Chapter 51: Elixirs Are Hard to Find

"What's going on? What do you mean by that?" Seeing Zhou Tong's dejected expression, Wan Yi instantly felt a pang of heartache.

The young girl forced a bitter smile and explained, "The Southern State branch of the Asura Gate has been wiped out by the Righteous Alliance.

Several ancestors from our Elder Hall captured their branch master alive. After our Sect Master uncle performed soul-searching on him, he managed to obtain a medicinal formula capable of curing the corpse poison on my face.

However, several of the spiritual herbs required for it are extremely difficult to find. They are the kind of treasures that are priceless and completely unavailable on the market; even with a massive fortune offered to buy them, there is no guarantee one could acquire them.

To make matters worse, one of the ingredients is the Othershore Flower, which does not grow in our realm at all. Such a miraculous flower can only be nurtured in the peculiar environment of the Underworld. But for a living person to go to the Underworld, how easy is that?"

Hearing this, Wan Yi's eyes lit up. Going to the Underworld might be extremely difficult for anyone else, but he could come and go as he pleased.

As for the other spiritual herbs, since he had previously looted the Alchemist Sect's treasure pavilion, he might actually be able to gather a complete set if he put them together.

Thinking of this, he hurriedly asked, "Girl, do you have the formula? If you do, let me take a look."

Hearing him say this, Zhou Tong did not think much of it, assuming Wan Yi was merely driven by curiosity, so she nodded and said, "I did make a copy of the formula."

As she spoke, she handed a slip containing the formula to Wan Yi.

Taking the formula, Wan Yi quickly scanned it. The longer he looked, the faster his heart beat. To his astonishment, apart from the Othershore Flower, he actually had every single one of the required spiritual herbs in his possession.

These spiritual herbs were hard to buy for a fortune in the outside world, and some had even long since vanished. However, the Alchemist Sect had been passed down for thousands of years and possessed a profound foundation, so their treasure pavilion was certainly not lacking in such items.

Yet, Wan Yi could not simply pull these spiritual herbs out right now. Because the matter was of great importance and tied directly to the bloody tragedy of the Alchemist Sect, if he were to produce these herbs out of nowhere, he would never be able to explain their origin.

"It seems I will have to let this little girl suffer a bit longer. After Zhou Shuo's birthday, I'll find an excuse to go down the mountain for training and fabricate a story about a fortuitous encounter; only then can I bring these spiritual herbs out."

At this thought, Wan Yi smiled at Zhou Tong, "I'll keep this formula for now. In the future, I will definitely find a way to gather all the spiritual herbs on it for you."

With that, he raised his hand and gently rubbed Zhou Tong's little head, "Girl, you don't need to feel disappointed. Trust me, whatever I say I will do, I will certainly accomplish."

Looking at the sincerity in Wan Yi's eyes, Zhou Tong curled her lips into a smile and said, "Alright, alright, Grand Alchemist Wan, then this young lady will count on you."

Although Zhou Tong put on a nonchalant appearance, Wan Yi understood that which girl did not care about her own appearance?

Her display of indifference was merely a brave smile masking the helplessness deep within her heart. The true bitterness was something an outsider could never truly comprehend!

Wan Yi originally wanted to say a few more comforting words, but upon second thought, he dismissed the idea. Sometimes, saying too much could yield the exact opposite result; rather than empty words, it would be far more practical to actually brew the medicinal pill for Zhou Tong in the future.

Meanwhile, on the main peak of the Vast Expanse Sect, inside the council hall, Lin Qiaosheng wore a solemn expression. Sweeping his gaze across the people seated below, he said, "You all saw when I performed soul-searching on Aye Mo Ye earlier; he seemed completely oblivious to the affairs of the Alchemist Sect. What are your thoughts on this?"

Liu Long and Zhao Tongzhou exchanged glances, unsure of how to answer Lin Qiaosheng's question.

They had participated throughout the entire process of wiping out the Asura Gate branch. Even back then, they had noticed something amiss—those cannibalistic monks of the Asura Gate had seemed completely unaware of what had happened to the Alchemist Sect.

Seeing the two of them at a loss for how to respond, Zhou Shuo hurriedly spoke up to smooth things over, "Is the Senior Brother suspecting that the incident at the Alchemist Sect has nothing to do with those cannibalistic monks?"

