Upon entering the Spirit Herb Garden, Li Ye took a deep breath of the suddenly rich and earthy aroma of flora. Gazing across the fields filled with various spirit plants, his expression relaxed, and an unmistakable sense of comfort washed over him.
"Though what I said to Yu Xiaoshan was merely an excuse, being surrounded by all this spiritual vegetation truly does bring me a deep, instinctive joy…"
"It's been a long time since I've seen scenery like this."
Following the directions he'd been given, he made his way to a hillside, where the landscape abruptly shifted into a grove of ash-green trees.
Just then, a simply dressed young man with a calm but slightly repressed expression emerged from the edge of the grove to greet him.
"I'm Wen Xun… Junior Brother Li, I've been waiting for you. As per the elder's instructions, this patch of Spirit Mulberry Trees will be under your care from today onward. I'll walk you through the basics…"
After much inner struggle, Wen Xun ultimately chooses to accept his fate.
Rather than risk playing tricks and offending Li Ye, it was wiser to let go of his attachments and extend a gesture of goodwill.
Perhaps, if he left a good impression, it might even make it easier to ask Li Ye for pills in the future.
At least, that was how Wen Xun tried to comfort himself.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Wen."
Li Ye cupped his hands in respect and followed the man into the grove.
As they walked, Li Ye noticed that Wen Xun seemed intimately familiar with the place. He explained everything in great detail, clearly knowing the area like the back of his hand.
After listening carefully and comparing it with his expertise, Li Ye had already gained a solid grasp of the situation here.
"Heh… Spirit Mulberry Trees are one of the easier spirit plants to maintain. All the trees here are still first-grade. Only once they reach the proper age and advance to second grade will they be moved to a higher-tier spirit vein. For now, the daily care shouldn't be difficult at all. With Junior Brother Li's skill, I'm sure it'll be no trouble."
Having finished the tour, Wen Xun forced a smile, took one last look at the grove, and then cupped his hands.
"I've told you everything I know, Junior Brother. I won't take up more of your time…"
"Please wait, Senior Brother Wen."
Li Ye called out to him. "Forgive my bluntness, but may I ask were you the one personally tending to this grove before I arrived?"
"Why do you ask…" Wen Xun froze for a moment, then, catching Li Ye's gaze, let out a bitter smile.
"Yes, it was me."
"I thought as much your familiarity with the place is far beyond that of an ordinary caretaker."
Li Ye's expression grew solemn.
"In that case, I must admit I've taken over your post, Senior Brother."
"It's just that tending to spirit plants holds special meaning for me I truly couldn't refuse…"
"I noticed you cultivate a wood-based technique as well. Please accept this Wood Origin Pill as a token of my apology."
He took out a jade vial and placed it firmly in Wen Xun's hands.
Staring at the vial and seeing the sincerity on Li Ye's face, Wen Xun was momentarily stunned. All his repressed frustration, resentment even anger seemed to melt away in that moment.
His lips lifted slightly as he gently shook the vial and heard several pills rattle inside. His heart skipped a beat.
"I… I can't accept this…"
"Please, Senior Brother, don't stand on ceremony. I won't feel right otherwise." Li Ye insisted.
"…Then, thank you, Junior Brother. I'll humbly accept."
Wen Xun hesitated for a few seconds, then held the vial tightly and cupped his hands respectfully toward Li Ye.
"If you ever have any questions about the grove, please don't hesitate to find me. I'll do my utmost to assist you."
"Much appreciated!"
With the tension between them completely dissolved, the two chatted a while longer, allowing Li Ye to deepen his understanding of the grove. Wen Xun, still surprised by Li Ye's refined planting skills, eventually took his leave.
"Right now, I have an abundance of Wood Origin Pills. Giving away a few doesn't hurt."
"Besides, it's always better to avoid making enemies who knows when someone might pop up to cause trouble again…"
Watching Wen Xun disappear into the distance, Li Ye turned back to the grove, his expression gradually softening.
"Now I'll be able to make new gains here…"
....
On the other side, the thin cultivator immediately stepped forward upon seeing Wen Xun walk out of the Spirit Mulberry Grove.
"Senior Brother Wen, how did it go?"
"Did that Li Ye humiliate you or anything?"
He cast a disgruntled glance toward the grove, asking with concern and a hint of worry.
Earlier, he hadn't dared to get too close, afraid that Li Ye might notice him spying and become enraged.
But he had caught a glimpse of Wen Xun being stopped by Li Ye before he left. The two seemed to have exchanged a few more words, even appearing to argue a bit, which kept Wen Xun there longer.
Such abnormal behavior naturally led him to imagine all sorts of scenarios.
"Humiliate me? Not at all!"
Wen Xun shook his head repeatedly, his face still glowing with joy.
"Junior Brother Li is a generous man who treated me with great respect. There was no conflict between us you can rest assured, Junior Brother Xiao!"
"Huh?" Junior Brother Xiao's mouth fell open in surprise.
The look he gave Wen Xun turned odd as if he were trying to figure out if someone had swapped him with an imposter.
"Listen, don't go spreading this around…" Wen Xun said, seeing how much Xiao cared for him. Now that he'd gained a benefit, he didn't want to keep it from him. He took out the jade vial.
"Junior Brother Li felt bad for taking over my position and not only sincerely apologized, but even gave me these Wood Origin Pills as compensation…"
"Wood Origin Pills?!"
Junior Brother Xiao's eyes flew wide open. He took the vial from Wen Xun and opened it.
Three translucent, pale green pills lay quietly inside. A fresh, herbal aroma wafted out, and just one sniff made his spiritual power stir restlessly.
They were Wood Origin Pills!
Staring blankly for a moment, Junior Brother Xiao put the lid back on and returned the vial. His eyes gradually filled with envy.
"Such compensation… That guy is filthy rich…"
At that moment, he secretly wished that it had been him whose field Li Ye had taken over!
These three pills could save him countless hours of cultivation. For a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator with a decent foundation, one or two pills might be enough to break through an entire layer.
The remaining pill could be reserved for the next breakthrough attempt.
If one were to look at long-term benefits, of course, the field caretaker job was more stable but in chaotic times like these, who knew how long such a position would last? Items that could quickly boost one's strength were naturally far more valuable.
Hadn't the prices of talismans and pills in the market been skyrocketing lately?!
"Junior Brother Xiao, did you know that Junior Brother Li's skill in spirit plant cultivation is also exceptional? Thankfully, we didn't try anything reckless. Otherwise, we wouldn't have just lost this opportunity we might've completely offended him…"
Wen Xun put the pills away, still full of relief and emotion.
"To be treated with such courtesy… If Junior Brother Li ever needs anything from me in the future, I'll be sure to return the favor."
"Naturally…" Junior Brother Xiao replied absentmindedly, though the envy in his heart only deepened.
But soon, something dawned on him.
He, too, had been assigned to help take care of the Spirit Mulberry Trees. Earlier, he had only worried that with Wen Xun gone, he'd have no backup and might be bullied by Li Ye.
But now he realized that Li Ye was generous and easy-going. With Wen Xun out of the way, wasn't this a golden opportunity?
Now he'd have plenty of chances to get close to Li Ye and if he could score even a tiny benefit from him, it might well rival what Wen Xun had gained today!
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