I Have Medicine

Chapter 615 - (Fluttering Hearts) A colossal fortune

Under the influence of Gu Zuo’s drugs, the group found it exceptionally easy to slaughter the Crimson Blood Bats. Before long, they had cleared a massive swathe of bats from the cogon grass. At the same time, by tracking the frequency of the bats’ appearances, they gradually corrected their course, searching for traces of the Qingxue Tree.

Gu Zuo understood both the Crimson Blood Bats and the Qingxue Tree intimately, and he soon led them into a deeper, more secluded area. Close observation revealed that the grass here was thicker and more resilient than what they had seen before. Furthermore, the stalks were stained with wisps of faint blood energy—produced by the bats devouring each other or other creatures. Some stalks were even encrusted with small black spots—the fleshy eggs of the bats. This further confirmed Gu Zuo’s judgment.

Lei Pengfei took the lead, pulling out a large axe and swiftly hacking down the tall grass ahead!

Instantly, a rich, refreshing fragrance wafted toward them. It was so soul-cleansing that everyone couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Immediately, they felt refreshed and invigorated; Lei Pengfei and his companions even felt their blood energy surging with excitement.

Gu Zuo remarked, “Indeed. A fragrance that is rich yet clear, invigorating the blood and loosening bottlenecks… this is precisely the scent of the Qingxue Fruit.”

Duan Yunbeng was overjoyed upon hearing this. “There really are Qingxue Fruits here?”

Gu Zuo smiled. “There certainly are. And given how potent the fragrance is, it’s clear these fruits are very old. They should yield a significant number of Qingxue Pills.”

Hearing him speak with such certainty, the trio was naturally even more delighted. Their pace quickened, moving with an unstoppable momentum.

As the grass thinned under their blades, Gu Zuo suddenly called out, “Everyone, stop!”

The group had complete faith in him and immediately froze in their tracks.

Gu Zuo scattered another handful of medicinal powder—

From within the grass, a frantic rustling sound echoed incessantly. A swarm of pitch-black Crimson Blood Bats, even larger and thicker than the ones before, took to the sky, charging at Gu Zuo’s party with savage fury.

Gu Zuo said, “Everyone, coordinate with me!”

Lei Pengfei and the others unleashed their techniques. Their weapons danced; while they didn’t quite use every last trump card, they certainly showed off their true prowess, striking out at the bats in unison.

Gu Zuo increased the dosage of his medicine, combining it with the Bai Yuan Branch sap he had used earlier to counter the bats, constantly weakening their strength.

Because both sides revealed their full capabilities, even though this final batch of bats was far more powerful, they were still no match for the group. In less than an hour, they had all been cut down.

As the last trace of the bats’ aura vanished, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Zuo’s gaze was fixed straight ahead. “Let’s go. It’s right in front of us.”

Lei Pengfei and the others felt their joy swell, and they increased their pace, striding forward boldly!

Gongyi Tianheng’s figure flickered as he returned to Gu Zuo’s side, guarding him closely.

Gu Zuo said, “Don’t worry, big brother. There won’t be any more danger ahead.”

Gongyi Tianheng rubbed the top of Gu Zuo’s head, smiling without a word.

Being a woman, Feng Xueqin remained calmer than Lei Pengfei and Duan Yunbeng in this situation, and thus caught this interaction between Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo. She was slightly dazed for a moment, gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between these two.

In truth, among the many martial artists and their exclusive pharmacists she had seen, she had never encountered such a deep bond—one that wasn’t loud or boastful, yet was always filled with tender affection, as if they were inseparable parts of a whole.

A few breaths later, the fragrance grew even thicker until a small grove of trees appeared before them.

They were about three feet tall, with trunks as solid and translucent as amber. Their colors were rich and vibrant, radiating a greenish-red halo.

This entire grove was made of Qingxue Trees!

And at a quick glance, there were at least a dozen or so trees!

Only now did they realize that the unusual cogon grass had appeared so hidden because it had undergone slight changes after years of absorbing the aura emitted by the Qingxue Trees—forming a natural illusion to block out any creatures coveting the trees and increasing their concealment…

When they saw everything clearly, everyone couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.

They realized that on these Qingxue Trees… each one held at least seven or eight fruits, with some bearing as many as thirteen or fourteen. All told, there were likely two hundred Qingxue Fruits!

Even more startling was the age of the fruits; they were all a deep, dark green, and almost every single one was etched with purple patterns. A dozen or so were even completely covered in purple markings, showing just how ancient they truly were!

Gu Zuo blinked.

He hadn’t expected there to be so many—after all, with such a massive colony of Crimson Blood Bats here, and given that the fruits are powerful for enhancing a bat’s bloodline, one would assume the bats would have eaten most of them over the aeons.