Lin Qiaosheng nodded, "I went to inspect the situation at the Alchemist Sect myself back then. More than half of the buildings within the sect were blown to pieces.

There were neither fluctuations of defensive arrays at the scene, nor any lingering aura from the explosion of talisman papers, only a thick smell of gunpowder, which bore a striking resemblance to the incident where Majestic Peak was blown up.

Such methods are extremely unusual and completely novel to us—techniques we have never seen before. Relying merely on those cannibalistic monks, I'm afraid they lack the capability to pull this off."

Hearing him say this, the others were left completely speechless, each harboring private complaints and muttering inwardly: *You don't say! Back then, you were the one who shifted the blame and pinned the explosion of Majestic Peak onto the Asura Gate.*

*Now look at this—people simply followed your narrative, used your own strategy against you, and wiped out the Alchemist Sect under the guise of the cannibalistic monks. What do you call this now? Swallowing coptis chinense as a mute, suffering bitter grievances that cannot be voiced!*

Noticing the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Zhou Shuo gave a light cough, "Regardless of everything else, the eradication of the Asura Gate's Southern State branch is a good thing.

Those cannibalistic monks have committed countless evils, so we can be considered to have sought justice for the wronged souls who died at their hands."

Hearing this, Lin Qiaosheng let out a long sigh, nodded with a desolate expression, "Indeed. Back in the day, both my wife and child lost their lives at the hands of Aye Mo Ye, and now their deaths can be considered avenged. It's just that......"

At this point, Lin Qiaosheng's expression shifted. Looking at Zhou Tong, he said, "The motives of this enemy lurking in the dark remain unclear. Until we figure out their true background, we must not lower our guard in the slightest.

Three days from now is your birthday, and now that the Alchemist Sect has fallen from grace, looking across the entire Southern State, our Vast Expanse Sect's Alchemy Peak stands supreme in the field of alchemy.

The people coming to offer birthday congratulations over these next few days represent the attitudes of various factions in the Southern State, and their intention to be on good terms with us goes without saying. Absolutely nothing must go wrong during this period."

Upon hearing this, the crowd chimed in agreement. Zhao Tongzhou stepped forward and said, "Sect Master, rest assured. I have already ordered the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall to step up patrols and will not let any suspicious individuals slip into the sect."

Lin Qiaosheng furrowed his brow further. "That is not enough. Later, pass a message to Zhao Xinyi, ordering the Array Hall to activate all formations within the sect to prevent any formidable experts from sneaking in."

..................

Late at night, after finishing the reception of guests who had come to offer birthday greetings alongside his fellow senior brothers and sisters, Wan Yi dragged his weary footsteps back to his thatched cottage.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw Niu San and Ma Si greeting him with flattering smiles plastered across their faces.

Seeing the two of them, Wan Yi was slightly startled, then asked, "Why are you two here?"

Niu San picked up a bowl of tea, handed it to Wan Yi, and chuckled, "My Lord, please have a sip of tea first, and then listen to us slowly explain."

As it turned out, ever since the afternoon, Yan Wuji had been sending messages trying to contact Wan Yi. However, Wan Yi had been busy receiving guests at the time and was unable to reply, so he had temporarily set the matter aside.

Who would have thought that once he got busy, he would completely forget about it? It wouldn't have mattered much if he had simply forgotten, but Yan Wuji could not sit still.

Yan Wuji, who had just returned from Fengdu, was terrified that Wan Yi might have caught wind of something beforehand and be holding a grudge against him, so he had sent Niu San and Ma Si to check out the situation.

Unaware that any changes had occurred on the side of the Soul-Reaping Department, Wan Yi took a sip of the warm tea and smiled at the two of them, "I was busy this afternoon and couldn't reply. Brother Yan was looking for me so urgently; has something happened?"

Since Niu San and Ma Si had merely been sent to deliver a message and find him, they genuinely had no idea what was going on. They shook their heads and said, "This subordinate has no idea. We humbly ask My Lord to please hurry over; the Prison Warden has urged us several times already."

Wan Yi furrowed his brows slightly, set down his teacup, and said, "Then let's go, and see what my good brother wants with me!"

To be continued......