Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

The afternoon sun shines obliquely into the third-floor terrace of the library, cutting out distinct light and shadow on the dark brown wooden floor.

Chen Yuan sat cross-legged in the shadows beside the bookshelf on the west side, with a scroll titled "A Study of the Customs and Scenery of the Southern Wilderness" open in front of him. The pages were yellowed, and the ink had blurred somewhat; it recorded the power distribution of various sects in the Southern Wilderness three hundred years ago.

His gaze was fixed on the book, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Senior Brother Chen."

The sound came from behind, softly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility.

Chen Yuan closed the book and turned his head.

Bai Zhi stood three steps away, holding a wooden tray with two cups of tea on it, steaming gently rising from them.

"Master asked me to bring you tea." She approached and gently placed a cup of tea on the small table next to Chen Yuan. "He said you were so engrossed in your book that you might have forgotten the time."

"Thank you." Chen Yuan took the teacup, which was warm to the touch.

Bai Zhi didn't leave immediately. She sat down on the ground opposite him, picked up her teacup, and took small sips.

Sunlight shone from behind her, casting a soft glow on her profile.

"What book is Senior Brother Chen reading?" she asked.

"Just flip through it." Chen Yuan pushed the "Study of the Customs and Scenery of the Southern Wilderness" over, "It records some old stories."

Bai Zhi leaned over and glanced at the pages of the book, her gaze lingering on a particular line of text.

"The Flying Feather Sect has been established for seven hundred years. Elder Mu Shoujing, a Golden Core cultivator, is skilled in the cultivation of herbs and trees, and once had seven disciples..." She read softly, then looked up at Chen Yuan, "Is this about my master?"

"It should be." Chen Yuan picked up his teacup. "The book was revised a hundred years ago, and the records end at that time."

Bai Zhi read a few more lines and suddenly exclaimed, "Eh!"

"It says here that of the seven disciples, three have successfully established their foundations and have gone on a journey and have not returned; two have gone into seclusion to attempt to establish their foundations and have not yet emerged; one went down the mountain to gain experience and was killed by an evil cultivator; and there is one more..." She paused, "whose foundation was damaged, and he switched to cultivating miscellaneous studies and is now an outer sect steward."

She looked up, her eyes widening slightly.

"Did Master... take in so many disciples in the past?"

Chen Yuan took a sip of tea but didn't reply.

"But since I came to the sect these past few days," Bai Zhi put down her book, her brows furrowing slightly, "I've only heard people say that Master hasn't taken on any disciples for decades, until this time he made an exception and accepted the two of us. Those senior brothers and sisters... why haven't I ever heard anyone mention it?"

"Perhaps he's still traveling and hasn't returned," Chen Yuan said.

"But the book says 'it hasn't appeared yet.'" Bai Zhi pointed to that line of text. "It's been a hundred years. Do Foundation Establishment cultivators go into seclusion for that long?"

Chen Yuan put down his teacup.

"Junior Sister Bai," he looked at Bai Zhi, "what did Elder Mu say to you when you first joined the sect?"

Bai Zhi was stunned for a moment.

"My master said..." she recalled, "that I have a good affinity with spiritual plants, and since he had been looking for a disciple to inherit the Way of Plants in recent years, he took me in."

"Didn't they say anything else?"

"No," Bai Zhi shook her head. "He just wants me to read books in the library in peace, and to ask him any questions I may have about cultivation."

She paused, then suddenly lowered her voice.

"Senior Brother Chen, don't you... also feel that something's not right?"

Chen Yuan did not answer directly. He got up and walked to the bookshelf on the east side, and pulled out a thicker booklet—"Records of Merits of the Flying Feather Sect, Volume 60."

The pages turned, stopping at the section recording the contributions of the sect's disciples. His finger slid down the list, pausing on a particular page.

"Liu Muyun, the third disciple under Elder Mu Shoujing, is in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Fifty years ago, he collected thirty 'Bone-Eating Grass' plants in the Yin Wind Valley of the Southern Wilderness, earning three hundred merits. There are no records after that."

"Zhao Hongyu, the fifth disciple under Elder Mu Shoujing, has reached the peak of Qi Refining. Seventy-four years ago, she successfully cultivated a Grade Two 'Crimson Flame Fruit' and was awarded one hundred merits. There are no records after that."

"Sun Hai, the sixth disciple under Elder Mu Shoujing, is at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Eighty-nine years ago, he improved the irrigation method for 'Qingyang Rice,' increasing yield by 10%, and was awarded eighty merits. Since then..."

Chen Yuan closed the booklet.

"There are no records after that." Bai Zhi walked over at some point and stood beside him, her voice very soft. "It's like... she suddenly disappeared."

"Perhaps he went on a journey and perished there." Chen Yuan put the booklet back on the bookshelf. "Such things are not uncommon on the path of cultivation."

"But all seven disciples have vanished without a trace?" Bai Zhi turned to face him. "Not a single one of them remained? Even the one who switched to studying miscellaneous subjects and became an outer sect steward is nowhere to be found."

Chen Yuan walked to the railing and looked out at the surging sea of ​​clouds.

"Junior Sister Bai," he said, "some things are better left unknown than known."

Bai Zhi followed him and stood beside him.

"Senior Brother Chen," her voice held a stubborn edge, "you saved me. At the entrance of Yuancao Hall, when Gu He tried to take my Origin Spirit Dew, you stood in front of me. So..."

She took a deep breath.

Chen Yuan turned to look at her. Bai Zhi looked up, her eyes clear and unwavering in the sunlight.

"I just think it's a coincidence," Chen Yuan said slowly. "All seven disciples are quite talented. The worst is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and the best is at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Logically speaking, such disciples should have some reputation in the sect."

