So there are immortal herbs in this world, and they've found them. To hell with Xie Yue, he had to take those two girls as his disciples!
The idea that had just formed in Chrysanthemum Douluo's mind about taking Xie Yue, whom he had just called a rough gem, as a disciple was instantly discarded.
Compared to immortal herbs and those who have consumed them, Xie Yue's allure plummeted to the lowest point. How could he even compare?
Thinking about the unnaturally fast cultivation speed of Han Li and the others, Chrysanthemum Douluo's mind was filled with even more speculations.
Perhaps they found more than one immortal herb—at least five—otherwise, those two unfamiliar girls wouldn't still have such faint traces of its aura.
Thump, thump.
Yue Guan felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He had to catch up and ask; the clue was right before him, and he couldn't hold back.
"What's wrong with you?"
Gui Mei's raspy voice entered his ears, finally snapping Yue Guan back to reality, where he found Xie Yue and Yan also looking at him.
"Old Ghost, you keep watch here. I suddenly remembered something very important that I forgot to mention to His Highness the Holy Son. It's urgent, and I can't afford to delay," Yue Guan said immediately, looking at Gui Mei, completely disregarding Xie Yue and Yan's stares.
After so many years together, how could Gui Mei not notice Yue Guan's odd behavior? From the look in his eyes, he could see the determination, the kind that wouldn't waver even if it meant being suspected.
"Go ahead. I'll take care of things here," Gui Mei nodded without hesitation. Since Yue Guan had made up his mind, even if it was wrong or had consequences later, he was willing to bear them together.
"Thanks, Old Ghost."
Ignoring the gazes of the younger ones, Yue Guan, upon hearing Gui Mei's words, took off at top speed, chasing in the direction Han Li and the others had gone.
As the golden streak of light disappeared, Gui Mei turned to Xie Yue and Yan, who were standing still, and spoke calmly, "You can report this matter truthfully to the Pope when we return."
With that, he didn't wait for their response and closed his eyes, leaning against a nearby tree.
Yan looked at Xie Yue in confusion, but Xie Yue had his head down, appearing deep in thought as if pondering something.
...
At that moment, Han Li and his group hadn't gone far.
"Huh? Why is Elder Yue catching up? Xiao Li, did you say something to him?"
Dugu Yan, who was vividly recounting the battle from years ago to Ye Lingling and Zhu Zhuqing, suddenly turned to look behind them.
"No."
Han Li innocently shook his head. He had been mentally connected the entire time, so he was just as curious about why Elder Yue was following them.
Could it be that he wasn't afraid of Bibi Dong anymore? Had he figured something out?
"Your Highness the Holy Son, please wait. I have something I need to ask,"
Before the golden light even got close, Yue Guan's spiritual energy waves had already reached them, carrying a mix of urgency and excitement.
Honestly, the moment Han Li heard his voice, he was tempted to speed up and leave Yue Guan behind.
Goodness, what sort of rule-breaking technique was this? How many powerful beings had fallen under this phrase? Could he withstand it?
But considering this was the Douluo Continent, Han Li forced himself to stop.
Seeing that they had already stopped, Yue Guan didn't slow down at all; instead, he sped up, as if a rare treasure was waiting for him just ahead.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, I know this may be presumptuous, but I have to ask, did you find immortal herbs?"
Yue Guan asked, stopping abruptly, his hair disheveled and a lock of it falling into his mouth, which he didn't even bother to fix, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling.
So that's what this is about, Han Li realized.
No wonder Yue Guan had chased them down despite knowing it would arouse Bibi Dong's suspicion.
Well, for someone as obsessed with flowers as he was, it was worth the risk.
After all, in the original story, he was sent to attack Tang San's group, and upon learning of Dai Mubai's identity, he even wanted to take him as a disciple, which shows how much he valued immortal herbs.
Ye Lingling's aura had already faded quite a bit due to her previous sacrifice and the absorption of soul rings and bones.
But Zhu Zhuqing wasn't affected by any foreign aura. Even after more than a month had passed, it wasn't surprising that someone like Yue Guan would still be able to detect it.
As for Han Li, he had genuinely forgotten, since immortal herbs no longer held any allure for him, so he hadn't even considered this possibility.
With this realization, Han Li's eyes brightened as a plan formed in his mind.
"Yes, I did find immortal herbs, and not just one," Han Li replied with a smile, deliberately leaving Yue Guan in suspense.
"Really?"
Upon hearing his response, Yue Guan's breathing became rapid, and he looked at Han Li with intense eyes.
"It's genuine, and we've already taken it ourselves. We even have to thank you for that guidebook; otherwise, even if we found it, we wouldn't have known how to use it."
After a quick reminder through mental sharing, Han Li and his group sincerely bowed to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Seeing everyone bowing to him in unison, Yue Guan suddenly realized that, according to Han Li's words, there were six of them present. And they were all bowing to him.
