71: Chapter 71 Obtaining the Spirit Cleansing Herb Again

He paused, his gaze falling upon Mother Qin: "If it really cannot be gathered, that is fine. I will go perform the corvée labor; if the authorities want to make an arrest, let them take me alone."

"Take good care of yourself at home, and take good care of Chang'an. Let him rest and recover in peace, and live a good life. Even if I am no longer here, you must continue to live well. Do not think about Changsheng anymore, and do not worry about me."

"No! I do not agree!" Mother Qin immediately cried out, rushing to Father Qin's side and grabbing his hand. "You are so old, and your health is poor. Going into the mountains to cut firewood is too dangerous, and performing corvée labor is a near-death ordeal. I cannot let you go, absolutely not!"

"There is no other way." Father Qin gently patted Mother Qin's hand, his tone calm yet firm, his eyes filled with helplessness. "We cannot let Chang'an suffer. He is still young and has a long road ahead of him. I am old; even if something were to happen to me, it would be no great loss. As long as you can live well, that is enough."

Qin Changsheng sighed softly; that sigh held ten years of guilt and helplessness.

He did not step forward immediately, for he knew his father's stubborn nature.

Qin Changsheng retrieved a money bag from his Storage Space.

Inside was one thousand taels of silver that Qin Changsheng had specially prepared.

He had exchanged for this silver previously at the Heavenly Sword Sect market.

In the eyes of a Cultivator, Spirit Sand, Spirit Stone, and Spiritual Plant are the true treasures; ordinary mortal silver is of little use, yet a single piece of Spirit Sand could be exchanged for one thousand taels.

Qin Changsheng flicked his arm slightly, tossing the money bag toward the courtyard.

"Clang—" With a crisp sound, the money bag landed heavily in the courtyard.

"Who is there?" Father Qin looked around vigilantly.

Mother Qin's gaze fell upon the money bag on the ground.

"Husband, look, this is silver!" Mother Qin excitedly picked up the money bag from the ground.

Seeing this, Father Qin quickly walked to Mother Qin's side, and upon seeing the one thousand taels of silver inside, he froze in place.

One thousand taels of silver! He had lived for most of his life and had never seen so much silver before.

The Qin family had been poor for generations; usually, they had to scrape by even for a few coins, let alone this entire thousand taels.

This silver was enough for their family to live for decades, enough for Chang'an to recover properly, and enough so that their family would not have to worry about the head tax.

"Husband, this is wonderful!"

"Chang'an's injury can be healed!"

"We do not have to perform corvée labor anymore!" Mother Qin was extremely excited.

Father Qin, however, suddenly came to his senses. The astonishment in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of certainty and complexity.

Having lived for most of his life, he was a thoughtful man; once he calmed down to think, he instantly understood.

In this world, no one would give such a poor family one thousand taels of silver for no reason, unless it was someone they knew, someone who truly wanted to help them.

And who else could it be, someone capable of casually producing so much silver and genuinely wanting to help them, other than their son who had joined the Heavenly Sword Sect and become a Cultivator?

After a moment of silence, Father Qin took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and said: "Cultivate well, and do not worry about us."

Mother Qin, standing nearby, heard Father Qin's words, and her face was instantly filled with confusion: "Husband, what are you saying?"

"It is nothing." Father Qin waved his hand.

Mother Qin was still somewhat confused and opened her mouth, wanting to ask more, but was interrupted by Father Qin.

"Enough, let us not speak of this. Since we have the silver, let us quickly handle the family's affairs."

"All these years, thanks to the help of our neighbors, now that we have the silver, it is time to repay the copper coins we owe them."

"Also, take one tael of silver and go fetch the doctor to come and examine Chang'an!"

"We cannot let Chang'an be left with any lingering illness!"

Mother Qin took the silver and hurriedly nodded: "Yes, okay! I will go right now, I will go fetch the doctor right away!"

As she spoke, she turned and headed toward the courtyard gate.

Qin Changsheng gazed toward his family's courtyard and sighed slowly; that sigh held guilt toward his parents, gratitude toward their neighbors, and a measure of helplessness at being unable to control his own fate.

At the same time, he also thought of Hu Nan. Hu Nan was also from Beihai Prefecture, and their family backgrounds were similar; both were poor families.

Putting aside the emotions in his heart, Qin Changsheng turned and, following the path in his memory, walked toward the depths of the alley.

