Elder Xia had just vanished from Wang Si's sight. However, the elder suddenly appeared in front of them after Wang Aija spoke about Hysteria de Euphoria.
"Ohh!!! Dang!!!" Wang Si gasped in shock seeing the figure of Elder Xia again. But, the female beside him just smiled and offered a customary bow to greet the elder.
"Great Herbalist sure knows the effect of the herb. But, I must correct you before rumors start spreading about this herb. One, Hysteria de Euphoria... hmmm... how do I say it in a simple way..." Elder Xia somehow paused and wondered for a few seconds. Then, he spoke again, "The herb core had no effect on cultivators with primal yin. Once the essence of primal yin is consumed, the cultivator can gain fundamental control over their body. Understand?"
Wang Aija nodded her head, seemingly understanding that there was more to it than what the elder was telling them. "Venerable Elder Xia, don't worry... I won't spread anything. This matter will only be between the three of us."
"Ahh... But, how many times have I heard such words, Great Herbalist? You won't spread rumors. In the end... some rumors still managed to grow wings and fly out everywhere," Elder Xia chuckled. He was really ready to go back to his mansion when he heard Wang Aija's voice. The elder quickly opened the space back to the Si Apothecary Building just to correct Wang Aija's assumptions.
He knew that no matter how she would swear not to talk, this woman would still talk with the other physicians in the apothecary.
Her reputation to have great hands for nurturing herbs was undoubtedly dimmed by her gossip spreader lips.
In Elder Xia's mind, it was better to rectify her speculative attitude before it could cause damage to his reputation.
"Ohh... well, I did not expect Venerable Elder to come here at this hour. Shouldn't you be resting in the mansion?" Wang Aija giggled, finding a potential start of a new gossip. She then glanced at the purple pouch in her hand. Her eyes seemed to imply that the elder was actually using the herb for his personal gains.
"Ahh... even at late night, the Great Herbalist Wang Aija has her mind still full of curiosity." Surely, with this elder's age, he was but also proficient with sarcasm.
"If you don't mind, Venerable Elder... Then, you can share your errands with us. How did you get this herb and where did you use it?" Wang Aija's tone was soft and carried a different charm.
"I do mind, so I won't tell. Anyway, I don't care if you talk about me to others. I have nothing to hide and my conscience is clear. However, as for that herb in your hand, I must tell you the right information about it," Elder Xia's expression turned serious. He took a step forward and approached these two owners of the apothecary.
"That herb is not even that potent. It had just a thousand-year-old herb core. Only those practitioners who had no primal essence would suffer from its endless desires for power and become the puppet of such desires. For cultivators with preserved primal yin, it will be the passion of its yin essence that would control the cultivator's body. After the primal yin is absorbed, the original personality of the cultivator will be retained, regardless of whether the cultivator has other desires. There's no harm."
"Primal Yin... then...?"
"Then I have no more words to say. It is indeed late and I have to rest. Grand Physician... Great Herbalist, see you around!" Elder Xia did not walk farther. He conveniently waved his hand and an illusory image of his mansion appeared. In front of him was a temporary portal he just created. And with one final glance at the two, he stepped inside. Once his body entered the portal, the space around it slowly turned normal.
Wang Si and Wang Aija stared at the empty space for a few minutes before they looked at one another.
"Venerable Elder is really strong. To be able to create such dimensional door to his mansion... oh... how I want to have such power!" the old physician spoke with admiration in his tone.
"Grand Physician, there is nothing noble about Venerable Elder's ability. It's our distinguished ability that helps people to prolong their lives. Nothing is far greater than curing the sick and nurturing herbs. The world needs us more than the space cultivator experts," Wang Aija casually spoke before she went back to her quarters, holding the purple pouch in her hand.
Wang Si opened his mouth to respond but before he could speak a word, the voice of Elder Xia slightly laughing suddenly resounded around them.
"HAHAHA... The Great Herbalist sure is humorous! I have traveled with too many dimensions and all I could tell you is that the world requires balance for every existence within it. Don't be so proud of your skills and invalidate mine. Remember, the master of Scarlet Islands also aspires to learn my cultivation techniques. Insulting my skills is equivalent to insulting Huan Xue."
Wang Aija trembled slightly after realizing that Elder Xia had actually heard her bitter remarks. After some time, she only shook her head and continued to walk away.
"Master Xia, stop lingering in my building! Hmmph!" Wang Si spoke in the empty air. He waited for a response however, he did not the elder's voice anymore.
The next day, back in the Boundless Shoreline,
The sun had already risen at the center of the sky but Huan Xue and Qiaolian were still asleep in a tight embrace.
The owner of the pavilion that Huan Xue rented had been knocking on the door to check on him.
This owner was accustomed to seeing Huan Xue eating breakfast and having tea outside. So, when he did not see him for the entire morning, he was anxious about his condition.
"Sea traveler? Mister Xue?!"
The knocking sound intensified when there was no response inside the room.
"Mister Xue, if you still don't respond, I will ask some expert to remove this door! " the pavilion owner announced.
Just as he was about to leave and find someone to execute his plan, the voice of Qiaolian sounded from inside.
"Someone is fast asleep. Stop knocking!"
"Ohh... Master Xue had finally let a lady enter his room? I heard that he rejected the Xuan Sect? Hehehehe... I better see who this lady that managed to lure him into opening his door and letting her stay until this time!" the owner clasped his hands together with full of eagerness on his expression. "It's better to stay at the front desk to spy this girl clearly."
If only this pavilion owner knew what would be the result of his spying plans, he would never mind the client's business anymore and just give them privacy instead!