Chapter 93

With the recognition of the grandfather and grandson, the remaining matters became much easier to handle. The divine doctor, who had initially pretended to leave, now carefully examined Xiao Luocheng’s meridians and then said with a serious expression: "After all this commotion, it will be more troublesome to repair them. Go and call the people who brought the medicine earlier; I need to refine new medicine."

"I am the chief elder of this Alchemy Hall, and I am most familiar with the various herbs within the sect. Please instruct me, Senior," Xiao Baicao bowed. His intention was very clear; he wanted to be an "assistant" here, hoping to witness the divine doctor’s medical skills firsthand, and perhaps even receive some pointers from him.

"Hmm." Yun Che nodded, "Then you listen carefully... three taels of forty-year-old Purple Heart Mist Flower Wood, one piece of thirty-six-year-old Blood Chrysanthemum Essence, one piece of Red Spirit Jade with a purity of over nine-tenths, two plants of 180-year-old Ice Cold Snow Ginseng, three plants of twelve-year-old Burning Network Orchid..."

Yun Che listed sixteen herbs in one breath. Each time he mentioned one, Xiao Baicao would be stunned. By the time Yun Che finished, he was completely dumbfounded, unsure whether to nod or not. Although these herbs were all considered precious, the sect’s many years of accumulation could easily provide them. However, the problem was that Yun Che specified the exact age for each herb.

Seeing Xiao Baicao standing there in a daze, Yun Che glanced at him and said, "What’s wrong? These are not rare things. A sect that has existed for over a thousand years should be able to provide them, right?"

"Of course, we can provide them," Xiao Baicao hurriedly replied, "It’s just the age..."

"Oh! I almost forgot to remind you." Yun Che’s expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "The herbs I need must not have any deviation in age... well, if they can’t be found, a deviation of one or two years might be acceptable, but the effect will be much worse. Although different-aged herbs may look similar, even a difference of one month can result in a significant difference in the energy they absorb from heaven and earth. High-level alchemy has extremely strict requirements for the age of herbs. For those extremely difficult to refine miraculous medicines, the requirements for herbs can be as strict as the month. Go quickly."

Yun Che’s fabricated words left Xiao Baicao stunned, thinking that the level of the Evil Hearted Holy Hand was truly different, with such stringent requirements for herbs. In comparison, he felt like a quack. He bowed slightly, his face filled with shame, "I will remember your teachings, Senior... However, although I have some knowledge of herb gathering and alchemy, and I am familiar with the herbs stored in the sect, identifying the age of herbs..."

Not just him, even Xiao Tianan, who was standing beside him, was stunned... needing to identify herbs by their exact age, who could do that! It was relatively easy to recognize herbs that were a thousand years old, a hundred years old, or even a dozen years old, but herbs that were a dozen years old and those that were several decades old looked the same. Let alone identifying them to the exact year.

Yun Che glared and frowned, "Aren’t you the chief elder of the Alchemy Hall of this sect? How can you not know the most basic knowledge of medicine?"

Xiao Baicao lowered his head and smiled bitterly, "Senior, you are a great master of medicine on this continent, and I cannot compare to you. If the time span is large enough, I can勉强 identify them, but to be precise to one year or even a few months, I truly cannot do it."

Yun Che thought for a moment and stood up, "Sigh, well, I’ll go and fetch them myself..." He paused and waved his hand, "Oh, forget it. The place where a sect stores herbs is the most important area, and even few people within the sect have the qualifications to enter, let alone outsiders. I understand this rule..."

Originally, Xiao Tianan instinctively resisted the divine doctor’s request to personally go to the sect’s treasure vault. The treasure vault was one of the sect’s greatest secrets, and within the branch sect, only five people had the qualifications to enter. The vault had two keys, one with Xiao Baicao and one with Xiao Tianan. But hearing Yun Che’s words, his resistance vanished, thinking, "He is the Evil Hearted Holy Hand! What level is that! The treasures in our vault are probably like a pile of garbage to him. Moreover, he is going to the vault to save Xiao Luocheng... Furthermore, he truly respects our small sect, which is indeed the demeanor of a great master, worthy of admiration."

He hurriedly said, "No, no! Senior, you are too modest. Although the treasure vault is an important area, it is only to guard against unscrupulous people. How could a great master like you covet the things of our small branch sect? Besides, my son Luocheng has just recognized you as his godfather, making us one family. Since we are one family, and this is for my son Luocheng, there is no problem with you entering the treasure vault."

