Chapter 1790: The Purpose of This Trip

“Let’s check it first.”

Li Yan didn’t want to waste time. He waved his hand, and a Tiger-Devouring Gu appeared. It flashed into the crack. To their surprise, after only seven or eight breaths, the Gu flew back out. Li Yan exchanged a brief thought with it before putting it away. The two sisters looked at him curiously.

“It seems we’ve found the right place. Inside is a vast medicinal field… but unlike the ones outside, these aren’t overgrown with weeds!”

As he spoke, Li Yan’s form blurred. Without hesitation, he drifted toward the crack. Although the Ming sisters didn’t transmit, they moved in perfect unison. Ming Yu followed closely. A light green belt trailing from her waist was caught by Ming Qi, who stood at the crack. Only after sensing Ming Yu enter did Ming Qi pull three times and follow…

What appeared before them was a valley. The moment Ming Qi entered, she gasped, her red lips parting in shock. She saw many medicinal herbs—perhaps over a hundred of them. Looking at the wild grass growing around them, it was clear no one had tended to them for a long time. They were alchemists; Ming Qi recognized several herbs that were rare treasures in the outside world. Judging by their forms, they were at least ten thousand years old, though a closer inspection was needed.

“No one… no one has been here!” Ming Yu’s voice was shaky. She had been stunned the moment she saw this. It took her five breaths to remember their signal and pull her sister in.

Fortunately, Ming Qi didn’t know the length of the crack. Given the Gu’s speed, ten breaths was normal. Li Yan stood in front, seemingly unaware of their caution, appearing just as shocked by the herbs. Though the total number wasn’t massive, their age was incredible. Ten thousand years was likely a conservative estimate!

Li Yan’s back was to the sisters, but his Divine Sense was fixed on a corner of the field. Two herbs, about a foot tall, grew there. Though bathed in sunlight, they were surrounded by churning mist that made their forms flicker in and out of sight. Even under the sun, the mist felt incredibly cold to his Divine Sense.

But this cold was unique. The moment his Divine Sense touched it, he felt a desire to stay there forever, to sink into it. The strand of Divine Sense felt a wave of comfort, as if it were becoming moist and full within the mist…

‘Moon-Gazing Pure… Immortal Grass!’

The name surged in his mind, causing him to daze for a moment. His entire purpose for coming here was this! Now that it had actually appeared, he found it hard to believe. But he quickly regained his composure. He didn’t rush over to collect them. Instead, he scanned other areas, his expression returning to normal. Since his back was to the sisters and they didn’t dare scan him, they didn’t notice his lapse.

“There are no living beings here either, Senior… should we collect these herbs?” Ming Qi’s voice came from behind. They had an agreement to split things fifty-fifty. But some herbs only had a single specimen, making an even split impossible. Since each herb had different effects and values, it was hard to appraise them.

“Yes. We shall collect those that can be split first. For the unique ones, we will negotiate.”

Li Yan stopped looking at the Moon-Gazing Pure Immortal Grass and focused on the nearest herbs. Seeing that the elder didn’t go back on his word and truly intended to share—not using the Blood Covenant as a pretext to claim everything—the sisters relaxed slightly. The elder was at least a man of his word.

The three were experienced in harvesting herbs. They divided the common ones and compensated with others for the unique ones they gave up. Having a specimen was enough; they didn’t mind if there was only one.

Soon, they reached the Moon-Gazing Pure Immortal Grass. Ming Qi and Ming Yu also recognized it.

“Two stalks of Moon-Gazing Pure Immortal Grass. This is highly effective for refining pills that augment the Divine Sense. It’s a rare treasure in the outside world. These two seem to be of similar age, both over ten thousand years. We can take one each!” Ming Yu said excitedly, feeling her Divine Sense become vibrant just by standing near the rising mist.

“Fellow Daoists, I happen to need this specific grass for a certain pill. If I have only one stalk, I am not confident I can refine it successfully. I need a backup. Would you be willing to let me have both stalks?”

Li Yan didn’t take half as he had before. Instead, he turned his head to look at the sisters. Ming Yu’s hand froze mid-reach. She glanced at Li Yan, then at her sister.

Ming Qi didn’t answer immediately. She looked at the grass; herbs that benefited the Sea of Consciousness were rare. She knew its value and didn’t want to let it go. However, her Divine Sense had already scanned the other unique herbs. Several were worth no less than this grass, and there were some she couldn’t even identify. Li Yan’s proposal to let them take more unique herbs later was fair; he wasn’t asking for a handout.

“No problem!” Ming Qi agreed after a brief hesitation.

The grass was useful for the Sea of Consciousness, but it wasn’t something they desperately needed right now. There were treasures further away that they coveted more. Furthermore, since Li Yan had asked, Ming Qi didn’t want to offend him. He hadn’t asked for anything until now. If she refused his first request, things might get ugly once they left and the Blood Covenant expired.

Most importantly, their goal was the inheritance. These herbs were secondary. She could see that the elder cooperated with them because he couldn’t open the secret realm alone. Now that they were inside, her value was tied to the covenant. If they found the inheritance later, she might need his help. If she refused him now, he would surely refuse her then.

“Then I thank the two of you!” Li Yan nodded and walked toward the grass without ceremony.

His true goal for years was this grass, but he couldn’t let them see his true desire. His expression and movements remained identical to before, so the sisters didn’t notice anything. If they had refused, Li Yan would have done exactly what Ming Qi feared—once he had the grass, he would have no more reservations. He might have killed them. Bai Rou’s injury had to be healed; there was no room for error. Whether there were two stalks or four, he had to have them all.

But since Ming Qi agreed, it was for the best. Li Yan didn’t want more powerful enemies. The Ming sisters were highly valued by their clan; who knew what their Great Elder had left on them? If he killed them and it was traced back to him, he would be acting against his Second Senior Uncle’s wishes, creating another enemy for the already embattled Five Immortals Sect.

In xianxia, one couldn’t just look at the present. Since the Underworld Phoenix clan could survive among the Phoenixes and Azure Phoenixes, they clearly weren’t alone. They had deep ties with the Azure Phoenix clan.

A quarter-hour later, all the herbs in the fields had been harvested!