Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Wu Xiaoshuan woke up with a sharp, stabbing pain.

He gasped sharply, and before he could even open his eyes, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood with a strong, sweet, and metallic taste.

"He's awake!" someone shouted.

My vision was blurry for a while before it gradually cleared.

He found himself lying on the ground, his shirt open at the chest, with some bluish-black marks still remaining on his skin. But the excruciating pain that burned through his internal organs had actually... lessened? He was just extremely weak, and a chill seemed to seep into his very bones.

Then he saw the people surrounding him.

Chen Yuan sat pale-faced against a wall not far away, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The outer disciple named Zhou Ming was nervously guarding him.

The madman Gu He from Yaogu was squatting beside him, his murky eyes staring frighteningly bright at his chest, muttering, "The evil poison is being forcibly suppressed and channeled..."

Further away was Jiang Tian from the Enforcement Hall, his hand on his sword hilt, his face ashen.

And then there's Liu San Niang and Li Xiong, standing at the edge of the crowd. Liu San Niang still has her usual smile on her face, but the smile is a little stiff, and there's a hint of barely perceptible anxiety in her eyes.

Wu Xiaoshuan's heart skipped a beat.

The plan... failed? He didn't die? Then...

"Wu Xiaoshuan!" Jiang Tian's cold, harsh voice rang out, "You're afflicted with the 'Burning Meridian Yin Sha,' is that due to the Golden Thread Grass Ring from Yuancao Hall?"

"I……"

"Don't rush to answer." Gu He suddenly interrupted in a sinister tone, his withered finger almost poking his nose. "Kid, tell me honestly, have you been afflicted with this 'Burning Meridian Yin Fiend' for at least two months? In the last few days, has someone given you a red powder, telling you it's a good 'pain reliever and qi tonic,' and told you to take it at a specific time?"

Wu Xiaoshuan trembled, looking at Gu He in horror. How did this old man know so much?!

"Look at his reaction!" Gu He turned smugly to Jiang Tian, ​​then swept his gaze across the crowd. "The poison is old! The medicinal ingredient was given by someone else! The timing of its onset was calculated! It's a trap! A setup to frame someone! Jiang kid, now that you're awake, shouldn't you ask who poisoned you and who gave you the medicine?!"

Jiang Tian's gaze was like a knife, piercing Wu Xiaoshuan: "Speak! Who instructed you to frame Chen Yuan? If you tell the truth, you may be exempted from the crime of colluding with the Demon Realm and framing your fellow disciples! If you continue to conceal it..." He paused slightly with his sword sheath, and the bluestone ground cracked with a "crack".

Liu San Niang's smile was about to falter.

Li Xiong's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he stealthily reached for his waist.

Wu Xiaoshuan trembled all over, sweat mixed with blood flowing into his eyes, stinging them. He remembered the twenty spirit stones, the way his mother coughed up blood, and the words of Scarface Tiger's henchman: "If you don't handle this well, you'll be drowned."

"I...I..." He broke down, tears and snot streaming down his face. "It wasn't me! It was Liu San Niang! And Li Xiong! It was them! Two months ago, Li Xiong asked me to gamble, and I lost. I owed them thirty spirit stones! They couldn't pay me back, so they said...they said they'd ask me to do them a favor, and if I did, the debt would be wiped clean, and they'd give me another twenty spirit stones!"

The crowd erupted in uproar!

"Liu Sanniang! Li Xiong!"

"It really is those two scourges!"

"To kill someone and frame an innocent person for twenty spirit stones?!"

Liu Sanniang shrieked, "Wu Xiaoshuan! You're slandering us! You were the one who was greedy and tried to extort Chen Yuan, and now that you've been exposed, you're turning around and blaming us!"

Li Xiong roared, "Bullshit! I'll tear your mouth off!" and charged forward.

"Silence!" Jiang Tian shouted sharply, unleashing the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Li Xiong's momentum faltered, his face flushing red. "Wu Xiaoshuan, you say it was them, but where's the evidence? Where did they get the 'Burning Vein Yin Fiend'? Where's the medicinal ingredient?"

