Chapter 24 - 18: From Hundred Herbs Garden to Sanmei Bookstore

Su Ling’er’s heart pounded. That dark purple, evil flower had thrown her thoughts into chaos.

’What should I do? What should I do?’

’Deny it? Make an excuse? Or should I just turn and run?’

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, but she rejected them one by one.

Besides, making any strange moves in front of her Senior Brother, a man whose cultivation she couldn’t see through, would be tantamount to accelerating her own death.

The wind in the valley was cold and harsh as it filled her throat.

Her thoughts raced, and she suddenly recalled what her Senior Brother had said about her having an aptitude for insight.

’In that case...’

An idea struck Su Ling’er. She knew what to do.

Then, with a resolute expression, she said to her Senior Brother, "Senior Brother, it’s not that I don’t dare. I simply disdain to do so."

Lin Qingfeng was a little surprised to hear his Junior Sister’s words. "Oh? And how do you disdain it?" he asked.

Su Ling’er looked her Senior Brother straight in the eye, burying all her fear and cowardice deep within her heart.

"Senior Brother has always taught me, Ling’er, not to rely on external objects, but to seek only the supreme Great Dao within oneself. This is the path our Guixi Sect seeks!"

"Whether it’s the Sword Refining Skill or the ’survival of the fittest’ principle where the victor reigns supreme, the core tenet is to fight against heaven and earth with one’s own will."

"This flower may be able to reflect a person’s heart and is extraordinarily magical, but in the end, it is still an external object."

"We are cultivators with firm Dao hearts. How could we lose the courage to even look into our own hearts just because of the meddling of a single evil flower?"

"If one must rely on an external object to peer into oneself, the heart gains a crutch, and one’s Dao becomes flawed."

Su Ling’er took a step forward, her voice clear and strong:

"If I step forward today and it reveals my fear, then when I overcome that fear in the future, it will have been under this evil flower’s guidance, not through my own heart’s enlightenment. My Dao heart would no longer be pure."

"If I step forward and it reveals nothing, wouldn’t that just prove this flower is nothing special? Why should we cultivators waste our mental energy on such things?"

"My Heart Demon is mine to slay with my own hands! My fear is mine to overcome on my own!"

"My path is one I must forge myself, one step at a time!"

"This is the true meaning of the Sect’s ’Metamorphosis’ that I, Ling’er, have comprehended from Senior Brother’s teachings! That is why I disdain it!"

As her voice fell, a light breeze blew past.

Lin Qingfeng looked at her, somewhat astonished.

’Holy shit. Damn, she’s good. She really has a way with words. Fucking brilliant!’

’Does this mean she’s accepted the Sword Refining Skill?’

’Looks like from now on, the work of recruiting new members, ideological indoctrination, and introductory brainwashing is a job for no one but my Junior Sister.’

’What a talent!’

He looked at his Junior Sister and began to clap. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The crisp sound of applause made a few passing disciples look over. When they saw it was just their Senior Brother instructing the new Junior Sister, those who had already met her didn’t pay it much mind.

They just hoped the new Junior Sister would contribute more to the sect so they could get out and explore the world sooner. After all, being cooped up in the sect forever wasn’t ideal.

"Good! Well said!" the Senior Brother shouted.

But Su Ling’er’s heart was still in her throat.

She saw that her Senior Brother’s gaze hadn’t left her, so she gave him a slight bow, hoping to change the subject.

"Senior Brother, you praise me too highly. I, Ling’er, only have this humble insight because of your previous teachings."

"If not for your guidance, Senior Brother, allowing me to have constant epiphanies, how could I, Ling’er, have possibly reached such an understanding? It’s all thanks to you."

Su Ling’er seized the opportunity to change the subject:

"This Hundred Herbs Valley is so vast; there must be more mysterious places. I would like to ask you, Senior Brother, to show me around."

Lin Qingfeng nodded, quite pleased with his Junior Sister’s earlier speech.

