Chapter 281: The One Heart Pendant

After seeing off Yu Kong, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, sinking into deep thought.

In Xihuang Town, particularly among the cultivators who had been active nearby, almost no one believed in the existence of the herb garden. Most were doubtful, and while they thought it wouldn’t hurt to check it out, they didn’t consider it a top priority.

After all, there were still valuable treasures to be found in the critical areas of Qiuhong Market, and the time when the protective array was at its weakest was extremely brief. Once Qiuhong Market was sealed, it became fraught with danger, and no one dared to stay inside for thirty years.

Rather than wasting energy searching for the elusive herb garden, it was far better to focus on competing for the visible treasures.

Had it not been for the jade pendant's vision presented by Wandering Man, Qin Sang would have been skeptical about the matter’s authenticity.

The jade pendant's vision was shown to Wandering Man by Ge Yuan, whose identity was somewhat unique.

The person who discovered the herb garden was named Shao Chunhui, and Ge Yuan could be considered a friend of his. They had collaborated several times in the past, both being individuals who knew how to make necessary compromises, and their interactions had been harmonious, without conflict. This foundation of trust had developed between them over time.

Yu Kong and the others were unaware of Ge Yuan's existence.

Before Shao Chunhui’s incident, he had sought out Ge Yuan, showing him the vision and inviting him to search for the spiritual herbs together. However, out of caution, Shao Chunhui only revealed a glimpse, providing little explanation.

Due to the trust built from their past collaborations, Ge Yuan had readily agreed. To his surprise, after that, Shao Chunhui had disappeared without a trace.

However, Ge Yuan had not been the one to spread the rumors initially.

In fact, he had long forgotten about the matter until two years ago, when rumors about the herb garden in Qiuhong Market resurfaced. It was then that he suddenly recalled the incident.

After conducting a quiet investigation, Ge Yuan began to suspect that the murderer of Shao Chunhui was likely one of his companions who had entered Qiuhong Market with him.

His suspicion eventually settled on Yu Kong and his two associates.

Only these three had attempted to return to Qiuhong Market, actively recruiting people.

As for avenging Shao Chunhui, Ge Yuan had neither the ability nor the desire. Their relationship had not been close enough for him to sacrifice his life for it.

Ge Yuan knew full well that Yu Kong and his companions were all extremely powerful. Regardless of which one of them had been the killer, Ge Yuan was no match for them.

Yet, Ge Yuan was deeply intrigued by the spiritual herbs.

The vision Shao Chunhui had shown him was far too enticing. Whether it was the ancient cultivators’ herb garden or the spiritual herbs once planted by the former owners of Qiuhong Market, there was no doubt they were highly valuable. Even obtaining one or two would greatly benefit one’s cultivation.

Given that Ge Yuan was weak and unable to determine who the murderer was, he decided to stir the situation up, adding fuel to the fire and using the spread of rumors to his advantage.

Rather than letting someone quietly take the spiritual herbs and trigger chaos, there might be an opportunity to profit from the confusion.

Unfortunately, Ge Yuan was reckless in his actions. As soon as he began to move, he nearly exposed his whereabouts. Fortunately, in that critical moment, Wandering Man happened to intervene and saved his life.

After learning the full story, Wandering Man halted Ge Yuan’s hasty plan. After all, there were countless experts who had entered Qiuhong Market, and if the herb garden were exposed, there would not be enough herbs for everyone.

In the end, the decision was made to infiltrate the three companions separately, to discover the location of the secret path. As long as they could blend in, there would always be some benefit to be gained.

Ge Yuan stayed in Xihuang Town, observing the situation, while Wandering Man returned to Xuanlu Stronghold and brought Qin Sang along.

...

Ten days later.

Qin Sang left early in the morning once again, encountering Yu Kong as he did so.

Yu Kong had not yet gathered enough people to practice the array, and over the past few days, Qin Sang had gone out almost every day to gather information in Xihuang Town. Sometimes he would sit quietly in a tea house for the entire day, other times he would move through various shops, using spirit stones to purchase intelligence.

