8: Chapter 8 The New Butler, the Smiling Tiger Sun Changming

As night fell, the herb garden sank into dead silence once more.

Qi Yang locked the door of the thatched cottage from the inside, deftly lifted the prayer mat, and walked down into the secret underground room.

On the bronze stone platform in the center of the secret room lay his spoils from the Misty Forest last night.

He had forcibly erased the imprints from the Storage Pouches of the three rogue cultivators and poured out everything inside.

Clatter.

Spirit Stones piled up. Qi Yang counted them carefully; there were over eight hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

True to those who made a living from highway robbery year-round, these three guys were far wealthier than Deacon Wang Hu.

Aside from the Spirit Stones, there were also several Magical Artifacts of decent grade.

A ghost-head broadsword, a heart-protecting mirror, and several middle-grade Tier 1 Talismans.

Qi Yang put the Spirit Stones away and packed the Magical Artifacts separately into a jade box.

This stolen loot couldn't see the light of day for now; he would wait for an opportunity in the future to dispose of it in the Ghost Market.

Finally, he took out the rare Spirit Medicine seeds he had traded for at the Ghost Market, as well as that incomplete Pill Formula for the foundation establishment pill.

Qi Yang took a deep breath, a fanatical light flashing in his eyes.

A cultivation base at the Qi Condensation 4th Layer could barely ensure self-preservation even in the Xuantian Sect's outer Sect. To truly control his own destiny, he had to step into the Foundation Establishment Stage!

He retrieved the black gourd and pulled out the stopper.

After several days of absorption, another drop of emerald-green liquid had condensed at the bottom of the gourd.

Qi Yang carefully buried a few seeds resembling longan fruits into the spiritual soil in the corner of the secret room.

This was one of the main ingredients for the foundation establishment pill: the seed of the dragon blood fruit.

Drip.

The green liquid dripped into the soil.

The soil tumbled, and a crimson sprout broke through the earth, growing taller, sprouting branches, and unfurling leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just a dozen or so breaths, the seedling grew into a fruit tree half the height of a person, its branches hanging with three crystal-clear red fruits that radiated thick vitality and blood power.

A century-old dragon blood fruit!

Qi Yang's breathing turned rapid as he carefully picked the fruits and sealed them inside a specially made jade box.

"As long as I gather the remaining main ingredients, I can attempt to refine the foundation establishment pill."

Qi Yang muttered to himself, his eyes filled with a longing for longevity.

So what if I have Mixed Spiritual Roots? If talent falls short, resources will make up for it!

He, Qi Yang, would use this garden full of supreme Spirit Medicines to forcibly pave a grand path leading straight to Heaven!

...

Deacon Wang Hu's death merely stirred a few small ripples in the Xuantian Sect's outer Sect.

An outer Sect deacon at the Qi Condensation 6th Layer dying at the hands of highway-robbing Loose Cultivators—such occurrences were all too common in the Cultivation World.

The Law Enforcement Hall simply went through the motions, shoved the case into the dossier archives, and considered it closed.

The herb garden could not remain without a master for even a single day.

Early in the morning three days later, before the thin mist had fully dispersed, the withered wooden door was pushed open.

The newcomer wore a brand-new deacon's grey robe. He was slightly chubby, pale-faced, and clean-shaven, with a friendly, prosperous smile on his round face—looking just like a wealthy cloth merchant from the mortal realm.

But the moment Qi Yang laid eyes on him, a dangerous glint of cold light flashed deep within his eyes.

He had laid low in this outer Sect for nearly a hundred years and seen all kinds of people.

Some were fierce and sinister like Deacon Wang Hu, who wore greed on his face like a barking wild dog; as long as you figured out his temper, you could beat him to death with a single strike.

But the fat man before him was different.

Behind his smiling eyes lurked a viper-like chill—the look of someone accustomed to biting from the shadows.

The newly appointed Outer Sect Herb Garden deacon, Sun Changming.

Qi Condensation Seventh Layer.

"Elder Qi, still busy?"

Sun Changming walked into the herb garden with his hands behind his back, chuckling pleasantly. His voice was so gentle it felt like a warm spring breeze.

Qi Yang immediately put down the water ladle in his hand, stooped his back, and tottered forward to greet him, the wrinkles on his face scrunching up like a blooming daisy.

