Chapter 61: THE HERB GARDEN

Fu Hanzheng took a small jade slip from the table and handed it to Li Yan. The moment Li Yan accepted it, he immediately scanned the contents and found a carefully arranged schedule detailing how his training would proceed over the coming months.

"In three months, the sect will begin sending you, new disciples out on missions. Do not think of those missions as mere errands. Every successfully completed mission will contribute to your advancement within the sect, and if you perform well, reaching the rank of inner disciple should not take you very long."

Li Yan studied the schedule more carefully, paying attention to the arrangement of each day. He had expected his training to be demanding, but seeing everything laid out so clearly made him realize that Fu Hanzheng had already planned his cultivation path rather thoroughly.

"You will study Apothecary with me on the first and second days of the week. The third day will be devoted to battle arts, while Pill Formation will occupy the fourth and fifth days. The sixth and seventh days will be yours. You may use them however you wish, whether you want to rest, cultivate, explore the sect, or simply play around."

Li Yan’s eyes brightened slightly when he heard that he would have two free days. Having some time to himself would be useful, especially since he still had plenty of things he wanted to investigate within the sect.

He continued looking through the schedule until his gaze stopped at one particular subject. Battle arts had not been part of what he originally intended to study, and he could not help wondering why Fu Hanzheng had deliberately included it.

"Why did you add battle arts? What I am most interested in are the things that concern Apothecary and Pill Formation."

Fu Hanzheng regarded him for a moment before giving a small, knowing smile. He had clearly anticipated that question, and his answer carried the firmness of someone who had already made up his mind.

"Because you need to be able to protect yourself. Battle arts will make you an unprecedented practitioner. You can know every medicine and herb in the world or create the finest pills anyone has ever seen, but all of that will be for nothing if you cannot protect what you possess afterward."

Li Yan listened quietly as Fu Hanzheng continued, his expression becoming more serious as he explained why he considered combat an essential part of his disciple’s education.

"Therefore, every third day will be dedicated to battle arts. I will teach you every technique I know and help you understand how to use them properly rather than simply memorising them. You possess a fire attribute, and so do I. That gives us an advantage because I can help you refine your control and turn your natural attribute into a proper weapon."

Li Yan nodded as the reasoning became clear. His master was right. There was little point in possessing extraordinary medical knowledge or being capable of creating powerful pills if someone could simply take everything from him because he lacked the strength to defend himself.

He needed offense just as much as defense, especially if he truly intended to become the strongest practitioner.

Fu Hanzheng seemed satisfied that his disciple understood the point. He leaned back in his chair for a moment before glancing toward the garden outside, where rows of medicinal plants could be seen growing beneath the gentle spiritual Qi surrounding the manor.

"For today, shall we begin with something simple? We can identify some common herbs first. I will take you to my herb garden and teach you how to distinguish them properly, so make sure you have your writing materials ready."

Li Yan immediately reached for his things and made sure he had everything he needed. Since this was his first proper lesson with his new master, he did not want to miss anything, especially when Fu Hanzheng had already made it clear that Apothecary involved far more than simply memorising the names of medicinal plants.

Fu Hanzheng rose from his chair and adjusted his robes before walking toward the entrance. He paused beside the doorway and glanced back at Li Yan, his expression carrying a hint of amusement as though he already knew how much information he was about to throw at his new disciple.

"Now then, shall we?"

Fu Hanzheng snapped his fingers, and a familiar figure appeared beside them almost immediately. Anyu gave a respectful bow before turning his attention to his master, who gestured toward Li Yan as he explained the reason for summoning him.

"Anyu will be joining us today. The herb garden is his favourite place in the manor since he serves as its gardener, so you will probably hear plenty of stories from him. He has spent enough time among those plants to know more about them than most people ever could."

Anyu smiled modestly at the introduction and motioned for them to follow him. Rather than taking them toward the garden directly, he led them through another part of the manor, and Li Yan soon realized that the building was far larger than it appeared from the outside.

The corridors seemed to stretch endlessly, with ordinary-looking doors appearing along the walls at regular intervals. Nothing about them suggested that anything extraordinary lay beyond them, yet every door seemed to lead somewhere completely different.

After walking for a while, Li Yan began noticing a change in the surroundings. A deep green hue gradually filled his vision, and the spiritual Qi in the air became noticeably richer with every step they took. Even the atmosphere seemed fresher, carrying the faint fragrance of leaves, flowers, and medicinal plants.

Anyu noticed Li Yan looking around and slowed his pace so that the young disciple could take everything in.

"You may encounter some spiritual beasts once we enter the garden, but there is no need to become alarmed. Most of them are harmless and have lived here for many years. As long as you do not provoke them, they generally will not cause you any trouble."

Li Yan nodded as they continued forward. The closer they came to the garden, the more unusual the environment became, and he could already sense traces of different lifeforms moving somewhere beyond the greenery.

Eventually, Anyu stopped before what appeared to be an ordinary wooden door. There was nothing remarkable about it, and Li Yan would never have guessed that such a simple entrance could possibly lead to the vast garden he had sensed beyond it.

When Anyu opened the door, the scenery on the other side immediately proved how deceptive appearances could be.

The herb garden existed within a pocket dimension specially created for cultivation and farming. Vast stretches of fertile land extended into the distance, covered with countless varieties of plants, herbs, flowers, and trees. Streams of clear water flowed between the fields, while spiritual Qi lingered heavily in the air, nourishing everything that grew within the dimension.

Li Yan stood at the entrance in silence, unable to take his eyes away from the magnificent sight before him. The space was far larger than he could have imagined, and every part of it seemed carefully arranged to provide the perfect environment for growing medicinal plants.

Fu Hanzheng’s manor was clearly more extraordinary than it appeared from the outside. It contained numerous pocket dimensions, each hidden behind what looked like an ordinary door. Anyone passing through the manor would never imagine that an entirely different world could exist behind such a simple entrance.

Anyu looked toward Fu Hanzheng with a fond smile before turning back to Li Yan. There was obvious pride in his expression as he looked over the endless fields that he had tended for years.

"This is my life’s work, Yanyan. I have been planting and discovering new plants and herbs here for the past twenty-five years."