In the midst of an awkward silence, Jiang Beiran finished tending to all the flowers and plants in Shi Fenglan’s courtyard. As night fully descended, he returned to his Purple Bamboo Courtyard at the back of the mountain, carefully carrying the jade fragrance plant. With great care, he transplanted the jade fragrance into his courtyard.
Then, from his Universe Ring, he took out a green cloth pouch and sprinkled some black powder into the soil. The moment the black powder touched the earth, it dissolved rapidly, seeping into the dirt. Almost none of the flowers in Shi Fenglan’s courtyard had been properly cared for, and this jade fragrance was no exception.
Thus, Jiang Beiran had to nurse it back to perfect health first—only then would it be most effective for medicinal use. As the soil gradually turned yellow, confirming that the Black Scale Powder had taken effect, Jiang Beiran began inspecting the other plants in his courtyard. Hmm… the Seven-Star Flower is growing well.
Just needs another round of fertilizer in a couple of days. The Purple Cloud Mist is about ready for pollination. I’ll move it to a new spot tomorrow.
Sniff…
Good, you’re already a mature Purple Calyx. You should learn to absorb spiritual energy on your own. …… Standing up, Jiang Beiran gazed at the vibrant blossoms filling his courtyard, a deep sense of satisfaction washing over him.
Each of these plants had been painstakingly collected from various provinces. After giving them a final watering with Hundred Spirit Water, he walked to the other side of the courtyard. Compared to the fragrant, lively side, this area was much quieter, filled with jars and bottles of various colors.
Approaching one of the white porcelain jars, he lifted it and placed it on a nearby shelf, peeling back the leather paper sealing its opening. With a faint rustling sound, the Black Meteor Centipede he had brought back earlier slowly poked out its head.
“How’s it going? The environment here isn’t bad, right?”
The centipede waved its antennae vaguely, as if understanding, then cautiously extended more of its body out. Taking out a small purple bottle from his Universe Ring, Jiang Beiran poured some Black Mosquito Powder into his palm and offered it to the centipede.
After sensing it with its antennae for a moment, the centipede carefully crawled onto his hand and began devouring the powder.
“You’re much easier to tame than I expected. Seems like you didn’t have much loyalty to the Asura Sect to begin with.”
Once the centipede had finished eating, Jiang Beiran let it crawl back into the jar. Inside the white porcelain jar, he had lined the bottom with the centipede’s favorite Brown Marsh Soil and decayed maple leaf. Combined with the abundant spiritual energy of the back mountain, the centipede was clearly quite comfortable in its new home.
After returning the jar to its place, Jiang Beiran checked on his other little darlings, collecting precious materials like poison dart frog venom, ghost scorpion stingers, and Crimson Flood Dragon Venom fangs along the way.
Sigh…
There’s still not enough space. Once I get the flower seeds from Hall Master Shi and the new batch of little darlings arrives, the spiritual energy in this courtyard won’t be enough to go around. But he didn’t dwell on it—cross that bridge when he came to it.
With that thought, he moved on to his next task. Over the next few days, aside from the additional responsibility of tending to the flowers in Mirror Flower Garden, Jiang Beiran settled back into his familiar routine, enjoying a peaceful and leisurely time.
Until one afternoon, while eating Green Wilderness Delight in the dining hall, he saw Junior Brother Junyu walking straight toward him.
Sigh…
In the end, I couldn’t avoid it… Letting out a quiet sigh, Jiang Beiran quickly finished the last few greens on his plate.
“Senior Brother Jiang, the Hall Master has summoned you.”
“Mm. Lead the way.”
Jiang Beiran stood up and followed Junyu out of the dining hall. They arrived once more at Purple Radiance Garden. Before Jiang Beiran could even knock, the door creaked open, and a large hand reached out to yank him inside.
Bang.
The sandalwood door closed behind him as Zhang Heqing grabbed his hand excitedly.
“I knew you could do it! Truly the most outstanding disciple of our Blue Heart Hall!”
Huh…?
A giant question mark floated above Jiang Beiran’s head. The entire way here, he had been preparing various excuses, but it seemed the situation wasn’t unfolding as he had imagined. Seeing Jiang Beiran’s blank expression, Zhang Heqing gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder.
“Still playing dumb with me? Guardian Yu already came to see me! If you succeeded, you should’ve told me earlier—had me worried sick these past couple of days… er, I mean, concerned for you.”
Guardian Yu…?
At this point, Jiang Beiran finally understood. Guardian Yu must have come and approved the collaboration between the two halls.
Tsk…
Didn’t we agree you’d understand my difficulties? Why stab me in the back like this? With a headache brewing, Jiang Beiran thought back to his recent interactions with Yu Manwen and concluded that there was a high chance this was personal revenge.
Sigh…
The Heart Returning Sect is doomed. The higher-ups keep abusing their power like this. And Guardian Yu…
You’ve really disappointed me.
“Come, come, sit! What would you like to drink?”
Zhang Heqing guided him to the tea table, beaming as he placed several porcelain bottles in front of Jiang Beiran.
“Here—Pine Spiral, Fire Green, Jingting Green Snow. These are all top-grade teas from my personal collection. Take your pick!”
Since the deed was already done, Jiang Beiran decided to accept his fate. He chose the cyan bottle containing Jingting Green Snow.
“Excellent taste!”
Zhang Heqing gave him a thumbs-up before opening the bottle and sprinkling some leaves into the teapot. As hot water was poured in, a rich aroma of tea instantly filled the air.
“Truly a fine tea,” Jiang Beiran praised.
“Shaped like sparrow tongues with white fuzz, emerald green and tender, its fragrance is sublime. May I ask where the Hall Master acquired such leaves?”
“Heh, I wouldn’t tell just anyone. But for you, Beiran, I’ll write down the address for you later.”
“Many thanks, Hall Master.”
Jiang Beiran sighed inwardly. In the past, whenever he had asked Zhang Heqing about the source of his tea, the Hall Master would always dodge the question with some excuse. Today, however, he was being unusually generous…
Soon, two cups of fragrant tea were ready. After taking a sip, Zhang Heqing looked at Jiang Beiran and said, “Oh, right. As we agreed earlier, I’ll allocate another plot of land for you in the back mountain.
Don’t worry—it’ll have even more spiritual energy than your current one.” Well, cross the bridge when you come to it, indeed… Just the other day, Jiang Beiran had been worrying about space, and now a better location was being handed to him.
Though the price is a bit steep. The thought of frequently interacting with Water Mirror Hall, where seventy percent of the disciples were female, made his scalp tingle. After thanking the Hall Master, Jiang Beiran took another sip of tea.
The mellow, soothing flavor filled his mouth with a refreshing aroma. Noticing Jiang Beiran’s satisfied expression, Zhang Heqing said, “Beiran, since you’re the one who facilitated this collaboration, I hope you’ll continue to put effort into it.”
Sigh…
As the saying goes, when someone is overly kind without reason, they’re either up to no good or want something.
(End of Chapter)