Chapter 20: The Hidden Dragon Grass Brings Disaster

  Days passed one by one, and Xiao Bao's status in the Wu family ironware shop also underwent subtle changes.

  While other apprentices were still hammering away at wooden stakes day in and day out, he had already begun to lend a hand in the smelting room and was even attempting to forge some simple iron tools.

  The Wu family's ninety-nine eighty-one road chaotic hammer method was originally derived from the iron forging technique, so the Wu family's children and disciples also had to study smelting and iron forging as a compulsory course. Even the young masters of the Wu family were no exception, they all had to learn iron forging because only through this way could they deepen their understanding of the hammer method and speed up their cultivation.

  "Clang, clang, clang, clang!" Under the envious gaze of the apprentices outside, in the smelting room, Little Leopard was shirtless, holding an iron hammer and continuously striking the blade of a knife on the stone pedestal in front of him. Beside him stood Old Xing Tou, the former master craftsman, watching the position where Little Leopard's hammer fell, the frequency of his swings, and the force of his strikes, nodding sometimes, shaking his head at other times, occasionally opening his mouth to point out the techniques and precautions in Little Leopard's movements.

  Not to mention the apprentices outside, even the young iron masters in this smelting room couldn't help but reveal a look of envy.

  "Old Xing, you're being too biased! With so many apprentices, you only teach Xiao Baozi, others will have opinions about this!"

  Just as they were in the midst of a lively discussion, a sudden and depressing voice came from behind, Little Leopard remained still, continuing his ironwork, while Old Xing turned around to face the incoming Lin Daguai, with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.

  "How I teach is my business, those little rabbits, when they can knock down the wooden stakes like a leopard one day, then we'll talk, haven't I been teaching this way all these years?!"

  "Ah, yes indeed!" Lin's steward smiled and looked at the fully focused Little Leopard, his eyes also flashing with a hint of admiration. "The steward from Lang City has arrived, he wants to see you!"

  "Old Fang?!" Old Xing heard this and slightly furrowed his brow, muttering to himself in disapproval, "He's not enjoying a peaceful life in Lucheng, what is he doing running to this poor mountain and bad water place?"

  "I don't know then, he looks quite mysterious, seems like there's something important, you'd better go quickly!"

  "Good!" Old Xing nodded in response, following Lin's steward out of the smelting room. As he was about to leave, he reminded Xiao Bao, "Xiao Bao, practice well here, got it?!"

  "You're quite fond of this little guy!"

  Lin Dagu's steward and Old Xing walked a few steps before he couldn't help but ask with a smile.

  "He's a rare talent, I believe that in two years' time, he'll definitely make it through the selection conference!"

  "Two years later, he will be only ten years old, why not wait another two years?" Lin's steward frowned, "You also said that he is a talented person, the selection conference, each of Wu's apprentices has only three chances, what if he fails this time, wouldn't it be wasting an opportunity?!"

  "I believe he will definitely pass!" Old Xing said with a confident expression, "Doesn't the Lin family's steward trust my judgment?!"

  "No, no, no, no, no! How can I not believe you? Choosing an apprentice is your business, Lao Xing. I only take care of the business, and won't interfere with other things!" said Lin, the steward.

  They walked in silence and arrived at the main hall, where they were met by a tall, imposing man in brocade clothes who was pacing back and forth in the hall with some anxiety.

  "Old Fang, rare guest!" Seeing the big man in brocade clothes, Old Xing finally flashed a hint of smile and said loudly.

  "Old Xing, you old rascal!" The big man in brocade clothes also burst out laughing and came forward to greet him.

  "Master Fang has been expecting you for a long time!" Lin, the butler, stepped forward and said.

  "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!" said Fang Daguantie, giving a wink to Lin Daguantia.

  Lin Daguang's steward seemed to understand his master's intention, and he discreetly dismissed the attendants on either side. Even the maid who was serving tea was sent away, leaving only these three people in the hall.

  "Lao Fang, you always come to the San Bao Hall for no reason. What brings you here this time?" The three of them sat down, and Lao Xing asked bluntly.

  "Second Master's matter!" said Fang Daguantie, "I think you all know that Second Master is already ten years old now and has started using medicinal baths to strengthen his bones!"

  "Medicinal bath?!" Old Xing nodded in agreement with Lin, the head of the household. In a family like Wu's, it was common for young children to collect various spiritual medicines from nature and create medicinal concoctions, decoctions, and washes to soak their entire body, allowing the medicine to penetrate their muscles, bones, and meridians, removing impurities and enhancing their potential, laying the foundation for future cultivation. As a result, when they began practicing in the future, they would make rapid progress, whether it was external or internal alchemy, and save a lot of effort compared to ordinary people.

  However, this medicinal bath also has its own rules. There are various prescriptions in the world that cater to different people and ages, and the efficacy of these medicines is also different. Like martial arts techniques, the formula for these medicines is also in the hands of the major sects and aristocratic families, and is never leaked out. Ordinary people cannot come into contact with it, even if they do, they don't have the ability to collect so many precious medicinal materials.

  "The second young master is a proud son of heaven, with excellent qualifications. Now is the best time to start taking medicinal baths and practicing bone refinement. What's wrong with that?" Old Xing said in confusion.

