I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
"Are there really only these Immortal Herbs in the world?" Even though Chrysanthemum Douluo had told him personally, Snake Lance Douluo still found it somewhat hard to believe.
"There are many types of Immortal Herbs, and their effects vary. An Immortal Herb like Black Jade Divine Bamboo is only suitable for Spirit Masters with plant Martial Spirits of the control system or attack system. If others consume it, not only will it have no effect, but it will also be harmful. It is indeed Shi Quan's luck that he happened to obtain one from that old poison Dugu Bo. However, what I'm more curious about is, why would that old poison Dugu Bo give such a good treasure to someone else?"
A sharp glint flashed in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes. He understood Dugu Bo very well. From Chrysanthemum Douluo's understanding of Dugu Bo, he would definitely prefer to keep such good things for himself rather than give them away. Since Dugu Bo gave it away, either Dugu Bo didn't recognize the value of this Black Jade Divine Bamboo, or there was some secret between Dugu Bo and Shi Quan.
No matter which situation it was, it was worth him making a trip to Heaven Dou City to meet Dugu Bo again.
…
One month later.
Dugu Bo came to find Shi Quan, cursing and grumbling.
"You stinky brat, because of that Black Jade Divine Bamboo of yours, you've caused me no small amount of trouble."
"Black Jade Divine Bamboo?" Shi Quan put on a puzzled expression.
Dugu Bo said, "It's the bamboo you ate. I only just found out recently that its name is Black Jade Divine Bamboo."
Shi Quan asked curiously, "Grandpa Dugu, how did you confirm its name is Black Jade Divine Bamboo? Have you confirmed the other Immortal Herbs in that medicinal garden?"
"A sissy old fellow told me. I don't know where he got the news that you ate this Black Jade Divine Bamboo. After hearing it, he immediately recognized the origin of the Black Jade Divine Bamboo."
"As for the other Immortal Herbs, don't even think about it. If that old fellow knew I had other Immortal Herbs, he'd probably turn my old den upside down."
Speaking of this, Dugu Bo couldn't help but show an annoyed expression. After a brief pause, he continued, "I came here to remind you, you must keep the matter of my medicinal garden a secret. You absolutely cannot leak information about the other herbs."
"I understand." Shi Quan nodded and asked, "Grandpa Dugu, who exactly is the old fellow you're talking about?"
"That old fellow is named Yue Guan. He's from Spirit Hall and is also a Titled Douluo. His title is Chrysanthemum, and his Martial Spirit is Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum. Speaking of Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, I also have one in my medicinal garden; it's that large golden chrysanthemum."
"As expected." Shi Quan thought to himself, his expression unchanged as he said, "According to what Grandpa Dugu said, Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Spirit belongs to the Immortal Herb category. No wonder he could directly recognize other Immortal Herbs. Grandpa Dugu, can't you inquire about other Immortal Herbs from him? Knowing the detailed effects of other Immortal Herbs might even help you resolve your Martial Spirit problem, and perhaps even find some Immortal Herbs that could help Sister Yanzi?"
Dugu immediately shook his head, "Don't even think about that. That sissy is very insidious and cunning. If I were to ask, he would definitely guess that I have other Immortal Herbs. At that time, I'm afraid I'd have even less peace."
Shi Quan comforted him, "Since Chrysanthemum Douluo recognizes Immortal Herbs, these Immortal Herbs must all be recorded. As long as we can find the relevant recorded literature, it will be the same."
"That's right." Dugu Bo nodded, "I came today to remind you, this sissy definitely won't let it go. As a Titled Douluo, he wouldn't stoop to dealing with you directly, but that doesn't mean he won't make things difficult for you. If he really comes knocking, know when to yield, understood?"
"I understand, Grandpa Dugu."
"Good, then you go ahead and be busy. I still need to talk to Yan Yan." Dugu Bo patted Shi Quan's shoulder and then left.
…
Unconsciously, another three months passed.
A semester had passed, and Dugu Bo's worries did not materialize. Yue Guan still didn't rush into Heaven Dou Royal Academy to find him, after all, there were three Spirit Douluo stationed in the academy.
As the holidays approached, the Heaven Dou Battle Team members also had a rare day off.
"Shi Quan, are you going home for the holidays?" Dugu Yan sat beside Yu Tianheng and asked curiously.
"Mm, it's been almost a year since I left, and I don't know how things are at home, or how my parents are doing. I should go back and see them." Shi Quan nodded, a hint of longing appearing in his eyes.
"Shi Quan, your home seems to be in Fasinuo Province, right?"
"Mm."
Dugu Yan said, "Fasinuo Province is too far. This time, why don't you just have your parents move to Heaven Dou City? With your current situation, you're not short on money, and with my grandpa helping out, you won't have to worry about any trouble."
"I thought so too, but I'm afraid my parents have been accustomed to Shi Family Village for so many years and won't want to leave their hometown."
"That's true." Dugu Yan seemed to think of something and looked at Ye Lingling, "Lingling, are you staying at the academy again this year? Not going home?"
