Chapter 5

The Immortal–Mortal Borderlands were thin in spiritual energy. Many spiritual herbs had to be planted within Spirit-Gathering Arrays and tended by dedicated herbalists just to survive. Because of that, the price of spiritual medicine remained persistently high.

Though Chun Chou’s spiritual roots were mixed and his cultivation progressed at an agonizingly slow pace—requiring several times the effort others needed to advance—when it came to raising spiritual herbs and plants, he was a natural.

If asked, however, Chun Chou would only say that he simply followed the cheapest guidebooks on nurturing spiritual plants that he bought from the bookstore. He raised them exactly as instructed. Often he tended them casually, yet even herbs that were not meticulously cared for somehow survived under his hand.

Moreover, his Growth Art and Rejuvenation Art were exceptionally effective on these herbs.

Four years ago, when Chun Chou was twelve, Xie Fusheng five, Xie Yaoyao four, and the twins Xie Changnian and Xie Youyou two, his adoptive parents were gravely injured in the Demon Beast Forest. They were carried back home and passed away that very night.

At the time, the Xie family was not truly poor. But the couple wished to send all the children to a cultivation academy. Tuition there was exorbitant, and with so many children, they had taken the risk of venturing into the Demon Beast Forest. They brought back a rare demon beast core. On their deathbed, they told Chun Chou to continue studying at the academy and to ensure the younger ones listened to their elder brother. Then they were gone.

Chun Chou carried deep guilt over this. He sold the demon core and insisted on sending Xie Fusheng and Xie Yaoyao to continue at the cultivation academy, hiring caretakers for them as well. He himself withdrew from school and supported the household by cultivating spiritual herbs.

Because of his remarkable talent, the family’s situation steadily improved. Two years later, when the twins turned four, he also sent them to the cultivation academy.

Supporting tuition for four children, along with cultivation resources, and maintaining his own practice—Chun Chou managed it all through growing herbs. His talent in this area was undeniable.

Now word spread through Red Leaf Town that Chun Chou was leaving for the Cultivation World. Someone spotted him driving a donkey cart toward the market. Some townsfolk gathered to watch the spectacle; others, quick-witted, hurried to notify the wealthy households. They could not afford Chun Chou’s herbs themselves, but earning a reward for passing along the news was worthwhile.

So by the time Chun Chou and Ling Wuji found a stall, someone was already waiting.

Chun Chou was not surprised.

Spiritual herb cultivation in the Immortal–Mortal Borderlands was notoriously difficult. The fact that he could grow herbs that even wealthy households struggled to produce naturally attracted buyers.

Previously, believing his aptitude poor and intending to live quietly in Red Leaf Town with Ling Wuji—whose spiritual roots were likewise unimpressive—Chun Chou had been reluctant to part with higher-value herbs. Now that they were leaving for the Cultivation World, and lacking any artifact capable of storing living plants long-term, he had no choice but to sell them.

The buyer was the town magistrate’s nephew, Lin Shan—round-bellied, plump, folding fan in hand, the very image of a pampered young master.

Yet this dandy was wealthy—and generous. Before Chun Chou even retrieved his goods from his storage space, Lin Shan waved grandly.

“You’re Chun Chou, right? Whatever you’re selling, I’ll take it all! As long as you sell your spiritual herbs to me. Don’t worry—I’m generous. I’ll buy them at thirty percent above market price!” After a pause, he added, “Anything else you’re selling, same price.”

Chun Chou’s mouth twitched.

Lin Shan was no fool. He had heard from his uncle exactly which herbs Chun Chou possessed. After exchanging knowing glances with his parents, he had staked out the market in advance, intending to purchase those herbs and deliver them to his uncle. With the magistrate backing their family business, what were a few extra spirit pearls? So he did not even let Chun Chou display his goods before trying to usher him away.

Chun Chou considered. Thirty percent above market price was indeed generous. It would save him the trouble of selling items separately over many days. He agreed.

He turned to Ling Wuji.

“I’ll keep the stall here,” Ling Wuji said. “By the time you return, I should be finished.”

They could then discuss how to spend the spirit pearls. In the Borderlands, spirit pearls still held some value. In the Cultivation World, they would not even count as currency.

Chun Chou watched as Ling Wuji took a table from his Qiankun Ring(storage ring) and laid out the goods. Reassured, he left—though he glanced back every few steps.

Ling Wuji might have impaired legs, but he was at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement. His ice techniques and spiritual sense were formidable, and fighting was forbidden in Red Leaf Town. Chun Chou was not worried.

He was not worried at all—yet he still looked back thrice before leaving.

Lin Shan, curious, asked, “Already at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, yet his legs still don’t work? I’ve heard that congenital ailments often disappear by the fourth layer.”

“I don’t know,” Chun Chou replied. “He says many in his clan’s main line are the same. Once they reach Foundation Establishment, their legs function normally.”

Lin Shan nodded and asked no more.

Instead of going home, he led Chun Chou to the third floor of a restaurant he owned.

In a private room, the herbs were appraised. After dismissing the staff, Lin Shan calculated personally and ultimately offered ten thousand spirit pearls—a slightly inflated price.

Chun Chou hesitated to refuse, but Lin Shan had already placed the pearls on the table. Then he knocked three times against a wall.

The wall rotated. A young girl in pink stepped out.

“I am Qiao Linglong, eldest daughter of the magistrate,” she said with a bow. “I have a request of you, Chun Chou. I had no choice but to arrange this meeting in such a way. Please forgive me.”

Lin Shan smiled apologetically and withdrew to guard the door.

Qiao Linglong spoke directly. She had ambition—of that there was no doubt. She presented a slender golden rod-like artifact. With a mechanism, it bloomed into a golden lotus that fired dozens of needles from its heart.

“Storm of Pear Blossom Needles?” Chun Chou ventured.

She looked at him.

“Storm Lotus Needles?”

She ignored the naming and explained its function: it could store 108 needles, firing 18, 36, or all at once. The needles could be forged—or formed from ice.

Chun Chou understood at once. This artifact suited Ling Wuji perfectly.

After negotiation, Chun Chou accepted it, even offering three thousand spirit pearls in return despite her proposed trade.

They agreed to meet in three days.

When Chun Chou returned to the market two quarters of an hour later, Ling Wuji had already sold everything and was feeding carrots to the donkey.

Chun Chou smiled.

Ling Wuji turned. His expression softened at the sight of the one he loved.

Then he saw the sachet hanging at Chun Chou’s waist.

His smile froze.

His mind went blank.

One thought remained—

He could not lose Chun Chou.

No matter whether Chun Chou was willing or not.

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