One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

In the early morning, the fog on Longhu Mountain had not yet completely dissipated.

The moist air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass, and a few early birds hopped on the branches, shaking off the dewdrops from the leaves.

The dilapidated little courtyard was far from quiet at that moment.

"Huff... huff..."

The heavy breathing, like the straining of an old bellows, shattered the tranquility of the back mountain.

Zhang Chulan carried a burlap sack almost as tall as a person on his back, gripping the opening of the sack tightly with both hands, and slowly made his way up the mountain path.

His face turned a deep purplish-red, sweat dripped from his forehead and down his nose, and his once crisp NTD work clothes were now soaked through and clung tightly to his back.

"hurry up."

In the courtyard, Zhang Taichu sat on a bamboo rattan chair he had just taken from the storeroom, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand. He gently blew on the floating tea leaves, without even lifting his eyelids.

"I sent you to buy some seeds, are you on a pilgrimage to the West?"

"What time is it? The sun hasn't even risen yet, and you're already acting like you're half-dead?"

"Master...Grandmaster..."

Zhang Chulan stumbled and almost knelt on the ground. He gritted his teeth, used the last bit of strength to rush into the yard, and then, as if unloading a heavy burden, threw the huge sack on the ground.

boom!

The sack hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Zhang Chulan lay sprawled on the grass, his tongue lolling out and his eyes rolling back.

"You...you didn't say you wanted to buy this much!"

"This bag...weighs a full 100 pounds!"

"I'm an extraordinary being, not livestock! And you won't let me use my Qi, you insist I carry you on my back with my physical body, saying it's to train my physical strength..."

"Is this what you call physical training?"

Zhang Taichu put down his teacup and gave him a disdainful look:

"Back when I was practicing martial arts on the mountain, I carried 300-pound stones on my back and ran along cliffs."

"You're exhausted from such a small amount of food? If word gets out that you're my grand-disciple, it'll be a disgrace."

Zhang Chulan hummed twice, too exhausted to argue, but silently gave the middle finger in his mind.

at this time.

Chen Duo, who had been squatting next to the large pit she had dug the night before, immediately stood up when she heard the noise.

She walked quickly to the sack, her eyes filled with an unprecedented eagerness and anticipation.

That was what she had been dreaming about all night.

"Open."

Chen Duo looked at Zhang Chulan and spoke concisely.

"Okay, okay, I'll open it now..."

Zhang Chulan resignedly got up, untied the rope on the sack, and pulled it down forcefully.

wow-

The colorful seed packaging bags poured out instantly, piling up into a small mountain.

The packaging bags are printed with various brightly colored flower patterns: red roses, yellow sunflowers, purple lavender, and even cosmos and baby's breath...

It can be said to be dazzling and has everything.

Chen Duo's eyes lit up instantly.

She crouched down, stretched out her hands, and carefully rummaged through the packaging bags.

The movements were as gentle as if stroking a newborn baby.

"This...is beautiful."

She picked up a packet of seeds printed with red tulips, looked at it in her palm, and smiled slightly.

"This... is fine too."

Then I picked up a pack of blue forget-me-nots.

Zhang Taichu also came over, originally wanting to praise Chu Lan for his efficient work, but when his eyes swept over the pile of seeds, his brows suddenly furrowed.

He reached out and pulled out something that looked obviously out of place from the pile of colorful bags.

The packaging bag is huge and looks very unfashionable.

It was printed with a thick, green scallion.

Next to it were several eye-catching words: "Authentic Shandong scallions, long white parts, and a stronger flavor."

Zhang Taichu waved the bag of scallion seeds in front of him, his tone chilling:

"Zhang Chulan".

"Can you explain to me what this thing is?"

Zhang Chulan shrank his neck and gave a dry laugh:

"Hehe, Uncle-Master, you just don't understand."

"I'm doing this for the long term!"

"Think about it, this yard is so big, it's such a waste to just plant flowers! That's bourgeois sentimentality, not practical!"

