Chapter 19 Savior of Cowards

Fortunately, the Sect had no major cases recently, otherwise things would have truly descended into chaos.

Not getting out of bed for three days straight—even a Core Formation Realm Cultivator couldn't handle that.

When Tie Wuqing and the others reappeared, their expressions were all strange; they deeply understood what it meant to be both pained and delighted.

"This kid surnamed Ye actually has some skill."

Tie Wuqing grumbled, his beard bristling, feeling angrier the more he thought about it.

If he weren't too concerned about maintaining his status, he would have already made things difficult for Ye Fan.

"And this thing... what 'deluxe edition' or 'standard edition'? Such heretical stuff! I'll show you... Huh?!"

"Unacceptable! How can such a morally corrupt item exist in this world!"

"Ahhh! This infuriates this old man! Vulgar! Unbearably vulgar!"

"No, no, this kind of poison must never be allowed to spread."

"Wait for this old man to investigate thoroughly and find all your evidence of guilt!"

"Hiss, this move is quite novel."

...Since the carefree pill was not a glorious matter, not many people spread the word about it.

But there are no walls that don't have ears in this world, and soon people started coming after hearing the rumors.

However, unlike the spring palace pictures, this matter only circulated among the high-ranking members of the Joyous Union Sect; almost none of the Disciples knew about it.

After all, incompatibility between Dao Companions wasn't limited to situations like Tie Wuqing's—where one party was willing but the other was unable. More often, both parties were willing but lacked the means.

At some unknown point, whenever the moon was dark and the wind was high, people would sneak up to Profound Spirit Peak.

Initially, the mountain-guarding Disciples tried to stop them, but they soon realized something was amiss.

"Deacon Zhang, it's so late, why are you here?"

"Hall Master Li, safe travels."

"Greetings, Elder Wang!"

"Seat Master Zhou!"

"Sect Head, why are you here too?!"

...All these people sneaking up the mountain under the cover of night were influential Cultivators from various peaks.

From managing Deacons to Elders and Peak Masters, none were people a mere mountain-guarding Disciple could afford to offend.

At first, Ye Fan was a bit bewildered, but once he understood, he felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

He had originally hoped to get rich off the carefree pill, but now it seemed he had to change his approach.

Using the excuse of a Junior showing filial piety to his Seniors, Ye Fan gave away the medicine to everyone who asked for it for free, genuinely earning a lot of goodwill among the higher-ups.

Having personally experienced the carefree pill, everyone praised Ye Fan endlessly, never imagining such a great talent was hidden within the Sect.

Word spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and the title 'Coward's Savior' became widely known among the leadership.

Others didn't react much, but when Yan Jingyun heard about it, he nearly vomited blood from anger.

The Yan Family had quite a few clansmen within the Sect, so news like this naturally couldn't be hidden from his ears.

"This good-for-nothing who relies on women has actually managed to turn his life around!"

Yan Jingyun crushed the carefree pill in his hand, his desire to kill Ye Fan swelling to its absolute limit.

However, Ye Fan had been keeping a low profile during this period, staying holed up in Murong Wan's Immortal Cave every day, and furthermore, he had made connections with many high-ranking members of the Sect through the carefree pill.

If he were to act forcefully now, it would undoubtedly bring trouble upon himself.

After much thought, Yan Jingyun could only set his sights on the Trial Assembly.

The Trial Assembly was no ordinary assessment; its casualty rate in previous years was astonishingly high. Only the elite among the elite could survive until the end to claim the rewards.

The Joyous Union Sect was not a kindergarten; the cultivation world was far crueler than imagined.

The Sect couldn't protect everyone forever. If one couldn't even pass this trial, it was best to extinguish the desire to Cultivate sooner rather than later.

Yan Jingyun resolved to make his move during the Trial Assembly in a month, vowing Ye Fan must not leave the Secret Realm alive.

His only worry now was that Ye Fan, fearing danger, might refuse to participate in the trial, which would ruin all his plans.

To prevent this, Yan Jingyun planned to target Lin Lei and Xu Xin, intending to secretly threaten them with their lives if Ye Fan truly refused to join.

"This time, you won't escape even with wings."

...Ye Fan, unaware that he was being targeted again, was enjoying life immensely during this period.

Murong Wan was completely focused on breaking through to the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm and showed no signs of leaving her seclusion.

Ye Fan had plenty of time to Cultivate Spirit Medicine, improve the carefree pill, and incidentally find some inspiration for spring palace pictures 2.0.

After collecting feedback from a large number of users, Ye Fan quickly discovered several shortcomings of the carefree pill, the biggest problem being that its medicinal effect was too strong.

Even a Core Formation Realm Cultivator who took it would be agitated for three full days, let alone others.

It was rumored that a Foundation Establishment Realm Senior Brother, out of curiosity, took one pill and didn't leave his room for a full seven days, nearly dying of dehydration in the end.

Ye Fan reluctantly had to include an instruction manual with the carefree pill: Core Formation Realm Cultivators should only take half a pill each time.

Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators should take no more than a quarter, and Qi Refining Realm Disciples were strictly forbidden from taking it, with all consequences borne by themselves.

But this was clearly not a long-term solution. Considering future widespread promotion, the Pill Formula for the carefree pill needed improvement, and Ye Fan put considerable effort into this.

Ye Fan had almost lost count of how many times he had revised the formula until he placed the final stroke and nodded with satisfaction.

"This time should be about right. The effect should last about an hour, take it as needed... It really looks like a little blue pill now."

Ye Fan suppressed a smile, put away the Pill Formula, calculated the missing Spirit Medicine, and prepared to head down the mountain.

There was still more than half a month until the Trial Assembly, and judging by Murong Wan's attitude, she wouldn't emerge until the very last day.

Although Ye Fan repeatedly refused the Spirit Stones offered by those seeking medicine, people of their status naturally wouldn't accept things from a Junior for free.

As a result, Ye Fan received quite a few Medicinal Pills, Cultivation Techniques, Divine Abilities, and Magical Artifacts.

Although the value of each item was only ordinary, the total combined wealth was considerable.

Ye Fan kept some items that might be useful and took the rest to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for disposal.

When Shopkeeper Qian saw it was him, he immediately greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Greetings, Young Master. What can this humble shop assist you with today?"

Ye Fan tossed his Storage Pouch to Shopkeeper Qian, asking him to handle the items, whether by purchasing outright or consignment.

Shopkeeper Qian, as an old hand who had managed the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for many years, instantly recognized the value of this batch after a quick glance.

Although the contents were somewhat miscellaneous, selling them all together could easily fetch thirty to forty thousand Spirit Stones.

"Since you are an old customer, the humble shop will take it all for thirty thousand Spirit Stones."

Ye Fan showed no intention of haggling and handed over another list, asking Shopkeeper Qian to prepare the Spirit Medicine listed on it.

"This is..."

Shopkeeper Qian quickly scanned the list; most of the items were common Spirit Medicines.

Their effects were mainly for replenishing Qi and blood. Except for a few that required higher age, they weren't particularly hard-to-find items.

Only one Spirit Medicine, named Rejuvenating Grass, had Shopkeeper Qian never even heard of, let alone seen.

"The other items will certainly be prepared within three days, but regarding the Rejuvenating Grass, Shopkeeper Qian begs your pardon—I have never heard of this thing."

"None?"

This was a name Ye Fan had read in a pharmacopoeia in his previous life. He had assumed it would be available here too, but it seemed he had been too optimistic.