Going to the Medicine Valley

Chapter 21: Going to the Medicine Valley

I don't remember there ever being such a setting in the novel. Not that I would know—this body had died in the beginning. How would he have known such things?

Aerich's thoughts continued. Wait… Could it be part of another general trope where the protagonist becomes the only junior brother of six senior sisters?

He didn't count Tasia; she was the heroine of the novel Aerich and Mo Jian belonged to.

"So… What will be your decision?"

Elder Cofia was looking at him with a slightly irritated expression as she noticed Aerich's dazed look.

"Elder… I-I am sorry, but I will have to reject your offer. However, could you write me a recommendation letter or arrange for me to work as a servant on another mountain peak directly?"

Aerich shook his head to dismiss useless thoughts and answered Elder Cofia.

But why hasn't Elder Sheng Tian come yet to fetch me?

"Are you sure? You really don't want to work in Celestial Jade Peak as a servant… Or are you ashamed to perform a servant's duties in front of your friend here?"

Aerich was slightly surprised when he saw Elder Cofia suddenly change her tone. A moment ago, she was trying to drive him away, and now she was questioning whether he was sure about rejecting her offer.

She was even attempting to provoke his male ego to make him agree. However, Aerich was not someone who would let his ego endanger his life.

Life always came first on his priority list.

Deciding to play along for now, Aerich rubbed the back of his head and replied with an awkward grin. "Hehe… E-Elder…"

He smiled bitterly but chose to say no more. Sometimes brevity worked wonders.

Elder Cofia gave up on recruiting Aerich as a servant for her mountain peak when she saw how far he was willing to go to reject her offer.

In truth, she had her reasons for wanting to recruit Aerich. She had observed his entrance test and noted his actions at the end. Despite cultivating a technique that enhanced his agility and allowed him to merge into shadows, Aerich hadn't touched the female cultivators on the stairs directly with his hands.

She wasn't the only Elder who had been impressed. Many others had noticed his restraint. Men like him were rare—unfortunately, his talent in cultivation was lacking.

The biggest reason, however, was the Sect Leader's insistence that she take in male disciples. Her prolonged refusal to recruit new disciples had pushed Celestial Jade Peak's ranking in the Sect Competition to near the bottom of the leaderboard.

While Elder Cofia believed Aerich to be an honest and simple boy with no impure thoughts, she also feared his presence might disrupt Tasia's focus on cultivation. In the end, everything had its pros and cons.

"Then tell me—what peak do you want to go to?" Elder Cofia asked. Since Aerich had rejected her offer, he must have another destination in mind.

"I don't have any specific place in mind, but I wanted to ask, Elder—do you know where Elder Sheng Tian is?"

Aerich decided to risk revealing his trump card. He couldn't possibly search for Elder Sheng Tian by himself in such a vast sect.

"You know Elder Sheng Tian? So that's who you were relying on all along. Now I understand why you dared to participate in the entrance test with your meager cultivation of the Third Layer of Qi Refining."

Elder Cofia's expression shifted as realization dawned on her. Aerich's mention of Elder Sheng Tian explained his otherwise puzzling confidence.

Tasia, meanwhile, was confused. She had no idea who this Elder Sheng Tian was, but her usually composed master's reaction suggested he was a significant figure within the sect.

"Master, who is Elder Sheng Tian? Is he also a Peak Master like you?" Tasia couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

"I'll tell you later," Elder Cofia replied before turning back to Aerich. "But first, I want to know—how are you associated with Elder Sheng Tian?"

"My father, Yu Zhong, is Elder Sheng Tian's junior brother," Aerich replied.

Elder Cofia's reaction grew more pronounced at the mention of Yu Zhong. For those of her generation, the names Yu Zhong and Sheng Tian evoked awe and reverence.

It was said that Yu Zhong had left the sect after his cultivation base was crippled, forcing him to fall to the Core Condensation Realm. Rumor had it he had offended a powerful figure in the Central Continent over a woman.

However, Aerich's ignorance of the truth was evident, and Elder Cofia had no intention of enlightening him. Sheng Tian's wrath was not something she wanted to incur.

"Well, Elder Sheng Tian is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to a higher realm. He won't emerge for several years. Why don't you stay here until then?"

Now that she knew Aerich's identity, Elder Cofia saw an opportunity to curry favor with Sheng Tian by helping his junior brother's son.

Aerich, however, felt lost. While Elder Cofia's offer was kind, who knew how long Elder Sheng Tian's seclusion would last? There was also no guarantee he would survive the tribulation necessary to ascend to a higher realm.

"No, thank you, Elder. But if you could arrange for me to work as a servant on another mountain peak, I would be most grateful," Aerich said, cupping his hands respectfully.

"Very well. You can go to Medicine Valley as a servant disciple. Here, take this token," Elder Cofia replied, handing him an inscribed token. "Show it to any Elder or disciple there, and they'll know what to do."

Noticing Aerich's confusion about the valley's location, she added, "Oh, and this token also has a guiding function. See that red dot? That's you. The triangle in the distance is Medicine Valley."

Aerich was once again surprised by how advanced this world was. Despite lacking science or scientists, they had invented something akin to a smartphone from his previous life.

It even had a GPS-like function that worked without the internet. Or perhaps it was just called by a different name here—'Divine Sense.'