Chapter 1996: Chapter 1970: Herbal Market (Part 2)

So he asked again, "Old man, who sent you the message and told you to go over?"

"Of course it was a disciple from Lion Tiger Mountain. He rushed over last night in the middle of the night, looked really urgent." Daoist Liu answered without even turning his head, already itching to head up Lion Tiger Mountain.

"And where is he?"

"Him? He rushed back right after passing on the message last night." Daoist Liu replied.

Hearing that, Chen Yang immediately sensed something was off.

Since Lion Tiger Mountain sent someone over to deliver a message, how could they have that disciple hurry back in such a rush?

This didn’t quite add up.

Chen Yang felt suspicious, but he didn’t have any solid evidence.

"Old man, it never crossed your mind this might be a trap?" Chen Yang said bluntly.

Daoist Liu paused, then burst out laughing. "Chen Yang, my young friend, what are you thinking? This poor Daoist doesn’t have any enemies. Who would bother setting me up? Besides, I’ve checked that guy’s identity. He really was a disciple of Lion Tiger Mountain, no mistake about it."

"Relax. Once this poor Daoist comes back, you just get ready to help me pass on my skills."

Daoist Liu patted Chen Yang on the shoulder with a grin, looking especially excited.

Although Chen Yang still had doubts, now that Daoist Liu had said this much, it wasn’t easy for him to keep nagging.

He could only give a reminder: "To be safe, I think it’s best to have Ao Min go with you, just in case something happens."

"Mm, you’ve got a point. Better safe than sorry. I’ll bring that stinky loach along, so I can talk a bit tougher when the time comes." Daoist Liu thought it over for a moment, then agreed with a smile.

Once he finished packing his things, he immediately went to find Ao Min.

Over this period, Ao Min’s strength had increased greatly and he’d already reached mid Gathering Spirit stage.

It wasn’t that his talent was extraordinary; it was because when he’d been sealed, he’d already had that kind of strength.

Previously, he’d just broken the seal, so his power hadn’t fully recovered.

After this period of recuperation, his original strength had naturally been gradually restored.

"Old man, you want me to go up Lion Tiger Mountain with you? Are you dreaming? This king has no relationship with you whatsoever." After listening to Daoist Liu’s words, Ao Min immediately put on a very disdainful look.

Seeing him give no face at all, Daoist Liu’s expression darkened.

"You stinky loach, don’t you dare not know what’s good for you. This poor Daoist’s letting you eat, drink, and live here—that’s a favor, you know." Daoist Liu said coldly.

"Hmph, so what? This king still won’t be your bodyguard." Ao Min snorted, his face full of contempt.

"You..." Daoist Liu pointed at Ao Min and was just about to blow up when Chen Yang stepped in to smooth things over.

These two were something else—every time they met, they had to bicker.

"Alright, alright, knock it off, both of you. Ao Min, just go with him this once." Chen Yang said.

"Hmph, old man, since Brother Chen Yang has opened his mouth, this king will reluctantly give you a ride. This is me giving Brother Chen Yang face, not you." Ao Min said loudly.

Daoist Liu’s face went black, but he didn’t say anything more. After all, he really did need Ao Min right now.

"Okay, okay, stop arguing already. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back." Chen Yang said, half amused, then sent the two of them on their way.

In his eagerness to take on a disciple, Daoist Liu soon left.

Ao Min went along with him to Lion Tiger Mountain.

Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, Chen Yang felt a slight worry in his heart, but he didn’t dwell on it.

He left Green Cloud Taoist Temple and went back to the village.

On the way back, he stopped by Zhang Xueying’s house to check on Xiaoxiao and Lingling.

After a full day of treatment yesterday, their condition had improved a lot. There were only slight symptoms left, they just looked a bit drained.

The sweating and shivering symptoms were completely gone.

"You’re recovering very well. After today, you should be back to normal by tomorrow." After a check, Chen Yang said.

Hearing this, Jiang Miaoyan’s face lit up with a smile. "Brother Chen Yang, thank you."

"Why are you still being so polite with me?" Chen Yang waved his hand.

