Chapter 426: Two Types of Orders

Qin Sang could only clear the ruins and restore the tombs, allowing Senior Sister Qingting and her husband to rest in peace. Besides this, Qin Sang did not leave any further restrictions. Letting the small island appear unremarkable might allow it to exist longer.

After leaving the island, Qin Sang proceeded with even greater caution. Fortunately, the herb garden was not too deep within the Yun Cang Great Marsh. Along the way, Qin Sang only encountered a few patrolling guard teams from the Lesser Cold Domain and no cultivators from the Heaven-Traveling Alliance. However, his interactions with these patrol teams allowed him to sense the growing tension of the situation.

In an expanse of open water, a figure slowly materialized. Qin Sang cautiously scanned his surroundings, detecting no enemy traces, then looked down at the calm surface. The lake water was clear, and swimming fish were plainly visible. Everything appeared completely normal; the surrounding spiritual energy showed no anomalies, and there were no signs of restrictions or spiritual formations.

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then formed a strange hand seal and sent it towards the lake water. *Splash!* The ripples had just risen when Qin Sang smoothed them away. As the hand seal entered the water, the leisurely swimming fish in the lake suddenly vanished, as if they had all been illusions. In their place, a huge dark silhouette appeared in Qin Sang's vision. The silhouette was elongated, resembling a giant whale lurking deep at the bottom of the water.

"Looks like I've found the right place," Qin Sang murmured. Before he finished speaking and before he could make another move, an anomaly suddenly occurred within the dark silhouette. At its center, a point of white light abruptly flared, followed by intense fluctuations across the entire silhouette. Countless specks of white light appeared on the silhouette, then rapidly converged towards the center, merging into one. In the blink of an eye, the point of white light at the silhouette's center transformed, resembling the rudimentary form of a spirit sword. The sword-shaped white light flickered erratically, then with a slight tremor, pointed precisely at Qin Sang. Being targeted by the sword-shaped white light and feeling the sharp aura it emitted, Qin Sang felt a secret chill. The fellow disciples inside had activated the restriction without a word. Considering the current tense situation, Qin Sang felt relieved and hastily took out his own waist token and Qi Yuanshou's secret order, sending them into the silhouette. The secret order and waist token took effect.

A moment later, the white light within the silhouette silently dispersed. Qin Sang then heard a few spiritual messages inquiring about him. After answering each one, several figures flew out from the silhouette. Leading them was a cultivator at the Mid Foundation Establishment stage, appearing to be around fifty years old. Qin Sang recalled the contents of the jade slip and remembered that this person was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the herb garden, named Xie Ying. Before the great chaos, a single Mid Foundation Establishment disciple, along with a few Qi Condensation disciples and the herb garden's original spiritual formation, was sufficient to defend the area.

Xie Ying led his people out of the water and came before Qin Sang. He bowed with a somewhat embarrassed tone, saying, "I was unaware that Senior Brother Qin had arrived. I have offended you, Senior Brother; it was my impoliteness. I hope Senior Brother will forgive me!" Xie Ying had broken through to Foundation Establishment a few years later than Qin Sang, so it was appropriate for him to address Qin Sang as Senior Brother. Moreover, Qin Sang was already at the Late Foundation Establishment stage, surpassing Xie Ying in cultivation. Xie Ying worried that Qin Sang might be eccentric and hold a grudge against him.

"Junior Brother Xie," Qin Sang returned the bow and said casually, "The situation is critical, so it's only right for you to be vigilant. There's no offense. This is no place for idle chatter; perhaps we should go inside and talk." Seeing Qin Sang's demeanor, Xie Ying felt relieved and promptly invited him into the herb garden. Along the way, Xie Ying introduced the other disciples to Qin Sang, who greeted each of them in turn.

Besides Xie Ying, the herb garden also housed an Early Foundation Establishment cultivator named Mao Ji and ten Qi Condensation disciples. This arrangement was dictated by the characteristics of the herb garden's spiritual formation. A Mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, supported by ten Qi Condensation disciples, could unleash the formation's full power to fend off enemies. Any remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators could secretly depart to summon reinforcements if the situation turned dire.

The herb garden was built on an underwater island, which explained why no clues were visible from the outside. The island lay ten *zhang* underwater and was long and narrow. Its prime locations were dedicated to cultivating spiritual herbs. Besides the herb garden, there were also a few caves excavated by cultivators, though the spiritual energy within them was only barely satisfactory. The remaining areas were overgrown with aquatic plants, teeming with countless fish and shrimp.

"...Senior Brother Qin, these are all the arrangements of this herb garden. We're unaware of Senior Uncle Qi's instructions. Please, Senior Brother Qin, tell us. From now on, we will all follow your lead." After giving Qin Sang a tour of the island, Xie Ying finally inquired about his purpose for coming, readily relinquishing authority and looking at Qin Sang with immense anticipation. With a thought, Qin Sang accurately guessed Xie Ying's intentions.

Guarding the herb garden was originally a cushy job. Not only did it allow for peaceful cultivation, but upon the spiritual herbs' maturation and submission to the sect, one would also receive rewards. This was merely the overt benefit. However, given the current situation, being stuck guarding the herb garden in the Yun Cang Great Marsh without sect orders to leave meant certain punishment if one did. This assignment could easily lead to death! Xie Ying desperately wished Qin Sang would take over for him so he could leave and retreat to the safety of the sect.

"How many more years until the spiritual herbs in the garden mature?" Qin Sang didn't pick up on Xie Ying's implication, instead asking a counter-question. Xie Ying, feeling impatient, patiently replied, "To answer Senior Brother Qin, the spiritual herbs in the garden vary. Due to this upheaval, the sect hasn't sent anyone to collect herbs for a long time. Most spiritual herbs are ready for harvest at any time, but a few auxiliary herbs for the Kanli Golden Core, the one that takes the longest to mature, still need at least ten years..." This was the reason for Xie Ying's anxiety.

The situation in the Yun Cang Great Marsh grew tenser by the day. During this period, he had been restless, unable to focus on cultivation. Hiding beneath the restrictions, he constantly monitored the outside, often seeing cultivators flying overhead, coming and going in a hurry. No one knew when this taut string would finally snap.

"Ten years..." Qin Sang mused silently. This duration was indeed a bit long, but Qi Yuanshou's orders weren't strict; being able to take most of the spiritual herbs would be enough to report completion. He didn't keep Xie Ying in suspense any longer and repeated Qi Yuanshou's secret order. Unexpectedly, upon hearing Qin Sang's relay, Xie Ying was overjoyed, his face filled with disbelief as he pressed, "Senior Brother Qin, is this truly what was said? Did Senior Uncle Qi really personally say that we don't need to worry about these spiritual herbs, and we can withdraw at any time if we encounter danger?"

Qin Sang frowned, looking at Xie Ying. He hadn't expected someone of such high cultivation to be so impatient. Discontentedly, he asked, "Could what Senior Uncle Qi told me directly be false? What orders did you receive before?" The excitement on Xie Ying's face was hard to contain, and he didn't notice the displeasure in Qin Sang's tone. Hearing the question, he loudly lamented, "Senior Brother Qin, you don't know the half of it. When we previously reported to the sect, the order we received was for everyone to hold fast to the island and await sect arrangements. As for the spiritual herbs on the island, especially a particular one called Seven-Leaf Epiphyllum, if even a single plant is missing, we'd have to present our heads! I didn't even dare to tell Junior Brother Mao and the others the truth..."