Chapter 121: Gather Materials

　　The emperor, who had loved his throne so much all his life, finally died. It was a piece of shocking news for Tianshui, and even the states around it. But, it did not attract too much attention in the Firecrow Empire, and only some nobles had sent housekeepers as their representatives to mourn.

　　The next day, Qin Yue ascended the throne as the new emperor and rewarded all those who had rendered meritorious service. Yunxiao was made the King of Wucheng, and the most prosperous city in Tianshui, Yanwu, was given to him as his permanent fief. The reward immediately caused a shock in the court. No one dared to say it openly, but countless memorials were sent to the throne. However, they were all returned by Qin Yue.

　　Yanwu was located in the northernmost part of Tianshui. It was a fortress connecting the Firecrow Empire and a central link between Tianshui and the continent. If the city were sealed off, traffic between the entire Tianshui and the continent would be completely cut off. Therefore, it could be said to be the second most important city in Tianshui besides the capital.

　　In addition to its extremely important military-strategic position, Yanwu was also the most prosperous commercial city of Tianshui. Bordered by the Firecrow Empire in the north, it was the only transit route for all goods. The unique geographical location had made it even more prosperous than the capital.

　　Therefore, the decision of giving such an important city to a king was baffling and unacceptable by the courtiers. But, with all the memorials sent to the throne returned, everyone began to realize Yunxiao’s weight in His Majesty’s heart, and they fell silent one by one.

　　Most surprising of all, Yunxiao did not show up on the day Qin Yue ascended the throne and rewarded those who had rendered meritorious service. Even the eunuch who brought the imperial edict to him did not see him after waiting for half of the day, and was forced to leave the imperial edict behind.

　　When the eunuch returned to the imperial palace and reported that to Qin Yue, instead of flying into a rage, he heaved a sigh of relief and laughed, even rewarding the eunuch. That made all the courtiers break out in cold sweats, and since then, no one dared to speak ill of Yunxiao.

　　Since he came back from the welcoming platform, Yunxiao had been in seclusion, seeing no one.

　　He had always regarded Ruxue as his younger sister, and she was also one of the few good friends he had in this lifetime. When they were in Jialan Academy, she had been caring for and protecting him even before his memory had awakened.

　　In front of him, his sister was abducted by someone, and yet there was nothing he could do to save her. The powerless feeling made him almost go completely insane. He was once an existence who would kill anyone who got in his way, but he could not even do anything to an aristocratic family of a small empire now. That filled his heart with a monstrous hatred.

　　After returning to the Li Family, he immediately went into seclusion and began the most brutal training.

　　Li Chunyang, Xiao Qingwang, and the others got together to discuss several times, but they were all at their wits’ end. Luo Yunshang, on the other hand, was hiding quietly near the Li Family. She thought that man would definitely show up at this critical moment. However, she never saw him, and hence she was slightly disappointed.

　　Seven days later, Yunxiao finally came out from his seclusion.

　　After receiving the notice from the servants, Li Chunyang left everything at hand behind and rushed over. When he met Yunxiao, he was shocked at the sight. “A four-stars Martial Master! You don’t have to work so desperately, do you?”

　　“Desperately?” Yunxiao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Which warrior doesn’t have to practice desperately? I need several kinds of herbs, grandpa. Help me gather as much as you can.”

　　Li Chunyang said in astonishment, “Is that a smile on your face? Are you smiling? Are you alright?”

　　Yunxiao chuckled and said, “Do you want me to cry? Don’t think I attach great importance to the match in three months. When the time comes, I’ll just go there and kill that guy and bring Ruxue back. As for that Zhou Family, if they dare to provoke me, I’ll destroy it altogether. With Wang Chen’s promise, I trust Ruxue will be safe during this period.”

　　Li Chunyang thought Yunxiao was just venting, so he did not take it seriously. As long as his grandson was well, he would be content. He took the list of herbs and said, “I will gather them for you even if I need to turn the whole Tianshui upside down!”

　　While frowning, Yunxiao said, “I’m afraid that some of the herbs aren’t available in Tianshui. You may need to ask Zhang Qingfan.”

　　Suddenly, they heard a roar, and Darkthunder flew down from the sky in the next instant and landed beside Yunxiao, rubbing its head against his arm. Then, a loud voice rang out, “Don’t run away from me, you bast*rd! How can you run away after beating me?”

　　In the next moment, Li Changfeng rushed over. At the sight of his son, his face beamed. “Yunxiao, you’ve come out of seclusion!” But, when he looked down at the beast who was being affectionate, he froze. “How…how can such a fierce beast act like a pet dog? How did you train it? Teach me quickly! When I subdue it, I will ride it to the battlefield and scare the shit out of the enemy soldiers with just a roar! Haha! I’ll be invincible then!”

　　Yunxiao caressed Darkthunder’s head and said seriously, “Dad, do you still want to go to war in the future? Haven’t you thrown these secular affairs out of your mind? For people like us, it is the pinnacle of martial arts that we should be pursuing. If you could focus and devote yourself to practice, you might have broken through and become a Martial King.”

　　That gave Li Changfeng a pause, and then he cried out angrily, “Who do you think you are, boy? Do I need to be lectured by you?”

　　Bam!

