56: Chapter 56 Jade Dew Ginseng

Half a year later, she had grown a bit taller.

She was no longer as timid as when she first arrived; her face had some color now, and there was a light in her eyes.

"Xiao Cao."

He walked over, squatted down, and looked her in the eye.

"Do you still remember me?"

Li Xiaocao nodded vigorously.

"I remember! You're the big brother who brought me here, and there's Sister Changqing and Brother Tiezhu."

She paused, suddenly appearing a bit embarrassed.

"I heard that you came to the Hundred Herb Garden too, Brother, so... so I came to visit."

Li Changsheng looked at her, a complex warmth surging in his heart.

"Are you in Section C Field No. 3?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Li Xiaocao nodded.

"I'm looking after a rare Spirit Medicine garden. It has seven thirty-year-old 'Jade Dew Ginsengs' and over a dozen 'Purple Spirit Reishis'."

"Manager Qin said I've taken good care of them, so in two months, he might give me some seeds to plant myself."

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with pride.

"That's good."

Li Changsheng reached out and gently rubbed her head.

"Keep up the good work."

Li Xiaocao squinted her eyes like a kitten being stroked.

Suddenly remembering something, she pulled a small cloth pouch from her bosom and handed it to Li Changsheng.

"This is for you."

Li Changsheng took it and opened it to find three thumb-sized, emerald-green seeds inside.

"What are these?"

"Jade Dew Ginseng seeds."

Li Xiaocao whispered.

"I saved them secretly; there are only three."

"Manager Qin said these seeds are very hard to germinate. They need to be nurtured with wood-attribute Spiritual Qi for three months."

"I tried for a long time but never succeeded... People say you're great at planting things, Brother Changsheng. Why don't you try?"

Li Changsheng looked at the three tiny seeds, then at the little girl before him, whose face was full of expectation.

After a long while, he carefully tucked the cloth pouch away and spoke softly.

"Alright. I'll try."

Li Xiaocao smiled happily, revealing two little canine teeth.

"Then I'm heading back! I have to wake up early tomorrow to water the Jade Dew Ginseng!"

She waved her hand and went skipping away along the field ridge.

Li Changsheng stood in the twilight, watching the small figure disappear at the end of the field path.

He looked down at the cloth pouch in his hand again.

Three Jade Dew Ginseng seeds.

Thirty-year-old rare Spirit Medicine.

He looked up toward the distant Qinglan Mountains.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the mountain peaks gold, and the clouds were magnificent, like a painting.

He suddenly remembered what Uncle-Master Fang had said:

"Cultivation is like planting a tree; only with deep roots can the leaves flourish."

Right now, he had only just planted his first seed.

And this path was still very, very long.

As the night deepened, he turned and walked back to the tool shed by the field, lighting a dim oil lamp.

The lamp flame flickered, reflecting his focused profile.

In the Hundred Herb Garden, there was now one more farmer.

And this farmer held within him five hundred years of insights from a Soul Transformation powerhouse, the potential of the Fusion between the Longevity Dao Body and the Cyan Mysterious Dao Body, a thirst for power, and... a quiet score to settle with those who had once humiliated him.

No rush.

Everything was just beginning.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The changes in Section C Field No. 7 made the Disciples in the surrounding fields unable to resist taking a few extra looks.

The five rows of Spiritual Plants were growing at an astonishing rate.

The Spirit Nourishing Grass had already been harvested twice; its leaves were thick and emerald green, and the powder made from grinding the dried leaves was thirty percent more potent than ordinary stock.

The clear heart grass had grown half a foot tall, with a faint silver glow shimmering on the edges of the leaves.

That was a sign of the medicinal properties reaching maturity.

The Tranquilizing Flowers had produced over a dozen small light-purple blossoms; their scent was delicate, bringing peace of mind to anyone who smelled it.

The Blood-Stanching Grass was growing even more wildly, with thick stems and leaves full of sap; a gentle pinch would cause emerald-green juice to seep out, carrying a faint herbal fragrance.

Most eye-catching of all were the three Jade Dew Ginsengs individually enclosed by bamboo fences along the field ridge.

Those were the three seeds Li Xiaocao had given him. Li Changsheng had nurtured them for a full forty-nine days using the "Germination Technique" recorded in the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture before they finally broke through the soil.

