Chapter 512: Handing Out the Wood Spirit Spring

“Junior brother Jiang Chen, please wait a moment.” Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi had yet to depart from Shen Qinghong’s residence when they heard Jun Mobai calling out to them from behind.

Jiang Chen paused briefly. “What insights does senior brother Jun have to impart?”

“Heh heh, junior brother Jiang Chen’s words today have convinced me that I’ve finally found someone who lives on my wavelength. My residence isn’t far from here. How about coming over to my place for a drink?” Jun Mobai was careful to remain extremely polite as he smiled at the two. The overall effect was one of refinement and nobility.

However, Jiang Chen still declined. “My interest has been sapped for today. If there is a chance to in the future, let me treat senior brother Jun instead.”

Ling Bi’er had also emerged from the residence at this moment, but stopped roughly three hundred meters away from them. When she saw Jun Mobai cozy up to Jiang Chen, her dark brows drew together slightly, seeming to take exception to what she was seeing.

Jiang Chen happened to be facing her at that moment, and his God’s Eye clearly took in the slight pursing of her mouth and slant of her eyebrows. He just didn’t know if she was disdainful of himself, or contemptuous of Jun Mobai.

Jun Mobai wasn’t angered by Jiang Chen’s refusal and still smiled as gently as the spring winds. “Sure. I’ve heard that junior brother Jiang Chen is an unparalleled genius from the sixteen kingdoms. I’ve long since heard of your name and have eagerly anticipated your arrival.”

Jiang Chen nodded and didn’t look in Ling Bi’er’s direction, walking off with Mu Gaoqi. Jun Mobai watched Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi leave, the slight smile on his face very thoughtful as if seemingly contemplating something. Ling Bi’er took this chance to walk over.

She paused next to Jun Mobai, and spoke with a cool and emotionless voice. “Senior brother Jun, one Shen Qinghong is enough in the Sovereign Area. Do you want to become the second one?”

“Eh? Junior sister Bi’er, what makes you say that?” Jun Mobai started slightly.

Ling Bi’er smiled indifferently. “Senior brother Jun should be clearer than me on his ambitions. Why ask me?” She drifted off in a fragrant whirl after speaking, soon vanishing from Jun Mobai’s line of sight.

His expression sank. “Self-righteous woman; always thinking she’s right.”

As Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi walked, they suddenly heard the increasingly faster patter of footsteps behind them. Ling Bi’er was catching up and obviously had the desire to pass them. When her lithe figure overtook them, she suddenly spoke, “I quite admire your courage in defying Shen Qinghong, but be careful of being used as cannon fodder by others. Take care of yourself well!”

She seemed to be talking to thin air with her words, not addressing Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi. She didn’t even pause when speaking, but darted past them in a fragrant breeze and quickly bounded three hundred meters away from them. However, the two were well aware that her words were meant for Jiang Chen.

Mu Gaoqi sighed. “Brother Chen, you’ve got some face indeed! I’ve heard that senior sister Bi’er is a notable ice beauty in the Regal Pill Palace. She doesn’t give even much face to senior brother Shen, yet you command enough face to have her speak to you of her own volition!”

Jiang Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “That was her speaking to me of her own accord? Why do I feel like she was speaking to the air?”

Ling Bi’er was a notable genius in both pill and martial dao. Add that to her natural beauty and removed bearing, she exuded the cold pride of a kind of holy lotus growing on an iceberg. One could say that she was the dream lover of more than ninety percent of all the young disciples of the Regal Pill Palace.

She had high potential, status, cultivation level, and was beautiful to boot with an extraordinary bearing. She was also highly competent, making her one of the most perfect girls in the younger generation of the sect. Even Mu Gaoqi had quietly harbored some admiration for her in his youth. However, he was indifferent in nature and viewed the matters between man and woman with a cooler eye. Thus, he was not as lovestruck as the other young men. But even so, he felt that of all the female disciples in the Regal Pill Palace, Ling Bi’er was absolutely the most resplendent and perfect pearl amongst them all, glowing with her own light.

She had a younger sister called Ling Hui’er, who’d ranked number four in the competition for the Sovereign Area residences. Although they were sisters, their personalities were completely different. This duo was one of the most popular disciples in the entire sect. Jiang Chen was slightly oblivious of all this due to his recent arrival in the Regal Pill Palace, and he didn’t pay much attention to Mu Gaoqi’s exaggerated description.

When Jiang Chen returned to his residence, he quickly packed everything he needed to take from Rosy Valley.

He’d settled the wood spring matter and planned on baptizing Ye Chonglou and Tang Hong in it. This was crucial for them, and the earlier it happened the better.

When he emerged from his residence, he was wearing the robes of the Sovereign Area and was naturally greeted with respect and others gathering around him wherever he went.

When Ye Chonglou and Tang Hong heard that Jiang Chen was taking them to his residence in the Sovereign Area, they were naturally very excited. Ye Chonglou was quite cognizant of the situation and didn’t mention the others from the Precious Tree Sect. He was well aware that Jiang Chen didn’t have much of a relationship with the others disciples of the Precious Tree Sect. They had to leave out Lian Canghai, Iron Dazhi and Xie Yufan for some matters.

