Chapter Sixty-Nine: Seeking the Millennium Elixir! (Please recommend, add to your collection, and reward!)

"Who are you?" Hou Jinping's gaze swept over Qin Feng, questioning with confusion.

As the steward of Treasure Herb Pavilion in Yuntian Prefecture, Hou Jinping was familiar with most of the powerful heads and young masters of the top families. Yet, as he studied Qin Feng, the face before him was utterly unfamiliar.

"Qin Feng, Martial Officer of the Garrison, Deputy Commander of the Guard," Qin Feng replied in a low, steady voice.

At Qin Feng's words and upon seeing his face, Hou Jinping’s heart trembled. Could this be the famed fifteen-year-old Garrison Officer?

"Officer Qin, please, have a seat here!"

"Someone, prepare tea and refreshments for Officer Qin!"

"Officer Qin, please wait a moment, I will inform the Pavilion Mistress immediately," Hou Jinping said respectfully and swiftly. He settled Qin Feng in and hurried off to alert the mistress.

As for whether Qin Feng might be deceiving him, Hou Jinping wasn’t concerned; once the mistress arrived, the truth would reveal itself. If Qin Feng was lying, Treasure Herb Pavilion had ways to make him regret it.

When Huang Ningbing heard Hou Jinping’s report, she, too, was suspicious. After all, Qin Feng’s days in Yuntian Prefecture had not been easy. She quickly notified Chen Yunlong and Liu Xiang, both Garrison Officers, to join her.

"So it really is Officer Qin," Huang Ningbing remarked as she entered the VIP chamber and saw Qin Feng sitting serenely. She had half-expected someone to be impersonating him when Hou Jinping came to notify her.

"Has Officer Qin come to see a little lady like me, so late at night?" Her tone was playful, her gaze bold as she sized him up with a coquettish smile, her expressions betraying nothing of her surprise.

"Pavilion Mistress Huang, I've come this late because I wish to purchase a millennium spirit herb," Qin Feng replied. His eyes flickered with admiration at her attire—a white long dress with a deep and alluring neckline—before he quietly banished all stray thoughts, his voice returning to calm.

"Officer Qin, you really have no sense of romance. You break your elder sister's heart," Huang Ningbing teased, pressing her hand to her chest and leaning forward over the table with a pitiful, captivating air.

"Enchantress!" Qin Feng instinctively drew back.

"Pavilion Mistress Huang, may I ask if Treasure Herb Pavilion has any millennium spirit herbs in stock?" he asked, standing formally, fists clasped, his tone tense and solemn.

"Naturally, Treasure Herb Pavilion, with commerce reaching all corners, does have millennium spirit herbs!" she replied, her curiosity growing as she studied Qin Feng. Who would have imagined that the prodigy famed for slaying Old Ancestor Qinghe, whose name resounded throughout Yuntian Prefecture and even the Great Chu Empire, could show such an endearing side?

"Commander Chen, please bring out three of our millennium spirit herbs," Huang Ningbing instructed.

"Yes, Mistress," Chen Yunlong answered, departing quickly. Moments later, he returned carrying three ornate, ancient brocade boxes.

Carefully, Huang Ningbing arranged the boxes on the table and opened them one by one, revealing the spirit herbs within. Each emitted a soft white aura, as if bathed in a radiant halo, releasing a wondrous fragrance.

"Millennium spirit herbs!" Qin Feng’s heartbeat quickened, his breath growing rapid.

"Millennium Heartflower, Millennium Purplefire Bloom, Millennium Falling Blossom—all worth one hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold each. Officer Qin, will you be purchasing one, or all three?" Huang Ningbing explained their properties with a sweet smile.

"Pavilion Mistress Huang, could you lower the price a little?" Qin Feng asked in a low voice after a moment of thought; he had only one hundred thousand taels of gold on hand.

"Officer Qin is about to become Deputy Commander of the Guard—let me congratulate you first. For one of these millennium spirit herbs, you need only pay one hundred and fifteen thousand taels," Huang Ningbing replied smoothly, her smile unwavering.

Qin Feng fell silent; he was still short by fifteen thousand taels.

"Pavilion Mistress Huang, I have only one hundred thousand taels. Might I owe the remaining fifteen thousand?" Qin Feng asked quietly after a moment’s hesitation.

"Well..." Huang Ningbing hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Very well. Officer Qin is a prodigy renowned across the Great Chu Empire—I am certain you would never default on a debt to me." With that, she handed the Millennium Purplefire Bloom to him.

"Thank you, Pavilion Mistress," Qin Feng said, bowing with clasped fists. He handed over a silver note for one hundred thousand taels and, with the spirit herb in hand, hurried away.

"It seems Qin Feng has truly been forced to his limits by the Zhao family. He must be seeking to strengthen himself to resist their threat," Chen Yunlong murmured, shaking his head as he watched Qin Feng’s retreating figure. Once, Qin Feng had arrived in Yuntian Prefecture full of spirit and confidence. But the Zhao family was a behemoth, entrenched in Yuntian Prefecture, and now that Qin Feng had offended them, he could hardly take a step in the city.

"Indeed. The Zhao family commands three Garrison Officers, none of them mere beginners—their strength is overwhelming, beyond what Qin Feng can withstand," Liu Xiang added, nodding.

"It's a pity Qin Feng has already joined the court. Otherwise, I'd have wanted to invite him into Treasure Herb Pavilion myself," Huang Ningbing sighed. A fifteen-year-old Garrison Officer—such a talent, if cultivated, would have limitless prospects.

...

"The Chen family! The Zhao family! Just wait—I’ll crush you both soon enough!" Qin Feng returned to the Lin residence, greeted Lin Xiaozhong, and then went straight to his room, locking the door behind him so no one could disturb him.

"Time to cultivate!" Without hesitation, Qin Feng swallowed the millennium spirit herb whole, chewing and sending it down into his stomach. Instantly, its medicinal power exploded into a massive surge of energy.

He quickly activated the Ninefold Roaring Wave Technique, guiding the energy into his true essence and rushing to open his acupoints.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Qin Feng attacked his acupoints with brute force—no gradual approach, but a wild, direct assault, heedless of the damage to his acupoints or meridians, forcing them open one after another.

A muffled groan escaped him with each attempt. The impact caused severe damage to his acupoints and meridians, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. But despite the searing pain inside, he paid it no mind; he watched as acupoint after acupoint opened, a broad smile spreading across his face as his strength grew by leaps and bounds.

Qin Feng's cultivation consumed three full days. During that time, Lin Xiaozhong came by, but when there was no answer at the door, he simply left.

On the fourth day—

Boom!

Qin Feng had forced open eleven of the extraordinary and regular meridians, his cultivation breaking through into the mid-stage Garrison Officer realm.

“Hah!” He exhaled a long breath of stale air, eyes shining with excitement, his face and brows alight with joy.

"Open the menu!" He flexed his body, brushing off the encrusted blood from his skin, then focused on the "+" symbol in his right eye’s vision, calling up his personal status screen.

Name: Qin Feng

Realm: Mid-stage Garrison Officer

Strength: 154,000 catties (+1)(+100)(+10,000)

"An increase of four thousand catties of strength," Qin Feng mused, studying the interface. His internal power had grown by four thousand catties—surely a reward for breaking through into the mid-stage Garrison Officer realm and the resulting increase in cultivation.