But they didn't.

"I inquired in Medicine Valley, but no one had ever heard of them. It's like... they never existed."

The two remained silent for a moment.

"Perhaps we're overthinking it," Chen Yuan said. "Golden Core Elders are quite casual about accepting disciples. It's possible for disciples to go on journeys, go into seclusion, or even perish."

"But why did Master suddenly take us in again?" Bai Zhi asked. "If all the previous disciples were..."

She didn't finish speaking.

Chen Yuan didn't respond.

Only the wind could be heard on the terrace, swirling clouds that rushed in from outside the railing, wetting my sleeves.

"Senior Brother Chen," Bai Zhi suddenly said, "do you remember what Gu He said that day?"

Which sentence?

"He said... 'different origins'," Bai Zhi recalled. "He said that you and I were both 'different origins.' I didn't understand at the time, but thinking about it later, did he see something special about us?"

Chen Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

Five-colored stars. Spiritual plant spirits.

"Maybe," he said calmly.

"Master accepted us," Bai Zhi's voice lowered, "Could it also be because...?"

Angelica dahurica.

The sound came from the entrance to the terrace.

The two turned their heads at the same time. Mu Shoujing was standing there at some point, holding the iron kettle in his hand, with a gentle smile on his face.

"Is the tea cold? I've boiled another pot."

He walked over, placed the iron kettle on the tea table, and glanced at the two of them.

"What are you talking about, so focused on it?"

"It's an old story recorded in a storyteller's book," Chen Yuan said first, pointing to the book "A Study of the Customs and Scenery of the Southern Wilderness." "I saw some records about Master and I'm quite curious."

Mu Shoujing walked over, picked up the book, and flipped through it.

"Oh, this." He smiled and casually closed the book. "It's an old story. I was young then, and I took on apprentices casually. I would just take on anyone with good talent, thinking that there's strength in numbers."

After he sat back down at the tea table, he began to warm the teacups.

"In the end, the path of cultivation is all about personal fortune and destiny." He poured hot water into the cup, and steam rose. "Of my seven disciples, three couldn't bear the loneliness after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and went off to travel, disappearing without a trace for a hundred years. Two went into seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment, but failed and, disheartened, left the mountain on their own. And there's one more..."

He paused, then gently shook his head.

"When I went down the mountain to train, I encountered a group of evil cultivators. That kid was stubborn and insisted on fighting, which resulted in damage to his foundation and the loss of all his cultivation. I brought him back and arranged for him to do some odd jobs in the Hall of Affairs. A few years ago, his lifespan came to an end."

He raised his eyes and looked at the two of them.

"As for the one mentioned in the book who switched to studying miscellaneous subjects, he was a disciple I mentored in my early years, not a formal disciple. He did later serve as a steward in the outer sect, but thirty years ago, he went out to purchase supplies and encountered a monster tide, and never returned."

He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about someone else's story.

Bai Zhi opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"So," Mu Shoujing pushed two cups of freshly brewed tea towards them, "I'm much more cautious about taking on apprentices now. Talent is important, but character is even more crucial. You two..."

His gaze lingered on Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi's faces for a moment each.

"You are all calm and collected children. Focus on your cultivation and don't overthink things. The path of cultivation is long. What you are meant to know will come naturally when the time is right. What you shouldn't know will only disturb your peace of mind."

Chen Yuan picked up his teacup.

"Disciple understands."

"Good that you understand." Mu Shoujing stood up, patted his robe, and said, "I'm going to the alchemy room this afternoon and will be back later. If you get tired of reading, go out for a walk. The library is nice, but you can't stay cooped up all the time."

He turned and left, his footsteps fading into the distance on the wooden stairs.

The terrace fell silent again.

Bai Zhi stared at the teacup in her hand, not moving for a long time.

"Senior Brother Chen," she suddenly spoke, "do you believe me?"

"What do you believe in?"

"That's what Master just said."

Chen Yuan didn't answer immediately. He walked to the railing and looked in the direction where Mu Shoujing had disappeared.

"Whether you believe it or not is not important," he said. "What is important is that we are now his disciples."

"But--"

"No buts." Chen Yuan turned around and looked at Bai Zhi. "Junior Sister Bai, remember one thing."

Bai Zhi raised her head.

"In the world of cultivation, the master-disciple relationship is not just about inheritance," Chen Yuan said, emphasizing each word, "but also a kind of... karma."

"cause and effect?"

"Hmm." Chen Yuan walked back to the tea table and sat down. "He taught us the techniques and guided our cultivation. This is the 'cause.' What we will have to repay in the future is the 'effect.'"

Bai Zhi's face turned slightly pale.

"You mean...?"

"I didn't say anything," Chen Yuan interrupted her, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "I'm just reminding you to think things through one step ahead."

He put down his teacup and picked up the book "A Study of the Customs and Scenery of the Southern Wilderness" again.

The pages turned between his fingers, stopping at the page containing Mu Shoujing's name. The ink was somewhat blurred, but the names remained clear:

Liu Muyun, Zhao Hongyu, Sun Hai...

Seven names.

Seven disciples whose whereabouts are unknown.

Chen Yuan closed the book and put it back in the deepest part of the bookshelf.

"Senior Brother Chen," Bai Zhi walked to his side, her voice extremely low, "If...if there really is a problem, what will we do?"

Chen Yuan turned to look at her.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a long shadow of hers onto the dark brown floor.

"Cultivate," he said. "Become stronger as quickly as possible."

"and then?"

"Then..." Chen Yuan looked out the window at the boundless sea of ​​clouds, "only then did he have the right to know the answer."