Chapter 19: This Is Not a Trivial Matter

Back in the small courtyard of the merchant guild, Lu Xingzhou sat quietly by the window, lost in thought. After contemplating his future cultivation path in the Dan Medicine Department, his mind was flooded with various ideas.

Most people in this world refine pills not for healing the sick or saving lives. For almost every pill master, the purpose of refining pills is to create elixirs that enable them to quickly achieve breakthroughs, or even become immortals directly. While pills that grant direct immortality are merely legends, everyone in this world firmly believes they exist. Consequently, pill masters often don't prioritize their own cultivation. They rely on consuming pills to advance, spending their days refining elixirs. This pill-assisted cultivation often results in poor combat ability, frequently necessitating attendants for protection.

Ostensibly, Lu Xingzhou has also always consumed pills. However, unlike other pill masters, he doesn't use them for advancement but solely for treating his illness. He diligently studied the art of pill refinement primarily to cure himself, and he doesn't have a strong intrinsic interest in refining pills themselves. He understands that he cannot cultivate properly without first taking care of his body. In his early years, he was truly a sickly strategist, not only needing a wheelchair but also coughing constantly, with a perpetually pale and sickly complexion. After many years of careful nurturing and cultivation, he now has rosy lips, white teeth, and a radiant handsomeness. Only a remnant of his old illness remains, which he will soon be able to completely resolve.

Although his cultivation isn't high, it's very solid, built painstakingly brick by brick. Even when he utilizes external resources, it's by using Spirit Stones to set up a Spirit Gathering Array and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, not by consuming pills. Thus, Lu Xingzhou truly hasn't refined pills for breaking through realms. On the other hand, he has refined countless Qi Cultivation Pills to increase cultivation, but they all ended up in A Nuo's stomach; they are A Nuo's food.

However, while this approach works for cultivation in the lower three grades, his broken leg becomes the biggest obstacle once he aims to enter the middle three grades. Without the intersection of heaven and earth, it will be forever impossible to break through to the sixth grade. Yan Luo Hall has accumulated significant resources over the years, possessing high-grade cultivation methods. It's impossible for them not to have medicines to cure his leg. Yet, while Yuan Muyu was willing to provide medicinal materials to cure him, teach him various skills, and allow him to choose cultivation methods, she was solely unwilling to cure his leg.

"Xingzhou, you are my strategist. You don't need to go out and kill people. Cultivation isn't that important..."

"No matter what I do, no matter whether I need high cultivation or not. First and foremost, I am a person... As a person, I want to stand up."

"...I had them search for it, but they couldn't find the necessary medicinal materials."

"Could it be, as they say, that Lu Xingzhou is treacherous? Now that he's disabled and has low cultivation, it's fine. But once his weakness is resolved, he'll be uncontrollable?"

"I didn't think that."

"But you did it."

"..."

"Sister, what do I count as in your eyes?"

"Your life is mine, that's all."

"I am eighteen years old, already an adult."

"So what?"

"I want to be able to... stand upright... by your side."

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"Yes."

"Then I will answer you clearly. If you say such words again, you can leave—and to ease your doubts, I didn't think of using your leg to keep you by my side, because your presence or absence isn't that important."

"In that case... this is my token, please take it back immediately. As for the rest of my life... Yan Jun, take care."

"You!"

What kind of expression did she have at that moment? He had already turned away and couldn't see... and it didn't matter anymore. Whether their conversation escalated to that point wasn't important. Her ultimate unwillingness to help cure his leg was a fact, and no one could wait forever like that.

Time flew by, years passed since their separation, and she hadn't sent anyone to look for him. Presumably, having or not having Lu Xingzhou truly made no difference to her. After all, everyone continues to live whether someone leaves or not... Moreover, her power was something Lu Xingzhou had only witnessed in his life. So-called strategists... it was embarrassing, indeed not as important as he had imagined. As long as Yuan Muyu alone was present, Yan Luo Hall was enough to strike fear into people's hearts; others were merely adding to the splendor.

"Master, what are you thinking about?" A Nuo's voice broke through his thoughts. Lu Xingzhou turned his head to see the little girl shaking her chubby little hand back and forth in front of his eyes. "You've been in a daze since you came back from the Dan Medicine Department. Are you thinking about Sister Yu?"

"No." Lu Xingzhou put on a serious face. "I'm thinking about how Liu Qingcang will deal with me. Eight or nine times out of ten, he'll go find the City Lord. Xu Bingkun wants to deal with Shen Tang, and Liu Qingcang wants to deal with me. That's a veritable tinderbox, the emperor and the minister discarding their robes of war..."

A Nuo didn't expose him, smiling brightly as she said, "But the City Lord can't openly deal with Sister Shen Tang. What's the point of sending people to assassinate her? It's not enough for Sister Qingli to practice her sword."

"There are many ways a City Lord can deal with people... Unless Shen Tang dares to connect with the royal family now, it will be very difficult for her to withstand a City Lord."

"Didn't she say she would dare after clearing up the internal issues?"

"That's just a prerequisite. At most, she can only begin to probe contact now. If the cause of the extermination isn't clear, how could she be so naive?"

"Since the City Lord knows everything, can she hide from the court?"

