Spirit Bamboo

"Chirp, chirp!"

Within Qingfeng Spiritual Land.

Fang Yuan carried a green spirit bamboo stalk on his shoulder, running like the wind, with an army of spirit birds and Red-eyed White Birds in hot pursuit.

The Red-eyed White Bird King's attention had been drawn away by the Iron Plume Black Eagle, the most troublesome foe. But the bird king had clearly spotted Fang Yuan, the "thief," too. It let out a shriek, and countless white birds swarmed to attack him.

"Damn it, my clothes..."

To protect the spirit plant, Fang Yuan had no choice but to rely on his Iron Cloth Shirt skill and endure the birds' flying claws and pecks again and again. Before long, his clothes were completely ruined, leaving him nearly naked.

Of course, the most important thing was the spirit birds' assault, which had left him covered in bloody scratches.

"Flower Fox Ferret, are you going to do something or not?"

After racing down the mountain, Fang Yuan veered sharply several times and rushed toward the white mist. Then he suddenly let out another shout.

"Chitter!"

A flash of light.

A white blur pounced with blinding speed, clamping its jaws around the neck of a Red-eyed White Bird. There was a crisp crack, and the bird's head twisted at a bizarre angle. It was clearly dead.

"Haha... good job!"

Seizing the chance, Fang Yuan plunged into the dense fog and finally let out a long breath.

"Chitter... chitter..."

The Flower Fox Ferret set down the bird and scurried around the spirit bamboo, wagging its tail with an ingratiating look. It was just like a little lapdog.

"Heh... so you know how precious this spirit bamboo is, too? Look how many wounds I got protecting it... Tss..."

Fang Yuan sucked in a breath of pain, then simply tore off the remaining strips of cloth and used them to bandage his wounds.

"Good thing Master left me some top-quality wound medicine that won't leave scars. Otherwise, your young master would be ruined..."

Grimacing as he wrapped his wounds, he glared at the spirit bird beside him. "Fine... we're having roast bird tonight."

Hidden in the dense fog, Fang Yuan could hear the distant cries of the giant eagle. He felt a little relieved.

"I didn't expect the Red-eyed White Bird King to have the ability to go berserk. If that black eagle hadn't taken the hit first, I'd probably have been next..."

He was positively gloating. "Farewell, Brother Eagle. Your little brother's taking his leave!"

Without another thought, he grabbed the spirit bamboo and the spirit bird, then vanished into the dense fog with the Flower Fox Ferret.

Hidden Valley.

Ever since he had made an example of someone last time, the entire mountain wilderness had nearly become forbidden territory for the great families. With Zhou Wenwu keeping watch outside, everything was peaceful.

Fang Yuan headed straight for the Plantation. After checking that several mechanical traps and a few other small arrangements were all intact, he finally relaxed.

Though the Plantation was well hidden, its Spirit Rice, spirit tea, and other Precious Items were too valuable for him not to be vigilant.

"Once I move these to Qingfeng Spiritual Land in the future, Hidden Valley can be nothing more than a place to live. That'll make things much easier. For now, I can only be extra careful, set traps, and have the Flower Fox Ferret keep watch at all times..."

Fang Yuan first went to the tea garden and made a round of inspection. Only after confirming that the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree was safe did he let out a long breath, thinking gloomily to himself.

He used to be an ordinary person. If these things had been exposed, they would surely have drawn covetous eyes, and he would have died without a burial place. But now that he had made progress in martial arts and condensed inner strength, he was strong enough to keep them in check.

As long as the Heart-Questioning Tea's marvelous effect of Increasing Spirit Yuan didn't get out, everything else was just a minor inconvenience to him.

"But even if I can avoid it, I should still try my best to do so..."

Fang Yuan's expression turned serious as he quickly considered his options. "For real protection, the Flower Fox Ferret is the safest bet. Or I could set a few lethal traps around the Plantation, perhaps by releasing venomous creatures—ideally something as deadly as the Mutated Pearl-tailed Snake... Of course, according to the rumors, Spirit Scholars and the like can arrange formations and borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth, with endless wonders. Too bad that's the least likely option... I'll leave that aside for now."

Even after moving to the Spiritual Land in the future, he would still need proper defenses. Fang Yuan was already thinking about it.

"The most effective method would be the legendary formations, but I don't have the means right now. I'll have to settle for the next best thing..."

With Heart-Questioning Tea Leaves and the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, his spirit yuan progressed by leaps and bounds each day, enough to meet the entry requirements of any Spirit Scholar or Pill Master.

Unfortunately, people like that existed only in legends. Fang Yuan had no way to learn from them, and could only roll his eyes.

"Hm?"

When he reached the Crimson Jade Rice Field, he was pleasantly surprised.

In the paddy, the red-jade-like seedlings were growing vigorously, their progress most encouraging.

Beside them, a row of tender jade-green shoots had also emerged, brimming with life.

"Jade Grass! This really is easy to grow!"

Fang Yuan crouched down happily and gazed at the Jade Grass's leaves. "Flower Fox Ferret, want to eat some?"

"Chitter?!"

The Flower Fox Ferret looked torn. Then it wrapped its little paws around the spirit bamboo beside it and refused to let go.

It was as if it were saying, "I'd rather gnaw on bamboo than eat grass."

"Haha... you little rascal!"

