To Jiang Chen's disappointment, Elder Fei was nowhere to be found in the Royal Capital and had been missing for quite some time. The entire Qingyang Palace couldn't locate the old man anywhere.
"Has the old geezer decided to play hide-and-seek with me?" Jiang Chen muttered inwardly, though he also believed that despite Elder Fei's cunning nature, he wasn't the type to take what he needed and then pretend the deal never happened.
If Elder Fei really were that kind of person, Jiang Chen would never have given him the pill recipe for the Wash Dust Plain Heart Pill in the first place. It was only after several rounds of observation that Jiang Chen had confirmed Elder Fei's character and deemed him worthy.
"This old man was obsessed with obtaining the Wash Dust Plain Heart Pill — he must have some special use for it. He's probably frantically gathering materials right now, preparing to refine the pill?"
Fortunately, even though Elder Fei had left, he had still left instructions with his disciples: if Jiang Chen ever showed up, they were to serve him as though he were their own ancestors.
And so, the moment Jiang Chen arrived, the disciples and shop clerks greeted him with tremendous enthusiasm. Jiang Chen handed them a list of items he needed prepared, and before long everything was arranged perfectly — at no charge whatsoever.
This kind of effusive hospitality made Jiang Chen feel almost embarrassed to blame Elder Fei.
After lingering a short while, Jiang Chen didn't feel like going back outside to waste time standing around with Han Xianke. He drank two cups of tea inside before strolling out at a leisurely pace.
By this point, Tang Long had just arrived, pushing his brother in, drenched in sweat.
Given his military background, managing the round trip in such a short time relying solely on his own two legs was genuinely impressive.
True to his word, Han Xianke didn't go back on his promise and didn't put on airs either.
He only glanced at the patient two or three times before flicking his sleeve and tapping several acupoints along Tang Long's brother's legs. Then he drew out several gold needles and jabbed them into critical nerve points across the patient's body.
"Ah!" Tang Long's brother cried out, spitting a mouthful of dark, stagnant blood from his mouth. Blood also began seeping from his ears, nose, and the other orifices of his face — thick and black.
"Done." Han Xianke put away his gold needles. "You brought him in early enough. Give it another half year, and even the gods wouldn't have been able to save him."
"It's… it's done?" Tang Long still hadn't processed what had happened. "He's cured already?"
"Believe it or not." Han Xianke's sect-disciple temperament resurfaced.
Tang Long managed an embarrassed smile, clutching the Dark Spirit Wood in his hands. He wanted to hand it over, but feared it might seem too hasty — what if his brother wasn't truly healed yet?
This hesitation, caught by Jiang Chen's eye, nearly made him laugh.
"Tang Long, take your brother home. Oh, and stop by Qingyang Palace to pick up some body-fortifying medicine — it won't cost much. Just tell them I sent you."
Jiang Chen had just stepped out of Qingyang Palace's representative office, and Tang Long had seen it.
"If you want your brother on his feet immediately, you'll still need to use the proper medicine. Young Master Han has resolved the underlying condition, but recovery still depends on his own body. With good medicine, he'll bounce back quickly."
Jiang Chen actually had excellent medicines, but those were trauma remedies designed for martial cultivators. Tang Long's brother's frail body simply couldn't withstand that kind of potency.
This time, Tang Long was completely convinced. He stood there holding the Dark Spirit Wood, unsure whether to offer it to Han Xianke or to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Like I said, no consultation fee needed. If you find it getting in the way, sell it to Qingyang Palace — they'll give you a fair price."
As a true genius of the sect, Han Xianke would never bother with a piece of Dark Spirit Wood. Only good-for-nothings like Senior Brother Kuang would fight over something like that.
A genuine sect genius would never want such a thing.
Jiang Chen studied Han Xianke's resolute expression and felt a headache coming on. "Look, let's talk this over. If you want to serve as my retainer, I have no objection. But at the very least, wait until I've actually joined the Treasure Tree Sect before we settle this matter. How does that sound?"
"You want to enter the Treasure Tree Sect?" Han Xianke was taken aback, then broke into a wide grin. "Then what are you waiting for? I'll recommend you right away."
"The timing isn't right yet." Jiang Chen shook his head. A recommendation? He had no intention of relying on someone else's influence to get into the Treasure Tree Sect. Besides, he wasn't about to enter meekly and start as a low-ranking disciple. If he was going to join the Treasure Tree Sect, he would do it openly and on his own terms — in glory and with heads turning.
Moreover, he had only recently arrived in the Tiangui Kingdom. His foundations were still unsteady, and the people around him hadn't all been properly arranged for yet.
The timing to enter the Treasure Tree Sect was clearly not ripe.
He had no desire to walk through the gates only to be dismissed as someone who had slipped in through the back door.
After much persuasion, Jiang Chen finally managed to calm Han Xianke down, promising that once he entered the Treasure Tree Sect in the future, he would honor today's agreement and take him on as a retainer.
Even then, Han Xianke was not entirely satisfied. They agreed that every three months, he would leave the Treasure Tree Sect to come visit.
Jiang Chen had taken on retainers several times before, but never once had it been anything like this — a forced sale with Han Xianke refusing to take no for an answer, utterly relentless until he got his way.
"This Han Xianke has certainly shown me another side of sect disciples," Jiang Chen murmured with a light sigh. Sect disciples were indeed arrogant and high-minded, and they certainly had their share of bad habits. But in Han Xianke there was a dogged persistence — a refusal to give up until his goal was achieved — and a kind of enlightened wisdom that came once he had seen things clearly. These were qualities that ordinary people simply could not compare to.
Sect disciples were not entirely without merit after all. The worst side they showed often made it easy to believe they had nothing to offer.
In reality, among all those who managed to become sect disciples, was there anyone who didn't possess some extraordinary shining quality?
……