Exchange

At dawn, all was silent.

White mist gathered on jade-green leaves, condensing into pearl-like morning dew.

Fang Yuan circled the Plantation, carefully scattering handfuls of Realgar Powder. He was especially vigilant around the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree and the Crimson Jade Rice Grain.

"Who would've thought that a Spiritual Beast as perceptive and swift as the White Sable would be afraid of ordinary Realgar Powder? Could this be what they mean by 'one thing overcomes another'?"

After finishing, he wiped away a fine sheen of sweat and sat on a rock, lost in thought.

"Are sables afraid of realgar? Wait! This isn't an ordinary sable. Maybe its habits are different, too. Sables like eating snakes. Perhaps it's eaten so many snakes that it's picked up some mutations?... Good thing I still have plenty of Realgar Powder!"

To make enough Fire-Returning Liquid, Fang Yuan had bought not only top-grade Realgar Powder this time, but a large quantity of it. He wouldn't have to worry about running out anytime soon.

"Still, I'd better be careful. That White Sable might lash out when cornered."

After picking some fresh fruits and vegetables for breakfast, Fang Yuan went to the Spring Eye. Using the clear spring water, he took out his tea set and Heart-Questioning Tea Leaves.

The leaves had been roasted and sealed away. They were the very essence of the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree, and because he'd stored them well, the White Sable hadn't found them.

Otherwise, Fang Yuan would have been left speechless, cursing the Vast Sky and rolling around in frustration.

Boil the water, rinse the pot, pour the tea...

In the calm of nature, Fang Yuan's every movement flowed with practiced ease, graceful as a dance.

Before long, wisps of tea fragrance rose into the air, carrying a refreshing Pure Qi.

"Excellent!"

Though he'd drunk it many times, the invigorating sensation of the Heart-Questioning Tea still drew an involuntary sigh of praise from him.

He studied his attributes and saw they had changed again:

Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1

Qi: 1

Spirit: 1.4

Age: 18

Cultivation: None

Skills: None

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level One], Planting Skill [Level Three]

"An ordinary person's Mental Power should average only 1. I'm already nearly half again as high... Though the Heart-Questioning Tea's effects are diminishing, perhaps my Mental Power will be twice that of an ordinary person's before it wears off completely?"

What did it mean to have twice the Mental Power of an ordinary person?

Fang Yuan didn't know, but even with his current increase of just 0.4, his hearing and eyesight felt sharper. He read and memorized things at incredible speed, as if the gods were lending him a hand.

Just then, a glance from the corner of his eye revealed a white shape lingering outside the valley.

"Tut, tut... Still not giving up? Come on out!"

With a packet of Realgar Powder in hand, Fang Yuan spoke boldly.

From what had happened before, he knew this White Sable was extremely perceptive and couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. It even seemed to understand what he said.

"Come on out!"

"Come!"

"..."

His voice echoed through the valley, but the white shape didn't appear.

"Right... It's broad daylight..."

Fang Yuan looked up at the rising sun. "Wasn't it out in the middle of the night before? Oh... This fellow only has eyes for Spiritual Plants. The only thing I have that's better than the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree is..."

A mischievous smile tugged at his lips as he brewed more Heart-Questioning Tea, letting its fragrance drift far and wide.

"Gekkek!"

Sure enough, with a whoosh, a white shape Appeared at the edge of the Plantation. It circled the ring of Realgar Powder, but still didn't dare cross it.

"If it did that much damage to the tea tree, just imagine what it'd do to the essence of the tea leaves."

Fang Yuan carried his cup forward, then stopped half a zhang away.

"Hiss!"

Outside the line of Realgar Powder, the White Sable crouched as if ready to pounce, its fur bristling as it let out a menacing hiss. Yet it still didn't dare step into the Lightning Pool.

The tea fragrance especially riled it up, making it scratch its ears and fidget impatiently.

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

Fang Yuan laughed with delight. Once he'd teased it enough to indulge his playful side, he said, "Taking what isn't yours without asking makes you a thief! This tea tree and its leaves belong to someone. They're yours only if I'm willing to give them to you. Understand?"

There were few outsiders in the Hidden Valley, and Fang Yuan was used to talking to himself. The words slipped out before he could stop them, and he couldn't help laughing at himself. "I'm an idiot. How could you understand something so complicated..."

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

The White Sable had clasped its paws together as if it were a person apologizing with a bow. Its large, round black eyes were fixed on the teacup, full of pleading.

"This sable has become a spirit!"

Fang Yuan murmured, then looked at the tea in his hand and suddenly understood. "That's right... Heart-Questioning Tea can increase Spirit Yuan. It must be even more precious to beasts. Could it awaken their intelligence?"

With that thought, he said to the White Sable, "I can give you a cup, but let me make this clear first... This stuff is hard to come by, and I don't have much. If you want more, you'll have to trade me the fertilizer you brought last time!"

Fang Yuan had been coveting those translucent crystalline granules of Spiritual Fertilizer.

That morning, he'd discovered that not only were the Crimson Jade Rice seedlings thriving, but the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree's wound had healed completely and it had even sprouted new buds.

