That person didn't even turn around: "Who goes there?"
"Jack Young from the Flower Shifting Palace."
"Oh, I've heard quite a few rumors about you lately. What brings you here?"
"To trade medicines."
"Just leave the money and take the medicine—such a trivial thing, and you came here yourself?"
"I don't have enough money. I was wondering if I could barter instead."
"Did you bring something the Herb Boutique needs?"
"Exactly." Jack Young pulled out a whip: "I've got a Ninefold Dragon Fang Whip."
The person nodded: "That's certainly a famous weapon. I didn't expect it to end up in your hands. Got anything else?"
"I do." Jack Young took out a small cup of purified liquid. "I wonder if this could count as a life-saving miracle medicine?"
The man finally spun around. He was a handsome guy in his forties, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a few fine lines at the corners but not losing any charm. In short, he was a top-tier, stylish uncle type.
"My name is Nina Cloud. Pleased to meet you." The stylish uncle sized up Jack Young, nodded, and introduced himself. Then he took the purified liquid, sniffed it, and nodded, "This delicate fragrance is definitely something special. Please wait here, I'll ask the Herb Maiden to try it out." With that, he turned and walked into the inner room, not caring much for host etiquette.
Jack Young didn't mind at all. Instead, he looked around the building. The place was like a grid shop, with shelves on all four walls. Bottles and jars lined the racks, each with a label written in elegant handwriting. The style of writing was refined, easily matching the voice of the Herb Maiden he’d heard that day.
Ningshen Grass and Calming Incense—he easily found both. He opened the lids and took a whiff; sure enough, the aroma was refreshing and clear-headed. For someone like Jack Young, a master of mental power, these were optional. But for his two apprentices, they were just right. There were plenty of other herbs and potions too; Jack Young opened each lid and sniffed them one by one. Compared to the descriptions in the catalog, he trusted his own senses more, gaining a full understanding of each medicine’s effects.
"Hmm? This scent... seems familiar." Jack Young suddenly caught a wonderful aroma. He turned to see the curtain to the inner room lift, and out came a young woman. She looked to be in her twenties, dressed in plain blue, slim and delicate. The moment you saw her, you’d think of endless green tea fields, wildflowers, and birds chirping. Among all the beauties Jack Young had seen, she wasn’t dazzling—maybe not even top ten—but her fresh, clean vibe was definitely comforting.
"Honored guest, I apologize for not greeting you sooner. Please forgive me," said the Herb Maiden.
Yep, her voice was just as fresh—like rain in the mountains. She offered a cup of tea; the aroma was coming from that very cup. "Let me offer you tea as an apology. I hope you’ll forgive me."
Jack Young took the teacup and breathed in deeply. "What a wonderful aroma. Just the scent makes my internal energy feel livelier. What is this?" He drank it in one gulp—refreshing to the core. His dantian energy started swirling energetically. Judging by the feel, he’d soon break through fifteen years of cultivation.
"This is Break Origin Dew, a special treat for honored guests at the Herb Boutique. It helps break through bottlenecks and aids in breakthroughs. If you need more, I can send some your way." That little booklet didn’t mention Break Origin Dew at all—clearly, the Herb Boutique didn’t put all their best stuff up for sale. Makes sense; for a place like this, money isn’t the core issue. The real treasures are reserved for the right price.
As for that cup of purified liquid Jack Young just brought out, that’s probably something they’re reserving for a special price.
Alright, let the negotiations begin.
"Miss Cloud, looks like you’re pretty satisfied with what I just brought out."
Nina Cloud nodded honestly. "What you just showed me is amazing—it's very similar to the 'Life Gathering Water' described in the ancient texts."
"Life Gathering Water? So this world has something like that too?"
"Yes, according to the old records, the ancient Southern Wasteland dynasty had a secret miracle water called 'Life Gathering Water.' It could increase vitality and strength—just a little would make the weak strong and nearly immune to all diseases." Nina Cloud got a bit excited talking about this, like a nerdy bookworm. "Mr. Yang, is this miracle liquid you brought really Life Gathering Water?"
