System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

118: A subtle fragrance wafted through the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.The west district of Tianfeng City appeared much quieter and more elegant compared to the hustle and bustle of the main city gate.

On both sides of the street were mostly shops selling Medicinal Pills and herbs, or businesses like medical clinics and teahouses, and the air was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance and elegant Spiritual Qi.

The Hundred Herbs Pavilion was located at the busiest intersection in this district, a sprawling and antique three-story pavilion.

With flying eaves, bucket arches, and carved beams and painted pillars, a black plaque with golden characters hung above the lintel, inscribed with the three flamboyant characters for ”Hundred Herbs Pavilion.”

It faintly exuded a sense of vitality from vegetation and the charm of the Dao of alchemy, clearly the work of an expert.

There were many carriages and horses in front of the pavilion, and the people coming and going mostly had calm auras.

Their clothing ranged from luxurious to simple, but their eyes all held focus and enthusiasm for the Dao of vegetation and alchemy.

Lin Suxin brought Ye Chen to the front of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and showed the green-clad attendant at the door a turquoise bamboo-joint token.

After examining it, the attendant’s expression immediately became extremely respectful, and he bowed and said, ”So it is a distinguished guest from the Green Bamboo Sect. Please, come in! The Pavilion Master has long since given instructions: if friends from the Green Bamboo Sect arrive, invite them directly to the elegant room on the second floor.”

Lin Suxin nodded and made a gesture of invitation to Ye Chen: ”Senior, please.”

Ye Chen followed her into the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

The first-floor hall was extremely spacious, displaying countless crystal counters filled with a dazzling array of herbs and Medicinal Pills, shimmering with spiritual light.

Many Cultivators paused here to make selections or converse in low voices, creating a rather harmonious atmosphere.

The air was mixed with the fragrance of thousands of herbs, yet it was not messy; instead, it formed a unique charm that calmed the mind.

They did not stop on the first floor and went directly up the side staircase to the second floor.

The second floor was divided into individual elegant rooms used for receiving distinguished guests or conducting large transactions, making the environment much quieter.

The attendant led the three of them to the door of an elegant room named ”Listening to Bamboo Pavilion” and then bowed and retreated.

The elegant room was tastefully decorated; the tables and chairs were made of high-quality spiritual wood, the walls were hung with scrolls depicting various rare herbs, and sandalwood incense that calmed the mind and spirit burned in a corner censer.

A gentle-tempered middle-aged beautiful woman wearing an elegant dress had been waiting there, and upon seeing Lin Suxin, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

”Junior Martial Niece Suxin, you have finally arrived. Nothing unexpected happened on the road, right?”

The beautiful woman walked up, her gaze scanning Lin Suxin and the others with concern, and her brows furrowed slightly when she saw the traces of injuries on them that had not yet completely faded.

”Junior Martial Uncle Liu!”

Seeing the beautiful woman, Lin Suxin’s eyes turned slightly red, as if she were seeing a relative.

She quickly stepped forward to salute and briefly explained how they had been intercepted on the road and were fortunate to have Ye Chen’s help.

This Junior Martial Uncle Liu, named Liu Yun, was a deacon of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and also hailed from the Green Bamboo Sect, having a deep friendship with Lin Suxin’s Master.

After listening, Liu Yun’s expression immediately became solemn.

She first comforted Lin Suxin: ”It is good that you are safe; as long as the warm jade is delivered safely, that is all that matters.”

Immediately, she turned to face Ye Chen and performed a solemn salute: ”Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your righteous action in saving my Green Bamboo Sect’s Disciple from danger! The Hundred Herbs Pavilion and the Green Bamboo Sect will surely repay this kindness generously!”

Her cultivation was at the Earth Fiend Realm Fourth Level, yet she could not discern Ye Chen’s depth at all, feeling only that his aura was as deep as the sea and calm as still water.

Her heart felt even more solemn, and she dared not be the slightest bit negligent.

Ye Chen returned the salute calmly: ”Deacon Liu is too polite; it was merely seeing an injustice on the road.”

Seeing that Ye Chen’s attitude was peaceful and devoid of arrogance, Liu Yun’s favor for him greatly increased.

