ARK SPIRIT

Three days later.

The Thanh Van River gradually widened as it flowed downstream. The two banks were no longer lined only with reed fields and cliffs as before. Small patches of farmland began to appear, along with a few wooden houses by the river. From time to time, fishing boats glided past, leaving long trails of water shimmering in the sunlight behind them.

According to Tieu Kiem, by today they had already entered the outer region of Thanh Van City. If they continued downstream, it would not be long before they truly reached the outskirts.

From a distance, a small town appeared along the riverbank.

Of course, it could not compare with the Thanh Van City Hao Nhien had imagined, but compared with the old Thanh Van Town, it was already far more lively. Cooking smoke drifted up from rows of closely packed rooftops. Colorful shop banners fluttered in the wind. The sounds of merchants bargaining, vendors calling out, children laughing, and carriage wheels rolling over stone roads blended together and carried all the way out across the river.

Tieu Lan stood at the bow, both hands resting lightly on the wooden railing, her eyes brightening.

“Young Master, there’s a town ahead!”

Hao Nhien stepped out from the cabin.

Over the past few days, he had not rushed his cultivation. After the Detoxification Pill suppressed the poison, the remaining toxins had gradually faded little by little. At first, his meridians still felt slightly cold, and the circulation of true qi was not completely smooth.

But after three days of regulating his breathing, together with the Clearheart Liquid Tieu Lan prepared, the feeling of numb obstruction had disappeared completely.

Tieu Lan turned to look at him, still somewhat worried.

“Young Master, are you really fully recovered? If you’re not, we can stay on the boat for another day.”

Hao Nhien gently circulated his qi once.

True qi flowed from his dantian through the center of his chest, then the hollow at the base of his throat, down into both arms, and back again without resistance.

There was no longer any feeling of being blocked by cold mud as there had been on the day he was poisoned.

He nodded slightly.

“I’m completely fine now. Brother Tieu Kiem was right. The remaining poison has almost entirely dispersed after a few days.”

Only then did Tieu Lan let out a relieved breath.

“That’s good.”

She turned back toward the small town, her voice becoming more cheerful.

“Should we stop there? We’re almost out of rice on the boat. I want to buy some more food, and I’d also like to see if there are any medicinal ingredients.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the town on the riverbank.

After several days of traveling downstream, they truly did need to replenish their supplies.

More importantly, the closer they came to Thanh Van City, the more he needed to learn how to observe the outside world.

He could not remain on the boat forever, relying on old memories and pretending he understood the situation.

“All right. I’ll anchor here. We’ll go into town and have a look around.”

Tieu Lan immediately smiled brightly.

The old boat slowly approached a small dock at the edge of town.

Hao Nhien chose a relatively quiet spot some distance from the main pier, then tied the mooring rope to a wooden post.

The boat rocked gently on the water.

The moment he stepped onto shore, Hao Nhien suddenly felt an extremely faint fluctuation.

It was as though an invisible thread still connected him to the boat.

When he walked a few more steps away, that connection seemed to weaken slightly, but it did not disappear.

Hao Nhien turned back toward the old vessel.

A very faint sensation traveled back toward him.

It felt as though there was still another layer to the connection between him and the Cosmic Ark that he had yet to understand.

A thought suddenly flashed through Hao Nhien’s mind.

Perhaps…

this boat did not necessarily have to remain in its current form forever.

The thought alone made his heart warm slightly.

If one day it could shrink or be carried with him, things would become far more convenient.

He would no longer need to constantly worry about someone discovering the boat.

Nor would he have to leave his greatest secret anchored outside like this.

But within a single breath, he forced the thought down.

He could not test it here.

The dock was not especially crowded, but people still came and went.

If the boat truly changed in any way, even slightly, it would be enough to attract attention.

He could wait until they reached a more secluded place.

Tieu Lan saw him standing still and looking back at the boat, so she obediently stopped and waited.

Only after Hao Nhien turned and started walking again did she lightly take hold of his sleeve and stay close beside him.

The two entered the town.

The main road was paved with old stone, but it was fairly clean.

Shops and stalls lined both sides.

There were steamed bun stalls releasing white clouds of vapor, cloth shops hung with colorful silk, fruit carts, and even booths exchanging gold coins for spirit stones.

Robed cultivators mingled with ordinary people.

Street vendors carrying shoulder poles stepped aside for passing carriages.

Children ran across the road before being pulled back and lightly scolded by their mothers.

Calls from vendors rang out without pause:

“Hot buns!”

“Fresh spiritual herbs, just picked from the mountains!”

“Gold coins exchanged for spirit stones! Best rate today!”

“Healing powder! A must-have for hunting in the wilderness!”

Everything seemed new to Tieu Lan.

She did not cry out like a child, but her eyes kept sparkling.