"Yes, yes," Xiao Baicao also said, "I am incompetent. If Senior does not go personally, I estimate these herbs will not be gathered by tomorrow. It would make you wait and delay the Young Master’s treatment."

The treasure vault was a critical area, and even elders needed Xiao Tianan’s approval and Xiao Baicao’s accompaniment to enter. It was the first time they were begging an outsider to enter the vault, and they did not feel awkward or inappropriate... after all, he was the Evil Hearted Holy Hand, and entering the vault was a sign of respect.

Yun Che pretended to think for a while and nodded, "Alright. Although I am grateful for your trust, there is one thing you must remember: always be cautious of others! I have only been in your sect for one day, and you are letting me enter your treasure vault. Although it is for my grandson’s condition, it is indeed too rash and hasty! Here’s what I suggest: Baicao, you must follow me the entire time, not leaving me more than three steps away. I may be crazy at times, but I am also clear and upright, and I will not tolerate any stains. My grandson’s injury cannot be delayed any longer, so let’s go now."

"Yes, yes!" Xiao Baicao responded and led Yun Che directly to the branch sect’s treasure vault.

After Xiao Baicao and the divine doctor left, Xiao Tianan sat by Xiao Luocheng’s bed. Seeing Xiao Luocheng’s pitiful state, he was not worried at all but instead smiled broadly, "Luocheng! This time, you must ‘thank’ Yun Che well! Do you know who this divine doctor is? Just mentioning his name would scare you! He can be considered the top divine doctor on the Tianxuan Continent! Although he has no sect, he has saved countless super strong individuals in his life. The number of people who owe him favors and want to curry favor with him is no less than any sect on the Cangfeng Continent! You have recognized him as your godfather, and he will naturally support you in the future. When you reach the main sect, they will treat you like a treasure! Because if you can befriend the Evil Hearted Holy Hand, it’s like having... no, not just one, but more than one life!"

Xiao Luocheng also had an extremely excited look on his face, and even the pain in his body felt refreshing. He clenched his right fist and gritted his teeth, "Father, rest assured. Since I look like his grandson, I have a way to bind Huangfu He tightly. As for Yun Che... hey! I will indeed thank him well! Father is right; I should take revenge personally. When the time comes, I will cripple his limbs, shatter all his bones, and destroy all his meridians and spirit veins! I will make him wish he were dead!"

Xiao Luocheng grew up being praised and admired by others. How could he have ever endured such humiliation and suffering? Although his current state was entirely his own fault, it did not stop his deep-seated hatred for Yun Che... This was also one of the reasons why Yun Che, after failing to kill him, came to his door to finish him off.

If you don’t kill a snake, it will come back to bite you. If you let a tiger go, it will harm your own family. This was a life creed he had firmly engraved in his heart after experiencing countless life and death situations.

The branch sect’s treasure vault was hidden beneath the Alchemy Hall, not only concealed but also had seven layers of defense. The vault’s door was a stone door over three meters high. Xiao Baicao placed a disk with strange patterns into a hole beside the stone door and slowly turned it. The stone door immediately rose, accompanied by a deafening "rumble." This sound was loud enough to be heard on the ground, informing nearby people that someone had entered the vault.

There were three such stone doors, each nearly a foot thick, and the sound of opening them grew louder with each door. If an outsider entered, just opening the doors would alert half the sect.

After the three doors opened, a wide passage appeared. Xiao Baicao bowed and said, "Senior Huangfu, please."

Yun Che did not hesitate, walking confidently ahead and reminding, "Do not leave me more than three steps away. Humph, I don’t want people to gossip about me."

Xiao Baicao responded verbally but inwardly smiled bitterly... thinking, "Who are you, Senior? Would you bother to steal from here? Even if you had the thought, without any spiritual power or a spatial ring, you couldn’t take anything."

Entering the Xiao Sect’s treasure vault, rows of black wooden cabinets came into view. Xiao Baicao stepped forward and introduced, "These black wooden cabinets are used to store various herbs. The herbs you need can all be found here. Additionally, the sect has collected some spirit pills, rare treasures, spirit pills, various purple crystals, rare metals, jade, weapons, protective armor, and even sect cultivation techniques... one could say that the thousand-year accumulation of our sect is secretly stored here."

As he spoke, a strong sense of pride appeared on Xiao Baicao’s face.

Yun Che stroked his beard and said indifferently, "Given the scale of your sect, to have such an accumulation is quite impressive."

Indeed, it is quite impressive... I have a body full of alchemy skills and magical treasures, yet I am worried about herbs to the point of wanting to cry... tsk tsk, a thousand years of accumulation for a sect, indeed not in vain.