The First Batch of Ginseng Fruits

Before Longevity Mountain, the ancient mountain gate opened on its own. Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun walked out together.

At the sight of Jieyin and Zhunti, smiles appeared on both their faces.

Jieyin and Zhunti hurried forward to offer their greetings.

"Fellow cultivator Jieyin, fellow cultivator Zhunti, it has been a long time."

Zhenyuanzi returned the salute with clasped hands, his voice gentle and steady.

Zhunti was the first to speak:

"Fellow cultivators Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun, we have come to visit without warning and disturbed the two of you in your quiet cultivation."

His face was piled with smiles as he turned slightly to introduce Xuande:

"This is fellow cultivator Xuande, a fellow cultivator newly enlightened in our West. His origins are extraordinary, and his cultivation profound."

Jieyin also gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

The sorrowful expression on his face seemed to lighten somewhat when facing these two fellow cultivators of such good reputation:

"Daoist brother Xuande shares a karmic bond with my junior brother and me. We now cultivate together and jointly seek the Great Dao of the West."

Xuande stepped forward and calmly offered a salute:

"This humble one is Xuande. Greetings, fellow cultivators Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun.

"I have long heard of your great names. Now that I see you today, your reputations are indeed well deserved."

Zhenyuanzi's gaze lingered on Xuande for a moment, a trace of barely perceptible surprise flashing through his eyes.

He wielded the Earth Scroll and was exceedingly sensitive to the movements of the earth's qi.

He could sense that Xuande carried an aura faintly linked to the lands of the West, yet also possessed innate purity and merit. He truly was no ordinary figure.

However, Zhenyuanzi was exceptionally well-mannered and did not ask further. He merely smiled gently.

"Daoist friend Xuande is too courteous. You have all come from afar. Please, let us speak inside the temple."

Hongyun was even more enthusiastic, laughing heartily.

"We are all fellow cultivators, so why stand on ceremony? Please, come in, come in!"

"My fellow cultivator Zhenyuanzi's Ginseng Fruit Tree happened to yield a batch of ripe fruit not long ago. You have arrived at just the right time!"

The group entered through the mountain gate and followed a bluestone path onward.

Wuzhuang Temple was arranged with elegant simplicity, without much lavish decoration.

Yet every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, and every view seemed natural and harmonious, carrying a steady aura of connection to the earth.

The air was filled with the faint fresh fragrance of grasses and trees, along with a unique fruity scent that refreshed the spirit at a single breath.

After passing several covered corridors, the view suddenly opened up. In the middle of a spacious courtyard grew a strange great tree.

Its trunk was vigorous as a dragon, its branches and leaves lush as a canopy. Its leaves were the color of green jade and radiated a soft halo.

Most remarkable of all were the fruits hanging amid its branches, each one resembling an infant.

White and tender, with fully formed brows and eyes, they swayed gently in the breeze, giving off an enticing fragrance.

"This is the Ginseng Fruit Tree."

Seeing Xuande's gaze fall upon the tree, Zhenyuanzi introduced it.

"A Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. It blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and takes another three thousand years to ripen.

"This batch happens to be the first fruits to mature."

Several Cushions and a stone table had already been set beneath the tree.

Everyone took their seats in turn.

Before long, two handsome little attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, came lightly over carrying tea trays and served each person a cup of clear tea.

The tea was emerald green, steam curling upward. Its fragrance mingled with the strange scent of the ginseng fruits, forming a uniquely tranquil atmosphere.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and discussing some recent matters of cultivation, Zhenyuanzi nodded to Qingfeng and Mingyue.

The two attendants understood. Carefully, they brought out five jade plates, each bearing a single ginseng fruit.

Resting upon the plates, the fruits truly looked like sleeping infants, emitting a faint radiance and dense Spiritual Energy.

"Please, fellow cultivators, partake." Zhenyuanzi smiled.

"Though these ginseng fruits are not particularly precious, they are still rare. They can prolong one's years, preserve one's vitality, and improve cultivation."

Hongyun's eyes immediately lit up. He smiled at Jieyin, Zhunti, and Xuande.

"You are in for a treat!