"Since you have such an understanding, Junior Sister, I won’t insist."

He turned, started walking, and called out to his Junior Sister:

"Keep up. We’ve seen enough of the scenery here. Further in is the ’Sanmei Bookstore.’ It’s much more interesting there."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Su Ling’er hurried to catch up.

However, as she walked past that evil flower, her body still tensed up instantly.

’But at least... I made it through.’

...

The two continued deeper into the valley.

The deeper they went, the denser the Spiritual Qi became. The scenery grew increasingly bizarre, exuding a strange sort of beauty at every turn.

There were bizarrely shaped trees and Spirit Grass that looked like red coral.

In the fields, there were even spirit beasts in some places, holding hoes or pitchforks as they stood guard.

Su Ling’er didn’t understand what was happening. ’Are they making spirit beasts guard the medicinal fields? That can’t be right, can it?’

She shook her head, unable to figure it out.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the area ahead suddenly opened up.

Before them was a bookstore, constructed from dark-red spirit wood in a somewhat archaic style. It seemed out of place compared to the vibrant medicinal fields surrounding it, as if it existed in its own tranquil world.

A plaque hung on the lintel, bearing the words "Sanmei Bookstore."

Su Ling’er saw disciples constantly going in and out of the bookstore.

They were talking and laughing on their way in, but the disciples who came out wore all sorts of expressions.

Some were beaming with joy.

Others were dejected, muttering things like, "Didn’t draw anything good this time either," though she couldn’t quite make out the words.

Still others walked away cursing and swearing.

Su Ling’er asked curiously, "Senior Brother, what is this place?"

Lin Qingfeng pointed at the Sanmei Bookstore and said:

"This is where our sect’s disciples study the pharmacology of plants and trees. They can also comprehend the Dao of the five elements’ creation and destruction cycle."

"You’ve met Mr. Qian, I believe. Our elder is just that capable, so he personally oversees this place and imparts the way of planting. You can even ask him about cultivation problems related to the Earth, Wood, and Water elements, and he’ll give you a few pointers."

He glanced at Su Ling’er and continued:

"Although you have a Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root, at least there are three elements you can ask Mr. Qian about here."

"Depending on his mood, Mr. Qian might also teach you some related Cultivation Techniques, arts, or methods for planting Spirit Plants."

To put it bluntly, it was like a gacha pull. Whatever Mr. Qian randomly decided to teach you was what you learned.

"Of course, there are conditions. I’ll explain the details to you later."

Just then, a figure emerged from a small path beside the bookstore.

The man’s hair was a mess, with a few unknown leaves stuck in it. It was none other than the creator of that evil flower from before—Shen Nong.

He was something of a life-skill-focused player who loved to research planting Spirit Plants.

He spotted Su Ling’er at a glance. Yesterday, he had been too busy researching a new Spirit Plant to go see the commotion, but now his curiosity was finally piqued.

He circled Su Ling’er for a long moment and said:

"So you’re the new Junior Sister? Sorry, I was a bit busy yesterday and didn’t get to see you."

"I can see your bone structure is astonish... uh... terrible. The space between your eyebrows is dark, your aura is chaotic... Tsk, your aptitude is just a bit too poor."

"Ah, whatever," Shen Nong said, waving his hand dismissively. "I’ll just get to the point."

He carefully took a jade box from his robes and opened it. Inside lay a jet-black seed, a new variety of Spirit Plant he had just developed.

"I have here a newly developed ’Wonder Seed.’"

"Junior Sister, want to try planting it yourself? Who knows... there might be a surprise?"

...

[Real World]

[News Archive]

According to a Deke Community report, several organizations operating under the names of "spiritual growth" and "potential development," including the "New Mind Society," have come under the joint surveillance of the financial and security departments of at least five countries.

The report states that the core members and financial flows of these organizations are under close scrutiny, though the specific reasons for the investigation were not mentioned.