Jiang Chen welcomed them into his residence and summoned a few more followers. There were eight in total, including Gouyu. “Folks, there are no outsiders here so I’ll be speaking frankly. I’ve gathered you here today because I want to gift you an enormous stroke of fortune.”

Ye Chonglou and Tang Hong had heard Jiang Chen mention this before, but Gouyu and the others had been completely oblivious. As for Huang’er, she was now an honored guest in his household and Jiang Chen had no need to exclude her from these matters.

“I have a wood spirit spring, a naturally formed place of qi. It can wash away the impurities within your bodies and purify the blood vessels, upgrading the potential contained within your bloodline. This is a rare opportunity to remake yourself and cast off the old.” Jiang Chen cut straight to the point.

“Wood spirit spring? Naturally formed place of qi?” A hint of incomprehension formed in everyone’s eyes. Only Huang’er possessed slight astonishment in her eyes.

“Sir Jiang, a wood spirit spring and naturally formed place of qi? The Regal Pill Palace has such a treasure?” Huang’er felt it to be a bit odd. “If the Regal Pill Palace possessed such a treasure, it shouldn’t be only a fourth rank sect.”

Jiang Chen smiled. “I brought this spring back from the outside world, so it doesn’t belong to the Regal Pill Palace. In addition, apart from those present, only Mu Gaoqi knows of this matter.”

Everyone snapped to stern attention. This meant that they were to keep this secret.

“Alright, I’ve made some plans. Since Miss Huang’er is the guest, I’ve arranged her to be the first to be baptized in the spring.”

Huang’er laughed softly. “Sir Jiang, you should probably leave Huang’er out? How could I supplant the host?” Huang’er was the daughter of an eminent family and had a poised and dignified air about her. She didn’t want to usurp the host’s position.

It was rather Gouyu who twined her hands around Huang’er’s slender arm. “Younger sister Huang’er, you hold yourself aloof from worldly success and are too kindhearted. No one will envy you. Not to mention that as the guest, you naturally go first.”

Jiang Chen nodded. “Miss Huang’er, if my thinking is right, your potential may not need the purifying effects of the wood spring, but its waters are some of the purest in the world and very useful in cleansing the soul. It will be helpful in battling the vengeful aura of the Hundred Generation Curse. Not only should you go, but you should bathe in its waters every month. Don’t worry, the spirit power within the spring will regenerate according to the planetary cycles. As long as its foundations aren’t harmed, the wood spirit spring will never dry up.”

“As for the rest of you, one baptism will be enough for a simple evolution of your bloodline. It won’t be of much use to you if you enter the spring again, so each of you will have one turn ranging between three to seven days. Two or three can bathe in its waters at a time.”

There was plenty of spirit qi in the wood spirit spring, and Jiang Chen, Mu Gaoqi, and the Goldbiter Rats had all bathed in it at the same time. It was only because of the divide between men and women that he didn’t arrange for them to all enter at the same time.

Indeed, when Gouyu heard this, she wrapped her arm around Huang’er’s thin waist. “I will wash with younger sister Huang’er. Ziqi, will you join us?”

Wen Ziqi’s tender face reddened. Her shy nature still hadn’t improved all that much in the face of so many men. “As sister Gouyu says.”

“Heh heh, us three girls will go first?” Gouyu smiled at Jiang Chen.

“Sure, that would be for the best.” Jiang Chen then looked at Xue Tong again. “Xue Tong, you and Lordmaster Ye, as well as Tang Hong, will be another group. Guo Jin, Qiao Shan and Qiao Chuan will be the last.”

Jiang Chen brought them all to the cave after dividing them into groups. He had long since told Long Xiaoxuan his plans. If he brought others here, he was to coil up in a corner and not reveal himself, for fear of scaring others.

Long Xiaoxuan was quite satisfied with his current lifestyle. He had received so many benefits from Jiang Chen and would naturally not go against his wishes. Just as Jiang Chen arranged for everyone to be baptized in the wood spirit spring, all sorts of rumors started to spread in the outside world.

The content of the rumors all had to do with Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi. They hinted at something at work behind the scenes regarding the two gaining spots for the Pill Battles. These rumors had obviously been packaged and sold by others. Not only were they targeting Jiang Chen, they were even more so targeting Elder Yun Nie. They insinuated that the elder had lost his impartiality in running sect affairs, and that he’d been too careless in allocating spots for the Pill Battles. There were so many geniuses in the Sovereign Area, yet these two newcomers to the area had already taken over two slots.

Even if Mu Gaoqi was of an innate wood constitution of high order, that still wasn’t enough to prove anything. After all, a constitution only represented future potential. It didn’t mean that his current pill dao potential was higher than that of those supreme geniuses in the Sovereign Area.

“Venomous scum!” Even someone as good-natured as Mu Gaoqi was truly angered this time. “Brother Chen, Shen Qinghong must be behind this! Hallmaster Elder Lian Chen of the Hall of Might and Hallmaster Elder Jin Gu of the Hall of Spring and Autumn must have joined forces to make trouble for my honored master. I say, they’re not merely setting eyes on the Pill Battle slots, but even my honored master’s position as Hallmaster of the Herbal Hall!”

Jiang Chen looked at Mu Gaoqi with a slight smile. He hadn’t thought that Mu Gaoqi’s breadth of mind would improve by so much, so quickly. He could actually consider matters and analyze them from this height now.