For some reason, Yisha felt she should trust the person before her. It was a gut feeling. Just as she didn't believe Ling Xiao would molest Xie Xiaoyan, she felt he was a trustworthy person. Anyone else probably wouldn't have answered Ling Xiao's question at all, and might even have suspected him of having ulterior motives. After all, throughout the entire Lanyue Empire, no one knew more about medicinal herbs than Yisha's family.
The Yisha Clan was the Lanyue Empire's largest merchant of medicinal herbs!
However, at the Imperial Academy, Yisha was just a very introverted and shy girl; almost no one knew her identity. So, after a moment of thought, Yisha looked up and said, "The Vantia Holy Fruit comes from the Vendia Great Snow Mountain, located on the border between the Lanyue Empire and the Zichuan Empire. The Vendia Great Snow Mountain is also known as the Holy Mountain because it pierces the clouds and is practically the highest peak on the Canglan Continent! The Vantia Holy Fruit is said to grow on its highest peak. There are many powerful Magical Beasts on the mountain. It's said... there are even dragons—Tier Nine Magical Beasts that can take human form!" As Yisha spoke of these things, she talked with ease and confidence. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very pleasant to listen to.
Ling Xiao could tell Yisha loved studying plants and animals. 'Otherwise, how could a girl be so well-versed in these things?'
As Yisha spoke, she seemed to forget her shyness and continued, "The Vantia Holy Fruit is guarded by a Flying Magical Beast called the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon. It's a Tier Three Magical Beast, comparable in strength to a human Great Sword Master, but even Mad Sword Masters are unwilling to encounter it. The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon's flight speed is incredibly fast, and its attacks are ferocious! Most importantly, they are very vengeful Magical Beasts!"
Years ago, an elder from the Yisha Clan had once picked the Vantia Holy Fruit. He had discovered the fruit by chance, and as a member of a family of apothecaries, he could naturally tell how precious it was at a glance, so he immediately picked two of them.
But he never expected to anger the Vantia Holy Fruit's guardian, the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon. After obtaining the Holy Fruit, that clan elder, a Tier Five Mad Sword Master, was pursued for thousands of miles by the falcon. Whenever he tried to fight back, it would soar high into the sky, and whenever he tried to flee, it would launch sneak attacks.
As a result, the elder fell ill from exhaustion and rage immediately upon returning to the clan. He had a complete breakdown, and not long after, he passed away from mental and physical exhaustion. However, the two Vantia Holy Fruits he brought back allowed the Yisha Clan to cultivate two Demon Sword Masters! Their strength instantly propelled them into the ranks of the Lanyue Empire's first-rate families.
Afterward, that Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon circled over the Yisha Clan's territory for more than ten days. It likely only flew away after it sensed that its enemy's aura had vanished.
In short, Martial Artists on the Canglan Continent would rather fight an opponent one tier higher than themselves than face a Flying Magical Beast two tiers lower. Of course, if one could cultivate to the level of a Demon Sword Master and gain the ability to fly, they might not be so helpless. But across the entire Canglan Continent, how many people possessed the cultivation of a Demon Sword Master?
"You... you're not planning to go look for the Vantia Holy Fruit, are you?" Yisha seemed to grow shy again, her voice soft. 'He must want to improve his strength and redeem himself!' she thought. 'But his meridians... even if he ate a Vantia Holy Fruit, they'd still be...' At this thought, Yisha blushed and said, "Actually, it's not impossible to unblock your meridians. It's just... it's just that the method isn't very good."
Ling Xiao gave the easily flustered girl a puzzled look and said, "Oh? There's another way? Tell me."
Yisha glanced around. There weren't many people in the library. Most students who saw Ling Xiao actively avoided him, so no one was close by. Only then did she say softly, "The method is a bit crude. It's... using many kinds of medicinal herbs to... to soak your body. You have to soak for two hours every day, and it takes... it takes a month. Because many of the herbs are very potent, the process is extremely painful. If your willpower isn't strong enough... you could... you could die." After saying this, Yisha herself seemed a bit discouraged.
