Chapter 523: Are You a Pig?
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
While everyone was dumbstruck, Lu Zhan leaped in shock and nearly fainted on the spot.
Others might not know that young man, but he had been talking to him just a moment ago. Why... in a moment when his attention was elsewhere, the other party began walking casually around the herb garden, touching things randomly?
Even though you know nothing about herbology, you could ask me about it! Even if you don’t have any questions to ask, surely you should have noticed that no one is wandering about and deduced something from it.
It’s one thing for you to touch the Earth Vein Spirit Vine-that thing is humongous, and it probably won’t die even if you slash it with all of your might. However... those spirit medicinal herbs are a huge taboo!
Anxious, Lu Zhan racked his brain to find an excuse for the other party when the latter turned around, clapped his hands, and looked at the crowd nonchalantly.
"Oh, I’m just trying to see if I can find a way to treat this Earth Vein Spirit Vine!"
"Treat?" Lu Zhan spurted blood.
Alright, I know that even a 4-star master teacher is fearful of you. However... after our previous conversation, it couldn’t be more clear that you don’t know a single thing about herbology. If one can find a solution just by touching a few things here and there, we, herbologists, would have lost our job long ago!
If you’re curious, just say it! Why must you spout such an obvious lie?
Can’t you see that so many people here are stumped by the issue already?
"What arrogant words!"
"Who do you think you are to be spouting such haughty words here? If it’s that easy to treat the Earth Vein Spirit Vine, Elder Liu, Elder Lu, and the others would have long given suggestions. Do you think that a small brat like you has the right to butt in?"
"Where did this fellow come from? Garden Owner Chen, is he one of your men?"
"I don’t know him..."
As expected, upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, a huge uproar was immediately generated.
So many master herbologists were unable to determine the illness at all, what can a fellow like you who hasn’t even reached twenty yet possibly notice?
Braggart!
Garden Owner Xue was also taken aback. A frown appeared on her forehead and she looked at Zhang Xuan doubtfully, "Did you uncover anything?"
"I did find something, but... I might require Garden Owner Xue’s assistance on this matter," the young man said.
"Assistance? Feel free to speak. As long as it’s within my means, I’ll do it!" Garden Owner Xue nodded her head.
Even though she shared the same sentiments as the crowd-she didn’t think that this young man would be able to accomplish anything-she still wanted to give it a try.
"Good..."
The young man chuckled sheepishly and said, "Can you... execute a punching routine for me?"
"Punching routine?"
Garden Owner Xue was taken aback.
The others in the area were also flabbergasted.
Of all requests, they never thought that he would get Garden Owner Xue to execute a punching routine!
Aren’t we here to look at the Earth Vein Spirit Vine? What are you asking the owner to execute a punching routine for?
Why does it sound like you are fooling with a monkey instead... If you execute a punching routine, I’ll give you a peach...
"Audacious! How dare you tease the garden owner?"
"You’re courting death!"
Hualala!
Some of the younger herbologists immediately rushed up.
Garden Owner Xue was a famous figure even within the entire Myriad Kingdom City, not to mention, she was the owner of the number one herb garden. To ask her to execute a punching routine all of a sudden... Are you trying to make fun of her?
"Everyone, calm down. There must be some kind of misunderstanding here..."
Lu Zhan hurriedly stepped forward and intervened.
Brother Zhang was a person who was likely to be a 4-star master teacher. Putting everyone else aside, even his grandfather couldn’t afford to offend the other party.
A young man harrumphed furiously. "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding can there be? What does treating the Earth Vein Spirit Vine have to do with getting Garden Owner Xue to execute a punching routine?"
"This..." Lu Zhan was also baffled by that as well. Thus, he turned his sight to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Zhang shi, what is going on..."
"Oh, I have a rough idea of the symptom of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine and I would like to double confirm my conjecture. It’ll do as long as Garden Owner Xue executes a punching routine for me," Zhang Xuan said.
After assessing the Earth Vein Spirit Vine with the Eye of Insight for so long, he came to the same conclusion as the crowd-the spirit vein wasn’t ill.
