Pengxin Snow Lotus

If he remembered correctly, his mother had gone to Xialuo Mountain to gather medicine because he had remained unconscious. Why was she still going now that he had awakened?

What exactly was going on? Could it be that his rebirth had altered history, making it different from his memories?

Others did not know what had happened during this herb-gathering trip, but having lived through his previous life, Nie Yun knew very clearly: after leaving this time, his mother had never returned. She had slipped and fallen from a cliff to her death!

"Tell me everything. What exactly happened?"

Anxiety surging in his heart, Nie Yun grabbed Steward Nie Chong by the shoulders and demanded urgently.

Even after living two lifetimes, even as an old monster who had lived for hundreds of years, Nie Yun still could not remain calm when the safety of his loved ones was at stake!

He had already missed his chance when he had failed to cherish them in his previous life. In this life, he would never allow the tragedy to repeat itself!

"This morning, not long after Young Master left, Madam Shen Gui from the Nie Zhang Branch came. She said she had discovered a thousand-year Pengxin Snow Lotus on Xialuo Mountain and asked whether Madam wanted to go. Madam hesitated at first, since Xialuo Mountain is steep and difficult to traverse, covered in snow all year round, and extremely dangerous! But after they talked for a while, she suddenly said that a thousand-year Pengxin Snow Lotus could help Master restore his damaged Qi Sea... So Madam went with her. We servants tried everything, but we simply couldn't stop her!"

Nie Chong recounted what had happened.

"The Nie Zhang Branch? Damn them!"

A cold glint flashed through Nie Yun's eyes.

The Pengxin Snow Lotus was a medicinal herb used to treat injuries. It was effective against ordinary wounds, but for damage to the Qi Sea like his father's, it was utterly useless! Claiming it could restore his father's damaged Qi Sea was nothing but sheer nonsense!

For Madam Shen Gui of the Nie Zhang Branch to fabricate such a lie and trick his mother into going to a dangerous place like Xialuo Mountain was simply unforgivable!

Like the Nie Tian Branch, the Nie Zhang Branch was a declining branch. Since the two branches managed similar peripheral family businesses, they had interacted quite often. After his father had given up on himself, his mother had employed forceful methods and once driven the Nie Zhang Branch into decline through commercial competition. Who would have thought they had harbored such a grudge and devised this method of revenge!

Gathering herbs on Xialuo Mountain had always been a venture with nine chances of death and one of life. If his mother died because of it, they could crush the branch's businesses, grow ever stronger, and perhaps even return to the family as an inner branch!

For their own interests, they actually dared to scheme against his mother like this. How ruthless!

According to the memories of his previous life, they seemed to have truly succeeded. After his mother died, they swiftly swept away all the Nie Tian Branch's businesses. Because of that, his branch had lost any chance to rise again and only declined further and further!

"Xialuo Mountain is difficult to traverse. I only hope they haven't gone far—I may still be able to catch up!"

Having figured out what was happening, Nie Yun did not linger. He pushed off the ground, drove his movement technique to its utmost, and shot straight toward Xialuo Mountain.

Though he was only at the third level of the Early Qi Cultivation Realm, Nie Yun had countless lightness techniques in his mind. The energy within his Qi Sea churned endlessly, and his speed was actually several degrees faster than when he had left that morning!

As his feet moved faster, the rate at which his dantian nourished spiritual energy within his Qi Sea also increased considerably. He hurried up the mountain, and in less than an hour, Nie Yun felt that all the spiritual energy in his Qi Sea had been nourished once over. His strength had actually reached the peak of the late Qi Cultivation Realm, as though he could break through at any moment!

"Why am I cultivating so quickly? Could it have something to do with the Bloodline Factor awakened by that Nameless Art?"

Feeling the changes within his Qi Sea, Nie Yun was somewhat puzzled.

Logically speaking, even after awakening the Bloodline Factor and gaining a dantian within his Qi Sea, nourishing so much spiritual energy once over should have taken at least three to five months, perhaps even half a year. Yet he had done it in less than a day. It would be a lie to say that was not strange!

Still, though it was strange, he did not find it shocking.

Even something like rebirth had happened to him. Cultivating faster than normal was not impossible!

"The thousand-year Pengxin Snow Lotus appears somewhere in this area. Keep your eyes open. This thing has already developed intelligence and can flee in every direction. The moment you find it, act immediately—don't hesitate!"

As he traveled onward, Nie Yun suddenly heard someone speaking directly ahead. He leaped onto a treetop and, upon looking down, could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

Ahead was precisely the group that had come to search for the Pengxin Snow Lotus. His mother was among them, her bright eyes scanning the surroundings as though she did not intend to overlook a single corner.

It was commonly said that "a thousand years make a spirit." A thousand-year Pengxin Snow Lotus possessed its own will and could use the earth to flee. Even if one spotted it beforehand, catching it without certain special methods was extremely difficult.

"There!"

