After leaving the Yu family, Lu Xuan parted ways with the Wu surname cultivator and headed to the Hundred Herbs Hall.
Inside the Hundred Herbs Hall, a strong scent of medicine filled every corner, giving a refreshing feeling as soon as one stepped inside.
“Lu kid, you finally showed up! I’ve been looking for you for a long time,” Steward He exclaimed, grabbing Lu Xuan’s arm with urgency.
“I just sent a medicine boy to your house, but didn’t find you. Luckily, you came by yourself now.”
“Steward He, is something wrong?” Lu Xuan’s expression turned serious. He knew that if the old man was looking for him, it must be important.
“Have there been any abnormalities in your spiritual field lately?” The thin old man glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before asking quietly.
“A few days ago, while tending to the spiritual plants, I found some gnawing spirit bugs that looked quite different from what was described in the books. I suspect there might be a mutation,” Lu Xuan replied honestly.
“That’s exactly it. It’s not just your spiritual field; other spiritual cultivators in the Hundred Herbs Hall and even throughout the market town are experiencing similar issues,” Steward He said.
“Some people speculate that too many malevolent spirits have entered the market town, unknowingly contaminating the spiritual veins and causing the spiritual energy to become murky. This has also led to the mutation of the bugs.”
“To minimize losses, the alchemists in the hall have decided to gather all the spiritual cultivators working with the Hundred Herbs Hall to discuss solutions.”
Steward He’s words made Lu Xuan’s expression grow serious.
“You don’t need to worry. This is a big issue that affects all spiritual cultivators and even all practitioners in the market town. It won’t be ignored. Just follow their lead,” he comforted Lu Xuan, seeing his grave expression.
“When will the meeting be held?” Lu Xuan asked.
“It’ll be in a little while. You can wait here for now,” Steward He replied.
Lu Xuan nodded and, once he calmed his thoughts, handed over thirty-nine mature Spirit Firefly Grasses to the thin old man.
The price remained the same: fifty Spirit Fragments for good quality, an extra twenty for superior quality, and four Spirit Stones for perfect quality.
He had fourteen good quality, nineteen superior quality, and six perfect quality plants, bringing him a total of one hundred forty-three Spirit Stones and thirty Spirit Fragments.
Lu Xuan’s wealth quickly returned to over three hundred.
Noticing more and more spiritual cultivators entering the inner room, he followed them inside.
In the spacious hall, about twenty cultivators who had partnerships with the Hundred Herbs Hall were seated. Lu Xuan mostly didn’t recognize them, with only a few he had dealt with before.
His arrival caught the attention of some practitioners because he was so young.
To become a decent spiritual cultivator, one needed a lot of planting experience. Among the practitioners present, whether they were dedicated to cultivating plants for the Hundred Herbs Hall or had more open partnerships, the youngest was over forty. Lu Xuan felt like a crane among chickens.
Some practitioners had heard of Lu Xuan’s reputation and knew that, although he mainly grew unranked Spirit Firefly Grasses and first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng, he had a very high rate of superior quality and even perfect quality plants.
Soon, several practitioners came over to make acquaintances and get to know him.
Before long, all the spiritual cultivators had arrived, and a long-bearded man in a blue robe walked over.
He scanned the room, and when his gaze landed on Lu Xuan, it paused slightly.
“I am He Zongguang, an ordinary alchemist of the Hundred Herbs Hall. I’m sure you’ve all heard of me,” he said.
“Everyone here, whether you have a dedicated partnership with the hall or a more flexible one, are all outstanding spiritual cultivators. I’ve gathered you all to discuss a matter that concerns the interests of all spiritual cultivators.”
Seeing that he had everyone’s attention, the long-bearded man nodded and continued, “You may have heard or even witnessed unknown changes in the spiritual plants you’ve grown.”
“With the increasing number of mutated practitioners and the growing boldness of malevolent spirits infiltrating the market town, the spiritual fields have started to show unfavorable changes.”
“The bugs that have entered the spiritual fields are becoming more aggressive and destructive, and some spiritual plants are undergoing strange mutations, like these two.”
The long-bearded man took out two abnormal spiritual plants from his robe.
One was a Blood Jade Ginseng that Lu Xuan had grown before. On the ginseng, the originally clear parts had developed grayish-white patches, looking like fine sand piled up.
When the long-bearded man lightly touched one of the grayish areas, it silently cracked open, turning into fine sand that fell to the ground.
The other plant was one Lu Xuan had never seen before, with a blood-red leaf.
At that moment, the leaf was covered with black fluff, with countless strands clustering together and gently swaying, resembling patches of mold.
“These are two spiritual plants that have mutated. The cause is unknown, and the mutated areas cause irreversible damage to the plants.”
“Moreover, the mutation could be contagious. If they infect each other, a large number of spiritual plants in the fields could face disaster,” the long-bearded man said seriously.
“To prevent affecting the plants you cultivate and, in turn, the alchemy work of the Hundred Herbs Hall, I propose two suggestions.”
“First, be cautious and enhance your awareness of prevention, while also strengthening your protective measures.”
“You can set up defensive formations to keep the mutated bugs out of the spiritual fields, or use appropriate techniques to monitor the growth of your plants. It’s best to observe them several times a day to avoid any mutation or contamination.”
“Second, let’s work together to come up with solutions for the mutated plants.”
“Everyone here has unique skills in cultivating spiritual plants, so you might find it easier to discover preventive or remedial methods. If your solutions are effective, the Hundred Herbs Hall will offer generous rewards.”
The spiritual cultivators in the room either closed their eyes in thought or discussed among themselves, coming up with a few solutions, but none addressed the root of the problem.
Sitting in a corner, Lu Xuan’s mind raced with thoughts, and a strange idea popped into his head.
“I wonder if I could take one of these mutated plants back and see its immediate state in my spiritual field?”
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. If he planted a spirit seed or seedling in his field and nurtured it little by little, he could obtain a White Light Orb, which could yield various rewards.
Several factors influence the rewards from the orb, including whether Lu Xuan fully nurtured the plants, the plants’ rank, and the quality after maturation.
If he could bring back a mutated plant and successfully plant it, seeing its immediate state would be fantastic.
He could nurture it back to health; even if he didn’t put in much effort during the growth process, the orb rewards might be minimal or just basic, but the restored plant itself would still hold great value.
“I must get my hands on one or two mutated plants to experiment with in my spiritual field,” Lu Xuan thought to himself.
(End of Chapter)