But as it turned out, while the bats had likely eaten some, the number they consumed was far lower than expected. In fact, they seemed to have mainly eaten the newer fruits, leaving the most ancient ones untouched!

…Gu Zuo, of course, didn’t know that when the bats first arrived, they had tried to eat everything. However, once they realized the trees produced fruit continuously and that the older the fruit, the better the aura it emitted to help the colony grow, the bats switched to a “sustainable development” model. They treated the ancient fruits as energy-radiating machines, only using the new yields to nurture the elite members of the swarm.

There had even been a Bat King in the swarm. It was quite powerful, but unfortunately, wild beasts grow extremely slowly, and being trapped in this isolated cultivation site made rapid progress even harder. The Bat King instinctively knew these fruits were beneficial, but after eating a certain amount, it had unconsciously started “farming” them. Once it reached the next stage of evolution, it likely would have devoured the ancient ones… so Gu Zuo and the others had arrived at a truly perfect time.

Had they been a few years later, it’s hard to say if these fruits would still be here—after all, the Bat King had been accumulating power for countless years and could have reached its breakthrough at any moment.

However…

While having so many Qingxue Fruits was wonderful, now that the fruits were within reach, a new problem had arrived with them.

Human hearts are fickle. Often, the prerequisite for keeping a promise is that the cost doesn’t far exceed one’s expectations, or that the resulting benefits remain within a range that satisfies one’s desires.

But these Qingxue Fruits could no longer be called ordinary secret medicine. Even among secret medicines, they were a rare find—not to mention there were so many of them!

Gu Zuo’s heart instantly flared with vigilance.

Technically, these fruits belonged entirely to him according to their deal. But right now, would Lei Pengfei and the others truly be willing to take not even a single one? Yet, if he offered to split them, Gu Zuo wasn’t entirely willing either—not because he was unwilling to “spend money to avert disaster,” but because once that seal was broken, the others’ respect for the boundaries would diminish. There was no telling how many good things remained inside; was he supposed to share his pre-agreed portion every single time? If the rules weren’t established firmly now, there would be no order later.

Thus, Gu Zuo quickly began to calculate: with his and his Big Brother’s strength, could they withstand the three opposite them, hold their ground, and avoid being blindsided?

As he thought this, Gu Zuo looked up and, as expected, saw a flickering trace of greed in the eyes of Lei Pengfei and Duan Yunbeng—”wealth moves the heart,” and it was truly the case here.

Gu Zuo subconsciously began to deliberate on which poison he should use to exert the maximum restriction. He even steeled his heart: if the other party turned malicious, he would risk offending those three major families to nip the danger in the bud!

In this moment, time seemed to pass both very quickly and very slowly.

Fortunately, just as Gu Zuo’s guard was reaching its peak, the trace of greed in the trio’s eyes was slowly suppressed. The three of them reined in their fluctuating auras, showing no stance of attack.

With his high spiritual power, Gu Zuo could sense that their state of mind had truly regained peace; it wasn’t a facade hiding treachery.

Slowly, the tension in his heart eased.

Lei Pengfei spoke up first: “I am ashamed. I almost succumbed to a mental demon.”

He was actually frank enough to admit his momentary wavering. Duan Yunbeng and Feng Xueqin also apologized.

Gu Zuo smiled, his aura softening significantly.

Lei Pengfei glanced at the Qingxue Fruits one last time and forced himself to turn his head away. “As we agreed before, these Qingxue Trees belong entirely to Junior Brother Gu. We shall stand guard; you may go and harvest them.”

Gu Zuo was always someone who “respected those who respected him.” Since the others could suppress their greed and keep their promise, he wasn’t going to let his partners harbor resentment.

“As I said before,” Gu Zuo began, “if there were enough Qingxue Fruits, I would be willing to refine more pills for you. Seeing as there are so many now, even accounting for losses during refinement, the yield should be substantial.” He paused to consider. “How about this: since you are all honorable people, once I refine the Qingxue Pills, I will give each of you at least five. If the success rate is higher, I may be able to spare more.” He gave a generous smile. “My Big Brother also has needs, so this is the most I can offer. I hope you won’t find it too little.”

Hearing this, the regret in the hearts of Lei Pengfei and the others was smoothed over.

They knew well that even with materials ready, a pharmacist might not always succeed. It was normal to trade a dozen sets of materials for just one or two pills. Though there were many fruits here, they didn’t belong to them; Gu Zuo’s willingness to give more was a win-win for everyone.

Only then did Gu Zuo step forward to harvest the Qingxue Fruits one by one.

And then… he dug up the Qingxue Trees as well.