Volume 3, Chapter 439 – The Medicine Valley’s Forbidden Pills

After the steward finished relaying the message, he hurried away.

From beginning to end, he had not once dared to look up for very long.

Chi Muxue quietly straightened her disheveled collar.

“I will head over first…” she said casually as she stood up, then walked out with oddly stiff steps.

Watching her like this, Chi Xiyan pressed her lips together instinctively.

She gave a light cough.

“Do you not need me to come with you?”

“When it comes to the Lingbao Commerce Association, perhaps I can help.”

The Lingbao Commerce Association was the core of the Chi family.

Even in reality, Chi Xiyan had never gotten the chance from Chi Jingwen to take control of the Lingbao Commerce Association.

Here, Chi Xiyan had entered the Chi family’s Household Affairs Hall, worked her way up through hard effort, and over three years had become the youngest elder steward of the Household Affairs Hall, all in preparation to eventually enter the Lingbao Commerce Association.

Hearing this, Chi Muxue’s steps paused for a moment.

After a while, she said, “Xiyan, do you want to use this chance to take over the Lingbao Commerce Association?”

“Mm.” Chi Xiyan nodded. “If we can resolve the Lingbao Commerce Association’s troubles, we can rightfully enter its management.”

Chi Muxue stayed silent.

Her back was turned to Chi Xiyan, so Chi Xiyan could not see her expression.

Chi Xiyan furrowed her brow. “What is wrong?”

Chi Xiyan saw the girl in front of her let out a soft sigh.

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“Xiyan, I do not think this is a good opportunity.”

Chi Xiyan’s brow tightened.

“Song Shixuan is not some simple minded brute.” Chi Muxue said. “He may understand us far better than you think.”

With that, Chi Muxue walked straight out.

Chi Xiyan was somewhat caught off guard.

Did she mean that Song Shixuan pressuring the Lingxiao Sword Sect had some other deeper meaning?

“Could it be aimed at me?”

“Surely not.”

Logically speaking, the pressure being placed on the Lingbao Commerce Association had little to do with Chi Xiyan, an elder steward of the Household Affairs Hall.

So there was nothing wrong with Chi Xiyan attributing Song Shixuan’s actions to pressure aimed at the entire Chi family.

But after considering the true nature of this world.

What Chi Muxue said seemed to carry no small possibility.

“But if that is the case…” Chi Xiyan raised her head, looking toward the direction Chi Muxue had gone. “How did she come to think of that?”

***

Since Chi Muxue did not agree with getting involved in the Lingbao Commerce Association at this time, Chi Xiyan could only set the matter aside for now.

She needed to start thinking about the three year pact duel with Song Shixuan.

Song Shixuan came from the Nanhe Song Clan, trained under Sword Venerable Qingzhi, and was at the very top in both talent and resources.

Chi Xiyan’s sword dao talent was not weak, but she was not so arrogant as to truly believe she could surpass the Lingxiao Sword Sect’s Young Sect Master in swordsmanship alone.

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If she wanted to defeat Song Shixuan, there was only one thing she could rely on, and that was alchemy pills.

“Using pills can drastically close the gap between me and those sword sect prodigies.”

Chi Xiyan gave a bitter smile. “Song Shixuan is currently at the peak of the Fourth Realm, and with his aptitude, in three years he will have at least reached the Fifth Realm.”

The Fourth Realm and the Fifth Realm were separated by a massive divide.

“But if I want to defeat a sword sect’s Young Sect Master, ordinary pills alone will simply not be enough.”

Chi Xiyan raised a hand to press against her brow, her eyes darkening slightly.

“It seems the surest way forward is to rely on the Medical Immortal Valley’s forbidden medicines…”

As one of the most outstanding disciples of the Medical Immortal Valley, she knew that beyond the ordinary pills recorded in its compendium, there were also many special pills, ones forbidden from being spread outside the valley.

These pills carried powerful effects, but most of them came with rather troublesome side effects.

So these pills were generally kept for the disciples within the sect to study, forbidden from being sold or used outside of it.

“As I am now, I am not a disciple of the Medical Immortal Valley. So I have no need to follow its rules.”

“And besides, this is also for Muxue’s sake.”

Chi Xiyan managed to convince herself.

She went straight to the Chi family’s medicine hall.

The steward in charge of the medicine hall was quite familiar with Chi Xiyan, and the moment he saw her, he came forward at once. “Elder Xiyan.”

Chi Xiyan got straight to the point. “Give me the current inventory list of the medicine hall, I need to take out a batch of herbs.”

The medicine hall steward nodded. “Of course, one moment, I will go prepare it now.”

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An hour later, Chi Xiyan left the Chi family’s medicine hall.

Before she left, she also received a storage ring holding all manner of rare herbs.

“Not enough, these herbs are far from enough…” After receiving the inventory list of the medicine hall’s stock, her heart sank without meaning to.

The Chi family certainly did not lack ordinary herbs.

But for certain rare and special herbs, the Chi family’s medicine hall had no stock at all.

“To obtain these rare herbs, the best path is through the Lingbao Commerce Association…”

Thinking of this, Chi Xiyan could not help but give a bitter laugh.

The Lingbao Commerce Association again.

The Lingbao Commerce Association was simply an obstacle impossible to avoid.

“Time is far too tight.” Chi Xiyan drew in a deep breath. “If only Song Shixuan had come two years later…”

“No, even one more year would have been enough for me to get into the Lingbao Commerce Association.”

“Never mind.” Chi Xiyan shook her head, spreading the storage ring open in her palm. “Let me deal with these herbs first.”

“From this moment on, there can be no more slacking off.”

Chi Xiyan had never once lacked the will to endure hardship in her training.

To stand firm in her position as the Chi family’s eldest daughter, she had also put in far more effort than an ordinary person.

***

The next day.

Chi Xiyan went to find Chi Muxue.

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“I need some special materials, ones the Chi family’s medicine hall does not have. Perhaps I could buy some through the Lingbao Commerce Association.”

“Herbs?” Chi Muxue frowned. “Do you want to use pills to quickly raise your cultivation?”

“No! I cannot agree to that!” Chi Muxue said without even thinking. “Using pills can indeed raise cultivation quickly, but that is like forcing a seedling to grow!”

“With an unstable foundation and a true essence that has no real depth, and on top of that, without a state of mind matched to that cultivation level… you would fall into deviant cultivation!”

“Muxue.” Chi Xiyan grasped her shoulders. “Trust me, I am not that foolish. Relying only on pills to raise cultivation could never let me defeat Song Shixuan.”

Chi Muxue did not understand. “Then what do you mean?”

“Pills are not only for raising cultivation.” Chi Xiyan said. “If I want to defeat Song Shixuan, I need to find another way.”

Chi Muxue thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, I will help you.”

“With my position, I can mobilize some of the Lingbao Commerce Association’s resources. I can try to see if I can help you get these herbs.”

“Mm.”

With that, the two of them prepared to leave the Chi family together and head for the Lingbao Commerce Association.

However, just as they stepped out through the Chi family’s gate, they came face to face with a group of sword dao cultivators dressed in moon white cultivator robes.

The one in the lead grinned widely at the two young women.

“Greetings, ladies.”

“We meet for the first time.”

“I am Lu Guan.”

“Lu Guan, of the Lingxiao Sword Sect.”