Blackening Disease

Seeing this, the fellow disciples present looked at Han Li with a trace of sympathy. Shaking their heads, they gradually dispersed, every face etched with worry.

Shi Yue frowned and quickly entered the Spirit Field, crouching before a withered stalk of Spirit Grain.

He picked up the withered Spirit Grain and held it beneath his nose, sniffing it several times.

A fishy stench bored into Shi Yue's nostrils, making him frown.

He had been growing Spirit Grain for seven or eight years, yet he had never smelled anything like it. After a moment's thought, he grabbed a handful of soil and crushed it with a squeeze. The spiritual energy within was pitifully scant.

"This strange disease can even damage a Spirit Field?" Shi Yue's face darkened, and alarm rose in his heart. His residence was not far from here. If the Spirit Grain he had planted caught this strange disease as well, then it would all be over.

With that thought, Shi Yue swiftly rose to his feet. He gave Han Li a sympathetic glance, then turned and left.

Shi Yue returned to his small courtyard and carefully inspected the Spirit Grain he had planted. After making a circuit around the Spirit Field, his expression immediately darkened.

The leaves of one stalk of Spirit Grain had become somewhat dull, with a faint trace of black surfacing on them.

If he remembered correctly, the leaves had still been their normal green when he left earlier. He had only been gone for a short while, yet their color had already dulled. If more time passed, would the entire Spirit Herb not wither away?

He recalled what Han Li had said before: once one stalk of Spirit Grain fell ill, all the Spirit Grain in the field followed suit, eventually withering and falling one after another.

That was absolutely not something Shi Yue wanted to see. After turning the matter over in his mind, he decided to move this diseased stalk of Spirit Grain away.

He circled the Spirit Field several more times and found no further abnormalities. Yet he still could not set his mind at ease. Han Li had said that even after the diseased Spirit Grain was removed at once, the other Spirit Grain had still fallen in swathes.

Shi Yue's eyes shifted. He turned and left the courtyard, riding his magic tool back to Uncle-Master Zhou's cave residence.

He spent an hour circling the three mu of Water Moon Flowers several times, carefully examining the growth of every single plant. It was one thing not to look; once he did, the sight gave him a fright. Shi Yue discovered in shock that the petals of four or five Water Moon Flowers had dulled somewhat and appeared faintly blackened.

"Could it be that the Water Moon Flowers have caught this strange disease too?" Shi Yue was startled, his brows tightly furrowed.

These three mu of Water Moon Flowers were all fifty years old. Let alone three mu—even if a single Water Moon Flower withered, it was not something he could afford to compensate for now. After all, once any Spirit Herb had grown for several decades, it could not be bought with a mere dozen or so Spirit Stones.

By Shi Yue's estimate, one fifty-year-old Water Moon Flower would cost at least twenty-five Spirit Stones.

One Water Moon Flower was worth twenty-five Spirit Stones. How many Spirit Stones would three mu of them be worth?

The very thought gave Shi Yue a splitting headache.

He hurried into the basement, took up the books on the Wood Shelf, and began searching through them, hoping to find a way to save them.

Two hours passed before Shi Yue's eyes lit up. In an ancient book, he found a passage: Blackening Disease, an exceptionally severe illness. Symptoms: leaves or petals turn black, then blacken from top to bottom, releasing a fishy stench. There is no cure. One can only harvest the Spirit Herbs early and minimize the losses as much as possible.

Shi Yue closed the book, his brows drawn tight.

"No cure? Harvest them early?" Shi Yue gave a bitter smile, his face full of gloom.

If he did not harvest them, this patch of Water Moon Flowers would likely die out entirely. But if he harvested them early, then when Uncle-Master Zhou returned, Shi Yue would not be able to bear his wrath.

Just as Shi Yue was considering what to do, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Junior Nephew Shi, are you there? Come out quickly. I need you for something urgent."

"Martial Aunt Murong? Why is Martial Aunt Murong looking for me at a time like this?" Shi Yue frowned upon hearing that.

Even so, Shi Yue quickly walked out of the basement and opened the courtyard gate.

"Junior Nephew Shi, you're free today, right? Come with me quickly. Something has happened to my Spirit Field." The moment Murong Xiaoxiao saw Shi Yue, she spoke impatiently, her expression somewhat panicked.

"Something happened? What happened?" Hearing this, Shi Yue felt a bad premonition.

"I'll explain on the way. Just come with me quickly. If we're any later, I'm afraid all the Spirit Herbs in my Spirit Field will be finished." Murong Xiaoxiao said anxiously.

Shi Yue nodded, released the Leaf Magic Tool, and flew with Murong Xiaoxiao toward her residence.

"This is what happened. Starting a few days ago, the leaves and petals of the Spirit Herbs in my Spirit Field began turning black. I immediately moved away the Spirit Herbs that had blackened, but who would have thought that afterward, more than half the Spirit Herbs in the field would turn black and give off a fishy stench? I've examined them preliminarily. It doesn't seem to be insect pests, and I don't know much about planting either. I hope you can take a good look, Junior Nephew Shi, and see exactly what went wrong." Murong Xiaoxiao flew alongside Shi Yue, explaining every detail.

Shi Yue's face darkened at her words. Just as he had expected, Martial Aunt Murong's Spirit Field had also developed this strange disease, and from the sound of it, the situation was grave.

Before long, Shi Yue arrived at Murong Xiaoxiao's residence with her.

More than half of the Spirit Herbs in the Spirit Field had withered, and a fishy stench permeated the air.

Shi Yue frowned, stepped forward quickly, grabbed a handful of soil, and sniffed it.

A familiar, pungent smell shot straight into his head, and Shi Yue's heart immediately sank.

Before coming here, he had still harbored a sliver of hope. But now, seeing the scene before him and smelling that familiar, pungent odor, he understood everything.

Martial Aunt Murong's Spirit Herbs had indeed contracted Blackening Disease, and the situation was far more serious than Han Li's.

"Junior Nephew Shi, how is it? Can they be saved?" Seeing this, Murong Xiaoxiao's heart tightened as she asked.

Shi Yue was about to answer truthfully when Xiaoyaozi's voice suddenly rang out.

"Boy, I have a way to treat these Spirit Herbs. Do you want my help?"

"Yes, of course." Shi Yue answered instinctively.

"Junior Nephew Shi, want what?" Murong Xiaoxiao blinked curiously.

Shi Yue shook his head and said, "Nothing. I suddenly remembered that this illness seems to be recorded in one of my books, but I didn't bring it with me. Martial Aunt Murong, what do you think?"

"Go quickly and return quickly. Don't keep me waiting too long." Murong Xiaoxiao frowned and urged.

"This disciple obeys." Shi Yue nodded and left on his magic tool.

"Senior Xiaoyaozi, do you really have a way to treat Spirit Herbs and Spirit Grain afflicted with Blackening Disease?" The moment Shi Yue returned to Uncle-Master Zhou's cave residence, he asked impatiently.

"Of course. What great storms and towering waves has Old Man not seen? Blackening Disease is nothing in my eyes. But after helping you this time, there will only be one chance left. You had best think it over carefully." Xiaoyaozi's voice was very calm.

(Seeing the comments grow more numerous, Old Man is greatly gratified. As for the various unreasonable points raised by my fellow readers, I think they will naturally become clear if you keep reading. After all, I'm writing a long novel—several million words' worth. If I made too many things overly transparent, it would lose its flavor, wouldn't it? Also, thank you all for pointing out some of my typos. Thank you! This week, there have been many more favorites, comments, and recommendation votes, and several readers have also given rewards. I'm truly very grateful. Please continue supporting me!)