are all true disciples of the Medicine King Pavilion. We merely help with odd jobs."

When they reached one place, Jiang Lu saw the other three enter a courtyard. She continued onward behind Yue Ying.

Only when they reached a medicinal garden did Yue Ying place her token against the gate. The gate opened, and she led Jiang Lu inside.

"Master Wen, this is the new apprentice, Jiang Lu. She will be following you from now on."

At those words, the figure within the medicine plot straightened up and glanced at the two of them before nodding.

"Fine. Yue girl, go tend to your work. This girl will stay here."

"Yes, Master Wen."

After saying that, Yue Ying nodded to Jiang Lu and left.

Jiang Lu walked over. "Master Wen, you can just call me Jiang Lu."

"Fine, Jiang girl. My work here is simple: planting, weeding, and notifying them once the herbs mature and are harvested."

As he spoke, he picked up the spirit plant in his hand and waved it before Jiang Lu.

"Do you know what this is?"

Jiang Lu shook her head. Master Wen chuckled softly. Of course—among the Rogue Cultivators who came in, how many would recognize it?

"Fine. Then your task for today and tomorrow is to memorize the appearances and habits of these spirit plants. Can you read?"

Jiang Lu shook her head.

Seeing this, Master Wen said it was no matter; he would teach her. After speaking, he handed her the book from his robes and waved her off to read at the side.

"Yes, Master Wen!"

Jiang Lu accepted the book and walked to a ridge between the fields, suppressing the excitement in her heart. Hadn't her opportunity to learn finally arrived?

She then opened it and began reading. The book contained the appearances, names, habits, and uses of spirit plants. She needed to memorize every last one of them, or she would easily make mistakes when handling spirit plants or refining Dan in the future.

After reading several pages, Jiang Lu discovered that she seemed to possess a photographic memory. As if wanting to confirm her guess, she gradually sped up.

Before long, she had finished reading. Covering the words on the page, she looked at the illustrations, and the corresponding information immediately sprang into her mind.

She turned to look at the spirit plants in the medicine plot and instantly knew their names and how well they were currently growing.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly, only for her to quickly suppress the smile.

She then took the book and went into the medicine plot to compare them one by one. She could not exactly tell Master Wen that she had already finished reading and learned everything in such a short time.

For a disciple whose spirit roots were unknown—whether multiple spirit roots or mixed spirit roots—to learn so quickly was not a good thing.

Seeing Jiang Lu study while inspecting the spirit plants, Master Wen nodded in satisfaction. She was diligent in learning. She seemed like a good seedling.

More than ten days later, Jiang Lu returned the book to Master Wen. After testing her on it, Master Wen nodded.

"Not bad. Your foundation is solid. Follow me and do it once. From now on, you will be responsible for the spirit plants in this area. If there is anything you do not understand, come ask me."

As he spoke, he led Jiang Lu over to the medicine plot.

"Yes, Master Wen."

During the day, Jiang Lu tended the spirit plants. At night, she went to the library to read. Though there were not many books there, only a few thousand, aside from basic information about the Immortal Cultivation Realm, there were also some mental cultivation manuals and cultivation methods. The remaining books were mostly related to spirit plants and Dan.

Although the Medicine King Pavilion allowed disciples to come read the books, it did not permit them to take them out. With only half an hour each day, disciples could not learn much, especially when they also had to balance cultivation.

That was why they allowed even apprentices to come study without restraint.

But there were always fish that slipped through the net.

Jiang Lu had a photographic memory and read very quickly. In less than two months, she had finished every book. Because she turned pages so fast, the disciple guarding the library merely assumed she was searching for certain content and did not grow suspicious.

The Immortal Cultivation Realm was different from the novels she had read on Blue Star. The Immortal Cultivation Realm despised the demonic path and wicked cultivators to the marrow of their bones. The righteous path's techniques had long been unified; only the sects differed.

If someone was a wicked cultivator, it could be seen at a glance.

The leading forces in every field had formed alliances specifically to handle matters concerning demonic sects and wicked cultivators. If one was discovered, it could be reported, and rewards would be granted according to the severity.

As for harming disciples and fellow sect members, sects and Lineages would deal with it severely.

Those narrow-minded people without any sense of the greater picture—even if they possessed formidable strength and exceptional talent—could not be trusted by sects and Lineages. Besides, such disciples suffered from even greater inner demons, making advancement difficult in the future.

But when cultivating outside, killing others and seizing treasures between different forces was perfectly normal. Each relied on their own abilities.