Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Over the next while, Song Changsheng sampled several more pills. The innovative thinking at Hundred Herbs Hall was truly eye-opening for him.

In the Cultivation Realm, stagnation was the norm. The bold, innovative spirit of Hundred Herbs Hall, by contrast, seemed especially commendable.

The atmosphere was cheerful and harmonious, but Song Changsheng couldn’t shake the feeling that something major was about to happen.

’With so many Purple Mansion Cultivators present, no one should dare cause trouble here, right?’ Song Changsheng thought to himself.

Just then, a Hundred Herbs Hall disciple suddenly approached Bai Wuming’s side and said something with a grave expression. Bai Wuming’s face changed in an instant, but he quickly composed himself.

Waving the messenger disciple away, Bai Wuming looked respectfully at Luu Yuming and said, "Hall Master, I’ll go take care of it."

Luu Yuming’s expression was calm and unflustered. He simply gave a faint nod at the words.

As Bai Wuming left his seat, the atmosphere gradually cooled. Though it was only for a moment, quite a few people had noticed the change in his expression.

Whatever could make a Tier Three Alchemy Master’s expression change so drastically had to be serious. The guests looked at each other, none of them knowing what had happened, and their gazes involuntarily shifted to Luu Yuming in the host’s seat.

Luu Yuming’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled faintly. "It’s just a few troublemakers acting up. It will be dealt with shortly and certainly won’t spoil everyone’s enjoyment."

Although the guests had their doubts, they chose to accept his explanation.

Setting aside the immense power and influence of Hundred Herbs Hall, there were over a dozen Purple Mansion Cultivators and dozens more with Purple Mansion backgrounds present, all on good terms with the hall. Not even the Celestial Vein Sect or the Golden Crow Sect could treat such a formidable force lightly. Who would dare cause trouble at a time like this? They’d have to have a death wish.

Soon, the atmosphere grew lively again, but that trace of unease in Song Changsheng’s heart lingered, refusing to fade.

Yet he could not read any unusual expression on the face of the Master of Hundred Herbs Hall.

Hundred Herbs Hall was indeed in trouble, but the problem wasn’t on Fire Tripod Mountain—it was in Fire Tripod City. And it was far from the minor issue Luu Yuming had described. Bai Wuming and Jiang Shuming were already at their wits’ end.

Fire Tripod City was a city built single-handedly by Hundred Herbs Hall. It served as a major hub for large-scale trade in Spirit Medicines and pills, making it a veritable money tree for the hall. It had a permanent population of nearly ten thousand cultivators, with an even larger transient population.

Moreover, it was currently the time for the "Pill Tasting Conference," held once every thirty years. With Hundred Herbs Hall’s pills on discount, the city had attracted far more cultivators than usual and was extraordinarily bustling.

But for some unknown reason, starting from the early hours of the morning, cultivators began to contract a strange illness. Their entire bodies turned red and broke out in an unbelievably itchy rash. Qi Cultivators were completely unable to resist it. They scratched and clawed at their skin, but even scratching it raw was useless, doing nothing to stop the itch.

At first, thinking it was just a common ailment, the affected cultivators sought treatment from Hundred Herbs Hall’s physicians.

But before they could even determine the cause or a proper course of treatment, the physicians who had come into contact with them also began to break out in rashes, their bodies turning red as if they were a batch of thoroughly cooked shrimp.

The disease spread with terrifying speed. Soon, many people were breaking out in rashes, and the city was filled with wails of agony. The itch forced them to scratch, and when their hands were not enough, they rubbed themselves against the ground and walls. Many rubbed themselves into a bloody mess, exposing the bone beneath their flesh.

At first, this phenomenon was only seen among Qi Cultivators, but soon, some Foundation Establishment Cultivators also began to show symptoms.

However, compared to the Qi Cultivators, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators possessed stronger Willpower. They could still endure the affliction for the time being and had not yet descended into madness.

But Foundation Establishment Cultivators were a minority. If this was allowed to continue, the infected Qi Cultivators would literally scratch themselves to death.

Hundred Herbs Hall’s response was incredibly fast. After the first batch of their physicians became infected, word was sent back to Fire Tripod Mountain. Jiang Shuming immediately issued a lockdown order, activated the City Defense Array to seal Fire Tripod City off from the outside, and prevented the disease from spreading elsewhere.

