Chapter 87: An Invitation from the Wang Family
Chapter 87: An Invitation from the Wang Family
With the Hidden Spirit Cloak and the Xuntian Thunder Sword Pill, two third-grade treasures, Lu Chen felt much more confident and motivated in his spirit herb cultivation.
One day, a gentle voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
"Is Fellow Daoist Lu in?"
Lu Chen opened the gate to find two high-level Qi Refining cultivators standing at the entrance. The leading figure was a graceful and cultured scholar with a warm smile, while the cultivator behind him had an ordinary appearance marred by a centipede-like scar on his face, and an aura of sinister energy surrounding him.
"Are you Fellow Daoist Lu Xuan?" the gracious scholar inquired with a smile.
"Indeed, it is I," Lu Chen replied.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, you are even younger than I imagined, and yet you have such profound attainments in the way of spirit herbs. Your future is indeed limitless."
"May I ask who you two are?" Lu Chen asked, puzzled.
"I am Wang Ruhai from the Linyang Wang Family, and this is my companion, Li Jianfeng, a guest advisor to our family," the scholar introduced himself and his companion.
"We have come to you with a request, hoping to invite you to a newly discovered secret realm," the gracious scholar explained.
"I usually keep to myself and rarely venture out. How did you manage to find me here?" Lu Chen asked, his brows furrowed in curiosity.
"Fellow Daoist Lu is too humble. With your skill in cultivating spirit herbs, it would be difficult to remain completely hidden," Wang Ruhai said with a smile.
"The Wang family has been seeking spirit herb cultivators in the market town. We happened to learn from a pill master in the Hundred Grass Hall that you are skilled in the ways of spirit herbs, so we came directly to extend our invitation." Wang Ruhai provided an explanation.
Hearing this, Lu Chen sighed inwardly. The pill master from the Hundred Grass Hall must have either wanted to impress the Wang family or saw some benefit in introducing him to them. Either way, it went against his desire for a simple life.
"As far as I know, the Wang family already has a firm grasp on the newly discovered secret realm. I'm curious as to why you would need the services of a spirit herb cultivator?" Lu Chen inquired, his tone thoughtful.
"In that secret realm, we have discovered a strange place where many peculiar second-grade spirit herbs grow. However, they are intertwined with some aberrant and sinister plants, making them difficult to identify. Additionally, they are infested with strange insects," Wang Ruhai explained. "We require the expertise of high-level spirit herb cultivators to distinguish, separate, and harvest these herbs while also eliminating the insect infestation."
Lu Chen nodded, feigning contemplation and hesitation. "I appreciate the Wang family's trust in me, but I am but a lone cultivator who has walked the path of a wild herb cultivator. My cultivation level is low, and I fear I may not be of much help..."
"Surely, Fellow Daoist Lu isn't considering refusing the Wang family's invitation?" Wang Ruhai interrupted, his tone carrying a subtle hint of coercion.
As a high-level Qi Refining cultivator from the Wang family, who held sway over the Linyang market town, he was unaccustomed to having his requests denied.
Noticing Lu Chen's grave expression, Wang Ruhai softened his tone. "Fellow Daoist Lu need not worry about safety. The destination is in the central region of the secret realm, where all the demonic beasts and evil influences have been purged. There will also be at least two high-level Qi Refining cultivators escorting us."
"Moreover," he continued, "several of the invited spirit herb cultivators hail from prominent families and influential sects in the market town. The Wang family would face repercussions if anything untoward were to befall them."
It seemed that Wang Ruhai had guessed the reason for Lu Chen's hesitation, and he was quick to assure him of the safety measures in place for the expedition.
"Allow me a moment to consider this inside," Lu Chen requested.
"Very well, we shall await your reply here," Wang Ruhai said, standing firmly at the doorway, indicating that he would not leave without an answer.
As Lu Chen retreated back into the house, his expression shifted between uncertainty and contemplation.
He was faced with a choice: accept the Wang family's invitation to enter the secret realm and harvest the special spirit herbs, or refuse and risk offending them, making it difficult for him to continue living peacefully in the market town as a lone cultivator.
