Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Just then—

"Squeak."

The dilapidated wooden door of the thatched hut was pushed open a crack from the inside.

A pale, thin, and scarred hand rested on the door frame, its knuckles white from the force.

Then, that slender figure, as thin as a piece of paper and seemingly about to be scattered in the wind, staggered out.

Angelica dahurica.

His withered, gray hair clung to his sweat-dampened forehead, his face was bloodless, only the faint, pure white light deep in his eyes shone weakly yet stubbornly.

She dared not look at anyone, her gaze fixed on the ground, her body trembling violently. Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge, yet she still moved towards the center of the crowd, towards Chen Yuan and Gu He.

Wherever it went, the crowd fell silent, then erupted in uproar!

"woman?!"

"Where did she come from?!"

"Such a serious injury...and that hair..."

"What...what's that smell on her? Where's that spiritual aura coming from?... "

Gu He's eyes instantly flashed with a terrifying, almost greedy green light! He twitched his nose violently, making a strange "hoarse" sound in his throat: "Pure... Pure Lotus?! No... it's a spirit! A living Pure Lotus spirit! Heaven is helping me! Hahaha!" He was so overjoyed that he almost danced with joy.

With a clang, Jiang Tian drew his longsword half a foot from its sheath, its cold light gleaming: "Halt! Who are you?!"

Bai Zhi stopped a few steps behind Chen Yuan, as if that was the only safe distance she could perceive. She looked up, first glancing quickly and fearfully at Gu He, then her gaze fell on the unconscious Wu Xiaoshuan, a complex pity flashing across her eyes. Finally, she looked at Chen Yuan's taut profile, her voice weak, trembling with a desperate resolve:

"I...I've come to save him."

She turned to Gu He and Jiang Tian, ​​trying to make her words sound convincing: "Use my... Origin Spirit Dew. It can purify Yin energy and stabilize the heart meridian." She paused, her voice lower but clearer, "Save him... You question him. Don't... don't make things difficult for Chen Yuan and the shop."

"Angelica!" Chen Yuan turned his head sharply and shouted in a low voice, his eyes clearly showing his disapproval.

Bai Zhi flinched at the fierce look in his eyes, but stubbornly pursed her pale lips and shook her head.

Gu He rubbed his hands excitedly: "Excellent! The Primal Spirit Dew! The purest Pure Lotus Essence! Why bother with Pure Lotus Seeds? A single drop of this dew is enough to neutralize most of the 'Burning Vein Yin Fiend' poison! Kid, what are you hesitating for? Quickly let her..."

I disagree.

Chen Yuan's voice was firm and decisive, interrupting Gu He's incessant chatter.

Everyone was stunned, including Bai Zhi. She stared at Chen Yuan in astonishment.

Gu He's face darkened: "What did you say? Chen Yuan, look carefully! Whether Wu Xiaoshuan lives or dies is crucial to whether you can be convicted of 'selling poisonous herbs and causing serious injury'! This woman's willingness to offer her spiritual dew to save him is a huge turning point! You disagree? Do you really want to go against the ironclad rules of the Enforcement Hall?!"

Although Jiang Tianjian hadn't used his full power, his aura was already like a drawn sword, coldly locking onto Chen Yuan: "Chen Yuan, give me your reasons."

Chen Yuan didn't look at Jiang Tian, ​​nor at Gu He's piercing eyes. He turned to face Bai Zhi. His gaze fell on her withered gray hair, on the deep, corrosive wound on her neck that still oozed black smoke, and on her body that swayed slightly from fear and weakness.

"Your injury," he began, his voice low yet carrying a strange penetrating power, "'Burning Meridian Yin Fiend' is still seeping in. Your spiritual essence is already unstable. Forcing out 'Original Spiritual Dew' at this moment..." He paused, each word seeming to be squeezed out forcefully from his chest, "You will die. Or, your spiritual body will disintegrate, turning into mindless remnants."

Bai Zhi's pupils contracted sharply, and her body swayed. But she gritted her teeth and said, "I... I can hold on a little longer..."

"How much is 'a little'?" Chen Yuan pressed, his gaze piercing. "Is it damaging your foundation built up over thirty years? Or is it completely stripping you of your ability to transform, turning you back into a muddled, unproductive lotus, to be picked and used for medicine by anyone?"

Bai Zhi's face turned pale, and she couldn't answer.

Gu He interrupted impatiently, "No matter how high the price, it's better than losing your life now! Chen Yuan, you're being too soft-hearted! In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak. What's a little price to achieve your goals? She's just a spirit; for her to save people and prove your innocence is her good fortune! And it's your luck too!"

