The mountain wind whistled as the sunlight poured down.

Black Wind stood by Zhao Wuhuan's side, and after hearing his words, sighed helplessly, "Sir, we might have no choice but to meet Qin An this time."

Their journey here was meant for a covert investigation, and without necessity, they would never reveal themselves.

However, a letter from the provincial capital led them to this place.

For others, it might not be the same, but Zhao Wuhuan is different.

Black Wind knew well that the provincial capital and Zhao Wuhuan were brothers-in-arms, with deep ties.

With a snap, Zhao Wuhuan closed his folding fan and said indifferently, "Why should we reveal ourselves?"

Black Wind frowned, "Why not reveal ourselves?"

He was utterly perplexed.

If one wants to eradicate the demons, they must act personally.

Can they possibly blow a breath here and expect the demons to vanish into thin air?

Zhao Wuhuan narrowed his gaze and said, "Have you forgotten the instructions from the provincial capital? Only when absolutely necessary should we take action."

Black Wind was taken aback, recalling the contents of the letter in detail, and then looked up suddenly, "Why did the provincial capital give such instructions?"

He just remembered that indeed, the letter from the provincial capital mentioned this.

Zhao Wuhuan chuckled lightly, "My junior wants me to see for myself."

"See what?" Black Wind asked.

Zhao Wuhuan's gaze fell on Liyang Mountain, and he said meaningfully, "He wants to see if Qin An can resolve this disaster single-handedly."

Black Wind was astonished, "Ten Pulse Condensation Realm great demons, plus dozens of Gui Cang Realm demons, how can he handle it?"

Such a lineup, even if Black Wind were to participate himself, he would find it inescapable.

Though Qin An is strong, faced with such an overwhelming attack, survival is not possible.

Zhao Wuhuan waved his folding fan leisurely, "Have you forgotten the three gold-robe guardians of the mountains?"

Black Wind hesitated, "Even so, if the remaining seven Pulse Condensation Realm demons and dozens of Gui Cang Realm demons all focus their attack on Qin An, he will still surely die."

Even though the mountain guardians have deep-rooted strength and limitless Secret Techniques, the disadvantage in numbers is a real weakness.

Even the strongest of the Pulse Condensation Realm, when outnumbered, will surely die.

Zhao Wuhuan's lips curled slightly, "Exactly because of this, it's worth observing to see if he can change the fatal situation. I am here to back him up."

With these words, Black Wind instantly understood.

If Qin An can turn the situation around on his own, Zhao Wuhuan will surely look upon him with new eyes.

Even if not, his potential will be fully revealed.

Moreover, Zhao Wuhuan is overseeing.

This Outer Elixir Realm master in Lingzhou is considered invincible.

"The provincial capital truly values Qin An." Black Wind remarked, "To set up such a situation for him."

Zhao Wuhuan nodded, "After all, what Qin An has done has truly unshackled Lingzhou from the constraints above, making his contributions invaluable."

"Let's keep watching, hopefully, Qin An will give us some surprises…"

As the words fell, the two of them fell silent, once again gazing towards the demons led by Elder Yang.

...

Time passed.

The morning mist spread, enveloping Liyang Mountain like a light veil, adding a touch of mystery.

At this moment, a few miles away from Liyang Mountain, Mr. Sun and Qin An were gradually approaching.

From afar, Liyang Mountain hid in the mist, appearing faintly like a veiled beauty, exuding a sense of mystery.

As they approached, Qin An kept his hand on the cold star at his waist, never slackening for a moment.

A short while ago, he had communicated with the three gold-robe guardians of the mountains.

This mission was extremely important, yet they couldn't understand why the provincial capital did not enforce the presence of the mountain guardians.

So, the group had to remain highly vigilant.

The closer they got to Liyang Mountain, the more silent the surroundings became.

Mr. Sun stared at the peaks ahead, but could not hide the excitement in his eyes.

The shape of the mountain and the mist indicated a day-night temperature difference, suggesting that the Jade Heart Grass likely grew there.

As for danger, Mr. Sun never considered it.

