Exchange

In the quiet of early morning, all was still.

White mist gathered on leaves like jade, condensing into dewdrops like pearls.

Fang Yuan walked around the plantation, carefully scattering handfuls of Realgar Powder, focusing especially on the areas around the Heart-Questioning Tea Trees and Crimson Jade Rice Grains as his main defense.

"I never imagined that such an intelligent and swift creature like a White Sable would be afraid of ordinary Realgar? Is this what they call 'one thing conquers another'?"

After finishing his work, he wiped away a bead of sweat and sat on a rock, lost in thought.

"A sable afraid of Realgar? Wait! This sable isn't an ordinary breed, so perhaps its habits are different from regular sables. Sables love to eat snakes; maybe it's eaten too many snakes and undergone some mutation?... Fortunately, I still have plenty of Realgar Powder left!"

To prepare enough Fire-Returning Liquid, Fang Yuan had purchased not only high-quality Realgar Powder this time but also a considerable amount. He wouldn't need to worry about it for a while.

"Still, I need to be careful and not let that White Sable resort to desperate measures."

After picking a few fresh fruits and vegetables for breakfast, Fang Yuan went to the Spring Eye and, using the clear spring water, took out his tea set and Heart-Questioning Tea leaves.

These leaves, after being stir-fried and then sealed away, were the very essence of the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree. Because they were well-preserved, the White Sable hadn't discovered them.

Otherwise, Fang Yuan would have been truly speechless, wanting to question the heavens and roll on the ground in frustration.

He boiled water, washed the pot, and poured the tea...

In the natural tranquility, Fang Yuan's every movement was practiced and fluid, possessing a smooth aesthetic.

Before long, wisps of tea fragrance rose, filling the air with a refreshing scent.

"Good!"

Even though he had drunk it many times before, the refreshing feeling brought by this Heart-Questioning Tea still made Fang Yuan praise it involuntarily.

He looked at his attributes and saw that they had changed again:

"Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1 Qi: 1 Spirit: 1.4 Age: 18 Cultivation: None Skills: None Specialties: Medical Skill [Level 1], Planting Skill [Level 3]"

"The average mental data for an ordinary person should be around 1. I've already surpassed them by nearly half... Although the effect of the Heart-Questioning Tea is diminishing, perhaps before it completely loses its efficacy, it can increase my Mental Power to double that of an ordinary person?"

What did having double the mental capacity of an ordinary person mean?

Fang Yuan didn't know, but he already felt his senses sharpened and his mind clear, able to read and memorize at an incredible speed, as if aided by a divine force, just from this 0.4 increase.

Just like now, a glance from the corner of his eye spotted a white silhouette lingering outside the valley.

"Tsk tsk... Still not giving up! Come out!"

With Realgar powder in hand, Fang Yuan felt fearless and shouted.

From his previous encounters, he knew this White Sable was highly intelligent and couldn't be treated like an ordinary animal. It even seemed to understand his words.

"Come out!"

"Come!"

"..."

His voice echoed through the valley, but the white silhouette didn't appear for a long time.

"That's true... It's daytime..."

Fang Yuan looked up at the rising sun. "Weren't they all late at night before? Oh... This guy only cares about spiritual plants. The only things I have here that are better than the Heart-Questioning Tea Trees are..."

A mischievous smile played on his lips as he brewed another cup of Heart-Questioning Tea, letting its fragrance drift far away.

"Chirp chirp!"

As expected, with a whoosh, a white silhouette appeared at the edge of the plantation. It circled the line of Realgar powder but still didn't dare to come closer.

"Seeing how it ravaged the tea trees, it must crave the essence of the tea leaves even more."

Fang Yuan, holding his teacup, slowly approached, stopping about ten feet away.

"Hiss hiss!"

Outside the line of Realgar, the White Sable lunged forward, its fur bristling, emitting a threatening sound, but it still didn't dare to cross the line.

Especially stimulated by the tea's aroma, it became increasingly agitated and impatient.

"Haha... You're a sable, not a monkey!"

Fang Yuan couldn't help but laugh, feeling a childlike amusement. After teasing it enough, he said, "Taking without asking is stealing! These tea trees and leaves belong to me. They are yours only if I willingly give them to you. Do you understand?"

In this secluded valley, there weren't many outsiders. He was accustomed to talking to himself, and at this moment, he blurted it out and then chuckled at himself. "I'm being silly, how could you possibly understand such complex reasoning..."

But the next moment, Fang Yuan's eyes widened.

The White Sable actually clasped its front paws together, bowing as if it were human. Its large, round black eyes stared at the teacup, full of pleading.

"This sable has become a spirit!"

Fang Yuan muttered to himself. Looking at the tea in his hand, he suddenly had an epiphany. "That's right... this Heart-Questioning Tea can enhance spirit and essence. It's even more precious to wild beasts. Could it awaken their intelligence?"

With this thought, he said to the White Sable, "You want a cup, that's fine. But let me be clear... this is not easy to come by, and I don't have much. If you want more later, you'll have to trade it for the fertilizer from last time!"

Fang Yuan had been coveting that semi-transparent crystalline Spiritual Fertilizer brought by the White Sable last time.

Because this morning, he discovered that not only were the Crimson Jade Rice seedlings growing vigorously, but even the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree's wounds had completely healed, and it had even sprouted new shoots.

