Chapter 15

No matter how speechless a golden finger might make one, as long as it was a golden finger, it was impossible to discard.

For example, Chun Chou.

Although he restrained himself again and again and only used this golden finger—his own blood—when absolutely necessary, it was undeniable that in the beginning, in order to raise his younger siblings and send them to cultivation school, he had taken several risks. That was how he made a name for himself. Only then did more people come asking him to treat the spiritual herbs in their homes. Eventually, he secured a stable position at the town’s spiritual herb garden, and his own home also came to have many spiritual plants.

Still, Chun Chou was extremely cautious. If he could avoid using this golden finger, he would. For example, now he had only used a single drop of “spiritual water” mixed with his blood on the Marrow-Cleansing Grass. As for the Jade Beauty Flower, he could have used it as well—if he had, he would have obtained its seeds—but for the sake of safety, he refrained.

Fortunately, as his cultivation grew higher, there were fewer and fewer occasions that required him to use this “spiritual water.” After thinking it over, Chun Chou felt that this was just as well, and he sat down cross-legged once more to meditate.

—He did not know why, but whenever he cultivated near these spiritual herbs, they grew better. It was like when he cultivated beside Ling Wuji, Ling Wuji could draw spatial talismans.

Chun Chou: “……” Could it be that I myself am a golden finger?

The corner of his mouth twitched. Suppressing his wandering thoughts, he focused seriously on cultivating.

On the bed, after sensing the subtle change in Chun Chou’s aura, Ling Wuji opened his eyes the very next moment.

He did not rise immediately. After waiting another quarter of an hour, he got up, seated himself in his wheelchair, and quietly pushed himself to Chun Chou’s side. He stared without blinking, tracing Chun Chou’s brows and eyes with his gaze.

When Chun Chou finished meditating and opened his eyes, he was met with Ling Wuji staring at him like a lovestruck pervert.

Chun Chou: “……” Well. My boyfriend is good in every way—except that sometimes he loves me like he’s a bit unhinged.

But since he was already his boyfriend, of course he forgave him.

Sometimes Chun Chou felt that he himself was a little unhinged too. In normal circumstances, the best solution would be to keep one’s distance. And yet, at times, he felt that having such a boyfriend was… rather exciting.

He gave a light cough and said with forced composure, “Don’t deliberately scare me like this in the future. If you wake up early, you can draw talismans, cultivate, do something else. You don’t have to keep staring at me.”

Ling Wuji looked at the faint blush on the boy’s earlobe, his heart stirring. Only then did he shift his gaze and say softly, “Back when you lived at the Xie residence, if I woke early, I would sit in the courtyard and look toward the Xie house over the wall, waiting until I heard your voice or your footsteps. I’ve long since grown used to it.”

Chun Chou: “……”

#Help! My boyfriend is a bit of a creep, what do I do?#

#Why do I find such creepiness adorable, am I beyond saving? QAQ#

He looked out the window at the sky and said quietly, “I’ve even dreamed about marrying you. What are you afraid of? I’m not going to leave you for no reason.”

Ling Wuji’s expression changed for a split second, then returned to its usual gentleness. “I know. As long as I treat you well and devote myself to you, you will stay by my side. I just sometimes want to look at you more. It feels like every extra glance makes me like you a little more. And the more I like you, the more I want to look.”

Chun Chou: “……” Perfect logic!

After thinking for a moment, he could only say, “Th-then do as you like. But next time, stand a little farther away. Not so close.”

Otherwise, if he accidentally struck out, it would count as domestic violence.

That would be bad. Very bad.

Ling Wuji smiled at last.

They chatted and laughed for a while longer. Then Ling Wuji began cultivating, while Chun Chou cast Growth Stimulation Technique on the two spiritual herbs until his spiritual energy was exhausted, then resumed meditating.

After Ling Wuji finished cultivating, he began drawing talismans.

Now that Chun Chou was by his side, whenever Chun Chou cultivated, Ling Wuji took advantage of the opportunity to draw spatial talismans. When Chun Chou cast Growth Stimulation Technique, he drew other higher-grade talismans. Once his spiritual energy was depleted, he meditated again.

They continued like this until noon, when hunger finally set in. After washing up, they went downstairs to eat.

