“Master Sage, these people are here to ask for your help.”
Old Li bowed and then announced respectfully.
The people who came to them were wearing black gym outfits. Although they lived a hermit life, they were very much connected with the modern way of life. Therefore, their clothes were not the traditional styles that people would expect a “Master Sage” would be wearing.
The leader of the pack was a young man. His face was hard and proud. He snorted. “Haven’t I told you that the Valley is closed off for the time being? Why did you bring them here?”
“Um… um… Old Li was at a loss for words. He wished that he could tell the sage how generous these guests were, but thought better of it.”
“Fine, I will let it slide.” The young man knew Old Li well and guessed the answer to his question by himself. He turned his head to scan the visitors. His gaze paused for only a brief second when it passed Zhou Jin Yi and the giant frame beside him.
Despite Tong Shan’s huge size, the young man didn’t take him too seriously, thinking he would just be a big target. Zhou Jin Yi’s face was still concealed behind the bill of her hat, and therefore, the young man only thought the girl was slightly familiar but didn’t recognize her as one of the sect members.
“You wish to ask for a cure?” The young man asked unenthusiastically.
“Yes, Master Sage. I am Zhu Yuntao from the Zhu family of Zhong Hai. This is my sister. Over there, that is Mr. Chen and Mis. Zhou. “Zhu Yuntao quickly gathered himself and introduced everyone.
“I am not a Master Sage. I am just a doorman. You can call me Meng Tian.”
Despite Meng Tian’s words, his voice was laced with pride and contempt.
Zhu Yuntao didn’t believe him. He had watched as Meng Tian hopped off the five meters tall wall unharmed. Plus, even if he really was just the doorman, Zhu Yuntao would have to pass him first in order to get into the Sect anyways.
“You are too humble, Master Sage.” Zhu Yuntao came closer to him with a smile and then produced a bank card which he shoved surreptitiously to Meng Tian’s hand. There was a note that consisted of two lines of numbers on the bank card; the first line was the password, and the second was the number of cash available in the account. The second line was a six-figure number.
Meng Tian accepted the card expressionlessly.
It’s the elders and alchemists who really didn’t care for money; he was just a sect-servents, and one day he would be released from his service and live a normal life. Money could be a very useful thing for him.
Seeing Meng Tian had accepted the money, Zhu Yuntao felt a weight was off his mind.
A little smile also broke over Meng Tian’s face.
“You have come at a bad time. The Elders and Alchemists were in a long meeting for a few days, discussing some important matters. Therefore, I doubt they would have time to help you.”
“OH? What matter could have disturbed the peace of the elders?” Zhu Yuntao asked curiously.
Meng Tian smiled and kept his silence.
Chen Fan wagered that they were moaning for Elder Qi’s death and trying to grasp the repercussions. A Dao-Reaching Level master was killed and their disciple Zhou Jin Yi was still missing. The elders of the sect must be shocked by the series of blows.
However, the sect members wouldn’t mention these things easily to any outsiders.
“Fine, I will take you guys in and let you settle in first. You will have to wait for the elders and the alchemists’ decisions.” Meng Tian hesitated for a second and then said while gritting his teeth.
Zhu Yuntao was elated, and so he pressed another bank card into the doorman’s hand.
Meng Tian accepted the second card with a nod. He reminded everyone. “Be quiet when you are in there and speak carefully while talking to a Alchemists. Otherwise, they will throw you out.”
“Of course, of course!” Zhu Yuntao and his companions nodded.
The Medicine God Valley Sect’s entrance was sealed off by a large stone wall, blocking the view of the sect from outsiders.
Once they passed the threshold, they found out that the valley was huge inside. It was as big as ten football fields, and it was sprawling with buildings. Many of them were two to three-story houses that looked like built a hundred years ago.
Unlike Chen Fan’s imagination of this place, there were many ordinary people living inside the valley. Chen Fan wagered that they were the alchemists and the elder’s families or friends. The population must have grown naturally over the centuries they had stayed in the valley.
At the very center of the valley was a large temple-like structure that was chiseled into the side of the mountain. The temple was mammoth in size and nearly covered the entire cliff.
“That is the Temple of the Medicine God. That’s where the Sect Master lives. The elders and alchemists also meet there to discuss important matters. The area down here is where everyone else lives.”
“I wonder if the Sect Master could help me?” Zhu Yuntao asked under his breath.
“Hehe. Sect Master is a powerful man. You can think of him as a Celestial Immortal. You would be lucky if you could have one of the elders lend you a hand.” Meng Tian smirked.
Suddenly, a group of people rounded a corner and appeared at the other end the road. The leader of the pack was a somber-looking middle-aged man. Everyone moved away to the shoulder of the road to make way for them. Many lowered their heads submissively while the middle-aged man passed them.
Meng Tian hurried to the middle-aged man with a smile.
“Alchemists Hu, these people are here looking for cures.”
Within the valley, the Sect Master was at the top of the food chain, and below him were sect elders and then the so-called alchemists. These were ordinary people or spellcasters who were skilled in brewing elixirs. Their skills had made them even more respectable than Dao-Reaching Level Martial Artists.
Alchemist Hu was in charge of the greeting and reception of guests.
“Oh?” Alchemists Hu furrowed his brows. “Haven’t you received the order? Why did you bring them in?”
“Um…” The young man smiled awkwardly.
“Humph!” Alchemists Hu knew the door men’s habit for collecting bank cards, so he snorted at Meng Tian but let the matter slide. He turned toward Zhu Yuntao and said:
“Gentlemen, the valley is off limits while the elders and alchemists discuss important issues. I wonder if you are willing to stay here for a few days and wait until this is all over?”