Now that three months had passed, the three Jade Dew Ginsengs were about three inches tall.

Their stems were straight, their leaves deep green, and a dew-like luster faintly flowed between the leaf veins.

This was precisely the origin of the name "Jade Dew."

"Junior Brother Li, your Jade Dew Ginseng is growing way too well!"

The speaker was Zhou Quan from the neighboring Section C Field No. 6.

He was also a Disciple who had come up through the General Affairs Hall's assessment; they had already met when Li Changsheng first arrived at the Hundred Herb Garden.

He was currently squatting by the field ridge, staring longingly at the three spiritual ginsengs.

"I planted two last year as well. Only one survived, and it turned yellow once it reached two inches."

"Yours... surely it has the medicinal potency of a thirty-year-old one by now?"

Li Changsheng was watering the Jade Dew Ginseng and smiled at the remark.

"Senior Brother Zhou, you must be joking. It's only been three months; how could it have thirty years of potency? But the growth is indeed decent. Perhaps the soil and water in this field are good."

"Good soil and water?"

Senior Brother Zhou rolled his eyes.

"Our fields are right next to each other. We use the same water source, and the soil is the same black earth."

"I've planted three batches of clear heart grass in my plot, and each one was worse than the last. But yours..."

He shook his head.

"You brat definitely have a secret."

Naturally, there was a secret.

The "Foundation Nurturing Method" from the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture.

Nurturing the roots of Spiritual Plants with spiritual power daily could greatly increase survival rates and growth speed.

Combined with auxiliary techniques like "Soil Observation," "Fertilizer Adjustment," and "Water Diversion," the same seeds could unleash several times their potential in his hands.

But Li Changsheng naturally wouldn't say much about these things.

He just smiled and changed the subject.

"Senior Brother Zhou, I heard the market over there buys Spiritual Plants. How are the prices?"

Senior Brother Zhou's eyes lit up.

"You want to sell? This batch of yours is worth quite a bit!"

"I want to exchange them for some Medicinal Pills."

Li Changsheng nodded.

"Going from Qi Refining Level 2 to Level 3 is too slow relying on natural absorption."

Senior Brother Zhou immediately perked up and, squatting on the ridge, began to explain in detail.

In the Qinglan Sword Sect's Outer Sect, there is a "Market" located at the junction of the Outer Sect Disciples' living area and the various halls.

Though called a market, it's actually just a street over a hundred zhang long.

Shops on both sides specialize in buying Spiritual Plants, Materials, and Magical Artifacts produced by Disciples, while also selling cultivation resources like Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Cultivation Technique Jade Slips.

Most of the shops are run by the Sect's various halls.

A few are stalls set up by Outer Sect Disciples themselves, where trading is free and prices are fair.

"There are three shops that buy Spiritual Plants,"

Senior Brother Zhou counted on his fingers.

"The 'Baicao Apothecary' run by the Hundred Herb Garden itself offers the fairest prices."

"But they don't take low-grade goods. To sell there, things like Spirit Nourishing Grass or clear heart grass must be at least five years old."

"Then there's 'Juzhen Pavilion,' run by the Sect. They take everything, and while the prices are a bit low, it's convenient."

"Finally, there's 'Lingcao Hall,' run by an Outer Sect Senior Brother. They pay well but are very picky; even a slight flaw will result in a price cut."

He pointed at Li Changsheng's three Jade Dew Ginsengs.

"These three of yours, although young, have great appearance and full medicinal potency. You could definitely get a good price at Lingcao Hall. However..."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"If you can bear to, it's best not to sell raw herbs."

Li Changsheng's heart stirred.

"You mean, Senior Brother..."

"Alchemy!"

Senior Brother Zhou slapped his thigh.

"The same Jade Dew Ginseng sells for a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones as a raw herb, but if refined into Jade Dew Pills, a bottle of three can sell for three hundred!"

"Your three plants are enough for two batches. If the success rate is high, your net profit will double!"

Alchemy.

Li Changsheng fell silent.

He recalled the tests at the various halls when he first joined.

That alchemist from Baicao Hall had said of him:

"In the path of Alchemy, he is somewhat rigid and lacks talent."