From time to time, she would tug lightly on Hao Nhien’s sleeve and point toward some item.

At one point, she stared at a small wooden bracelet carved with delicate patterns for quite a while, but in the end, she did not ask to buy it.

Hao Nhien noticed.

He silently remembered it.

He did not rush to buy anything.

Not because he was stingy.

But because he still did not understand the prices here.

Before he understood the market, it was best not to appear too generous.

He currently had gold coins, spirit stones, and the spoils taken from Moc Luc’s group.

But the more wealth one possessed, the more important it was to hide it.

After that incident, he had also removed the blue ring from his finger.

He threaded it onto a thin cord around his neck and hid it deep beneath his clothes.

The lesson from the river bandits was still fresh.

A single exposed ring could be enough to invite a killing calamity.

After buying supplies for a while, they replenished their rice, dried vegetables, salt, several bags of flour, some dried meat, and a few inexpensive spiritual foods.

Hao Nhien placed everything into the storage pouch they had taken from Moc Thach.

Tieu Lan, meanwhile, held several bright-red candied hawthorn sticks.

She took a small bite, her eyes curving happily.

“Young Master, this is really good. Want to try some?”

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Hao Nhien looked at the red candy stick in her hand.

“You eat it. I don’t like sweet things.”

Tieu Lan looked a little disappointed.

“It really is good.”

“Then eat my share too.”

“Yes.”

She answered very quickly, then happily took another bite.

Hao Nhien looked at her and felt slightly amused.

The path of cultivation was filled with life-and-death danger, yet a single candied hawthorn stick could make her this happy.

Sometimes he truly felt fortunate to have someone like Tieu Lan beside him.

After walking a little farther, Tieu Lan suddenly stopped.

Ahead stood a shop much larger than those around it.

A wooden signboard hung high above the entrance.

The three characters Fragrant Medicine Pavilion were gilded, reflecting a faint glow beneath the sunlight.

Two pots of flourishing spiritual herbs stood outside the entrance, and a light medicinal fragrance drifted out even before they stepped inside.

Tieu Lan pointed toward it, unable to hide her excitement.

“Young Master, look! Fragrant Medicine Pavilion! Brother Kiem said that in crowded places we could look for larger medicine shops. This one looks pretty big. Can we go inside and take a look?”

Hao Nhien looked at the signboard.

Fragrant Medicine Pavilion.

He did not know whether this place had any connection to the Medicine Sect, but judging by its size alone, it was worth a look.

“Let’s go.”

Tieu Lan immediately pulled him inside.

The first floor of Fragrant Medicine Pavilion was spacious.

The air inside was slightly cooler than outside and filled with the scent of herbs.

Wooden shelves were arranged in neat rows.

Jade boxes, porcelain bottles, and wooden trays held all kinds of spiritual herbs and medicinal ingredients.

There was dark-purple Mystic Ginseng, its roots long as dragon whiskers.

There was snow-white Angelica Root with a faint fragrance.

Several small pill bottles were sealed with red wax.

There were even bundles of dried grass that looked completely ordinary, yet carried prices that were anything but cheap.

Tieu Lan entered the place like a fish returning to water.

The timid manner she had shown outside vanished.

She moved quickly from shelf to shelf, looking, smelling, and occasionally bending down to read the labels.

Some things she recognized.

Some she did not.

But her happiness was impossible to hide.

“Young Master, this is Mystic Ginseng. If the quality is good, it can help stabilize the foundation after excessive qi circulation.”

She pointed toward another tray.

“This Angelica Root can be used in a heart-calming formula if combined with Moonshadow Grass. I read about it in the Hundred Herbs Record, but I’ve never actually seen real Moonshadow Grass.”

Then she leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice.

“The prices here aren’t cheap, but the medicinal ingredients are very clean. They’re not like the goods outside in the market. A lot of those have been dried too much and lost quite a bit of their medicinal potency.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

He did not understand medicinal herbs as well as she did, but he could hear the certainty in her voice.

Over the past few days, Tieu Lan had spent a great deal of time reading the Hundred Herbs Record.

She was still inexperienced, but at least she now had knowledge to compare things against.

She was no longer relying solely on instinct.

“Pick a few things you need.”

Tieu Lan looked up.

“Really? We’re buying them?”

“Yes.”

“But we should save…”

“Saving is good, but if something is necessary, then buy it. Your medicinal ingredients can save lives.”

Tieu Lan looked at him, her eyes brightening slightly.

“Yes. I’ll choose carefully.”

She selected several fresh spiritual herbs, along with some supplementary ingredients used to prepare Clearheart Liquid and Mystic Spirit Liquid.

Hao Nhien quietly paid.

He mainly used gold coins, only occasionally exchanging a low-grade spirit stone, avoiding any sign that he possessed too many spirit stones.