"I also bought some scallion seeds, chives, and bok choy..."

As Zhang Chulan spoke, he proudly pulled out several bags printed with vegetable labels from under the pile of flower seeds:

"If these grow successfully, we won't need to go down the mountain to buy scallions for breakfast anymore. We can just pick them fresh and eat them right away—so green and healthy!"

"Besides, my aunt has just learned how to farm. Vegetables are easier to grow than flowers, so it will give her a sense of accomplishment, won't it..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Zhang Taichu raised his foot and kicked Zhang Chulan in the butt without any hesitation.

"I'll let you pick them fresh and eat them right away!"

"I'll make you green and healthy!"

"I finally managed to pull this girl out of that filthy place so she could cultivate her character and experience the beauty of nature!"

"You're really trying to train her to be a vegetable farmer?"

"From now on, the whole yard will smell like scallions. Who are you trying to kill with the stench? Huh?"

Zhang Chulan covered his buttocks, dodging and groaning in pain:

"Wrong! Wrong! Uncle-Master, please stop kicking!"

"I meant well! Frugality and thrift are traditional virtues..."

"Virtue my ass!"

Zhang Taichu threw the bag of scallion seeds back into the sack, pointed at Zhang Chulan's nose, and cursed:

"Get these junk out of here right now! If you dare let my apprentice plant even a single leek, I'll plant you in it and make you a leek spirit!"

Just as the two were in complete chaos...

A hand silently reached into the middle of the pile of seeds.

Chen Duo picked out the bags printed with green onions, chives, and cabbages one by one.

Then, it was pushed to Zhang Chulan's feet.

"don't want."

Chen Duo raised her head, looked at Zhang Chulan, and said earnestly:

"ugly."

"And...it stinks."

She gathered all the remaining flower seeds into her bosom, like a protective little hen guarding its food, watching Zhang Chulan warily.

"Only flowers are planted here."

Zhang Chulan glanced at the discarded vegetable seeds at his feet, and his lips twitched slightly.

"No, nun, this scallion dipped in sauce is so delicious..."

"I won't listen."

Chen Duo turned her head, leaving him with a cold back view, and began to concentrate on unpacking the flower seeds.

Zhang Taichu was amused upon seeing this.

He sat back down in the wicker chair and crossed his legs:

"Did you hear me?"

"The eyes of the masses are discerning."

"Get to work quickly and help her set up the furrows. If you dare to slack off, you won't get dinner."

Zhang Chulan sighed and resignedly picked up the hoe beside him.

Just then.

A leisurely sound of footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

"Wow, it's getting lively here?"

"Are they doing construction here so early in the morning?"

Zhang Zhiwei, the old Celestial Master, dressed in a white robe, strolled in with a smile, his hands behind his back and his gait slightly splayed.

He seemed to be in a good mood, with no trace of the majesty expected of a top-level expert. Instead, he looked like an old man who had just finished shopping at the morning market and was about to visit his neighbor.

"Senior brother?"

Zhang Taichu raised an eyebrow:

"Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be receiving worship from your followers on the front mountain?"

"What's the point of worshipping me? Those little brats are like mice seeing a cat when they see me, so boring."

The old celestial master waved his hand, his gaze falling on Chen Duo and the seeds scattered on the ground:

"I heard this girl wants to plant flowers, so I've come to take a look."

As he spoke, he walked over to Chen Duo, bent down, picked up a flower seed, examined it, and clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Is this a violet? These things are delicate and difficult to raise."

"It needs to be buried deep and watered sparingly."

Chen Duo's body tensed instinctively when she saw the suddenly appearing old master.

Even though she tried to suppress it, the aura of that powerful figure still made her feel a sense of oppression from the depths of her soul.

But soon, she remembered the warm hand in the old man's room the day before yesterday.

"Master...Master Uncle."

Chen Duo called out softly.

"Oh, sweetie."

The old master smiled so much that the wrinkles on his face spread out like flowers.

