Chapter 519: The Medicine-Cultivating Clan

The young man who arrived was actually... a four-star master teacher!

"Luo Qingyan greets Master Song!"

Seeing this young man, Luo Qingyan quickly turned and clasped her fists, her attitude respectful.

If Zhang Xuan were here, he would surely recognize him—the very fellow who had bought the Soul-Imprisoning Golden Figure from him in Honghai City and been swindled out of a huge sum of spirit stones.

"Garden Master Qingyan, you are..." Looking at the proud and beautiful garden master, covered in dirt and looking utterly disheveled, Song Chao was full of confusion.

After obtaining the Soul-Imprisoning Golden Figure, he had returned to Wanguo City. Remembering the guidance of that Master Zhang, he had scarcely rested before heading to various medicine gardens to purchase herbs. Thus, he had met this garden master a few times.

Beautiful and moving, captivating the soul, a true enchantress—she had stirred his heart. How could she now look so wretched, as if she had just been brutally beaten?

"I beg Master Song to plead for me!"

With a flicker in her eyes, Luo Qingyan put on a look as if tears were about to fall, and made to kneel.

"Plead? What happened?" Reaching out to stop her, Song Chao looked at her in surprise.

"Just now, someone wanted to enter the medicine garden. I thought of Garden Master Xue's instruction that she dislikes strangers, so I stopped him. But then... he ordered his beast pet to beat me up!"

Luo Qingyan was all fragility and pitifulness: "Master Song, I truly didn't know he was a master teacher. If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to stop him or say a single unnecessary word..."

"He had his beast pet beat you just for stopping him?" Song Chao frowned.

"Actually, it's not the master teacher's fault. Although he wasn't wearing master teacher robes and didn't reveal his identity, I should have asked first. Without asking, I made him wait outside... I beg Master Song to help plead for me. Qingyan won't dare do it again..."

Luo Qingyan hurriedly said.

Though her words were an apology, she deliberately downplayed her own rudeness and exaggerated the other's arrogance.

Thus, the impression she gave was that of someone who, without reason, had beaten a person who was merely following strict rules, all while failing to reveal his identity.

"Outrageous! A dignified master teacher, not minding his appearance, actually strikes someone in such a setting... What kind of conduct is that?"

Sure enough, hearing her ambiguous words, Song Chao's face darkened.

A master teacher represents the Master Teacher Pavilion. When away from home, he must always maintain his status. To act so lawlessly—how is that different from a tyrant?

"Don't worry, this is not your fault. When I see that fellow later, I'll give him a good lesson and make him understand what it means to be a model for others and what teacher ethics are! I'll make him apologize to you!"

Song Chao waved his hand grandly.

A dignified master teacher, not having an invitation was one thing, but to beat someone—that was too arrogant!

"Thank you, Master Song!" Seeing that he believed her and was even willing to vent her anger, Luo Qingyan's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she looked at the young man with admiration.

See that? That's the霸气 of a four-star master teacher!

Only a master teacher of this level would dare to say outright that he would teach another master teacher a lesson!

Hmph, let you be arrogant earlier, let your beast pet sit on me with its butt. When you meet Master Song, let's see how you can still be arrogant!

In her view, the other party was not even twenty, and his strength was clearly inferior to hers. Even if he were a master teacher, at most he would be two-star. When he met a four-star, he would surely bow and scrape and obey!

"I'll take Master Song to him right away!"

The more she thought, the more excited she became, and she quickly led the way.

"Mm." Song Chao nodded, hands clasped behind his back, and followed with the intention of avenging the beauty.

...

Led by the maid, Zhang Xuan and his companions walked through a long corridor and arrived at a large hall.

The room was already filled with people, densely packed, over a hundred in number.

The so-called banquet had not yet begun; these people were gathered in groups of six or seven, seemingly discussing something.

"Master Zhang, this is where the banquet is held. The garden master will come personally to entertain you shortly. I'll take my leave now."

The maid nodded and withdrew.

If earlier her impression of this man was that he was reckless and arrogant, knowing no bounds, after he had diagnosed her condition and provided a solution, she was now completely admiring and regarded him as an idol.

"Mm." Knowing she still had to guard the garden gate, Zhang Xuan said nothing more, waved his hand, and walked into the hall.

"Garden Master Xue usually won't even let us into the medicine garden. Why did she suddenly invite us this time? Could something be up? It can't be just a simple banquet, right?"

"You don't know?"

"I've been away these past few days. I just returned today and received the invitation. How could I know?"

"I heard that the garden's treasure is gravely ill and could die at any moment. The banquet is a pretext; the real intention is to have us garden masters come together and think of a solution."

"The garden's treasure? You mean..."

"Shh, keep your voice down! I heard this from an inside source. I'm not sure of the details either."

"If that's the case, why not just find someone to treat it? Why all this secrecy and talk of a banquet..."

"I wouldn't know. You know Garden Master Xue has a strange temper; she doesn't even care about the Alliance Lord's Mansion. Saying this must mean she has her own thoughts..."

