Chapter 166: Just Exactly Who Is Sabotaging Us?
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
The serpent-men tribe's medicinal herb farm was enormous. Even though its perimeter was surrounded by a simple bamboo fencing, the interior was filled with the characteristics of an herb farm.
Ah Ni was following after Yu Fu and the other serpent-women. As he observed the spirit herbs around him which were continuously emanating rich amounts of spirit energy, his eyes were filled with amazement.
These spirit herbs were planted within their respectively assigned areas and the types of spirit herbs planted in each area were determined through strict planning. Therefore, he felt that everything within the herb farm was orderly arranged.
Yu Fu and the other serpent-women were members of the tribe who were specially assigned to cultivate spirit herbs. They developed their familiarity and understanding with spirit herbs through the teachings of the older generation and took over the responsibility of cultivating the spirit herbs.
"The Ice Soul Monarch Lotus is a very valuable seventh grade spirit herb. Nearly every part of the herb is usable and filled with terrifying amounts of spirit energy, and its seeds are especially valuable. Moreover, its taste and texture are extremely good. It's not just a medicinal herb but also an excellent ingredient," Yu Fu explained as she slithered ahead while swaying her serpentine lower body.
Yu Fu's master had once told her that seventh grade spirit herbs like the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus were not only extraordinarily valuable for their medicinal value but also their usability.
"However, the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus is so precious. How could anyone easily use it as an ingredient? Isn't that a waste?" Ah Ni subconsciously said. From his point of view, some things were meant to be eaten but there were some things that would be wasted if eaten.
As the group proceeded through the herb farm, they soon arrived at the central area. This was the center of the herb farm where many valuable fifth and sixth grade spirit herbs were planted and being cultivated.
Even without including the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus, the spirit herbs here were extremely valuable.
"That's the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus. Right now, it's still in an unripe state. When the herb has completely ripened, the flower bud will completely spread open. I've never seen the blooming of an Ice Soul Monarch Lotus either, so I have no idea how beautiful it is when it's in full bloom," Yu Fu said.
A distance away, there was a small pond encircled with bamboo fencing. The water of the pond was clear and transparent. There was not even the slightest algae floating in the water and it was even emanating a faint fragrance.
A delicate, pale blue closed lotus bud was floating on the surface of the pond with a few pieces of lotus leaves around it. When viewing from a distance, the lotus bud seemed to be hidden behind a layer of blurry fog and the markings on its surface were barely discernible.
The lotus leaves were deep green in color, appearing darker due to the complicated and mysterious markings on its surface.
Ah Ni stood next to the pond and took a deep breath. As he felt the abundant amount of spirit energy flowing into his nostrils, he could not help but exclaim in astonishment. "How beautiful… So, this is the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus?"
"That's natural, since there's no one who can resist the beauty of the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus. It's even more beautiful when it's in full bloom. Unfortunately, the blooming of the Monarch Lotus only lasts for a short moment. According to my master, it only lasts for a few breaths." A hint of yearning and pity appeared on Yu Fu's exquisite face.
The corners of Ah Ni's mouth curled up as he scanned his surroundings and said with a smile, "There should still be half a day before the Monarch Lotus fully blooms. When the time comes, humans might appear. We have to protect the Monarch Lotus well."
Yu Fu gave Ah Ni a glance and replied, "Of course, we've waited so long for the Monarch Lotus to bloom. How could we allow those humans to easily snatch it away? Moreover… when the Monarch Lotus blooms, its intense spirit energy will definitely attract the spirit beasts in the surroundings. During that time, powerful spirit beasts might appear too. You must watch out for them as well."
"There's nothing to be afraid of. With me around, there's no problem at all!" Ah Ni patted his chest with confidence.
...
Young master Wu and her subordinates easily got over the bamboo fencing. The defense fortifications built by the serpent-men tribe were basically equivalent to nothing. A mere bamboo fencing was simply not going to stop anyone.
"Hmm? It appears this serpent-men still have some tricks up their sleeves. There's a magic array drawn in each of these fields. If someone attempts to steal any of these herbs, the magic arrays would activate and the serpent-men warriors would be alerted. No wonder they've only set up a bamboo fencing," young master Wu muttered to herself while knitting her good-looking eyebrows together.
