In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 261 The Heavenly Dragon Gate's Secret Vault, Heavenly Spike Flower

The next day.

At noon, as the morning light, like timidly reaching out fingertips, gently climbed the ridgelines of the rugged mountains on the distant horizon, Gu Shaoan, who had just stepped out of the house, immediately saw Huang Xuemei standing in the open space outside Tingyu Pavilion, meditating with her eyes closed in the sunlight.

When Gu Shaoan finished washing up, Huang Xuemei, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, had already arrived in the hall.

Several servants took the steaming food out of the food box.

Good morning, Miss Huang!

"morning!"

As Huang Xuemei's voice reached his ears, Gu Shaoan felt a slight doubt and looked up at her.

Noticing Huang Xuemei's slightly upturned lips, Gu Shaoan felt a little suspicious and glanced at Huang Xuemei with some surprise.

He then nodded and sat down opposite Huang Xuemei.

After spending several months together, Huang Xuemei and Gu Shaoan had developed a certain familiarity with each other.

For example, every morning, Huang Xuemei would prepare breakfast while Gu Shaoan was washing up.

Before eating, she would wait for Gu Shaoan to check if the food on the table was safe.

By the time Gu Shaoan put down his chopsticks, Huang Xuemei's bowl of white porridge was almost empty.

His gaze fell on Huang Xuemei, and Gu Shaoan chuckled, "It seems Miss Huang is in a good mood today."

In response to Gu Shaoan's question, Huang Xuemei replied, "I couldn't sleep in the latter half of last night, so I prepared to deal with Li Changbai."

Gu Shaoan asked in surprise, "Li Changbai isn't dead?"

Huang Xuemei responded, "We only killed one yesterday; Li Changbai hasn't been touched yet."

Although no names were mentioned, there were only two people in total. Li Changbai was not dead, and the other one who died was naturally Mr. Six Fingers.

Then, Huang Xuemei said, "In order to survive, Li Changbai just told me some good news."

Huang Xuemei's voice finally revealed a hint of barely suppressed emotion: "He said that after my parents died, a bald monk broke in during the chaos and forcibly took my younger brother away."

Gu Shaoan was slightly taken aback, and vague fragments of the original work quickly flashed through his mind.

It is said that after my parents were besieged and killed, a monk suddenly broke in and rescued my younger brother.

"That means my brother is still alive."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan pondered for a moment and also remembered this matter.

Gu Shaoan remembers some important things clearly, but he doesn't remember some of the other minor things very clearly.

At this moment, Huang Xuemei changed the subject and asked, "The promise we made to protect you for a year will have to be put on hold for now."

Gu Shaoan said gently, "I didn't take this matter seriously. Miss Huang can leave without worry. Finding your family is the most important thing right now."

Huang Xuemei looked at him intently, her voice resolute: "Once I find my brother, and personally kill all the enemies from the Blazing Fire Palace and the Ghost Palace, and settle all grudges, I will definitely come back to find you!"

After spending several months together, Gu Shaoan knew this woman's stubborn nature well; once she made up her mind, she would never change it.

Therefore, in response to Huang Xuemei's statement, Gu Shaoan smiled slightly and did not say anything more.

Anyway, once Huang Xuemei's internal energy stabilizes, Gu Shaoan will need to release the seal on her internal energy.

At worst, we can just keep Huang Xuemei around for a while longer.

Since they're not enemies, it doesn't really have any impact.

After the agreement was reached, Huang Xuemei slowly stood up.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the secret vault."

"Secret Vault?"

Gu Shaoan looked puzzled. Huang Xuemei glanced at him and said, "We agreed before that as long as you come, you can choose any rare flowers and herbs in the Tianlong Sect."

Gu Shaoan looked puzzled: "Isn't the Heavenly Dragon Sect located in Xinyang Prefecture?"

Huang Xuemei pointed to the ground: "The Tianlong Gate I was referring to is right here."

After a pause, Huang Xuemei explained, "Tianlong Mountain is the true ancestral foundation of the Tianlong Sect. The grand sect altar in Xinyang Prefecture is merely a separate mountain gate established after the sect advanced to a first-class power, to facilitate dealings with the imperial court and to recruit disciples."

"The true core of the Tianlong Sect has always been on Tianlong Mountain, but the people in Xinyang Prefecture don't know that right now."

The two left Tingyu Pavilion and headed east along the mountain ridge.

The further east you go, the steeper the mountains become, and the older and denser the forests and vines become, with signs of being rarely visited by humans becoming more and more obvious.

Finally, the two stopped in front of a huge, almost vertical mountain wall covered with slippery moss.

Huang Xuemei walked to a corner of the mountain wall and then raised her hand and pressed it on a rock.

