"Young master, where are we going?" Xiaocui blinked and asked. After more than a month of spending time together, the sharp-witted Xiaocui had already noticed that her young master was different from before.

"I don’t know, just wandering around. Maybe someone will be so mesmerized by my dashing looks that they’ll gift me tens of thousands of silver taels," Tang Yan replied casually.

Hearing Tang Yan’s nonsensical words, Xiaocui couldn't help but roll her eyes and pretended not to hear him.

Tang Yan deliberately moved towards the busiest areas, wandering for nearly half an hour before finally stopping, muttering under his breath, "It should be appearing soon."

With the keen soul power of a grand alchemist, he could naturally sense that people had been tailing him. There was no need to guess—among those who had openly fallen out with the Tang family in Yun City, besides the Liu family, there was no one else. And within the Liu family, the most likely culprit was Liu Yuan.

Suddenly, Tang Yan felt a slight tremor from the Heaven’s Creation Cauldron within his body.

Since his rebirth over a month ago, the Heaven’s Creation Cauldron had rarely shown any reaction. The first time it moved was when it transmitted the Supreme Alchemy Scripture to him, and the second time was when it devoured his Initial Spirit Pill.

And now, what was triggering it this time?

His eyes scanned the surroundings like lightning before finally settling on an old man sitting by the roadside.

Casually, Tang Yan strolled toward the elderly man. As he drew closer, the tremors from the Heaven’s Creation Cauldron intensified, shaking violently inside his dantian as if something nearby was calling to it.

Tang Yan took a closer look at the old man. He appeared to be in his sixties, a commoner, sitting in front of a stall that displayed various medicinal herbs.

Most of the herbs were quite ordinary. The most valuable one among them was a ginseng root, which seemed to be around thirty years old.

As Tang Yan approached, he quickly examined each herb on the stall.

"Flat Mushroom Grass—ordinary medicinal herb. Bone-Strengthening Grass—ordinary medicinal herb. Red Fruit—ordinary medicinal herb…"

After scanning through everything, he still found nothing particularly special.

Frowning slightly, he was about to leave when the old man, noticing the richly dressed young noble stopping at his stall, immediately put on a warm smile. "Young master, are you interested in some herbs? My prices are fair, and these herbs were freshly dug just a few days ago—their medicinal potency is still strong."

"Old man, are these all the herbs you have?" Tang Yan asked while glancing at the bamboo basket next to him.

The old man sighed. He assumed that this noble young master had found nothing to his liking and chuckled bitterly, "Everything I can sell is laid out here."

Tang Yan's eyes lit up. Everything I can sell? That meant there was still something inside the basket!

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

He stepped forward and lifted the cloth covering the basket, revealing a single herb inside.

The moment he saw its shape, Tang Yan's pupils shrank sharply, and he almost cried out in excitement.

The herb was not large, its entire body withered and yellow, roughly the size of a radish. Its tangled roots looked messy and unappealing.

But Tang Yan recognized it immediately—Spirit Whirlpool Fruit!

This herb was extremely rare, requiring highly specific conditions to grow. Its primary function was to refine the dantian, allowing it to store more true qi. It was akin to a cup—though its height remained the same, if its diameter expanded, it could hold more water.

Tang Yan had not expected to stumble upon such a treasure today. Suppressing his excitement, he deliberately asked with a disdainful expression, "What is this thing? It looks ugly."

"I found this in the deep mountains, but my old eyes don’t recognize it," the old man answered truthfully.

"I think it looks pretty decent. Maybe if I stew it with an old hen, it'll make a great tonic. How much do you want for it?" Tang Yan asked nonchalantly.

The old man shook his head. "I don’t know what it is, but judging from its appearance, its medicinal properties have probably faded long ago. If the young master wants it, you can just take it."

"Then I shall thank you, old man. Xiaocui, pay him a hundred taels of silver," Tang Yan said with a wave of his hand.

Xiaocui sighed internally, thinking her young master had returned to his extravagant ways. Nonetheless, she took out a banknote worth one hundred taels of silver and handed it to the old man.

"This… I cannot accept this," the old man hurriedly refused. "This herb is worth at most one tael."

"When this young master tells you to take it, you take it. Don’t argue," Tang Yan said impatiently.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then tears welled up in his eyes. He suddenly knelt to the ground. "My grandson is gravely ill, and I was worried about not having money for his treatment. Young master, your kindness is a life-saving grace! If there is ever anything I can do for you in the future, I will not hesitate, even if it costs me my life!"

"Old man, please get up! If people see you kneeling, they might think our young master is bullying the common folk," Xiaocui hurriedly helped him up.

Tang Yan had no desire to linger. As soon as he picked up the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit, the Heaven’s Creation Cauldron inside him trembled with excitement, like a starving infant.

With a sudden realization, he quickly handed the herb to Xiaocui. That damn cauldron! It’s acting just like last time when it swallowed my Initial Spirit Pill. It must want to devour this herb too!

"Young master, what is this thing? It's really ugly," Xiaocui muttered, looking at the herb in distaste.

Tang Yan sternly instructed, "Xiaocui, this is a precious item. You must handle it carefully. If it gets damaged, it would be a great loss. Hold onto it tightly, and when we get home, I’ll reward you with a hundred taels of silver."

Hearing this, Xiaocui’s eyes sparkled with joy, and she held onto the herb like a prized treasure. Though her young master had always been generous to her, this was the first time he had been so extravagant with money.

Tang Yan was about to head back home when a mocking voice interrupted him.

"Well, well, I was wondering who this was. Turns out it's Young Master Tang! Haven’t seen you in over a month—surely you haven’t forgotten about me?"

"How could I forget?" Tang Yan smirked. "Just a month ago, I beat you like a dog and won two thousand taels from you. How could I forget such a generous person who gets beaten by me and still gives me money?"

A group of four approached—besides Liu Yuan, there were two guards and a young man in a green robe.

Tang Yan narrowed his eyes. A Yellow Rank First Stage warrior? He must be a direct descendant of the Liu family.

Liu Yuan, now dressed in a white robe and holding a folding fan, was clearly imitating Tang Yan’s previous look. At first, he carried himself with an air of nobility, but upon hearing Tang Yan's words, his breath hitched, and his face flushed red with anger.

Just a few days ago, this fool barely had a sharp tongue—how did he become so vicious? Every word was dripping with mockery, yet not a single curse word was used!

"You bastard, I—" Liu Yuan started to curse.

"Keep your voice down!" Tang Yan interrupted, pointing at him with an exaggerated expression of shock. "They say you can judge a man’s taste by the company he keeps. If you yell so loudly, people might think we’re friends! If they mistake me for someone as low-class as you, wouldn’t that tarnish the reputation of my Tang family?"

Liu Yuan opened his mouth to retort, but his mind blanked in rage. He had never been insulted like this before.