Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

The door was slammed shut with loud bangs.

"Senior Brother Chen! Senior Brother Chen! Something's happened! There's some noise!"

Chen Yuan grabbed a piece of coarse cloth from the side, covered the earthen pot in the corner, and got up to open the door.

Zhou Ming practically burst in, his face flushed and his eyes burning with fury.

"Senior brother! That grass! That edelweiss has become a spirit!"

"Explain yourself." Chen Yuan stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him.

"Just now!" Zhou Ming gasped for breath, spitting as he spoke, "The fire elemental energy within three feet of it was so dense it was practically dripping! I checked it with my spirit-measuring plate—good heavens, the energy gathering speed was 30% faster than last night! This isn't just grass, it's a money tree sapling!"

Chen Yuan didn't reply. He walked to the water vat, scooped out half a ladle of cold water, and handed it over.

Zhou Ming took it, gulped down two mouthfuls, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and leaned even closer: "There's something even stranger! I watched it from the side for half an hour, and guess what? The veins on the leaves of those two ordinary trees next to it started turning red! The spirit-testing plate reacted!" He lowered his voice, squeezing out the words through clenched teeth, "—It can even be infectious?"

Infect??

Chen Yuan's heart sank sharply.

This is a hundred times more frightening than the gathering of spirits itself.

He turned and walked to the window, pushing it open a crack.

The night was deep, and the lights in Medicine Valley were scattered like stars. In the distance, plot number seventy-three was completely dark, and nothing could be seen.

"As for Senior Brother Wang Mo," he said in a flat, even voice, "has the Array Academy heard anything?"

"Not yet." Zhou Ming shook his head, then followed and leaned against the windowsill. "However, Manager Liu from the Medicine Valley warehouse strolled over to our C District this afternoon and glanced at it from afar. I saw him from behind a haystack; he stood there with his hands behind his back for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before leaving."

He paused, then added, "That's the kind of guy who'll go for anything, even the smell of blood... Senior brother, his eyes are deadly."

Zhou Ming rubbed his hands together. "Senior brother, we need to make a decision quickly. Should we 'discover' it ourselves and report it before Steward Liu submits the message, hoping for a bigger reward? A promotion, an inner sect spot, or even a prime medicinal herb field—all are possibilities!" His Adam's apple bobbed. "Or..."

"...Or should we figure out the secrets of this 'infection'? Perhaps..." He glanced at the darkness outside the window, "...and lead it to where we want it to go? Like, completely 'infect' those two trees next to it, then secretly move them to another location? Even if they're not as good, they'll still be three hens that can lay eggs!"

The room fell silent.

The oil lamp flame crackled and sputtered, lengthening the shadows of the two men as they swayed against the earthen wall.

After a long pause, he spoke, his voice calm: "Where's the spirit-testing disc?"

"Here!" Zhou Ming quickly took out the copper plate from his pocket and handed it over.

Chen Yuan took it.

The faint light in the center of the plate flickered rapidly. He hadn't infused it with spiritual energy; he had simply run his fingers across the surface, feeling a slight warmth—a trace of residual fire spiritual energy.

"What is the current extent of the infection?"

"They're right next to those two trees, less than three feet away. Anything further away, there's no reaction."

"speed?"

"Slowly, but definitely changing." Zhou Ming licked his dry lips. "In the half hour I was watching, the one on the left that was closest had three leaves, the tips of which were turning from green to pale red. The light on the spirit-testing plate brightened slightly—just a slight increase, but it was unmistakable."

Chen Yuan tossed the spirit-testing disc back to Zhou Ming.

He turned around, walked to the corner of the wall, and lifted the coarse cloth.

Inside the earthen pot, the remnant root of the Qingyuan vine remained gray and withered, but at its very core, a tiny, almost imperceptible pale golden halo, the size of a grain of rice, was slowly emerging.

That was a tiny, extremely faint glimmer of life that he had painstakingly nurtured over two whole days using the "life nourishment" principle.

