Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

As night fell, in the east wing of the Li residence.

Ye Xuan sat cross-legged on the couch, his perception covering the entire mansion, taking in all the changes.

The mixed medicinal fragrance during the day grew stronger in the night, mixed with a few traces of sweet and fishy smell, which was the unique aroma of the Mist-Hidden Flower after it was refined.

"Were they concocting a bewitching powder the night before the Hundred Herbs Gathering?"

He had just learned a little about the Hundred Herbs Gathering, which is actually a traditional custom of Qingxia Town. It refers to the fact that the major families in the town contribute funds to refine various herbs for sacrificial activities.

At that time, it is said that there will be no taboos.

He opened his eyes and looked out the window. All the lights in the Li mansion were out, except for the courtyard in the northwest corner, which was still dimly lit. That was where the Li family's medicine storehouse was located.

In his perception, Li Muyun and two old men were gathered around a bronze furnace about half a person's height. The furnace was filled with bluish-white flames and swirling smoke. The contents of the furnace were the sacred herbs that had been delivered during the day.

Ye Xuan withdrew his senses and noticed that the mind-control powder refined by the Li family was slightly different from the usual one, with the addition of a strange medicinal ingredient.

He lightly tapped the storage bag with his fingertip, and six Wind Talismans slid into his sleeve.

Since Tang Zhao went to great lengths to lure me here, there must be some hidden meaning behind the Hundred Herbs Gathering to be held in Qingxia Town.

Pushing open the door, Ye Xuan's figure blended into the night, his aura of blue and white flowing across his body, completely concealing his presence.

The courtyard was quiet at this moment, and the moon was hidden behind the clouds.

The Li residence is laid out in an orderly manner, with the medicine storehouse located in the northwest corner. It is a separate courtyard with a gate and walls about ten feet high. A simple warning array is set up on the top of the wall, and the spiritual light can be seen faintly in the night.

Ye Xuan stopped under an old locust tree outside the courtyard, his senses penetrating into the wall.

There were no guards inside the courtyard, only two gray-clad servants standing guard in front of the medicine storehouse. Their cultivation levels were not high, both being in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

The bronze furnace was still burning inside the medicine storehouse. Li Muyun and the two old men had stopped refining medicine and were now talking quietly around a stone table.

"You should all go back now. Tomorrow is the Herbal Gathering. Relax and enjoy yourself."

The two old men took their leave after receiving their orders. Ye Xuan did not notice anything unusual about Li Muyun. It seemed that tomorrow was just a grand event for the whole town to enjoy.

At this moment, Tang Zhao walked in, and Li Muyun immediately looked at him with respect and asked:

"Brother Tang, is your visit so late at night because you need me to do something for you?"

Tang Zhao simply nodded. "It's nothing, just my junior brother."

"He only returned to the sect from a mission in the wasteland a few days ago, he must be exhausted, tomorrow..."

He left his sentence unfinished, while simultaneously giving Li Muyun a perfectly timed glance, which the Li family patriarch immediately understood.

"Oh, Brother Tang is absolutely right. Tomorrow, I, Li, will personally take this Brother Zhao Wu on a tour."

Tang Zhao nodded, looking quite satisfied, but before leaving, he gave one last, concerned instruction:

"Give them all to my junior brother; he hasn't experienced your Hundred Herbs Gathering yet."

"clear."

……

After leaving the Li family's medicine storehouse, Tang Zhao took out the mission token he had shown Ye Xuan the day before from his pocket. The mark on it, "Bing", was already somewhat blurred.

"Hmph, just you wait, Zhao Wu. Let's see how you'll be willing to go back before tomorrow evening."

Even with your exceptional willpower, it's probably too late!

He crushed the wooden token in his hand, and looking at the pieces of wood that had been crushed into fragments, he realized that the mission tokens of the Star-Picking Hall were made of high-quality sandalwood, which was hard in texture. However, Tang Zhao had not even used his spiritual power just now, so there was only one possibility.

This token is fake.

"That makes sense. What threat could those bandits pose to the disciples of the Holy Sect?"

The escort mission was real, but the reward would probably be far less than sixty merit points, which made Tang Zhao very confident.

"It seems that Senior Brother Tang wants to see me overdue and then be exiled to the back mountain."

Ye Xuan finally understood Tang Zhao's true intention, but he still didn't know what kind of scene the grand event they had been talking about was.

My senses extended beyond the Li family mansion. At this time, there were not many pedestrians in Qingxia Town, but they were all drunk.

Several families were producing medicine at the same time, and the smell emanating from their medicine warehouses had permeated the entire town. Most of the medicines contained bewitching drugs, which resulted in this situation...

