Chapter 23: Can He Do It?

  After listening to Chen Li's explanation, Qin Yun finally knew how lucky he was just now!

  This old man in black clothes is good at alchemy, his martial arts skills are ordinary, and he doesn't know swordsmanship, but he is good at hidden weapons and raising insects, and often wins unexpectedly when competing with opponents.

  These seventy-two golden needles were the killing trick of the black-clothed old man, although they had not yet been domesticated to their strongest state, Chen Li had once seen him release a swarm of bees to kill two powerful opponents.

  However, the beehives were not small in size and weight, so it was very inconvenient to carry them around. After Chen Li gained the trust of the black-clothed elder, he took on the task of carrying and feeding the beehives.

  This golden needle bee can only be controlled by the black-robed old man himself.

  If the black-clad old man had released the golden needle bees directly instead of using a hidden weapon to launch a sneak attack on Qin Yun, then Qin Yun would have been almost certainly dead.

  Arrogance and complacency ultimately became the death knell for the old man in black, as well as his just deserts for his numerous evil deeds.

  Feeling grateful, Qin Yun couldn't help but feel a little more appreciative of Chen Li in his heart: "So what are your plans for the future?"

  Chen stood there, dazed and shaking his head. Having avenged himself on the person who had wronged him, all the resentment that had been building up inside him dissipated, leaving him feeling empty and unsure of what to do next.

  "Do you have any other relatives?" Qin Yun asked again.

  "Really!" Chen Li's spirit lifted: "My uncle is in Lincheng, and it was on the way to Lincheng that year that I was with my parents..."

  As he spoke, tears fell again.

  "Alright then, I'll send you to Lincheng!" Qin Yun patted his shoulder comfortingly: "Your uncle will be overjoyed if he sees that you're still alive."

  "Thank you, Qin Ge... " Chen Li wiped away the tears on his face and handed the beehive to Qin Yun: "This nest of golden needle bees is for you, I won't use it even if I keep it, and it's a pity to throw it away!"

  "I won't be of much use either!" Qin Yun sighed and shook his head.

  This golden needle bee is quite powerful and tempting, but if you don't understand how to control it and use it recklessly, you will definitely end up hurting yourself.

  Qin Yun was single-mindedly devoted to cultivating his swordsmanship and didn't have much interest in raising insects.

  "This is not a problem!" Chen Li said: "I know the old thief has books on alchemy and insect breeding at home, now he's dead, I'll take you to find them, it's just a day's journey from here!"

  Qin Yun had a mind to refuse, but Chen Li was completely kind-hearted, and he couldn't bear to hurt the other's feelings: "Alright then, I'll just pick a few more stalks of green leaf grass before I go!"

  Qin Yun searched a small part of this valley and found more than three stalks of Bilei grass. If he leaves now, he may not be able to find it again next time.

  Chen Li naturally had no objection and instead helped him pick herbs together.

  Chen Li had no martial veins and could not cultivate Qi, he only learned some superficial martial arts, but following the black-clothed old man, he did learn a lot of ways to gather and find medicine.

  The two of them worked together and soon finished searching the surrounding rock walls, unexpectedly digging up forty or fifty stalks of Bileaf Grass, with the oldest one being twenty-seven years old.

  A ten-year-old herbal medicine is considered top-grade, and one that is nearly thirty years old is absolutely a rare treasure. Biye grass is the main material for Peiqi Dan, as well as an ingredient in many other medicinal pellets. A thirty-year-old one placed outside is basically priceless.

  Having dug up so much Bileaf Grass, Qin Yun was naturally extremely satisfied and immediately packed up his luggage and left with Chen Li.

  Under Chen Li's leadership, the two of them rushed overnight and arrived at their destination in the afternoon of the next day.

  The old nest of the black-clothed elder is a small Taoist temple built beside the Manglong Mountains, hidden in the woods and not very noticeable.

  The Taoist temple was also empty of other people, and on the surface it looked very shabby and had no incense, but that was just to deceive others.

  The real secret is under the Taoist temple, where the old man in black opens up several secret rooms underground to raise poisonous insects and refine elixirs.

  Now the body of the old man in black is likely to be eaten clean by wild beasts in Manglong Mountain, and all the things he accumulated throughout his life naturally belong to Qin Yun and Chen Li.

  In one of the secret rooms, Chen Li found a bookshelf with a secret book on beekeeping and other alchemy books.

  Dan Shu and some useful elixirs were left behind by Qin Yun, but as for the gold, silver, and treasures, he didn't take a single item, all of which were divided among Chen Li.

  These riches were enough to guarantee that the other party would have no worries about their future life.

  After dividing up the spoils, Chen Li lit another fire and burned down the Taoist temple, leaving behind too many painful memories.

  In a small town ten miles away from the Taoist temple, the two parted ways.

  Qin Yun originally wanted to escort Chen Li to Lincheng to rely on his relatives, but after inquiring in the town, he knew that even if he took a horse-drawn carriage, it would take four or five days.

  It takes more than ten days for a round trip. Qin Yun's family task only has less than two days left, and the consequences of delaying it for so long are really unpredictable.

