Inside the Divine Pagoda, the walls were bare and only a drug tripod was placed in the center. Gu Ruoyun looked around at the empty Divine Pagoda and asked, "This is the Ancient Divine Pagoda?"
"That's right, this is the first floor of the Ancient Divine Pagoda. With my prowess, I can only unlock this first floor. From this point onwards, you will have to break the seals by yourself..."
"What should I do?"
Gu Ruoyun stopped in her tracks, turned and looked at Zixie.
"Easy," Zixie's gaze was upon Gu Ruoyun's face, he curled his lips into a faint smile, "If you can breakthrough Qi collection level eight and attain the level of Martial Warrior, then you can enter the second floor. With every floor that you breakthrough, you may obtain the object at that level."
When she heard this, her eyes turned towards the drug tripod.
"What the first floor has given me is this drug tripod?"
"Yes," Zixie nodded, "But, it's not only the drug tripod. There are also some basic pill recipes."
When he finished, he placed a few pill recipes in front of Gu Ruoyun.
"Qi Gathering Pills can help a Martial Warrior who is collecting Qi feel the Spiritual Energy around them better, helping them cultivate at five times more than their normal speed. Marrow Cleansing Pills can cleanse impurities inside the cultivator's body, making cultivation easier! Beauty Skin Changing Pills can make an old lady in her fifties instantly regain the splendor of a twenty-year-old..."
Ignoring the last one, Gu Ruoyun was very fascinated with the first two types of Pills.
The most important part was, tens of thousands of years ago, the art of pill refining progressed massively and the number of pill refiners around was countless. However, during the Mainland War, every pill refiner was slaughtered and pill refining tomes were destroyed. As a result in the Mainland, nobody was able to refine a complete pill medicine. Even those sold in the market were powdered pill medicine.
However, those goods definitely could no longer be called pill medicine.
Needless to say, Gu Ruoyun was awed when she saw the pill recipes.
But she quickly calmed her excitement, which made Zixie look at her with surprise.
If it wasn't for anybody else, they would've wanted to try it straight away.
"Although these pill recipes are precious, but I have never learned pill refining. Even if you gave me the pill recipe and the drug tripod, I reckon that I won't be able to refine anything."
"Girl, you are unexpectedly different from the greedy humans that I usually meet. I am getting more and more interested in you," Zixie smiled. And with his smile, the purple flame in the middle of his brows appeared even more seductive, "I really hope that you would grow up faster so that you can warm my bed. If not, this small frame of yours will certainly stab me painfully."
Gu Ruoyun curled the corners of her lips, she scanned Zixie from head to toe, "Even if I do grow up, but you... Can you still grow?"
Looking at the young lady's cheerful eyes, and upon reflecting upon the implied meaning of her words, the handsome face turned into one with a grave expression, "Little girl, you're too young to be saying something like this."
"Don't forget, although this body is Gu Ruoyun's, I have already lived for twenty plus years."
"Is that so?"
Zixie's brows arched slightly, waved his big hand and pulled Gu Ruoyun into his embrace. A subtle threat emanated from his slightly squinted eyes, "Little girl, since your soul is in its twenties, then why don't you…... warm my bed now?"
The look on Gu Ruoyun's face sank. She wanted to retaliate, but the man's low and sinister laugh filled her ears.
"Too bad girl, I have no interest in bony women. They're not comfortable when you hug them. Wait 'till you're fatter, then I'll let you warm my bed."
Bang!
When the man let his guard down, Gu Ruoyun seized the moment to turn around and threw a punch towards the man's face. At that moment, a hand appeared in front of the man, blocking Gu Ruoyun's punch.
"Little girl, you are so cruel."
The man pushed aside Gu Ruoyun's fist and smiled helplessly, "You hit me when you want to without showing mercy. However, you have been inside the Divine Pagoda for quite some time. You should leave before anyone notices your absence. When you go out, buy the materials for the Qi Collecting Pill, I will then teach you how to refine it later."
A light breeze blew and maple leaves fell slowly from the tips of the trees.
Gu Ruoyun had just descended the mountain when a reckless figure barged into her line of sight.
It was a young lady, about sixteen years of age. Her luxurious clothes nicely showcased her perfect body. However, when her gaze made its way to her face, she had no choice but to be disappointed.
The lady’s fair skin was full of freckles, like spot stains on a clean white veil, greatly disrupting the original beauty.
Gu Ruoyun knitted her brows. She searched in her brain and recognized the lady in front of her.
However, before she could even open her mouth, Luo Yin walked hastily in front of her and scanned her from head to toe as if she did not know her.
"Gu Ruoyun, I heard that you will be dueling that rabbit bastard of the Ling family?"
Gu Ruoyun stroked her own wrists and smiled noncommittally.
"News sure travels fast. What? You think I would lose too?"
"Haha!"
Luo Yin laughed loudly while tapping on Gu Ruoyun’s shoulders. "What kind of person are you, Gu Ruoyun? I have said before that your father was the first genius of Azure Dragon Country. Alas, those whom the gods love die young and he passed away at such a young age! But your brother, he’s the current first genius! As the daughter of Gu Tian, the younger sister of Gu Shengxiao, how can you be a good-for-nothing? But, Gu Ruoyun, after being friends for so many years, you kept this secret even from me?"
Right then, word had been spreading like wildfire that Gu Ruoyun had faked her timidity all along to make everybody forget about her. But being Gu Ruoyun’s best and only friend, even she had been kept in the dark for so many years.
