Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

The fog had not yet lifted in the early morning.

Chen Yuan stood at the workshop entrance in the backyard of "Yuancaotang" and watched four women inside bending over and weaving rings.

The hemp rope was threaded through the softened vine bark, wrapped with dried golden thread grass, and finally twisted in a coin of heavy iron sand—the movements were already very skilled, and with the nimble fingers flying, one sturdy and heavy grass ring after another fell into the basket.

"Two hundred and ninety-seven, two hundred and ninety-eight, two hundred and ninety-nine..." Zhou Ming squatted by the basket, counting, his voice trembling with excitement. "Three hundred! All of them! Senior brother, three hundred rings, not one missing!"

Chen Yuan did not respond, his gaze fixed on the grass ring.

Glossary entry overview:

【Golden Thread Grass Ring (Weak Spiritual Energy, Stable Release)】

[Entry: Calming and Soothing (can be slightly enhanced)]

[Status: Weaving complete, Spiritual Energy Retention 92%]

[Estimated validity period: 58-62 days]

The quality is even better than expected.

"Where's Sister Li?" he asked.

"At the shop up ahead, let's do a final count of the spirit stone boxes and redemption tokens." Zhou Ming stood up, rubbing his hands together. "Senior brother, can we really collect three hundred spirit stones in one go? I even dreamt about the spirit stones clattering around last night..."

"The dream is over, things still need to be done one by one." Chen Yuan interrupted him, "Has there been any movement from the person I asked you to keep an eye on yesterday?"

Zhou Ming's expression turned serious: "Wu Xiaoshuan's house was lit up all night. I had Xiaodouzi from next door keep watch at the alley entrance. In the middle of the night, a figure slipped in and left in less than fifteen minutes—judging from the figure, he looked like one of Liu Sanniang's thugs."

Liu San Niang... was indeed busy.

"And another thing," Zhou Ming leaned closer, "rumors are circulating in the market that Manager Fei of 'Treasure Basin' might come to 'see the excitement' today. That fat old man has a very keen nose; he'll go wherever there's a smell of copper coins."

Fei Yongcai. Chen Yuan remembered this name; insatiable greed, viewing everything as a commodity. If he came, he certainly wouldn't just "take a look."

"Understood." Chen Yuan took out the temporary steward jade token of Xinglin Garden given to him by Su Wanqing from his pocket and hung it in a conspicuous place on his waist. "According to the original plan, the exchange will begin at Chenshi (7-9 AM). You maintain order, and I will oversee things. No matter what happens, don't panic."

"Understood!" Zhou Ming nodded vigorously, then couldn't help but glance at the jade pendant. "Senior brother, does this pendant... really work?"

"The sign itself doesn't work." Chen Yuan ran his fingers across the smooth, warm surface of the jade. "What matters is the person who wears the sign."

---

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sun had just climbed over the low eaves of the shantytown.

The entrance to "Yuancaotang" was already crowded with people.

The long queue stretched from the shop entrance all the way to the eastern edge of the field, winding and numbering no less than a hundred people. There were miners in coarse clothes and short jackets, peasant women carrying empty baskets, and a few weary-looking low-ranking rogue cultivators squeezed in the middle. All eyes were fixed on the unopened wooden door, and the buzzing of discussion was like a swarm of flies in summer.

"Really, one spirit stone can be exchanged for three rings?"

"If Widow Li dares to put up a sign, she must have something!"

"I heard wearing it can calm the nerves, and my mother keeps waking up at night..."

"Don't tell me this is just a bluff..."

Inside the shop, Widow Li's fingers trembled as she sorted through the last batch of bamboo tokens. Ping An nestled close to her legs and whispered, "Mother, with so many people... do we have enough tokens?"

"Enough, enough..." Widow Li responded, but her heart was pounding like a drum. She had lived half her life and never seen anything like this. Broken spirit stones—things that slipped through the fingers of immortal masters—were now being collected one by one into the drawers of her shabby shop, like potatoes?

The door panel was removed.

Zhou Ming was the first to jump out, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Line up! Line up! Redeem with your bamboo token! No token, no redemption today! Maximum three bundles per person!"

The crowd stirred slightly, but no one dared to make a rash move—Chen Yuan slowly walked out from behind Zhou Ming.

Today he wore a slightly worn gray cloth robe, faded from washing but neat. The jade badge at his waist swayed gently with his steps, gleaming with a warm, understated luster in the morning light. What was most striking was his gaze—calm, deep, like a still pool; as it swept over the ranks, the noise unconsciously subsided.

Several miners who were about to push forward stopped in their tracks when they met that look.

"Begin." Chen Yuan sat down behind the wooden table set up next to the shop. His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly.

The first person to redeem the tokens was an old miner with hands as rough as tree bark. He trembled as he pulled out three badly worn fragments of spirit stones and handed over a bamboo token. Widow Li checked the tokens and took out three bundles of grass rings from the basket behind her—three rings in each bundle, tied with thin hemp rope. The grass rings gleamed with a faint golden-brown luster and felt heavy in her hand.