Yu Kong had grown accustomed to this routine and no longer pressed Qin Sang for an answer to his invitation.

"Daoist Master, you're always coming and going in such haste—have you gathered any useful information?" Yu Kong asked with feigned curiosity, a confident smile playing on his lips, as if certain that Qin Sang had not discovered anything of value.

Qin Sang chuckled awkwardly, cupping his hands in greeting. "Nothing special, nothing special..."

Watching Qin Sang leave, Yu Kong smirked and shook his head in amusement.

Qin Sang continued with his usual actions. As he passed a dark alley, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and without changing expression, he walked into the alley. As he passed a shop, he swiftly slipped inside.

The person inside the shop was none other than Wandering Man.

"Senior, meeting in such a rush—aren’t you worried about leaving traces?" Qin Sang frowned and asked, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

He had been taking great care to gain Yu Kong’s trust, and meeting like this carried great risk.

"Don’t worry, Brother Qin. I’ve been following you the whole way. No one’s been tailing you," Wandering Man said, leading Qin Sang into the back room. Speaking softly, he continued, "Brother Qin, you haven’t met Daoist Ge yet, have you? Sheng Yuanzi has gathered his people, and Daoist Ge is about to leave Xihuang Town. If we wait any longer, we might miss him. I have to give you the One Heart Pendant now."

Besides Yu Kong, the other two were Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi, both of whom, like Yu Kong, were powerful cultivators at the middle stage of Foundation Building.

Ge Yuan had been recruited by Sheng Yuanzi, and it seemed Wandering Man had also successfully infiltrated Luo Xingnan’s team.

In the back room, Qin Sang saw Ge Yuan for the first time.

Ge Yuan was about the same age as Qin Sang, with a handsome appearance and an air of arrogance in his brow. Qin Sang keenly noticed a flicker of disdain in Ge Yuan’s eyes as he looked at him.

In the world of immortal cultivation, power was paramount.

Ge Yuan’s cultivation was higher than Wandering Man’s and was comparable to that of Yu Dayue. He was close to breaking through to the middle stage of Foundation Building. Had Wandering Man not saved his life, Ge Yuan might not have shown any respect toward him.

Qin Sang bowed deeply. "Greetings, Daoist Ge."

"There’s no need for formalities, Daoist Master," Ge Yuan said casually, nodding in acknowledgment. He scrutinized Qin Sang and, without any pretense, warned, "In my view, your cultivation is rather lacking. However, since Wandering Man speaks so highly of you, I trust you won’t disappoint me?"

As long as the goal could be achieved, Qin Sang didn’t mind being looked down upon by Ge Yuan. Maintaining a calm expression, he responded, "Daoist Ge, don’t worry. I’ll follow your instructions carefully. If I notice anything unusual, I will immediately inform the two of you and will not act on my own."

Only then did Ge Yuan seem satisfied, turning to Wandering Man. "Senior, time is short. Let’s distribute the One Heart Pendants."

Wandering Man nodded and took out three identical ivory pendants.

"These three One Heart Pendants are crafted from the tusks of the same Tianluo White Elephant demonic beast," the Wandering Man explained.

"It took a lot of effort to gather these. According to legend, the Tianluo White Elephant possesses the bloodline of the divine beast Diting[1], and these pendants have the ability to communicate. They can transmit messages over a short distance, which is sufficient for Qiuhong Market."

"We will each drip our blood and essence onto the pendants. Once we detect something, we will crush the pendants, and the message will be transmitted to the other two."

"The pendants have a special property and will not release any spiritual power, so no one will detect them."

"However, be warned: once the pendants are crushed, they cannot be restored. There’s only one use. Make sure the information is reliable, or else all our efforts will have been in vain."

1. Diting is a divine mythical creature and the steed of bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha in Chinese Buddhism. One interpretation of its single horn was that it could receive information across the universe. ☜