Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Trial, Planting Exotic Flame Grass (2)
How fortunate that I raised a dragon cub.
Jiang Tang felt immeasurable gratitude.
He put away the ancient tome and rubbed Eryao's head, "Eryao, you're such a good boy. The first field is all yours to eat from."
Eryao was immediately delighted.
In recent days, Father had been feeding him Spirit Grass bought from outside, and though they were of superior quality, they just didn't taste as good as those Father grew himself.
Now with permission granted, Eryao entered the Spirit Field Space and first helped Jiang Tang harvest the crops from the second field, piling them up together before diving into the first field and gobbling them down ravenously.
Meanwhile, Jiang Tang stood guard over the Exotic Flame Grass, waiting for it to mature before carefully uprooting it, roots and all, and transplanting it into the spatial Spirit Field.
Atop the Exotic Flame Grass, dark red flames flickered gracefully, casting a wondrous sheen.
Jiang Tang had perused the ancient tome and knew the method of harvesting.
He slowly mustered a strand of Spiritual Power, twirled it on his fingertips, and cautiously approached the sapling of Xuanming Spiritual Fire.
"Little fella, would you like to form a bond with me?" Feeling the scorching resistance from the flame, Jiang Tang became even gentler in his approach.
The range of the flame's sway lessened, gradually condensing into a sphere of light that detached from the stem and flew into Jiang Tang's palm, merging into it.
Jiang Tang instantly felt a connection with the Xuanming Spiritual Fire.
He opened his palm, attempting to summon it with his intent, and a wisp of dark red flame immediately appeared.
With the appearance of the Exotic Flame, the bond was formed!
He could finally use the Exotic Flame for alchemy.
Eager to test it out, Jiang Tang nevertheless remembered the purpose of his trip was to find some Spirit Grass, so he hurriedly left the space and started looking around.
He had just picked a stalk of Spirit Grass and was about to harvest the second one when he encountered troublemakers.
"Hey, lad, this Suixian Grass is something our Young Master is looking for. Hand it over to us. You can go pick elsewhere." Two men dressed in brocade clothes slowly approached, their eyes scoffing at Jiang Tang who was clad in simple cloth.
"But, first come, first served," Jiang Tang furrowed his brows.
This Suixian Grass was essential for crafting the First-Stage Heart-Nurturing Pill; without it, the pill could not possibly be made.
"Stop your babbling. Are you asking for a beating?" One of the men brandished a long saber and glared at Jiang Tang menacingly.
Two men, one of the Fifth Heaven of Body Refinement and the other of the Sixth Heaven.
I might not be able to beat them, but grabbing this Suixian Grass should be no problem.
After pondering briefly, Jiang Tang swiftly picked the Suixian Grass and turned to run away.
The two men stood there dumbfounded. By the time they came to their senses and thought to give chase, the Demonic Beast guarding the Suixian Grass came out and pounced on them.
The pair had no choice but to deal with the Demonic Beast with all their might.
Jiang Tang ran for a while and suddenly saw an elegant figure ahead.
He stopped to catch his breath and looked closely.
It was a young noble. Dressed in a dark purple robe with a purple crescent moon Jade Pendant at his waist, he stood tall and straight, looking from a distance like a handsome Immortal, graceful and refined.
If it wasn't Su Chang'an.
"Lord Qianchen?" Jiang Tang was overjoyed.
Su Chang'an turned around upon hearing the voice and caught sight of the panting Jiang Tang, slightly startled.
This seemed to be the cultivator he saved last time, named Jiang Tang.
"Jiang, what's got you in such a flurry?" Seeing Jiang Tang rushing toward him, Su Chang'an greeted with a bow.
Jiang Tang returned the gesture and, after catching his breath, explained what had just happened.
At that moment, the two men ran over. Upon seeing Jiang Tang, they started cursing and preparing to attack him.
Su Chang'an stepped in front of Jiang Tang and asked indifferently, "The Young Master you two speak of, who might he be?"