"The poison... the poison was given to me by Liu San Niang. She said it was a 'slow-acting powder' from the black market in the west. She said to take it slowly, and it would only cause a dull ache in my meridians, like an old injury," Wu Xiaoshuan cried out. "The medicinal guide... the medicinal guide was given to me this morning by a man with a scar on his face. He said... he said to take it when I put on the grass ring in front of the shop... I... I didn't know it was to trigger the poison! They just told me to pretend to be sick, make a big scene, and ruin Yuancaotang's reputation... I really didn't expect it to hurt so much, to be dying so... so soon!"

A scarred man. Everyone's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the market area. Scarface Tiger.

Jiang Tian's face was so dark it could drip water. He stared at Liu San Niang and Li Xiong: "What do you two have to say?"

Liu San Niang forced herself to remain calm, squeezing out tears: "Senior Brother Jiang, please understand! We've been wronged! It must be Wu Xiaoshuan who colluded with Scarface Tiger to frame us! Chen Yuan, yes! Maybe Chen Yuan isn't innocent either! Everyone saw his evil technique for saving people just now! Who knows if he's involved with the Demon Realm? And that woman of unknown origin!" She suddenly pointed her finger at Bai Zhi, who had been cowering behind Chen Yuan.

Gu He chuckled, a sound that sent chills down one's spine: "Evil cultivation techniques? A woman of unknown origin? Well said! Young Jiang, you saw it yourself, Chen Yuan's method of dispelling evil energy just now was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Qi Refining disciple! And this woman," his burning gaze fixed on Bai Zhi, "the Pure Lotus Spirit Body! A natural source of purification! Yet she's tainted with demonic energy, having escaped from the Demon Realm! These two combined... hehe, isn't she worth a good 'study'?"

He stepped forward, his body suddenly radiating the oppressive aura of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, a mixture of medicinal scents and madness. Though his spiritual power was unstable, it was enough to intimidate the entire scene: "In my opinion, Chen Yuan possesses extraordinary abilities, suspected to be related to the demonic arts of the Demon Realm; this woman is a fugitive from the Demon Realm, possessing a strange spiritual body. According to the sect's rules of 'investigating the unusual' and 'investigating the source,' it should be the responsibility of my Medicine Valley to conduct a thorough examination! Jiang Tian, ​​you are a disciple of the Enforcement Hall, only responsible for apprehending criminals. The examination of this 'unusual' and 'source' is the duty of my Medicine Valley, and of my Guhe Sect! Hand them over to me!"

As he spoke, he actually stretched out his dark hand and grabbed Bai Zhi, who was closer to him!

"Ancient!" Jiang Tian stepped forward, blocking the way, his face grim. "Even if an inspection is necessary, it must be done according to procedure, reported to the Hall of Criminal Law or Danxia Hall for verification, and escorted by the Enforcement Hall! How can you act on your own..."

"Procedure? Approval?" Gu He rolled his eyes, his face erupting with a researcher's fervor mixed with long-suppressed obsession. "By the time your damn procedures are finished, it'll be too late! These kinds of extraordinary cases are fleeting! What do you know? What does that old bastard Chi Yang know? They'll just turn living mysteries into a few lines of rigid records in jade slips! Only I! Only I, Gu He, can truly uncover their value!"

He seemed insane, his finger trembling as he pointed at Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi: "A Qi Refining brat who can turn death into life and reverse malevolent energy! A Pure Lotus Spirit born from the filth of the Demon Realm yet yearning for purity! This is a divinely bestowed opportunity! The key to the true 'Creation of Life'! To hand it over to you? That would be a waste of talent! It would be murdering the truth!"

His obsession stemmed from the failure of being demoted decades ago for "radical experiments," from his disdain and resentment of the rigid dogma of Danxia Palace, and from his almost pathological pursuit of the "mysteries of life."

