Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 776: Ancestral Dragon Grass

“This should be the place.”

Lu Yang and the other three arrived at a small teahouse. The environment was boisterous, gathering people from all walks of life.

“Waiter, give us a pot of High-Mountain Jasmine Tea.”

“Gotcha.”

According to Xiao Xinghai, this teahouse was a secret location for issuing missions. Ordering a pot of High-Mountain Jasmine Tea, which didn’t actually exist, signified you weren’t a patron but a cultivator here for a mission.

It wasn’t all the time that a Dragon Tribe member waited here for cultivators keen on taking up missions. Sometimes, one had to wait half a day for a Dragon Tribe member to come. With terrible luck, it was possible to wait three days without a Dragon Tribe member showing up.

Lu Yang and the others had decent luck. After drinking two pots of tea, a Dragon Tribe member transmitted an auditory message to them. “Four young friends, come to the room at the far end of the west wing for a discussion.”

The group had to admit that whatever tea the waiter served genuinely tasted decent. After finishing their tea, they arrived at the west wing room to find it empty, save for a Dragon Tribe member wrapped tightly, unwilling to let Lu Yang and the others know his identity. Only two dragon horns that were left uncovered proved he was a dragon. It was a belief of the Dragon Tribe that their horns were a source of pride and must not be concealed.

“You are here to obtain Dragon blood?”

“Yes. Our friend is severely injured and needs Dragon blood to heal.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The black-robed dragon snorted coldly, treating Lu Yang’s words as a sob story. “We are strangers coming together by chance, each taking what we need. No need to explain too much; what you need the blood for is none of my concern.

“I need you to help me find the Ancestral Dragon Grass.”

“Ancestral Dragon Grass? The legendary grass beloved by the Dragon Tribe’s Ancient Ancestor and now on the brink of extinction?” Li Haoran recalled the grass’s origins from Qin Haoran’s memories.

The black-robed dragon glanced at Li Haoran with slight surprise. I didn’t expect young people nowadays to know about the Ancestral Dragon Grass; even among the older generation, few know of it.

“My subordinate disappeared while transporting the Ancestral Dragon Grass, and I have no idea what happened. Perhaps he was harmed by my arch-enemy, or perhaps an accident occurred. Nevertheless, I can faintly sense that the Ancestral Dragon Grass is right in this sea market.

“My identity is special; every move I make may draw the attention of potential enemies. It’s inconvenient for me to search for the Ancestral Dragon Grass personally.

The black-robed dragon flicked out a drop of blood. “This is a drop of my Dragon essence blood. It will react if it gets close to the Ancestral Dragon Grass. Carry this drop of blood with you to search for the grass. If you can find it, Dragon blood won’t be a problem.”

Lu Yang took out a porcelain bottle, placed the Dragon blood inside, and tied the vial to his waist. He could sense terrifying energy from this drop of Dragon blood. This is definitely not from the Divine Transfiguration Stage; even the Void Refinement Stage won’t have such stable fluctuations.

Could this person be at the Fusion Stage?

As far as Lu Yang knew, Fusion Stage dragons were elders of the Dragon Tribe. It seems the Dragon Tribe isn’t a monolithic entity; the elders keep one another in check. Since this is Dragon blood from the Fusion Stage, the benefits would be substantial for Fellow Daoist Xinghai if he could be nourished by it.

The black-robed dragon waved his hand. “This matter is of great importance. You must act in secret. Do not let others, especially the Dragon Tribe, detect your actions!

“And this box here has the effect of blocking spiritual consciousness. If you find the Ancestral Dragon Grass, place it inside this box. That way, others won’t discover what you are carrying.” The black-robed dragon tossed a small wooden box to Lu Yang.

“Alright, go now. Report your progress to me in three days.”

Lu Yang and the others left the teahouse.

Li Haoran pondered. I’ve heard the Old Dragon Emperor reveres the Dragon Tribe’s Ancient Ancestor, and by extension, likes the Ancestral Dragon Grass. Could this black-robed dragon be planning on presenting it as a birthday gift to the Old Dragon Emperor at the upcoming banquet?

As the ruler of the Dragon Palace, the Old Dragon Emperor reigns over the East Sea and possesses innumerable rare treasures. One has to adopt an unconventional approach and be innovative to please him with a birthday gift—something like the Ancestral Dragon Grass.

This explains the emphasis on not letting the Dragon Tribe detect our actions. Which dragon wouldn’t want to present the Ancestral Dragon Grass as a birthday gift to gain the Old Dragon Emperor’s favor?

Li Haoran’s conjecture was correct—it was precisely what the black-robed dragon was thinking. The latter also considered that if there was no progress in three days and the Ancestral Dragon Grass couldn’t be located, he would have to find something else as a birthday gift.

Lu Yang hadn’t heard of any Ancestral Dragon Grass. He asked the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, but she also said she hadn’t heard of it.

“Its name has probably been changed. It wasn’t called that in our time. As for Little Ling liking grass, when did she like grass... Oh, I remember. There was a period when she pretended to be a refined lady of a noble family and grew flowers and grass, trying to attract the Qilin Immortal’s attention. At that time, the Qilin Immortal often suspected that someone had taken over Little Ling’s body.

“Later, Little Ling saw that this tactic wasn’t working, so she gave up gardening and gifted all those things to this immortal. I saw she had cultivated them well; the plants were all sturdy. I liked them immensely, so I cooked them all into dishes and laid out a grand feast called the ‘Hundred Herb (Grass) Banquet,’ inviting the other four immortals, Little Ling, and Lianyi.

“Subsequently, someone spread a rumor that the Nine-Layers Immortal sampled a hundred herbs and fainted on the way home.

“What nonsense. This immortal clearly saw that the Nine-Layers Immortal was quite happy during the meal, hopping and jumping.”

Lu Yang remarked inwardly, I’m afraid the Nine-Layers Immortal was hallucinating from all that he ate.

The second layer of the secret domain where Senior Lianyi slumbered contained many rare and exotic plants from ancient times. The Ancestral Dragon Grass should be among them.

However, the Dragon Palace was too far from the Demon Region. By the time they made a round trip, Xiao Xinghai’s injuries would have likely healed on their own.

~~

At an inn.

Although it was called an inn, what it provided weren’t rooms but pocket dimensions for cultivation.

The Juxuan Island Four Thieves rented one such pocket dimension.

“Let’s hide here for a few days. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t leave the pocket dimension for these few days,” the big brother instructed.

The big brother then remembered something. “By the way, Old Four, a Dragon Tribe member stumbled upon us stealing the supreme treasure. After we disposed of the body and got rid of the evidence, we also took the box he was holding. What was inside?”

“We were in a hurry then, so I only opened the box for a brief glance. It was grass, but I don’t know what variety it is.” The fourth brother with the furtive eyes produced a wooden box. Inside lay a grass shaped like a dragon’s claw.

The big brother looked it over from all sides, unable to discern its origins. “What is this? Does anyone recognize it?”

“I don’t.”

“Dragon Claw Grass?”

“Old Three, you know it?”

“Uh, no, I don’t. I just thought it looked like a dragon claw and gave it a random name.”

“...If you don’t know, then keep your mouth shut!”

“Alright.”

“This thing is likely extremely valuable. That Dragon Tribe member was utterly annihilated, yet this box and grass remained intact.”

~~~

The elders searching for the Dragon Tribe’s supreme treasure had their subordinates act first while they convened to analyze the situation. “The Dragon Pearl cannot be placed in a storage ring. The thieves who stole it will definitely seek another way to conceal it.

“Moreover, it would require the effect of blocking spiritual consciousness to guard against our probing.”