Chapter 86: The Girl in the Medicinal Garden

Jiang Fan blinked. "Huh? How do you know my name?"

He remembered they had only met once before, and he hadn't told her his name.

Liu Qingxian's beautiful eyes widened again. She pounced forward, grabbing Jiang Fan's shoulders, her eyes shining with astonishment. "Then you're the one who defeated Nangong Liuyun on the Ascending Dragon Path?"

"You know that too?" Jiang Fan's gaze flickered, but he didn't answer.

However, his silence confirmed it for Liu Qingxian. The peerless prodigy she had been searching for was indeed the Ninth-Grade Spirit Root! Recalling Jiang Fan's astonishing strength from moments before, she was even more certain that it was Jiang Fan who had defeated Nangong Liuyun!

"It's really you! It's really you!"

She suddenly understood why Jiang Fan's Ninth-Grade Spirit Root had been so much stronger than her own Seventh-Grade Spirit Root at the City Lord's Estate. The reason was simple: Jiang Fan's spirit root was likely not just a simple Ninth-Grade. This had led both her and Chen Zhengdao to misunderstand, thinking that the Ninth-Grade Spirit Root and the peerless prodigy were two different people.

The truth was now clear. Her joy was indescribable. She passionately embraced this enormous, recovered treasure, holding him tightly, afraid he might run off again at any moment.

"This is wonderful! Our Sovereign Peak has hope now, and Father won't have to worry anymore."

Jiang Fan was buried in her embrace. His eyes widened, and he quickly pushed her away. "What are you doing? Men and women should keep their distance, Senior Sister Liu, please compose yourself!"

"Uh—"

Only then did Liu Qingxian realize how improper her behavior was. Her flawless, fair face immediately turned bright red. What had she done? However, seeing Jiang Fan's expression as if he had suffered a great loss, she couldn't help but get annoyed. "You got the benefit, and now you're acting like the victim!" She, Liu Qingxian, wasn't bad, was she? In terms of looks alone, she ranked among the top few in the Nine Sects. How many young masters and successors from various sects yearned for her affection? She gave Jiang Fan a chance, and he actually scorned it!

Jiang Fan didn't bother to argue with her. He said, "Can I go now? If I don't leave soon, and other female disciples come, it'll be hard to explain our situation."

Liu Qingxian thought about it and agreed. She said, "Go on. Oh, and tomorrow, no matter which elder chooses you as an inner disciple, you are not allowed to agree! I'll have my father take you in."

Jiang Fan scoffed, "You're telling me what to do?"

Liu Qingxian said with a faint smile, "What, do you want the entire sect to know that you came to the female disciples' spirit pool?"

Jiang Fan's face paled, and he gritted his teeth. "You're ruthless!"

"Turn around!"

Liu Qingxian scoffed back, mimicking Jiang Fan, "You're telling me what to do?"

Without another word, Jiang Fan simply stood up, his naked body exposed before her.

"Ah! Pervert!" Liu Qingxian shrieked, quickly covered her face, and crouched down in the water.

Jiang Fan curled his lips. So what if her strength was high? She was still easy to control. He jumped ashore and quickly put on his clothes. He seized the moment, before anyone else arrived, to quickly make his escape.

It was a long time before Liu Qingxian dared to stand up, her beautiful face still flushed with lingering blushes. She bit her rose-petal red lips slightly, both laughing and angry: "Little rascal! No one has ever made me this angry in my life! Once you become my father's disciple, you'll be my junior brother! There's plenty of time. Let's see how I 'deal with' you!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan, feeling light and refreshed, walked briskly along the path, leaving the back mountain.

Zhong Qizhen and others, who had been hiding in the shadows waiting for Jiang Fan to be carried out, couldn't help but doubt their eyes. How did this look like someone who had been punished? He was completely vibrant and energetic!

Zhong Qizhen angrily punched Liu Yong in the chest and demanded, "Is this what you meant by 'never to recover'?"

Liu Yong was also full of questions. "It shouldn't be," he said. "Liu Qingxian was clearly bathing inside. Senior Brother Zhong, I'll go in and check the situation."

He didn't believe it. Could it be that Liu Qingxian had already finished bathing? And this kid just got lucky and wasn't discovered by Liu Qingxian? He took a step and walked inside.

A short while later, when he got near the spirit pool and secretly peeked inside, he was stunned. He saw Liu Qingxian combing her wet hair by the shore. This proved that Liu Qingxian had been there the entire time. If so, didn't it mean that they had been bathing together just now?

Liu Yong was horrified. He had discovered a secret he shouldn't have! Terrified, he began to crawl away. Unexpectedly, Liu Qingxian turned around, her expression as cold as ice: "Just now, you were the one who tricked Jiang Fan into coming here, weren't you?"

She looked at him coldly. Liu Yong broke out in a cold sweat. Feeling as if the sky had fallen, he immediately knelt and kowtowed: "I was wrong, I was wrong! Please spare me, Immortal Maiden!"

The cold glint in Liu Qingxian's eyes intensified: "You've caused great trouble, do you know that?"

Liu Yong was terrified out of his wits: "I almost ruined the Immortal Maiden's purity! I am guilty, I am terribly guilty!"

*Bang!* Liu Qingxian flew over and stomped, shattering the bluestone steps in front of him. "Ruining my purity is secondary! You almost made me accidentally kill a peerless prodigy! Your crime is unforgivable!" With that, she struck his Dantian, destroying his cultivation: "Now get out of Qingyun Sect and never come back! And if you dare reveal a single word about what happened here, you die!"

Liu Yong clutched his abdomen in pain and stumbled away in a panic. When he reached outside, Zhong Qizhen asked with a look of surprise, "What happened to you? What happened inside?" Liu Yong was about to speak but quickly shut his mouth. He merely offered a bitter warning: "Senior Brother Zhong, for the sake of you taking care of me for so many years, I'll give you a piece of advice. Don't fight Jiang Fan." With that, he walked towards the sect gate, full of pain and regret.

Zhong Qizhen stood stunned for a long time. Then he clenched his fists: "Don't fight Jiang Fan? He stole my woman and brought immense humiliation upon me. How can I tolerate that? It's either him or me in Qingyun Sect!"

Completely unaware of all this, Jiang Fan held the key he had obtained from the Ascending Dragon Path and arrived at the Qingyun Sect's herb garden. The herb garden was surrounded by a massive protective array. The only entrance and exit were guarded by a steward and several outer disciples.

"The key is real," said the steward guarding the place, scrutinizing Jiang Fan with a peculiar expression. Access to the herb garden was very difficult to obtain. Only a few true disciples, who had made significant contributions to the sect, had the chance to gain access even once. But when did Qingyun Sect have such a young and unfamiliar true disciple?

Regardless, since the key was real, he had no right to interfere. "A low-grade key," he stated, "only allows you to collect herbs from the lower-grade herb garden, with a total weight not exceeding ten catties." The ingredients for the Ferocious Tiger Pill were not exceptionally rare; they might be found in the lower-grade herb garden.

"Yes, Senior!" He entered, holding the key.

Immediately, countless herbal fragrances wafted towards him. A massive herb garden, spanning a hundred acres, came into view, cultivating countless medicinal herbs. Any single plant there was a rare medicinal herb hard to find elsewhere!

Just then, he spotted the main ingredient he needed: White Tiger Rose. However, in front of the patch of roses, a beautiful female disciple was currently picking them. Seeing her picking them with bare hands, Jiang Fan's expression changed slightly, and he quickly shouted, "Stop!"