"The Herb Maiden is here?" Rachel Luo was absolutely the biggest busybody around. She immediately poked her head out of the private room: "Where? Where?" For the past few days, she’d been muttering that the name "Herb Maiden" sounded adorable, and she just had to see what kind of person she was. But after a long look, she reluctantly pulled her head back: "Didn’t see anyone..."
"Of course not. It’s not noon yet—the star of the show hasn’t arrived, so there’s no way the presentation would start this early." Jack Young sipped his tea and tried a pastry: "Mm, tastes pretty good. And it’s not poisoned. You guys can try it."
Just then, someone shouted downstairs: "Look, Master Liu is here!"
"Master Liu? Is that Liu Xuantong from Iron Palm Sect? He came in person!"
Fiona Fang quickly leaned out the window to take a look. She saw a squad of burly men in black uniforms marching by—about twenty of them. Leading the group was a middle-aged man in a dark Taoist robe, his face rugged and his expression stiff. A young man followed closely behind. The moment he saw the crowd blocking the entrance of Drunken Moon Pavilion, he barked, "Move it! Move it! Everybody clear out!"
The twenty or so musclemen immediately stepped up and started shoving people aside. The folks waiting at the entrance were rudely pushed to both sides, but none of them dared to complain.
"Who’s that hot-tempered guy?"
"That’s Liu Xuantong’s only son—Liu Shaohong. Word is, he’s inherited a good chunk of his dad’s skills. He’s still young but already has twenty-five years of cultivation under his belt. People say he might really shine at the upcoming Sword Sage Tournament."
Liu Xuantong didn’t mind his son’s swagger at all. He strode right into Drunken Moon Pavilion, stomped up the stairs, and settled into a private room. Of course, not all twenty-plus men followed—just four people, including Liu Shaohong, came along. The rest stood menacingly at the entrance like some kind of mafia bodyguards.
"Look, Master Guo from Long Song Sword Sect is here too."
"Is that Master Grant Guo? He looks so young!"
The second wave arrived at the entrance—this group was smaller, led by a middle-aged man in yellow, looking just past forty. Pretty young for a sect leader. He carried a longsword on his back and wore a stern expression, more like he was here to pick a fight than do business.
Before they could go inside, another group appeared on the long street—a team in blue, men and women both, led by a woman at the front.
"Look, the Hui Feng Blade Sect folks are here! Legend has it that Hui Feng Blade Sect and Long Song Sword Sect were once family, but split into separate sects over swords and blades, and have been rivals ever since. Though I hear the current sect leaders are pretty close—maybe they’ll merge again someday."
"Oh, Master Yuan from Hui Feng Blade Sect looks pretty good. You think their ‘close relationship’ might be... you know, close-close?"
"Shh! Are you crazy? That Yvonne Yuan is famous for being nuts—people call her the Deadly Lady. Watch your head or she’ll chop it off!"
Yvonne Yuan, the Deadly Lady of Hui Feng Blade Sect, was still charming despite her age. She and Master Grant Guo met up at the entrance and headed upstairs together. If you had sharp eyes—like Jack Young—you’d notice a hint of unease in Grant Guo’s expression, like he’d done something naughty and was afraid of getting caught.
And it didn’t stop there. With these three sect leaders as the opening act, more and more sect leaders and bosses started pouring in from all directions, like they’d planned it. The once-empty fourth floor quickly filled up—every private room was taken, and there were easily twenty sects, big and small. The entrance of Drunken Moon Pavilion was soon packed with disciples in all kinds of outfits, and the atmosphere was getting weird.
It wasn’t just the ground floor—the fourth floor was even weirder. Every private room was radiating a certain vibe, enough to make Fiona Fang a little nervous. "Master, are these people really that strong?" she whispered.
"As far as sect leaders go, the weakest here has thirty-five years of cultivation, and most have over forty. A few even top fifty," Jack Young pointed to a few directions. "That Liu Xuantong who arrived first—he’s got more than fifty years. Grant Guo and Yvonne Yuan, who came later, are about forty-eight or forty-nine. Among this crowd, that’s pretty impressive."
Rachel Luo leaned in and whispered, "Something feels off with the atmosphere. Do you think there’s a problem brewing?"
"If there is, it won’t happen now." Jack Young was calm as ever. "I’ve got a pretty good guess what they’re up to."
"It’s noon! The presentation begins!" With a loud announcement, everyone’s attention snapped to the front. The folks on the third and second floors started making a fuss, but on the fourth floor, nobody said a word—it was dead silent.
