Chapter 93: Sect Treasury

Once the grandfather-grandson relationship was acknowledged, everything else became much simpler. The divine doctor, who had been on the verge of leaving, now meticulously re-examined Xiao Luocheng's meridians. His expression turned serious as he said, "After all this disruption, the recovery will be more troublesome. Call the people who brought the previous herbs; I need to refine new medicine."

"I am the chief elder of this Medicine Hall, and I am most familiar with all the sect's medicinal ingredients. Senior, please just give me your instructions," Xiao Baicao said, bowing. His intention was clear: he wanted to be an "assistant" here, to witness the divine doctor's medical skills firsthand, and perhaps even receive some casual pointers from him.

"Hmm," Yun Che nodded. "Then pay attention... three liang of 40-year Purple Heart Mist Blossom Wood, one piece of 36-year Blood Sunflower Essence, one piece of Red Spirit Jade with over ninety percent purity, two 180-year Ice Cold Snow Ginsengs, three 12-year Burning Vein Orchids..." Yun Che rattled off sixteen types of herbs in one breath. With each one, Xiao Baicao would pause, and by the time Yun Che finished, he was completely bewildered, unable to nod or shake his head. While these herbs were all precious, his branch sect had accumulated enough over the years to easily procure them. The problem was that Yun Che specified precise ages for all of them.

Seeing Xiao Baicao standing there blankly, Yun Che glanced at him and said, "What's wrong? These aren't rare items. A sect that's over a thousand years old should be able to produce them, right?"

"We can get them, of course we can," Xiao Baicao quickly said. "It's just the age..."

"Oh! I almost forgot to remind you," Yun Che's expression turned serious and earnest. "The herbs I just requested must not have any deviation in their age... well, if you really can't find them, a one or two-year deviation might be barely acceptable, but the effect would be significantly worse. Different ages of herbs might seem to have no distinction, but even a one-month difference means a considerable variation in the spiritual energy they've absorbed. High-level alchemy has extremely stringent requirements for herb ages. For rare medicines that are extremely difficult to refine, the requirements for herbs are even stricter, down to the month. Hurry now."

Yun Che's stream of fabrications completely astonished Xiao Baicao, who thought to himself, "The Evil Heart Saint Hand's level is truly different; his requirements for herbs are so rigorous. By comparison, I'm practically a quack." He bowed slightly, his face filled with shame, and said, "Senior's teachings, I will engrave them in my memory... It's just that, while I have some knowledge of herb gathering and alchemy, and I'm familiar with the sect's medicinal reserves, identifying the precise age of herbs..." Not just him, even Xiao Tiannan, who was nearby, was dumbfounded. Medicinal ingredients precise to the year — who on earth could identify that?! A thousand years old, a hundred years old, a dozen years old might be recognizable, but what about a dozen years versus several decades? Don't they look the same? Let alone pinpointing the exact year.

Yun Che glared, frowning, "Don't you claim to be the chief elder of this sect's Medicine Hall? How can you not even know such basic proficiency in the path of medicine?"

Xiao Baicao lowered his head and said with a wry smile, "Senior, you are a master of medicine on this continent; I can't possibly compare myself to you. If the time span is wide enough, I can barely identify them, but to be precise down to a year or even months, I am truly incapable."

Yun Che pondered for a moment, then stood up. "Ah, never mind, I'll go fetch them myself..." He paused, then waved his hand. "Oh, actually, forget it. A sect's herb storage is undoubtedly one of its most important locations. Few insiders are qualified to enter, let alone outsiders. I understand these rules..."

Originally, Xiao Tiannan instinctively felt some resistance to the divine doctor's suggestion of personally entering the sect's treasury. This was because the sect's treasury was one of its greatest secret places; only five individuals within the branch sect were qualified to enter it. The treasury had two keys in total: one was held by Xiao Baicao, and the other by Xiao Tiannan. However, upon hearing Yun Che's words, his resistance vanished instantly. He thought to himself, "He is the Evil Heart Saint Hand! What a realm! The treasures in my own treasury are probably no different from a pile of junk in his eyes." Moreover, he was going to the treasury to save Xiao Luocheng... And truly, he was a master; he showed such respect even for their small sect. This indeed demonstrated a master's demeanor, worthy of admiration.

He quickly said, "No, no! Senior, you overstate it. While the treasury is an important place, it only guards against villains. How could a master like you covet anything from our small branch sect? Besides, my son Luocheng has just acknowledged you as his godfather, making us family. Since we are family, and it's for my son Luocheng, what harm is there in entering my treasury?"

"Yes, yes," Xiao Baicao echoed. "I am incompetent. If Senior doesn't go personally, I estimate these herbs won't be gathered even by tomorrow. That would make Senior wait in vain and delay the Young Sect Master's injury."

The treasury was such a vital area that even elders required Xiao Tiannan's permission and Xiao Baicao's accompaniment to enter. This was the first time both of them were begging an outsider to enter the treasury, and they felt no awkwardness or impropriety whatsoever... After all, he was the Evil Heart Saint Hand; him entering their treasury was a sign of honor.