That was when he realized the translucent crystals the White Sable had brought were a fine Spiritual Fertilizer, with an almost miraculous effect on the growth of Spiritual Plants.

Unfortunately, he didn't know enough to identify them.

Qingling Mountain stretched for a hundred li, its depths unknown. Perhaps only a Spiritual Beast like the White Sable could roam all over the mountain and find such a Precious Item.

"Got it?"

Seeing the White Sable's confusion, Fang Yuan simply pulled out a little Spiritual Fertilizer. "This is what I mean! I'll treat you to a cup of tea this time—that's just good manners. If you want more next time, bring me this Spiritual Fertilizer in exchange!"

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

"All right, back away first. If my hand slips and I spill the tea, don't blame me!"

Fang Yuan took two steps forward.

The White Sable was remarkably perceptive and immediately backed away.

Fang Yuan reached the Realgar Powder line and set the cup down beyond it, then slowly retreated. "Go ahead!"

"Gekkek!"

With a whoosh, the white shape sprang forward like lightning.

But when it reached the edge, it slowed despite itself, circling the cup and sniffing it before letting out a delighted cry.

"Mm, looks like it really likes this Heart-Questioning Tea! After all, I brewed it using the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony..."

Fang Yuan nodded to himself, then his eyes widened slightly.

He'd thought the White Sable would simply lap up the tea. Instead, it rose onto its hind legs and sat down in an uncannily human way, then steadied the cup in its little paws and took a delicate sip.

"Whew... Gekkek..."

After a small sip, the White Sable beamed with delight. It drank the rest little by little, as if savoring every drop.

"Unbelievable! This is unbelievable! How is that still just a sable..."

The sight immediately reminded Fang Yuan of the Heart-Questioning Hermit. When he'd drunk the tea Fang Yuan brewed, he'd worn the same expression and made the same gestures.

"Could this sable have learned to act like that by watching people?"

Even taking small, measured sips, it didn't take long to finish the cup.

When it was done, the White Sable stared eagerly at Fang Yuan, like an abandoned puppy, its eyes practically shouting, "I want more!"

"You're clever, aren't you..."

Fang Yuan chided it with a laugh. "You know how precious my tea and tea ceremony are now, don't you?"

The Heart-Questioning Tea Leaves were Spiritual Objects to begin with, and the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony made them even more effective. Aside from Fang Yuan himself, no one—not even Old Man Tian last time—was lucky enough to enjoy them.

"If I keep giving it this tea, will the White Sable actually become as clever as a person one day? Could it even learn to speak?"

As he looked at the White Sable, which seemed to have grown a little smarter again, the thought surfaced in Fang Yuan's mind.

"All right, all right. You look so pitiful, I'll give you another cup!"

"Huh? You want more?"

"Damn... I can't give you any more. That was my last cup for today!"

In the Hidden Valley, a man and a sable faced each other across a line of Realgar Powder, drinking tea together. It was quite a sight.

At last, the White Sable sniffed the Spiritual Fertilizer Fang Yuan had tossed out. Once it confirmed there was no tea left in the pot, it darted away.

"You can't be too wary of people... or beasts!"

Watching the White Sable disappear, Fang Yuan murmured, "Wild beasts may have purer hearts than people, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be careful. Once it really brings me Spiritual Fertilizer, I'll give it a few raw tea leaves to eat, so it understands that if it wants a proper cup of Heart-Questioning Tea, it has to come through me. Then I can relax a little..."

With the tea finished, he stood up, contentedly tidied away his things, and stretched with a lazy ease before starting the 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 gazed at one especially sturdy rice seedling in the corner, his voice filled with resentment.

By his estimate, even if the Crimson Jade Rice Field grew well, it would still be a few months before he could harvest anything.

But if he could get Spiritual Fertilizer every day, perhaps he'd be eating Red Jade Rice as soon as next month.

"And the Spirit Tea, too. The leaves weren't supposed to grow until next season, but they've already started sprouting today... That Spiritual Fertilizer really is incredible!"

For a moment, Fang Yuan even considered following the White Sable. But as soon as he remembered how fast it could run, he gave up.

Besides, he had confidence in his Heart-Questioning Tea.

As long as the White Sable still wanted more, he could count on it walking right into his trap and handing over the Spiritual Fertilizer.

That night, Fang Yuan had a dream.

In it, he held great handfuls of Spiritual Fertilizer and planted the Heart-Questioning Tea Tree and Crimson Jade Rice Seeds all over the mountains and valleys. He harvested so much rice that it spilled over the brim of every warehouse. Even in his sleep, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

"Gekkek!"

"Gekkek!"

Early the next morning, Fang Yuan was woken by the noise.

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

Hearing the cry, Fang Yuan knew who had come. He yawned as he headed to the edge of the Plantation, where he found the White Sable.

The moon had set and the stars had faded, but the White Sable's fur shimmered with a faint glow. It greeted him ingratiatingly with its little paws, then pulled a bundle wrapped in green leaves from behind itself.

"Huh?"

Fang Yuan took it and unwrapped it. A rich fragrance rose to his nose, and he was instantly overjoyed. "Spiritual Fertilizer! This much?!!!"