In the evening, Meng Qinlin sent him a seed of the Deity’s Beard. There were only a handful of them, each the size of a grain of rice. The seeds almost look like they were made of crystals, owing to their clear appearance.
Suddenly, the thought was clear in his mind. In a month’s time, whoever managed to grow the flower would win! However, if both of them managed the feat, the survival rate of the plants would act as the tie-breaker. Everyone would be given an equal number of seeds, no more and no less.
Meng Qinlin patted Chu Li’s shoulder before leaving. “Little Chu, don’t give this competition too much thought.”
Chu Li looked at him.
Meng Qinlin said, “This is but a name. If you want genuine achievements, you should not be hung up on arbitrary things such as these. People like us need to have a calm heart. If we are not calm, we cannot go far!”
Chu Li smiled. “Thank you Meng Qinlin.”
The conversation was as genuine as it could be. He was not treated as an outsider at all.
“Young Chu, you are very talented. What you need now is to calm your heart down, and not pursue victory alone. People who work with plants can never compete for just a temporary advantage, as this will make the mind fickle and impatient. Don’t be like Gu Litong!”
“Sir Meng, I am young, full of spirit, and like recognition!” declared Chu Li as he smiled.
Meng Qinlin shook his head. “Gu Litong loves renown and fortune. Only renown and fortune are capable of stirring him, inspiring strength and effort. You, however, are different. You cannot tread the same path.”
Chu Li wrapped his fist and solemnly and said, “Thank you, Old Meng!.”
Deep within them, there was not much difference between what he and Gu Litong felt. They both thought that they were unique and supreme in their own right. The difference was that he had been through two lives, he hence could control his desires without showing them.
Gu Litong set his sights on renown and fortune. On the other hand, Chu Li wanted power and authority; placing renown and fortune aside.
Meng Qinlin patted his shoulder then turned around and left.
Chu Li went to the lake to send Meng Qinlin off. He came back holding a bunch of seeds, trying to feel their vitality. Half of them were still energized but the other half were almost dead.
He sat in the Moonlight Orchid parterre, balancing the spiritual energy of this batch of seeds. He waited for them all to be energized, then evenly spread them across the ground, covering them with a layer of soil.
He pressed the soil with his palm. Despite being separated by a thin layer of soil, he could still feel the seeds. He sighed in relief, and then realized that in actuality, the soil couldn’t separate itself from the plant.
He worked around for a bit and realized that within a ten-meter-radius, he could establish a relationship with the seeds with the help of the land. He also tried to use his legs to exchange spiritual energies and realized that it worked the similarly to when he was using his hands. To be exact, the exact body part did not matter, and he therefore could still exchange spiritual energies with the land even while he was lying on the floor.
He tried it over and over again, and found that it was the same with the other plants. He could conduct spiritual energy ten meters away through earth as a medium without so much as to be in direct contact.
At night, the moonlight shone clear as water, and the sky was still.
In the Moonlight Orchid parterre…
Chu Li and Li Yue sat around the rock table as they drank their tea. Beside them was a small, red soil furnace, sputtering about its business and releasing puffs of white smoke. The pleasant aroma of the tea spread into the air.
There were no lanterns lit up, yet they had no problems with vision.
In the embrace of moonlight, Three Moonlight Orchids dispersed like water. That, combined with the Snow Orchids littered around, lit up the parterre ever so gently as if they were somehow stuck in a dream.
Then, suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed. Xiao Qi and Su Ru appeared, walking as steadily and as gracefully as the drifting clouds in the sky.
Li Yue hurriedly stood up. Both the ladies were in white. It was as if they had been standing there all along, yet a ray of light accompanied them as they entered.
Chu Li stood up to greet them.
Xiao Qi emanated a gentle luster off herself. She was like a fairy, above the common populace. She waved her hand. “Please, sit.”
Li Yue politely set up two garden stools and invited the two ladies to be seated. He was worried that the rock chair was too cold for them.
Su Ru held a small box in her hand. She opened it and took out the tea set made out of suet white jade.