Zhou Ming followed, glanced at the earthen pot, and paused, then asked, "Senior brother, what is this...?"

"The things I planted before are completely dead. I tried to save them." Chen Yuan covered them back with the cloth, his tone casual. "It's hopeless. I'll just keep them as a memento."

Zhou Ming said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions, his mind clearly still on that money tree.

Chen Yuan walked back to the center of the room, sat down at the broken wooden table, and unconsciously tapped his fingers on the surface.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Every move felt like a weighing of options.

"Report it yourselves," he suddenly said, as if talking to himself, yet also as if addressing Zhou Ming. "There might be a reward, but we definitely won't be able to keep the items. The alchemy room, the law enforcement hall, the array court, and even those elders in the inner sect who cultivate fire-based techniques—whoever ends up with this herb is not up to us. At most, we can get a one-time spirit stone reward, or a hollow title."

Zhou Ming nodded vigorously: "That's right! That's why I said, why don't we do it ourselves..."

"Trying to cover it up yourself?" Chen Yuan looked up, his gaze sweeping over the area. "Manager Liu has already seen it. If he can smell it, others can too. Medicine Valley isn't that big, and Section C has even less cover. A mutated spirit plant that can continuously condense fire spirit crystals and can also 'infect' and assimilate—guess how many people will rush over with bloodshot eyes once the news gets out?"

He paused, his voice turning cold.

"At that time, with just the two of us at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, can we hold our ground?"

Zhou Ming opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The gambler's gleam in his eyes was gradually covered by a layer of cold sweat from reality.

"Then... what should we do? Reporting it isn't an option, and not reporting it isn't an option either..." He scratched his head anxiously. "We can't just stand by and watch someone else steal our thunder, can we?"

Chen Yuan stopped tapping his fingers on the table.

The light from the oil lamp shone on his profile, creating a half-light, half-dark effect.

"Peaches can be picked," he said slowly, "but we have to choose the people who pick them. After they're picked, we have to be left a shady spot under the tree to rest."

Zhou Ming was stunned: "Choose? How? Who can snatch food from the mouths of Senior Brother Wang Mo and those wolves in the Array Academy?"

Chen Yuan didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Senior Sister Su, are you in Medicine Valley lately?"

"Senior Sister Su?" Zhou Ming was taken aback again. "Yes, she's mostly in seclusion at Xinglin Garden refining pills, occasionally coming out to inspect the herb fields. Senior Brother, you're asking about this..."

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes widened suddenly, and he gasped, "You...you want to report this to Senior Sister Su?"

"It wasn't poking," Chen Yuan corrected. "It was 'discovering.' We two dutiful outer disciples accidentally discovered a suspected mutated Fireweed while tending the herb garden. Not daring to act on our own, we immediately reported it to the supervising alchemist and asked our senior sister for a decision—the procedure was flawless."

Zhou Ming's mind raced: "But Senior Sister Su is an alchemist, she doesn't directly manage the affairs of the herb fields, so this matter should be reported to the Hall of Affairs or the Array Court first..."

"So we need a little 'accident'." Chen Yuan stood up, walked to the door, and looked in the general direction of Xinglin Garden in the night. "For example, when we 'happen' to find this herb, Senior Sister Su 'happens' to be patrolling nearby. We're apprehensive and ignorant, so it's only natural for us to go up and ask her for advice."

He turned back to Zhou Ming: "Senior Sister Su is an inner disciple with a powerful background, and she's also an alchemist. She knows best the value of this mutated spiritual plant. If she's interested and asks to go and study it, Wang Mo and the Array Academy will at least have to give her some face on the surface. This thing is more beneficial to us than if it were in anyone else's hands."

"Advantageous?" Zhou Ming hadn't fully grasped the situation. "What advantage? We still won't get anything out of it, will we?"

Chen Yuan walked back to the table, picked up the teapot, poured two bowls of cooled coarse tea, and pushed one bowl to Zhou Ming.