He then dispatched a large number of physicians and alchemists to Fire Tripod City and sent for Bai Wuming, hoping to find a solution as quickly as possible. Every quarter of an hour of delay was another heavy blow to Hundred Herbs Hall.

Fire Tripod City was a melting pot, with people from all over. If a large number of them were to die, Hundred Herbs Hall would instantly be thrust into the eye of a storm.

"Junior Bai, you have to come up with something, quickly! Most of the people in the city are already showing rashes," Jiang Shuming said, his anxiety mounting as he watched the bloody scenes of people rubbing themselves raw all over the city.

Unfortunately, he knew nothing of pharmacology, so all he could do was watch helplessly.

Bai Wuming sighed. "It’s not that easy to find a solution so quickly. This disease is bizarre, and there are no records of anything matching it in the hall’s archives."

"Hmph, this disease couldn’t have just appeared for no reason. Someone’s behind this! I bet it’s the work of that same group from before!" Jiang Shuming said angrily.

Bai Wuming’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t answer. He just quietly clenched his fists, so tightly that his nails dug into his palms without him even noticing.

Just then, a Hundred Herbs Hall disciple ran over in a hurry, a look of panic on his face. "Elders, bad news! Senior Brother Zhang Cheng has been killed."

"He was killed in the exact same way as the person at the city gate. A message was written in blood on his clothes: ’This is a warning. Hand over the [Celestial Fire Cauldron], or we will leave no one in your hall alive.’"

"Bastards!" Jiang Shuming roared in fury, smashing a nearby stone stool to pieces with a single slap.

"Cowards! How dare they be so brazen! They must still be in the city. Send out the order: conduct a city-wide search! Have Tributors Sunx and Li coordinate. I will grind their bones to dust!"

Bai Wuming quickly grabbed the enraged Jiang Shuming. "Senior Brother, our disciples haven’t found a way to defend against this illness yet. If we rashly send men into the city to search, I’m afraid our losses will be disastrous. Please, Senior Brother, reconsider!"

In truth, there was something else he left unsaid: if they couldn’t find a cure for the disease, they had to be prepared to abandon Fire Tripod City. That meant abandoning all the infected as well. They couldn’t keep sending their own disciples to their deaths. They had to cut their losses.

Jiang Shuming calmed down slightly at his words. He turned to the messenger disciple and said, "Go inform the two Tributors to search the city. Tell them to tear it apart if they have to, but find those bastards!"

He then turned to Bai Wuming and sighed. "Ask the Hall Master for help. This is beyond what you and I can handle."

"No, we can’t inform the Hall Master," Bai Wuming objected.

"Do you have a better idea, then?" Jiang Shuming demanded angrily.

Bai Wuming shook his head. "They’re after the [Celestial Fire Cauldron]. How do you know this isn’t a diversion? The Hall Master must remain at Fire Tripod Mountain to hold the fort. It wouldn’t matter if we lost all of Fire Tripod City, but if something were to happen at Fire Tripod Mountain, not even ten thousand deaths could atone for our failure!"

Jiang Shuming closed his eyes wearily. He had to admit that Bai Wuming had a point. Compared to Fire Tripod City, Fire Tripod Mountain was, of course, far more important.

Hundred Herbs Hall was too stretched thin right now. They had just dispatched a contingent to form an Allied Army heading for the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Now he and the two Tributors were tied down here, leaving Luu Yuming as the only Purple Mansion Cultivator left on Fire Tripod Mountain.

If he were to come down from the mountain as well, Fire Tripod Mountain’s defenses would be virtually nonexistent. It was a gamble they couldn’t afford to take, nor did they dare to.

He clapped Bai Wuming heavily on the shoulder and sighed. "Junior Bai, I’m leaving this to you. I’m going to see if I can find those animals."

After Jiang Shuming left, Bai Wuming immediately gave an order: "Inform the Hall Master. Tell him not to worry about us here. He must defend the mountain at all costs and not give those vultures an opening!"

In a hidden brick house in Fire Tripod City, a group of people in varied attire was gathered. They all wore masks that blocked Divine Sense, concealing their identities.

An aged voice spoke up. "Hasn’t that old bastard Luu Yuming made a move yet?"

"He’s not stupid. A trick like this won’t fool him," a hoarse voice said mockingly.

"Hmph. Then we won’t wait any longer. Tell them to make their move!"

...