Bandits and Divine root herbs

Zheng Li and Xin Lung rode slowly in the scorching desert sun. Eventually, they had reached a consensus that Zheng would take her back to the Heavenly Fish sect, and she would command an entire army to direct him to wherever he wanted to go.

"So,..." Xin Lung wiped some sweat off her face.

"Who are you really, Zheng Li of the 'demi deiety' rank?"

The auburn woman had never even heard of such rank before in her entire life, and she was well informed, being the only daughter of a clan head.

Sighing, Zheng Li ignored her questions and turned over to face her.

"What is the name of this place?"

Xin Lung raised a brow, confusion written over her face.

"Y-you really aren't from here?"

They had not had a visitor for hundreds of years.

"Well, if you must know..." She continued with a smug smile.

"...This is the majestic empire known as the one and only Zhengchang.

We are the most powerful province in the entire world!

Our cultivation ranks are even at the middle stage mortal rank. Impressive, isn't it?"

Zheng Li's face dropped into a frown.

"The mid stage mortal rank?..."

Then a very bright smile found it's way to his face.

"...That's splendid!"

This man had lived a better part of his entire life as a worthless piece of trash in the ascended realm.

However, now that he had fallen down to one of the lower realms, he just so happened to fall into one with extremely weak cultivation.

If their cultivation rank was at the mere mortal rank at the middle stage level, then that would mean that he was a full two ranks and fifteen levels above their strongest people.

In the Ascended realms, he was trash. Here, however, he was the single strongest living being.

Who wouldn't be happy?

This was way better than getting transmigrated into the body of some rich young master somewhere!

Still smiling to himself, Zheng Li sighed.

"I'm going to enjoy my stay here."

Yes, he would, whether he liked it or not.

Because, there was no way for him to go back to the Ascended realms within the next one thousand years in the first place.

To Ascend realms, one would need the assistance of a Sage rank being.

The Imperial Lord of honesty was the only sage ranked existence for now, and considering what he had done, Zheng did not expect the Imperial Lord to even answer his call.

So, it was either Zheng Li became a Sage rank, or the Imperial Lord of honesty answers his call.

Chuckling, Zheng Li streched his arms.

"I'd have a better chance of becoming a Sage rank than that old man answering my call."

Xin Lung looked at the smiling figure with raised brows. The black haired man she had been riding his horse with a very weird look on his face. His actions made the red haired woman raise a brow.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Zheng Li had been smiling to himself for the past few minutes without blinking or even breathing.

"Maybe he IS crazy."

Zheng Li yawned and turned over to face her.

"So, why were those guys chasing you? Why did they want to kill you so intently?'

That was one of the things he wanted to know as it could determine if he would have to fight the band of bandits again while he escorted Xin Lung.

The auburn haired woman sighed and looked into the distance.

"It all began seven years ago..."

Zheng paled slightly.

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me your life story..."

But Xin Lung was not listening.

She kept on glaring into the distance as she spoke.

"Seven years ago, the Heavenly Fish sect rose from the ashes of the Heavenly River sect."

***

The heavenly fish sect was only one out of five hundred great sects that had claimed territories all around the Zhengchang province. However, they were the only one with the special divine root herb!

The special divine root herb, was a divine level cultivation herb that made whoever used it to cultivate ten times faster than other people. But, it could only be used once every ten years.

The head of the Heavenly Fish sect had used it once, to rise from the mortal rank level 1, to the mortal rank level 2 in just twenty years.

Thus, the other sects wanted it for themselves, and..."

"Wait a minute..."

Zheng Li had an amused look over his smiling face. "You mean that they're trying to kill you just because of a cooking ingredient?"

Back in the Ascended realms, the Divine root herb was a mere commodity that even the poorest of poor people could afford. It was a good substitute for Heavenly sky onions.

Xin Lung stared back at him, petrified at his words. If the Divine root herb was 'just' a cooking ingredient, then the entire Zhengzhou province would just be worthless trash.

"What the hell? Do you even know the kind of blasphemy you just uttered from your useless big mouth?!!"

The divine root herb was revered enough, that the Heavenly Fish sect almost worshipped it.

Zheng Li smirked darkly.

"You didn't find my mouth useless when I was eating y..."

Blushing, the auburn woman screamed.

"Shut up!!"

She had done something despicable with Zheng Li due to her clan rules. The members of the Heavenly Fish sect believed in repaying debts back in any way possible, and she owed Zheng Li her life.

Due to her out burst, the two rode in silence for a while, when Zheng Li could see a dust cloud rising in the distance.

The hand of bandits were back,.. and they had brought a few friends along.