Since she had already discovered the serpent-men's traps, she could not be bothered to look at those low grade spirit herbs any more. In her eyes, these spirit herbs were not really that valuable.
After all, there were already innumerable amounts of fourth and fifth grade spirit herbs in the White Cloud Villa. Their medicinal herb farm was several times larger than the serpent-men tribe's. If it was not for the seventh grade Ice Soul Monarch Lotus, she would not even bother to come here.
"Young master, there's a large amount of spirit energy coming from the field up ahead. Let's head in that direction," her subordinate said after sensing the spirit energy in the air.
Young master Wu nodded and reminded her subordinate to be more careful. After all, they were currently trespassing. With the animosity between serpent-men and humans, there would certainly be some trouble if they were discovered.
If that really happened, it would become even harder for them to obtain the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus.
Therefore, the two of them suppressed their aura and slowly headed in the direction of the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus.
...
Bu Fang had been walking for a long while. Even though the group of buildings appeared close at hand, he still had to travel for quite a distance before reaching the perimeter of the herb farm.
"A fence? That's a bit funny." A smile appeared on Bu Fang's lips as he vaulted over the bamboo fencing.
The softness of the soil in the herb farm was much firmer compared to the swamp outside. Even though it was still softer than normal soil, it was at least not the sort of terrifying mud that would cause someone to sink after stepping into it.
Well-ordered fields were scattered throughout the herb farm. With a single glance, Bu Fang's field of vision was filled with a sea of spirit herbs. There were some really valuable spirit herbs here but the others were comparatively ordinary.
After giving his surroundings a quick glance, a trace of joy appeared in Bu Fang's eyes. He did not think that there was actually man-made herb fields here. It was truly a pleasant surprise.
It was already a miracle to encounter a village within the sparsely populated Illusory Spirit Swamp. He did not anticipate that the village would actually have their own herb fields.
"This is a rather valuable fifth grade spirit herb! It's actually just left here like this?" Bu Fang puzzledly looked at a spirit herb that appeared to be a butterfly suspended in place. His eyes narrowed as he squatted in front of the spirit herb.
Spirit energy was steadily hovering above the spirit herb and releasing a faint fragrance in the air.
"Not bad, it wouldn't be a bad idea to use this as a supplementary ingredient for the wine." Bu Fang's eyes lit up as a smile appeared on his lips.
...
Young master Wu was fully suppressing the aura emanating from her body and her subordinate was doing the same thing as well. This was one of the White Cloud Villa's secret techniques, the Turtle Breathing Technique, which allowed its user to conceal their aura and cultivation level. It was a rather useful technique.
"I can already sense the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus in the distance. However, there's a lot of people around that area. We have to be careful not to be discovered… There's still some time before the Monarch Lotus bloom, we'll make our move once it happens," young master Wu said.
Her subordinate solemnly nodded in response. The two of them hid themselves in an herb field and gazed toward the pond where the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus was located in the distance.
"Is that the Monarch Lotus?! As expected... What an astonishing amount of spirit energy!" her subordinate exclaimed in astonishment.
"Stop talking and just wait. You're going to alert them of our presence," young master Wu whispered while fiercely glaring at her subordinate.
The subordinate's expression stiffened for a moment before he hurriedly nodded.
Suddenly, a great change abruptly occurred in the serene herb farm. When young master Wu noticed that the magic array underneath her feet started activating on its own and was sealing off the herb field like a cage, she quickly backed away.
"What's going on? Why did the magic array activate?" Young master Wu was extremely flustered.
"Who's there?!"
"Who dares to intrude upon our tribe's herb farm!"
"How audacious! Get out here right now!"
Ah Ni, who was relishing in the beauty of the Ice Soul Monarch Lotus, suddenly opened his eyes and let out an angry roar. As true energy gushed out from his body, his eyes swiftly locked onto the place where young master Wu and her subordinate were hiding.
He sensed a spirit energy fluctuation appearing in that area just now. Without a doubt, someone was hiding there!
This immediately caused Ah Ni to bristle with rage. "These damned humans… They actually dared to intrude into our herb farm! This is simply unforgivable!"
Meanwhile, young master Wu was even more exasperated and her pretty face was contorted in fury.
"Damn it… Just exactly who sabotaged us?!"