"Her destiny?" Chen Yuan suddenly turned around and looked at Gu He, a cold anger igniting in his eyes for the first time. "Gu He, in your 'Dao,' can all living things be put on a price tag? To save a 'witness' who might point the finger at the real culprit, is it justifiable to sacrifice another innocent 'medicinal ingredient'? Even if this 'medicinal ingredient' is also a victim, even if that 'witness' is saved, he might not tell the truth, and might even turn around and bite back?"

His gaze swept over Wu Xiaoshuan, whose face was ashen and who was barely breathing, and his voice was filled with undisguised disgust: "For a few spirit stones, he'd be used as a pawn, poisoning himself to frame others. Does this kind of person value his life over others'? Does he value his innocence over others' innocence so easily?"

"Just because he's a 'witness' now?" Chen Yuan sneered.

"Old Gu, Senior Brother Jiang, today I traded her life for this 'rotten person's' life, proving his so-called 'innocence.' So tomorrow, if there are greater benefits or more important 'witnesses,' will you, or anyone else, not hesitate to push me, or anyone around me, out as the 'price'?"

These words struck the silent air like heavy hammer blows.

Gu He's face darkened. He stared at Chen Yuan, his eyes turning dangerous: "Kid, are you lecturing me? You think you're protecting her? You're harming her! And you're harming yourself! Without Wu Xiaoshuan's confession, the Enforcement Hall can legitimately shut down your shop, confiscate your land, and arrest you! At that point, you won't even be able to protect yourself, let alone her? Dream on!"

"Then let them seal it off! Seize it! Arrest it!" Chen Yuan's voice suddenly rose, filled with a resolute determination. "My shop, my fields, I planted them blade by blade! My innocence shouldn't be bought with the life of an innocent woman! Cultivation, cultivation—if in the end you can't even uphold the most basic principle of 'not harming the innocent,' if you can't even protect those around you, then you might as well not cultivate at all!"

"You!" Gu He laughed angrily. "Fine! Fine, so-called 'not harming the innocent'! Chen Yuan, you think you're doing justice? You're stupid! You're courting death! Jiang Tian, ​​did you hear that? This man is stubborn and unyielding, protecting spirits of unknown origin and obstructing the treatment of witnesses. His intentions are despicable! Why haven't you taken him down yet?!"

Jiang Tianjian frowned, Chen Yuan's words stirring up waves in his heart.

The ironclad rule of the Enforcement Hall is to maintain order, but under this order, shouldn't there also be a bottom line of "not harming the innocent"? Gu He's words are also true. If Wu Xiaoshuan dies, the case will be at a standstill, and Chen Yuan will be implicated.

Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, about to draw his sword—

"We don't need her."

Chen Yuan's voice rang out again, now calm. Beneath that calm, however, lay the sound of a resolute decision.

He walked over to Wu Xiaoshuan, squatted down, and glanced at the hideous chest.

"Ancient, 'Burning Vein Yin Sha' invades the veins and corrodes the blood. It requires the purest and most yang power to neutralize the evil, and requires precise manipulation to clear the stagnant toxins, right?" he asked without looking up.

Gu He was taken aback, then subconsciously replied, "That's right! Using golden needles to cut off the meridians is just a delaying tactic; the key is to neutralize and guide the evil energy! Only those with exquisite control over spiritual power and matching spiritual power attributes can do this! Even I need to use the medicinal properties of the Pure Heart Lotus seeds as a bridge to proceed slowly! Why are you asking this? Could it be that you...?"

Chen Yuan didn't answer. He closed his eyes.

Deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, the five-colored stars sensed his resolve and suddenly lit up!

The pale gold "Life Nourishment" star and the gray-black "Purification" star were the first to respond, their light flowing and intertwining.

The emerald green "growth" stars trembled slightly, providing the most subtle control and guidance.

The silvery-white "analysis" stars clearly projected the distribution of evil poison and the blockage of qi and blood in Wu Xiaoshuan's body into Chen Yuan's perception.

The dark red "Blood Refining" star pulsed slightly, not devouring, but preparing to suppress and transform the "blood poison" in a more subtle way.

The five-colored stars, for the first time, were not for cultivating spiritual plants, but for... saving people.

He extended his right hand, palm down, and hovered it three inches above Wu Xiaoshuan's chest.

There was no dazzling light, only a faint five-colored light flowing and weaving rapidly beneath the skin of the palm, eventually transforming into a hazy, indistinct halo that contained a strange vitality.

"You... what kind of technique is this?!" Gu He exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock. Even with his vast knowledge, he couldn't discern the source of this spiritual energy flow! That aura, encompassing all five elements yet seamlessly integrated, that terrifyingly subtle control...