"That's true."

Walking among the crowd, the three of them caught snippets of hushed conversations.

"The garden's treasure? Could it be..." Zhao Feiwu frowned.

"You know something?" Seeing her recall something, Zhang Xuan looked at her.

"I've read some books about medicine gardens before, so I know a little." Zhao Feiwu nodded and lowered her voice: "It should be the [Earth Vein Spirit Vine]."

"Earth Vein Spirit Vine?" Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

Although he had read many books, he had never encountered anything about medicine gardens. This name was new to him.

"Mm." Zhao Feiwu nodded: "This isn't a secret. Basically, any medicine garden has one. The Earth Vein Spirit Vine is a peculiar plant that attaches to earth veins to grow, gathering absorbed spiritual energy, minerals, water sources... to nourish the soil, forming a peerless fertile field suitable for growing all kinds of medicinal herbs."

If a flock grazes in the same place continuously, even the thickest grass will be eaten bare. The same goes for medicinal herbs.

If only one herb grows in a place, it's fine. But when many grow, competition arises—for spiritual energy, water, special minerals... With too much competition, it's like a grazed-down prairie: without enough nutrients, even the most powerful herbs will wither.

The reason medicine gardens can continuously sell herbs and remain prosperous, allowing all herbs to grow healthily, is precisely because of this thing.

Once it fails or dies, the entire medicine garden is finished, and all the herbs on the fertile fields will be destroyed.

"With the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, herbs grown in the fertile fields not only have better color and size than ordinary places, but more importantly, they grow much faster. Some legendary five-hundred-year herbs can be provided in two hundred years here. Otherwise, who could live five hundred years just to plant a single herb?"

Zhao Feiwu said.

"I see."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had been somewhat curious before. Spiritual herbs are not like rice or wheat, which can be planted in large quantities without issue. These things have enormous demands for spiritual energy and various nutrients. Even if the soil of a medicine garden is very fertile, it would be hard to supply so many different types.

So this kind of thing existed.

"If what they're talking about is this, no wonder Garden Master Xue is anxious. Without the Earth Vein Spirit Vine's mediation and regulation, the densely planted herbs would quickly wither..." Zhao Feiwu continued.

It was like an array regulating the growth of spiritual herbs. Once destroyed, the demands of various herbs would become chaotic, and without sufficient nutrient supply, it would be strange if the herbs didn't wither.

"Mm." Zhang Xuan nodded and was about to speak when he heard a warm voice not far away.

"Brother, are you also here with an elder to attend the banquet?"

The speaker was a genial-looking young man, with two dimples when he smiled, making him seem somewhat endearing.

"Elder?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Right. Those who can receive an invitation are either medicine garden masters, medicine kings who sell herbs, or people from medicine-cultivating clans. I know all eight garden masters and seven medicine kings of Wanguo City, but I haven't seen you before, so naturally you must have come with an elder."

The young man said with a smile.

"Medicine-cultivating clan?" Zhang Xuan didn't understand.

He knew about medicine garden masters and medicine kings who sold herbs, but what was a medicine-cultivating clan?

"You don't know about medicine-cultivating clans?" Seeing his confused expression, the young man's eyes widened in disbelief.

This was the most basic thing about medicine gardens. Not knowing this, how did he get in?

"Herb cultivation requires specialized care, and our medicine-cultivating clans are families that supply such cultivators to medicine gardens!" The young man explained.

Where there are crops, there are farmers. Where there are flocks, there are shepherds... Similarly, where there are herbs, there are herb cultivators.

The higher the grade of the herb, the harder it is to cultivate. Like beast taming and alchemy, it is a very complex and intricate field. To cultivate a powerful herb requires not only time but also manpower, resources, and various kinds of experience.

During the cultivation process, one wrong step might not only prevent the herb from reaching perfection but could also cause it to wither or die!

Take the Mortal-Transcending herb [Qingshou Grass] as an example. This herb requires a virgin woman to water it to survive. Once that woman has relations with a man, if she waters it, the entire herb will instantly turn into a cloud of smoke and completely dissipate.

Qingshou Grass—'keeping faith with one's beloved.' Because of this property, it is also used to test a woman's chastity.

Quyue Flower, when in bloom, resembles a human eye. To survive, it needs someone to constantly dance and sing beside it—'taking joy in music'—otherwise, it will quickly die.

There are countless other bizarre herbs in the world. Without systematic inherited knowledge, trying to cultivate them is as difficult as reaching the heavens.

It is because of such inheritance that medicine-cultivating clans, which specialize in training herb cultivators, came into being.

Back then, when the Master Teacher Pavilion established professions, it once mentioned herb cultivators. Unfortunately, this profession had chaotic inheritance and no unified school. Most importantly, it had no great requirements for cultivation level, only requiring broad knowledge.

Thus, it ultimately did not become a special profession. Otherwise, it would surely have a place among the lower nine professions.