Ye Xuan stopped thinking about it. Since Senior Brother Tang had gone to such lengths to think of him, he couldn't possibly disappoint his senior brother.

After returning to his room, Ye Xuan fell asleep peacefully and slept until the next morning.

Even when it was still barely light, there was a faint restlessness on the street.

Ye Xuan pushed open the door, and the servants of the Li family were already waiting outside the courtyard. They bowed and said:

"Master Zhao, the patriarch invites you to the front hall for breakfast. We will then proceed together to the Hundred Herbs Gathering later."

Master Zhao? Not bad!

Following the servant to the front hall, Li Muyun and Tang Zhao were already sitting at the table. On the table were several dishes of congee and side dishes, which looked ordinary, but were all cooked with spiritual herbs, and faint spiritual energy was emanating from them.

"Junior Brother Zhao is here. Did you sleep well last night?"

Tang Zhao greeted him with a smile, while keeping his eyes fixed on Ye Xuan. Seeing that Ye Xuan looked just as drunk as the others in the Li household, he felt relieved.

"It's acceptable."

Ye Xuan sat down, his gaze sweeping over the dishes on the table. He subtly probed the dishes with his senses, but found nothing unusual.

"The air in Qingxia Town seems even fresher and richer than yesterday, making one feel as if they are in a fairyland!"

Li Muyun laughed heartily, taking the opportunity to improve the relationship between the two, "Brother Zhao, you're too kind, but the Hundred Herbs Society has always been like this."

"The aromas of various herbs blend together, and after a while, one does feel slightly tipsy. But this is a characteristic of this grand event, as you will soon find out, Brother Zhao."

After having breakfast, the three of them left the Li residence together.

The streets were bustling with people, a stark contrast to yesterday's quietness. Most of the townspeople had flushed faces and were walking with a slight sway. The air was filled with the intoxicating scent of flowers mixed with the smell of alcohol.

The street stalls are lined up, but they don't sell anything; everything is free!

That's right, everything in the shops is completely free today.

Li Muyun led the two through the crowd, pointed to a bluestone square in the distance, and explained to Ye Xuan:

"The main venue is over there. The Hundred Herbs Festival will be held later, and the whole town will celebrate together."

Tang Zhao suddenly leaned closer to Ye Xuan, his expression meaningful, and lowered his voice to say:

"Junior brother, since you're here, make the best of it."

Although this Hundred Herbs Gathering may seem absurd, it is a century-old tradition of Qingxia Town. For us cultivators, it's not a bad thing to occasionally experience the mortal world.

He spoke sincerely, but a barely perceptible hint of expectation flickered in his eyes.

Ye Xuan nodded. "Senior brother is right."

When the three arrived at the square, a wooden platform three zhang high had been erected in the center, with more than ten bronze furnaces of different sizes on it, the fires burning brightly.

The audience was surrounded by townspeople, each holding a ceramic bowl filled with a dark green liquid that had a pungent smell.

Ye Xuan immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of those bronze censers, but he kept quiet about it. He only saw Li Muyun take three ceramic bowls and hand them to Ye Xuan and Tang Zhao.

"This is a blend of a hundred kinds of spiritual herbs. After drinking it, you will feel completely comfortable and light as a feather."

Tang Zhao took the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and after a moment a blush rose to his face, his eyes slightly unfocused, and he smiled:

"Mmm, it still tastes the same after all these years! Junior Brother Zhao, you should try some too."

Ye Xuan picked up the ceramic bowl and quietly circulated the blue and white energies within his body, instantly breaking down and consuming the liquid he drank. On the surface, he pretended to be slightly drunk, his eyes gradually becoming hazy.

"It really is good stuff..."

Ye Xuan's steps were unsteady as he leaned against a pillar beside him.

Seeing this, Tang Zhao's smile widened, and he winked at Li Muyun.

Li Muyun understood, "Now, the ceremony begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, wisps of green smoke rose from the bronze cauldrons on the platform. Several plumes of smoke gathered together and instantly covered the sky above Qingxia Town, preventing any sunlight from penetrating.

The entire town lit up with lights, creating a dim atmosphere in the streets, and the townspeople immediately began to dance and move about freely.

Li Muyun stepped forward and took Ye Xuan's arm, saying very considerately:

"Brother Zhao seems to be drunk. Why don't you rest in the side room for a while and come out to watch the ceremony when it's at its most lively?"

Ye Xuan gave a vague reply and let Li Muyun help him leave the square, while Tang Zhao stayed behind, watching the two figures as they walked away, secretly excited.