Ye Tian and Hisa Tamaki followed Lan Feng inside for a distance before hearing the sound of water. An underground river flowed below, forming a large subterranean passage filled with stalactites.
Within the dark river, a white lotus bloomed, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance. In the darkness, the white lotus cast a soft white glow, a halo formed by the interaction of spiritual energy and the air.
"Earth Lotus!" Ye Tian blurted out the moment he saw the white lotus.
Lan Feng asked, "Immortal Ye, is this called an Earth Lotus? I only know that its fragrance is very comforting, and I judged it to be extremely valuable."
Ye Tian nodded, "The Earth Lotus is a precious medicinal herb, very rare."
Lan Feng smiled, "As long as it's valuable. I brought you here because I wanted to give it to you, Immortal Ye, as my repayment."
Ye Tian looked at him and said, "Lan Feng, this item is extremely precious. Are you sure you want to give it to me?"
Lan Feng chuckled, "To be honest, I don't understand medicine, nor do I know if it can be consumed. Therefore, giving it to you is making the best use of it, preventing it from being wasted."
Ye Tian nodded, "Since you say so, I won't be polite. Actually, the part of the Earth Lotus that is truly used in medicine is the jade root that grows beneath it. This jade root is an extremely precious medicinal ingredient, and it's the first time I've encountered it."
As he spoke, he went barefoot into the underground river, descended several meters, and dug out more than ten sections of root as thick as a child's arm, weighing about seven or eight jin.
Lan Feng asked, "Immortal Ye, the Earth Lotus growing here, does it mean this place is not simple?"
Ye Tian observed his surroundings and said, "This is part of the Earth's Lung, a place where earth energy converges, making it prone to nurturing such spiritual items."
He paused, then continued, "The location where this Earth Lotus grows is somewhat peculiar. Its roots are neither too deep nor too shallow, and there are signs that its jade root has been harvested before. I suspect this Earth Lotus was planted here by someone."
Lan Feng was surprised, "Planted by someone?"
Hisa Tamaki asked, "Mr. Ye, is it possible that the person merely discovered the Earth Lotus here by chance, and therefore frequently came to harvest the jade root?"
Ye Tian shook his head, "Earlier, underwater, I found three old spots where Earth Lotuses grew. This indicates that the person had planted at least four Earth Lotuses here, but only this one has survived until now."
Lan Feng thought of something and suddenly asked, "Immortal Ye, how many years does it take for an Earth Lotus to grow to this scale?"
Ye Tian replied, "This Earth Lotus has lived for at least three hundred years."
Lan Feng's face showed astonishment, "In that case, that person must be at least over three hundred years old!"
Ye Tian said, "No matter how old the other party is, it has nothing to do with us. Let's go."
The three of them walked out of the cave. The Gu master was still kneeling on the ground. Ye Tian glanced at him and said, "I'll let you off today. Scram."
The Gu master acted as if he had received a great pardon, quickly kowtowed his thanks, and then hurried down the mountain without looking back.
Hisa Tamaki remarked, "Mr. Ye is merciful. If it were me, I would have taken his life."
Ye Tian said, "The spiritual Gu within this person's body is already very powerful. In fact, he doesn't have many years left to live."
Hisa Tamaki was taken aback, "He's going to die?"
Ye Tian nodded, "A dying person, killing him is of no benefit. Let him live a few more years."
The three returned to the home in the small town. The group was not in a hurry to leave and arranged a meal with the host that day.
After eating, it was already dusk. Ye Tian went out into the wilderness alone. The Xianji Gu could control all spirits. Not only did Gu insects fear it, but living beings also feared it. He wanted to go out and test its effects.
Soon, he found a wild rabbit. The rabbit was feeding in the grass. After Ye Tian noticed it, the rabbit suddenly trembled all over and lay on the ground, not daring to move. Ye Tian walked closer and tapped its forehead, but it still did not dare to move.
He smiled slightly, it seemed the deterrent power of the Xianji Gu was quite strong.
He walked a bit further and found a fox. The fox was not large and was hunting. Upon seeing Ye Tian, the fox immediately shrank into a ball, then extended its front paws and kowtowed to Ye Tian like a human!