Chapter 59 A Single Sentence Sparks Inspiration

Qin Anyu and the other three quickly climbed to the summit, waiting for the Second Manager to arrive.

Qin Wushuang asked, "Brother, we are going to rescue Mom and Dad. Dealing too much with outsiders will expose our whereabouts and put them in grave danger."

Qin Anyu said calmly, "There are many ways to save people. Stealing in secretly is one, and walking in broad daylight is another. Two months ago, I already let the word out: if they lose a single hair, I will exterminate their entire clan."

Qin Wushuang's eyes widened as he swallowed hard a few times. "Brother, they are a major sect, you know."

Qin Anyu replied indifferently, "The Distant Origin Sect was also a major sect, and you are still doing fine now."

Qin Wushuang was instantly speechless.

That was a scar from his past. He had been lured and ambushed over a spirit ring, left with zero ability to fight back. If Qin Anyu hadn't gone to his rescue, let alone saving their parents, whether he could have survived in one piece until now was questionable.

Though a sect stood united against outsiders, internal filth was never in short supply.

The Second Manager soon climbed up the sheer cliff, accompanied by Zhou Yikang and three other guards. He handed a wooden plaque to Qin Anyu and said, "Young friend, I am the Second Manager of the Qihuang Pharmacy. This is our pharmacy's VIP card, which grants a twenty percent discount on any purchase in our store. Could you tell me the name and uses of that medicinal herb?"

Qin Anyu did not take the plaque. Instead, he looked straight into his eyes and asked, "If I said we don't know the name either, would you believe me?"

The Second Manager was momentarily stunned.

If you don't know the name, why on earth did you engage in a fierce battle with a snake, then dig out everything in the giant pit, and harvest this particular specimen from the cliffside?

Thinking this, he kept his hand holding the plaque extended and smiled, "You are pulling my leg, young friend. You young people are accomplished and wouldn't waste your time for nothing."

Deciding to drop the teasing, Qin Anyu took the plaque and said, "That herb is called the Leaf-Stimulating Vine. The entire plant can be used medicinally, among which..."

Since he hadn't gotten angry at the joke—nor had Zhou Yikang and the four guards—it showed that this pharmacy had a rather upright style of operation. Thus, he proceeded to explain its name and efficacy.

Upon hearing of such miraculous effects, the Second Manager beat his chest in intense regret. "Had I known it possessed such miraculous properties, I would have paid any price to dig it up."

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Young friend, can you part with one or two stalks for me? Especially the one on the cliff face; name your price."

Qin Anyu smiled and said, "The low-aged ones are fine, but you can forget about that one on the cliff—we've already used it. Didn't we leave two others behind? Aren't those enough?"

Because he had utilized that particular Leaf-Stimulating Vine, after several hours of body tempering, not only had his wounds healed, but he had also gained immense benefits across the board.

Although his cultivation level remained at the middle stage of Qi Refining, his already formidable soul power had visibly increased. As for the exact increment, his current realm was too low to discern precisely, but the growth was undeniable.

As for his physical body, the corroded skin, flesh, fascia, and bones had fully recovered and undergone massive reinforcement. His twelve meridians and thirty-six acupoints showed signs of being activated, with primordial energy flowing intermittently through one of the meridians. It was only a matter of time before it was entirely cleared, allowing the primordial energy to transform into true qi.

The other three had also harvested massive gains. With the body-tempering effects of the Leaf-Stimulating Vine and ores approaching the middle mortal grade, coupled with the dense spiritual energy, Qin Lingxue and Qin Youqin had reached the late stage of Qi Refining, while Qin Wushuang had attained the peak of the middle stage of Qi Refining. However, the advancement in their cultivation realms was not the most significant part; the most crucial gains were the enhancement of their soul power and the transformation and strengthening of their physical bodies—this was the foundation for them to march forward solidly in the future.

The Second Manager gave a wry smile. "Though it has miraculous effects, ones that are too young simply won't do. We intend to cultivate those two."