"Mm." Ye Lingling nodded.
Dugu Yan smiled, "How about you go back with Shi Quan? You don't have anything to do staying in the academy all day. Just treat it as a trip, a change of scenery."
Ye Lingling's empty eyes narrowed slightly. Without much hesitation, she directly shook her head and refused Dugu Yan.
Ning Rongrong, who was beside her, also breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.
But Dugu Yan was persistent and came to Ye Lingling's side, speaking like a close girlfriend, "If you're embarrassed to go alone, I'll go with you. Anyway, Tianheng is going back to his Family, and my grandpa isn't home all day. When the holidays start, I'll tell Grandpa, and then the three of us can go to Shi Quan's place to play together."
Before Ye Lingling could refuse, Dugu Yan directly finalized it, "Alright, it's settled, Lingling."
Dugu Yan didn't even ask for the opinions of the two parties involved and just made the decision directly.
Shi Quan also said helplessly, "Let me say this first, my place isn't fun, and the journey is quite long. Don't complain about being bored then."
"Don't worry, don't worry." Dugu Yan waved her hand with a cheerful smile.
Ning Rongrong, who was beside her, suddenly panicked, lowering her head as if struggling with something, looking like she wanted to speak but didn't. In the end, she still didn't say anything.
…
Three days later, the academy had its holiday.
Shi Quan, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan, all dressed in casual clothes, boarded a carriage and left Heaven Dou Royal Academy, heading towards Fasinuo Province, Nuoding City, and Shi Family Village.
Having not been home for over a year, now embarking on the return journey, Shi Quan's longing for home grew even stronger.
However, in just over a year, Shi Quan had directly Ascended from level twenty-one when he first left to level thirty-two. The improvement in his strength was undeniably significant, and the most crucial reason for this was the Immortal Herb.
If this were to be said, no one would believe it.
Along the way, if it had really just been Shi Quan and Ye Lingling, it would have been incredibly awkward, but fortunately, Dugu Yan was there.
When they first set off, Dugu Yan was quite excited, but as time passed, her excitement gradually faded.
They were almost constantly on the road, which was somewhat different from what she had imagined.
"Shi Quan, at our current speed, how much longer will it take to reach Shi Family Village?" Dugu Yan asked idly.
"At the speed of the carriage, it might take about ten days."
"That's too far." Dugu Yan said, covering her face in distress.
Shi Quan smiled, "I told you before."
Dugu Yan said with a speechless expression, "My plan for traveling was to sightsee, eat, and play along the way. Now we've been in this carriage for a whole day, only resting during meal breaks. This is just too boring!"
Shi Quan shook his head and said, "Then we can travel using spirit power. Besides being a bit tiring, it can also serve as training, and our travel speed will be much faster. If we encounter any beautiful scenery along the way, we can also stop and enjoy it."
"Lingling, what do you think?" Dugu Yan looked at Ye Lingling.
Ye Lingling said indifferently, "I'm fine with anything."
Dugu Yan pouted and said, "Then let's stay in a city tonight, rest for one night, and tomorrow, find someone to drive the carriage back to Heaven Dou City. Then we can buy more things for the journey and set off again. This carriage is really too boring. If I have to sit in it for another ten days or so, I'm afraid I'll die of boredom."
"You decide. I'm fine with anything, as long as you don't complain about being tired later."
"Tired?" Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at Shi Quan, "Can it be more tiring than the physical training you and Teacher Qin decided on together?"
Shi Quan chuckled, "Haha, let's hope so."
Actually, Shi Quan's original plan was to travel back by himself. The carriage's speed was indeed not as fast as his own travel, but considering Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, he chose the slower option of taking a carriage.
Now that Dugu Yan didn't want to take the carriage, Shi Quan naturally didn't mind.
After the carriage arrived at the nearest Douxing City, the three of them casually found a pleasant hotel in Douxing City and rested for a night. The next day, according to Dugu Yan's plan, the three abandoned the carriage and began to travel on foot.
In terms of endurance, Shi Quan was naturally the strongest among the three. If he were to travel using spirit power, there would be almost no consumption. The weakest was Ye Lingling, an auxiliary Spirit Master.
The three of them walked and stopped along the way, covering nearly two hundred li in a day. This was with intermittent stops; if they had traveled at full speed, the distance would have at least doubled. However, if they had really done that, besides Shi Quan, Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan would have been exhausted.
Although it was only two hundred li, a carriage could at most cover about one hundred and sixty li a day, so it was still a bit faster than the carriage.
However, walking was not as easy as riding in a carriage; it was more tiring than riding in a carriage. This was a completely different feeling from riding in a carriage.
Along the way, a gentle breeze blew, and there were high mountains and flowing water, giving a feeling of immense comfort. Even Ye Lingling's faint smile became a bit more pronounced after this day.
Beautiful scenery always allows people to relax their mood. After a day, neither Dugu Yan nor Ye Lingling complained about being tired; instead, they particularly enjoyed the scenery along the way.