He turned to look at Zhang Chulan, who was wielding a hoe, his brow furrowed, and his face showed disappointment and frustration.

"Chu Lan, you're not using that hoe correctly."

"Don't slouch, and make sure your legs are engaged."

"Are you digging a hole or embroidering? It's so shallow, the birds will eat the seeds as soon as they're sown."

Zhang Chulan wiped his sweat, looking helpless.

"Master, I've never done farm work before..."

"fool."

The old celestial master walked straight over and snatched the hoe from Zhang Chulan's hand:

"Get out of the way, keep an eye on things."

"Hoeing the land requires a skillful application of energy, similar to the principle of circulating qi; you must follow the natural flow..."

As he spoke, this was the pinnacle of the superhuman world, the strongest person in the world today.

They actually rolled up their sleeves, picked up a hoe, and started digging in the dirt in this dilapidated yard.

The movements were skillful and the force was even.

With each stroke of the hoe, the soil turned up was of the same depth and equally loose.

"Did you see that?"

As the old celestial master dug, he glanced smugly at Zhang Chulan:

"This is what doing real work is all about."

"Back in the day, I was the one who turned over all the vegetable gardens on Longhu Mountain. Your Uncle Taichu was still wearing open-crotch pants back then."

"Ahem!"

Zhang Taichu almost spat out his tea:

"Senior brother, could you please give me some face in front of the juniors?"

The atmosphere in the courtyard became somewhat eerie, yet strangely harmonious.

The prestigious Celestial Master's Mansion is home to two formidable old monsters, a future Celestial Master successor, and a Gu-body Saint Child who strikes fear into the hearts of the entire supernatural world.

But now they've all gathered together, bustling about over a few packets of flower seeds.

Chen Duo squatted down beside the newly turned soil ridges.

She held a handful of tiny seeds in her hand.

Following the method taught by the old master, a few grains were carefully placed in at intervals, and then gently covered with fine soil.

Zhang Chulan was in charge of watering the plants.

Zhang Taichu stood by, pointing and occasionally making sarcastic remarks.

The sun rose higher and higher, and its rays filled the entire courtyard.

Until the last seed is buried in the soil.

Chen Duo patted the dirt off her hands and stood up.

She looked at the flat, dark brown land in front of her.

There was nothing there.

There were no flowers, no leaves, not even a hint of green.

There was only bare soil.

"Master Sister".

Zhang Chulan wiped the mud off his face and leaned closer to ask:

"Can this...grow?"

"I can't inspect the goods from those unscrupulous seed sellers, I don't want them to turn out to be empty shells."

Chen Duo shook her head.

She didn't know if it would grow back.

Inside the bunker, everything is about efficiency.

Poison is one example, and so is murder.

The reagent was injected today, and we should see a reaction tomorrow.

If there is no response, it means failure and the item must be destroyed.

No one ever told her that some things require waiting.

She squatted down, stretched out her finger, and gently touched the warm soil.

Beneath the soil.

Those tiny seeds are sleeping in the darkness.

They need time to hatch, time to take root, and time to break through the thick layer of soil to welcome the sunlight outside.

This process may take a month, or it may take a season.

But this does not mean failure.

This is called...the future.

A faint, yet gentle smile slowly appeared on Chen Duo's lips.

That is an expectation of some kind of certainty.

"It will grow out."

Chen Duo raised her head, and her eyes reflected the golden sunlight, more radiant than any flower.

She said softly:

"I'll hold."

"I'll keep waiting."

The old master handed the hoe to Zhang Chulan, looked at this little girl who had finally become human, and smiled as he stroked his beard.

Zhang Taichu put down his teacup, stretched, and looked up at the southern sky.

There, the clouds churned.

"Alright."

"The flowers have been planted, and the people have been settled."

Zhang Taichu stood up, and the lazy aura around him instantly vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Now that the house is clean and tidy..."

"Then it's time to free up some hands and clean up all that mess outside."