Chapter 60: 2 Dragon Blood Orchids

Song Changsheng knew he had hit another bottleneck. Continuing would be futile, so he decided to pause his Artifact Refining. He then holed himself up in the Scripture Pavilion to study the clan’s artifact refining inheritance, searching for a way to break through.

He studied there for over ten days, forgoing food and sleep, but still had no leads. However, the Contribution Hall sent him some good news: a lead had finally surfaced for the Dragon Blood Orchid he had been seeking for over a year.

Song Changsheng was ecstatic and hurried to the Contribution Hall. He walked straight to the counter, cupped his hands in a salute to a white-haired Clan Elder, and asked, "Excuse me, Clan Elder, where is the person who accepted the Dragon Blood Orchid task?"

The Clan Elder glanced up at him and, after confirming his identity, said, "The person who accepted this task is a Hunter from a Demon Hunting Team."

"Which Hunter might that be?" Song Changsheng was taken aback. The Demon Hunting Teams were vassals of the clan and were allowed to accept clan tasks to earn some extra income, but it was rare to run into them.

"It’s Shangguan Sword. His Demon Hunting Team happened to discover a Dragon Blood Orchid a few days ago. He accepted the task after seeing you post it. You’re quite lucky," the Clan Elder said with a smile.

"So it was him." Come to think of it, Song Changsheng had met this Hunter Shangguan once before. ’What a coincidence!’

"If you’re looking for him, I’m afraid you’ll be out of luck. He’s probably already left the mountain by now. This is the Dragon Blood Orchid he turned in for the task. See if it meets your expectations."

As he spoke, the Clan Elder took out a Purple Jade Box from under the counter and opened it in front of Song Changsheng.

Inside the box lay a plant about a foot long. It looked very similar to a "Butterfly Orchid," but its overall color was a stark, blood-like crimson. On its leaves, dragon-shaped patterns seemed to flow slowly, like blood.

This was a Dragon Blood Orchid of excellent quality, approximately a hundred years old. Both its leaves and root system were perfectly preserved without the slightest damage, exactly what Song Changsheng had been hoping for.

"This is excellent. Thank you for your trouble, Clan Elder," Song Changsheng said, beaming as he cupped his hands in another salute.

"It was no trouble at all. Since you’re satisfied, we’ll consider the task complete," the Clan Elder replied with a chuckle. He reached out, ready to cross off the task for the Dragon Blood Orchid.

Unexpectedly, a panting Little Fatty burst in from outside. He raised his hand and shouted, "Wait, wait a moment!"

The Clan Elder’s hand froze. He looked at the boy with displeasure and said, "What’s with all this ruckus? Show some decorum. Are you here to accept a task or turn one in?"

The Little Fatty hurriedly forced a smile and said, "Clan Elder, I’m here to turn in a task. Here, it’s the one for the Dragon Blood Orchid."

The Clan Elder froze for a moment upon hearing this and subconsciously glanced at Song Changsheng.

Song Changsheng was also a little surprised. It was true that the task he posted could be accepted by multiple people, and quite a few had done so over the past few days. But he never expected two people to actually complete it.

After all, the Dragon Blood Orchid was rare; only a few stalks appeared each year.

The Little Fatty, not yet knowing someone had already beaten him to it, excitedly raised the Jade Box in his hands and opened it. Inside was indeed a well-preserved Dragon Blood Orchid. Although it wasn’t as fine as Shangguan Sword’s specimen, it still met Song Changsheng’s requirements.

The Clan Elder said with some difficulty, "This is... an awkward coincidence, lad. Someone just turned in this task a moment ago. It’s already been completed."

"Huh?"

The Little Fatty instantly froze on the spot as if petrified. He asked anxiously, "Th-th-then, what about my stalk?"

Song Changsheng shook his head slightly. He hadn’t expected such a coincidence either, but he only needed one Dragon Blood Orchid. ’Too bad for this fellow.’

After nodding to the Clan Elder, Song Changsheng prepared to leave.

But the Little Fatty suddenly blocked his path and said with pleasant surprise, "You’re Uncle Changsheng? You’re the one who posted the task, right? Please, take a look at mine. The quality is excellent."

Song Changsheng gave the Little Fatty a surprised look. ’He’s from the "Qing" generation? He looks to be only seventeen or eighteen. He must be one of the oldest among them.’

He felt a wave of emotion. ’The "Qing" generation clansmen are already starting to contribute to the clan. Time really flies.’

"Uncle, please, just take a look. It’s really good," the Little Fatty pleaded, holding up the Jade Box with a beseeching look in his eyes.

Song Changsheng shook his head. "I only need one. I’m sorry."

Hearing this, the Little Fatty’s eyes welled up with tears. He lowered his head and said no more, but Song Changsheng could faintly hear soft sobs.

This puzzled Song Changsheng. ’There’s no need to react like this just because I don’t want it,’ he thought. ’After all, the Dragon Blood Orchid never lacks for buyers. Even if others won’t pay as high a price as I offered, it’s not like he’ll be stuck with it. What’s there to cry about?’

"If you’re having trouble finding a buyer, I might be able to help," Song Changsheng offered, assuming that was the source of the boy’s distress.

The Little Fatty wiped his eyes and said dejectedly, his own eyes red, "I didn’t want to trade it for Spirit Stones. I was hoping to exchange it with you for a record of your insights on the Array Dao."

Song Changsheng was taken aback. "You’re an Array Master too?"

The Little Fatty nodded. "I’m a Tier One Low-Grade Array Master, about to break through to Middle Grade, but I’ve hit a bottleneck. That’s why I wanted to trade for a record of your Array Dao insights."

"I see. But why come to me? Doesn’t the clan’s Scripture Pavilion have many records of insights on the Array Dao left behind by our predecessors? If you sold the Dragon Blood Orchid, you could exchange the proceeds for several of them."

The Little Fatty shook his head vigorously and, mustering his courage, said, "You’re my idol. I only want yours."

Song Changsheng’s eyes widened. ’Did I hear that right? An idol?’

Although he could be a bit narcissistic at times, he had never imagined that someone would one day see him as an idol—especially someone not that much younger than himself.

"Uh, I’m just an ordinary person. You really don’t need to do this," Song Changsheng said, scratching his head awkwardly.

The Little Fatty immediately retorted, "You are not an ordinary person! You’re the youngest Tier Two Array Master in the clan’s history! You’re the idol of every Array Master in the younger generation of the clan."

Song Changsheng was bewildered. ’Since when did I have this much charisma?’

Looking at the Little Fatty’s determined gaze, Song Changsheng found himself starting to believe it.

After a moment of thought, Song Changsheng said to the Little Fatty, "I can give you a record of my insights on the Array Dao, but this Dragon Blood Orchid is too valuable. You should keep it."

For him, writing down his insights was a trivial matter. It wasn’t every day he met a young fan, so giving him a copy was no big deal. He would just consider it helping out a junior.

The Little Fatty’s gloominess instantly vanished, and his eyes shone as he looked at Song Changsheng.

Song Changsheng took out a Jade Scroll, inscribed some of his insights on Array Formation into it, and handed it to the boy.

The Little Fatty received it as if it were a priceless treasure. After carefully putting the Jade Scroll away, he quickly stuffed the Jade Box into Song Changsheng’s arms and ran out.

Song Changsheng was stunned for a moment, then shouted after him, "What’s your name?"

Without looking back, the Little Fatty yelled, "Song Qinghong!"

...