As the rocks caved in, two stone doors slid open from the middle of the originally steep mountain wall, revealing a dark and deep cave entrance inside.

The moment the two stepped into the cave entrance, a cool sensation mixed with the damp smell of rocks and the earthy smell of years past hit them.

The cave was extremely dark, with only a faint ray of sunlight shining in from the entrance.

After taking a few steps into the cave, Huang Xuemei suddenly said, "Wait a minute."

After Gu Shaoan also stopped, Huang Xuemei took out a few ordinary copper coins from her bosom and quickly threw them out.

A few extremely faint yet crisp sounds of tinkling echoed clearly in the confined passageway.

In Gu Shaoan's view, Huang Xuemei's copper coins accurately struck several inconspicuous stalagmites on both sides of the passage.

Immediately afterwards, a series of clicking sounds came from inside the stone wall, from the turning of mechanisms and the tightening of chains, which lasted for several breaths before stopping.

"That's it!"

Only then did Huang Xuemei's voice begin to ring out.

Gu Shaoan could easily see that the mountain path was clearly filled with hidden traps and deadly mechanisms.

Huang Xuemei's casual movements just now should have been used to shut down the trap mechanism.

The passage was not a straight road, but rather a winding path leading downwards, where the unique coolness of the mountainside grew stronger.

Underfoot are slightly repaired natural stone steps, which are slippery and rugged.

After walking about a hundred paces, the area ahead became increasingly dark, with no light visible in front of one's face.

Just then, Huang Xuemei suddenly reached into her bosom and pulled out a token with an ancient design, resembling iron but not quite, and entirely black in color.

When the token was slammed against the slippery, cold rock wall beside him, with a crisp "click," the token was perfectly embedded in a groove in the seemingly seamless rock wall.

"click"

Immediately afterwards, another rumbling sound of machinery turning echoed through the mountain passage.

A moment later, the clicking stopped abruptly.

A few feet in front of them, the mountain wall silently and slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a slightly spacious stone gate that could only allow two people to walk side by side. Glancing at the still-deep mountain path in the distance, and then at the stone gate that had slid open a few feet in front of him, how could Gu Shaoan not know what was going on?

He immediately praised, "That's quite ingenious; they've placed the real entrance in the middle of the mountain path."

Huang Xuemei responded, "There are many forks in the road, and every fork is a dead end, filled with traps."

As she spoke, Huang Xuemei led the way.

It was after Huang Xuemei and Gu Shaoan entered the stone gate that Gu Shaoan discovered that there was another stone passage behind the stone gate.

After Huang Xuemei closed several mechanisms, the two entered the stone chamber through the stone passage.

Stepping inside felt like entering a completely different world from the dark, damp, and cold passageway outside.

The first sensation was not dazzling light, but a settled and dry tranquility. The damp, cold earthy and rocky smell in the passage was instantly replaced by a unique aroma mixed with aged wood, dried herbs, and an extremely faint, almost imperceptible metallic and oily scent.

The air was stable and cool, with clearly hidden pores regulating the airflow to ensure that these precious artifacts were protected from moisture.

Gu Shaoan's gaze swept quickly over the huge stone chamber carved into the hard mountainside.

The interior was completely different from what Gu Shaoan had seen in the Ming Cult's forbidden area.

There were no boxes of gold and silver jewelry piled up haphazardly; the entire space was laid out meticulously, orderly, and tidy.

The auxiliary lighting consisted of a fist-sized luminous pearl and a specially made ever-burning oil lamp placed in niches carved into the surrounding stone walls at fixed intervals.

These lights are not glaring, but emit a soft, warm, or steady glow, enough to clearly illuminate the outline of each piece of the collection.

The collection is categorized and neatly displayed.

On one side is a rosewood shelf against the wall, divided into squares of varying sizes. Each square contains porcelain, jade, and bronze artifacts of different shapes, exuding an antique charm, all radiating the luster of time and the ingenuity of craftsmen.

On the other side, a chilling aura emanated from the air. On the steel weapon racks fixed to the stone wall, rows of antique-style guqin (a seven-stringed zither) were neatly arranged, exuding a unique charm.

Near the center of the stone chamber are several rows of sturdy stone platforms.

Dark silk was laid on the stone platform, upon which thick scrolls and thread-bound ancient books were neatly stacked. The edges of the pages were slightly yellowed, and the covers were made of various materials, some even rare animal leather.

Those are the important cultivation techniques and secret manuals that the Tianlong Sect has collected or passed down over the past few hundred years.

However, what attracted Gu Shaoan's attention the most was the huge stone wall deep inside the stone chamber, directly facing the entrance.

This stone wall has been carved into a dense cabinet structure, resembling a huge treasure wall.

The cabinet shelves held dozens of boxes of varying sizes.