With years of practicing as a physician, having traversed perilous peaks and waters, life and death were of no concern to him anymore.

When he took on the healing mission, he had already mentally prepared himself.

Qin An stepped forward, reaching Mr. Sun.

Mr. Sun, who had been focused on his journey, saw Qin An coming close and asked perplexed, "What do you mean, sir?"

Beside him, Xu Ruoyu lowered his head, saying nothing, not even daring to look Qin An in the eye.

He was somewhat afraid.

This fear wasn't out of awe for Qin An, but rather for his mentor.

Over the past few days on their journey, Mr. Sun and Qin An had exchanged words, mostly about matters between physicians.

Although Qin An, as a level nine physician, couldn't surpass Mr. Sun, he was quite comprehensive.

When it came to aspects Mr. Sun didn't understand, even Mr. Sun was quite appreciative.

Xu Ruoyu was very smart, otherwise, he would not have become Mr. Sun's apprentice.

He knew very well that his mentor had been comparing him with Qin An.

Some things cannot be compared; the more he tried, the more it would disappoint his mentor.

Thus, he felt intimidated; to avoid disgracing himself, he dared not act rashly.

He didn't even dare to retort against Qin An; when Qin An's gaze swept over him, he quickly averted his eyes.

Qin An glanced at Xu Ruoyu, seeing he had calmed down, turned his head and said gravely, "Be sure to be careful later."

He and the other three gold-robe guardians were tasked with a guarding mission.

But Mr. Sun seemed indifferent to matters of life and death, showcasing a physician's passion for herbs all throughout the journey.

Qin An thought it necessary to remind him not to lower his guard.

Mr. Sun understood that Qin An was well-intentioned and nodded in agreement, "Thank you for your concern, sir."

The group got closer and closer to Liyang Mountain.

They stopped only when they reached the foot of Liyang Mountain.

The mountain was still shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

Qi Chenfeng looked around and praised, "Truly a place of spiritual beauty."

Du Yixing said nothing, just vigilantly watching his surroundings.

Bai Ruqi wore a calm expression.

The mountain patrol officers, accustomed to solitary wilderness, were used to such scenery.

After scanning the area and confirming there was no danger, the group continued up the rugged path toward the mountain peak.

Jade Heart Grass grows in locations with extreme temperature differences, as long as you find a suitable spot, there's no need to worry about specifics.

Only after their figures disappeared at the end of the mountain path did numerous demons emerge at the path's entrance.

Mr. Mao looked at Mr. Yang, a hint of doubt flickering in his vertical pupils, "Why don't we act?"

Their original plan was, upon Qin An's arrival at Liyang Mountain, to attack in the moment when Qin An and his companions were most unguarded, and kill them.

But just as they were about to make their move, Mr. Yang stopped them.

This caused Mr. Mao and the other Pulse Condensation Realm elders of the demon council to be full of doubt.

Mr. Yang's gaze was fixed on the end of the mountain path, where Qin An and his companions vanished: "If I am not mistaken, that white-haired old man should be the Medicine King of Xunyang Prefecture."

Mr. Mao frowned and said, "So what? Who is the Medicine King?"

"He is the important figure who came here," Mr. Yang said indifferently. "I spent some time in Xunyang Prefecture, and I know him quite well. His journey to such a remote place must be to search for herbs."

Mr. Mao's frown intensified, his eyes full of deeper mystery: "Searching for herbs, so what?"

Although they were both demon council elders, there was significant discord between them. However, because Mr. Yang led this task, Mr. Mao had not gone against Mr. Yang's wishes.

But now, without a reason, Mr. Mao would not let it go.

Mr. Yang said indifferently, "To kill them now would waste a top-grade herb."

"We may not know herbs, but the Medicine King can find them."

"Let him collect the herbs, then kill and take the treasures, gifting them to the Hall Master—wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

Hearing this, Mr. Mao's vertical pupils flickered with an indescribable shine, "You certainly have a clever plan."

Killing Qin An and presenting the herb as a gift to the Hall Master, to curry favor, was indeed a two-birds-one-stone plan.