Her beautiful hands, coupled with the suet white jade, were sophisticated interactions; entirely worthy of beauty and admiration.
Her elegant hands and the tea set elaborately intersected, giving an image so beautiful and captivating.
She washed the teapot and teacups elegantly. She then poured a cup of tea for Xiao Qi and looked up to Chu Li. “Chu Li, will it really bloom at night?”
Chu Li nodded. “Yes.”
“If it doesn’t, I won’t forgive you!” Su Ru rolled her eyes at him.
Chu Li smiled. “Don’t worry, it will bloom tonight, and after tonight it will turn to soil.”
“That’s great then…” Su Ru nodded her head gently with a ‘hmph’. “You really think you can grow the Deity’s Beard?”
“Not a problem.”
“Hmph, such a confident tone!” Su Ru glimpsed at him again before rolling her eyes. He was actually unsure about it! He should at least leave himself some contingency to fall back on if anything were to happen. He just agreed to it like that, was he really not afraid that something would go awry?
Chu Li said, “The Deity’s Beard are already germinating. It will break through the ground after two days.”
“Oh?” Su Ru was astonished. “That quickly? These things don’t germinate that easily.”
Chu Li smiled without a reply.
They needed sufficient spiritual energy to germinate, so their surroundings needed to meet very high expectations. If it was left to its own devices, it would have taken many years to receive the spiritual energy required to germinate. Normally, it would die before germinating.
“So in other words, we can win over Gu Litong?” asked Su Ru.
Chu Li smiled. “No problem.”
“I’d like to see what happens if you lost!” Su Ru gave another ‘hmph’. “Gu Litong isn’t weak after all, be careful! ”
Chu Li said, “If he doesn’t use any tricks, he won’t win!”
Su Ru curled her lip and rolled her eyes.
Li Yue continuously cast glances at Chu Li to remind him who he was speaking to. It would be bad if Chief Su Ru got offended.
Xiao Qi sat quietly and drank her tea.
Chu Li suddenly pointed at a Nightmare Flower about the size of a thumb. “It’s starting! ”
The Nightmare Flowers grew very quickly. Within a month, it had grown to the size of a thumb. There were two buds on top of the branch. The most peculiar thing was, there were no leaves on this plant, only a bald branch and flower bud.
As Chu Li finished talking, the flower bud trembled slightly before opening ever so slowly. Xiao Qi and Su Ru were taken aback.
It could be seen that the bud was blooming really quickly. After ten minutes, it had bloomed completely. The snow white, flawless petals looked as if they were shining.
Su Ru uttered, “It’s beautiful…”
Chu Li had been introduced to the Nightmare Flowers before. However, this was the first time he saw them bloom right in front of his eyes. Words could not describe the beauty of the flower that touched his heart.
An hour later, the petals started to change their color. First, it was dyed with a layer of pink, and then it turned into an elegant dark red an hour later. With every hour, its color would change.
Finally, it would lose all shade of color, and, like two ice sculpted peonies, brilliantly yet slowly fade into oblivion.
Chu Li reached out his hand to pinch the flowers, smoothly plucking two of them.
Xiao Qi, Su Ru and Li Yue glared at him fiercely.
Chu Li packed both the flowers into a jade box, before securing it gently and letting off a long, long sigh. He then saw the branches turn yellow in a blink of an eye, right in front of him.
With a gentle gust of wind from his lips, the branches turned to dust and scattered with the breeze.
The three of them returned to reality. The Nightmare Flowers was like an unfathomable force, demanding of its audience an uncontrollable urge to relish in its beauty.
“Miss, it’s ready.” Chu Li passed the jade box to Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi looked at the jade box and nodded.
Su Ru asked, “Miss, do you want to try the medicine?”
“Hmm, I will have to.” Xiao Qi nodded.
“I’ll do it!” Su Ru chimed in enthusiastically.
Xiao Qi stared at her, Su Ru smiled tenderly in return.
Chu Li said, “If I’m not mistaken, one flower can maintain one’s youth for sixty years, two flowers will maintain it for ninety years. Unfortunately, we’ve run out of seeds.”