　　He was immediately hit on the head and fell face down to the ground. Li Chunyang gave him a few more kicks on the back and growled, “Be more polite when you talk to Yunxiao! Yunxiao is right, you are not allowed to go to war in the future! I want you to focus on your cultivation, and you are not allowed to come out of seclusion until you break through and become a Martial King!”

　　“Ah!” Li Changfeng was stunned. He put his arms around his head and said painfully, “I’m just a six-stars Martial Lord! Who knows how long it will take me to break through and become a Martial King? Dad, I’m afraid you won’t see me again in your life if you do that to me.”

　　“Get out of here, you worthless brat! Don’t tell others that you are my son!” Li Chunyang furiously kicked his son’s back a few more times before throwing him into the air with one last kick.

　　Li Changfeng spun several turns in the air before he put a foot down and ran away in mid-air.

　　With a wry smile, Yunxiao took out several bottles of medicinal pills from his pocket and said, “Give these to dad and tell him to cultivate in seclusion for at least some time. Soon, he will break through and become a Martial King.”

　　Li Chunyang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly put the bottles away. “Hehe! Do you have more of such good things for your grandpa?”

　　Yunxiao thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “I don’t have any medicinal pills suitable for your level. You can continue to take the Thousand Birds pills I gave you the last time. When the materials are ready, I plan to refine another batch of medicinal pills. I’ll make sure everyone has plenty!”

　　Li Chunyang was taken aback. There had never been an alchemist who dared to say that he would provide everyone plenty of medicinal pills. Perhaps, only his grandson could say that.

　　After that, Yunxiao continued his cultivation in seclusion. This time, Darkthunder refused to leave and insisted on staying by his side. In the absence of any other way, he had to take it with him into the secret chamber.

　　Soon, the list of herbs reached Zhang Qingfan and Qin Yue, and then the whole Tianshui began to take action. If someone could find one of the herbs, his official rank would be promoted directly. And if someone hid any of the herbs and did not submit it to the authorities, he and his whole family would be executed.

　　Under this high-handed policy, all aristocratic families hurriedly rummaged through their treasuries, fearing that they might have some of the required herbs. Before very long, almost all the materials were gathered except for Pure Sacred Crystal and Hundred Water. Perhaps, there were no such things in Tianshui.

　　Yunxiao expressed great satisfaction after carefully examining all the materials. But, he then frowned and said, “Pure Sacred Crystal is the main material for refining Nine Orifices pills, which can be delayed for the time being, but you must find Hundred Water for me. It is the main material used to refine Golden Sixsun pills, which is the only medicinal pill that can save Ji Meng, who has been in a coma.”

　　Li Chunyang said bitterly, “We have turned the whole Tianshui upside down several times! Why don’t you tell me where to find it?”

　　Yunxiao frowned. “If it really can’t be found here, our only option is to send someone to the Sea of Soul Formation. They will be available there.”

　　The Sea of Soul Formation was home to the headquarters of the alchemist association, which was also the holy land for all alchemists. Any material in the world, even if it only existed once, could be found there, as long as one could afford to pay the price!

　　Zhang Qingfan said, “The Sea of Soul Formation is too far away from here, and it will take too long to make a round trip. It doesn’t have to be so troublesome. The Firecrow Empire’s annual Thousand Treasures Trade Fair is just three days away, and this year, it will be held in your fief, Yanwu.”

　　“Thousand Treasures Trade Fair?” Li Chunyang suddenly clapped his hands. “Oh, how did I forget about it! The five-yearly ranking battle is coming up, and the fair will definitely be held before that. Now that you and Master Xu Han have decided to say here, Tianshui will be promoted directly to an upper-rank state, and Yanwu is indeed the best place to hold the trade fair.”

　　“Yanwu?” Yunxiao said while frowning. “My fief? Thousand Treasures Trade Fair? It is also held here?”

　　The Thousand Treasures Trade Fair was organized by Myriad Treasures Store, the most mysterious chamber of commerce on the Heavenly Martial Continent. In his previous life, Yunxiao had been to many of their auctions, so he knew that they did have many good things. He just did not expect a small empire like Firecrow to hold the trade fair every year.

　　Zhang Qingfan felt a little dizzy. “Young Master Yun, do you really turn a deaf ear to what is happening out there? Don’t you know that His Majesty has made you King of Wucheng and given you the city of Yanwu as your permanent hereditary fief?”

　　“Well, the main character is always the last to know.” Yunxiao smiled and said, “To me, a permanent hereditary fief is just a trick. When you have the power, you can keep the fief, but when your descendants become weak one day, the so-called permanent fief can always be taken back. Only common people will value these elusive things.”

　　That gave Zhang Qingfan a pause. With a wry smile on his face, he exchanged a look with Li Chunyang and said, “Young Master Yun, I didn’t expect you, although young, to be more collected than old men like us.”

　　Li Chunyang said, “Myriad Treasures Store has been operating in the Firecrow Empire for hundreds of years and holds a large-scale trade fair and auction every year. There are many rare things to be found, even fifth-tier materials or alchemy products. I’m sure you can find what you want there.”

　　“Fifth-tier…” Yunxiao immediately separated the Thousand Treasures Trade Fair and the auctions he had participated in before, which only accepted materials of at least eighth-tier.