  "It was originally no problem, but the second lady wants to add another medicine to this prescription!"

  "Add a flavor of medicine?!" Old Xing and Lin, the housekeeper, were both shocked. This medicine is not something that can be added casually. Each of these medicinal prescriptions has been tried and tested by countless predecessors, and the results have been refined through repeated experimentation. To say nothing of adding a flavor of medicine, even if there is a little more or less of the medicine inside, it will cause problems. How can you casually add medicine?!

  "Could it be...!" Lin's steward also had a sudden flash of insight, and his face immediately took on a strange expression.

  "Not bad, it's that kind of medicine!" Seeing Lin's steward seemed to understand, Fang's steward nodded and said, "Fenglongcao!"

  "Fú Lóng Cǎo?!" Suddenly hearing this name, Old Xing's head shook violently, and he looked up to say, "Does the Second Madam have news of Fú Lóng Cǎo?"

  "Hmm!" Fang Daguanting nodded and said, "Right in this vast mountain!"

  "In the vast and mysterious mountains, of course, there is the Fulong grass, as well as ferocious beasts. What you're saying is nonsense!" Upon hearing Fang's response, Old Xing's temper flared up. Isn't this just a load of rubbish? The vast and mysterious mountains are so big, with countless rare flowers and exotic beasts inside. Does he really need to say that?

  Fang Daguanshi ignored Lao Xing's complaints and continued, "The second lady received news that on the edge of this vast mountain, there is a place with three Fodragon Grass!"

  "Really?" Old Xing and Lin Daguang both stood up in surprise at the same time.

  Fulongcao, a renowned spiritual herb in the world, has only one effect, which is to enhance the efficacy of medicine. When infused into bath medicine, it can increase the efficacy by at least five times. This is why Fulongcao has been nearly extinct for hundreds of years, with only occasional sightings in remote mountains and forests where humans rarely tread. It's extremely rare to find any trace of it. Now, hearing that there are three plants on the edge of Mangcang Mountain, and knowing their exact location, is truly unexpected.

  "How did the second lady find out?!" asked Lin's steward.

  "I don't know, but you're also aware that Second Madam comes from the Tianlong Sect, so she naturally has her own sources of information!" Manager Fang said with a helpless wave of his hand.

  "So you mean, let's go find this Fulong grass?!" Lin Daguang asked hesitantly, he was a cautious person, although also belonging to the second lady's faction, but he understood his own weight.

  Qingyang Village is a place, in Yunzhou of the Great Jin Dynasty, it's as small as a sesame seed. Being an official here is still somewhat prestigious, but in the Wu family, he's nothing. If he were someone important, he wouldn't have been sent to this godforsaken place as an official. Today's incident clearly involves the struggle for power between the first and second wives of the Wu family, a fight that affects even the selection of the next head of the Wu household. Is this something that someone like him can get involved in?

  Even if I help the second lady find the Fulong grass, what can be done about it? If the first lady finds out, she can crush me with just one finger. At that time, the second lady will not fight with the first lady because of a low-ranking steward like me from the Wu family.

  Lin Daguang's face immediately turned sour, and Old Xing also looked unhappy. Although he was a rough man, he wasn't stupid, and he didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing either.

  Seeing the expressions of the two, Fang Daguantie naturally knew what they were thinking. In fact, even if he himself wanted to get involved in this matter, how could he? It's not like he had a choice, did he?

  He shook his head slightly and said, "I know what you're thinking, but there's no way around it. Who made us take this path? Things have already come to this point, even if we disagree, is there another way out?"

  The hall suddenly fell silent, indeed, couldn't they have taken another path?

  It doesn't matter if they didn't know about this thing, but now that they do, it's like being bound by it. They have to force themselves to make a choice: either the first wife or the second wife. There is no middle road to take. Wanting to sit on the fence and not offend either side is impossible.

  "Old Fang, Old Fang, you've really made our lives miserable!" After half a day of silence, Old Xing finally lifted his head, glaring at Fang with anger.

  "What can I do?! The face of Fang Daguantie was even more bitter than the two of them, "Besides, this matter is not as terrible as you imagined, why do you think I came to find you two and not others?"

  "Because we two are good at fooling around?!" Old Xiang head said bluntly.

  "Damn it, up till now, in the entire Wu family, including you two together, there are only four people who know about this matter!"

  "Four people?!"

  "That's right, just the four of us. The three of us, plus Second Lady. No one else will know besides us. This time I came from Lucheng, using my friendship with Old Xing as a cover. No one knows my true purpose!"

  "Why choose us?!"

  "Because this is the town closest to that patch of Fulong grass, you are the people in charge here, and besides, you have always been closer to the second mistress's faction, who else would we look for?!"

  The two fell silent again, speechless.

  "So, when are you ready to set off!"

  "Hurry up!" said Fang Daguantie, "lest the night is long and the dreams are many. The location of Fowulongcao has been detailed by the second lady to me, it's not far from here, as long as we act quickly, in three days at most, or five days at latest, we will definitely get it!"

  "Madam, how did you know about this matter?!" Lin's butler asked in surprise, "She has never been here before?!"

  "The second lady didn't say much, but don't forget her background!" said Fang Daguanting in a low voice.

  Upon hearing this, Lin Daguantie and Old Xing's expression both turned into one of sudden understanding.