Chapter 45: The Secret Herb Garden

After several days of analysis, Su Che determined that during the midday hours, the disciples in charge of the top-quality herb fields would usually go off to practice or do their homework after lunch and rarely come to the herb fields. So, on that day at noon, well-prepared, Su Che went to a cliffside near the top-quality herb fields.

According to the memory of the prison inmate Han Youming, a topographic map left by his father indicated that this was roughly the location.

The cliff here was extremely steep, belonging to the most extreme part of the second-tier herb fields, with no connection to the lower-tier herb fields. Looking down from here was a sheer cliff shrouded in mist, making it impossible to determine its exact height.

“Master, that oddly shaped boulder ahead is the most accurate coordinate point. Starting from that boulder, move twelve zhang southwestward, then climb down more than 160 zhang to find a hidden entrance atop the cliff,” said Lao He. “A distance of 160 zhang exceeds my detection range. I can’t see that entrance for now; you’ll need to take the risk of climbing down.”

“It’s fine. Even ordinary herb collectors can climb vertical cliffs, let alone me, who am a cultivator.”

Following Lao He’s guidance, Su Che used a oddly shaped boulder by the cliff as a reference to determine the exact location and began climbing vertically downward.

Natural cliffs couldn’t be as smooth as a mirror—there were always protruding rocks or cracks. This wasn’t a challenge for a cultivator like Su Che. Moreover, Lao He’s perception skills could warn him to avoid loose or rotten rocks.

Han Youming’s father had emphasized in his last words that, to avoid being discovered, one must never use ropes to climb in or out of the cave, as the disciples in charge were all skilled cultivators in the later stages of Qi cultivation. If they spotted a rope hanging from the cliff, they wouldn’t need to climb hard—they could simply fly down using their magical devices to investigate easily.

Back then, Han Youming’s father had acquired a flying artifact of the spiritual weapon level. On a whim, he flew around outside the cliff, but due to his limited strength, he struggled to control the artifact. Accidentally, he collided with the cliff, creating a large hole, which revealed an inner cave. By chance, he discovered this secret cave dwelling.

Su Che couldn’t fly, so he had to climb slowly. It took him quite some time to descend more than 160 zhang.

Lao He had already determined the location of the hidden cave entrance and warned, “Ten feet to the lower left, Han Youming’s father set up some simple yet effective traps to conceal the entrance. It’s been twenty years, but those traps are still working.”

Activating these traps wasn’t difficult. With Lao He’s guidance, Su Che successfully entered the narrow entrance, which was over a person’s height. This entrance was created by Han Youming’s father, who didn’t expand it further to keep it hidden.

Once inside, Su Che activated the traps and sealed the entrance again. The entrance couldn’t remain open for long, whether entering or exiting—only by being cautious could they ensure that the secret remained undiscovered for a long time…

With the entrance closed, it was pitch black inside, but this didn’t affect Lao He’s detection abilities. Still, Su Che habitually took out a lighting crystal. By channeling a bit of true energy into it, it could illuminate an area several dozen feet wide.

Despite the entrance being closed all year round, the air inside was fresh, indicating that the cave had natural ventilation. This didn’t surprise Su Che, as high-grade spiritual herbs had extremely strict requirements for their living environment. If the conditions inside weren’t good enough, the herbs couldn’t survive.

They were now in a long, winding natural passage with a rough surface under their feet. Su Che moved forward by jumping, holding the lighting crystal, at a fairly fast pace.

Lao He had already explored the path ahead. If there was any danger within a hundred feet, he would definitely warn Su Che in time, so Su Che could boldly use his fastest speed.

“This passage is really long!” Su Che calculated silently. He had already run over three hundred feet, and the distance ahead still seemed endless. This hidden cave truly extended deep into the mountain.

Lao He laughed and said, “It’s precisely because it’s hidden deep enough that the Tianxuan Sect has survived for tens of thousands of years. Only Han Youming’s father discovered this place. All the past ‘Masters of Mystery’ knew nothing about it.”

“Indeed,” Su Che agreed. “Even great cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage can’t penetrate too deep into the rock layers with their spiritual senses.”

They continued rushing forward for hundreds more feet until finally, Su Che heard Lao He exclaim in extreme astonishment, “Wow! Damn it…”

Su Che immediately guessed that the passage was about to reach its end. Lao He must have seen some scene deep inside the mountain, which caused such an outburst of amazement.

Filled with great anticipation and excitement, Su Che accelerated, as if going for a final sprint, rushing forward with a gust of wind. Whoosh!

