Unlike the Myriad Beasts Sect, the Hundred Herbs Garden was more like a city from an ancient feudal society.
The majority of pedestrians on the bluestone-paved streets wore ancient attire; only a few accomplished Cultivators wore vestment robes shimmering with Spirit Light.
The Transmission Array was located at Hundred Herbs Peak’s residence within the Hundred Herbs Garden. Right outside the door was a "merchant street," its sides lined with shops selling Elixirs, Spiritual Artifacts, Spiritual Beasts, vestment robes, and so on.
Lin Jiu took a deep breath and said, "It’s still freer outside."
"Junior Chen, the outside world is much more interesting than inside the Sect. However, the Hundred Herbs Garden is too close to the Sect; it still lacks a certain something. When we get to White Burning Immortal City, I’ll take you to have some real fun."
"The most recent Sky-Reaching Kun flight still has two hours before departure. We should hurry to the dock," Zhen Yan said coldly.
"Oh, such a coincidence?" Lin Jiu said in surprise, scratching his head. f.r(e)e\webn.ovel.co\m
"The Sect tasks are all arranged around the nearest flight departures," Zhen Yan ruthlessly debunked this "coincidence."
With the buzzkill Zhen Yan present, the usually talkative Lin Jiu also fell silent. The three of them mobilized their Mana, quickening their pace. Generally, flying is not allowed within Immortal Cities, except for Immortals.
The Hundred Herbs Garden’s name sounded rather unremarkable, but it was indeed an Immortal City, and the largest one directly under the jurisdiction of Hundred Herbs Peak.
Thus, its dock was also extremely vast; so large, in fact, that Chen Jiuge couldn’t even begin to guess its true size.
Its massive body, coiling for a thousand li, resembled a vast landmass floating on the sea. Its deep blue skin gleamed with a metallic luster, exuding an aura of mystery and majesty. It had a huge, strong head, with two eyes as bright as the sun and moon, twinkling with the light of wisdom. With each breath, it expelled gales tens of zhang high—an awe-inspiring sight. The two barbels by its mouth, hundreds of zhang long, fluttered in the wind, exuding extraordinary might. Its dorsal fin stood tall like a mountain, and its tail fin surged like a rushing river.
The first time Chen Jiuge saw the Sky-Reaching Kun, an ancient saying surfaced in his mind:
"In the northern darkness there is a fish and his name is Kun. The Kun is so huge I don’t know how many thousand li he measures. He transforms into a bird whose name is Peng. The back of the Peng measures I do not know how many thousand li across and, when he rises up and flies off, his wings are like clouds all over the sky."
"How about it? Impressive, isn’t it?" Lin Jiu asked, seeming to enjoy the shocked look on his junior brother’s face.
"Impressive," Chen Jiuge said, swallowing hard, a tinge of envy in his voice.
I still have a slot for a Lifebound Spirit Beast. Could I possibly contract such a colossal creature? Then, breeding Spiritual Beasts on its back wouldn’t be a problem at all!
"Do you want one? Our Myriad Beasts Sect’s Spiritual Beast Hall actually sells Sky-Reaching Kun," Lin Jiu said temptingly.
"I do," Chen Jiuge nodded without hesitation.
"The Sky-Reaching Kun is one of the variant species of the Roc Kun. Although it doesn’t possess the Roc Kun’s formidable combat power, its gentle nature and massive size make it a favorite Spiritual Beast among farming-oriented Cultivators. An Inner Sect Disciple earns an average of five thousand Merits a year. At that rate, Junior Chen, you would need at least five hundred years to exchange for a young Sky-Reaching Kun, and that’s if you don’t spend any Merits in between," Zhen Yan said, mercilessly dashing his hopes.
Five hundred years? That seems doable! Chen Jiuge thought, a spark of hope igniting. Unlike the thousand-year Nascent Soul lifespan in the novels from my previous life, Nascent Soul Cultivators in this world normally live for about three thousand years. Plus, Lifebound Spirit Beasts contracted using the Myriad Beasts Sect’s fundamental Cultivation Techniques can share a portion of their lifespan with their master. Living an extra five thousand years should be relatively easy!
"To ensure the healthy growth of a Sky-Reaching Kun youngling, the minimum daily upkeep is over one hundred Merits, which converts to about three hundred Upper Spirit Stones," Zhen Yan added.
Chen Jiuge’s mouth twitched. "That much?" he asked.