"My fellow cultivator treasures this first batch of ripe ginseng fruits like they are jewels!"

"Whenever I want to eat one, I have to beg him for days!

"There is one less with every fruit eaten—ordinarily, even he cannot bear to eat too many himself!"

Zhenyuanzi shook his head and laughed, pointing at Hongyun.

"You old friend, you make me sound as though I'm terribly stingy."

"When have I ever failed to prepare something whenever you came? Didn't you eat some just the other day?"

"That was last time! This time is different!"

Hongyun replied with perfect confidence. He had already picked up the fruit before him, deeply inhaling its fragrance, his face full of bliss.

Jieyin and Zhunti hurriedly offered their thanks.

Xuande also picked up the jade plate before him and examined it carefully.

This fruit brimmed with Spiritual Energy and contained an incomparably pure power of life's Origin Essence. It truly was no ordinary treasure.

He thought to himself that Zhenyuanzi's willingness to bring out such a prized delicacy to entertain them—whether out of regard for Jieyin and Zhunti or for some other reason—at least showed his goodwill.

After tasting the Ginseng Fruits and drinking several cups of tea, the atmosphere became increasingly harmonious.

Hongyun was a talkative sort. He spoke of amusing incidents from his travels through the Primordial Wilderness, while Zhenyuanzi occasionally added a few words, his manner gentle.

Jieyin mostly listened, nodding from time to time. Zhunti, meanwhile, interjected at just the right moments, ensuring the conversation never fell flat.

Xuande also briefly spoke of his impressions of the West after his Form Transformation, his words revealing his concern over the West's current state.

After chatting idly for a while, Xuande felt that the time was about right.

He set down his teacup, his expression turning serious as he looked toward Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun.

"Fellow cultivators Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun, the three of us have come to visit so presumptuously today not merely to pay our respects. There is also a matter in which we seek your assistance."

The courtyard fell silent. The leaves of the Ginseng Fruit Tree swayed gently.

Zhenyuanzi straightened his posture. "Please speak, fellow cultivator Xuande."

Hongyun, too, put away his smile and listened intently.

Xuande slowly said, "You two fellow cultivators surely know that, when Devil Ancestor Rahula was defeated and perished in those days—"

"In his fury, he detonated the Western Earth Veins, leaving the land of the West grievously damaged, its living beings plunged into misery and its spiritual currents dispersed to this day."

"Jieyin, fellow cultivator Zhunti, and I cultivate in the West. Seeing such a sight, we truly cannot rest easy."

"The Earth Veins are the foundation of the land. If they are not restored, the West will never see a day of true prosperity."

He paused. Seeing the solemn agreement on both Zhenyuanzi's and Hongyun's faces, he continued.

"The three of us have discussed it and resolved to begin restoring the damaged Earth Veins of the West."

"This would not only benefit all living beings in the West, but also contribute our share of effort to the heavens and earth of the Primordial Wilderness. However..."

His tone shifted as he admitted frankly, "Restoring the Earth Veins is an undertaking of immense scale and complexity. It requires exceedingly profound understanding and command of the Dao of Earth."

"Though the three of us are not wholly ignorant in this field, neither can we be called experts."

"If we force the matter, we fear we may spend twice the effort for half the result—or even achieve the opposite of what we intend."

Jieyin spoke at the appropriate moment, his voice low and sincere.

"Precisely so."

"Thus, we thought of fellow cultivator Zhenyuanzi."

"Daoist friend, you are the Essence of Innate Wutu given Form Transformation, and you wield the Earth Scroll. None can match your understanding of the Earth Veins of the Primordial Wilderness."

"If you would aid us in grasping the core of the Earth Veins and sorting out the chaotic Earth Qi, only then would this matter have hope of success."

Zhunti immediately followed, his tone fervent.

"And fellow cultivator Hongyun."

"You possess immense merit and possess profound comprehension of the Four Images of Creation—earth, water, wind, and fire."

"Restoring the Earth Veins requires more than merely regulating the earth element."

"It also requires soothing the water veins, calming the wind caverns, and channeling the fire qi. We need the aid of a great cultivator such as yourself, one proficient in harmonizing the Four Images!"