Lu Chen considered his options. With the Hidden Spirit Cloak, he now had a certain level of confidence in attempting the former, but he wasn't entirely sure of his chances. After all, his cultivation base was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, and he could only maintain the concealment for a short duration. During that time, he would also be moving slowly and was still within the bustling market town. If his spiritual energy were to be exhausted, there was a chance that these high-level cultivators could detect him.
As for the latter option, Lu Chen was confident that with the array of treasures he possessed, defeating the two cultivators would not be an issue. However, that was not enough; he had to be able to kill them instantly with overwhelming force without creating a commotion, and he wasn't sure if he could pull that off either.
"If I go..."
"As long as it's just handling spirit herbs in the central region of the secret realm as that Wang family cultivator said, it should be fine."
"There will also be other spirit herb cultivators from influential families and sects. If anything unexpected happens, it won't be easy for them to cover it up."
Lu Chen's internal debate was gradually leaning towards accepting the invitation.
"Once inside the secret realm, I must be careful not to stir up trouble, avoid confrontations, and stay away from the core area. I must also refrain from competing aggressively with other cultivators over resources."
"However, I must also not constrain myself too much. If something unexpected does happen, forcing myself to endure it quietly is not my style."
Lu Chen had his own set of principles, and he silently reminded himself of them.
With his high-level Qi Refining cultivation base, the Jin Gold Sword Technique at the Mastery stage, a second-grade magical artifact like the Red Silk Needles, the Scarlet Scale Armor, the Sword Grass, second-grade talismans, the third-grade Immaculate Jade, the Hidden Spirit Cloak, the Xuntian Thunder Sword Pill, and the Flaming Blood Arrow secret art, Lu Chen felt confident in his abilities.
"Then, as a well-known spirit herb cultivator of Linyang Market Town, I shall venture into this secret realm."
He walked into the spirit herb fields and surveyed the various spirit herbs growing there.
With a thought, he swiftly harvested the remaining ninety-five Spirit Glowgrass plants.
The white orbs of light didn't attract any attention, and Lu Chen discreetly collected the talismans and pills that appeared as rewards, storing them in his interspatial bag. His cultivation base rose, and the fluctuations of spiritual energy were concealed by the Hidden Spirit Cloak.
Since it wasn't the optimal time to harvest yet, most of the Spirit Glowgrass was of ordinary or good quality, which Lu Chen didn't mind at all. After all, he didn't know when he would return from this trip, so he might as well harvest them now and boost his strength as much as possible.
The ninety-five orbs of light granted him over a decade's worth of cultivation experience, allowing Lu Chen to break through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
Additionally, he obtained several dozen first-grade talismans of various types, more than ten pills for cultivating the Yuanqi, over ten Wood Birth Techniques, and experience packages for the Earth Drawing Technique.
Among the remaining spirit herbs, the third-grade ones were too precious, so Lu Chen transplanted the Flood Dragon Vine and the Misty Smoke Fruit into the Life-Preserving Bag to keep them alive.
As for the remaining first and second-grade spirit herbs, like the Pure Snow Lotus and the Copper Bone Bamboo, he left them in the spirit herb fields.
"Do you want to come with me on this trip? If you do, you'll probably have to stay inside the Life-Preserving Bag most of the time."
Lu Chen directed this question to the Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub at his feet.
Without any hesitation, the lynx cub nodded lightly, allowing Lu Chen to place it into the ashen gray bag that had once made it feel extremely uncomfortable.
"While I'm gone, I'll need you to take good care of the spirit herb fields. Remember, don't let those iron claw crabs escape."
Lu Chen stuffed three spirit stones into the large lump on the straw puppet's head.
With his spiritual sense, he imprinted this command into the straw puppet, ensuring that it would continuously carry out this instruction.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Lu Chen sent a sound transmission talisman to He GuanShi, asking him to keep an eye on the courtyard from time to time.
He then activated the Mist-Concealing Array, enveloping the courtyard in thick white fog.
Stepping out of the courtyard, Lu Chen nodded to Wang Ruhai and his companion, who were waiting outside the gate.
"I hope that you two fellow daoists will take care of me."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