Helpless, he chose to step forward and touch it. Through the Library of Heaven’s Path, he finally found out what was wrong with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine.
Thus, he continued to touch a few more medicinal herbs and he realized that they were suffering from the same affliction as well.
It was after deducing something from all of this evidence that he decided to make such a request.
"Zhang shi?"
Hearing the address, everyone frowned.
"Yes, Brother Zhang is a master teacher. He must have his own reasons for doing all of this..." Lu Zhan hurriedly said.
"Master teacher?"
Taken aback, all eyes swiftly shot to Zhang Xuan.
Since the other party was a master teacher, in consideration of his identity, he shouldn’t spout any nonsense!
Also, it was perfectly normal for a master teacher to ask others to display their cultivation technique to him. Just that... they still couldn’t understand what did this have to do with the illness of the Earth Vein Spirit Vine.
"Alright!" Knowing the other party was a master teacher, even though Garden Owner Xue was slightly skeptical at the other party’s purpose, she still chose to nod her head.
Driving her zhenqi, her fist lashed out.
Pi pa!
A deafening sonic boom sounded as the air which was compressed by the immense might of her fist exploded. A huge gust of wind blew at the crowd, nearly sending them tumbling into the distance.
Even though it was a punch infused with energy from the environment, it was no simple feat to compress air to the point of forming a sonic boom with just an ordinary punch. At the very least, most Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle experts were incapable of such.
It was no wonder why the other party was so feared by Alliance Head Zhao. The strength of this Garden Owner Xue was indeed formidable!
"Is this alright?"
After executing her fist, Garden Owner Xue retracted her fist and looked at Zhang Xuan quietly.
"Un!" Zhang Xuan replied, seemingly confirmed something. Then, shaking his head, he looked at Garden Owner Xue with a sympathetic gaze, "I know the problem your Earth Vein Spirit Vine is suffering from! But before that, I would like to ask you..."
Garden Owner Xue and everyone immediately turned their gazes over.
They had examined the Earth Vein Spirit Vine for so long, but they were still unable to tell what was wrong with it. On the other hand, the master teacher before them came to a conclusion just by viewing the garden owner’s punching routine...
Are you for real?
Everyone pricked their ears in fear that they would miss out a single word that the young man would say. Following which, they heard a slightly lamenting voice sounded, "Are you... a pig?"
Pu!
Garden Owner Xue’s body swayed and she nearly exploded.
"What did you say?"
Hong long!
Her aura suddenly surged as if a spark of flame had ignited a pot of hot oil.
She was a renowned expert of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, the garden owner of the Western Herb Garden. Even a master teacher wasn’t permitted to humiliate her like that!
"He said that Garden Owner Xue is a pig?"
"Aren’t master teachers known for being reliable and courteous?"
"I’ve no idea either..."
...
The crowd widened their eyes in shock, and they nearly turned mad.
To insult Garden Owner Xue by calling her a pig, this fellow’s guts sure wasn’t just extraordinarily big, it was about to break through the heavens!
Lu Zhan also nearly bit his own tongue.
I could mediate the matter regarding you touching the medicinal herbs by explaining that you’re a master teacher. But now that you’ve insulted the garden owner publicly, how do you expect me to clean up your mess?
If only I knew you were such a fiery figure, I would have never approached you...
Now, all he could hope was for Garden Owner Xue not to blame the matter on the Lu Clan as well...
Song Chao, who had followed behind the crowd in hopes of exchanging the coffin back for his middle-tier spirit stone, also froze.
As a 4-star master teacher, his eye of discernment was extraordinary. Even though Garden Owner Xue had only displayed a single move, he could tell that the latter’s fighting prowess was impressive. Even the elders of his sect would find it hard to triumph over her!
To say that such an expert was a pig...
Zhang shi sure dared to shoot his mouth.
There were many different reactions from the crowd, but one thought they shared in common was that the young man before them was a lunatic.
"Allow me to finish my words first!"