  Fortunately, Chen Li saw his difficulties and said that it was not a problem for him to hire a carriage by himself. The area of Guiyang Prefecture is peaceful and there are no thieves or bandits, and the road is also a safe commercial route.

  "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to Qianchao City to find me, and I will definitely try my best to help you!"

  With a heart full of apology, Qin Yun solemnly made a promise to Chen Li.

  "Thank you, Qin Gege, take care of yourself too!"

  The two waved goodbye, Qin Yun watched as the horse carriage carrying Chen Li disappeared at the end of the road before turning back to Qian Chao City.

  ……

  Qian Chao City, Wu Yang Tao Outer Affairs Hall, You Ri Lou.

  Today is the last day of the new recruits' external mission, and the first and second floors of the weekdays building are exceptionally lively, with people coming in and out like a school of fish crossing the river.

  The expressions of the young men were different, some were excited and jumping for joy, some were hanging their heads in silence, and some even had a dispute between them, but it was immediately suppressed by the manager from the building.

  Because the Dan Yao Tang's materials are insufficient and the demand for Pei Qi Dan is extremely strong, the General Hall recently released a large number of tasks to collect Bi Ye Cao. The disciples at the hall entrance, whether new or old, have almost all received the same task.

  But collecting the Bileaf Grass in the Manglong Mountains is absolutely not an easy task, the outer areas of the mountain range have already been picked clean by people, and the newcomers don't have enough strength to venture deeper into the mountains.

  They lacked experience in gathering herbs, many of the young men grew up in wealthy families and had never done anything like this except for practicing martial arts, many newcomers to Manglong Mountain returned with empty hands and a pale face.

  But even if they didn't pick a single sprig of green leaf grass, they had to return home and make an explanation; the medicine box and medicine hoe must be returned.

  As for the consequences of not completing tasks, apart from deducting next month's family allowance, a note will also be made in the personal notebook.

  For many newcomers, deducting common gifts is okay, but leaving a stain in the notebook is really embarrassing to lose face, so people with flexible minds are guarding the building and buying Biye grass at high prices on the spot.

  This is what the rules allow. As long as the tasks assigned by the family are completed, the Tangkou will not care about the means used to achieve the goal.

  Only a few people can harvest a lot of Bileaf Grass.

  Qin Mingzhu stood at the corner of the first floor corridor of the weekdays building, looking forward to the crowd entering and exiting the front door with expectation, and a disappointed expression occasionally floated on her face.

  Today, many of Dan Yao Tang's disciples have come here, and many newcomers like Qin Mingyue also want to buy some Bileaf Grass to improve their alchemy experience.

  The herbal medicine shops in the city are almost out of stock, and only a few have inventory with prices that are too high for them to afford.

  "Ah, Mingzhu, you're here! We've been looking for you!"

  A familiar voice came from behind, Qin Mingzhu turned around and saw her own cousin Qin Haiming and a young man in white walking towards her.

  Seeing the newcomer, she subtly furrowed her brow and forced a smile: "Elder brother, Qin Jun big brother, hello."

  Qin Haishan smiled and said: "Mingzhu, you came here to buy some Bileaf Grass, right? Qin Jun big brother said he can help you think of a way!"

  The young man in white clothes smiled proudly, his eyes gazing at Qin Mingzhu with great eagerness: "Now the Bileaf Grass is extremely scarce, since Sister Mingzhu needs it, I must help you find a few stalks. In the Outer Affairs Hall, I still have some face."

  This young man was Qin Jun, a fellow disciple of Xing Tang. When new disciples first entered the sect, he had organized gatherings for fellow villagers.

  It was at that gathering that he fell in love with Wen Juanmei's beauty, Qin Mingzhu, and secretly pursued her.

  However, Qin Mingzhu never pretended to be polite: "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Qin Jun, but I have another way."

  Qin Jun's eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance, and he sneered: "Ming Zhu sister, I know you went to ask Qin Yun for help, but do you think he can make it happen with his abilities?"

  "Even if he's lucky enough to dig up a few, it won't be enough for his task, how can he possibly share with you? The people in the Outer Affairs Hall are almost fighting over the Biye grass they've dug up!"

  Because of the danger of entering Manglong Mountain to collect medicine, most new disciples are in groups, but they underestimated the difficulty of this task, resulting in many contradictions.

  If none were dug up, it would be fine. Some teams dug up a few or dozens of them, and how to distribute them became a big problem. Everyone wanted to get their hands on them, and naturally, disputes arose.

  "Mingzhu, why don't you listen to me!" Qin Haishan said in a deep voice: "Don't you know that Qinyun has offended people in the clan? You have no benefits from getting close to him and being friends with him!"

  He'd better not say that. As soon as he did, it triggered Qin Mingzhu's disgust: "Elder brother, I make friends not for any benefits, I think Qin Yundage is a good person."

  These few sentences made Qin Haishan's face turn red and then pale, he was so choked that he couldn't say a word.

  Qin Jun smiled hypocritically: "Mingzhu sister, you can't say that, Hai Shan is also for..."

  He put on an air of elder brother to advise Qin Mingzhu, but Qin Mingzhu turned back and looked at the gate, her eyes suddenly lit up, and a moving expression appeared on her pretty face!