Chapter Ten: Managing the Herb Garden

The old Taoist’s face lit up with delight at once. His disciple was always full of clever ideas—how could he possibly object? He immediately said, “Li Qing, if you have something to say, speak up so we can hear it.” The old monk nodded as well, while the plump man watched Li Qing with a half-smile.

Li Qing swallowed and said, “Celestial foxes are all extremely proud by nature. If we use the Hehuan Powder to make her unite with a human cultivator and bear a child, we can raise that child to adulthood. Then, we can use the child to threaten his mother. At that point, would we still have to fear that the fox demoness will not cooperate with us willingly?”

The old monk closed his eyes, reciting the Buddha’s name silently, while the fat man frowned slightly.

The old Taoist was silent for a moment before he said, “Very well, this is the only way. For the sake of the world and to eradicate the demons completely, it shall be done. You will be the one to handle this task!” The old monk and the fat man both nodded. Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs. Whoever becomes the child’s father will need great courage indeed.

Li Qing said, “Master, I am not the best candidate. If I father a child with the fox demoness, the offspring would be mediocre at best. Junior Brother Xie Jiu possesses the bloodline of the Evil Dragon—he is the most suitable to be the father. The child born of their union would be extraordinary. We will teach him the Dao, and in the end, we can use him against the demon clans.”

The old Taoist fell silent again. Xie Jiu, his second disciple, was the strongest of all his disciples and ranked second among the eight great human cultivators.

The old Taoist’s eyes suddenly opened. “You will be in charge of this matter entirely! Now, off you go.”

Li Qing left cheerfully, saying, “I will see to it at once, Master. I’ll take my leave now so as not to disturb your important discussions.” With that, he quietly withdrew.

The old monk said to Huiming, “The matter is settled. Return to Hongfa Temple.”

“Yes, Abbot. I will return at once. Farewell, elders.” Huiming took his leave with great respect.

Now only the three old monsters remained in the cave. The plump man said, “He Changqi, I truly admire you. You even managed to capture the daughter of the Demon King, and now you’ve come up with such a brilliant plan.”

The old Taoist glared at him. “Qian Feng, spare me your sanctimonious sarcasm. For the sake of our great cause, I am making the greatest sacrifice—Xie Jiu is my most promising disciple. When we acquire Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, I demand first pick of the Demon King’s treasures.”

“Take whatever you like from Ten Thousand Demon Mountain. There is little among the demon clan’s possessions that my Buddhist sect needs. I only want the corpses of the Sorcerer King and the Demon King. Agreed?” The abbot of Hongfa Temple spoke solemnly.

Qian Feng said, “Very well, Master Fachen. I agree. What about you, Taoist?”

The old Taoist’s eyes flickered. “Fine.”

Thus, the three Spiritual Transformation cultivators joined forces, preparing to uproot the demon clan once and for all.

…

As dusk fell, Ge Qian returned to his room and lit a dim oil lamp. To his surprise, the little fox was fast asleep on his bed. It was understandable—Mei Die was seriously injured and exhausted, so she had dozed off.

Ge Qian placed his crossbow and arrows under the bed and said, “You certainly know how to eat and sleep. Today was quite lucky—I hunted a wild ox, enough to feed us both for several days.”

He took out all his hidden possessions, then sat cross-legged on his bedding and opened the Vajra Manual to study it.

He read late into the night. With a rustle, Ge Qian closed the jade slip, his heart full of shock—the Vajra Manual was too profound. Despite his intelligence, he felt utterly lost. Fortunately, the latter half included insights and experiences from previous cultivators, which proved invaluable.

This body-forging technique required fusing spiritual energy, demonic energy, and devil energy in precise proportions to cultivate one’s own sorcerous power. Once mastered, it would grant the ability to move mountains and fill seas.

The theory seemed simple, but in practice, it was impossible to find a balance among the three energies. The slightest mistake would ruin all previous effort.