Even though Garden Owner Xue was already on the verge of snapping, Zhang Xuan didn’t seem worried in the least. Instead, he nonchalantly waved his hands and pointed at the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. "If I’m not mistaken, you often cultivate here, right?"
"That’s right!" Garden Owner Xue replied.
However, her rage wasn’t placated yet. If it wasn’t in consideration of the other party’s identity as a master teacher, she would have charged forward and killed the other party with a slap long ago.
Due to the innumerable spirit herbs in the herb field, cultivating here could calm one’s mind and make it easier for one to achieve a breakthrough.
"You mean that the issue with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine is related with my cultivation?"
Frowning, Garden Owner Xue harrumphed.
"Not only is it related, it is the root of the problem!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Let me tell you the true problem with the Earth Vein Spirit Vine. It is not it is ill, neither is it manifested with bugs, and it definitely isn’t at the end of its lifespan... What it is suffering from was loss of spirit and soul!"
"Loss of spirit and soul?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Zhang Xuan explained, "All sentient beings in the world possess spirit, and a spirit herb, just like Spirit-tier weapons, possesses spirit. As the centerpiece of the herb garden, if the Earth Vein Spirit Vine doesn’t possess a spirit, how do you think it’s able to allocate the required nutrients to each individual medicinal herb accurately?"
Everyone nodded their heads.
Upon reaching Spirit-tier, weapons, tools, and even medicinal herb would gain spirit.
This was how the term ’spirit herb’ came about.
It was precisely due to the possession of spirit that they would reject cultivators whose zhenqi didn’t align with them, grow faster upon hearing and seeing melodies and dances that delighted them, and discern whether one was a maiden...
"Without spirit, the Earth Vein Spirit Vine would have lost an important part of itself. Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that it would carry an aura of death."
"A spirit herb losing its spirit is equivalent to a human losing its soul, so I can understand why the Earth Vein Spirit Vine is on the verge of death... But what does it have to do with Garden Owner Xue’s cultivation?"
Everyone was perplexed.
Instead of answering the question, Zhang Xuan turned to Garden Owner Xue and said, "If I’m not mistaken, Garden Owner Xue has been stuck in Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm for at least seven to eight decades already!"
"Eighty-seven years!" Garden Owner Xue nodded her head.
"Having been stuck in the same realm for eighty-seven years, it would be a lie if one were to say that one is not interested in making a breakthrough! However, Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm is the first difficult hurdle of the 9 dans of the Transcendent Mortal stage. It requires one’s soul to be completely harmonized with the surroundings and achieving consonance to accomplish a breakthrough! The reason why Garden Owner Xue has been stuck in the same realm is not due to her lack of talent but that her soul... is damaged!" Zhang Xuan said.
"Y-you... how did you know?" Garden Owner Xue’s body abruptly stiffened upon hearing those words.
She was still extremely furious a moment ago, ready to slaughter the fellow before her at any moment. However, upon hearing those words, the zhenqi that she had gathered abruptly dissipated out of shock.
Her soul was indeed damaged. Otherwise, given her talent, she would have long achieved a breakthrough. She wouldn’t have been stuck in the same realm for eighty-seven years!
But... this matter was a secret which she had never told anyone about. How in the world did the young man before her learn of it?
"It doesn’t matter how I know of that matter! Even though your soul is damaged, you didn’t give up like everyone else. Rather, you sought to repair the damage through different means!
"It seemed like you heard rumors that the spirit contained within spirit herbs could heal the damage and so, you created this herb garden and cultivated medicinal herbs. The reason why you refused to sell them is so that you can absorb the spirit contained within them to mend the tear in your soul!
"Your persistence is admirable, but you went down the wrong path right from the start! If the spirit of a medicinal herb could make up for the deficiencies in a human... Wouldn’t that mean that anyone and everyone could reach Consonant Spirit realm?"
Zhang Xuan looked at Garden Owner Xue with a look of disappointment. "Despite being a master herbologist; despite living beside spirit herbs for so long, you were unable to see through this fact...
"What else can you be... if not a pig?"