"Oh my, it's the new Deacon Sun! This old man, Qi Yang, pays respects to the deacon. This herb garden is humble, without even a cup of hot tea to offer—I have truly neglected you, Deacon."

Sun Changming waved his hand, his eyes scanning the herb garden.

Suddenly, his footsteps stopped. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Qi Yang's heart sank abruptly.

"Elder Qi, the Spiritual Qi in this herb garden seems significantly denser than what's recorded in the dossiers."

Sun Changming opened his eyes and looked at Qi Yang with a smile, yet his gaze was as sharp as a blade.

Qi Yang's heart pounded wildly, but he maintained a bewildered expression on his face.

"Spiritual Qi? With my Mixed Spiritual Roots, how could this old man tell whether the Spiritual Qi is dense or not? It's just that a few days ago there was a heavy rain and water leaked near the array. Fearing the Spirit Medicines would get flooded, this old man blindly moved a few stones to block it... Could that be the reason?"

Sun Changming didn't speak. Instead, he walked straight to the edge of the Spirit-Gathering Array in the corner of the garden.

He was proficient in medicine and had a perception of Spiritual Qi far exceeding ordinary people.

He squatted down and carefully examined the blue stones that Qi Yang had casually placed.

After looking for a while, Sun Changming stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and his smile broadened even further.

"Elder Qi, you truly are a fine hand at farming. These few stones were placed remarkably well—by a stroke of blind luck, you actually made this broken array run quite a bit smoother."

He walked back to Qi Yang, patted his shriveled shoulder, and said, "The Sect giving you this herb garden to manage was indeed a wise move."

Qi Yang nodded repeatedly.

"Deacon Sun praises me too much. This old man only has a bit of strength, relying entirely on the Sect to bestow a bite of food to survive."

"Since Elder Qi is so experienced in farming, then this deacon won't stand on ceremony."

Sun Changming shifted the conversation. His tone remained gentle, but the words he spoke sent a chill deep into Qi Yang's heart.

"The Sect will conduct the year-end assessment soon, and the inner Sect's demand for Spirit Medicine has increased dramatically. Starting this month, the quota of Spirit Medicine that the Outer Sect Herb Garden must hand over will double."

Sun Changming held up two short, thick fingers and added with a smile, "Furthermore, it must be top-grade. If you fail to hand it over, or try to fool us with inferior goods..."

"Elder Qi, you know the Sect's rules. The whips of the Law Enforcement Hall won't show mercy to your old bones."

Qi Yang jerked his head up, his turbid eyes filled with terror.

"Dou... double?! And top-grade?! Deacon Sun, this won't do! This herb garden is barren. Even if this old man sacrifices his life, I can't grow that much top-grade Spirit Medicine!"

"That is your problem."

Sun Changming pulled back his smile, his eyes turning indifferent.

"This deacon only cares about results. Work hard; I have high expectations for you."

Saying that, Sun Changming turned and walked toward the exit of the herb garden.

Just as he was about to step through the withered wooden door, his steps paused slightly, and his eyes subtly and greedily swept across the tightly closed wooden door of the West Wing Room.

Su Qinghan, the daughter of the Luoxia Sect's Sect Master, was staying inside.

Sun Changming licked his lips, a subtle smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and strode out of the herb garden.

Qi Yang stood in place, watching Sun Changming's disappearing back, as his hunched spine slowly straightened inch by inch.

The terror and humility on his face vanished without a trace, leaving only a cold ruthlessness as chill as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"Smiling Tiger, you want to step on my bones to climb up?"

Qi Yang sneered inwardly.

Doubling the quota, and requiring top-grade quality—this was simply an impossible task.

Sun Changming was clearly trying to force him to his death, or force him to pull out his bottom-dollar treasures to buy his life.

What stirred Qi Yang's murderous intent even more was the look Sun Changming gave the West Wing Room as he left.

Qi Yang didn't care whether Su Qinghan lived or died, but he would never allow anyone to shatter the peace of the herb garden.

If anything happened to Su Qinghan here, the upper echelons of both the Luoxia Sect and the Xuantian Sect would inevitably step in to conduct a thorough investigation. When that happened, his life as a herb garden handyman would be turned completely upside down, and the secrets of the underground room and the black gourd would be impossible to keep!

"Since you're seeking death, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Qi Yang turned around, hoisted his hoe onto his shoulder, and slowly walked toward the spiritual field.