When she thought of this, Luo Yin was all sorts of upset.
"Luo Yin." Gu Ruoyun looked at her old friend and hesitated for a while. "I have a favor to ask."
"What?"
"Can you…lend me some gold coins?" Gu Ruoyun was a bit embarrassed to say that out loud.
In her previous life, she was the direct Young Mistress of the Xia family, so she had never fretted over these worldly objects. But because Gu Ruoyun was a good-for-nothing, her monthly allowance was a mere three copper coins. She could not afford to buy herbs.
"Alright, how much do you want?" Luo Yin agreed without even thinking.
Gu Ruoyun thought deeply for a moment, then lifted her head and looked at the freckle-faced Luo Yin steadily. "I need a hundred gold coins! In return, I will give you a reward richer than a hundred gold coins!"
She, Gu Ruoyun, had never liked to be indebted to anyone.
That’s why before she even borrowed money, she had decided to use the Qi Gathering Pills as repayment! The price of these Qi Gathering Pills was much higher than a hundred gold coins!
"A hundred gold coins?"
Luo Yin had initially thought that even if Gu Ruoyun wanted to borrow money, she would only borrow a few gold coins. She didn’t expect her to ask so much. To her, a hundred gold coins were her year’s savings.
But Luo Yin understood. If she could help it, she absolutely wouldn’t open her mouth to borrow money, knowing Gu Ruoyun’s self-esteem.
"Alright, I’ll lend you the money. Wait for me here, I’ll go fetch it! About the reward, you don’t have that many gold coins to repay me, so there’s no need to repay me."
Little did she know what the reward that Gu Ruoyun mentioned was. The moment she saw it, she would know that her friend wasn’t bragging…
The value of one Qi Gathering Pill was much higher than a hundred gold coins!
The Hundred Herb Hall was the biggest medicinal hall in the Azure Dragon Country. Here, there were only unwanted herbs; however, there would not be any herb that you cannot purchase.
Currently, a grey-haired old man sat inside the Hundred Herb Hall with his eyes closed, silently resting. Suddenly, light footsteps echoed from outside the door. The old man opened his eyes and his gaze fell upon the young maiden stepping into the medicinal hall.
This young maiden was very slim, and she adorned an oversized grey-colored cloth gown which hung unflatteringly over her skinny and weak frame. Her skin was fair, a beautiful and pleasant shade of ivory white, which was easy to remember over a single glance.
However, the old man took a brief glance at her and continued to close his eyes.
"Young lady, may I know what might you be looking for?"
The shopkeeper, upon seeing a customer, quickly went forward and asked with a smile.
"I can guarantee that the Hundred Herb Hall is the biggest medicinal hall in the country. No matter what kind of herb it is that you are looking for, we are able to provide it to you. Even if it is a thousand-year-old ginseng, our men can find it for you."
"I do not need a thousand-year-old ginseng. However, I would like to have all the herbs listed on this prescription."
Gu Ruoyun then handed over the prescription to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper took at the list of herbs on the prescription and smiled, "Young lady, these are very commonly found herbs. Kindly wait for a moment, I will go fetch them now."
"Alright."
Gu Ruoyun nodded and took a look around the medicinal hall. Her gaze fell upon the old man who was resting with his eyes closed. An obscure glint flashed across her clear eyes.
This old man's power was not ordinary. He is in the very least at the level of the Martial King. Cultivators such as this was one of the best in Azure Dragon Country. How did he end up being a resident physician in the Hundred Herb Hall?
It seems like the Hundred Herb Hall came from a mighty background, much mightier than she had imagined...
"Hey! What kind of herb is the Hundred Herb Hall selling? You clearly said that this herb could heal the scar on my neck, why did it not have any effect on me after applying it?"
A luxuriously dressed lady stood in front of the counter and slammed the table aggressively. She was indeed very beautiful, with creamy skin and crescent moon eyebrows. Her bright eyes shone like the moonlight in a pitch black night. However, at this very moment, she was spurting flames of fury.
On the lady's snow-white neck, an obvious scratch had marred its original beauty, a blemish in her otherwise perfect appearance.
"Young lady, you have only been using this medicine for a single day, how could it have any effect?"
The shopkeeper let slip a look helplessness, but showed no fear. He then patiently explained, "You have to go back and apply it continuously for half a month, then only will it heal and recover to your original skin tone."
"I do not care!" The luxuriously-dressed lady held up her head and puffed her chest. She grunted without sparing a glance, "Do you have any idea who I am? The Imperial Concubine is my aunt! If you make me angry, I will ask my aunt to issue an order to drive your Hundred Herb Hall out of the Azure Dragon Country!"
The Imperial Concubine?
Gu Ruoyun was slightly startled. This lady was a member of the Ling family. No wonder she was acting in such an overbearing arrogant manner.
One must know, that the Hundred Herb Hall was powerful held in high regard not only in the Azure Dragon Country, but also in other countries. This lady had dared to threaten to drive the Hundred Herb Hall out of the Azure Dragon Country; even the Imperial Concubine herself might not have the courage to do that.
However, Ling Yu had not given it much thought. In her eyes, the Hundred Herb Hall was just another regular merchant enterprise. They would not dare to oppose royalty no matter how powerful they were.
"You speak foolishly and much too boldly, young lady."
The old man who was silently resting slowly opened his eyes. Upon hearing his voice, the shopkeeper could not help but let out a relieved sigh. He said respectfully, "Elder Yu, this issue…"
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