(Hehe! A fellow reader named Zangxiang has provided a group number: 25408079. Wangyu is very grateful. Interested readers are welcome to join and discuss!)
After making up his mind, Han Li set down the jade slip and picked up another one.
The "Age-Preserving Pill" was far simpler to craft than the Foundation Establishment Pill. It didn't require true fire for refinement, nor did it call for any unfamiliar medicinal ingredients — everything on the list was quite common.
The only thing that made him click his tongue was that these herbs all required at least a thousand years of medicinal potency before they could serve as ingredients for the Age-Preserving Pill. No wonder he had never heard of this pill before. After all, if a cultivator had a spirit herb with over a thousand years of growth, they would treasure it like their own heart and liver — why would they waste it on a pill that did nothing for one's cultivation? That was precisely why so few people in the cultivation world knew about the Age-Preserving Pill.
But for Han Li, this was no problem at all — it would just take a bit longer to cultivate them. He decided that once he had the Foundation Establishment Pill situation sorted out, he would try to refine a batch, just to see if it was really as miraculous as the recipe claimed — that it could keep a person's appearance frozen at the age they were when they took the pill.
Six or seven days later, when the little old man came to the Hundred Herbs Garden again to collect his herbs, Han Li made no effort to disguise his interest. He stood in the garden and directly asked about the three legendary herbs.
"Jade Marrow Fungus, Purple Monkey Flower, Heavenly Spirit Fruit?" The little old man stroked his thin mustache, his small eyes narrowing to slits.
"Heh heh! It seems my dear nephew has gotten hold of the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe, and that's why he's asking about these three main ingredients! But tell me, nephew — do you actually think you can refine pills yourself?" The Master Ma twisted his lips, looking at Han Li with an expression that said *you really have no idea how the world works.* "Of course not. Putting aside the fact that I know nothing about these three main ingredients, where would I even find auxiliary herbs with several hundred years of medicinal age? Even in your garden, the oldest plant is nothing more than a Century Dragon Grass that's barely over a hundred years old! Under these circumstances, how could your nephew possibly entertain any thoughts of pill refining?" Han Li had no intention of telling the truth and smoothly deflected the question.
"If you're not planning to refine pills, then why are you asking about these three herbs? I'm a busy man — I don't have time to chat with you!" The little old man's face went cold, and he spoke without a shred of warmth.
Han Li had long anticipated this eccentric uncle's temperament, so he wasn't flustered in the slightest. He simply smiled and said, "Your nephew merely noticed that the names of these three main herbs are quite unusual, and I've never heard anyone describe their appearance or medicinal properties, so I was naturally curious and asked on a whim. What I don't understand, though, is why your garden doesn't contain a single one of these three herbs either. Given how rare and precious they are, by your usual practice, Master Uncle should have gone out of your way to obtain seeds and cultivate them here. Could it be that these herbs are so difficult to grow that even you can't manage to keep them alive?"
"Nonsense! Are you questioning my skill? The reason these herbs aren't in my garden has nothing to do with my abilities. They are transformations of natural spiritual energy between heaven and earth — naturally occurring species that grow on their own! Where would you find seeds for them? And even if you somehow got your hands on a seedling, their growing conditions are far too unique. They simply cannot survive in an ordinary environment. No amount of effort would change that. Otherwise, do you think I would have let them go?" The little old man was quite provoked by Han Li's words and couldn't help but grow irritated.
"No seeds? How is that possible!" Han Li blurted out involuntarily.
"Hmph, how is it impossible? Consider this — for something that's nearly extinct in the outside world yet immensely useful to cultivators, if it could be artificially grown, don't you think every major sect would have fields of them by now? Would the Foundation Establishment Pill be dwindling year after year?" The little old man rolled his eyes at Han Li and spoke in an exasperated tone.
Han Li felt his heart go cold at the old man's words. The Green Liquid's cultivation effect was wonderful, but if there wasn't even a basic seed to start with, how could he cultivate anything? He couldn't create something from nothing!
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going. I'll come back in two months for the next batch of herbs." Master Ma hadn't noticed the strange look on Han Li's face and turned to leave.
"But the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill are produced every ten years — where do they come from? If what you say is true and their growing conditions are so unusual, there should at least be some fixed location where they grow!" Han Li's mind raced, and he immediately thought of another way out. No seeds was fine — there were still immature seedlings! If he could find enough of them, he could still cultivate them with the Green Liquid. He hurriedly called out to ask.
"Your curiosity really is something else! But I'd advise you to give up on the idea. Going to that place to find those three herbs is practically the same as committing suicide." The little old man couldn't even be bothered to turn his head. After delivering that cold remark, he flew off without another word.
Han Li was left behind, standing rooted to the spot, motionless for a long time.
"These three herbs — I will get my hands on them no matter what. So what if he won't tell me? Can I not ask someone else?" Han Li raised his eyes to the sky, let out a long, slow breath, and murmured to himself.