Fang Yuan smiled. "Once the spirit bamboo grows, you'll have plenty of it to eat."

Unlike other plants, bamboo spread through its roots. If planted properly, its shoots would break through the earth in spring, and before long, it would grow into a whole bamboo grove. Among the many spirit plants, it was one of the most cost-effective.

Otherwise, Fang Yuan wouldn't have been so excited the moment he saw it, or chosen it without taking a closer look at the Red-eyed White Bird King's other treasures.

"Right, here should do!"

He searched around the Plantation, then finally planted the spirit bamboo beside a small hill made of several slabs of bluestone. He also dug a water channel specifically for it.

Creak...

A breeze passed, swaying the spirit bamboo's leaves with a soft rustle. Several buds were about to bloom, and the pure white flower tassels could just barely be seen.

"Looks like it has a good chance of surviving..."

Fang Yuan washed his hands, his face full of satisfaction. Then he looked at the description of Planting Skill in his attribute panel:

"Planting Skill [Level Three]—You are an undisputed expert in the art of planting. Your hands possess an inconceivable power, and crops cultivated by you have a tiny chance of undergoing an Excellent Trait Mutation!"

He had experienced that tiny chance firsthand.

Of the entire Plantation, only one tea tree had mutated. The odds really were pitifully low.

But that one tea tree had become Heart-Questioning Tea after its mutation. Paired with the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, it had the incredible effect of Increasing Spirit Yuan. One sip, one reward—perhaps it was all Heaven's will.

At that moment, however, Fang Yuan had another plan in mind.

Spirit bamboo, Spirit Rice, and spirit herbs could all be planted in large quantities. If he kept increasing their numbers, then as long as his luck wasn't truly terrible, he would eventually trigger a mutation.

What would happen if a spirit seed underwent another mutation?

The very thought filled Fang Yuan with anticipation.

"Still... raising these proficiency levels is more troublesome than leveling up skills! My Black Sand Palm and Eagle Claw Hand are progressing by leaps and bounds, but when it comes to specializations, I keep hitting a bottleneck. It seems I have to meet some kind of condition before I can reach the next level..."

Fang Yuan gazed regretfully at his Medical Skill and Planting Skill.

Both specializations had already reached 99.99% proficiency. Yet no matter what, that final sliver refused to budge.

This immediately reminded him of the bottleneck he'd encountered before.

If he hadn't obtained spirit seeds, his Planting Skill wouldn't have broken through the Level Three barrier either.

"Could it be that advancing these two specializations depends on the same sort of thing? For Medical Skill, I'd need to grow by constantly treating and saving people, or perhaps overcoming some difficult illness. For Planting Skill, I'd need a higher-grade spirit seed?"

Although specializations couldn't immediately be turned into combat power, the support they provided in other areas was unparalleled. Even Fang Yuan took them very seriously.

"All right, time for tea!"

Once he had finished everything, he dusted off his hands and brought the Flower Fox Ferret to the Spirit Cottage.

A cup of Sitting-Forgetting Tea cleansed the mind, making him forget both self and world.

Feeling a faint, refreshing energy seep into his brow and crown, making his spirit yuan slowly increase, Fang Yuan soon sank into a hazy, trance-like state.

"Chitter!"

After a period of meditation, Fang Yuan rose feeling refreshed, only to find the Flower Fox Ferret at his feet, looking agitated.

"Hm? That's strange..."

The Flower Fox Ferret usually spent longer in its tea-induced reverie than Fang Yuan did. This time, though, things were rather unexpected.

"Chitter!"

When Fang Yuan paid it no heed, the Flower Fox Ferret grew even more anxious. Suddenly, it tugged at his trouser leg, signaling for him to follow.

"What is it... did you find something?"

Fang Yuan's expression tightened, and he followed the Flower Fox Ferret out of Hidden Valley.

After crossing a small hill, he exclaimed in surprise. At last, he saw what the Flower Fox Ferret had found.

As far as the eye could see, a thicket of shrubs lay mostly flattened. A huge, magnificent black eagle was sprawled across it, a deep wound in its wing. Its eagle eyes flashed like lightning, wild and fierce. When it saw Fang Yuan, it let out a threatening shriek.

"The big black eagle actually escaped..."

Fang Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement and walked closer.

"Chirp!"

The black eagle beat its wings, but after a couple of flaps and a gust of wind, it crashed heavily back to the ground.

"So... what should I do? Kill it, or leave it alone?"

Fang Yuan looked at the eagle, hesitating.

But the Flower Fox Ferret immediately jumped out and gestured with its paws.

"You want me to save it?"

Fang Yuan didn't particularly mind treating the sick and injured—or, rather, saving an eagle. Strictly speaking, he had stolen the eagle's opportunity, and he was the one who had injured its head with that eagle claw strike. He supposed he ought to make it up to the bird.

"Saving it wouldn't be a problem, but look at it... how am I supposed to save it?"

Fang Yuan took two steps forward. The black eagle immediately raised its head and puffed out its chest, poised to peck him.

"Chitter!"

The Flower Fox Ferret cocked its little head, then darted over to the black eagle, chittering as if explaining something.

As it gestured and chattered, the black eagle tilted its head. The hostility in its eyes faded considerably.

Watching the scene, Fang Yuan's mouth slowly fell open. "Good grief... you're a ferret, so how do you know bird language?"