After turning through several winding curves in a row, the area ahead suddenly became brightly lit, rendering the lighting crystal in his hand completely useless… Su Che braked abruptly and stood frozen at the end of the passage! It was a huge cave, about a hundred zhang in diameter, with countless crystal pillars hanging from the ceiling—each at least several feet long. These pillars emitted a fluorescent glow of different colors. As the countless tiny lights combined, they illuminated the entire cave with vibrant colors, making it look like an incredibly wonderful imaginary world. Looking at the bottom of the cave, in the soil, cracks in the rocks, and on the walls, there were all sorts of spiritual herbs growing. Su Che could identify some of them: Nine-Sun Fruit, Red-Flame Fruit, Vitality-Boosting Fruit, Blood Ginseng, Purple Snow Lotus, Mist Spirit Flower, Five-Color Ganoderma, Seven-Leaf Moon Orchid branches… There were even more varieties he couldn’t name right away. “What a pity!” Su Che was still excited, his eyes shining, but then he heard Lao He shaking his head repeatedly in the Immortal Prison, lamenting the loss. “What’s a pity about?” Su Che asked himself while taking a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions. “Master, haven’t you noticed? Most of these spiritual herbs are of top quality, with fewer of medium quality, but not a single one of supreme quality,” Lao He reminded him in a low voice. “Is that so?” Su Che was surprised and thought to himself, “I was just thinking that all the spiritual herbs I know are of top or medium quality. I thought those I didn’t recognize were rare varieties I’d never seen before… Could it be they’re not supreme quality?” “No,” Lao He said, pointing to several thick “Herb Catalogs” at their feet. “You need to practice diligently. You haven’t had time to read these books yet, but I’ve memorized them all. I recognize all the herbs here, and indeed, none of them are supreme quality.” “How is that possible?” Su Che was puzzled. “Although Han Youming’s father didn’t describe these things in detail in his will, I always thought that since the cave entrance is near the field of supreme-quality herbs, the herbs here should be…” At that moment, Su Che suddenly realized, “Ah, although the cave entrance is below the field of supreme-quality herbs, the passages inside the cave wind for over a thousand zhang. The upper area of this cave is already not part of that field of supreme-quality herbs…”

“Yes, master,” Lao He analyzed. “Just now, I calculated the route we took here. It’s almost certain that this cave is right below the top-grade medicinal field. The reason for the existence of this hidden medicinal garden is likely that the seeds of the precious herbs from the top-grade medicinal field were washed into the underground springs of Xuanji Peak during the rainy season, and then carried here by the underground water. Over time, this remarkable scene came into being. The Tianxuan Sect has existed for ten thousand years—such a long history has given rise to countless miracles, and this natural medicinal garden hidden underground is one of them.”

After hearing Lao He’s explanation, Su Che remained silent for a long time, deeply moved. “Indeed, ten thousand years is an incredibly long time—any kind of miracle can occur. But what we ordinary people consider miracles are merely casual creations of nature.”

As for Lao He’s comment that it was a pity there were no top-grade precious herbs, Su Che didn’t see anything worth lamenting. One must learn to be content. Such a natural medicinal garden was already a supreme treasure that would make him smile in his dreams.

These precious herbs had grown underground for who knew how many years, untouched by anyone. It seemed that Han Youming’s father had only used a small portion of them, so these herbs had all had a long time to develop their medicinal properties.

Curious, Su Che asked, “Lao He, the Tianxuan Sect has existed for ten thousand years. I wonder if there are any precious herbs here that are nearly attaining spiritual maturity?”

“That’s impossible, master,” Lao He explained. “Although this cave is close to the underground spiritual veins and springs of Xuanji Peak, and lacks nothing in terms of air and light, it’s still a secluded place. There are no conditions or opportunities for such herbs to reach spiritual maturity over ten thousand years. Moreover, with so many herbs gathered here, there’s also a subtle competitive relationship among them. If any one herb becomes too powerful, it will deprive the others of their chance to survive. So, at most, these herbs here can live for a thousand years before withering away when their lifespan ends.”

“Yes,” Su Che nodded inwardly. “Creating a ten-thousand-year precious herb is no easy task. I wonder how much essence of heaven and earth is needed, what kind of harsh growing conditions, and what kind of opportunities are required to produce such a rare treasure… It’s the same for us cultivators—the path to immortality is difficult, competition is fierce, and achieving greatness seems utterly elusive!”

With such a treasure right before his eyes, Su Che was naturally filled with excitement and deep emotion. However, his mental communication with Lao He was as fast as lightning, countless times faster than normal conversation, so not much time was wasted.

Next, it’s harvest time. So, how do we collect the magical herbs? How much to collect this time? And how should we store them?