"By the way, I forgot to ask, but how do you use the treasures?" Yuan asked Senior Li after he returned from putting away the treasures.
"Well, you can consume the ginseng or use it to make medicine. As for the jade slip, you simply absorb the spiritual energy within," he said.
"I see…"
Sometime later, Yuan and the others left the Li Family's living quarters.
"Li Jinxi, show them the way to the Hong Family. We also need to restock our medicine." Senior Li said to her.
"I understand."
Thus, Li Jinxi led them to the Hong Family.
"Hm? Daoist Yuan? What brings you to the Hong Family?" Senior Hong asked him, feeling pleasantly surprised by his presence.
"Hello. I'd like to temper my body, but I don't know where to get the medicine required for it, and the Li Family recommended that I speak with your family." Yuan said.
"I see. You came at the perfect time. Our family is currently harvesting this month's medicine supply," Senior Hong said.
"Harvesting?" Yuan raised his eyebrows.
"So you grow your own medicine?"
"Yes. Follow me."
Senior Hong then led Yuan and the others to a few miles behind their living quarters, where a large medicine farm was located.
"Wow…" Yuan mumbled, feeling awed from the medicine farm that stretched to the horizon.
"Every month, we harvest around 100 kilos of medicine from this place." Senior Hong said.
"How does it work? Farming medicine, that is." Yuan asked.
"It's quite simple, actually. We pour a special liquid into the soil and wait until it grows."
"A special liquid?"
"Yes. The liquid is a mixture of other medicine, but that's not even the most important part. In order to grow these medicine, we need a special kind of soil that can only be found in areas with a dense amount of spiritual energy. Without the soil, the medicine will die before they are ready for harvest."
"Would you like to try planting some? After harvesting, we obviously need to plant more." Senior Hong suddenly asked him.
"Of course!" Yuan eagerly nodded.
After watching the medicine being harvested for a couple of minutes, Yuan asked, "Do we need to do anything special when we harvest them?"
"No. You simply cut the leaves off the stem before pulling out the stem so that we can plant more."
"Here, let me show you."
Senior Hong then harvested a few medicines before Yuan and the others.
"Want to give it a try?" He then handed Yuan a pair of scissors.
"Yes."
Yuan accepted the scissor and began harvesting the medicine.
"You're right. It's very easy."
About an hour later, when the harvesting was completed, Senior Hong handed Yuan a bottle of green liquid and said to him, "Watch me."
He then used his own bottle and dripped a single drop of its liquid onto the soil before him.
"That's all you need to do. Try it yourself."
Yuan followed his movements and dropped a single drop of the green liquid onto the soil.
"Now you just wait for them to grow. It takes about three months for the medicine to be ready for harvest. You'll know when they are ready when they have a dark green color."
Once Yuan was satisfied with the information, they returned to the Hong Family's living quarters.
"What do you think?" Senior Hong asked him afterward.
"Well… Even though the process is easy, it won't be possible for me to grow them. Not only do I not have the liquid required to grow them, but I also don't have the soil."
"If you join our family, you can have all the medicine you want to temper your body every day." Senior Hong said with a smile on his face.
Yuan chuckled and said, "Thank you for the offer, but I am still not sure if I want to stay in the faction."
"Is there something preventing you from joining us? Or are we simply not good enough for you?" Senior Hong asked him.
"It's neither of that. I am just having other thoughts. Recently, I have been thinking about creating my own faction," he explained.
"Your own… faction?" Senior Hong looked at him with wide eyes.
If someone like Yuan creates a faction, one can only imagine how powerful it will become in the future.
Meanwhile, Chu Liuxiang looked at Yuan with a joyous gaze.
"Although the Spiritual Elites are great, I want something that feels more personal— something I can call home, and creating my own faction is the only thing I can think of."
Senior Hong nodded and said, "If you actually decide to create your own faction, don't forget about us. We can start an alliance with each other."
"Alliance, huh? I will definitely ask you when it happens." Yuan nodded.
After talking for a little longer, Yuan and the others prepared to leave the place.
"Wait a moment, Daoist Yuan." Senior Hong handed him a basket filled with medicine before he left.
"This should last you a few weeks even if you temper your body every day."
"Thank you, Senior Hong." Yuan happily accepted the medicine.
"And this is for your family." Senior Hong handed Li Jinxi a basket of medicine next.
"Thank you, Elder Hong."
After leaving the Hong Family, Yuan parted ways with the Wang Family and Li Jinxi.
"Yuan, when are you going to return to the training building? I have been itching to fight you." Wang Ming said to him before they left.
"I can try showing up tomorrow," he said.
"Great! Then I will see you tomorrow!"
"I will also be there." Li Jinxi said before leaving.
Yuan and the others returned to the immortal caves shortly after.
"So you're really thinking about creating your own faction?" Chu Liuxiang asked him.
"Yes. I have been thinking about what you told me, and I think that creating my own faction will be the best choice for someone like me."
"Great! When do you plan on creating your faction?"
Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "I want to stay here for another week or two.. After that, I will make my own faction."