After finishing their purchases on the first floor, Tieu Lan looked up toward the wooden staircase leading to the second.

Her eyes brightened again.

“Young Master, the second floor probably has rarer spiritual herbs. Can we go up and take a look? We don’t have to buy anything.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

Ever since entering Fragrant Medicine Pavilion, she seemed to have truly found her own world.

Naturally, he could not bring himself to refuse.

“Go.”

Tieu Lan happily stepped up first.

Hao Nhien followed behind.

Ever since entering this small town, he had almost become an obedient young man following her around.

Wherever Tieu Lan pulled him, he went.

She looked at medicinal herbs, and he stood beside her paying.

She asked the shop assistants questions, and he quietly observed.

But in truth, he had never relaxed.

His eyes constantly recorded how people in the town moved, how the shop assistants treated customers, how cultivators in different robes reacted to prices, and how Fragrant Medicine Pavilion separated customers between the first and second floors.

This was a new world.

Every detail was worth learning.

Just as they approached the staircase, two figures hurried down from the second floor.

A man and a woman.

Tieu Lan quickly moved aside.

Hao Nhien also stepped half a pace back to let them pass.

The young woman in front looked around seventeen or eighteen.

She wore pale-yellow robes and had delicate features, but at the moment her face was filled with irritation.

As she walked, she muttered in a low voice:

“The Quan family is nothing but trash. No wonder they haven’t managed to rise again after all these years.”

The words Quan family fell into Hao Nhien’s ears.

His gaze immediately shifted slightly.

The man beside her scolded in a low voice:

“Enough nonsense. The item will end up in our hands. Trust me.”

The two moved quickly and did not pay any attention to Hao Nhien and Tieu Lan beside them.

Hao Nhien lowered his eyes.

His expression remained perfectly ordinary, as though he had heard nothing.

But something in his heart had already cooled.

The Quan family.

The item would end up in their hands.

Fragrant Medicine Pavilion.

Something was happening.

He lightly tugged Tieu Lan’s sleeve.

“Upstairs.”

Tieu Lan sensed the change in his tone.

She immediately asked no questions and obediently followed him.

The second floor was much quieter than the first.

There were fewer wooden shelves, and every medicinal ingredient was stored inside jade boxes or small glass cases.

A plump middle-aged man wearing the shop’s uniform was rubbing his hands together while speaking ingratiatingly to a young man and woman.

The young man standing in the center was slightly shorter than Hao Nhien.

He had a round build and fair complexion, but his eyes were extremely lively.

His clothes were made from fine fabric, and a jade token carved with the character Quan hung at his waist.

Beside him stood a young woman in red, around seventeen or eighteen.

She had pretty features and a graceful figure.

Her behavior toward the young man was deliberately intimate, and she looked at him with obvious flattery and admiration.

Hao Nhien led Tieu Lan toward a nearby shelf and pretended to examine the goods.

Meanwhile, he listened closely.

The plump shopkeeper smiled until his eyes nearly disappeared.

“Young Master Quan certainly has an eye for good things. This Soul-Nourishing Fruit is extremely rare. In the past twenty years, our shop has only obtained one other fruit. Several families asked about it as soon as it arrived. Fortunately, Young Master acted quickly. At this price, you truly got a bargain.”

Soul-Nourishing Fruit.

Just the words “nourishing the soul” were enough to immediately catch Hao Nhien’s attention.

The young woman in red quickly chimed in, her voice sweet as honey:

“One could praise our Young Master Quan all day and still not finish. Not only is he handsome and decisive, but he also plans everything perfectly. Once the clan head learns that he obtained the Soul-Nourishing Fruit, he’ll surely praise him endlessly.”

The plump young man called Young Master Quan smiled proudly and lightly stroked his chin.

“We’ve spent years searching medicine shops everywhere for Soul-Nourishing Fruit. This is only the second one I’ve managed to obtain. And this time, I even snatched it ahead of the Yang family. Very satisfying.”

He turned toward the plump shopkeeper.

“Shopkeeper, if you find another one in the future, bring it directly to Thanh Van City and find me, Quan Lam. I won’t let you suffer on the price.”

Quan Lam.

Hao Nhien remembered the name.

The plump middle-aged shopkeeper smiled obsequiously and nodded repeatedly.

Quan Lam and the young woman in red spoke for a little longer before preparing to leave.

Hao Nhien immediately pulled Tieu Lan downstairs first.

The two stepped out of Fragrant Medicine Pavilion and stood beside a roadside stall as though browsing its goods.

Not long afterward, Quan Lam and the young woman in red also came outside.

Hao Nhien watched their backs.

The woman in yellow and the man who had complained earlier were nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps they had already left.

Or perhaps they were waiting somewhere else.