These boxes come in various shapes and sizes. Some are made of dark, rustic agarwood, exuding a faint spicy aroma. Others are made entirely of gold or silver, and some are even carved from a single piece of beautiful jade.

Huang Xuemei walked up to the wall of treasures and pointed to the boxes, saying, "These are the rare and exotic flowers and herbs we have acquired over the past few decades."

Her gaze finally settled on a square sandalwood box, about a foot and a half in size, with little ornamentation on the outside.

This wooden box is made of exquisite materials; the deep and understated rosewood, with its simple fretwork border, exudes a sense of weight and solemnity.

Huang Xuemei reached out and lifted the lid of the box, and a plant immediately came into Gu Shaoan's view.

Its shape closely resembles a sunflower that has been shrunk many times.

However, from the base to the flower head, it presents a dark color, but the stamens are not the usual dense sunflower seed shape, but rather seem to have formed a layered, extremely fine pure gold needle-like structure.

It was the "Kuroki Shunpa Flower" that Huang Xuemei had mentioned to Gu Shaoan before.

"Take a look at these things, and you can take anything you need."

Gu Shaoan didn't stand on ceremony with Huang Xuemei and opened the boxes containing the exotic flowers and herbs one after another.

Since he was able to refine the Heavenly Dragon Pill, a pill that enhances a martial artist's power, Mr. Six Fingers must also be well-versed in medicine.

The medicines he treasures must not be ordinary items.

After opening more than a dozen boxes, Gu Shaoan found that he could use the medicines inside to varying degrees.

A moment later, as Gu Shaoan raised his hand, sucked a palm-sized jade box into his hand, and opened it, a special fragrance suddenly entered Gu Shaoan's nose.

As the fragrance filled his nostrils, Gu Shaoan's gaze fell upon the jade box.

But then, a palm-sized flower with a stamen shaped like a dog's tail and a dark green body lay in the jade box.

When Gu Shaoan saw what was inside the wooden box, his expression changed slightly.

Looking at the undisguised gleam in Gu Shaoan's eyes, and then at the contents of the jade box, Huang Xuemei couldn't help but ask, "It's rare to see such an expression on your face. Is this item useful to you?"

Gu Shaoan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said, "This thing is called the Sui Ling Flower, which is the key ingredient for refining the 'Marrow Cleansing Pill'."

Knowing that Huang Xuemei did not understand this medicine, Gu Shaoan explained: "This Spirit Flower is one of the main ingredients for refining the Shaolin Lesser Rejuvenation Pill. However, using this medicine to refine the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is actually a waste of resources."

"Its true use is to combine it with other medicines to make a Marrow Cleansing Pill, which can enhance a martial artist's physical constitution after consumption."

"Ok?"

Upon learning the effects of this spirit flower, Huang Xuemei's expression changed.

Although there are few medicines in the world that can increase a martial artist's skill, there are still some.

But the most precious of all are medicines that can enhance a martial artist's physical constitution.

As a top-tier power, Shaolin Temple is most famous not for its Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic) or its Seventy-Two Arts, but for its Xi Sui Jing (Marrow Washing Classic).

The reason for this is that Shaolin's "Marrow Cleansing Classic" has the effect of increasing a martial artist's physical strength.

Many in the martial arts world even speculate that the reason why Shaolin has remained prosperous for hundreds of years is because the "Marrow Cleansing Classic" can produce some exceptionally talented geniuses among each generation of Shaolin disciples.

Thanks to the Yi Jin Duan Gu chapter of the Nine Yin Manual, Gu Shaoan, Yang Yan, Zhou Zhiruo, and others have all reached an excellent level in terms of physical constitution.

If they could take the Marrow Cleansing Pill, their physical attributes would be elevated to a new level, reaching an unparalleled level.

The dantian and meridians in the body can be expanded again.

Let's not talk about Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan anymore.

Even if Abbess Miejue, Abbess Juechen, and Abbess Wujue could improve their physical attributes again, it would not be difficult for them to reach the level of Condensing Yuan Qi in a few years.

Even for Gu Shaoan now, if his physical constitution could be improved, the benefits would be considerable.

In recent years, Gu Shaoan has been secretly instructing Abbess Miejue to arrange for her disciples to collect medicines such as "Sui Ling Flower" that can improve one's physical constitution.

But after several years, all inquiries came to nothing, like stones sinking into the sea.

Even with Gu Shaoan's deliberate searching over the past few years, he still hasn't found anything.

Unexpectedly, this trip to Tianlongmen will lead to obtaining a precious medicine that can enhance one's physical constitution.

For a moment, Gu Shaoan felt a sense of pleasant surprise, as if a new vista had opened up before him.

　Sorry, the first chapter took too long to finish, so this chapter is a little late!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)