"Well... I don't know exactly where your Life Gathering Water comes from, but mine's called Purified Liquid. The effect should be about the same." Jack Young asked, "Miss, do you think this Purified Liquid can be traded for things from the Herb Boutique?"
"It should work, but..." Nina Cloud suddenly looked troubled, a bit distracted. "The Purified Liquid is great, but if we want to make the King’s Life-Saving Pill, this isn’t enough. Mr. Yang, how much of it do you have?"
"How much do you need?"
"Hmm..." Nina Cloud did some quick mental math and nodded, "A hundred pounds would be ideal. If that's too much, fifty pounds would do." When you deal with professionals, they always think in bulk.
Jack Young decided to save time and skip all the pointless back-and-forth. With a flip of his hand, he produced a pill—the Secondary Meat Pill. This one was extracted from a level three monster, and it was the lowest quality in his storage right now. By the way, Jack Young could tell that every so often, the high-quality pills in his storage were disappearing, which meant his other self hadn’t slacked off on Dragon Elephant cultivation. Plus, his physical strength was slowly but surely improving, steadily moving toward the eighth tier.
"What is this!" The Herb Maiden’s eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, rushing over to grab the Secondary Meat Pill. "Sorry, I’ll be right back!" she called, then dashed into the inner room. Who knows how she tested the pill, but after a while, Nina Cloud came back, beaming. "Mr. Yang, do you have any more of these pills?"
"I've got a few more."
"That's fantastic! Now we can finally make the King’s Life-Saving Pill!" The Herb Maiden was so excited she lost her composure. "Mr. Yang, if you trade these pills, you can pick anything you want from the Herb Boutique!"
Jack Young nodded with satisfaction—that was exactly what he’d been waiting for.
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First, he grabbed two jars each of Calming Incense and Ningshen Grass. These herbs only work for those with less than twenty years of cultivation, and two jars would be more than enough for his two apprentices. Then, he took a few pots of Break Origin Dew—the same stuff he’d just drunk. According to Nina Cloud, Break Origin Dew mainly helps with breakthroughs, but drinking a cup a day boosts training speed tenfold for the whole day.
For ordinary folks, drinking Break Origin Dew every day isn’t really worth it. Even if it speeds things up ten times, that’s just ten days’ progress in one. So it’s mostly useful for breaking through bottlenecks. But Jack Young’s different—his daily training is high-value. If he could boost his speed tenfold, with his massive mental power, he might even get back to the good old days of one year’s progress in a single day.
Next up was the always promising Meridian Purifying Tea. It could clear and smooth meridians, not only speeding up cultivation but also making moves faster. Long-term use could even bring your meridians close to innate condition—a priceless treasure. Jack Young wasn’t sure if Meridian Purifying Tea would still help him, but he packed up some tea bricks anyway. If it didn’t work for him, it’d help someone else, or at the very least, keep things moving in the digestive department.
"Mr. Yang, Break Origin Dew and Meridian Purifying Tea have their limits. There are even better versions called Break Origin Fairy Dew and Meridian Fairy Tea. They work the same way, but the effects are worlds apart. Unfortunately, even in Herb Valley, those are hard to grow and none are ready yet. If you need them, just come find me at Herb Valley anytime." The Secondary Meat Pill had opened the door to the best medicines—Nina Cloud was now super enthusiastic.
"Alright." Jack Young didn’t stand on ceremony, then asked, "Miss Cloud, I’m practicing an ice-based internal skill. My constitution isn’t a great match, so it gets harder the further I go. Do you have any tips for that?"
"Well..." Nina Cloud thought for a moment. "If your constitution doesn’t match your technique, only extraordinary natural treasures might help. Right now, the only thing useful at the Herb Boutique is Udumbara Elixir."
Just as expected—Udumbara Elixir. He’d been eyeing that stuff from the start. "May I ask what the Udumbara Elixir does?"