This immediately made him realize that the semi-transparent crystals brought by the White Sable were an excellent Spiritual Fertilizer, possessing incredible efficacy for the growth of spiritual plants.

Unfortunately, with his knowledge, he couldn't tell what it was.

Qingling Mountain stretched for a hundred miles, its depth unknown. Perhaps only spiritual beasts like the White Sable, darting all over the mountain, could find such a precious item.

"Do you understand?"

Seeing the White Sable looking confused, Fang Yuan took out a bit of Spiritual Fertilizer. "It's this! I'll treat you to a cup of tea this time as a gesture of hospitality. Next time you want some, bring this Spiritual Fertilizer!"

The White Sable looked at the Spiritual Fertilizer in his hand, seeming to understand but not quite.

"Alright, you step back. Otherwise, if my hand shakes and I spill the tea, don't blame me!"

Fang Yuan took two steps forward.

The White Sable, showing remarkable intelligence, immediately retreated.

Fang Yuan walked to the edge of the Realgar line, placed the cup outside the boundary, and then slowly retreated. "Please!"

"Cackle!"

With a whoosh, a white shadow darted over like lightning.

Upon reaching the edge, it unconsciously slowed down, sniffed around the teacup, and let out a happy chirp.

"Hmm, it seems to really like this Heart-Questioning Tea! After all, I brewed it using the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony..."

Fang Yuan nodded secretly as he watched, then his eyes widened slightly.

He had initially thought the White Sable would simply lick the tea, but he never expected it to stand on its hind legs, sit down in a remarkably human-like manner, steady the teacup with its small paws, and take a sip.

"Hoo... cackle..."

After taking a small sip, the White Sable's face lit up with joy. It then drank bit by bit, appearing to cherish every drop.

"This is uncanny! Uncanny! This is no longer just a sable..."

This behavior immediately reminded Fang Yuan of the Heart-Questioning Hermit when he drank the tea he brewed – his expression and actions were the same.

"Could this sable's actions be learned from humans?"

Even with slow, delicate sips, the cup didn't contain much tea.

After finishing, the White Sable stared at Fang Yuan with pleading eyes, like an abandoned, innocent puppy, its gaze filled with the emotion of "I want more."

"You're quite clever..."

Fang Yuan chuckled and cursed, "You know how rare my tea leaves and tea ceremony are?"

Heart-Questioning Tea leaves were already spiritual items, and combined with the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, the effect was extraordinary. Besides Fang Yuan himself, even Old Man Tian last time couldn't fully appreciate it.

"If I let it drink too much of this tea, will the White Sable truly become as smart as a human and even learn to speak?"

Fang Yuan looked at the White Sable, which seemed to have become even smarter, and a thought crossed his mind.

"Alright, alright, seeing how pitiful you look, I'll give you another cup!"

"Huh? You want more?"

"Damn... I can't give you any more. This is my last portion for today!"

Within the secluded valley, separated by a line of Realgar, a person and a sable drank tea facing each other, a rather interesting scene.

In the end, the White Sable sniffed the Spiritual Fertilizer Fang Yuan had thrown out. Confirming there was no more tea in the pot, it then scurried away.

"One must guard against others... and against beasts!"

Fang Yuan watched the White Sable's retreating back and muttered, "Although wild beasts have purer intentions than humans, one cannot be too careful. Once it truly brings the Spiritual Fertilizer, I'll give it a few raw tea leaves to eat, letting it know that to drink true Heart-Questioning Tea, it must go through me. Only then can I be a little more at ease..."

With the tea finished, he contentedly stood up to tidy up, stretched lazily, and began his day's work.

"Spiritual Fertilizer, oh Spiritual Fertilizer!"

In the Crimson Jade Rice field, Fang Yuan sprinkled the last spoonful of Fire-Returning Liquid. He looked at a particularly robust rice seedling at the edge, his voice filled with resentment.

Based on his estimates, even if the Crimson Jade Rice field grew smoothly, it would take several more months to harvest.

But if he had a daily supply of Spiritual Fertilizer, he might be able to eat Red Jade Rice next month.

"And the Spirit Tea too. The leaves that were supposed to grow next season actually started sprouting today... The efficacy of that Spiritual Fertilizer is truly incredible!"

For a moment, Fang Yuan even considered tracking the White Sable, but the thought of its lightning-fast speed immediately made him give up.

Anyway, he was confident in his Heart-Questioning Tea.

As long as the White Sable still needed it, there was no doubt it would willingly fall into his trap and hand over the Spiritual Fertilizer.

That night, Fang Yuan had a dream.

In the dream, he held large piles of Spiritual Fertilizer and planted the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree and Crimson Jade Rice all over the mountains and valleys. The harvested rice was so abundant that it overflowed the warehouses, spilling out. Even in his sleep, a smile touched his lips.

"Caw! Caw!"

"Caw! Caw!"

The next morning, Fang Yuan was woken up.

"Brother Sable! It's not even dawn yet!"

Hearing the sound, Fang Yuan knew who it was. Yawning, he went outside the plantation and immediately saw the White Sable.

The moon had set and the stars were fading. The White Sable's fur glowed faintly, and it greeted him ingratiatingly with its small paws, then pulled a green leaf-wrapped package from behind it.

"Huh?"

Fang Yuan took it and opened it. His nose caught a fragrant aroma, and he was overjoyed. "Spiritual Fertilizer! So much!!!"