Chapter 48: It's Very Simple...

Such an arrogant disciple, blatantly ignoring the warnings of his seniors and courting death on purpose—how could Liu Guang not be furious? That was why he had directly told Liu Qing to keep silent, letting Bai Feiyu reap what he had sown and bear the consequences himself.

Seeing Liu Guang so enraged, the other seniors, including Zi Yan, all adopted the air of detached spectators. Liu Qing had no choice but to fall silent, helplessly resigned to his junior’s reckless ways. In any case, Bai Feiyu was formidable in combat; perhaps those lightning energies would not harm him after all.

However, what happened next made Liu Guang and the others’ eyes nearly pop out of their heads.

No matter how Bai Feiyu ran about, his luck seemed almost supernatural—he managed to avoid being struck by the lightning energies time after time.

“Hmph, the fellow has good luck for now, but he’s just using it up early. Let’s see how he handles what’s coming next,” Liu Guang grumbled, deeply dissatisfied yet powerless to change the outcome.

At this, Liu Qing could only offer a wry smile.

Truth be told, though Liu Qing had always treated Bai Feiyu with kindness, he had investigated this disciple. After all, Bai Feiyu’s meteoric rise could not help but arouse curiosity. Yet, upon investigation, Liu Qing had found that Bai Feiyu had been utterly unremarkable until, as if blessed by extraordinary fortune, he suddenly began to rise above the rest.

This convinced Liu Qing that there was more to Bai Feiyu than met the eye.

In fact, among the members of the Eagle Alliance, Liu Qing, despite his gentle demeanor, held considerable status. He had not been part of the alliance for long before the leader began to take notice of him—clearly, he had his merits. Though Liu Qing appeared harmless and easygoing, in the eyes of the alliance’s leader, he was anything but simple and was destined to become a core disciple in the future.

When they arrived at a medicinal field, Liu Guang gave Liu Qing a look, signaling him to instruct Bai Feiyu on how to harvest the herbs. Liu Guang’s dislike for Bai Feiyu had only grown along the way, so he was not inclined to speak up himself.

Realizing this, Liu Qing quickly stepped forward and explained to Bai Feiyu:

“Junior Brother Bai Feiyu, you mustn’t harvest the herbs in this field recklessly,” he said patiently. “These herbs have developed sentience. You must start at the very edge, applying just enough force, but be wary—the surrounding herbs may group together and attack you.”

“If you get caught in their assault, it can be truly dangerous and troublesome…”

Bai Feiyu could not help but sigh inwardly. These days, even medicinal herbs had gained intelligence, and not a little at that—they knew to band together for protection.

Sure enough, as Bai Feiyu looked over, he saw that while the herbs appeared motionless, they bristled with aggression, exuding a faint killing intent.

“Watch carefully, junior. This is how it’s done!” Liu Qing demonstrated, crouching at a safe distance and drawing out a small shovel. He crept up to the herbs as quietly as possible.

Immediately, the herbs flared up, waving their stems and leaves in agitation. Yet, rooted as they were, they could not flee; they could only watch helplessly as Liu Qing severed one of their number. The surrounding herbs tenaciously clung to the uprooted plant, refusing to let Liu Qing take it away.

Liu Qing had to switch to the hooked end of his tool to finally pry the herb loose.

Witnessing this, Bai Feiyu frowned. Was it really this troublesome to dig up a single plant? No wonder the disciples of the Sect of the Returning Void found it so hard to advance in cultivation; resources were too scarce, all thanks to these coddled, unruly herbs.

“Give it a try, Feiyu. It’s quite simple, really…” Liu Qing encouraged. But before he could finish, his jaw dropped at what he saw.

Bai Feiyu strode over to the herbs, squatted down, and—without ceremony—slapped one of the more aggressive plants. Instantly, the herb wilted, as if cowed into submission.

Bai Feiyu then yanked it out, roots and all, and stowed it in his bag.

The surrounding herbs, all their bravado gone, drooped in terror, each striving to avoid Bai Feiyu’s gaze.

Liu Guang and the others were utterly dumbfounded.

Was this the same difficult medicinal field as before? Why did all the herbs act like frightened children before Bai Feiyu?

Zi Yan, puzzled and driven by curiosity, approached a herb to imitate Bai Feiyu’s method, hoping the plants would yield just as easily. If so, their harvesting would be far more efficient.

However, she was soon ensnared by a herb’s tendrils. In an instant, the surrounding plants sent out their vines, wrapping tightly around her arm. Zi Yan’s delicate hand was soon lacerated, blood streaming from the wounds, pain forcing her to gasp for breath.

“Zi Yan!” The others, seeing her in distress, hurried to put down their tools and rushed to her aid.

At such a time, only by violently tearing out the surrounding herbs could they hope to rescue her. Though this would damage the plants and cause some of their essence to be lost, there was no other way—otherwise, Zi Yan’s arm would be ruined.

The herbs were valuable, but Zi Yan was far more important.

“Step aside—let me handle this!” Bai Feiyu interrupted, moving calmly to help.

The reason the herbs had feared him earlier was because, with each slap, he had drawn out and absorbed some of their essence. The surrounding herbs sensed his deadly threat and thus submitted. To them, Zi Yan was just an ordinary person, nothing to fear.

“What do you think you’re doing? Is this the time for recklessness? If you can’t save her, Zi Yan’s arm will be lost!” Liu Guang barked at Bai Feiyu, but he fell silent the next instant.

As soon as Bai Feiyu approached, the herbs binding Zi Yan’s arm recoiled in terror, withdrawing their tendrils as fast as they could. Their earlier aggression vanished, replaced by utter docility and a desperate attempt to avoid notice.

Liu Guang and the others could only question reality itself.

…