For a moment, Yue Guan's eyes sparkled, and his gaze toward the six people changed. What was this? This was his paradise!
He stared at the six of them for a long time and then suddenly sighed.
Now, the rare treasures were right in front of him, but he was powerless. If heaven could give him another chance...
But unfortunately, there were no "ifs." Han Li and the others all had their masters. Even if they didn't, he was still working under Bibi Dong. He didn't think she would allow him to get too close to the Worship Hall with her personality.
But he didn't dare to directly defect to the Worship Hall with Old Ghost. He believed that if they dared to do that, Bibi Dong would truly dare to secretly kill both of them. She was a true madwoman.
And the Grand Worship definitely wouldn't stick up for the two of them. After all, even his son…
Yue Guan cut off these thoughts that shouldn't be in his mind and looked again at the people in front of him.
"Holy son, since you've all taken them, can you tell me what immortal herbs you've taken?"
Yue Guan adopted a humble posture; he wasn't jealous.
Well, maybe just a little bit, but he had gathered so much information himself and hadn't found anything. It meant that the immortal herbs weren't meant for him.
Now, being able to meet people who had taken the immortal herbs was already a kind of blessing for him.
"This isn't something that needs to be kept secret. Of course, if the Pope doesn't ask directly, I still hope Elder Yue can keep it confidential."
Since the immortal herbs had already been digested, it didn't matter to Han Li if others knew. Still, he made a token gesture of saying so.
"I swear by my Martial Soul, I won't mention this to anyone other than Old Ghost, and I'll have him swear as well not to reveal anything about the immortal herbs to those who are unaware."
Yue Guan's reaction was quite intense, even going so far as to make an oath on his Martial Soul.
"There's no need for that. Just make sure the whole continent doesn't find out."
Han Li didn't expect Yue Guan to be so forthright and quickly responded, severing the effectiveness of the oath just made.
Now, oaths related to him couldn't be made carelessly—they would come true. He had a good impression of Chrysanthemum Douluo and didn't want him to die mysteriously.
Hearing this, Yue Guan felt even better, indeed believing he hadn't misjudged Han Li. After all, anyone who loved flowers couldn't be a bad person.
Of course, he silently added an exception for Dugu Bo in his heart.
"I took the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and the Eight Petal Immortal Orchid. As for Sister Yan, she took a quasi-immortal herb with dragon-like aura that wasn't documented, which I call the Nine-Petal Dragon Ganoderma. Bing'er took the Nine-Petal Ganoderma that was mentioned earlier."
Han Li introduced them one by one, then pointed to Ye Lingling and Zhu Zhuqing: "These two took the Damask Tulip and the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone."
"Indeed, my feeling was correct. What a pity I couldn't see it with my own eyes."
Yue Guan looked at them with some envy, then fixed his gaze on Xiu'er.
Everyone else had taken something, so he didn't believe this older sister who had followed Han Li the longest had come out empty-handed.
"Sister Xiu'er took the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and the Yearning Heartbroken Red."
Han Li smiled slightly; this was why he had saved introducing Xiu'er for last.
"Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Yearning Heartbroken Red..."
Yue Guan murmured these two names a few times, then stared at Xiu'er for a long while before letting out a bitter laugh, "I almost regret asking."
"Sister Xiu'er, reveal your Martial Soul for Elder Yue to see."
Han Li turned his head to Xiu'er. The immortal herbs couldn't be seen, but the mutated Martial Soul could be.
Of course, touching it was out of the question.
Xiu'er obediently nodded and released her Martial Soul, though she kept her soul rings hidden.
Seeing the purple-gold glow that Xiu'er intentionally condensed, Yue Guan's eyes grew misty.
"What a beautiful color!"
He wanted to reach out to touch it but restrained himself and withdrew his hand.
"As for the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, I've given them to my master and Qian Renxue. Elder Yue, your previously suggested auxiliary medicines can indeed be perfectly utilized. You can update your information now."
Han Li threw out another bombshell, acknowledging Chrysanthemum Douluo's expertise in this area.
"Thank you."
Yue Guan was already a bit numb, looking at Han Li with a somewhat resentful gaze. There were so many of them, yet he hadn't seen even one.
He knew Han Li wouldn't give him any, but at least letting him take a look wouldn't hurt, right? Damn it! This kid, he had thought Han Li was a good person.
At this moment, Han Li's position in his heart surpassed Dugu Bo for the first time—though in a negative ranking.
"Don't look at me like that. I do have one left. If you want to see it, that's not impossible."
Han Li, feeling goosebumps from Yue Guan's stare, quickly interrupted.
"Really? Let me see it quickly!"
Yue Guan's spirits were instantly lifted, and his eyes lit up again.
"Oh no, I mean, esteemed Holy Son, I beg you, let me see it, no, touch it."
Yue Guan's attitude made a complete 180-degree turn, leaving everyone else unable to look directly at him.
He kept wiping his hands on his exquisitely crafted robe as if cleaning them, while his eyes were fixed on Han Li.