“We still have one more,” Su Ru said.
Xiao Qi fell silent for a while. “Su Ru, go retrieve it.”
“Right!” Su Ru agreed excitedly, and swiftly departed to take it.
After some time, she returned, still as gentle as the cloud; in her hands a small box. With both hands, she passed it to Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi opened it and shoved it to Chu Li.
Chu Li took out the seed and started to frown.
“What? “Xiao Qi asked.
Chu Li shook his head and said, “This seed is dead. ”
“Dead? “Li Yue was shocked. “It can’t be planted?”
Chu Li nodded his head slowly, looking at Xiao Qi helplessly. “It possesses no vitality anymore, miss, please forgive my inability!”
Xiao Qi smiled mildly. “It’s fine then. Chu Li, this incident won’t be getting out, and neither will it go towards your rank.”
“Yes.” Chu Li nodded.
Li Yue looked at Xiao Qi curiously.
Su Ru smiled gently. “Chu Li, you’re not angry? ”
Chu Li replied, “This is how I should behave as an imperial guardian of the parterre. ”
“It’s rare for you to be aware of such things.” Su Ru smiled. “Worry not, Lady Xiao won’t treat you unfairly.”
“I am grateful for being regarded highly by you, miss,” responded Chu Li.
Su Ru rolled her eyes and said, “Lady Xiao is going to prepare a blessed farmland in the east garden, and we’re going to have you handle it!”
“Blessed farmland?!” Chu Li was surprised.
The soil of the spirit herb garden and normal herb gardens were different. Spirit soil such as this would cost a hefty sum.
It had been said that the method of producing the blessed farmland was no longer being passed on. Only the royal family possessed them, but it was kept hidden from any outsiders.
The books from the library did not have the complete method. Chu Li went through about ten books, mixing-and-matching all of the different contents and sources. He eventually found the method to create the spirit soil.
He had told Su Ru before that he had found the method of creating spirit soil, but Su Ru did not take it seriously back then. This time, however, she took him for real!
The spirit soil was worth as much as gold, sometimes even more.
Usually, even when some commoner knew the method of making the spirit soil, it was useless because, it needed spirit herbs mixed with hummus. This kind of spirit herb was so expensive not even the typical rich families could afford it.
Xiao Qi asked mildly, “Not up for it?”
Chu Li replied, “You really are something, miss!”
“The blessed farmland will not be large.” Xiao Qi said, “Try planting some rarer spirit herbs.”
Chu Li wrapped his fist and said with enthusiasm, “I will not let you down, miss!”
With the spirit soil, he would no longer have to go to the herb garden. Now that he had his own training spot, he could finally train peacefully.
“Someone is already working on the blessed farmland.” Xiao Qi lowered her voice. “Make sure no one knows about it.”
Chu Li nodded his head slowly.
Xiao Qi said, “Usually, we should find someone experienced to help you, but… ”
“Miss, I’m fine by myself. I can give it a go,” replied Chu Li.
“That’s great.” Xiao Qi nodded her head gently and stood up. “The night is old enough, you should get some rest. ”
Su Ru picked up the jade box. “Chu Li, please behave yourself the next few days. Don’t cause any trouble!”
“…I’ll surrender to Gu Litong,” said Chu Li.
Xiao Qi looked at him, her gaze deep, before turning away and leaving.
Su Ru grinned lightly and rolled her eyes. She waved her hands as a sign that she would leave on her own and proceeded to do so gracefully.
Li Yue widened his eyes and looked at Chu Li as if he were deep in thought.
“Do you really want to surrender?” Li Yue couldn’t help but ask him about it.
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Chu Li nodded.
“Why?” Li Yue grunted. “I really can’t stand Gu Litong’s face, I want to slap him so much! ”
Chu Li said, “A little impatience spoils great plans. I can do this, you just need to keep it a secret and don’t tell anyone! ”
Li Yue seemed to understand. “Miss wanted to build a herb garden secretly?”
“Don’t tell anyone!” Chu Li turned away and left the parterre.