Mr. Yang added, "Also, when they are searching for herbs, it's when they are most unguarded. Attacking then is more effective than now, yielding twice the result with half the effort."

The other demon council elders exchanged glances, hearing the underlying meaning in Mr. Yang's words, their eyes gleaming with malevolence.

In the minds of numerous demons, Qin An and his companions were already trapped.

Just four mountain patrol officers couldn't possibly contend with a group of powerful demons like them.

Since the outcome was certain, obtaining additional benefits naturally followed.

The demons exchanged a glance, then silently followed.

...

The mountain path showed no signs of being traveled by humans and was, therefore, difficult to navigate.

But fortunately, Qin An and his companions were practitioners, so the rugged path seemed like a flat road to them.

After about half an hour of climbing over the rugged path, they reached halfway up the mountain, where the temperature was drastically different from that at the foot.

Qi Chenfeng marveled, "Such a unique place truly exists in the world."

Though mountain patrol officers traverse all kinds of deep forests and wilds, a place with such extreme temperature differences was a first for Qi Chenfeng.

Mr. Sun suddenly stopped, his eyes glowing as he looked ahead.

A short distance ahead was a cliff face.

At the top of the cliff grew a flower in bloom.

The flower was white, but within it, a stalk of green grass grew.

The so-called Jade Heart Grass refers to the green grass within the flower's heart.

Mr. Sun's eyes shone with excitement: "Heavens, truly blessed! I didn't expect to find Jade Heart Grass; this trip to Lingzhou was worth it!"

Xu Ruoyu stared in amazement at the Jade Heart Grass and then turned to look at Qin An.

He genuinely hadn't expected that Qin An would actually find the location of the Jade Heart Grass.

Thinking of Qin An's exceptional talent, Xu Ruoyu displayed rare trepidation, remaining silent.

Mr. Sun took collection tools from the herbal basket on his back: "Everyone waits here. I'll climb the cliff to harvest the Jade Heart Grass, then our mission will be complete."

Though he appeared elderly, he was a practitioner of the Pulse Condensation Realm, so the cliff posed no challenge to him.

"Stay vigilant," Qin An turned to glance at Qi Chenfeng and the others, speaking calmly.

Once the Jade Heart Grass is collected, Mr. Sun would leave Lingzhou, and their task would be done.

But until then, they couldn't relax their guard.

Qi Chenfeng and the others were seasoned mountain patrol officers, understanding the logic; they prepared to spread out and check their surroundings for abnormalities.

At that moment, a sudden anomaly appeared.

From the nearby woods, a strong Evil Qi surged.

The Evil Qi appeared from nothing, ballooning instantly, reaching Qi Chenfeng in the blink of an eye.

Qi Chenfeng's face showed shock, shouting, "Demons!"

As he shouted, a staff broke through the air coming at him.

Mr. Yang's grim expression was fully visible to Qi Chenfeng.

Qi Chenfeng, with much experience between life and death, quickly turned his sword to hastily block the staff.

Attacking with forethought against someone caught off guard, Qi Chenfeng felt a powerful rebound from Mr. Yang's attack.

Soon, several more attacks came silently.

Qi Chenfeng fought desperately to fend off Mr. Yang's staff, diligently blocking all attacks.

But the result was less than ideal.

"Bang!"

The dull sound echoed, particularly noticeable in the tranquil woods.

Qi Chenfeng was blasted back several yards, tracing a path through the air, landing heavily, and spitting a mouthful of blood.

Though he used his experience to protect his vital spots.

Even so, he suffered severe injuries at just one encounter.

A distance away, Du Yixing and Bai Ruqi faced similar assaults.

Each was ambushed by three Pulse Condensation Realm demons; though none were killed, all were badly injured.

Only Qin An and Mr. Sun were spared from attacks by the demons.

Mr. Yang planted his staff into the ground, his fierce gaze sweeping over Qin An, his face split into a bloodthirsty grin.

"Old man's plan is good, isn't it? First, render these three weaklings powerless, then deal with you, little bastard!"

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