At this moment, this obsession transformed into a raging fire, burning away reason and the last shred of respect for the sect's rules.

Jiang Tian was forced to take a half step back by his crazy attitude and terrifying words, his hand tightly gripping the hilt of the sword, but he didn't know whether he should draw it or not.

Guhe is an elder of the Medicine Valley. Although he has been demoted, his seniority and his strange knowledge of poisons remain.

More importantly, the "customary practice of sects to detect anomalies" he mentioned does exist, but it is usually not implemented in such an extreme way.

Seeing Jiang Tian hesitate, Gu He's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he was about to bypass him and make another move!

Bai Zhi was so frightened that her whole body stiffened, and her clear white eyes were filled with despair.

Chen Yuanqiang struggled to his feet, standing in front of Bai Zhi, his eyes coldly fixed on Gu He: "Gu He, if you want to do research, come at me. Let her go."

"Coming for you?" Furukawa laughed wildly. "Of course I'm coming for you! I want both of you! This 'research' isn't complete without either of you!"

"Jiang Tian! If you stop me again, you will be hindering the sect's crucial mission of exploring the alien origin! You cannot bear the consequences!"

Jiang Tian's forehead veins bulged.

On one hand, there's the noble cause of "external source investigation," which could potentially threaten the sect's safety (after being distorted by Gu He); on the other hand, there's Chen Yuan's life-saving act and Bai Zhi's helplessness, not to mention the unresolved suspicions surrounding Liu San Niang's side...

Just at this critical moment, as Jiang Tianjian was about to strike but hadn't yet, and Gu He was about to pounce again with a sinister grin—

An old, calm, and even somewhat lazy voice suddenly came from the back of the crowd.

"Nephew Guhe, decades have passed, and you're still as impatient as ever in your pursuit of truth."

The crowd seemed to be separated by an invisible hand.

A thin, short old man with white hair and beard, somewhat disheveled, wearing a faded gray robe, walked slowly over with his hands behind his back.

His eyelids drooped, as if he hadn't woken up yet, and his breath was so weak it was almost inhuman; he even walked with a slight limp.

It was Mu Shoujing, the keeper of the library.

Guhe's frenzied movements suddenly froze, as if he had been doused with ice water from head to toe.

He slowly turned around and looked at Mu Shoujing. The madness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by disbelief and astonishment, and even... a hint of deep-seated fear.

"Uncle Mu... Uncle Mu?" Gu He's voice was extremely hoarse. "Why... why did you leave the library?"

Jiang Tian was also stunned, and then quickly bowed and greeted Elder Mu: "Disciple Jiang Tian greets Elder Mu." Although he did not know the specific background of this old man guarding the pavilion, he was no ordinary person who could make Gu He address him in such a way and show fear.

Chen Yuan was also taken aback.

He recognized the old man; they had met once before on the third floor of the Medicine Valley Library, and the old man's words, "You can only see what's in your heart," had given him much to ponder. Was it a coincidence that this old man was here now?

Mu Shoujing ignored Jiang Tian's bow and didn't look at Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi much. She simply walked up to Gu He and raised her eyes, which seemed to be perpetually sleepy.

She just looked at him calmly.

Guhe seemed to be stared at by something terrifying. Cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead, and his previous manic arrogance vanished without a trace. He even unconsciously bent over a little.

"I smelled something interesting in the pavilion, so I came out for a walk," Mu Shoujing said slowly, her voice still calm. "And then I saw that someone was going to use the promising young talent I had my eye on as a 'sample' to 'study'?"

"A promising talent you've taken a liking to?" Gu He suddenly looked up, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty as he looked at Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi. "Uncle-Master, you mean...?"

"Hmm." Mu Shoujing nodded, as if confirming something trivial. "This kid is clever, a bit unconventional, and not bad at farming. This girl is pure-hearted and has a clean background, but she's had bad luck and got tainted by something dirty. To me, she's alright."

He paused, his gaze finally landing formally on Chen Yuan for the first time, before glancing at the trembling Bai Zhi.

