Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Lin Yun was conflicted. For a fleeting moment, a crazy thought even crossed his mind: why not just rob this Hundred Herbs Hall and be done with it?

But it was just for a moment before Lin Yun gave up on the idea. If he really made a move, he probably wouldn’t even make it out the door today. How could a pharmacy that stocked Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills be robbed by a mere First Layer of Qi Sea Realm practitioner like himself? Even if his current Combat Power was unrivaled, that was only limited to the Qi Sea Realm. A single Primordial Ocean Realm expert would be enough to leave him completely overwhelmed.

"Sigh..." He let out a soft sigh. Just as he was about to ask the young lady to get him a One-Star Qi Essence Pill, footsteps sounded from the second floor, and a familiar voice drifted down.

"Young Master Lin, we meet again."

Following the voice, Qing Zhu walked down the stairs. Just like the first time they met, her impression on Lin Yun was still one of elegance and otherworldly grace.

"Miss Qing Zhu." Although he didn’t know her identity, from the way she acted, she likely had some connection to the Hundred Herbs Hall.

"Young Master Lin, are you in need of Qi Essence Pills?" In truth, the moment Qing Zhu saw Lin Yun, she knew what he was thinking. He urgently needed Qi Essence Pills to cultivate for the Yanhuang List trials but didn’t have any Primordial Stones on him.

A clever woman doesn’t embarrass a man, and Qing Zhu was exactly that. Though she understood his situation as clearly as if looking in a mirror, she didn’t expose his predicament. Instead, she invited him to the second floor for a chat.

Without refusing, he followed Qing Zhu to the second floor. The Hundred Herbs Hall only had two stories, and as soon as Lin Yun arrived on the second floor, he felt the atmosphere here was very similar to the Qing Zhu Tavern.

As he scanned his surroundings, an outrageous guess formed in Lin Yun’s mind: ’Qing Zhu is the secret owner of the Hundred Herbs Hall...’

’If that’s true, then Qing Zhu’s background must be terrifying. In just one short year, the Hundred Herbs Hall has monopolized the Capital City’s Spirit Grass and Elixir industries. That would be utterly impossible without a powerful force backing it.’

’At the very least, the power behind Qing Zhu must be far stronger than the Royal Family.’

He sat down in a bamboo chair, and the maid beside Qing Zhu poured him a cup of Cyan Wine. Looking at the fine, emerald-green brew in his cup, Lin Yun said to Qing Zhu, "Miss Qing Zhu, you continue to impress me more and more. I’m afraid this Hundred Herbs Hall is your business as well, isn’t it?"

He hadn’t been entirely sure before, but upon seeing the Cyan Wine, Lin Yun was now eighty percent certain that this Hundred Herbs Hall was indeed Qing Zhu’s business.

’After all,’ he thought, ’why would a mere customer bring the specialty wine from their own tavern to the Hundred Herbs Hall?’

In response to Lin Yun’s words, Qing Zhu neither denied nor confirmed it. Instead, she changed the subject. "Young Master Lin, I heard you passed the first round of the Yanhuang List. It seems my judgment was not mistaken; you truly are a chosen one, with unrivaled Combat Power."

"If I’m not mistaken, you want the Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills to break through to the next Realm, correct?"

Hearing this, Lin Yun wasn’t sure what Qing Zhu was getting at. Since she had seen through him, there was no need to hide it. He nodded and admitted, "That’s right."

At Lin Yun’s reply, Qing Zhu smiled softly. "Young Master Lin, I can give you the Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills for free. Just name the quantity."

’Free?’ he thought. ’And Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills at that? One had to know that even Primordial Ocean Realm experts needed these pills. Their price was extraordinary, with a single one costing ten thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones. Yet Qing Zhu was actually offering to give them to him for free, and as many as he wanted.’

Faced with such a great temptation, Lin Yun didn’t let it go to his head. He firmly believed in the saying that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. He didn’t believe Qing Zhu would give him the Qi Essence Pills for nothing.

"Miss Qing Zhu, you might as well be frank. What is it you need me to do?"

Lin Yun didn’t believe she would have no conditions. Hearing his words, a sweet smile appeared on Qing Zhu’s beautiful face. "Young Master Lin is indeed a smart man. I do have a favor to ask."

’Just as I thought.’ Without speaking, Lin Yun listened quietly for Qing Zhu to continue.

"Actually, I am not from the Yanhuang Country. My family was originally a great family in the Eastern Domain. After my clan was annihilated, I fled to the Yanhuang Country..."

According to Qing Zhu, the task she had for Lin Yun was to retrieve her family’s Clan Treasure. This Clan Treasure was currently located in a Land of Death on the border between the Yanhuang Country and the Nan Feng Kingdom.

The Mysterious Forest. It was an extremely famous Land of Death throughout the entire Southeast Domain. Rumor had it that for anyone below the Primordial Ocean Realm, entering meant certain death. Even for Primordial Ocean Realm experts, the death rate in the Mysterious Forest was as high as seventy percent. Only experts at the Late Stage of the Primordial Ocean Realm dared to venture deep into the Mysterious Forest.

And the item Qing Zhu was looking for was in the deepest part of the Mysterious Forest.

After hearing Qing Zhu’s explanation, Lin Yun didn’t agree immediately. He had, of course, heard of the Mysterious Forest. It was a Land of Death that absolutely no one below the Primordial Ocean Realm dared to enter.

Seeing Lin Yun fall into deep thought, Qing Zhu added, "Although the Mysterious Forest is a Land of Death, it is also a land of treasures. An existence surpassing even Primordial Ocean Realm experts once personally witnessed the presence of Ghost Fruits deep within the Mysterious Forest."

As soon as she said this, Lin Yun’s gaze shifted to Qing Zhu. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

The Ghost Fruit was simply too valuable to Lin Yun. It could temper a Martial Artist’s soul. Although few in the Yanhuang Country valued Soul Power, Lin Yun knew just how important the benefits of a powerful soul were to becoming a true expert. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Most importantly, not only could the Ghost Fruit temper the soul, but a soul tempered by it would have an incredibly stable foundation. In the future, cultivating Soul Power would be more than ten times faster than for others.

Staring directly at Qing Zhu, Lin Yun wondered why she knew about the Ghost Fruit and, furthermore, why she would share this information with him.

But at this point, even if it was a trap, Lin Yun had to go. The Ghost Fruit was simply too important. Moreover, its growth cycle was extremely long; it would take at least five hundred years to mature.

If he missed this opportunity, there was no telling when he would ever encounter a Ghost Fruit again.

"Fine, I’ll go." After a long moment, Lin Yun nodded in agreement.

"I thank you, Young Master Lin. If you can truly retrieve my Clan Treasure for me, I will be sure to reward you handsomely."

"There’s no need. Miss Qing Zhu has already given me my reward. I will naturally do my utmost. However, there is one thing I must make clear: the Mysterious Forest is far too dangerous. With my current strength, I have no hundred-percent guarantee of success. I hope you understand this, Miss Qing Zhu," Lin Yun reminded her.

"I understand. You need only do your best, Young Master Lin. I have faith in your abilities," Qing Zhu said with a smile.

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Afterward, Lin Yun didn’t hold back and asked for one hundred Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills. However, though he asked for one hundred, Qing Zhu generously gave him two hundred.

In Qing Zhu’s words, her Clan Treasure was worth more than two thousand, or even twenty thousand, Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills.