I Have Medicine

Chapter 626 - (Dragon-Fire Nursery) No matter what, the son is not for sale!

Gu Zuo held his breath.

Above them, the twin black and white dragons continued to play with little Changsheng. With just a single puff of fire, they created a strand of Wondrous Flame that Gu Zuo was able to absorb smoothly. Even though it was merely a fragment of their power, once it settled onto his Sea of Qi’s lotus platform, it carried an aura that seemed to command all the other flames.

As expected of something born from the world’s primordial Yin and Yang Qi—its power was truly terrifying!

Duan Yunbeng’s throat bobbed. “I only learned today that such a wondrous sight could exist.”

Gu Zuo was also completely floored—moments ago, it looked like they were facing certain death, yet the situation changed instantly the moment little Changsheng appeared. Not only did the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire stop attacking, it even granted him such a benefit. It was truly too incredible!

But—why?

Clearly, everyone involved was linked to Yin-Yang power, yet Duan Yunbeng was the target of the dragon fire’s furious pursuit, while little Changsheng was treated with such intimacy. The difference was staggering.

It was no wonder Duan Yunbeng had a bitter smile on his face, his heart tangled in complicated emotions.

Gu Zuo couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s a pity the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire and little Changsheng can’t speak; otherwise, we could ask what exactly is going on.”

Gongyi Tianheng pondered for a moment before offering his guess: “Senior Brother Duan cultivates Yin-Yang power by absorbing the Qi of Yin and Yang to replenish himself, hence why he is treated with malice by the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire, which is the physical manifestation of that Qi. Little Changsheng, however, was also nurtured from that same Qi; he and the dragon fire can be considered to share the same root and origin. It’s just that one transformed into an Wondrous Flame, while the other received the bloodline essence of myself and Ah Zuo to be born as a human. They are completely different now, yet at their core, little Changsheng and the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire are indeed as close as can be.”

Tianheng’s explanation quickly won the agreement of the others.

Duan Yunbeng’s expression shifted. “Most likely, that is the case.”

Gu Zuo nodded as well and looked back toward the sky. “Senior Yin-Yang Dragon Fire, is it for this reason?”

To their surprise, the previously murderous Yin-Yang Dragon Fire—likely giving face to little Changsheng—actually responded to Gu Zuo’s address. It shifted its gaze to him and gave a slight, majestic nod of its dragon head.

The trio understood instantly.

Gu Zuo let out a breath, truly feeling at ease. A being as powerful as the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire had no reason to lie to them—if for no other reason than the fact that their lives were currently held within the palm of its hand.

Above, little Changsheng continued to cause a ruckus on the dragon’s head.

The Yin-Yang Dragon Fire seemed to find the people below a bit of an eyesore as they stood there in a daze, so it shifted its massive body and opened up a broad path. This path led straight toward that ruined palace.

Gu Zuo was stunned. What does the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire mean by this?

Gongyi Tianheng, however, reacted quickly. He smiled slightly. “It seems this Senior is allowing us to go in and harvest some useful items.”

Realization dawned on Gu Zuo. Looking at the dragon fire again, he tentatively took a few steps toward the palace.

The Yin-Yang Dragon Fire indeed did not stop him. Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng continued forward, while also glancing back at Duan Yunbeng to call him along.

Duan Yunbeng was somewhat hesitant.

The fact that Junior Brother Gu and Junior Brother Gongyi could go didn’t mean he could—after all, they were related to Changsheng, while he was the person the dragon fire detested.

However, Duan Yunbeng was unwilling to miss this opportunity. Near such a powerful Wondrous Flame, there would surely be many things useful to his cultivation. Even at the risk of his life, he had to try.

With his mind made up, Duan Yunbeng followed closely.

He had only taken a step or two when the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire’s long tail suddenly swept out—but halfway through, it came to a dead stop without swinging down.

In that instant, Duan Yunbeng broke out in a cold sweat.

Hardening his heart, he continued walking. This time, the dragon fire did not move again, allowing him to enter the palace as well.

Once all three were inside, Duan Yunbeng wiped his brow, still feeling a lingering fear. “This time is truly thanks to Martial Nephew Changsheng. Otherwise, let alone having the chance to explore this place, I fear my little life would have been lost right here.”

Gu Zuo was also feeling a deep sense of lingering fear.

Next time, he would certainly act with much more caution; if he could quit while he was ahead, he would definitely do so.

Gongyi Tianheng, however, maintained his usual composure and mindset. In his view, the greater the danger, the greater the rewards. With the Medicinal Celestial Grand Hall as a sanctuary and the rarity of encountering such anomalous entities like the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire, he believed that when a massive opportunity presented itself in the future, one must still take the risk.

Otherwise, it would be better to simply stay at home and never come out at all.

These three different perspectives flashed through their minds in an instant. At this moment, their attention was focused entirely on the interior of the palace.

…Unlike the somewhat intact appearance from the outside, the interior of the palace was utterly dilapidated. The hall, which was originally enclosed, had long since been destroyed at the rear, leading straight through to the back.

The group discovered that the entire interior appeared as if it had been glazed in colorful glass, shimmering with an incredibly beautiful radiance. Every artifact was of great antiquity, but due to the singular nature of the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire, they had been preserved by the power of time and were not truly damaged.

