Two Orders

All Qin Sang could do was clear away the rubble and restore the graves, allowing Senior Sister Qingting and her husband to rest in peace. Aside from that, Qin Sang left behind no restrictions. Allowing the islet to return to its nondescript appearance might let it endure a bit longer. After leaving the islet, Qin Sang moved with greater caution. Fortunately, the herb garden was not located too deep within the Yuncang Great Marsh; along the way, he only crossed paths with a few Lesser Cold Domain patrol squads and did not encounter any cultivators from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. Yet through his contact with these patrol squads, Qin Sang could also sense the palpable tension in the air. Over an open expanse of water, a figure slowly emerged. Qin Sang looked around warily. Spotting no enemies, he looked down at the calm surface of the water. The lake water was crystal clear, the swimming fish distinctly visible. Everything appeared entirely ordinary. There was not the slightest abnormality in the surrounding spiritual energy, nor any trace of a restriction or spirit array. Qin Sang hesitated briefly, then pinched his fingers into a peculiar incantation seal and struck it into the lake. *Splash!* No sooner had the spray risen than Qin Sang smoothed it away. As the seal sank into the water, the fish leisurely swimming below abruptly vanished, as if they had merely been an illusion. In their place, a colossal dark shadow entered Qin Sang's view. The shadow was elongated, resembling a giant whale cruising deep underwater. "Seems I found the right place," Qin Sang muttered to himself. Before his words even faded, and before Qin Sang could take another action, a sudden disturbance stirred within the dark shadow. At the center of the shadow, a pinpoint of white light abruptly flared. Violent ripples immediately surged across the entire shadow as countless specks of white light sparked to life across its length, swiftly converging toward the center and fusing into one. In the blink of an eye, the pinpoint of white light at the center drastically shifted form, taking the crude shape of a spirit sword. The sword-shaped white light wavered slightly, then tilted with a gentle shudder to point squarely at Qin Sang. With the sword-shaped white light locked onto him, feeling its razor-sharp aura, Qin Sang felt an inward twinge of alarm. Without a single word of inquiry, the sect members inside had directly activated the restriction! Reflecting on the tense situation nowadays, Qin Sang understood. He promptly retrieved his identity token and Qi Yuanshou's secret order, sending them down into the dark shadow. The secret order and token took effect. A moment later, the white light within the shadow silently dispersed. Next, Qin Sang heard a few voice transmissions questioning him. After answering each one, several figures flew out from the shadow. At the head was a cultivator at the middle Foundation Establishment stage, appearing around fifty years old. Recalling the contents of the jade slip, Qin Sang remembered that this man was the sole Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the herb garden, named Xie Ying. Before the turmoil, a middle Foundation Establishment disciple accompanied by several Qi Refinement disciples, coordinated with the herb garden's existing spirit array, had been more than enough to guard this place. Leading his party as they surfaced, Xie Ying approached Qin Sang, cupped his hands, and said with an embarrassed tone, "I had no idea it was Senior Brother Qin. To have offended Senior Brother was my impudence—I hope Senior Brother will forgive me!" Xie Ying had broken through to Foundation Establishment several years after Qin Sang, so it was only natural for him to address Qin Sang as Senior Brother. Moreover, Qin Sang was already in late Foundation Establishment, outclassing him in cultivation. Xie Ying worried that Qin Sang might be eccentric or irritable and vent his anger on him. "Junior Brother Xie." Qin Sang returned the bow and said without any trace of annoyance, "The situation is perilous; it is only right for Junior Brother Xie to remain vigilant. What offense could there be? This is no place for idle talk—why don't we head inside to speak?" Seeing Qin Sang respond so graciously, Xie Ying finally felt relieved and hurriedly invited Qin Sang into the herb garden. Along the way, Xie Ying introduced the other disciples, and Qin Sang greeted each of them in