Beyond the Dark Willows, Another Village

"What is it?"

Mu Feiyang felt that Zhao Yingying was not only timid, but also prone to making a fuss over nothing. She did not have the slightest image of a proper lady.

"Nothing. Um... Young Master Mu, we've troubled you for an entire night. My injuries have healed now, so we came to bid Young Master Mu farewell."

"This is the silver my sister promised before. Please do not disdain it, Young Master Mu. My sister and I still have matters to attend to. Once we are done, we will return and properly repay Young Master Mu."

Putting away her awkwardness, Zhao Shanshan took out two gold ingots and handed them to Mu Feiyang. Though she knew Mu Feiyang would certainly not care for such money, since it had been promised before, Zhao Shanshan could not simply refuse to give it.

As for Mo Tianyu's great kindness, they could only repay it later. After all, the two of them still had to find the Spirit-Connecting Flower, and her Imperial Father was waiting for it to save his life!

"Alright, then I'll accept it without ceremony. As for repaying me, forget it. You only stayed here for one night, that's all."

"Besides, you've already paid silver. It isn't anything important."

Mu Feiyang did not refuse Zhao Shanshan's gold ingots. Sometimes, he still needed silver when he went out, though such occasions were few.

"Young Master Mu, then we'll take our leave first."

The Zhao sisters bowed to Mu Feiyang once again before turning and walking outside. Yet just as they were about to reach the entrance of the small courtyard, they suddenly froze where they stood.

"Sis, is that a Spirit-Connecting Flower?"

"And over there, are those Heavenly Origin Grass, Soul-Returning Grass, and Yangshuo Grass? How could there be so many spirit herbs?"

"It seems... probably... maybe they are!"

The sisters stared fixedly at the area beside the courtyard, their faces filled with disbelief. They wondered whether their eyes were playing tricks on them and they had begun to hallucinate.

In Zhao Shanshan and Zhao Yingying's eyes, rows upon rows of spirit herbs stood beside the courtyard gate, every one of them a peerless spirit herb rarely seen in the world.

There was even an entire patch of the Spirit-Connecting Flowers they had risked their lives to seek in the Thunder Mountain Range, and they were growing exceptionally lushly.

"What's wrong, ladies? Is there something else?"

Mu Feiyang had originally been seeing them off, but the sisters had stopped at the gate instead of leaving and kept staring at his vegetable patch.

Don't tell me they want to pick the vegetables I grew?

"Young Master Mu, are these... spirit herbs that you planted?"

With great difficulty, the Zhao sisters turned their heads and looked at Mu Feiyang, asking in disbelief. It was simply too shocking.

Even their imperial family did not possess these top-tier spirit herbs. Yet Mo Tianyu not only had these rare, top-tier spirit herbs here, but had planted them in whole patches.

How could the sisters not be shocked? Forget their Xiling Empire—even the greatest holy lands in the entire True Spirit Realm probably could not possess so many top-tier spirit herbs!

"What spirit herbs? These are my favorite vegetables. I went through great trouble to get them."

Mu Feiyang had always complained that the vegetables in the True Spirit Realm tasted awful. He often nagged at the system, asking it to reward him with vegetables he had loved eating back on Earth.

Perhaps his nagging had worked, or perhaps there was some other reason. When Mu Feiyang completed three years of sign-ins, the system landed a critical reward and gave him a bag of vegetable seeds.

Mu Feiyang had been overjoyed. He did not even spare a glance at the divine artifact the system rewarded him with, instead hurriedly clearing out a patch of land in the courtyard and planting several kinds of vegetables he loved most.

"Ve... vegetables?"

The expressions of Zhao Shanshan and Zhao Yingying froze. These were the most top-tier spirit herbs in the True Spirit Realm, yet in Mu Feiyang's eyes, they were actually vegetables.

Had all their previous guesses been wrong? Was Mu Feiyang actually just an ordinary person, not some great expert hidden away here?

Otherwise, why would he plant the most top-tier spirit herbs in the True Spirit Realm as vegetables?

But if Mu Feiyang truly was an ordinary person, then how could they explain that black dog over there? And what about the top-grade Healing Pill he had given them?

Zhao Shanshan and Zhao Yingying's heads were buzzing so loudly that they could not make sense of anything at all.

"Yes! They were vegetables to begin with!"

Mu Feiyang answered somewhat baffled. There had to be something wrong with these sisters' heads. They were making such a fuss over a few vegetables.

"Young Master Mu, could you sell us some of these vegetables?"

Zhao Shanshan and Zhao Yingying exchanged glances, both seeing hope in the other's eyes. It felt as if beyond the dark willows, another village had appeared.

"So you like these vegetables too?"

"Normally, I wouldn't sell these vegetables. But since fate brought you here, I'll sell you some."

"Which kind of vegetable do you want? Water spinach, Chives, or shanghai bok choy?"

Mu Feiyang had only planted those three kinds here. Another one was not a vegetable, but Grass Jelly, which was also one of his favorites.

During summer, Mu Feiyang loved making grass jelly most. Once it was done, he would chill it with ice, and the feeling was as refreshing as could be.

"Senior, we only need this one kind, and just one stalk will do."

Though Zhao Shanshan wanted some of the others as well, she knew she could not afford the price. She could not even afford a single Spirit-Connecting Flower.

However, in order to save her Imperial Father, Zhao Shanshan could only swallow her pride and ask. At worst, she would repay Mu Feiyang properly in the future.

Moreover, she did not dare ask for too much even of the Spirit-Connecting Flower. She only asked for one stalk, because one Spirit-Connecting Flower was enough to save her Imperial Father.

"You want water spinach? Then pick a bunch yourselves!"

Mu Feiyang was holding his daughter now, so naturally he could not help Zhao Shanshan and the others pick vegetables. He could only let them do it themselves.

"Thank you, Young Master Mu!"

Hearing Mu Feiyang agree, the Zhao sisters were instantly overjoyed. They had not expected the Spirit-Connecting Flower to come so easily.

Zhao Shanshan hurried to the patch of Spirit-Connecting Flowers, crouched down, and carefully picked one stalk. Then she took a wooden box from her Storage Ring and placed the Spirit-Connecting Flower in her hand inside it.

Clutching the wooden box tightly in her hand, Zhao Shanshan returned to Zhao Yingying and removed the Storage Ring from Zhao Yingying's hand.

"Young Master Mu, we do not have anything valuable. These are my sister's and my Storage Rings. Everything we own is inside them."

"Once we have finished our business, we will return to repay Young Master Mu's great kindness."

Looking at the two Storage Rings Zhao Shanshan held out, Mu Feiyang's mind crashed. What kind of immortal maneuver was this?

Mu Feiyang did love the vegetables he had grown, but since he had agreed to give them some, he naturally would not take their money again.

Yet Zhao Shanshan had even given him her Storage Ring. Was that really necessary?

And what left Mu Feiyang most speechless was that if they wanted to pay, then fine, they could pay! But what was with picking only one stalk of water spinach?

Were the sisters taking it home to have one bite each?