"This matter is very mysterious right now. Xu Bingkun should also be completely in the dark about the situation, not knowing which side wants her dead and which side wants to protect her. Reporting it rashly, in case the other side is actually protecting her, would mean Xu Bingkun is just asking for trouble. He wouldn't dare."

"What about directly spreading the word outside that the remnants of the Tianxing Sword Sect are here to attract enemies?"

"Then he, a City Lord with origins in the Tianxing Sword Sect, would be the first to be treated as a protector and beheaded. Not only does he not dare to spread information randomly, but he must also help conceal it."

A Nuo: "..."

Shen Tang's laughter came from outside the door. "Mister Lu is indeed as clear as a mirror. Xu Bingkun truly dares not speak out."

Lu Xingzhou knew she had arrived earlier and said calmly, "Everyone is doing well. Why has Miss Shen come?"

"First, I came to congratulate Mister on passing the seventh-grade pill master certification." Shen Tang entered the room, smiling. "Second, I came to give Mister some things."

As she spoke, she handed over something wrapped in a square handkerchief. Lu Xingzhou took it, puzzled, and sniffed it at his nose. His expression shifted slightly. "Five Elements Grass..."

Shen Tang laughed. "Just now, I went to the Dan Medicine Department to discuss some follow-up matters regarding sword talismans. I heard Head Chen praising you endlessly. Head Chen heard that I was staying with you, so he mentioned you giving yourself a prescription for a healing pill. I took the liberty of asking about the general medicinal materials and felt you might need this."

Lu Xingzhou was silent. Five Elements Grass was indeed an important main ingredient for refining Rebirth Pills. Main ingredients needed for seventh-grade pills were already considered relatively high-end in Xia State and were not easily found in ordinary shops. Lu Xingzhou's conditioning hadn't reached this stage before, so he hadn't deliberately searched for it. He never thought an outsider would actually care about this...

Shen Tang asked, "Is it useful to Mister?"

Lu Xingzhou came back to his senses and said in a low voice, "Useful... Thank you, Miss Shen, for the trouble."

"It's no trouble. The Dan Medicine Department just happened to have a collection, so I bought it directly." Shen Tang smiled gently. "If you had asked Head Chen one more sentence, you could have bought it yourself."

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and didn't say anything. The rarity wasn't in whether the item was easy to find, but in someone listening to his needs and then wanting to help him find it. Even if it were just a common weed, this gesture was precious... especially as his recent memories flooded back, like a heavy hammer shattering the scene.

"Mister doesn't need to worry. Even in ordinary villages, when someone makes dumplings, they'll still give a bowl to their neighbors." Shen Tang directly turned the wheelchair and left. "It won't affect Mister's well-being. Everyone lives their own life."

Lu Xingzhou remained silent, not even saying thank you. He watched Shen Tang leave quietly. After a long time, he suddenly said to A Nuo, "Search the memories of the remnant souls in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and see what the matter with the demon energy is, and whether it's related to the City Lord."

A Nuo blinked. "Before, you clearly didn't want to get too involved, not wanting to cause trouble when the Huo family was about to arrive."

Lu Xingzhou lowered his head, looking at the handkerchief in his hand. A faint fragrance emanated from it; he didn't know if it was the scent of medicine or something else... After a long time, he finally responded in a low voice, "This is not causing trouble."

A Nuo sighed and turned to leave. Though she said it, she knew better than anyone how significant this matter was to her master. A Nuo herself was also very grateful... Sister Shen Tang was really very good...

Lu Xingzhou thought quietly for a while longer, then wheeled himself out the door and found Dugu Qingli. "Miss Qingli, could I trouble you with something?"

Dugu Qingli was sitting cross-legged in her small courtyard practicing. Hearing his words, she opened her eyes and said faintly, "I am neither your subordinate nor your friend."

"What if it's related to Miss Shen Tang?"

"Shen Tang just came to find you. If it's related, why didn't you speak to her directly? What do you need me for?"

"It's not convenient for her." Lu Xingzhou handed over several prescriptions. "Trouble Miss tonight to sneak into the Danxia Mountain Dan Workshop and give these prescriptions to the pill refining apprentices. You can give it to any one of them; just don't let the Danxia Gang guards discover you. Only Miss has such shadowless and traceless ability. Shen Tang herself and the others from the Tianxing Sword Sect probably can't do it."

Dugu Qingli took the prescriptions, not understanding. "Are there people refining pills in the Dan Workshop late at night?"

"If there are no accidents, not only will there be people tonight, but it will also be very lively."

Dugu Qingli furrowed her brows slightly, seeming to think hard for a moment. "What does this matter have to do with Shen Tang?"

"The Shen family's merchant guild and the Danxia Gang already have a grudge. That night, Liu Qingcang also came to attack but was blocked by Sheng Yuan Yao. He will definitely conspire with the City Lord again to cause trouble... Therefore, dealing with the Danxia Gang is also breaking one of the City Lord's arms, giving Miss Shen some relief."

The little white-haired girl wasn't stupid. "...The Danxia Gang is your own enemy. You could have simply said this is for yourself."

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "You can think so."

Only he knew that, if it were just for himself, he would have proceeded with other plans and not been so impatient. Now, he wanted to do some things... just for the sentiment wrapped inside that handkerchief.