"Hahaha, Junior Chen, stop thinking about it now. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask Senior Sister Wen Ruo, a disciple of the Third Elder. She is the only one in Hundred Herbs Peak who has raised a Kun, and it’s even more powerful than the Sky-Reaching Kun—a Seven-Star Ruins Kun," Lin Jiu laughed heartily.
"Senior Sister Wen has a Kun!" Chen Jiuge’s eyes lit up. A rich patroness! Perfect for clinging to!
Ugh, what am I thinking? He shook his head, banishing the inappropriate idea, and said with a wry smile, "I guess it’s better not to think about it."
During this interlude, Zhen Yan had already bought the boat tickets.
"Three upper-class rooms, ten Upper Spirit Stones each. Paying with Merits or Spirit Stones?" Zhen Yan asked, holding out the boarding Tokens.
"Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones," Chen Jiuge said quickly, handing over ten Upper Spirit Stones. Lin Jiu also promptly handed over his ten.
The passenger cabins were located inside the Sky-Reaching Kun’s massive mouth. It was Chen Jiuge’s first time experiencing something , and he was actually very excited. He wanted to stroll around the ship to broaden his horizons, but unfortunately, the rule-abiding Senior Sister Zhen prioritized the mission, requesting that the three of them stay in their rooms for the next few days. Since it was Chen Jiuge’s first mission, he didn’t want to cause any trouble and obediently stayed in his room.
At dusk, Lin Jiu knocked on Chen Jiuge’s door. "Junior Brother, may I come in and sit for a while?" he asked.
Chen Jiuge naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Lin Jiu poured two cups of crisp white liquor from his gourd and said, "Junior Brother, don’t think that Senior Sister Zhen is making a mountain out of a molehill."
"Senior Brother Lin, I don’t feel that way," Chen Jiuge said, shaking his head. It was his first mission, so it was good to be cautious. As for gaining experience, there would always be time for that later.
"Let me tell you a story," Lin Jiu said, downing the liquor in his glass in one gulp.
"Five hundred years ago, when Junior Sister Zhen first joined Hundred Herbs Peak, she had the same lively and curious temperament as you. Coincidentally, her first mission was also with me. But an accident occurred during that mission."
"On that mission, besides me, there were two senior brothers and one senior sister. Due to the Cultivation Techniques they practiced, those two senior brothers were very fond of brothels. They naturally didn’t take a simple escort mission seriously and went to a brothel run by the Joy Sect on the day of the mission."
"Who would have thought that the brothel’s Oiran had already been replaced by an Evil Cultivator? By the time the two senior brothers realized it, it was too late; they were drained of their essence blood on the spot. When the Evil Cultivator discovered he had killed Myriad Beasts Sect disciples, he panicked. Deciding to go all out, he directly attacked us. At that time, I hadn’t reached the Divinity Transformation realm, and Junior Sister Zhen was only in the early Nascent Soul stage. The Evil Cultivator, however, was just one step away from the Returning to Void realm."
"To protect Junior Sister Zhen and me, our senior sister, who was only at the mid-Divinity Transformation stage, fought the Evil Cultivator alone."
Lin Jiu took a heavy drink and continued, "By the time Junior Sister Zhen and I returned with support from the Sect, our senior sister was already dead. She had been humiliated and drained of all her essence blood. The incident alarmed the Elders within the Peak, and a True Immortal took action. The Evil Cultivator was, of course, killed, but our senior sister couldn’t be saved."
"Because of those two senior brothers’ personal preferences, they attracted an Evil Cultivator who otherwise wouldn’t have appeared, leading to our senior sister’s death. I’m mostly alright, though I occasionally hate how weak my Cultivation was back then. But the shock was too great for Junior Sister Zhen; it changed her personality. So, don’t blame your Senior Sister Zhen—she’s doing this for your own good."
"Cultivation is difficult, and becoming an Immortal is even more so. Those who have fallen on the path to Immortality are enough to pave the entire Myriad Beasts Domain. Let’s strive together, Junior Brother." Lin Jiu cupped his fists and then left, looking somewhat forlorn.
The story Lin Jiu told wasn’t very detailed, even lacking specific points, but Chen Jiuge understood the message. When out in the world, the identity of a Myriad Beasts Sect disciple could be a shield, but it could also be a death warrant. One shouldn’t assume that this identity allows them to do whatever they please.
"But, I’m not that kind of person," Chen Jiuge sighed to himself. "If it weren’t for the requirement that Inner Sect Disciples must complete at least three escort missions or one garrison mission every ten years, I really wouldn’t want to go out at all."