Cause of the Illness

"It's like this. A friend of mine scattered Spirit Herb seeds in her Spirit Field, but most of them died. The seedlings that grew were uneven in quality, and no one knows what happened. She invited several fellow disciples skilled in planting to examine them, but none could solve the problem. She hopes Junior Brother Shi can help resolve it," Chen Xing'er said slowly, word by word.

Shi Yue nodded, a grave look appearing on his face. Several fellow disciples knowledgeable in planting had been unable to solve the issue. It seemed the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

Not long after, Shi Yue followed Chen Xing'er to a small courtyard with an elegant setting.

The courtyard was not large. To the left lay a mu of Spirit Field, while several bamboo houses stood to the right. Behind the bamboo houses was a Green Bamboo Forest.

Several dozen green seedlings grew sparsely in the Spirit Field, some of them already withered and yellow.

Two men and one woman stood before the Spirit Field. The woman looked to be in her twenties. She wore a Blue Long Skirt and had a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation. Her lovely face was full of worry.

Of the two men, one appeared to be in his thirties, tall and powerfully built, with a Qi Refining Level 8 cultivation. The other was around twenty, dark-skinned and somewhat lean, with a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation.

"Junior Sister Chen, this is the Spirit Planter you found? He's only at Qi Refining Level Four. Even Junior Brother Li at Qi Refining Level 6 couldn't cure it. Can he?" The Middle-aged Man glanced at Shi Yue, his eyes filled with disdain.

"What? Does Junior Brother Shi not look the part? Hmph. If you could cure the seedlings in Senior Sister Zhou's Spirit Field, I wouldn't have needed to invite Junior Brother Shi. Besides, what does a Spirit Planter's cultivation have to do with anything?" Chen Xing'er snorted, sounding somewhat displeased.

"Enough, stop arguing. You're Junior Brother Shi, right? Hurry and help me see what's wrong with the Spirit Herbs. I clearly planted them according to the prescribed method, but for some reason, they began withering before long." The Blue-skirted Woman waved her hand to stop them, explaining anxiously to Shi Yue.

Without another word, Shi Yue stepped into the Spirit Field.

Judging from the shape and color of the seedlings, Shi Yue recognized them as a type of Spirit Herb called Moonbud Flower.

Moonbud Flowers had a great need for sunlight and had to grow in a place with ample sun. Furthermore, the distance between two strains of Moonbud Flowers had to exceed one chi. The Blue-skirted Woman had met both requirements.

Shi Yue made a circuit of the Spirit Field and discovered that more than a dozen seedlings bore bite marks. Could the Spirit Herbs have withered because of pest damage?

Shi Yue picked up a yellowed seedling and examined it closely before his eyes, but found no traces of insect bites. He checked more than a dozen yellowed seedlings in succession. Most bore no insect bite marks, which meant insects were not the culprit behind the withering Spirit Herbs. Most of the seedlings had withered before the insects appeared.

After thinking carefully, he hesitated briefly before asking the dark, lean young man, "Senior Brother, could you tell me what you discovered?"

"Hmph, aren't you a Spirit Planter too? Can't you see the cause of the illness?" The dark, lean young man snorted mockingly.

Shi Yue was somewhat displeased by this, but said nothing. He stared at the uneven Spirit Field before him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hehe, a Spirit Planter who can't even identify the cause of the illness—people would laugh their teeth out if word got out." The Middle-aged Man chuckled, his face full of mockery.

Chen Xing'er frowned at those words but did not say anything.

The Blue-skirted Woman hesitated slightly, and a trace of doubt appeared in the way she looked at Shi Yue.

Shi Yue turned a deaf ear to it all. His brows were tightly furrowed as he recalled the books he had read.

Shi Yue suddenly crouched down, picked up a clump of soil, and crushed it with a squeeze. He then held it beneath his nose and sniffed it lightly.

At the sight, the Blue-skirted Woman's brows knitted tightly together.

"Junior Sister Zhou, this kid clearly doesn't understand planting. I think you should follow Junior Brother Li's advice—dig up the Moonbud Flowers that are still growing fairly well, turn over the entire Spirit Field, then plant new Moonbud Flower seeds," the Middle-aged Man urged.

The Blue-skirted Woman was visibly moved by his words.

"I've thought of a solution." Just then, Shi Yue's delighted voice reached the Blue-robed Woman's ears.

At those words, all four turned their gazes toward Shi Yue.

"What solution did you think of? Don't tell me this patch of Spirit Herbs can still be saved?" The Middle-aged Man laughed lightly, his eyes full of doubt.

"Who says it can't?" Shi Yue said calmly.

"Hmph. The uneven seedlings were caused by differing amounts of spiritual energy in the Spirit Field's soil. As for the bite marks, they were likely caused by some kind of insect. As long as the Spirit Field is turned over, all the pests found and killed, there will be no problem," the dark, lean young man snorted with a cold laugh.

"I know those two things as well, but that isn't the main issue. If I'm not mistaken, Senior Sister Zhou, the seeds you planted weren't fresh seeds, were they? They had been stored for quite some time," Shi Yue said meaningfully.

"Junior Brother Shi, how did you know they weren't fresh seeds?" The Blue-skirted Woman's expression changed, and she cried out in surprise.

"Fresh seeds are full of vitality and brightly colored. I dug up several Moonbud Flower seeds from the Spirit Field that had not sprouted and found their color dull, with some parts already rotten. These clearly weren't fresh seeds. If I'm not mistaken, the Moonbud Flower seeds in this Spirit Field have been stored for at least two or three years." Shi Yue smiled faintly, speaking each word clearly.

"Hmph, anyone can talk big. If you have the skill, make these rotten seeds sprout and grow," the dark, lean young man said unhappily.

"These seeds have not completely died yet. They still have a chance to sprout and grow, but..." Shi Yue revealed a troubled expression.

"But what? Junior Brother Shi, just say it!" the Blue-skirted Woman said anxiously.

"How about this? Senior Sister Zhou, if Junior Brother Shi can restore these seeds to life, give him ten Spirit Stones as payment. What do you say, Junior Brother Shi?" Chen Xing'er said. Two little dimples hung on her round face, making her look especially adorable.

"Fine, no problem. I agree to those terms." After a moment's thought, the Blue-skirted Woman nodded in agreement.

"Leave everything to me." Shi Yue's face lit up with joy. He patted his chest and promised confidently.

He crouched down, muttering an incantation under his breath. Before long, yellow light glimmered from his hands, and he pressed them against the ground.

As time passed, Shi Yue's magic power drained away in great quantities. His face gradually turned pale, and a thin layer of sweat seeped from his forehead.

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