Yun Che feigned contemplation for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Although your trust in me makes me somewhat grateful, there's a saying you must always remember: 'Never be without caution against others!' I've only been in your sect for a day, yet you're allowing me to enter your treasury. While it's for my grandson's condition, it is indeed too reckless and hasty! How about this, Baicao, you accompany me and watch me retrieve the herbs the entire time... Furthermore, though I've lived for several hundred years, I haven't cultivated any profound energy; I'm merely at the Profound Entry Realm. I also don't carry any spatial rings on me, as a profound energy scan by the Xiao Sect would reveal. I say all this to put your minds at ease, and mine as well."

Profound Entry Realm, no spatial rings... This implied that it would be impossible for him to steal anything from the treasury, and even if he did, his meager profound energy would make it impossible to go undetected, let alone escape. These words deeply moved Xiao Tiannan and Xiao Baicao, and their admiration for the divine doctor's noble character grew immensely. Xiao Tiannan said emotionally, "Although this is our first meeting, my admiration and gratitude for Senior surpass anyone else in my entire life. Even if I don't trust myself, I would never distrust Senior..."

"Say no more! Baicao, you must follow me the entire time, not leaving my side within three steps. Though I may often seem eccentric in my life, I have always been pure and unsullied, and I will not allow any blemish on my character. My grandson's injury cannot be delayed any longer; let's go now."

"Yes, yes!" Xiao Baicao responded, then led Yun Che directly towards the branch sect's treasury.

As soon as Xiao Baicao and the divine doctor left, Xiao Tiannan sat by Xiao Luocheng's bed. Looking at Xiao Luocheng's pathetic state, he felt no worry at all; instead, his face was beaming. "Luocheng! This time, you really must 'thank' that Yun Che! Do you know who this divine doctor is? Just hearing about him would astound you! He can be said to be the number one divine doctor on the Heavenly Profound Continent! Although he belongs to no sect or school, he has saved countless super-powerful cultivators throughout his life. The number of people indebted to him, or wanting to curry favor with him, absolutely rivals any sect on the Azure Cloud Continent! Now that you've acknowledged him as your godfather, he will naturally support you in the future. By then, even at the main sect, they will treasure you! Because if you can foster a good relationship with this Evil Heart Saint Hand, it's like gaining another... oh no! More than just one life!"

Xiao Luocheng's face was also incredibly excited; he even found the pain in his body exhilarating. He clenched his right fist and gritted his teeth, saying, "Father, don't worry. Since I resemble his grandson, I'll find a way to secure Huangfu He firmly. As for that Yun Che... Heh! I will indeed 'thank' him properly! Father is right, I should take revenge myself. When the time comes, I'll cripple his limbs, shatter all his bones, destroy all his meridians and profound veins! I'll make him wish he were dead!!"

Xiao Luocheng had grown up adored and admired by others; he had never endured such humiliation or suffering. Although his current state was entirely self-inflicted, it didn't prevent his hatred for Yun Che from becoming bone-deep... This was also one of the reasons Yun Che dealt such a heavy blow, and after failing to kill him, specifically came to his door to ensure his demise.

"A snake not killed causes triple trouble; a tiger returned to the mountains harms one's own home." This was a life motto firmly etched in his heart after countless near-death experiences.

The branch sect's treasury was hidden beneath the Medicine Hall. It was not only concealed but also protected by seven layers of defenses. The treasury's main entrance was a stone door over three meters tall. Xiao Baicao pressed a circular disc with strange patterns into a hole beside the stone door and slowly twisted it. The stone door immediately began to rise, accompanied by a deafening rumbling sound. This sound was loud enough to clearly travel above ground, alerting anyone nearby that someone was entering the treasury. There were a total of three such stone doors, each nearly a foot thick. The sound of each door opening was louder than the last. If an outsider were to enter, merely opening the doors would alert a significant portion of the sect.

With the three doors open, a wide passage appeared before them. Xiao Baicao bowed and said, "Senior Huangfu, please enter."

Yun Che didn't hesitate, striding briskly forward, while not forgetting to remind, "Don't leave my side within three steps. Hmph, I don't want people to spread rumors." Xiao Baicao acknowledged verbally, but inwardly he let out a wry smile... He thought, "Who are you, senior? Would you stoop to stealing anything from here? Even if you had the thought, with no profound energy and no spatial rings, you couldn't take anything anyway."

Entering the Xiao Sect's treasury, rows of black wooden cabinets came into view. Xiao Baicao stepped forward and introduced, "These black wooden cabinets are used to store various medicinal herbs. All the herbs Senior requires can be found here. Additionally, this is where our sect's millennium-long accumulation is secretly stored, including spirit pills, rare treasures, profound pills, various purple crystals, rare metals, precious jades, weapons, protective armor, and even sect cultivation techniques." As he spoke, a strong sense of pride appeared on Xiao Baicao's face.

Yun Che stroked his beard and said indifferently, "Given your sect's scale, such an accumulation is quite impressive." He thought, *Hmm, it is indeed quite impressive... I have all the profound alchemy skills and artifacts in the world, yet the lack of herbs makes me want to cry without tears... Tsk tsk, a millennium of accumulation from a sect. It seems I didn't come in vain.*