Chapter 16: Pure Snow and Crystal Orchid

Woooo—

When the Cloud Shuttle finally descended slowly at the dock of the Dao Inquiry Platform, the raging winds that had swept through their journey still whipped their robes into wild billows.

Senior Brother Chen struggled to maintain his composure, standing where he was, but his robes kept flapping in the storm, smacking loudly against his face, making his smile appear especially stiff.

The young woman in the blue dress was frantically trying to gather her disheveled hair, and a half-dried leaf tangled in her locks swayed back and forth with her movements.

Another person had already collapsed against the side of the boat, vomiting loudly.

Shen Qinghe slumped inside the vessel, her face pale, legs weak. The turmoil in her stomach left her without strength to stand, so she clung desperately to the edge, fighting the urge to retch.

Though she prided herself on her strong mental fortitude, she couldn't help but inwardly complain.

Thrilling—this was simply... too thrilling!

Meanwhile, the instigator, Jiang Yunfei, was full of vigor. Bounding up to Senior Brother Chen, he grinned and held out his hand: "Senior Brother Chen, it hasn't even been half a quarter-hour yet. Our wager..."

"Take it, take it!" Senior Brother Chen tossed the brocade pouch of spirit stones to him irritably, hastily straightening his rumpled attire, and led his group off the shuttle without so much as a backward glance.

"If you need a ride back, remember to send word!" Jiang Yunfei called after them with enthusiasm.

The only reply was the hastened departure of Senior Brother Chen and his companions.

"Junior Sister Shen, I'll take you to Cloud Arrival Peak!" Jiang Yunfei turned back, grinning widely at Shen Qinghe.

Shen Qinghe forced herself to stand, still pale: "Senior Brother Jiang... could you go slower this time? I’m not in a hurry."

"Don’t worry!" Jiang Yunfei assured her with full confidence. "This time, it’ll be absolutely steady!"

But before he finished speaking, Shen Qinghe felt alarm bells ringing in her mind. Without a word, she immediately bent over and lay flat on the deck.

Whoosh—

The shuttle soared skyward once again, and the powerful inertia pressed Shen Qinghe firmly against the deck.

She clung tightly to the cracks in the boards, watching helplessly as her hair ribbon was swept away by the wind, spinning through the air and vanishing without a trace.

As soon as the shuttle landed at the dock of Cloud Arrival Peak, Shen Qinghe leaped off with an unsteady step, nearly stumbling as she fled forward.

"Junior Sister Shen!" Jiang Yunfei called after her with enthusiasm, "Let me know if you need a ride back!"

Shen Qinghe waved without looking back, not even bothering with polite words. In her heart, she silently vowed: she would never ride Jiang Yunfei’s shuttle again!

But then she remembered the spirit stones had already been paid—so perhaps, just one last time.

With this thought, she took a hair ribbon from her storage pouch, tied up her messy hair, and quickened her pace toward the Library Pavilion.

Today, the Library Pavilion seemed especially quiet.

As Shen Qinghe walked along the stone path, she heard only the rustling of wind through falling leaves.

A palm-sized golden-feathered bird dozed in the branches of an ancient tree, its feathers shimmering with a faint gilded glow in the sunlight. Hearing the footsteps, the bird lazily opened an eye to glance at her, then continued its nap.

The Library Pavilion only became lively when new disciples entered; most days, it was quite tranquil.

Shen Qinghe thought nothing of it and stepped through the open doors.

She followed the familiar route straight to the section on spiritual plants, letting her fingers brush lightly over the rows of yellowed spines, finally pausing over several thick tomes.

With a rustling of pages, she drew out volumes such as "Atlas of Hundred Herbs" and "Essentials of Spiritual Plant Cultivation."

After only a few pages, Shen Qinghe’s eyes lit up with delight.

Though the original owner’s memories contained some knowledge of spiritual plants, it was far from comprehensive.

