Dark Thyme

Ren Yue asked angrily, "Why didn't you mention this to me?! I could have easily resolved this matter!"

Tao Peizhi instantly spoke, "How could we trouble young lady with this matter?! Young lady already showed us heavenly grace by recommending my dear daughter to a reputed sect."

Ren Yue saw her maid's reaction and couldn't help but smile sadly, "Peizhi…You have been serving me for all these years. Have you still not realized what kind of person I am?"

Tao Peizhi was slightly emotional as she saw Ren Yue's sad smile. She spoke respectfully, "I know, young lady. But it was also a matter of pride for my daughter and me. My daughter wished to forge her own path."

Ren Yue was still slightly dissatisfied and about to chastise her, but Long Chen placed his hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Miss Tao, can you please contact your daughter and ask her to come to meet Miss Ren? Miss Ren requires her assistance regarding an important matter," Long Chen spoke politely.

Tao Peizhi was familiar with Ren Yue's personality. When she saw Long Chen casually place his hand on Ren Yue's shoulder, she understood that this man held a special place in Ren Yue's heart.

Thus, even when talking to Long Chen, Tao Peizhi remained respectful as she spoke, "I will immediately contact my daughter."

Tao Peizhi left the meeting room for a few minutes to talk to her daughter. She planned to use that Voice Transmission Stone to contact her.

It wasn't appropriate for Ren Yue and Long Chen to listen to her conversation with her daughter, so they didn't say anything.

After she was gone, Ren Yue looked dissatisfied and asked Long Chen, "Why did you stop me?"

Long Chen was expecting this question and answered readily, "I just didn't want Miss Ren to scold her. In reality, I believe she did the right thing by not telling you about this matter. She should have this bit of pride to face the challenges ahead in her life."

"…But her life would have been much easier. In fact, we would have a 3 Star Warrior as an ally," Ren Yue wasn't convinced as she retorted unhappily.

"We must never destroy someone's pride. This kills their future. Moreover, it would have been bad for us if she was a 3 Star Warrior," Long Chen responded.

Ren Yue disagreed with Long Chen's initial words, but he caught her attention with his last sentence.

"Why would it be bad? Are you worried that she might look down on me because of my low cultivation?" Ren Yue asked with a snort.

"This is indeed a possibility, but that's not what I was talking about. For my plan to succeed, I need someone who has experienced the cruelty of this world and urgently wants to improve her strength."

"If she had become a 3 Star Warrior under 25 years of age, she would have entered the inner sect. Her desire to become stronger might have dampened, but now, she had lost her best years of cultivation. So, she is probably very dedicated to cultivation to make up for those lost years."

"I see. But what do you want her to do?" Ren Yue asked curiously.

Just as Long Chen was about to answer, Tao Peizhi returned with a respectful look on her face. She spoke, "…My daughter mentioned that she could meet young lady after a week. Actually, all the outer sect disciples of the Storm Desert Palace are out on an expedition. It's not convenient for her to leave this expedition suddenly."

"I understand. Meeting after a week will be alright, Peizhi," Ren Yue spoke nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, Long Chen asked a bit curiously, "Where is this expedition?"

"She mentioned they are in the Northern Badger Woods."

"I see," Long Chen whispered. He recalled information from his previous life. The Northern Badger Woods was a place filled with beasts.

It was only natural for the Storm Desert Sect to lead their disciples in this forest to hunt some beasts while searching for rare herbs.

As if thinking of something, he immediately spoke to Tao Peizhi, "Please ask your daughter to ignore everything and head to the northeastern direction of the Northern Badger Woods. She will soon reach a location where the soil is red. Please ask her to find a plant with black leaves and a blue stem. She must bring this plant with her when she comes to meet Miss Ren."

"I will immediately convey this message to my daughter," Tao Peizhi spoke as she headed out of the meeting hall.

Long Chen's words caught Ren Yue's attention as she asked him, "What is that plant?"

"That's a Dark Thyme. It grows on the ground where a lot of beast blood has been spilled. It's a great tonic for our cultivation techniques," Long Chen spoke calmly.

"That's great," Ren Yue was quite excited.

She didn't ask Long Chen how he knew the location of this herb, and Long Chen was quite thankful for her understanding.

Actually, Long Chen knew this because in his previous life, when the Great Disaster occurred and the cultivation techniques were spread among ordinary people, many people cultivated Yin Cultivation Art. Thus, the ones at low rank required this Dark Thyme to increase their rank quickly.

At that moment, the location of the Dark Thyme was found. An entire garden had formed in the Northern Badger Woods.

Long Chen was doubtful about the existence of this garden, but he was confident that Tao Lihua would find dozens of Dark Thyme herbs atleast.

Following the conclusion of this meeting, Ren Yue instructed Tao Peizhi to commence her duties as her maid.

Once Tao Peizhi was gone, Ren Yue looked in Long Chen's direction and asked, "…Tell me about your plan."

"Miss Ren, what is a sect's power?" Long Chen asked this question in response.

Ren Yue raised her brows upon hearing this question. After a few seconds, she spoke, "The sect leader represents a sect's power."

"Wrong," Long Chen instantly responded.

He noticed a puzzled look on Ren Yue's face and decided to explain, "A sect leader can only temporarily represent a sect's power. He will grow old and die. The true power of a sect is its legacy."

"What do you think will happen if someone inherits this legacy?" Long Chen asked with a smile.

Ren Yue finally understood what Long Chen was implying, "…You plan to make Lihua inherit the sect's legacy?! But how? They will never give it away to her."

Long Chen smiled and spoke, "Perhaps. But this is for later. For now, we have to support Tao Lihua and make her stronger."

"Her next task would be to form a small group of loyal comrades and pick a fight against the most powerful gang in the outer sect."

"W-What?! How can she pick a fight against the largest gang in the outer sect?! They will kill her!" Ren Yue spoke.

"Don't worry. Killing is prohibited in the sect. Her status as Elder Ke's disciple should also protect her from trouble. Besides, we will be choosing the time. Once she has reached a satisfactory level, only then will she pick a fight against the largest gang in the outer sect," Long Chen spoke.

He noticed that Ren Yue still appeared worried.

To dispel her worries, Long Chen spoke, "…How do you think this battle will happen?"