Withered Wood Meets Spring

In the depths of his mind.

As the Daoic sound rumbled.

An illustrated compendium, like an ink-wash landscape painting, appeared on the great seal.

It was unmistakably a lifelike black cat.

Qin Jiu's heart shuddered.

At the same time, streams of information flowed into his mind.

"Imprint talents and make them my own..."

A flash of light suddenly glinted in his eyes.

But remembering that others were present, Qin Jiu quickly suppressed his excitement and turned to the man beside him.

"How many spirit beasts are there still in the Hundred Beasts Garden?"

"Reporting to Young Master." The man was startled, then quickly replied, "There are thirty-seven mutated beasts that have grown into spirit beasts. Of those, only two kinds have more than one of the same type, with six in total. The other thirty-one are kept in separate areas because of their differing habits."

"There are one hundred and nineteen mutated beasts waiting to advance into spirit beasts, and three hundred and fifty-five ordinary wild animals with the potential to mutate. Going by the usual pattern, counting the mutated beasts and those animals together, the garden will likely gain around forty more in just five years."

Qin Jiu nodded.

Spirit beasts were rare treasures nurtured by heaven and earth.

Even ordinary martial artists would find it difficult to hunt them in large numbers, no matter how far they roamed. The Qin Mansion, by relying on an ancient formula the old master had obtained in his youth to raise a steady supply of first-rank spirit beasts, had already accomplished something remarkable.

Their numbers could hardly be described as large.

As for the supply to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion,

they usually only slaughtered a beast when a customer placed an order in advance. Even so, they had managed to keep up with demand over the years.

After all, these creatures were precious.

Most martial artists, aside from banquets and feasts, were rarely so extravagant as to eat them as ordinary food.

As he pondered, he asked about the Drunken Immortal Pavilion's recent orders.

The man thought for a moment. "There are no advance orders this month. The Green Pupil Demon slaughtered today was ordered by Four Seasons Pharmacy for its usual refining of Blood and Qi Pills. They only wanted the spirit beast's blood."

"I see..."

A flicker passed through Qin Jiu's eyes.

Then he instructed the workers to continue with their tasks.

He, meanwhile, had lost all interest in wandering around and hurriedly left the Hundred Beasts Garden.

If he didn't imprint the talent on the Crimson Jade Seal, it would be replaced by a new compendium entry the next time a spirit beast was slaughtered. His most pressing task was to imprint Withered Wood Meets Spring.

After all, it was a talent related to vitality.

Perhaps it could restore his frail body to normal.

"Withered Wood Meets Spring..."

"The Green Pupil Demon is already renowned for its vitality. And with the entry Tail Palm Wither and Flourish in the compendium's description, the talent is probably related to life force."

"As for the refined gold required for the imprint..."

Qin Jiu's thoughts stirred.

When refined gold was smelted into a blade, it could improve its quality. Even a single liang cost over two hundred taels of silver.

But the Qin Family had refined gold as well. When he returned to his courtyard, he sent someone to fetch some.

"Red Seal, let me see your limits."

In a room with its doors and windows tightly shut,

Qin Jiu held the refined gold and silently commanded, Imprint.

The Crimson Jade Seal immediately rumbled.

At nearly the same moment,

the thumb-sized piece of refined gold in his hand vanished. A kind of instinct, as if he had been born with it, suddenly welled up from the depths of his soul.

And when the compendium entry on the Crimson Jade Seal disappeared completely,

a warmth like the winter sun rose in his abdomen, then spread through his limbs and bones.

It felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring in the dead of winter.

Qin Jiu was so comfortable he nearly groaned.

If anyone had been standing in front of him, they would have clearly seen his sickly pale face grow rosy at a visible speed. Still, his complexion remained some distance from that of a healthy person.

He looked like a young master who had overindulged in wine and women.

But the air of decline around him had quietly vanished.

"Withered Wood Meets Spring. The power of self-healing flows without end... What a powerful talent."

A moment later,

Qin Jiu opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

It was as if he were expelling every bit of foul air from his body.

In truth,

the icy force that had tormented his body had already vanished as the warmth rose. Now he only needed to replenish the blood and qi his body had lost, and he would be no different from an ordinary person.

"But there's a limit to how many talents I can imprint."

After sensing the changes in his body,

an odd expression appeared on his face.

He hadn't sensed the Crimson Jade Seal's limits. Instead, he had learned his own: with his current, ordinary physique, he could imprint only two more talents. To imprint more, he would have to strengthen his mental and spiritual power, as well as his soul.

"Fair enough."

"I wanted to learn martial arts anyway."

"That way, as long as I make progress in martial arts and temper my physique, the number of talents I can imprint in the future will be immeasurable. It's just a pity the Red Seal can only record compendium entries for beasts. If it could record other people's entries..."

At that thought,

Qin Jiu was so startled by his own idea that he nearly jumped.

He quickly drove the thought from his mind.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Young Master, Old Madam has summoned you to the main hall."

"Old Madam?"

When the voice outside the door fell silent,

Qin Jiu instinctively frowned.

Ever since arriving in this world, he had deliberately avoided certain matters. But now, hearing the servant's words, he couldn't help sighing. In the end, he stepped out of his room and headed for the main hall.

The Qin Mansion stood in the Inner City of Songshan County.

Its grounds were vast.

He left the East Wing and walked for nearly ten minutes before reaching the main hall.

"Mother..."

"Nine, have you been feeling any better lately?"

At the head of the main hall,

a woman with graying hair, dressed in vermilion and purple silk, had a haggard face. When she saw Qin Jiu enter, she hurried over, unmistakable worry in her eyes.

He paused just as he was about to bow.

Then, softening his tone, he said, "I'm feeling much better, Mother."

"That's good. That's good."

Old Madam took Qin Jiu's hand and examined him closely for a moment.

Only then did her expression ease a little.

Then,

she changed the subject. "I called you here because I wanted to talk to you about the marriage alliance with the Han Family."

"The Han Family?"

Qin Jiu frowned slightly.

Old Madam nodded. "In truth, your father and the Han Family's head agreed to this before you were born. Your father mentioned it now and then, but you always treated it as a joke. Things are different now."

"Your father died at the hands of demons."

"Now, in this vast Qin Mansion, you're the only one left. Whether it's the forces outside, the guest elders and Attendants in the mansion, or even the collateral branches, they all harbor ulterior motives. I may only be a woman, but even I know that if things continue like this, forget protecting the Qin Mansion—you could lose your life."

"I understand that, Mother."

Qin Jiu frowned. "But wouldn't a marriage alliance with the Han Family be sending a lamb into a tiger's den?"

The Han Family was also one of the four great lineages in the Inner City.

Its strength was no weaker than the Qin Family's had been at its height.

He had no doubt that once they formed a marriage alliance, the Qin Mansion would eventually be swallowed up, its name the only thing left.

It was inevitable.

Faced with Qin Jiu's concern,

Old Madam sighed softly. "At this point, I no longer care who ends up with the Qin Mansion's property. All I want is for you to have a place to shelter, where you can live out your life in peace."

"Don't worry about your life being in danger."

"As for the Han Family, I've already sent them a letter of introduction. Come with me to pay them a visit when the time comes."