Now, seeing the systematic and detailed records in these books, she was utterly absorbed.

She eagerly found a random desk and settled in to read, oblivious to the two figures at the neighboring table.

The movement beside her interrupted Luo Yunxin’s train of thought.

Looking up, she saw a young female disciple at the first level of Qi Refining, and paid little mind.

The girl was engrossed in several tomes on spiritual plants, occasionally jotting notes into a jade slip, her demeanor earnest.

Luo Yunxin rubbed her temples, her gaze returning to the spread of books before her.

The Clear Heart Snow Orchid she was cultivating had grown limp again. Such a delicate plant—one misstep and it would wither. Yet, all the methods she'd found in the Pavilion’s records were much the same. It was truly vexing.

"Seems there's no hope..." Luo Yunxin sighed softly, about to close her book, when her peripheral vision caught the notes in the neighboring disciple’s jade slip.

With her Golden Core cultivation, she could see the contents clearly, and what she saw made her frown.

"That's incorrect." A cool, crisp voice spoke suddenly.

Shen Qinghe looked up in curiosity and saw a woman in pristine white robes gazing at her with a slight frown.

The woman appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, her brows arched like distant mountains, eyes deep and frosted as autumn waters, skin as fair as snow. The immaculate white dress she wore only heightened her ethereal presence.

Shen Qinghe couldn’t discern her cultivation, but the attire made it clear she was an inner sect disciple.

White robes were the mark of the inner sect.

The woman pointed at her jade slip and gently shook her head: "How could Gathering Spirit Grass be cultivated this way? If you plant it haphazardly, that's one thing, but watering it three times daily with spirit spring water will rot the roots!"

"Senior Sister," Shen Qinghe replied politely, bowing with clarity in her voice, "Though my method differs from the records, it’s based on a careful study of the grass’s nature."

She nudged the open book forward, her fingertip indicating the section on the grass’s traits: "Please see here—Gathering Spirit Grass grows on cliffs, its leaves covered in fine hair, stems hollow; clearly designed to store morning dew. If you strictly follow the ‘avoid water’ method, you actually go against its nature."

Luo Yunxin’s gaze flickered between the book and the jade slip. She reached out, touching the illustration of the grass’s leaf hairs, thoughtful.

"And what about the Cloud Silk Fruit?" Luo Yunxin pointed to another note.

Shen Qinghe answered unhurriedly, detailing the fruit’s traits and her cultivation experience.

Her explanation was meticulous: from soil composition, to light requirements, to water regulation—each point was precise.

Luo Yunxin listened with increasing attention, nodding occasionally, her eyes brightening with understanding and agreement.

"I have a question for you," Luo Yunxin suddenly placed a tome in front of Shen Qinghe, turning to a page depicting a snow-white spiritual plant. "Can you see how to properly cultivate the Clear Heart Snow Orchid?"

Shen Qinghe leaned in curiously, studying the page’s detailed description: this orchid was crystalline as snow, petals like jade, stamens golden. Not only was its appearance elegant, it possessed miraculous effects for clearing the mind and purifying inner demons.

Yet, its rarity made cultivation extremely demanding: it required a specific spiritual energy environment, rare nutrients, and the slightest error would cause it to wither.

Such a delicate plant!

Shen Qinghe mused inwardly, fingers unconsciously tracing the page as she pondered.

Seeing her silent, brow furrowed tighter with each moment, Luo Yunxin suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, shaking her head with a hint of self-mockery.

What was she thinking?

She was actually seeking advice on cultivating the Clear Heart Snow Orchid from a disciple at the first level of Qi Refining.

With her cultivation, Shen Qinghe might not even meet the most basic requirements for growing it, let alone improving the method.

"If you don’t know, it’s fine," Luo Yunxin smiled, reaching to take the book back.

"Please wait, Senior Sister!" Shen Qinghe interrupted, her eyes shining with an unusual light. "I do have a rather tentative idea..."