135: The Turtle Prime Minister who devoted himself to the cause

The former site of the Green Wave Sect is now one of the core medicinal gardens of Qianjiao Cliff.

The former glory of the Sect has been replaced by the more vibrant atmosphere of a Demon Mansion, but this land, where Spiritual Veins converge, has surpassed its past splendor thanks to the meticulous care of Turtle Three Thousand and the Human Cultivators.

Sunlight streamed down, and the entire garden of Spirit Plants absorbed the essence of Heaven And Earth, their leaves and petals shimmering with various colors of spiritual light. From a distance, it looked like a flowing, brilliant ocean of spiritual light.

At this moment, a group of excited Human Cultivators gathered by the Spirit Pond in the center of the medicinal garden. This pond was specially designated, built with jade, and drew in the purest water and wood Spiritual Qi.

Most of them were originally Spirit Planters from the Green Wave Sect and Cultivators specializing in Water and Wood Spells. They have now submitted to Gao De and are responsible for cultivation here.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the center of the Spirit Pond.

There, a tender seedling, about three inches tall, glowing with a faint jade-white luster, was quietly unfurling two delicate leaves.

Although the seedling was small, it exuded a pure and restrained plant spiritual charm that was distinctly different from the surrounding Spirit Plants. It subtly shared the same Origin as the thousand-year ethereal reed essence from back then, just countless times weaker.

"We succeeded! We really succeeded!" An old Cultivator in the Late Stage Qi Refining, with white hair, trembled with excitement, his voice choked.

He was the person in charge of Spirit Plants, overseeing this cultivation.

"Quick! Report to Steward Gui! The reed essence we cultivated... it's alive! It's really alive!"

The younger Cultivators nearby jumped up even more excitedly, hastily sending someone to deliver the message.

It turned out that when Gao De obtained the thousand-year ethereal reed essence back then, he did not completely deplete it.

After taking the main stem and the spiritual spike, he discovered that a faint trace of vitality still remained in the jade-like roots.

With the idea of giving it a try, he handed these vital roots to the skilled Human Cultivators in the medicinal garden and provided a large amount of wood and water-attributed Spirit Stones and spiritual liquid for assistance, hoping to attempt cultivation.

But this was not an easy task.

Thousand-year Spirit Medicine is of too high a grade, and its residual roots have weak vitality, requiring an extremely harsh environment.

These Spirit Planters spent several years, adjusting the spiritual liquid ratio, soil composition, and Formation assistance countless times, consuming a vast amount of Spirit Stones and Materials. Just as they were about to give up, the roots finally trembled slightly a few days ago, showing signs of recovery.

Until today, this tender seedling broke through the soil. Although it would take an unimaginably long time to grow to the extent of its parent plant, this was undoubtedly a huge success!

Turtle Three Thousand quickly arrived. After carefully examining the reed essence seedling, a rare smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

He deeply understood the value of this item. Even as a seedling, its pure plant spiritual charm was of immense benefit to Cultivation, especially for Cultivators and Yao Race members with wood and water attribute Cultivation Techniques, and it was also a precious resource for future sustainability.

"Well done!"

Turtle Three Thousand praised, "All those involved in this matter shall be heavily rewarded! Immediately dispatch more guards and designate this Spirit Pond as a Forbidden Ground within the medicinal garden. No one is allowed near without the command token of the Lord or myself!"

"Yes!" Everyone accepted the order, and while excited, they also understood the principle that possessing a treasure makes one a target.

The news reached Gao De's secluded cultivation chamber through special channels.

Gao De, who was in a deep state of comprehending the Heaven-Confusing Illusionary Miasma, felt a slight stir in his mind when he received this message. He slowly opened his eyes, and the illusory dream light and shadows in his eyes gradually receded.

"The reed essence... has been successfully cultivated?" he murmured to himself, a rare smile flashing across his lips.

This proved that his decision to leave the roots was correct, and it also proved the value of these Human Cultivators under his command.

"It seems that besides fighting and killing, this kind of steady accumulation is equally important," he mused inwardly.

Immediately, he transmitted instructions to Turtle Three Thousand via Divine Sense: "Protect it properly, and prioritize supplying the resources needed for its growth. You can try to use its dissipated spiritual charm to assist the growth of other high-value Spirit Plants. The specific uses will be decided after this King exits seclusion. Those who have contributed will be heavily rewarded."