Not long after, he arrived at the door of Hu Nan's home.

From inside came the low, argumentative voices of Hu Nan's parents, their tones filled with anxiety and despair; just like his own home earlier, they were both worrying about the head tax.

Qin Changsheng took out one hundred taels of silver from his person and tossed it into Hu Nan's home.

With this one hundred taels of silver, it would be enough for Hu Nan's parents to live peacefully for decades.

...

Half a month later.

The Incarnation of Hu Nan arrived within a valley.

After more than half a month of careful searching, he had finally found this valley.

Before Hu Nan, a Spiritual Plant, emerald green throughout, was growing quietly. It was about half a foot tall, with slender, long leaves that emitted a soft, lustrous glow, and the edges of the leaves were adorned with fine white patterns.

"This is spirit cleansing grass!" Qin Changsheng recognized at a glance that this was indeed the spirit cleansing grass.

And it was a spirit cleansing grass on the verge of maturity.

Just as Qin Changsheng ordered Hu Nan to go and harvest it, two figures suddenly emerged from behind a giant rock on the other side of the spirit spring.

The two were dressed in the attire of a Loose Cultivator; one was tall and the other thin, and both had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"It really is here! The gang leader was right; in this hidden valley on the outskirts of Beihai Prefecture, there truly is spirit cleansing grass." The fat Cultivator's face was filled with joy.

The tall Cultivator also spoke up: "If we hand this spirit cleansing grass over to the gang leader, the gang leader will surely reward us with many Spirit Stones!"

Hearing their conversation, Qin Changsheng knew that these two were from the Black Wind Stronghold.

However, the Black Wind Stronghold had long since been completely wiped out by Qin Changsheng.

Even Zhou Hu had been killed by Qin Changsheng in a single blow.

Qin Changsheng had no affection whatsoever for anyone from the Black Wind Stronghold.

He immediately issued the order for Hu Nan to slay the two and harvest the spirit cleansing grass.

Hu Nan's figure moved, and he rushed rapidly toward the two.

Hu Nan's cultivation had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, and with the enhancement of his movement technique, he arrived behind the two in just a few breaths.

The two fifth-level Qi Refining Cultivators did not even have time to cry out or circulate their Spiritual Qi to resist before a long sword pierced through their chests.

Their bodies stiffened abruptly, and they collapsed straight to the ground; their breath was cut off instantly, and they lost all signs of life.

Having succeeded in one blow, Hu Nan did not pause; his figure flashed, and he arrived beside the spirit spring, quickly harvesting the spirit cleansing grass from the bluestone.

After harvesting it, Hu Nan placed the spirit cleansing grass into his Storage Space.

Meanwhile, far away in the small courtyard, Qin Changsheng waved his hand gently. A faint glimmer of spiritual light appeared, and the spirit cleansing grass materialized in his hand.

Qin Changsheng placed the spirit cleansing grass on the table, which had already been prepared with all the necessary implements for brewing the Spiritual Plant: a three-legged, two-eared bronze Medicine Cauldron;

A pot of clear spirit spring water, taken from a clear spring on the mountain, rich in Spiritual Qi and perfectly suited for brewing the Spiritual Plant;

And several auxiliary low-level Spiritual Plants—licorice, qi condensation flower, and clear dew grass—all of which were the same ingredients used during the last time he brewed the spirit cleansing grass. They could neutralize the harsh nature of the spirit cleansing grass and maximize its efficacy in purifying one's Spiritual Root.

Qin Changsheng picked up the bronze Medicine Cauldron from the table and placed it before him.

Then, Qin Changsheng began to refine the spirit cleansing grass according to the previous proportions.

The licorice was cut into small pieces and the Impurities removed, which would neutralize the slight coldness of the spirit cleansing grass; the petals of the qi condensation flower were plucked, washed, and dried, which would assist in gathering Spiritual Qi and help the medicinal efficacy penetrate;

The clear dew grass was added whole, and its contained power of clear dew could further enhance the purification efficacy of the spirit cleansing grass.

He had already mastered these actions during the last time he brewed the spirit cleansing grass, and now, he performed them with fluid, seamless ease, without the slightest hesitation.

Time passed quietly, and after about half an hour, a faint "hum" suddenly emanated from the Medicine Cauldron, and a medicinal fragrance, far richer and purer than before, burst forth and spread outward.