The old miner took them and eagerly put one on his wrist.

The grass ring felt slightly cool to the touch, followed by a faint yet persistent cool sensation that seeped into the skin, actually relieving the dizziness and muscle soreness accumulated from days of mining.

He froze, looking down at the grass ring on his wrist, his lips trembling slightly, before he abruptly looked up: "Manager Li... this... this..."

"Next." Chen Yuan's voice cut him off.

The team started moving.

The clinking sound of the shattered spirit stones falling into the shop's money box was like a strange symphony.

Some people received the money and immediately put it on, looking surprised; some carefully wrapped it up and put it in their pockets; and some looked at it repeatedly, still doubtful.

Overall, things went smoothly.

Sweat beaded on Zhou Ming's forehead as he maintained order while stealing glances at Chen Yuan. His senior brother was too calm, so calm it gave him the creeps.

Half an hour passed.

Over a hundred bundles of spirit stones were exchanged, and a small layer of broken spirit stones piled up in the money box. The queue was still long, but the order was acceptable. The shopkeepers of several shops across the street gathered at their doorways, watching with grim faces and whispering among themselves.

Chen Yuan's right hand remained under the table, palm facing the ground.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the five-colored stars slowly rotated.

Suddenly, the pale gold star representing "life" and the gray-black star representing "purification" both emitted an unusual tremor—direction: the middle of the group.

His gaze was like a knife, piercing that spot.

A tall, thin young man dressed in a worn-out brown shirt was slowly moving forward with the group.

It was Wu Xiaoshuan. His face was unusually flushed, his eyes were unfocused, his left hand was constantly covering his chest, and his right hand was gripping a bamboo plaque so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The focus of attention on this term has quietly shifted:

Wu Xiaoshuan (Qi Refining Level 2)

[Status: Mid-stage of poisonous miasma infestation, signs of qi and blood reversal, mild mental confusion]

[Warning: There are traces of external drug catalysis in the body. The attack will begin in about thirty breaths.]

Thirty breaths.

Chen Yuan flicked his finger under the table, and a wisp of extremely fine, almost invisible emerald green "growth" power, mixed with pale golden "nourishment" power, darted out like a silk thread along the ground and quietly disappeared into the soil at Wu Xiaoshuan's feet.

It's not about healing the wound, it's about "marking" and "postponing".

That wisp of law power, like the gentlest vine, wrapped around Wu Xiaoshuan's ankle, seeped into his meridians, and soothed the violent and surging blood and qi within him in an extremely weak way. At the same time, it left a "mark" in his body that only Chen Yuan could perceive.

After doing all this, Chen Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but he gave Zhou Ming a very subtle wink.

Zhou Ming understood and subtly moved half a step closer to Wu Xiaoshuan's position.

Twenty-five breaths.

It was Wu Xiaoshuan's turn to line up.

He walked unsteadily to the table, slammed the bamboo token and a poor-quality broken spirit stone on it, and said in a hoarse voice, "Exchange...exchange for a bundle."

Widow Li glanced at the bamboo plaque, then at his unusual expression, hesitated for a moment, and finally took a bundle of grass from the basket and handed it over.

Wu Xiaoshuan took the straw ring, his hands trembling violently.

Unlike others, he didn't put it away or put it on. Instead, he stared intently at the grass ring, his eyes gradually turning ferocious.

Ten breaths.

"This ring..." he suddenly raised his voice, hoarse and trembling with deliberately amplified pain, "This ring is wrong! I... I feel a tightness in my chest when I wear it! I... I can't breathe!"

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

All eyes turned to him.

Five breaths.

Wu Xiaoshuan suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing his emaciated chest—beneath his skin, several dark blue veins bulged menacingly, as if something alive was wriggling inside! His face turned from red to purple, veins on his forehead throbbed, strange "hoarse" sounds came from his throat, and his body began to shake violently.

"The medicine...it's taking effect!" someone in the group exclaimed.

"Look at his chest! What's that?!"

"The grass rings! There's something wrong with the grass rings!"

"Widow Li! What kind of harmful stuff are you selling?!"

The crowd erupted in uproar, panic spreading like wildfire! People pushed forward from behind, while those in front tried to back up, and the line instantly descended into chaos.

The shopkeepers across the street lit up and peeked out.

Two of Scarface Tiger's henchmen had somehow slipped to the edge of the crowd, and with sinister grins, began to fan the flames: "Someone's been killed! Yuancaotang sells poisonous herb rings!"

"Pay up! Arrest them!"

"We can't let them get away!"

Widow Li turned pale, her legs went weak, and Ping An burst into tears.

Zhou Ming was sweating profusely as he tried to maintain order, but he was pushed and swayed by the chaotic crowd.

Chen Yuan stood up.

His movements were slow, but when he stood up straight, an invisible pressure suddenly emanated from him.