In truth, people had known about this method for a long time, but almost no one ever tried it. First, there weren't many Celestial Vein Masters on the continent. Second, while the continent valued martial prowess, reaching the level of a Tier Six Sword Master was an excellent achievement for most. It could at least secure them a position in a Mercenary Corps. Even if they couldn't become a Tier Six Sword Master, they could choose other professions like becoming a merchant; it wasn't worth risking their lives. Finally, even if a Celestial Vein Master occasionally wanted to take the gamble, they wouldn't have the financial resources! The medicinal bath Yisha spoke of was not something just anyone could afford. The required ingredients included several hundred- or even thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines. How could an ordinary family possibly bear that cost?
Ling Xiao chuckled. "Mm, that won't be necessary for now." He wasn't afraid of pain; the process of using a Foundation Establishment Pill to achieve Foundation Establishment was hardly a pleasant experience. For a permanent solution, the Foundation Establishment Pill was the most effective method. As for Yisha's so-called medicinal bath, Ling Xiao didn't believe it would be more effective than a Foundation Establishment Pill.
"Then tell me more about the Heart of the Earth Dragon and what Stone Bamboo Grass looks like." Yisha was obsessed with the continent's flora and fauna; she was, in fact, an expert who took scholarly matters very seriously. Thus, she was extremely curious about the herbs Ling Xiao had mentioned. She didn't know where he had learned such strange names, but she didn't ask. After all, everyone had their secrets.
"Mm. The Heart of the Earth Dragon is a perennial herbaceous plant. Its stem is upright, singular, and shaped like a dragon or snake. Its palmate compound leaves grow in a whorl at the end of the stem. At ten years, it has one ternate compound leaf. At twenty years, it has one quinate compound leaf, and it gains another one every ten years after that. A forty- to sixty-year-old plant will have three to five quinate compound leaves; the petiole is long. It has a terminal umbel inflorescence with small, pale yellow-green flowers. The fruit is an oblate spheroid, bright red when ripe, and it grows in the damp shade of deep mountain forests." Ling Xiao recited this from memory. Come to think of it, back then, everyone in the Cultivation Realm understood medicine and herbs better than the so-called "divine doctors" of the Mortal World.
Yisha frowned. She knew Ling Xiao's description was more than detailed enough; even the entries in her family's pharmacopoeia were no more thorough. But why did it sound so unfamiliar? 'Could there really be a medicinal herb I've never heard of? Heart of the Earth Dragon... Judging by the name, it must be a very high-grade herb.' After thinking for a long time, Yisha shook her head. "There are many herbs on the continent that are primarily rhizomes, and many of them are quite famous. But I've truly never heard of the one you're describing. It's so strange. Why have I never heard of it?"
Although Yisha was a little disappointed, she felt more excitement than anything else. 'It seems Grandpa was right: there's always someone better out there. The mysteries in this world I don't yet understand are simply countless!'
Ling Xiao just smiled, not too disappointed himself. 'After all, they're from different worlds. As long as I search carefully, I should be able to find it. Since this world has the Purple Blue Fruit, then the Heart of the Earth Dragon must exist too! If worst comes to worst, I can just use the method Yisha mentioned. Death? I've already died once. For a Cultivator, death is just starting over. It's nothing to be afraid of.'
"Tell me about the Stone Bamboo Grass. What does that one look like?" Yisha looked at Ling Xiao with anticipation. She finally understood that there was always someone better out there. 'I used to think my knowledge of the continent's herbs was unrivaled among my peers,' she thought. 'I never imagined that some random son of a general would know about so many things I've never even heard of.'