Since there were results, he could not be stingy. Those who contributed must be heavily rewarded to stabilize morale.

The successful cultivation of the reed essence seedling injected a fresh vitality into the tense and oppressive atmosphere of Qianjiao Cliff.

It meant that Gao De now had another third-tier Heaven And Earth Treasure with promising future potential. The appearance of this small seedling was an excellent start.

Gao De closed his eyes again, continuing to refine his Bloodline Origin.

While Gao De was diligently Cultivating deep within the beehive, consolidating his Realm and comprehending the mysteries of the Heaven-Confusing Illusionary Miasma Divine Ability, another core area of the Water Mansion — the Administrative Hall, presided over by Turtle Three Thousand — presented a different scene of bustling activity.

The hall was brightly lit, the soft glow of luminous pearls illuminating piles of Jade Slips and account books.

Turtle Three Thousand was engrossed in his paperwork, a pair of crystal lenses, acquired from some Human Cultivator, perched on his nose. He held a slender jade brush in his claw, meticulously auditing this year's income and expenses.

He occasionally manipulated a custom-made Magical Artifact abacus, producing crisp "clattering" sounds; at times, he swiftly scanned the massive data recorded in the Jade Slips with his Divine Sense, his wrinkled face displaying a range of expressions, sometimes relaxed, sometimes slightly furrowed.

"Hmm... excellent, truly excellent."

Turtle Three Thousand stroked his long beard, a rare, unconcealed smile of relief finally appearing on his face as he spoke to the several Human stewards assisting with the audit: "Thanks to the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce successfully opening up trade routes in Yizhou, Jingzhou Province, and Yangzhou, the business in our three-country border market has truly flourished these past few years."

He pointed to a striking record in the account book: "The net surplus this year, just from the taxes, rent, and profits from our own shops in Qianjiao Cliff market, has reached this amount—" He held up two fingers, then spread out a turtle claw.

"Two hundred and twenty thousand... Low-Grade Spirit Stones!" A bookkeeper couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, his face filled with shock.

This number was several times higher than in previous years, averaging over ten thousand Spirit Stones in pure profit each month!

"And this is only the revenue from market taxes and basic services," Turtle Three Thousand added, a shrewd glint in his eyes, "It doesn't include the profits from selling ordinary Yao Beast Materials, Low-Grade Medicinal Pills, and standardized Magical Artifacts. Of course, most of those revenues have also been converted into raw Material inventory and equipment for our subordinates, and are not fully accounted for here."

Although the harvest was immense, Turtle Three Thousand was not carried away.

He turned to the expenditure section, his tone returning to its usual steady composure: "While the harvest is abundant, the expenses are also considerable. The daily upkeep for the thousands of Demon Soldiers and hundreds of Cultivators under the King's command is an astronomical sum.

Furthermore, there are rewards for meritorious individuals, resource allocations for Yao Generals like Green Edge and Iron Pincer for their Cultivation, and especially the Lord's Cultivation consumption, which is immeasurable even with cartloads of resources."

He paused, pointing to another column in the account book, his tone noticeably lighter: "However, fortunately, there is the 'blood honey' and 'royal jelly' produced by the Giant Demon Bee Swarm. This item has unique efficacy, with gentle and easily absorbed spiritual energy. Whether taken directly, used in Alchemy for Medicinal Pills, or in making spiritual food, it is an excellent choice and has become our Water Mansion's 'signature product,' always in high demand."

He added with a slight regret: "Although the yield is limited by the area of the flower seas in Flower Burial Plain and the Sect's medicinal garden, making growth difficult, its exceptional quality and generous profits are its strengths.

This single item alone earned the Lord no less than fifty thousand Spirit Stones this year, greatly filling the expenditure gaps in the treasury."

Finally, Turtle Three Thousand closed the account book and let out a long sigh: "Overall, this year's income and expenses balance out, with a decent surplus. The treasury reserves have increased, enough to support future expansion and expenditures for a period.

However, the Lord's ambitions are vast, and future expenses will only increase. Increasing revenue and reducing expenditure remains of utmost importance."

He carefully recorded the audit results into a Jade Slip, preparing to present it to Gao De after he exited seclusion.

Managing the increasingly vast family fortune, Turtle Three Thousand felt tired, but looking at the mountains of Spirit Stones and resources piled in the treasury, a sense of satisfaction, of an "old minister having done his best," spontaneously arose within him.