Chapter 24:
Exotic Plants
MO TIANLIAO carried the cat out of the book repository and frowned. It seemed like the first-generation disciples who could see spirit beasts had all seen Pawpaw, but none of them found it strange to see him carrying a spirit beast around. Then again, he would expect no less of a major sect like this which boasted a huge supply of both money and spirit beasts.
Looking down at the little fluffball playing with his paws, he smiled. At least Pawpaw had been treated well at the sect all these years. He hadn’t been locked up in a cage or forced into a blood pact. He supposed that was to be expected. Most of the cultivators preferred ferocious spirit beasts that could assist them in battle. Imagine if one of them had acquired a Feline Lordship instead…
Huaqing’s apothecary was in Woxuan Sanctum. Mo Tianliao entered with his personal disciple jade token. He heard the sound of water as soon as he crossed the bridge, where he was greeted by a vast aquamarine lake. Zigzagging bridges forged of black crystal intersected from various directions across the lake’s surface. In the center stood the main palace of Woxuan Sanctum, where Xuanji-zhenren lived.
Mo Tianliao tucked the cat into his robe and grabbed a passing second-generation disciple to ask for directions.
“The apothecary is over that way. Let me take you there.” The disciple showed Mo Tianliao to a small valley in the east. Sword-riding was prohibited within the three sanctums, so they both meandered their way across the dizzying zigzag bridges.
Splash! The shell of a huge turtle broke the lake’s surface. Mo Tianliao whipped his head around to look, but the shell had already resubmerged.
“Is this lake for raising spirit beasts?” Mo Tianliao was surprised they’d so casually put the spirit beasts on display to the second-generation disciples and ordinary inner disciples.
“Oh, no. Just this one.” The disciple smiled sheepishly. “That’s the sanctum-master’s spirit beast. He doesn’t like appearing in public, and he usually only shows half a shell at most. He’s harmless.”
They crossed the lake to a clear stream flowing from a mountain ravine, with a row of round stones in the middle of the water. The disciple said this was as far as he could escort him and told him to follow the stones upstream to the valley.
The valley was quiet and peaceful. To Mo Tianliao’s surprise, there were no spiritual herbs or trees there, only a dazzling array of flowers in a riot of colors. Even though winter was just around the corner, this valley was still as warm as it had been in spring, with blossoms in full bloom everywhere.
At the end of the valley stood a thatched cottage with wisps of smoke occasionally rising from its chimney. At first glance, it looked like a farming household in the mortal world.
Buzz—an invisible barrier blocked Mo Tianliao’s path forward.
A colorful figure darted out of the thatched cottage and flitted across the flowers like a dragonfly skimming water, swiftly reaching Mo Tianliao. “Look who we have here! Mo-shidi, what brings you here?” The figure waved his hand to remove the barrier and let Mo Tianliao in.
“Sorry to impose,” Mo Tianliao said as a pleasant floral fragrance assailed him.
“Achoo—!” The cat in his arms sneezed and poked his head out of the collar, looking around before sneezing again.
The bright smile on Huaqing’s face froze the moment he saw the white cat. “N-no need to stand on ceremony.”
He wasn’t concocting elixirs today, just processing some materials in his elixir furnace. After inviting Mo Tianliao to take a seat, Huaqing removed the materials from the furnace and placed them on the table to crush. The heated material released a black liquid with a sweet fragrance.
Mo Tianliao frowned. Although he was no expert in concocting elixirs, he could tell this liquid was poisonous; it certainly didn’t look like something needed for concocting elixirs.
“Know what this is?” Huaqing tipped some pills onto the table, soaking them in the black juice. The red pills instantly turned dark green. “This is fun stuff. Once you eat it, you’ll grow green fur!”
G-grow green fur?!
“This is my birthday gift for my Shixiong.” Huaqing smugly placed the pills in three bottles and handed Mo Tianliao one. “Here. One for you.”
Mo Tianliao’s lips twitched. Why in the world would he need a pill that would give him green fur?
“Meow!” The cat jumped out of Mo Tianliao’s arms and latched onto the hem of Huaqing’s colorful robe.
Huaqing immediately started hopping anxiously. “Sh-Shidi, can you…take the cat away?”
Mo Tianliao raised an eyebrow, surprised this senior was afraid of cats. “Shixiong, I’d like to see the spiritual herbs garden.”
“O-oh, that… You’ll need to look for Bailuo. I only have elixirs here… Wah! Take him away!” Huaqing was on the verge of tears.
As it turned out, Huaqing focused solely on the act of concocting elixirs itself. All the spiritual herbs and trees in the sect fell under the jurisdiction of one Bailuo, a disciple under the tutelage of the sect leader. If he needed any spiritual herbs for concocting elixirs, Huaqing would just go to Bailuo.
Astonished at his reaction, Mo Tianliao picked up the cat and stroked his fur. Just then, another buzz sounded from the array in the valley. Huaqing quickly fled to let the visitor in.
Mo Tianliao hid the cat back in his robes. The visitor was a familiar face, the very same heaven-attribute young man who’d joined the sect on the same day as Mo Tianliao and been taken under Xuanji-zhenren’s wing. Mo Tianliao remembered his name was Cheng Xi.
“Shizun sent me to fetch something.” Cheng Xi said with a docile smile as he followed behind Huaqing, addressing him sweetly as “Second Shixiong.” But then he saw Mo Tianliao, and his expression fell. He lifted his chin slightly.
This annoying dual-attribute trash again! Cheng Xi pursed his lips, fully intent on ignoring Mo Tianliao.
Of course, Mo Tianliao noticed the young man’s contempt. Pretty funny. He casually lifted the bottle in his hand and said to Huaqing, “Thank you for the pills. I’ll take my leave, then.”