She quickly invited Ye Chen to take a seat and personally served him spiritual tea.

This spiritual tea was emerald green in color, and amidst the swirling steam, the faint essence of vegetation flowed—it was clearly not an ordinary item.

”Fellow Daoist Ye looks unfamiliar; is this your first time in Tianfeng City?” Liu Yun asked tentatively.

”Indeed.”

Ye Chen took a sip of the spiritual tea, feeling a gentle warm current melt into his limbs and bones, which also had a nourishing effect on his Divine Soul, and nodded in praise: ”Good tea.”

”This is the ’Biluo Spring Heart,’ a specialty of my Hundred Herbs Pavilion. I am glad you like it.”

Liu Yun smiled slightly and continued, ”Fellow Daoist has profound strength; I wonder if you have come to Tianfeng City for the upcoming ’Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate’?”

Ye Chen was noncommittal: ”I have indeed heard of it and will go to take a look.”

A flash of realization crossed Liu Yun’s eyes; such a young expert coming to Tianfeng City was likely for that grand event.

She was sharp-minded; if she could befriend such a person, it would be of great benefit to both the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and the Green Bamboo Sect.

”The Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate is a grand event of the Empire.

When the time comes, heroes from all sides will gather, and it will be a fierce competition—it is certainly not to be missed.”

Liu Yun smiled and said, ”If Fellow Daoist does not yet have a place to stay in the city, my Hundred Herbs Pavilion has several quiet courtyards in the back street that can be used for your temporary rest.”

Just as Ye Chen was about to politely decline, the door of the elegant room was gently knocked.

”Deacon Liu, the ’Millennium Blood Ganoderma’ and that batch of ’Shadow Flowers’ you requested have arrived.

You need to personally go to the warehouse to verify them.” The voice of a maid came from outside the door.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun gave Ye Chen an apologetic smile: ”Fellow Daoist Ye, I am truly sorry; there are some worldly matters that need to be handled.

Please excuse me for a moment.

Suxin, you stay here and properly host Fellow Daoist Ye.”

”Junior Martial Uncle, rest assured.” Lin Suxin quickly replied.

Liu Yun apologized to Ye Chen once more before rising to leave.

Only Ye Chen and Lin Suxin’s group remained in the elegant room.

Lin Suxin refilled Ye Chen’s spiritual tea, her expression full of gratitude and respect.

Ye Chen held his teacup, but his Divine Sense, like invisible ripples of water, quietly enveloped the entire second floor of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

He did not intend to pry; he was just habitually maintaining vigilance.

However, shortly after Liu Yun left, a trace of an extremely obscure aura that caused the chaos primordial fetus within his body to palpitate slightly faintly emanated from an elegant room at the other end of the corridor.

That aura... cold, filthy, and carrying a familiar sense of corrosion and dead silence.

Although it was desperately covered up by some secret technique, its essence was faintly of the same origin as the yin-sha black Qi he had felt in the mines of Luoxia City, as well as the charm on that token fragment!

”People from the Dark Hall?” Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he thought to himself.

He had not expected that even within the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, famous for its Medicinal Pills and medical Dao, the tentacles of the Dark Hall were lurking?

Were they here to purchase specific herbs, or did they have other motives?

He remained calm, picked up his teacup, and appeared to be drinking tea, but in reality, his Divine Sense had already quietly locked onto that elegant room.

Outside the elegant room, a Restriction to block sound and prevent Divine Sense probing had been set up—it was quite sophisticated, but under Ye Chen’s Divine Sense, which far exceeded those of the same rank, and his perception of the Chaos Origin, it was still as if it were non-existent.

Inside the elegant room, there were two people.

One was dressed in luxurious clothing, disguised as a wealthy merchant, with cultivation at the Earth Fiend Realm Third Layer, and a worldly, slick smile on his face—he was the buyer on the surface.

The other person was completely shrouded in a large black cloak, their aura restrained to the extreme; if not for that trace of obscure, cold aura leaking out, it would have been almost impossible to detect their existence.

This person’s cultivation had shockingly reached the Earthly Fiend Realm Fifth Level!

The two were talking in low voices.