Just as Nie Yun was about to go over and persuade his mother to return home, he suddenly heard her cry out. The next moment, she shot straight ahead.

Though his mother's talent was far inferior to his father's, it was still decent. She possessed the strength of the fourth level of Qi Sea Nine Heavens, the Early True Qi Realm. Without such strength, she could never have maintained an entire branch as a woman on her own!

Whoosh!

His mother sped to the edge of a cliff. With a flick of her palm, a red spider shot from her sleeve.

"Falling Robe? I never expected Mother to be an expert herb gatherer!"

Seeing this, Nie Yun feared disturbing her and did not step forward.

Thousand-year medicinal herbs were difficult to capture because they possessed intelligence, so special methods had to be used. This Falling Robe was woven from bloodstained garments from the battlefield and carried dense Sha Qi. Once a thousand-year herb encountered it, it would be frightened limp and unable to escape!

Seeing how accurately she had thrown the Falling Robe and how practiced her technique was, Nie Yun knew at once that his mother must have gathered herbs before. As for when, she had never mentioned it, and he did not know either!

"Got it!"

As the Falling Robe descended, his mother flicked her wrist and rolled up a snow-white lotus.

Cold air wafted from the snow lotus. Its entire body was as crystalline as jade, faintly translucent. Medicinal fragrance drifted through the air, and merely taking a breath made one feel clear-headed and refreshed, as though ten years younger.

It truly was a thousand-year Pengxin Snow Lotus!

Carefully taking out a medicine box, his mother gently placed the snow lotus inside.

Once precious medicinal herbs left the soil, their medicinal effects would gradually dissipate without special protection. His mother's medicine box was made of cold jade of an icy nature and could preserve the herb's efficacy without the slightest loss.

"As expected of Luoshui City's foremost herb-gathering master of years past. We came seven or eight times and still couldn't catch it, yet you caught it in one try! Hahaha! With this thousand-year herb, if we offer it to the clan chief, becoming an inner branch will be as sure as nails driven into a board!"

Seeing his mother catch the snow lotus, everyone crowded around. One of them burst into laughter.

"Mm..."

Hearing that and seeing their actions, Nie Yun's brows immediately rose.

It seemed these people had planned this all along. Knowing they could not catch the Pengxin Snow Lotus themselves, they had deliberately lured his mother into the trap and made her work for them!

No wonder Mother, despite possessing the strength of the fourth level of Qi Sea Nine Heavens, had slipped and fallen off the cliff—it turned out to be the work of people from the Nie Zhang Branch!

Nie Yun clenched his fists until they crackled. Veins bulged across his forehead. For the first time since his rebirth, his blood boiled with the urge to kill and vent his rage!

"Your branch? Didn't we agree before coming that whoever caught it would own it? Are you trying to go back on your word?"

Seeing the crowd close in, Mother took a step back. But behind her was the cliff. The moment she moved, she struck a loose stone, which tumbled down with an echo that went on and on, revealing just how deep the drop was.

If I rashly rush over now, and they leap at her like dogs driven into a corner, Mother will definitely be in danger...

Though fury blazed in his heart, Nie Yun knew he could not charge over yet. The Nie Zhang Branch had brought more than a dozen people, and even the weakest among them had reached the second level of the Spirit Valley Realm. Unless he could kill them all in one move, driving them into desperation would put Mother in danger!

With a cliff this high, not to mention someone at only the fourth level of the True Qi Realm—even an eighth-level Qi Grandmaster would have only death awaiting them if they fell!

"Go back on our word? Hehe, we never changed our minds. We called you here precisely so you could help us pick this Pengxin Snow Lotus! Hand it over now and save us the trouble of making a move. Otherwise, don't blame us for showing no mercy!"

The person who had spoken earlier spoke again.

Nie Yun recognized this woman. She was Madam Shen Gui, the one Steward Nie Chong had mentioned. Her strength was not much different from Mother's; she too was at the early stage of the fourth level of the True Qi Realm.

"Fine, fine! Are you really going to cast the clan rules aside?" Unable to believe they could say something so shameless, Mother's face flushed red with anger as she shouted.

"Cast the clan rules aside? Hehe, don't make me laugh. Here, we are the clan rules. Stop wasting breath. Hand over the snow lotus, and we may spare your life. Otherwise, today will be your day of death!"

Madam Shen Gui sneered coldly.

The Nie Family was an enormous clan, and the blood ties between its branches had already grown so faint as to be negligible. Even blood brothers would slaughter one another for the throne, much less relatives with barely any blood relation! For the sake of profit, it was perfectly normal for branches to scheme against one another.

"Mother, Aunt Shen Gui is right. Give her the Pengxin Snow Lotus. It's useless to us anyway. If their Nie Zhang Branch enters the inner clan, perhaps we can even share in some of the benefits..."

Just as Mother was at a loss upon seeing how resolute they were, a clear, crisp voice rang out from afar.

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