Jiang Tian also gripped the sword hilt tightly, filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Bai Zhi covered her mouth, her clear white eyes filled with worry.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Chen Yuan's forehead.

Simultaneously mobilizing and balancing the power of the five-colored stars is an immense burden for him at present.

The spiritual energy in his dantian poured out like a flood, and his soul felt a sharp, needle-like pain.

But he steadily pressed that chaotic halo of light toward Wu Xiaoshuan's heart.

The halo seeped in.

"Ugh—!" Wu Xiaoshuan, who was unconscious, suddenly convulsed and let out a short howl of pain.

The bulging bluish-black veins on his chest began to throb violently at a speed visible to the naked eye! It was as if the "yin evil" and "blood poison" inside had encountered their natural enemy and were struggling wildly!

Chen Yuan frowned, the light in his palm flickering and adjusting constantly as the evil poison within Wu Xiaoshuan's body retaliated.

The power of pale gold and gray-black intertwines, like a gentle net and a sharp blade, gradually enveloping, cutting, and dissolving the yin energy;

The emerald green power guided the purified blood and qi to slowly return to their proper places; the silvery white power precisely located every blockage.

The crimson power acted like a stabilizing force, calming the churning blood energy.

The process was slow and dangerous.

Chen Yuan's face grew paler and paler, and he was sweating profusely.

Gu He held his breath, unconsciously muttering, "Impossible... all five elements combined, mutually generating and restraining each other, turning evil into life... what kind of logic is this? What kind of method is this?!"

Jiang Tian forgot to draw his sword, and just stared intently at the screen.

Time passed little by little.

The bluish-black bruises on Wu Xiaoshuan's chest finally began to fade and disappear.

The bulging, menacing veins gradually subsided. Although the person was still unconscious and their face remained ashen, the cloying, putrid odor had noticeably diminished.

Most noticeably, his breathing, which had been weak and almost stopped, became slightly more steady and longer.

Chen Yuan abruptly withdrew his hand, staggered back a step, and was quickly supported by Zhou Ming.

His face was ashen, his lips were bloodless, the blood ginseng mark on his right arm was burning hot, and the five-colored starlight in his sea of ​​consciousness had dimmed considerably, clearly indicating that he had consumed a great deal of energy.

However, Wu Xiaoshuan's life was temporarily spared.

The eruption of the Burning Meridian Yin Sha was forcibly suppressed, and the damage to the heart meridian was barely protected by the nourishing power of the pale gold star.

Gu He rushed to Wu Xiaoshuan's side, took his pulse, and after a moment, looked up at Chen Yuan with an extremely complex expression—shock, confusion, a fervent desire for research, and a hint of annoyance at having his fundamental beliefs challenged.

"You...how did you do that?!" His voice was hoarse. "Those five elements of spiritual power...you're only at the sixth level of Qi Refining! How could you possibly control five different types of spiritual power simultaneously, and even make them complement each other, transforming evil into life?! This defies common sense!"

Chen Yuan leaned against Zhou Ming, slightly out of breath, and instead of answering Gu He's question, looked at Jiang Tian.

"Senior Brother Jiang," his voice was weary but clear, "I've managed to save him for now. The 'Burning Vein Yin Fiend' hasn't been completely eradicated, but he won't die anytime soon. My innocence doesn't need to be bought with anyone's life. Now, you can continue your investigation—investigate who poisoned him, who provided the medicinal ingredient. I, my shop, and my people are all here."

"As for her," Chen Yuan glanced at the bewildered Bai Zhi, "I found her injured by the field and took her in temporarily. Her origins are unknown, but she has not harmed anyone so far; on the contrary, she has intended to save people. As for how to deal with her, please ask Senior Brother Jiang to handle it impartially according to the sect's rules."

Jiang Tian looked at Wu Xiaoshuan, whose breathing had stabilized, then at Chen Yuan, who was weak but had a determined look in his eyes, then at the mysterious Bai Zhi and Gu He, whose eyes were filled with fervor, and finally at Wang Mo in the shadows.

Today's matter is complicated.

Liu San Niang, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, suddenly let out a soft laugh, not loud, but loud enough for those nearby to hear:

"Oh, Brother Chen, you really know how to cherish women. You're even willing to use such a miraculous technique for a woman of unknown origin. It seems this woman is... extremely important to you."

These words, like venomous snakes, pierced through everyone's ears.

Li Xiong immediately chimed in sarcastically, "Isn't that right? You weren't even worried about the witness from your own shop almost dying, but you're already concerned about an 'injured person.' Chen Yuan, where is your heart headed?"

Chen Yuan closed his eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Guhe's gaze fixed on him had become incredibly intense, and... determined to win.