”...Is the goods all here?” The Cloaked Figure’s voice was hoarse and low, like metal rubbing together.

”All here, all here.

The ’Rotten Bone Grass,’ ’Heart-Eroding Orchid,’ and that batch of ’Yin Soul Wood’ you wanted have all been prepared according to the highest specifications, guaranteed to have sufficient age and pure medicinal power!”

The wealthy merchant smiled obsequiously and handed over a Storage Pouch.

The Cloaked Figure took the Storage Pouch, scanned it with Divine Sense, and nodded with satisfaction: ”Hmm, not bad.

This is the final payment.”

He passed over a heavy bag of Spirit Stones.

The merchant took it, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and his face beamed with joy: ”Thank you, my lord!

If you have any other needs in the future, just give the order!”

The Cloaked Figure put away the Storage Pouch and added in a cold voice: ”Remember, keep your mouth shut.

If even the slightest word leaks out...”

A chilling killing intent instantly enveloped him, making the merchant shiver violently, his face turning pale, and he quickly said: ”I wouldn’t dare!

I wouldn’t dare!

This little one will absolutely keep his mouth shut!”

”It had better be so.”

The Cloaked Figure snorted coldly and said no more; his figure, like a ghost, quietly blended into the shadows of the elegant room, his aura completely vanishing, and he had actually slipped away directly.

The merchant finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and with a look of lingering fear on his face, also hurriedly left the elegant room.

Ye Chen took everything in ”under his eyes” and sneered in his heart.

Rotten Bone Grass, Heart-Eroding Orchid, Yin Soul Wood... these were all Materials for refining deadly poisons, curses, or Cultivating certain evil Cultivation Techniques; ordinary alchemists would never purchase them in large quantities.

The Dark Hall’s purpose in collecting these was self-evident.

It seemed that the waters of Tianfeng City were even murkier than he had imagined.

The activities of the Dark Hall had already penetrated into every corner.

Just then, Liu Yun finished handling her affairs and returned to the elegant room.

”I have kept Fellow Daoist Ye waiting for a long time.”

Liu Yun smiled apologetically, then took out a jade box from her storage ring and pushed it in front of Ye Chen: ”There is no way to repay Fellow Daoist’s life-saving kindness.

This is a five-hundred-year-old ’Dragon Pattern Ginseng,’ which has quite a miraculous effect on consolidating cultivation and nourishing Qi and blood.

It is just a small token of my appreciation; please, Fellow Daoist, you must accept it.”

Ye Chen glanced at the jade box; the ginseng inside was indeed full of Spiritual Qi, and there were faint dragon-shaped patterns on the ginseng body, making it quite valuable.

He did not decline and accepted it directly: ”Deacon Liu is very thoughtful.”

Seeing him accept it, Liu Yun’s smile grew even wider.

She then took out a purple-gold token; the front of the token was engraved with the two characters ”Hundred Herbs,” and the back featured a lifelike Ganoderma pattern.

”This is the Purple-Gold VIP Token of my Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

By holding this token, you can enjoy a 20% discount when purchasing items in my Hundred Herbs Pavilion and any of its affiliated shops, and you can also get priority access to information on some rare herbs.”

Liu Yun handed the token to Ye Chen: ”If Fellow Daoist needs any herbs or Medicinal Pills in the city, you are welcome to come here.”

This time, Ye Chen did not refuse; this token might be useful in the future.

He took the token and put it into his robes: ”Thank you.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ye Chen rose to take his leave.

He did not mention the people from the Dark Hall he had just detected; firstly, there was no concrete evidence, and secondly, he did not want to alert the enemy prematurely.

Liu Yun and Lin Suxin escorted Ye Chen all the way to the main entrance of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

Leaving the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, Ye Chen walked on the bustling street, his gaze calm, but a coldness had already welled up in his heart.

”Rotten Bone Grass... Heart-Eroding Orchid... Dark Hall, what conspiracy are you preparing again?”

He looked up towards the center of the city, where the Imperial Palace was located, and also where the Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate would be held.

”It seems this Sword Debate will not be very peaceful.”

He needed to find a place to stay as soon as possible, and then properly sort through the information he had obtained today, as well as... that token fragment which was becoming increasingly concerning.