They lived like this for three days. On the evening of the third day, Steward Bai from the Canglan City Lord’s Manor and Xu Liang came together to visit.

Hearing the knock and voices outside, Chun Chou glanced at Ling Wuji. Ling Wuji immediately placed the two newly revived Xuan-rank Marrow-Cleansing Grass seedlings—propagated by cuttings from the original plant—into his storage ring.

A storage ring was indeed superior to a storage pouch; it could temporarily store living spiritual plants.

The inn room was small, so this was the best they could do.

When Xu Liang saw the Marrow-Cleansing Grass and Jade Beauty Flower, both brimming with vitality, he was overjoyed. Looking at Chun Chou, he exclaimed, “I never imagined Brother Chun Chou possessed such skill!”

Steward Bai was equally astonished. As the one in charge of the City Lord Manor’s Hundred Herbs Garden, he had seen countless spiritual plant cultivators. He had never expected someone like Chun Chou. He praised, “As expected of someone from Wunie City—those who endure come out are all capable.” Then, noticing the talismans on the table, he glanced at Ling Wuji. “You cousins—one a spiritual plant cultivator, the other a talisman master—it’s no wonder you’ve managed to endure together.”

Xu Liang thought it over and found it reasonable. Otherwise, how could two so young be so capable?

Ling Wuji merely smiled.

Chun Chou: “……You flatter us.”

Xu Liang immediately paid six hundred low-grade spirit stones and carefully carried the two herbs away. He then asked Chun Chou to visit his home early the next morning in Qing’an Ward.

Chun Chou agreed readily.

Steward Bai added, “After this beast tide ends, come to the City Lord’s Manor and look for me. If fate allows, I’d like you to tend the Hundred Herbs Garden for a year or so. Rest assured, the herbs there are excellent.”

Chun Chou: “……” Well then. Securing work after the beast tide was no small thing. During the tide itself, no one would have leisure for such matters.

Not only that—Steward Bai also recommended his younger brother in Qing’an Ward, who handled property brokerage, and offered to help them find a suitable courtyard.

Chun Chou thanked him immediately.

One left with revitalized spiritual herbs, the other with a future spiritual plant cultivator secured—both satisfied.

After they departed, Chun Chou looked at Ling Wuji, who was smiling back at him. It suddenly felt as though they could truly settle down in Canglan City.

Ling Wuji took out the two Xuan-rank Marrow-Cleansing Grass seedlings. Chun Chou stayed behind to watch them while Ling Wuji went out to sell the talismans he had drawn these past few days.

During meals at the inn, they had overheard discussions about which shops offered the fairest prices and which accepted talismans and spiritual herbs. Ling Wuji went to the shop most frequently mentioned. If the price was fair, he would sell everything there at once.

Meanwhile, after confirming the two seedlings had taken root successfully, Chun Chou planted ten valuable spiritual plant seeds he had saved from the demon beast forest into ten separate pots.

The soil in those pots had also been dug up from the forest.

In fact, over those days, they had filled two entire spatial talismans with soil.

Because Chun Chou had said that soil native to the land was best suited for spiritual plants native to that land.

Ling Wuji: “……”

What else could he do?

Whenever Chun Chou insisted on something, he had never once refused.

Spatial talismans lasted only ten days. They needed to find a place to settle soon.

Setting that aside, Chun Chou quickly finished planting the ten seeds, watered them with ordinary water, then began casting Growth Stimulation Technique on all twelve pots.

After these days of frequent use, his technique had improved—

Each time he cast it, the stimulated plant’s growth for that day equaled two normal days. If he cast it four or five times in one day, that plant would grow as though five or six days had passed. Each casting added one extra day’s growth.

Chun Chou thought that at Qi Refinement sixth level, this was sufficient for now.

The more plants he stimulated at once, however, the faster his spiritual energy drained. He would have to use it carefully.

He also needed to study the books Ling Wuji had purchased about spiritual plant cultivation in the cultivation world. He had to see how fast other cultivators of similar rank progressed.

He must not fall too far behind.

Completely unaware that many late-stage Foundation Establishment spiritual plant cultivators did not possess his level of ability, Chun Chou suddenly grew vigilant and began seriously competing against himself determined not to be the slow one

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