Open a Clinic to Cultivate Myself Chapter 352 The Secret Treasure Hoard

Liu Shiba must be the only person in this world who was not a practitioner and yet had kept a hoard of spiritual materials. This secret chamber behind the study was not large, but there were many precious spiritual materials and medicinal herbs in it. There was such a large variety that they dazzled the eyes. There were also some rare antiques, not in the least less valuable than those kept in museums. Liu Shiba was said to be the grandmaster of all tomb raiders. Surely, such a man would have in his possession antiques. Those antiques he fancied and had kept here were naturally the cream of the crop and all very valuable.

However, these antiques did not interest Ning Tao in the least. After entering Liu Shiba's treasure chamber, he started to select his spiritual materials. All he had picked up were put by Qing Zhui into her large hempen sack.

To refine the Immortality Elixir, he must of course take the required spiritual materials away. But he was more concerned about the spiritual materials required for the Ancestor-seeking Elixir. He circled Liu Shiba's treasure hoard once and found all the ingredients he lacked except the Rainbow Mock Strawberry. He had even found the two spiritual materials required for the Tianbao Weaving Method—the Elders' Sisal and Yinhe Mulberry Bark. He had collected six of the seven required ingredients: Power Moss, Flower of the Night, Ice Cedar Spiritual Timber, Spiritual Cherry Wood, as well as the Elders' Sisal and Yinhe Mulberry Bark he had found here. He only lacked the Iron Plaintain.

According to the Compendium of Spiritual Materials, the Iron Plaintain was the spiritual material the wife of the Bull Demon, Princess Ironfan, used to weave her fan. But the Tianbao Weaving Method did not require its leaves but its fruit, which was as hard as iron. Only a spiritual material would be this hard. But where could he find the Iron Plaintain? Ning Tao had no idea at all.

Qing Zhui threw the spiritual materials into her large hempen sack like a robber. Liu Shiba felt the heartache. “I say, Doctor Ning, do you need so many spiritual materials just to refine a few pills?”

After concluding the deal, he had also changed his term of address to Ning Tao. Before this, he had addressed Ning Tao as “Mr. Ning.” It sounded quite distant. “Doctor Ning” sounded more intimate and cordial, although it did not alleviate the pangs he felt in his heart.

Ning Tao put the last Yinhe Mulberry Bark into the hempen sack that Qing Zhui had opened. He said matter-of-factly, “Of course I will need them. Refining elixirs requires a great deal of spiritual materials and medicinal herbs. Even I cannot guarantee success on my first try. It is imperative for me to get ready more spiritual materials and medicinal herbs. Besides, you must know yourself how much time you have left. Without the Immortality Elixir, what good would these spiritual materials and herbs do?”

Liu Shiba decided not to mind. He said no more no matter how many spiritual materials and herbs Ning Tao took. Ning Tao spoke bluntly, but his logic was sound. Liu Shiba was already in his 90s. If he could not prolong his life, all these spiritual materials and medicinal herbs would be of no use, like the antiques. Could he take them away after he died?

Ning Tao only stopped when his large hempen sack was full.

Reverend Qingsong handed Ning Tao a box with a torn horsetail whisk. The whisk looked very ancient and there were many runes carved on its wooden handle. The horsetail hairs of this whisk did not look ordinary. They were silvery white like snow, with faint specks of gold resembling corn silk. They appeared very resilient.

“Reverend Qingsong, is this whisk made from the legendary spiritual material—the Heavenly Corn Silk?” Ning Tao asked casually.

Reverend Qingsong was startled slightly. “Doctor Ning is indeed knowledgeable. This whisk is called the Taintless Heavenly Hossu. It is an heirloom from my master. After being attacked by a foe, I unleashed this whisk and was lucky to have survived. But this hossu is ruined. Please help me mend it, Doctor Ning. I will owe you a favor.”

“Alright, I will surely fix it. So that's it. I will see the three of you again tomorrow night, when I present you the elixirs and whisk,” Ning Tao said.

Reverend Qingsong and Hai Dongfang both gave Ning Tao a cupped salute.

Liu Shiba also cupped his fists to say goodbye. He further instructed Ning Tao, “Doctor Ning, you must succeed. All my hopes are pinned on you.”

“Don't worry. Goodbye.” Ning Tao also followed them and cupped his fists. Then, he left with Qing Zhui who had slung the hempen sack over her shoulder.

After exiting the study, Ning Tao took the sack from Qing Zhui's shoulder.

“No problem, I can carry it,” Qing Zhui said. She moved as if to take the sack.

Ning Tao said, “Only men should do such rough work. How can women do this kind of work?”

“Are you aching for me?” Qing Zhui started to giggle. She did not grab the sack after all.

When they came to the electric motorbike God's Will, Ning Tao put the sack on the footboard and started the engine. He left Heaven on Earth with Qing Zhui on the motorbike. The moment they exited the entrance, they found an off-road Ford flashing its headlights from the opposite side.

Ning Tao halted his motorbike and watched the off-road Ford.

The driver's door of the off-road Ford opened and a long-legged woman emerged from the car, holding a box in her hands.

The woman got down the car and before Ning Tao could react, Qing Zhui had knitted her brows. “It's that woman again. She is really like a haunting ghost.”

Tang Zixian walked up to him, her face wearing a faint smile. “What a good business couple you two make. Just a night's effort and you have collected so many spiritual materials. I'm so envious.”