The chaotic crowd seemed to be held down by an invisible hand, and the noise eerily subsided.

He walked up to Wu Xiaoshuan, who was swaying precariously and whose mouth and nose were already bleeding.

Wu Xiaoshuan's eyes were unfocused, his face contorted with pain and fear. He mumbled a hoarse roar: "Poison...poisonous herbs...you've killed me..."

Chen Yuan reached out, not to help him up, but to gently place his palm three inches above his forehead.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the gray-black "purification" star and the pale gold "nourishment" star simultaneously lit up with a faint light.

The two forces of law flowed into Wu Xiaoshuan's body through the "mark" he had planted earlier.

Wu Xiaoshuan's body suddenly stiffened!

Then, to everyone's astonishment, the several bulging bluish-black blood vessels on his chest suddenly deepened in color and intensified their writhing. Finally, faint, dark red patterns resembling runes appeared—the characteristic marks manifested by the "poisonous miasma" after being briefly stimulated by the power of the law!

At the same time, a very faint, sweet and rotten smell wafted from Wu Xiaoshuan.

"This is poison," Chen Yuan said, his voice clear and overwhelming all the noise. "It's a venomous poison that seeps into the marrow and corrodes the bones. When it takes effect, the blood and qi surge in reverse, the meridians show unusual patterns, and it's accompanied by a putrid, sweet smell."

His gaze was icy as he swept over the crowd: "This injury didn't develop overnight. The Golden Thread Grass's spiritual energy is mild and balanced; if it has any healing effect, it will only alleviate the symptoms."

He paused, then looked at Wu Xiaoshuan, who was almost limp: "Before you exchanged the ring today, who did you come into contact with? What did you eat?"

Wu Xiaoshuan's eyes were unfocused. Tormented by both the poisonous miasma and the effects of the drug, his mind was on the verge of collapse. He could only instinctively murmur, "The medicine... the medicine she gave me... she said I could pull through... and if I pulled through, she would give me money..."

"Who gave you the medicine?" Chen Yuan pressed.

"Liu..." Wu Xiaoshuan had barely uttered a single word when his pupils suddenly dilated, and he fell backward, completely losing consciousness.

"Liu San Niang!" A name burst forth from the crowd.

All eyes turned to the other side of the street—where Liu San Niang and Li Xiong were already standing, watching the chaos with smiles on their faces.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Liu San Niang's smile remained unchanged, and she even covered her mouth with her handkerchief: "Oh, Brother Chen, you can't say things like that. Wu Xiaoshuan's own body is weak and he suffered a qi deviation, how can you blame it on others? We were just being kind, we felt sorry for him and even lent him a few spirit stones."

Li Xiong, arms crossed, added menacingly, "But Brother Chen, you sold a grass ring that caused this mess. Shouldn't you give everyone an explanation? The officials of the Enforcement Hall seem quite interested in this kind of 'illegal gathering and sale of substandard cultivation items causing serious injury'."

Before the words were finished, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the end of the street.

A group of cultivators dressed in dark-colored law enforcement robes were walking briskly towards them. The leader, with a stern face and a long sword at his waist, was none other than Jiang Tian, ​​an elite disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall. Behind him followed two other law enforcement disciples, their eyes sharp as eagles.

Wang Mo's figure also quietly appeared under the eaves of a house not far away, with his hands behind his back and a half-smile on his face.

Zhou Ming's face turned green, and Widow Li swayed precariously.

Chen Yuan stood there, looking at the unconscious Wu Xiaoshuan, at Jiang Tian who was closing in, at Liu Sanniang who was smiling but hiding a knife, and at Wang Mo in the shadows under the eaves.

Then, he did something that surprised everyone.

He bent down, picked up the bunch of golden thread grass ring that Wu Xiaoshuan had dropped from the ground, and gently brushed off the dust.

Then, he walked to the shop entrance and picked up a broken spirit stone that Wu Xiaoshuan had given him from the money box.

He placed the spirit stone and the grass ring side by side on the wooden table.

"The grass ring is here. The shattered spirit stone is here." He raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Jiang Tian's. "The person is here too. Right and wrong will always be resolved."

He paused, his voice low but each word clear:

"However, before the Enforcement Hall finds out where the 'poison' in Wu Xiaoshuan came from and who triggered it—"

His gaze shifted to Liu San Niang and Li Xiong, and finally settled on Wang Mo under the eaves.

The morning breeze swept through the long street, stirring up dust.

The jade deacon pendant at his waist gleamed with a dignified luster in the rising sunlight.

Meanwhile, in the distance, towards the direction of the Medicine Valley, a disheveled old man in tattered clothes was sniffing the strange scent of extremely faint magical miasma mixed with pure spiritual energy in the air, and staggered toward the shantytown with shining eyes.

"Wrong... completely wrong... haha, interesting... how can someone survive like this?"

The ancient river's voice, hoarse and excited, dissipated in the wind.