Amid the silence, a voice rang out: "Esteemed seniors and fellow martial artists, Nina Cloud greets you all." The voice was calm and elegant, so soothing you could almost smell flowers and grass just by listening. Even the younger folks in the private rooms stirred, and Fiona Fang couldn’t help but try to sneak a peek—but she couldn’t see where the speaker was at all.
"Stop looking—she’s behind the scenes," Jack Young tapped her on the head to make her sit properly. Rachel Luo, though, was surprised: "Her voice echoes through the whole Drunken Moon Pavilion. Nina Cloud must be really powerful."
Jack Young shook his head. "That’s not her own power." He gazed in a certain direction, his eyes seeming to pierce through layers of walls. "She’s got powerful guardians helping her."
One of the sect leaders spoke up: "Miss Cloud, you’re too polite. May I ask, are you the current successor of the Herb Boutique?"
Nina Cloud’s voice sounded again: "I’m fortunate to be a disciple of the Herb Boutique. Seven years ago, my master started the Herb Expo. This year, I’m hosting it in her place. If anything’s lacking, I beg your forgiveness, seniors."
The Herb Maiden’s voice was really pleasant—classic, almost vintage. Fiona Fang grumbled, "I was hoping we’d get to see her in person."
Just then, a servant walked in respectfully and presented a thin booklet with both hands.
"The booklet in your hands lists all the items for sale at this Herb Expo. Price, effects, and quantity are all recorded—please take a look."
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the good stuff!)
The three of them crowded together for a look. The little booklet was packed with writing—basically a menu, just like the ones in modern restaurants. Simple, clear, and super easy to read. One of the sect leaders immediately said, "Miss Cloud, you really came up with a clever idea. Saves us all a lot of talking, and you’re every bit as smart as your master!"
"You flatter me, senior," Nina Cloud replied, and then fell silent, leaving everyone time to look through the booklet.
This menu-like booklet was clearly for the folks in the fourth-floor private rooms. The third and second floors had big sheets of paper posted up like a public notice. Ignoring the shouts from downstairs, Jack Young and his crew flipped through their booklet, while Rachel Luo kept exclaiming, "Oh!" "Wow!" "They’ve got this too!"
She wasn’t just being dramatic—even Jack Young was surprised. The booklet really was like the potion section of an online game shop.
There were items to boost experience gain: like Calm Mind Herb and Tranquil Incense. According to the notes, using Tranquil Incense while cultivating helps you focus, clears your mind, prevents going off the rails, and boosts efficiency.
There were items to restore MP—like Qionghua Honey. Drink a cup before bed, and no matter how tired you are, you’ll wake up refreshed. It’s perfect for replenishing lost mental energy.
These are perfect for folks who aren’t super advanced. For Rachel and Fiona, they’re the ideal foundation-building treasures—great for quickly laying a solid base and boosting cultivation.
But what caught Jack Young’s eye was something called Meridian-Cleansing Tea. It purifies the body and clears the meridians, fundamentally speeding up any kind of internal energy cultivation. The notes were clear: it could get your meridians close to innate quality, and long-term drinking would seriously boost your foundation.
There were also some truly unique items, like the Aromatic Jade Pendant—which could cure diseases and detoxify poison. The notes spelled it out: wear the pendant and you’ll ward off toxins, avoid all kinds of sickness, live longer, and keep your looks fresh. At that last part, Rachel Luo and Fiona Fang’s eyes lit up.
But all this stuff was expensive. Correction—super expensive!
Jack Young had thought he was getting pretty well off, but then he saw the price for the Aromatic Jade Pendant—five thousand taels of gold, which was fifty thousand taels of silver! Put together, grandma’s whole fortune couldn’t buy even one pendant for beauty and youth.
"Hmm?" On the last page, Jack spotted something that made his heart skip—a thing called Udumbara Elixir, which could massively speed up ice-type internal energy cultivation. But it was marked as not for sale, with a special note: available by barter only.
Someone asked, "Miss Cloud, what do you mean by barter only?"
Nina Cloud’s voice rang out: "Some rare elixirs are so scarce that even in Herb Valley, they’re considered treasures. So they can only be traded for other items. At Herb Boutique, we accept two types: one is a life-restoring miracle pill, and the other is a sword or weapon sharp enough to slice a hair."
A life-restoring miracle pill?
Come to think of it, my own storage space is stuffed with things just like that...