Ning Tao's gaze fell on the box in Tang Zixian's hands. He could smell the scent of the Rainbow Mock Strawberry. His heart quivered and he said, “Isn't this the Rainbow Mock Strawberry bought by Tang Huaiyu? Are you waiting here to resell it to me?”

“Twenty million. Can you afford it?” Tang Zixian asked.

Ning Tao was speechless. “I can't afford it. So what do you want?”

Tang Zixian said, “Don't think I know nothing about what happened in Italy. What I want is very simple. I'll let you have this Rainbow Mock Strawberry. Let me have one Ancestor-seeking Elixir after you refine them.”

“What else do you know?” Ning Tao asked calmly.

Tang Zixian said, “Do you need to ask me what you have undergone yourself? If you wish to know the secrets of Black Fire Company, wait until you give me the elixir. I will tell you then.” She proffered the box in her hands to Ning Tao. “This is for you. Take it.”

Ning Tao did not reach out to take the box. He smiled. “You want to exchange a Rainbow Mock Strawberry for an Ancestor-seeking Elixir? Do you know how many spiritual materials I need to refine one?”

Qing Zhui snorted. “You said that we know how to do business. You must be the best businesswoman of us all. Trading a spiritual material for an elixir. Who do you think you are? Must we do you this big favor?”

Tang Zixian was not in the last enraged. She still maintained that smile on her face. “I haven't offended you, Miss Qing. It was thanks to my killing Bai Sheng that you and your sister have regained freedom. So you and your sister owe me a big favor. If you want to be so calculative, tell me how you will repay me.”

Qing Zhui was rendered speechless. She was someone who valued relationships and distinguished clearly between gratitude and vengeance. Tang Zixian had indeed helped them a lot in the operation against Bai Sheng. She and Bai Jing did owe her a big favor, which had not yet been repaid. If she continued to be harsh to Tang Zixian, she would indeed be “showing ingratitude for earlier favors.”

In this world of mortals, the most difficult thing to repay would be favors. It was the same situation in the practitioners' world.

Ning Tao stretched out his hand to take the box and said, “Alright, I will take it. After refining the Ancestor-seeking Elixirs, I will let you have one. Take that as repayment for the debt they owed you.”

Tang Zixian smiled. “That's the right thing to do. I also know you are now in charge of the project of ancestor seeking. I want to join in.”

She even knew such a confidential secret?

Ning Tao was surprised by the fervor she showed, but he maintained composure on his face. “It's a project of the Academy of Sciences. You're not a research member of the Academy. How can I let you join?”

“Aren't you in charge of this project? What matters is what you say.”

“But why should I let you join?”

Tang Zixian was silent for a moment before replying, “You ultimately have to face this situation, that Nicholas Conway will lay hands on one or a few of the skull fragments with the elixir prescription. Sooner or later, you will have to confront him in America and face the powerful Black Fire Company. I grew up in the U.S., and that place can be regarded as my home base. I have said enough. Think it over yourself. Give me your answer when you pass me the Ancestor-seeking Elixir.”

After that, she turned around and left. Her long legs occupying two-thirds of her body length supported her curvaceous figure, swaying from side to side as she walked. Her ample flesh quivered and was exceedingly alluring.

Her gait did not look at all like a practitioner's, but more like an international supermodel's.

Tang Zixian got into her car and drove away.

“Brother Ning, will you really let her join the ancestral seeking project?” Qing Zhui asked.

Ning Tao had not made up his mind. “What do you think?”

Qing Zhui thought for a moment before replying, “I think what she said makes sense. We must face Nicholas Conway sooner or later. We will be safer with her help and more likely to succeed.” She paused for a moment, and then furrowed her brows. “But… ”

“But what?”

“She is after all from the Tang Family. We have a feud with her family. It's hard to know whether she harbors other thoughts,” Qing Zhui said.

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“Let me think it over. There's no hurry.” Ning Tao started the engine of the motorbike and rode into the driveway. They headed towards their rented courtyard house.

As always, Qing Zhui lay on Ning Tao's back, her arms clasping his waist tightly.

When they returned to Sky Clinic, Ning Tao stored the spiritual materials he had earned from mending the broken magic tools, as well as those from Liu Shiba's treasure hoard, into compartments. Then he took out the Rainbow Mock Strawberry Tang Zixian gave him. He planted it in the spiritual field in the Scriptures & Herbs Storeroom.

During this process, he discovered that the spiritual grain he had sown in the spiritual field had germinated. Some of the spiritual materials from Shennongjia had also sprouted roots. He felt even more excited than when he collected the spiritual materials from Liu Shiba's treasure hoard. This proved one thing: that even those spiritual materials which required the most stringent conditions could survive in Sky Clinic's special environment. His project to cultivate these spiritual materials had taken a broad and solid step!

After planting the Rainbow Mock Strawberry in the field, Ning Tao picked two of its spherical fruit. Then he returned to the main hall of Sky Clinic. He had three small goals to accomplish this night: to repair the Heavenly Hossu, refine the Ancestor-seeking Elixir, as well as Xu Fu's Immortality Elixir.

Although he had yet to begin refining, Ning Tao did not believe that Liu Shiba's elixir could make someone immortal.

The night was destined to be a sleepless one.

Chapter end