Qin Anyu knew how difficult it was to cultivate the Leaf-Stimulating Vine, but he didn't dare underestimate these established forces. They specialized in this very business; what if they actually succeeded in propagating it?

"We have some over two hundred years old, as well as some over a hundred years and a few decades old, freshly dug not long ago. If you want to cultivate them, that's possible. However, we don't want to sell them; we only want to trade them for human-grade medicinal herbs and mortal-grade herbs over a hundred years old."

The Second Manager smiled and said, "Please name the herbs you need, young friend."

Qin Anyu said calmly, "Ox-tendon Grass, Bone-Covering Tendon, Prolonged-Bone Flower, Intent-Drawing Herb, Pomegranate-Gold Fruit... All of these must be of human grade, and five copies of each."

Hearing these herb names, the Second Manager's expression had already grown increasingly grave. When he heard they all had to be human-grade and in quantities of five copies each, he finally broke down. "Young friend, to be honest with you, forget about human-grade herbs; many of these names, like the Tianshu Winter, are ones I am hearing for the first time today."

Qin Anyu didn't mind that the man hadn't heard of certain herb names; perhaps different realms used entirely different names for them. "Do you have any books on medicinal herbs? I can take a look inside and find them."

The Second Manager didn't have them on hand, but he promised to take them to the pharmacy to check.

He acted with swift decisiveness, completely ignoring the people still digging for Leaf-Stimulating Vines in the giant pit.

Learning that none of the four possessed horses, he insisted on walking alongside them. When Qin Anyu suggested they go on ahead down the mountain and wait at the foot, the manager refused outright, as if terrified they might run off.

Qin Anyu found this rather exasperating. They actually *did* want to run—to run down the mountain to temper their bodies and stimulate cellular potential. Since the manager insisted on tagging along, they couldn't very well ditch him, especially since they still needed to trade herbs with him.

Blundering about blindly on his own—how could that ever compare to trading with a specialized organization for speed?

Still, he made a small harvest along the way.

As they passed a waterfall on the descent, he spotted a large patch of Prolonged-Bone Flowers beneath it, including one human-grade specimen, five over two hundred years old, and hundreds of other ages.

Seeing him direct Qin Wushuang and the other three to dig up the Prolonged-Bone Flowers while digging some himself, the Second Manager asked in bewilderment, "Young friend, what use do you have for this poisonous iris grass?"

Qin Anyu was taken aback. Instead of answering the question, he asked, "This is the Prolonged-Bone Flower. Does the Qihuang Pharmacy have any of human grade?"

The Second Manager nodded and then shook his head. "Only a few stalks, and they are very cheap. If the young friend wants them, we can help you acquire them in large quantities."

Qin Anyu laughed heartily. "Large quantities aren't necessary. Ten human-grade ones will suffice."

These were essential medicinal ingredients for the clumsy body-tempering method; it was completely normal for people here to only recognize them as poisonous.

The Second Manager patted his chest. "I guarantee I'll find you ten human-grade ones. And if you can tell me their usage, I'll give them to you for free."

He truly possessed an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Qin Anyu nodded. "Get them ready first. We can talk after I've looked at your pharmacopeia."

Reaching the base of the mountain, he spotted a cluster of Tianshu Winter growing beneath a massive boulder, approaching the middle human-grade. Somewhat excited, he dug it up and extracted the stem.

Seeing his excitement, the Second Manager didn't say anything contradictory, but rather remarked in confusion, "Although this Qiu-skies-frozen is of human grade, its application is very singular—it is used exclusively for treating pulmonary diseases."

A flash of lightning instantly struck Qin Anyu's mind, and he wanted nothing more than to slap himself twice.

This was a low-level realm! The primary purpose of medicinal herbs here was healing illnesses. How many would ever be used for cultivation?

His old mindset had been at work again; how foolish of him.

To hear a single remark from someone enlightened opened up his entire train of thought.