"According to ancient records, a cup of Udumbara Elixir can boost the energy circulation speed of ice-based internal skills by about three times. Drink more, and you can raise it up to nine times. But it’s extremely rare—even the Herb Boutique only has one cup."
"Nine times?" That’s a huge multiplier, definitely not something to ignore. "Is there anywhere else to get Udumbara Elixir?"
Nina Cloud explained, "Actually, Udumbara Elixir is the flower water from the Udumbara flower. Legend says that deep in the Northern Wasteland’s Silent Realm, inside the thousand-year-old Snow Mountain Jade Cave, there’s an ancient Ice-Fire Pool. In that pool grows a magical blossom—the Udumbara flower. The flower blooms with twin petals, one cold and one hot, one blue and one red. Though they’re opposites, they don’t clash, but instead harmonize—pretty amazing. Udumbara Elixir is the cold pool water, infused with medicinal properties from nurturing the flower for so long. But the real miracle is the Udumbara flower itself. Supposedly, it blooms once every three hundred years, and whoever eats it can skyrocket their power, resist all poisons, and even turn back the clock to youth."
As Nina Cloud spoke, even she looked a little dreamy. But then she shook her head and smiled, "Of course, this is all from ancient records. The Northern Wasteland’s Silent Realm is a death zone—even innate masters can’t get deep inside. So the Udumbara flower is impossible to find. Only a few drops of Udumbara Elixir have been passed down through generations at the Herb Boutique."
"One cold, one hot—twin petals?" Jack Young raised an eyebrow. "I feel like this flower is meant for me."
"Haha, Mr. Yang, you’re truly lucky—if you can get your hands on a miracle medicine like this, maybe the flower really is destined for you." After a casual compliment, Nina Cloud asked, "Is there anything else you need?"
"Do you have any top-grade medicines for detoxifying and strengthening the mind?" For some reason, he suddenly thought of Embroidered Jade and wanted to buy something for her. "The absolute best."
"Detoxifying and strengthening, huh... Got it!" Nina Cloud pulled out a bottle, grinning like she was selling miracle pills. "This is Divine Farmer’s Dew, refined from eighty-one kinds of spiritual herbs and flowers. Sweet and tasty, long-lasting flavor, can cure all poisons and strengthen the mind. Plus, it’s great for beauty and anti-aging!"
"Haha, perfect. I’ll take it." Jack Young chuckled—he’d pretty much picked out all the useful medicines, enough to last a while.
He packed everything up, exchanged pills for medicine, and settled accounts—everyone left happy. As he was leaving, Jack Young received a VIP card from the Herb Boutique. Skipping the minor details, just before heading out, he turned back to Nina Cloud and asked, "By the way, Miss Cloud, the Herb Boutique is famous for its medical expertise—have you ever heard of a poison called Ten Evil Soul Scatter?"
"What poison?"
"Ten Evil Soul Scatter."
In that instant, Jack Young tuned in to everything—Nina Cloud’s heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, and especially her expression. If she knew anything about Ten Evil Soul Scatter, he’d get it out of her, even with an innate master guarding her. From what he sensed, Nina Cloud wasn’t quite on par with Madame Sanmiao—probably about Silver Sword King’s level. If things turned ugly, he might still have a shot.
But Nina Cloud just thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Never heard of it. Judging by the name, it must be a vicious poison. Has someone around you been poisoned, Mr. Yang? I’ll check the records when I get back—if I find anything, I’ll let you know." She seemed perfectly natural, nothing suspicious at all. Jack Young’s gaze softened and he smiled, "Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Ten Evil Soul Scatter is a weird one—it first disperses acquired internal energy, then shakes innate willpower. Miss Cloud, you travel the martial world and run a medicine shop—be careful out there."
"Thank you for the warning, Brother Yang! I’ll be careful!"
While Jack Young and Nina Cloud were chatting, Nina Cloud’s uncle—who’d been hiding in the inner room—suddenly shrank his pupils, his face turning pale: "Ten... Evil... Soul... Scatter?!"