"Stone Bamboo Grass is a perennial herb. Its stems grow in clumps, about half a meter tall, either erect or creeping at the base, with swollen nodes. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, about a finger long and a finger wide, with a tapering tip and a narrow base. It has a cyme inflorescence; four to six broadly ovate bracteoles with a caudate-acuminate apex, about half the length of the calyx tube. The calyx is cylindrical with five lobes at the tip. The petals are bright red, white, or pink, with irregularly, shallowly serrated edges, and the throat has markings or is sparsely bearded. The fruit is a capsule enclosed within the persistent calyx. The seeds are flat, ovate, and grayish-black, with a narrow wing along the edge. It mostly grows on vast, boundless grasslands, where it is inconspicuous and not easy to find."
Ling Xiao recalled his past life's search for Stone Bamboo Grass. It had taken him several years, and he had practically turned an entire endless prairie in the Cultivation Realm upside down before he finally found it. Finding the materials for one's own Foundation Establishment Pill was a required task for every Inner Sect Disciple; it was also considered a form of training.
'If Yisha had merely respected Ling Xiao a moment ago, now she was beginning to idolize him. Heavens, he described it in such detail! He clearly wasn't just toying with me. But out of three herbs, I only knew one of them! How does Ling Xiao know all this? It's... it's just too incredible, isn't it?'
Yisha shook her head, blushing. She felt a little crushed. Glancing at the botany book in Ling Xiao's hands, she said softly, "Ling... Ling Xiao, the things you described... none of them are in this book. Really. I've practically memorized it, and I'm certain it doesn't contain the herbs you're looking for."
Ling Xiao had a very good impression of Yisha. 'This shy girl is actually quite amazing,' he thought. 'Of the three herbs needed for Foundation Establishment, she knew one. That's already incredible.' Thinking this, he chuckled and said, "Well, thank you! You've saved me a lot of time." He then returned the book to the shelf and turned to leave.
"You... you're leaving?" Having suddenly met someone with such unique insight into medicinal herbs, Yisha felt an abrupt desire to talk more with Ling Xiao.
Yisha was actually very beautiful, and some busybodies at the Imperial Academy had even ranked her on a list of campus beauties. But very few people ever managed to talk with her, let alone pursue her, all because she was simply too shy. Never mind boys, she barely had any female friends. If not for a series of coincidences, she would never have spoken so much with Ling Xiao. In fact, she might have said more to him today than she had to all other male students combined during her entire time at the Imperial Academy.
"Since what I'm looking for isn't here, why should I stay?" Ling Xiao said calmly.
"Then... are you going to search for these herbs?" When the topic shifted back to herbs, Yisha's composure returned, and her speech became much more fluent. "When you go searching, can you... take me with you?" Seeing the suspicious look in Ling Xiao's eyes, Yisha's fair neck turned pink. "I don't mean anything by it, I just want to see these plants for myself! Don't worry, I... I can protect myself! I'm a Tier Four Sword Master..." Then, as if remembering something, she added in a voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz, "I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to look down on you."
Ling Xiao couldn't help but be amused. "Didn't you say the place where the Vantia Holy Fruit grows is extremely dangerous? Even as a Tier Four Sword Master, you wouldn't be much help, would you?"
Yisha was silent for a moment before mustering her courage. "My grandfather once said that to make progress, one must face the unknown with a heart for exploration and a strong thirst for knowledge! Besides, if you're not afraid, then I... I'm not afraid either!"
Ling Xiao smiled. 'What an interesting girl.' He nodded and said, "Since you're not afraid, I'll let you know when I leave."
"It's... it's a promise!" Yisha watched Ling Xiao's back disappear from sight, only to suddenly realize that he had no way of finding her!
'Damn it... He was just humoring me.' Yisha furrowed her delicate brows and puffed out her pink cheeks indignantly. 'Don't even think about leaving me behind,' she fumed internally. 'I have to see what those herbs look like! If I manage to discover a new species of medicinal herb, what kind of reward will Grandpa give me? Hehe.'