334: Chapter 334 Preparations

The value of the jade marrow fruit far exceeded Ling Ye's expectations.

A Spirit Medicine worth fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones was enough to make any Outer Sect Disciple, who only received a monthly allowance of five Spirit Stones, take a risk.

However, he did not act in haste; instead, he spent three days doing three things.

For the first thing, he returned to that mountain gully but did not enter the crevice, choosing instead to carefully survey the surrounding terrain.

He confirmed three paths that could lead to that small valley, as well as two routes for a quick escape should he encounter danger.

He also checked the stability of the rock walls to ensure the crevice would not collapse during the rainy season or due to external forces.

For the second thing, he spent two afternoons in the Scripture Pavilion, poring over all the miscellaneous notes related to the cultivation and harvesting of Spirit Medicine, focusing on understanding the growth habits of the jade marrow fruit and the precautions for harvesting it.

When the jade marrow fruit ripens, it releases a special scent; this scent is faint to human Cultivators, but to certain low-level Yao Beast with keen senses, it is an irresistible temptation.

This meant that during the period around when the fruit ripened, Yao Beast might be attracted to the vicinity.

For the third thing, he observed the shift change patterns of the Disciple patrols in the back mountain.

The Qingyun Sect's management of the back mountain was relatively loose, with no fixed patrol routes, but every two days, a group of Disciple would patrol along the main path; their primary purpose was to prevent ordinary people from straying into the Sect's territory, and they did not strictly regulate the behavior of Disciple entering the deep mountains on their own.

As long as he avoided the patrol time windows, the risk of being discovered was very low.

Three days later, he felt he had made sufficient preparations.

There were about twelve days left until the jade marrow fruit ripened.

He did not tell anyone about this—including Old Shi.

The fewer people who knew about this, the better.

Old Shi, as his support, should play a role at a more critical moment, rather than exposing his existence for a mere fifty Spirit Stones.

He began to adjust his daily routine; every evening after finishing his cultivation, he would take a detour to circle the area near the mountain gully to confirm whether the vines at the crevice entrance were intact and if there were any abnormal traces nearby.

Everything was normal.

That jade marrow fruit was still quietly growing in the small valley, its skin color deepening day by day, transitioning gradually from pale gold to deep gold.

On the evening of the tenth day, when Ling Ye went to check as usual, he discovered a trace where the vines at the crevice entrance had been disturbed.

He stopped in his tracks, crouched down, and carefully examined that area.

The trace was very fresh and must have been left within the day.

The method of disturbance did not look like it was caused by a wild beast—if a Yao Beast had passed by, there should have been scraping or tearing marks on the vines, but this mark looked more like it had been pushed aside by someone's fingers.

Someone had been here.

And, very likely, they had also discovered that crevice.

Ling Ye did not enter the crevice to check the state of the jade marrow fruit.

He stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and turned to return along the original path, his pace steady, as if he had discovered nothing.

After returning to his dwelling, he sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, then made a decision.

Early the next morning, he went to the Affairs Hall to accept a gathering task—not for coagulation grass, but for another medicinal herb that grew in the opposite direction.

He spent the entire day moving about in that area, letting anyone who might be watching him think he had changed his gathering spot.

After returning in the evening, he practiced cultivation, meditated, and rested as usual.

In the dead of night, he opened his eyes, rose silently, took a short dagger and a flint, and climbed out the window.

He did not take the main path but instead followed the second route he had surveyed during the day, making a wide detour to approach the mountain gully from another direction.

The moonlight was faint, obscured by clouds for the most part, with only sparse starlight barely illuminating the contours of the ground.

When he reached the crevice entrance, he did not enter immediately; instead, he crouched in the shadows for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, confirming there was no movement around, before turning sideways to slip into the crevice.

The small valley was much the same as when he last came; moonlight poured down from the crevice at the top, illuminating a patch of the valley floor.

That jade marrow fruit was still quietly growing there, its skin color having turned deep gold, gleaming with a warm luster in the moonlight—only two days remained until it was fully ripe.

But Ling Ye's gaze did not linger on the fruit for long.

His gaze fell on the ground beside the jade marrow fruit—there, there were a few shallow footprints.

The footprints were not large and appeared to belong to a person of medium build.

The direction of the footprints was toward the jade marrow fruit, then stopped about two steps away from the fruit, without continuing closer.

The person who came had evidently also recognized the value of this Spiritual Plant and saw that it was not yet ripe, so they had not rashly harvested it.

Ling Ye crouched down and carefully examined those few footprints.

The edges of the footprints were clear and not covered by windblown dust, indicating that they had been left very recently—very likely during the day today.

He stood up, his gaze flickering in the moonlight.

Someone else had also discovered this place, also recognized the jade marrow fruit, and was also waiting for it to ripen.

This meant that in two days, he might not be the only one coming here.

He needed to consider a new plan.