Hundred Flowers Fairy led Ye Qiu and the others away from the pavilion, then arrived at a lakeside gazebo.
Lotus flowers bloomed in the lake, vying with one another in splendour.
It was clear that Hundred Flowers Palace had once been a serene and elegant place, but alas, a calamity had robbed it of its former liveliness, leaving one with endless sighs of regret.
Inside the gazebo stood a stone table.
Engraved on the stone table was a chessboard.
“In the past, in my leisure time, I would always play chess here with Master…”
Hundred Flowers Fairy, overcome with emotion at the sight, spoke these words, and two clear tears slid from the corners of her eyes, her pretty face filled with sorrow.
Ye Qiu could not help but ask, “Did your Hundred Flowers Palace offend someone? Otherwise, how could it suffer such a total extermination?”
“That is impossible.” Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “Hundred Flowers Palace is isolated from the world, and my fellow sisters were all cultivating here in peace, rarely venturing out, let alone offending anyone.”
“Then what about your master? Did she have any enemies?” Ye Qiu pressed.
“That is even more impossible.” Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “My master had a kind heart and a gentle temperament, never making enemies with anyone.”
Ye Qiu frowned.
Could the destruction of Hundred Flowers Palace have been mere chance?
No, absolutely not chance.
If it were chance, the murderer would not have destroyed the corpses and erased the traces. From the murderer’s actions, it was evident that there must be deep-seated hatred between the murderer and Hundred Flowers Palace.
For a moment, Ye Qiu could not help but feel intense curiosity about the murderer. Why had the murderer wiped out Hundred Flowers Palace? What was the motive?
And why destroy the corpses and traces?
Was it hatred, or to cover something up?
Hundred Flowers Fairy wiped away her tears and said coldly, “No matter who did it, one day I will find the murderer and avenge my master and fellow sisters.”
“Rest assured, I will help you.” Ye Qiu said.
Hundred Flowers Fairy turned her head to look at Ye Qiu, casting him a grateful glance.
“Fairy, are we not going to the treasure chamber? Why did you bring us here?” Longbrow Real Person asked in confusion.
“The treasure chamber is right here.” After Hundred Flowers Fairy spoke, she extended a finger and gently pressed the lower left corner of the chessboard.
Three seconds later.
“Boom!”
The stone table suddenly sank into the ground, revealing a square pit. Hundred Flowers Fairy pointed at the pit and said, “The treasure chamber is below.”
Lü Luo exclaimed in surprise, “Palace Lord, when was this treasure chamber built? Why did I never know about it?”
“Not just you, none of the other fellow sisters knew about it in their lifetime.” Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “Because this treasure chamber was known only to me and Master.”
“Come with me.”
After Hundred Flowers Fairy spoke, she leaped down.
Ye Qiu and the others followed closely behind.
Soon, they arrived underground, where a stone door appeared before them, carved with a blooming peony.
Hundred Flowers Fairy placed her palm on a petal, and instantly, the stone door opened.
Ye Qiu looked inside and saw a large secret chamber filled with many items.
Among them, several ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs stood out prominently.
Strangely, with the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs right there, not a trace of their medicinal fragrance emanated.
The Medicine Marten, upon seeing the ten-thousand-year-old herbs, became terribly excited and prepared to rush forward, but Ye Qiu held it down with one hand.
“Those are someone else’s things, no misbehaving.” Ye Qiu said sternly.
The Medicine Marten lay back on Ye Qiu’s shoulder, its eyes fixed on the ten-thousand-year-old herbs, swallowing saliva nonstop.
Longbrow Real Person hurried forward and approached a ten-thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom.
This lingzhi was several metres in diameter, dozens of times larger than an ordinary one. Moreover, it bore nine crystalline leaves.
“This is… Nine-Leaf Lingzhi?” Longbrow Real Person asked.
“Yes.” Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “But this is a ten-thousand-year-old Nine-Leaf Lingzhi, consuming it greatly tonifies one’s vitality.”
“Good stuff!” Unable to restrain himself, Longbrow Real Person reached out to touch the lingzhi.
“Do not—” Hundred Flowers Fairy spoke too late. As soon as Longbrow Real Person’s hand touched a leaf, a white light flashed, and he was immediately sent flying, spitting blood.
Ye Qiu was startled and quickly dashed over to support Longbrow Real Person.
“What happened?” Ye Qiu asked Hundred Flowers Fairy.
Hundred Flowers Fairy explained, “Master set restrictions on these items. Only she and I can open them. Anyone else who touches them will be repelled and injured.”
“Why did you not say so earlier? If this poor Daoist had known, I would not have touched it.” Longbrow Real Person said this, then collapsed back to the ground, one hand clutching his chest, feebly saying, “I cannot make it, I cannot make it, this poor Daoist is dying. Fairy, you must compensate me. I think this Nine-Leaf Lingzhi would do nicely.”
Ye Qiu kicked Longbrow Real Person and scolded, “Stop pretending. Pretend again and I will beat you.”
“You little brat, are you truly on my side? This poor Daoist has spat blood, is it too much to ask for a bit of compensation?” Longbrow Real Person then turned to Hundred Flowers Fairy and said, “Fairy, you are beautiful and kind-hearted. With this poor Daoist’s injuries so severe, you would not begrudge me even a single ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb, would you?”
Hundred Flowers Fairy asked Ye Qiu, “Do you need the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs?”
“There are six in total here. If you need them, take them all.”
Longbrow Real Person, hearing this, widened his eyes and thought inwardly, women truly only look at faces, so superficial!
Ye Qiu said, “I need only one.”
Hundred Flowers Fairy said in surprise, “You want just one?”
“Yes.” Ye Qiu nodded and said, “Ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs are of little use to me. The reason I want one is for this little thing on my shoulder. It feeds on herbs.”
Hundred Flowers Fairy glanced at the Medicine Marten, waved her hands, and lifted the restriction on one ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb.
“Little one, go on!” Ye Qiu patted the Medicine Marten.
The Medicine Marten “whooshed” forward, pouncing onto the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb and gnawing at it rapidly.
Longbrow Real Person, seeing this scene, felt as if his eyes were bleeding, and said heartbrokenly, “This is a ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb, and you let it eat it. What a waste, what a waste…”
Hundred Flowers Fairy then lifted the restrictions on the other five ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and said, “Lü Luo and I will each keep one. The remaining three herbs go entirely to the Daoist.”
The surprise came too suddenly, and Longbrow Real Person was somewhat caught off guard.
“Fairy, did this poor Daoist hear correctly? You are truly giving me three ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs?” Longbrow Real Person could hardly believe it.
“That is right. This Nine-Leaf Lingzhi and the other two herbs are all yours.” Hundred Flowers Fairy said.
Longbrow Real Person quickly scrambled up from the ground and bowed to Hundred Flowers Fairy, “Many thanks, Fairy, many thanks…”
“Do not thank me yet. I have a condition.” Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “Besides these three ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, I will also give you some pills later. However, I hope you can break through to the Golden Core realm within a day, and then help Ye Qiu in battle.”
“Very well.” Longbrow Real Person agreed at once, though in his heart he thought, no wonder she is so generous with three ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, it is all for the sake of that little brat.
Women, heh…
