Chapter 14: Harvest

As Li Mumei and her companions rounded the bend in the mountain path, she suddenly struck her palm against the ancient pine by the roadside, sending its needles cascading to the ground.

“That wretch!” she cursed through gritted teeth, her delicate features twisted into a mask of rage. “Just a useless novice at the first level of Qi Refining, yet she dares to humiliate me!”

“If it weren’t for their numbers, I would’ve taught that little brat a lesson she’d never forget!” Wang Gang echoed angrily beside her.

Li Mumei shot him a sidelong glance, her lips curling into a cold sneer. “Now you find your bravado? Why didn’t you utter a single harsh word in front of everyone just now?”

She examined Wang Gang’s burly frame from head to toe, her annoyance deepening. All that muscle, yet when it mattered most, he hid behind her, not even daring to utter a word.

“Sister Li, my cultivation is inferior to yours,” Wang Gang replied, rubbing his hands awkwardly. “I thought matters of standing out should naturally be handled by you, but who could have known…”

“Useless!” Li Mumei interrupted him mercilessly, contempt flickering in her eyes.

Wang Gang could only lower his head in frustration, silently accepting her scolding.

Who could he blame, when his cultivation was beneath Li Mumei’s? Had they been equals, he would never allow her to insult him so.

But in truth, it was all Shen Qinghe’s fault. If not for her, he wouldn’t have suffered Li Mumei’s wrath.

He quietly nursed his grudge against Shen Qinghe.

“Sister Li,” he ventured again, “Senior Brother Zhao instructed us to make trouble for Shen Qinghe. Now that we’ve failed, how will we explain ourselves to him?”

Li Mumei retrieved a small jade bottle from her storage pouch at her waist. Its flawless surface radiated a chilling aura, reflecting a fleeting cold light in her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” she said, playing with the bottle in her hand, a meaningful, icy smile curving her lips. “I won’t let her have it easy.”

Wang Gang’s gaze sharpened; he recognized the bottle as the very ‘Spirit-Severing Elixir’ that Senior Brother Zhao had secretly entrusted to them before departing.

His pupils contracted. If this elixir were absorbed by a spiritual plant, it would drain its energy and leave it withered, yet no trace of its presence could be detected.

...

Shen Qinghe’s lips curved in a subtle smile as her slender fingers counted the spirit stones she had just received.

The lustrous stones glowed with a gentle radiance; upon careful tally, she found over fifty lower-grade spirit stones.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

With barely twenty fellow disciples seeking her guidance today, she had already gained such a harvest. If word of this spread…

She imagined a steady stream of spirit stones coming to her doorstep.

With this, not only could she hone her planting skills, but she could also earn a handsome sum—a truly delightful outcome.

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Yet her joy lasted only a short while before the enormous debt of tens of thousands of spirit stones surfaced in her mind.

Shen Qinghe sighed softly, her fingers unconsciously stroking her storage pouch. Compared to her debt, these spirit stones were but a drop in the ocean.

Suddenly, the area by the spirit fields grew lively again.

“Junior Sister Shen, I’ve just finished harvesting my spirit field and am ready to sow anew. Could you please guide me first?”

“Why should you go first? My field is empty too!”

“I’ll pay double the spirit stones!”

Seeing the heated debate, Shen Qinghe gently raised her hand.

At her gesture, the crowd gradually quieted.

“Fellow brothers and sisters, there’s no need to rush,” she said, her voice as clear as spring water against stone. “How about this: please tell me the types of spiritual plants you wish to cultivate. Once I’ve organized the information, I’ll tailor planting solutions for each of you. Does that sound agreeable?”

A thoughtful glimmer crossed her eyes.

For now, only about twenty sought her advice—manageable enough. But if her reputation spread and more came flocking for guidance, one-on-one instruction would be impossible.

This was the perfect opportunity to test her method: if her written planting guidelines proved effective, much effort could be saved in the future.

After a brief pause, the crowd nodded in agreement.

Her approach was both fair and efficient—much wiser than squabbling over turns.

“We’ll follow Junior Sister Shen’s suggestion!”

Voices of assent rang out, and the group orderly reported the types of spiritual plants they wished to grow.

Shen Qinghe took out a smooth, blank jade slip, her fingertips glowing with spiritual light as she meticulously recorded their information.

When the last disciple finished, the crowd politely took their leave, awaiting her tailored guidance.

Once the gathering dispersed, Wei Rong stepped forward, shaking his head with a sigh. “Junior Sister Shen, your method is far too generous. Such exquisite planting techniques, yet you ask for only a few spirit stones, and even tailor solutions for each—truly…”

“Senior Brother Wei, I must disagree,” Shen Qinghe replied, gently caressing the jade slip with a bright smile. “Among fellow disciples, mutual support is only right. These planting methods are little trouble for me, and helping everyone is already a blessing.”

“Besides,” she paused, then continued, “The immortal path is long—today I sow kindness, and perhaps tomorrow I’ll reap its rewards. Those who walk in virtue find many allies; those who stray, few. This is the cycle of Heaven’s law.”

Wei Rong was momentarily stunned, his gaze sharpening before he burst into hearty laughter. “How wonderful! After decades of cultivation, today you’ve enlightened me. With such breadth and generosity, no wonder your skills in planting are so profound!”

After Wei Rong departed, Shen Qinghe returned alone to the spirit fields.

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She found that, with the aid of the spiritual energy cycle, the growth of the Azure Spirit Rice in her field was swifter than she had anticipated.

The seedlings she had sown only yesterday now stood tall with straight, verdant stalks, glowing with spiritual radiance under the sun.

Observing their vigor, Shen Qinghe recalculated: at this rate, in just five more days, the Azure Spirit Rice would be ready to blossom.

In another day or two, she might well greet the harvest.

Such rapid growth had shortened the rice’s usual cycle by nearly thirty percent.

“This is merely the effect of mastering planting proficiency,” Shen Qinghe murmured, gazing at the thriving rice. “If I used my advanced skills, their growth would be even quicker!”

With a thought, she summoned the ancient book and carefully examined the state of each rice stalk.

The subtle changes of every plant appeared within the book; after resolving any ailments among them, she confirmed all were in optimal condition before putting the book away, satisfied.

The sky was still bright; she lingered not in the fields, and headed home.

Upon returning to her small courtyard, Shen Qinghe sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy from Liu Qingqing’s room, suggesting she was cultivating.

Shen Qinghe did not disturb her, going directly to her own chamber.

She first organized the information on spiritual plants recorded in the jade slip.

She discovered that many planting methods were unfamiliar to her.

After all, her original self had tended the fields for barely half a year and only mastered the cultivation of Purple Cloud Ginseng and Azure Spirit Rice.

While some of the methods overlapped, seven types of spiritual plants listed in the jade slip were entirely unknown to her and would require research in the library.

Fortunately, the sect’s rules allowed free access to the library for all disciples, and its collection could be perused at will.

In contrast, the Scripture Pavilion required sect contribution points for entry.

The pavilion housed precious tomes—techniques, spells, arrays, alchemy secrets, advanced planting methods, and more—which could only be borrowed or studied by expending contribution points.

“I’ll head to the library first,” Shen Qinghe put away the jade slip, rose, and stepped out the door.

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