Medicine Garden Labor

The bell for the Hour of the Rabbit rang out precisely through the mountains of Ziyang Sect.

Shen Hao hadn't slept all night. Before dawn had even broken, he was already up. After a quick wash, he grabbed his Task Plaque and hurried toward the Medicine Garden on Back Mountain.

At this hour, the Medicine Garden was cloaked in a thin layer of morning mist, the Spiritual Energy thicker than usual. When Shen Hao reached the gate, he saw an old man in a Green Daoist Robe waiting there. It was Steward Li, the same man who had explained the habits of Spiritual Medicine to him the day before.

"Disciple Shen Hao, reporting for duty." Shen Hao bowed respectfully, his tone deferential.

Steward Li nodded and handed him a small Hoe and a bamboo basket. "Today's task is to pick fifty stalks of Qi Condensing Grass. Remember, pull them up by the roots. Don't damage the root hairs, or the stalk counts as worthless."

"This disciple understands." Shen Hao took the Hoe and basket, then carefully stepped into the Medicine Garden.

Qi Condensing Grass was the most common Spiritual Medicine in the Outer Sect's Medicine Garden. Its stalks were a vivid green, with long, narrow leaves and white root hairs, carrying a faint trace of wood-attribute Spiritual Energy. Following Steward Li's instructions, Shen Hao crouched beside the ridge where the grass grew and gently dug a circle around the roots with the Hoe.

His movements were light, afraid of harming the root hairs. Once the soil was loosened, he reached in and carefully pulled the stalk up by the roots. The root hairs still clung to damp earth, giving off a fresh, grassy scent.

Shen Hao placed the stalk into the basket and moved on to the next one.

The morning Medicine Garden was silent, broken only by the soft rustle of the Hoe digging and the occasional birdcall. Shen Hao lost himself in the work, his movements growing smoother. He found that the process of picking Qi Condensing Grass, though tedious, brought his mind an extraordinary calm. And that calm sharpened his sensitivity to Spiritual Energy.

Before he knew it, the basket was nearly half full of Qi Condensing Grass. Shen Hao straightened up, rubbed his aching knees, and glanced at the sky. The sun had climbed higher, the morning mist was fading, and the Spiritual Energy in the garden had thinned somewhat.

He was about to continue when he heard an argument not far away.

"What's wrong with you? Do you have no eyes? You've trampled all my Qi Condensing Grass!" a sharp female voice rang out.

Shen Hao looked over. By a nearby ridge, a girl in a Gray Disciple Robe was glaring at a boy. She looked about fourteen or fifteen, with her hair tied in double buns, her face flushed with anger. The boy wore an apologetic expression and kept bowing to her.

Shen Hao recognized him. His name was Zhang Shan, and like Shen Hao, he was an Outer Sect Disciple who had just joined yesterday.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to," Zhang Shan said, his face bright red, flustered. "I was focused on picking the grass and didn't see your ridge."

"Didn't mean to?" The girl snorted, pointing at the trampled stalks at her feet. "These stalks have their root hairs snapped off. They're useless now! What are you going to do about it?"

Zhang Shan's face grew even more pained. His family was poor, and getting into Ziyang Sect had been hard enough. A single Low-grade Spirit Stone meant everything to him. If his stone reward was docked, his cultivation would become even harder.

Shen Hao watched the scene, hesitated, then walked over. "Senior Sister, Senior Brother Zhang didn't mean it. How about this—I've picked a few extra stalks. Let me make it up to you."

He took several well-formed stalks of Qi Condensing Grass from his own basket and held them out to the girl.

The girl blinked, looking at the grass Shen Hao offered. The anger on her face softened a little. She glanced at Shen Hao, then at Zhang Shan, and finally took the stalks. "Fine. I'll let it go this time. But next time, watch where you're walking."

Zhang Shan quickly thanked them both. "Thank you, Senior Brother Shen. Thank you, Senior Sister."

The girl waved her hand and turned back to her own picking.

Zhang Shan looked at Shen Hao with gratitude. "Senior Brother Shen, I owe you for today. I won't forget this."

Shen Hao smiled. "It was nothing. Don't dwell on it. We're fellow disciples—helping each other is only right."

With that, he turned and went back to picking his own Qi Condensing Grass.

Zhang Shan watched Shen Hao's retreating back, his eyes full of thanks. He gritted his teeth and quickened his own pace.

By the time the sun set, Shen Hao had finally gathered fifty stalks of Qi Condensing Grass. He handed them to Steward Li, who inspected them. Seeing that the stalks were all in excellent condition with intact root hairs, Steward Li nodded in satisfaction and handed him a smooth Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Shen Hao took the stone. A surge of rich Spiritual Energy flowed through his fingertips and into his body. Joy welled up inside him, and he quickly tucked the stone into his robe.

This was the first Spirit Stone he had earned on his path of cultivation.

Walking back to his quarters, Shen Hao clutched the stone in his robe, his heart full of drive. He knew that as long as he worked diligently at his tasks and trained hard, one day he would find his footing in Ziyang Sect.