Ge Qian held the jade slip, his eyes flickering. How could Liu Hai have sold such a priceless manual for a mere Marrow Cleansing Pill? Its worth surely exceeded a hundred such pills. Was there some hidden secret behind it? Unable to figure it out, Ge Qian decided to let it go—since this heaven-defying technique had fallen into his hands, he would be a fool not to practice it.

However, while spiritual energy was plentiful, devil and demon energy were much harder to acquire.

After pondering, Ge Qian recalled a place—the Demon Suppression Cave in the gorge behind the mountain. He’d heard that tens of thousands of years ago, the founder of the Heavenly Star Sect had sealed a devil there. Of course, there was no trace of the devil now—no one knew if it was dead or had escaped—but faint traces of devil energy still seeped out. Since the sect’s cultivators all practiced the Dao and abhorred devil energy, the cave had become a forbidden zone.

With devil energy accounted for, obtaining demon energy was much easier—many demon beasts and their lairs naturally contained it.

After careful consideration, Ge Qian made up his mind. Hunting required stamina, and thinking taxed the mind. He collapsed onto his bed and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Ge Qian rose early and packed his things. He placed his crossbow, arrows, and a sharp short sword—all items that could not go into his storage pouch—into a bundle.

The little white fox awoke as well and trailed behind Ge Qian as they headed straight for the herb garden.

The herb garden was not large, about a dozen acres, perched atop Earth Pillar Mountain. The wood elemental energy here was far more abundant than elsewhere.

A formation shielded the entire garden; without a token, entering was impossible. Ge Qian had already collected the entry token from the personnel elder the previous day.

Now, he took it out and gave it a gentle shake. The formation shimmered, opening a passage just wide enough for one person. Ge Qian fiddled excitedly with the jade token—a low-grade magical artifact. Having never used such a thing before, he felt as though all was finally within his grasp.

Clutching the token tightly, he led the little white fox inside, delighted.

A thin mist hung over the herb garden. All manner of rare spiritual herbs flourished: some blossomed in dazzling colors, others bore various fruits, all exuding a faint medicinal fragrance.

Not far away lay a cave-dwelling, and in the northwest corner stood a thatched hut. It was easy to guess—the cave belonged to Elder Cui Yun, while the hut was his own.

Understanding this, Ge Qian headed straight for his hut. Inside, there was a bed, a table, two chairs, and two meditation cushions. He was quite pleased with the place: rich in spiritual energy and undisturbed.

He stored his belongings under the bed and said to the little white fox, “Listen carefully—do not run around. Every single herb here is worth more than you or I. If you damage one, you’ll be severely punished at best, and at worst, you could lose your life. Do you understand?”

Mei Die smiled bitterly in her heart. Back at the Ten Thousand Demon Palace, even the most common herb was thousands of years old, some even surpassing ten thousand years. Such herbs were of little use to demons, but invaluable treasures for human cultivators. Every year, high-level human cultivators risked their lives for them.

But now, under someone else’s roof, she could only bow her head and nod in understanding.

After settling the little fox, Ge Qian made his way to the cave entrance. A dense fog obscured the doorway, making it impossible to see inside; he dared not act rashly.

It was said that the cave-dwellings of Foundation Establishment cultivators were protected by formidable formations and restrictions—entering uninvited was certain death. He had no choice but to wait.

After an hour, the entrance glimmered, and an elder emerged—a short man with triangular eyes and a wrinkled, smiling face. He muttered to himself, “Didn’t expect to refine a batch of mid-grade pills—how delightful! These months of effort weren’t wasted.”

At the sight of him, Ge Qian instinctively felt an overwhelming pressure. He stepped back and said, “Disciple Ge Qian greets Elder Cui. From today, I will be responsible for tending the herb garden.”

Elder Cui’s gaze swept over Ge Qian, who felt as though he were transparent before the old man, with no secrets whatsoever. Fortunately, the tender sprout in his dantian only appeared during cultivation and was hidden otherwise, which reassured him.

After scrutinizing Ge Qian, the old man said, “Your aptitude is mediocre—what mistake did you make?”