Though, they likely no longer had any practical use.

These were not the main focus, however. It appeared the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire did not actually nest within this main hall; instead, the corridor connecting to the rear radiated the distinct aura of both an exotic flame and Yin-Yang power.

The three exchanged a look and walked into the corridor without hesitation. What they saw next was a spacious area of stone ground, along with some trees and soil. Glancing over it roughly, they could infer that countless years ago, this had likely been a garden belonging to the palace.

But this was no ordinary garden. It had originally been planted with exotic flowers and spirit herbs, possessing many precious and singular treasures. Those that had not withered away over the ages had settled into a state of profound and rich essence.

Duan Yunbeng noticed at a glance that these items were all shrouded in a significant amount of Yin-Yang power, and his heart couldn’t help but stir with excitement.

Gu Zuo’s gaze first fell upon those singular fruit trees and extraordinary herbs.

Yin-Yang Wan Hua Tree, Jiu Yin Jiu Yang Grass, Ni Zhuan Yin Yang Flower… these were truly the rarest among rarities; any single one of them possessed a value that could topple cities!

Even though Gu Zuo had seen many types of medicine and possessed many precious herbs himself, he couldn’t help but hold his breath upon seeing these things.

Truly—what a terrifying reserve of resources!

However, Gu Zuo remained very calm. After all, the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire had only permitted them to pick “some” things. He had to be moderate and could not take too much, lest he provoke the other party’s dissatisfaction.

Duan Yunbeng looked around, his heart pounding like a drum, yet he forced himself to remain even more composed. Unlike Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng, he felt it best not to overthink it; he should pick only one or two items that were most suitable and desired, then stop.

Otherwise, he feared incurring the loathing of the dragon fire.

With this in mind, Duan Yunbeng recovered from his initial state of ecstatic joy and began to distinguish the items one by one, pondering which was the most suitable for him.

Gu Zuo was not as constrained as Duan Yunbeng, so he walked up to the precious medicinal herbs and slowly began to collect them.

For the Yin-Yang Wan Hua Tree, the most precious part was its trunk, and since it did not bear fruit, Gu Zuo took a sturdy branch covered in dense leaves.

There were as many as fifteen or sixteen stalks of Jiu Yin Jiu Yang Grass in the nursery, so he took three.

There were seven Ni Zhuan Yin Yang Flowers in total; he originally wanted to take two, but after thinking it over repeatedly, he only took one.

There were many other herbs as well. The more precious they were, the fewer Gu Zuo took, while he took slightly more of those that were relatively abundant.

But overall, Gu Zuo did not dare to take much. After finishing his selection, he quickly turned around, not daring to steal another glance. He felt that if he looked just one more time, he would probably be unable to resist the urge to move the entire garden back home.

Gongyi Tianheng did not take any medicinal herbs. He and Ah Zuo were a single unit; although he could have taken a share, it would be inappropriate if the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire became enraged over the loss of too many herbs.

Thus, like Duan Yunbeng, he headed toward other items.

After much deliberation, what Duan Yunbeng took were the black and white droplets dripping from the tip of the only gourd growing on a certain vine—merely three drops.

Beneath that vine was a small puddle containing roughly a hundred drops of the liquid. After harvesting his portion, he didn’t dare take a single drop more.

Gongyi Tianheng pondered for a moment and, just like Duan Yunbeng, also collected three drops.

Do not be fooled by how the vine resembled a plant and how the gourd grew from it; it was actually a type of rock that had mutated due to the dense concentration of Yin-Yang power. The liquid dripping from the tip of the gourd was a type of Stone Marrow born from the aggregation of Yin-Yang energy. It contained pure Yin-Yang power, and because it had been tempered and integrated with the gentle nature of the stone, it was highly absorbable. For a martial artist cultivating Yin-Yang power, it was an absolute treasure.

Gongyi Tianheng did not cultivate Yin-Yang power himself, but he had a son nurtured by the energy of Yin and Yang, as well as a lover who was willing to use any applicable material to refine medicine. With these three drops of Yin-Yang Stone Marrow, they could slowly figure out how to use them later.

Before long, all three had finished selecting their items.

Not daring to linger any longer, they quickly left the palace hall.

Outside the palace, little Changsheng was still playing with the twin black and white dragons mid-air, laughing happily. Seeing Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo reappear, he flailed his chubby little arms, seemingly wanting to dive back down. The Yin-Yang Dragon Fire, however, twisted its massive body, appearing unwilling to let little Changsheng leave.

Gu Zuo’s heart sank.

He realized what he had overlooked… While it was true that the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire liked little Changsheng enough to spare their lives, it liked him too much. They couldn’t possibly leave little Changsheng behind!

At the same time, an even darker realization struck him: Could it be that the Yin-Yang Dragon Fire had allowed them to go inside and harvest treasures just now as a trade for little Changsheng? That absolutely wouldn’t do!

At this thought, Gu Zuo’s expression turned grim.

Even if he had to fight to the death, he would never leave little Changsheng here!

Gongyi Tianheng had also arrived at the same conclusion. His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze turning profound and dark.

They were nothing more than a few external treasures. No matter how precious they were, they could never compare to the son who had been born only after being continuously nurtured by his and Ah Zuo’s blood.