"Brother Chen Yang, it’s almost noon. Why don’t you stay and have lunch with us? Miaoyan and I will cook together." Zhang Xueying was happy too and invited Chen Yang with a smile.

"I’ll pass on the meal. I still have some things to take care of this afternoon. Another day."

Chen Yang turned her down, because he already had plans for the afternoon.

After exchanging a few brief words, Chen Yang left Zhang Xueying’s place and drove straight to the county seat.

Once he arrived in the county, the first place he went was the restaurant to find Wang Qingyue.

Wang Qingyue had been out of seclusion for a while, but she’d been busy in the county this whole time and rarely came to see Chen Yang.

Seeing Chen Yang suddenly show up, she was very happy.

She even specially dressed up a bit, then went out to have a meal at a restaurant with him.

Chen Yang hadn’t come to see Wang Qingyue on a whim today—he had a few things he wanted to ask her.

Three things.

First, information on the Five Poisons Cult.

Even though the Five Poisons Cult matter was being handled by the people from the Secret Bureau, the danger was right beside him, so he had to learn more.

Second, about Gu Xuanyu.

He’d heard last time that Gu Xuanyu had come out of seclusion, yet things had been quiet until now. It struck him as strange.

It also gave him that feeling that the quieter things were, the more likely something was about to happen.

Third, he wanted to use Wang Qingyue to get a clear picture of what powers existed within this province.

He was very curious about where Liu Ruyan came from.

He wanted to see if he could use this angle to learn more about the cultivation world.

As for these three questions of Chen Yang’s, of course Wang Qingyue held nothing back and told him everything she knew.

"I’ve also heard that people from the Five Poisons Cult showed up near the county recently. It’s just that this organization is too mysterious and strange, so I don’t know much either."

"All I know is that their Cultivation Techniques are very bizarre, their poison skills are first-rate in the world, and you have to be extremely careful dealing with them."

"As for Gu Xuanyu, I’m not clear on his situation either. After he came back from the Capital City, he only showed up once in the provincial capital. What he’s doing now, I have no idea."

...

Over the course of one meal, Wang Qingyue talked about a lot of things with Chen Yang.

She basically answered all of Chen Yang’s doubts and curiosities one by one.

This meal was quite a harvest for Chen Yang; he learned a lot about the cultivation world.

"Chen Yang, you really need to be careful these days. Things around the county are way too unsettled. The Five Poisons Cult has appeared, and Gu Xuanyu is also a potential factor. You can’t not pay attention to this." Wang Qingyue reminded him.

Chen Yang nodded, fully aware of that.

"I know. I’m just asking about the Five Poisons Cult in passing, that’s all, nothing more." Chen Yang said with a smile.

"As long as you don’t clash with them. The Five Poisons Cult’s strength is unfathomable. Once you get involved with them, it’s a huge hassle." Wang Qingyue picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip.

"By the way, Qingyue, what have you been busy with lately?" Once they’d finished talking about serious matters, Chen Yang asked with a smile about what she’d been up to recently.

Wang Qingyue smiled lightly. "What else can I do? I’m helping my brother handle all kinds of stuff every day."

"It’s tedious as hell, no fun at all."

From her tone, it wasn’t hard to tell her life was indeed pretty dull.

Hearing that, Chen Yang didn’t plan to keep prying. He was just about to pay the bill and leave. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

But at that moment, as if something suddenly occurred to her, Wang Qingyue said to Chen Yang, "Oh right, Chen Yang, I heard something from a friend recently. I think, since we’re free today, we can go join the fun. Maybe we can even pick up a little something."

"What is it?"

Chen Yang looked at her.

"You haven’t heard? They set up a medicinal market in the west of the county. Lots of doctors and medicinal merchants went to the opening ceremony. I heard it’s really lively." Wang Qingyue said.

"I really haven’t heard about that." Chen Yang said with a smile, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Wang Qingyue teased him with a smile, "Then you’re really out of touch with your colleagues outside. There’s an event just for your line of work and you actually didn’t hear about it."

"So how about we go take a look together later? We can stroll around, and I can buy some herbs while we’re at it. With you there, you can help me check them so I don’t get ripped off."