Plundering the National Treasury

"Take him away."

At the young eunuch's command, Gu Qingfeng was led away by the Imperial Preceptor, Situ Kong.

Situ Kong guided Gu Qingfeng through the vast, winding corridors of the imperial palace, thoroughly disorienting the already directionally challenged young man until they finally stopped before the entrance to the national treasury.

Situ Kong produced a token and handed it to the guards for inspection. Once verified, the guards deactivated the treasury’s array seals and allowed the two to enter.

Gu Qingfeng couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at the guards.

Damn, even the gatekeepers were at the early-stage Dragon Transformation realm. The Great Yan Dynasty’s imperial family truly had unfathomable resources.

Then again, the national treasury was a heavily guarded place—it made sense for Dragon Transformation realm warriors to be stationed here.

The treasury was massive, resembling a palace overflowing with treasures. Countless shelves lined the space, each laden with boxes of varying sizes, all exuding an aura of immense wealth.

Clearly, nothing ordinary made it into this vault.

Gu Qingfeng’s eyes gleamed as he took in the sight of tens of thousands of boxes. This was the accumulated wealth of generations of the imperial family. If only he could… heh heh heh…

The treasury was divided into multiple chambers, each presumably categorized by item type.

With practiced ease, Situ Kong led Gu Qingfeng to a room marked with the character for "Medicine." The moment they stepped inside, Gu Qingfeng’s eyes widened in shock.

Just a single breath of the air in this chamber sent his internal qi surging with unprecedented vigor.

Even though every rare herb and treasure here was sealed inside boxes, the faint traces of energy leaking from each container combined to saturate the room with an almost tangible concentration of spiritual essence.

A true treasure trove!

"This is the medicinal chamber of the national treasury," Situ Kong said calmly. "It houses nearly every type of rare herb in existence—the most comprehensive collection under heaven. Whatever ingredient you seek, you’ll find it here. If it isn’t here, then it’s practically impossible to find anywhere else in the world."

Gu Qingfeng greedily inhaled the air, certain that if he cultivated here, he could break through to the Inner Qi realm in minutes.

But of course, Situ Kong wouldn’t allow it. The emperor was on the verge of death, unable to even speak—there was no time to waste.

"Go and select the ingredients needed to refine the Ageless Pill," Situ Kong instructed.

Gu Qingfeng needed no further encouragement. He eagerly approached the shelves—

Only for Situ Kong to add, drily, "Remember, don’t overdo it. Extending His Majesty’s life is the priority. If the emperor perishes, no amount of riches will save you. Also, your spatial ring will be inspected upon leaving. If the quantity you take is… unreasonable, you’ll face the consequences."

Gu Qingfeng barely registered the warning as he strode toward the shelves.

Ridiculous. As if he needed the reminder! Who did Situ Kong think he was dealing with?

And inspecting his spatial ring? Fine by him!

His eyes darted across the labels on each box:

Thousand-Year Dark Soul Grass!

Polar Ice Marrow!

Seven-Leaf Spirit Fungus!

Thousand-Year Flame Spirit Fungus!

Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng!

Blood Vermilion Fruit!

Linglong Lotus...

Good heavens! Gu Qingfeng couldn’t stop sucking in cold breaths. He had always considered himself wealthy, but this—this was on another level entirely.

Even legendary ingredients thought to be mere myths were stored here!

Heh heh heh… Mine. All mine!

Just as he reached out, he suddenly paused and turned to Situ Kong with suspicion. "If you’re watching me pick the ingredients, won’t the formula for the Ageless Pill be exposed?"

"The Divine Refinement Method has existed for over a century, yet you are the only one in a hundred years to master it," Situ Kong replied flatly. "Do you really think knowing the ingredients alone would allow someone to replicate the pill?"

"Flattering, but no—this is my life’s work, the foundation of my status as a Peerless King. Not a single detail can be leaked."

"When you exit the treasury, the guards will still inspect your spatial ring. The formula will be exposed regardless."

"That’s different. I’ll grab extra herbs as decoys—uh, just a few, of course. The guards won’t be able to tell, but you? You’re the strongest human cultivator, a crafty old fox. Who’s to say you won’t deduce something from the order I pick them, or my expressions—"

Before he could finish, Situ Kong turned and walked away.

Phew.

Gu Qingfeng exhaled in relief before turning back to the shelves, eyes shining with greed.

"With so many treasures, surely no one will notice if I take just a little extra?"

Muttering to himself, he got to work.

Thousand-Year Dark Soul Grass? Mine now!

Polar Ice Marrow? Mine now!

Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng? Get in here!

Seven-Leaf Spirit Fungus…

Half an hour later, Gu Qingfeng stared at the mountain of treasures piled in his pocket dimension and murmured, "Maybe I was too cautious?"

"Ah, well. This should do for now. The old emperor will need another Ageless Pill next year anyway."

Closing the dimensional space, he casually stuffed a few more ingredients into his spatial ring—just enough to pass inspection as "materials for refining the Ageless Pill."

And of course, those would end up in his pockets too.

Exiting the medicinal chamber, he found Situ Kong waiting silently.

The Imperial Preceptor gave him a sidelong glance. "Let’s go."

The two left the treasury and underwent inspection—both of them. Even Situ Kong wasn’t exempt.

Such was the strictness of the treasury’s security.

Situ Kong, being a swordsman, carried few external possessions and was cleared quickly. Then it was Gu Qingfeng’s turn.

He opened his spatial ring for the guards to examine.

Their faces darkened instantly.

Pointing at the hundreds of rare herbs inside, one guard demanded, "The Ageless Pill requires this many ingredients?"

"Uh, yeah!"

Gu Qingfeng didn’t even flinch. "You call this a lot? A mere few hundred varieties. Do you have any idea how rare the Ageless Pill is? It’s the only one of its kind in the world! What’s the big deal about using a few extra herbs?"

The guard’s expression soured further. "I’m no alchemist, but I’ve never heard of a single pill requiring dozens of the same ingredient! Even if the Ageless Pill needed thousand-year ginseng, thirty roots is absurd! Taking more varieties is one thing, but this quantity—how do you explain it?"

"Now you’re just ignoring the facts. You admitted you’re not an alchemist, so what do you know? The Ageless Pill extracts the longevity essence from each herb! A single thousand-year ginseng has only a trace amount—understand?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, forget it. Explaining this to you is like playing the lute for a cow. Just let me through already."

The guard's eyes flashed with anger. Though he was merely a gatekeeper, he was still a gatekeeper at the Dragon Transformation Realm—when had he ever been mocked like this?

"Not allowed! You're clearly lining your own pockets. You can't leave."

Oh ho!

If Situ Kong, a peak Dragon Transformation expert, tried to stop me, fine—but you, a measly early-stage Dragon Transformation nobody, dare spout such nonsense?