Chapter 34: The Farewell Scene is Quite Touching

Lu Yang was at a loss for words, struggling to evaluate a method that challenged both morality and conventional thinking.

"It's good that the issue is resolved," he finally managed to utter.

Grandpa Ba also thought it was good that the matter was resolved, especially since it was his idea.

Grandpa Ba patted Lu Yang's shoulder. "The little Medicine Kings are quite mischievous. You've worked hard during this time. Hand over your jade pendant."

Lu Yang complied. Grandpa Ba tapped Lu Yang's jade pendant, saying, "The 300 contribution points for the mission reward have been added to your jade pendant."

His efforts had paid off; 300 contribution points was a significant sum for Lu Yang.

Then Lu Yang thought about it again. While 300 contribution points seemed like a lot, it probably wasn't enough to even buy the little Medicine Kings' foot-washing water.

The exchange list clearly stated that the Medicine King Spiritual Liquid came in a standard version and a deluxe version.

As Lu Yang understood it, the standard version was equivalent to the little Medicine Kings' foot-washing water, while the deluxe version was their bathwater.

"Say goodbye to the little Medicine Kings. Opportunities to enter the Medicinal Garden are rare, and you probably won't have a chance to come again in the future..."

Grandpa Ba’s words trailed off. He suddenly remembered that if Yun Zhi wanted Lu Yang to come, he had no choice but to allow it; he wouldn't dare stop him.

"Ahem, anyway, go say your goodbyes first."

Lu Yang simply said, "Oh." He couldn't shake the feeling that Grandpa Ba had something he hadn't finished saying.

The little Medicine Kings were somewhat reluctant to hear that Lu Yang was leaving.

"We're friends, so take this old ginseng root... Oh, wait, this is too valuable; I can't bear to part with it."

"My old ginseng skin... it hurts too much. Never mind. I don't have anything valuable here anyway, so I'll just say goodbye verbally." The Ginseng Doll bade farewell to Lu Yang.

It hadn't given anything when it said goodbye to Hermit Gu Yue either.

"We're all cultivators, and a month isn't that long. Just leave. Do you even need to say goodbye?" The Three-leaf Star Grass's words were filled with reluctance.

"My vines and leaves have too much vitality. If you were to take them, your body would undergo a transformation. For safety, I won't give you any." During their time together, Lu Yang learned that the Qilin Undying Medicine was, in fact, a green vine.

The Qilin Undying Medicine spoke the truth. Throughout their month together, the little Medicine Kings had suppressed their vital energy, fearful that Lu Yang might accidentally absorb some.

If they were to give Lu Yang a part of themselves, they would have to add dozens of layers of seals to it, and Lu Yang wouldn't dare use it even then.

"You're leaving, and you're not even giving us a gift?" The Flower of Ages' End, in turn, demanded a gift from Lu Yang.

Lu Yang was moved by the sentiment, and his eyes welled up with tears. "After a while, I'll definitely bring Senior Sister to visit you all."

The little Medicine Kings quickly shooed Lu Yang away.

The farewell was rather abrupt.

***

Setting aside the Medicine King Spiritual Liquid, these 300 contribution points were a significant sum for Lu Yang, who was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

He was eager to visit the Mission Hall and purchase some good items.

He couldn't always rely on his Senior Sister to give him things; he wanted to earn money through his own efforts.

"Oh, I was just about to head to Tianmen Peak to find you. I didn't expect to run into you here," Meng Jingzhou said, surprised to see Lu Yang emerge from the Medicinal Garden. Then he remembered that Yun Zhi was his direct Senior Sister, and his surprise faded.

Beside Meng Jingzhou stood a burly man in a Confucian robe, who appeared both scholarly and strong.

The man in the Confucian robe cupped his hands. "Brother Lu, long time no see. Come to think of it, this is our first formal meeting."

"Mang Gu, it was quite unexpected when you became a disciple under the Fourth Elder back then."

Lu Yang returned the greeting and smiled. "Are you looking for me for something?"

"Can't I look for you unless there's a reason?" Meng Jingzhou feigned annoyance.

"Come, let's have some tea and talk," Meng Jingzhou said, leading Mang Gu and Lu Yang to a teahouse.

It was a Meng family custom that important discussions were best held over a meal. That way, if things went well, the Meng family would treat; if not, everyone would split the bill.

"What would you three like to drink? My teahouse has every kind of tea," the tea master asked briskly.

Lu Yang, too, couldn't discern the tea master's cultivation level.

Lu Yang asked in a low voice, "Brother Mang Gu, can you tell what the tea master's cultivation level is?"

Mang Gu replied in an equally low voice, "As far as I know, we newly recruited disciples are the weakest in the sect. Even the chickens on the mountain have higher cultivation than us."

Meng Jingzhou ordered a very famous tea.

"How about a pot of milk tea?"

The tea master briefly suspected Meng Jingzhou was trying to cause trouble for the sect.

"Oh, my mistake," Meng Jingzhou quickly clarified, seeing the tea master's displeased expression and gesturing to show he meant no offense. "I meant a basin of milk tea. I recall it's a specialty from the far northern regions."

Only then did the tea master understand that Meng Jingzhou was asking for freshly made savory milk tea.

Soon after, the tea master brought over a scorching hot iron charcoal basin, filled with roasted rice, butter, beef jerky, and milk skin. A pot of milk tea followed shortly.

Lu Yang and Mang Gu exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed, and left it to Meng Jingzhou.

Meng Jingzhou first slowly stir-fried the ingredients in the basin until the roasted rice turned golden and had a crunchy texture. Then, he picked up the pot of milk tea and poured it all in.

As the milk tea hit the sizzling hot iron pot, a distinct aroma wafted out, filling the air and lingering pleasantly.

Lu Yang took a sip, smacked his lips. It was savory, with a wonderfully unique and delicious taste.

Mang Gu took a sip, then quickly gulped down an entire bowl.

"Do you have any missions right now?" Meng Jingzhou asked.

Lu Yang shook his head. He had just completed Grandpa Ba's Medicinal Garden mission and hadn't yet found his next one.

"There aren't many suitable missions for us. The ones in the Mission Hall aren't enough for us to complete. I'm curious, if they're not enough for us, were they enough for the senior disciples who came before us?"

"So I asked some of the senior disciples and found out the inside scoop."

"What did you find out?"

"It's not just about completing missions posted in the Mission Hall. You can also earn contribution points by finding and completing missions on your own. You just need to report the results to the sect. After verification, if the results are confirmed to be real, the sect will grant you the appropriate rewards."

"Do you know where all the missions in the Mission Hall come from?"

"How do they originate?"

"There are three ways. First, based on the mutual assistance agreement between the Five Great Immortal Sects and the Great Xia Dynasty, the Great Xia Dynasty will request our help when they need cultivators but are short-staffed. However, this rarely happens.

"Even though we all belong to the righteous path of humanity, it's somewhat a loss of face for a venerable 100,000-year-old dynasty to seek assistance from a sect.

"The second way is when someone seeks assistance from the Five Great Immortal Sects, hoping we can uphold justice. This typically occurs when the Great Xia Dynasty is not involved, such as your mission to catch the parrot.

"The third way is when our Dao Seeking Sect discovers clues during our travels outside. These clues are then posted as missions in the Mission Hall, and the sect provides corresponding rewards."

"This third type is our best bet."