"From today onwards, these two will be my last disciples, Mu Shoujing."

These words, like a silent thunderclap, struck everyone's heart.

A closed-door disciple?!

Gu He was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word. Mu Shoujing's closed-door disciples? The Mu Shoujing who hadn't left the library for decades and was rumored to barely even give the sect leader face? He took on disciples? And two such... "abnormal" disciples at that?

Jiang Tian was also stunned. Mu Shoujing was taking on disciples? This was even more unbelievable than Gu He going mad! And the disciples he was taking on were Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi, who were involved in the Demon Realm fugitive and the strange cultivation technique incident? What did this mean? It meant that the Enforcement Hall, and even the Criminal Law Hall, would find it difficult to handle these two people according to the usual procedures!

Liu San Niang and Li Xiong turned pale. Even if they were ignorant, they could sense that this old man who had suddenly appeared was probably of a frighteningly high status, and that he could completely change the situation with just a word.

A storm raged in Chen Yuan's heart.

A closed-door disciple? This mysterious old man guarding the pavilion? He subconsciously looked at Mu Shoujing, but the other party still looked sleepy, as if he had just casually said, "The weather is nice today."

Bai Zhi was completely stunned, her clear white eyes wide open, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Mu Shoujing, seemingly oblivious to the shock of the crowd, turned to Jiang Tian and said, "Young Jiang, this matter is more or less settled. Those who poisoned and those who framed, arrest them and interrogate them. As for my two disciples..." He pointed to Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi, "If they have any questions, I will ask them, I will teach them. If they have truly violated the sect rules, I will also carry out the punishments. There's no need for the Enforcement Hall and Medicine Valley to worry about it. Do you understand?"

His words were calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Jiang Tian's Adam's apple bobbed, he took a deep breath, clasped his hands and bowed: "Disciple...understands! Everything is at Elder Mu's discretion!" Without hesitation, he immediately turned around and shouted to the eight enforcement disciples behind him: "Seize Liu San Niang and Li Xiong! Take them back to the Enforcement Hall for rigorous interrogation! Notify our men to apprehend Scarface Tiger and related individuals!"

Liu San Niang screamed and turned to run, but was easily subdued by a disciple of the Enforcement Department. Li Xiong roared and tried to resist, but Jiang Tianjian, without even drawing his sword, swung it once, and a sharp burst of energy knocked him heavily to the ground, spitting out blood, unable to get up again.

Gu He stood there, looking at Mu Shoujing, then at Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi, his fervor replaced by despair and loss.

With Mu Shoujing's words, he would never touch those two "samples" again. The mystery of "life's creation" that he had pursued all his life seemed within reach, yet it was separated from him by an insurmountable chasm.

Mu Shoujing then slowly walked up to Chen Yuan, looked him over, and then glanced at Bai Zhi, who was still terrified, behind him.

"Can you still walk?" he asked Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan suppressed his many doubts and nodded.

"Then take your little junior sister and come back to the library with me." Mu Shoujing turned around, put his hands behind his back, and resumed his lazy demeanor, walking out of the crowd as if he had just casually shooed away two annoying flies.

"The rest," he waved his hand without turning his head, "is something that kid Jiang knows how to do."

The crowd fell silent and automatically parted to make way for a wide path.

Chen Yuan helped the weak Bai Zhi up and followed behind the staggering figure in gray robes.

Zhou Ming and Widow Li stared, mouths agape, still reeling from the shock. Ping An tugged at his mother's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, did Uncle Chen and that woman... get taken away by the old immortal?"

As Chen Yuan passed by Gu He, whose face was ashen, he heard him utter a very faint, almost dreamlike sound: "Why... Uncle-Master... why them..."

Mu Shoujing didn't stop walking; only a simple sentence drifted back on the wind:

"Furukawa, your mind is filled with 'what should be,' so you see everything as 'material.'"

"As for me, I just see what they 'are' like, and I find them fairly pleasing to the eye."

As the voice faded, the three figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

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