So saying, he pointed toward a group of people behind them.
“They are here looking for cures as well, and they have to stay here for a few more days.”
Zhu Yuntao looked back and saw a group of people wearing fashionable clothing that made them stick out like a sore thumb among the residents of the valley. They are all rich businessmen and government officials from the city.
“But… my father is suffering as we speak. I don’t think we can wait too long.”
Zhu Yuntao’s pulled a taut face.
It had taken him three days to get to the valley and add another three days back; it would be at least seven to eight days even if the elders could see them in two days before he could deliver the cure to his father. Daoist Elder Xian had promised to prolong his father’s life for only ten days, after that, the venom would spread all over his body, and the ailment would be untreatable.
“sigh… I don’t make the calls.” Alchemists Hu shook his head.
“Alchemists Hu, can you please help us.” Zhu Yuntao stopped forward and pressed something into Alchemists Hu’s hands as he did to the doorman. To his surprise, the middle-aged man yanked his arms in displeasure, and he chided him.
“I have everything I need in the valley, even if you hand in your entire family fortune, I would not change my mind.”
Zhu Yuntao was taken aback at first, but he quickly gathered himself and produced a mutton fat jade to replace the bank card. Almost instantly, a smile broke over Alchemists Hu’s face.
“Fine, I am moved by your sincerity. There might be something I can do to help you.”
Alchemists Hu pointed at a cobbled path that branched off from the main road. Chen Fan noticed that the path was connected to the Temple. Alchemists Hu said: “Our first Sect Master had set a rule that we have to cure anyone who is able to prove his dedication to his task. To do so, you would have to kneel and kowtow for each step you take along this path all the way to the Temple of the Medicine God.”
Everyone looked at the path and realized that it was at least a few hundred meters in length, and it was covered with stone with jagged edges. If one had to kowtow all the way through the entire length of the path, their knee caps and forehead would be ground to the bones. The promise of getting hurt paled Zhu Ruohan’s face.
However, Zhu Yuntao remained calm. He gritted his teeth and said.
“Very well, I can do anything for my father.”
So saying, he dropped to both knees with a thud.
Alchemists Hu nodded approvingly as his lips curled into a smug smile.
The reason for the exception was to boost the prestige of the sect. Having the members of important families kneel and kowtow all the way to the residence of the Sect Master just to ask for a pill was a perfect display of power that would bring the sect even more respect and honor. For someone who was willing to lower themselves and put on a show for the sect, the sect would more than gladly to reward him with what he wanted.
“What a filial young lad.”
“Indeed, not everyone could have done it.”
“Isn’t that Zhu Yuntao from the Zhu family? I met him in Zhong Hai. The Zhu family is lucky to have such an heir.”
Everyone heaped praise onto the young man.
Hearing the approving remarks around her, Zhu Ruohan let out a smug smile. Two things in her life had always been her bragging rights: one was her own beauty, and the other was her brother.
However, Chen Fan furrowed his brows and lamented.
“He is just asking for a cure, not asking to be your slave. Why do you have to torture him like this?”
“Humph! This has always been the way, and it will always be. How dare you question our methods? “Alchemists Hu’s face hardened. Inside the valley, no child dared to question an Alchemist.
“Only the purest of hearts can get the surest cure.
“If you are not dedicated to your tasks, you will never get anything. I will report your insolence to the elders to make sure of that!”
Many people had overheard Alchemist Hu’s castigation, so they looked toward Chen Fan questioningly.
“Stop talking so disrespectfully before an Alchemist; If not because of Alchemist Hu’s tolerance, you would have already been kicked out of there.”
Zhu Ruohan pouted and took a jab at Chen Fan: “Even my brother didn’t complain at all, what do you care?”
Chen Fan was a thorn in Zhu Ruohan’s side ever since they met. She particularly disliked the girl with the hat who had been secretly flirting with her brother. One of Zhu Ruohan’s BFF had a crush on her brother, and she had already promised her friend dibs on her brother.
“Sigh… this youngster is too brash. The alchemists are influential figures in the valley; he should have thought twice before he opened his mouth.”
“He will learn the lesson the hard way.”
“Yea… hehe… make it all the way to here for nothing.”
A murmur rose among the crowd, many onlookers shook their heads and sighed.
The response of the crowd lent Alchemist Hu more confidence. He rubbed his beard and tried to look like wise Master Bak Mei in Kill Bill.
As the most prestigious sect in China that specialized in elixirs, the Medicine God Valley Sect should have the rules and attitude that befitted such a role; they had quite an appearance to keep up. Therefore, they wouldn’t allow just anyone to ask for their favors.
“Who said I am here to ask for a cure?”
Chen Fan said abruptly.
Everyone was taken aback at first, but Alchemist Hu quickly gathered himself and asked with furrowed brows: “What is your business here? Trying to cause a racket?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t think he would even dare to think about challenging so many elders in our sect.” Meng Tian said with a smirk.
Even Zhu Yuntao and Zhu Ruohan were surprised by Chen Fan’s announcement. If he was not here for medicine, then what for?
Chen Fan took a step forward and shouted: “Chen Beixuan of Chu Zhou City, comes to greet the Sect Master of the Medicine God Valley Sect.”
His booming voice rippled out from him and filled up the valley. The sound hit the cliffs and echoed back, further amplifying Chen Fan’s voice. In a blink, Chen Fan’s announcement had turned into a cacophony of disorienting noises.
“How dare you!”
Everyone was stunned by the sound and the development. Alchemist Hu pointed his finger at Chen Fan in disbelief.