"An Outer Sect Disciple of the Immortal Sect, Su Chenye," one of the men said, tilting his chin up pridefully.
"Su Chenye... from the Sword Sect Su Clan, Su Chenye?" Su Chang'an slowly raised an eyebrow.
"Our Young Master may not be a direct descendant of the main family, but he's a genius of a collateral branch. From the looks of you, robed in your finery, you better not meddle, or I'll beat you along with him!" The other man glared at Su Chang'an.
Su Chang'an chuckled.
Jiang Tang's heart inexplicably shuddered.
He felt… these two were in for bad luck.
Rustling sounds came from all around as a group of black-clad people suddenly appeared beside them.
"Those who wish to kill the Young Master shall be slain by us first," a person in black slowly drew a long saber from his waist, his eyes cold and sharp like an eagle's.
The Young Master?
The two were stunned, turning their gaze towards the amiable-faced Su Chang'an. When their eyes landed on the jade pendant at his waist, they suddenly widened.
The purple crescent moon… Was that… the symbol of the Sword Sect Su Clan's jade pendant?!
He is…
"Su Clan's Young Master, Su Chang'an?! Run!" The two recognized Su Chang'an's identity, realizing they had carelessly offended someone they shouldn't have, and immediately turned to flee.
But the black-clad people weren't going to give them a chance to escape; just raising their long sabers and striking forward, the two screamed tragically and fell to the ground, dead.
Su Chang'an waved his hand, signaling them to back off, and then glanced at Jiang Tang, who stood with his mouth agape in surprise, and couldn't help but cover his mouth with his fist and cough.
It seems I scared Brother Jiang.
In fact, Jiang Tang wasn't scared.
He was just shocked that the scenes he had read about in martial arts novels were being enacted right before his very eyes.
Okay, that blood was a bit frightening.
"Lord Qianchen, are you alright?" Jiang Tang came back to his senses, looked at Su Chang'an, and seeing his slightly pale complexion, couldn't help but worry.
"It's an old illness from years ago, I'm used to it," Su Chang'an said with a faint smile, nonchalantly waving his hand.
Jiang Tang grunted, producing a porcelain bottle from his Qiankun Bag and passed it over.
"This is a First-Stage Cleansing Spirit Pill that I made in my spare time. If Lord Qianchen trusts it, please feel free to use it," Jiang Tang said, scratching his head with a grin.
Su Chang'an's eyes flickered.
He made it himself?
In the Mortal Realm, alchemists were a much-sought-after profession and the target of countless peoples' admiration.
Looking at Brother Jiang's expression, it seemed he wasn't aware of the preciousness of pills.
"There's no need to trouble Brother Jiang," Su Chang'an waved his hand.
"It's no trouble at all, I have made many of these pills, so please take them and use them," Jiang Tang insisted, placing the porcelain bottle into the other's hand.
"In that case, I shall accept them without further ado," Su Chang'an reluctantly received it and smiled, "Brother Jiang, since we're both here, shall we travel together for a while? If there's more trouble, Brother Jiang won't have to worry about being frightened anymore."
"Okay," Jiang Tang nodded.
And so, the two set off together.
Of course, if you disregard those Shadow Guards that didn't count.
On the way, they shared their intentions.
It turned out that Su Chang'an was also there to gather herbs for making his own pills.
Incidentally, he was dealing with a few troublesome pests.
With Su Chang'an present, those who saw Jiang Tang dressed plainly and thought to rob him quickly retreated, keeping their distance.
As a result, Jiang Tang picked many Spirit Grasses along the way.
As for the demonic beasts, they were all intercepted by the Shadow Guards.
When they found the herbs they were each looking for, the two had also reached the edge of Qingloujian.
"Lord Qianchen, let us part ways here," Jiang Tang bowed to Su Chang'an, "If we meet again, I shall gift you a Second-turn Rejuvenation Pill."
A Second-turn Rejuvenation Pill? Could it be that he was already an alchemist of the pill-master level?
Su Chang'an was slightly taken aback.