Naturally, Ge Qian could not admit that Wang Yudong had sent him here to avoid official duties, nor could he confess to any wrongdoing, lest he leave a poor impression. He replied, “Elder, my talent is lacking, but I have long admired your reputation. Your alchemy is unmatched in our sect. I volunteered for this duty, hoping to receive your guidance—even a word or two would benefit me greatly.”

“Do you know my temper? I scold and beat people for no reason. I suggest you leave and let those who have made mistakes come instead. I would feel no guilt losing my temper at them,” Elder Cui said, stroking his goatee.

“No matter one’s talents, one must see things through to the end and never give up halfway. When Heaven assigns a great task to someone, it first tests their resolve, exhausts their body, and starves their flesh. Though I am unworthy, I have long regarded you as my idol and wish to ease your burdens at every moment,” Ge Qian said, his tone reverent, as though no one else on earth could compare to the elder.

Every word was well-chosen, sincere rather than contrived, and Elder Cui’s eyes brightened with pleasure. “For the sake of your sincerity, I’ll give you a chance to pursue the Dao. You have one month—if you perform well, you may stay. If not, you can leave and never return.”

“Yes, Elder. I promise I will not disappoint you,” Ge Qian said, patting his chest.

“This jade slip contains records of the five hundred and one rare herbs here—their care, numbers, and habits. Take note of them all. Also, do not touch the few plants in the core area over five hundred years old—they are my personal charges. I see you haven’t reached the second stage of Qi Absorption yet, so you probably can’t perform the Rain Summoning Technique. Take this bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills and two bottles of Fasting Pills. Use your rest time to cultivate, aim to master Rain Summoning soon, so you won’t have to tire yourself with a bucket!” Though Elder Cui was eccentric, he was also considerate.

Foundation Establishment cultivators were indeed wealthy—a bottle contained ten Marrow Cleansing Pills, equivalent to a year’s savings for Ge Qian. A single Fasting Pill allowed one to go ten days without food, drink, or even needing the latrine, greatly extending meditation and cultivation time. True fasting, however, could only be achieved by reaching Foundation Establishment, when one could live on spiritual energy alone.

Ge Qian happily accepted the pills and jade slip, vowing to the heavens not to disappoint his benefactor’s trust.

Elder Cui waved him off. “I’m going back to refine a few more batches of pills. Do your work well.”

Ge Qian quickly said, “I respectfully see Elder off.”

The elder returned to his cave to continue his alchemical work.

Ge Qian rejoiced inwardly—who said Elder Cui was unfeeling? He was so generous—clearly, Ge Qian had come to the right place this time. He dared not slack off, so he immediately sat cross-legged, pressed the jade slip to his forehead, and let its knowledge flood into his mind.

He soon felt dizzy, his sea of consciousness aching unbearably, and quickly removed the slip. Clearly, his strength was insufficient to absorb all the information at once. Aware of this, he divided the task into three sessions and finally read through the entire content. Diligence is essential in cultivation; Ge Qian was clever and had a photographic memory, quickly mastering all the methods for tending each herb.

Without delay, he set about his tasks, carefully hoeing weeds, transplanting, and watering as needed. He worked until sunset, quenching his thirst with cold water and easing his hunger with dried meat. He was too frugal to use any precious Fasting Pills, saving them for breaking through bottlenecks. All day, he worked diligently, never slacking or shirking.

He knew that all this hardship was worthwhile—he needed to win Elder Cui’s trust. Foundation Establishment cultivators had exceptionally strong spiritual senses; what if the elder was secretly watching? He would have to work hard for at least half a year before relaxing.

That evening, Ge Qian returned to his hut. The little white fox was meditating, looking quite at ease. In truth, Mei Die was also cultivating, absorbing the essence of sun and moon to refine her demon energy and recover. Though this was much slower than directly absorbing demon energy, it provided a much firmer foundation.

Watching the little white fox breathing quietly before the window, Ge Qian frowned in thought. This fox’s temperament was much like his own—mediocre talent, but a determined heart for the Dao.

It seemed tonight he would have to act.