"First, since we gave the items to Senior Sister Su, we've made a 'meritorious contribution,' and she'll remember it to some extent. This favor is more valuable than the spirit stones awarded by the Hall of Affairs."

"Secondly, the crisis will be diverted. Everyone's attention will be focused on how Senior Sister Su will handle this spiritual plant; no one will care about us two 'lucky' discoverers. We're safe."

"Third," he said calmly, picking up his bowl and taking a sip of his cool tea, "since this herb is 'contagious,' don't we still have those two ordinary edelweiss plants next to it that are just starting to 'turn red'?"

Zhou Ming's hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly trembled.

He stared at Chen Yuan, his eyes burning with a light that was brighter and hotter than before.

"Senior brother...you mean..."

"Senior Sister Su took the most conspicuous and mature 'mother plant'." Chen Yuan put down his bowl, the bottom of which tapped softly on the wooden table. "The two next to it were just 'infected' and haven't fully mutated yet... We take good care of them, hoping they can also share in the good fortune and grow into good specimens—isn't that too much to ask?"

He raised his eyes: "Even if it doesn't grow into the same form as the original plant, as long as it has even the slightest bit of mutated characteristics, whether you keep it to aid your cultivation or find a safe channel to slowly sell it off—it's a steady stream of income. And it's inconspicuous."

Zhou Ming's breathing became heavy.

He gulped down the remaining iced tea in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and nodded vigorously: "Damn it! Senior brother, I'll do as you say! Let's do it! So... when are we going to 'accidentally' run into Senior Sister Su?"

"No rush." ​​Chen Yuan sat back down. "The 'infection' of that plant has just started, and the momentum isn't obvious yet. Let's wait another two or three days, until the changes in the two plants next to it are more conclusive. By then, the value of our 'discovery' will be even greater."

He paused, then added, "These next two days, spend more time wandering around the Xinglin Garden area to figure out Senior Sister Su's approximate patrol routes and times. Remember, be natural, don't force it."

"Understood!" Zhou Ming nodded vigorously, then suddenly remembered something, "Then... what about Steward Liu? He should report it to his superiors in the next couple of days..."

"He won't," Chen Yuan shook his head. "Manager Liu is a smart man. When he sees something unusual, his first instinct isn't to report it, but to take a 'look' at it himself, weighing whether it's worth the risk of getting involved, or how to get involved to maximize his profits. Before he figures out the details and how to share the spoils, the news won't leak out."

He looked at Zhou Ming: "So, our timeframe is the time he needs to communicate and weigh things with his superiors. Two or three days should be enough."

Zhou Ming let out a long breath, as if he had released half of a heavy weight from his chest: "Senior brother, you're so steady. I almost panicked."

Chen Yuan didn't respond to that, his gaze falling back to the earthen pot covered with coarse cloth in the corner.

"Oh, right," he said casually, as if suddenly remembering something, "I've recently reached a critical point in my body-refining cultivation technique, and my qi and blood are a bit unstable. In the next few days, please keep a close eye on the herb garden. I'll probably need to stay indoors and focus on my breathing exercises, and avoid showing myself too much."

Zhou Ming, unsuspecting, immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Senior Brother! Leave the herb garden to me! You focus on your breakthrough! I'll let you know immediately if anything happens!"

"Okay." Chen Yuan nodded. "It's late, let's go back. Remember, stay calm."

"I know!" Zhou Ming turned around, opened the door, and plunged into the night, his steps noticeably lighter.

The door closed again.

Chen Yuan blew out the oil lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

He stood there for a while, then walked to the corner of the wall, squatted down, and gently lifted the coarse cloth.

Inside the earthen pot, a faint golden halo flickered weakly yet stubbornly in the absolute darkness.

He stretched out his right hand, his palm hovering above the earthen pot.

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the pale golden star representing the law of "life nourishment" shone slightly.

A wisp of nourishing power, finer than a strand of hair, gently seeped from the palm of my hand, silently penetrating the cold earth like night dew, enveloping that faint life force.