Hao Nhien turned toward Tieu Lan and lowered his voice.

“Go back to the boat and wait for me.”

Tieu Lan immediately looked worried.

“Young Master, where are you going?”

“I’m going to follow them for a while.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Maybe. But it could be related to the Quan family.”

At the words Quan family, Tieu Lan fell silent.

She knew Hao Nhien was going to Thanh Van City to search for news of his parents.

He could not ignore any clue connected to the Quan family.

But she was still worried.

“Can I go with you?”

“It wouldn’t be convenient.”

Hao Nhien spoke clearly.

“I’m only following them. I may not show myself at all. If you come, it’ll be easier for us to attract attention. Besides, someone needs to watch the boat.”

Tieu Lan bit her lip.

Hao Nhien looked at her, his voice softening.

“Don’t worry. If something feels wrong, I’ll retreat immediately. I won’t gamble recklessly.”

Tieu Lan looked at him for a moment, then finally nodded.

“Then Young Master must be careful. I’ll wait at the boat.”

“Mm.”

She hugged her basket of medicinal ingredients and headed back toward the dock.

After taking a few steps, she turned back to look at him.

Hao Nhien gave her a slight nod.

Only after Tieu Lan disappeared into the crowd did Hao Nhien turn back toward Quan Lam’s direction.

Quan Lam and the young woman in red had already climbed into a carriage waiting outside the town.

The carriage was fairly luxurious.

Although covered in road dust, its curtains were still embroidered with the Quan family emblem in gold thread.

The driver was a middle-aged man dressed as a guard.

His aura was not weak, and his eyes remained alert.

The carriage quickly left the town and followed a narrow road into the forest.

Hao Nhien did not follow too closely.

He slipped into a small alley, circled past a section of earthen wall, then moved along the forest behind the town to follow them.

After reaching the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, his movement had become much lighter than before.

His three simplified steps were not flashy, but they were extremely useful for tracking someone through a forest:

forward.

A short retreat.

A sideways sweep to change angle.

He did not need to move too quickly.

He only needed to maintain the right distance and use the trees as cover.

The carriage moved at a decent speed.

But the forest road was narrow and rocky, making it impossible to gallop.

Hao Nhien followed from a distance.

Before long, they had left the populated area behind.

The trees on both sides grew increasingly dense.

The sounds of the town gradually faded.

Only the turning wheels, the horses’ breathing, and the occasional cry of a forest bird remained.

The farther Hao Nhien went, the more wrong the situation felt.

This road was far too suitable for an ambush.

Narrow.

Deserted.

Dense forest on both sides.

If someone blocked both front and rear, the carriage would barely be able to turn around.

He slowed down.

His first priority was to avoid exposing himself.

Quan Lam had clearly been targeted.

Hao Nhien did not immediately intervene.

He still did not know who was right or wrong.

Hearing the woman in yellow insult the Quan family was one thing.

Seeing Quan Lam buy the Soul-Nourishing Fruit was another.

In this world, a struggle over medicinal resources between two clans might not have any truly innocent side.

He only needed information.

There was no need to rush into playing the hero.

The carriage continued for another stretch.

Ahead, a massive tree suddenly lay across the road.

Its trunk was huge, completely blocking the path.

The break in the wood did not look like something caused by wind.

It looked more like someone had secretly cut through it, then pulled the tree down.

The driver immediately pulled back the reins.

The carriage stopped.

The middle-aged guard called out:

“Young Master Quan, be careful. There’s a tree blocking the road. It doesn’t look like it fell naturally.”

Quan Lam’s voice came from inside the carriage.

“I know.”

The curtain lifted.

Quan Lam stepped down first.

The young woman in red followed him, already holding a sword.

Her expression was far more tense than it had been inside Fragrant Medicine Pavilion.

Hao Nhien hid behind a large tree not far away, calmly observing.

Quan Lam showed no panic.

His round build made him look somewhat clumsy, but when he stepped down from the carriage, his center of gravity was remarkably stable.

Both hands remained hidden inside his sleeves.

The sleeves sagged slightly.

Whenever he moved, a very faint metallic sound occasionally came from beneath the fabric.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes slightly.

Gauntlets.

At the very least, this Young Master Quan was not as simple as he looked.

The middle-aged guard drew his saber and slowly stepped forward to inspect the tree blocking the road.

Quan Lam followed several steps behind.

The young woman in red stayed close beside him.

The forest suddenly became strangely quiet.

Even the birds stopped calling.

Hao Nhien placed one hand against the tree beside him.

His breathing slowed.

The middle-aged guard bent down, preparing to push the fallen trunk off the road.

At that exact moment the sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

Whoosh!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

More than ten black arrows shot out from both sides of the forest, splitting into two groups.

Three aimed at the guard who was bending down.

The rest flew straight toward Quan Lam.