turn. Besides Xie Ying, there was another early Foundation Establishment cultivator in the herb garden named Mao Ji, as well as ten Qi Refinement disciples—an arrangement determined by the nature of the garden's spirit array. One middle Foundation Establishment cultivator working in tandem with ten Qi Refinement disciples could unleash the array's full power against enemies, while any remaining Foundation Establishment cultivator could slip away in secret if things went south to summon reinforcements. The herb garden was built upon an underwater island; no wonder nothing could be seen from the outside. The island lay about ten zhang beneath the surface. It was long and narrow, with its best spots reserved for growing spirit herbs. Aside from the herb garden, there were several cave dwellings hollowed out by cultivators, where the spiritual energy was passably decent. The remainder was wasteland overgrown with aquatic weeds, teeming with fish and shrimp. "...Senior Brother Qin, these are all the arrangements of our herb garden here. May I ask what instructions Martial Uncle Qi has given? Please enlighten us, Senior Brother Qin; henceforth, we shall follow Senior Brother Qin's lead in all things." Having shown Qin Sang around the island, Xie Ying finally probed for Qin Sang's purpose in coming. He relinquished authority readily, watching Qin Sang with eyes full of intense anticipation. With a quick turn of his mind, Qin Sang guessed Xie Ying's thoughts almost completely. Guarding the herb garden had originally been a lucrative post. Not only could one cultivate in peace, but when the spirit herbs matured and were handed over to the sect, one would also receive sect rewards. And that was only the visible income. However, in the current crisis, being stranded in an herb garden inside the Yuncang Great Marsh—forbidden to leave without sect orders on pain of severe punishment—was an assignment that could easily cost one's life! Xie Ying wished for nothing more than for Qin Sang to replace him so he could leave this place and take refuge back at the sect. "How many years until the spirit herbs in the garden mature?" Qin Sang did not take up Xie Ying's cue, replying with a question of his own. Xie Ying felt as though a hundred claws were scratching at his heart, but he forced himself to answer patiently: "Reporting to Senior Brother Qin, the spirit herbs in the garden are at varied stages. Due to this upheaval, the sect hasn't sent anyone to collect herbs for quite some time. Most of them can be harvested at any moment. However, among the auxiliary ingredients for the Kanli Golden Pill, the one with the longest maturation period will require at least ten more years..." This was precisely why Xie Ying was so anxious. The situation in the Yuncang Great Marsh grew more fraught with each passing day. Lately, his mind had been unsettled, leaving him in no state to cultivate. Hiding beneath the restrictions, he kept watch on the outside at all times, frequently seeing cultivators streaking overhead in a hurry. No one knew when this taut string would snap. "Ten years..." Qin Sang pondered quietly. That was indeed a bit long, but Qi Yuanshou's order had not been overly stringent—as long as he could retrieve the majority of the herbs, it would suffice to fulfill his mission. Without keeping Xie Ying in further suspense, Qin Sang recounted Qi Yuanshou's secret order. To his surprise, upon hearing Qin Sang's retelling, Xie Ying was overjoyed. With utter disbelief written across his face, he pressed, "Senior Brother Qin, are you serious? Did Martial Uncle Qi truly say with his own lips that we don't have to bother with these herbs and can pull out at any time if danger arises?" Qin Sang frowned at Xie Ying, not expecting someone of his cultivation to lack such composure, and said with displeasure, "Martial Uncle Qi spoke those words directly to my face—could they be false? What orders did you receive before?" Unable to contain the excitement on his face, Xie Ying failed to notice the annoyance in Qin Sang's tone. Hearing the question, he lamented loudly, "Senior Brother Qin, you don't know the half of it! When we reported to the sect earlier, the order we received was for everyone to hold the island firmly and await sect arrangements. As for the herbs on the island—especially one known as the Seven-Leaf Epiphyllum—if even a single stalk goes missing, we are to bring our heads! I didn't even dare tell Junior Brother Mao and the others the truth..."