Looking at the empty valley around them, Hong Yun couldn't help frowning. "Brother Shi Mo, are you sure those Peaches of Immortality trees grew here?"
Shi Mo went over to a pit and looked at the row upon row of holes ahead. They seemed like the earth had split its mouth in a grin. He, too, couldn't help frowning in surprise and speechlessness.
"Looks like someone transplanted them ahead of us," Zhen Yuanzi said, coming forward with a furrowed brow.
"What place could hold so many Peach trees? And whoever transplanted them isn't afraid they'll die? Who could know the trees were here, then take every last one—and be so confident they'd survive? Unless... in the myths of the Primordial World, the spiritual roots in the Heavenly Court's Flat Peach Garden were bestowed directly upon Queen Mother of the West by Hongjun..."
Thinking of this, Shi Mo had a fair idea who was behind it. He couldn't help muttering to himself:
"Who would've thought the dignified Dao Ancestor would be so sneaky?"
"Brother Shi Mo, you said you found this Peach grove earlier. Why didn't you transplant all of them to Eight Treasures Peak on Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain? Now someone beat us to it," Hong Yun said.
Shi Mo put on a rueful smile. "I wasn't completely sure they'd take, so I transplanted just one first. Later, I heard the Dao Ancestor was going to lecture at Purple Heaven Palace, so I rushed over. Then I ran into Ancestor Minghe, and after a few twists and turns, ended up at Longevity Mountain."
"I see! Brother Shi Mo, looks like the other Peach trees weren't meant for you. You can't force these things," Zhen Yuanzi said, suddenly understanding.
"Brother Shi Mo, you think too much. If it were me, I'd take them all whether I knew they'd survive or not," Hong Yun said, pursing his lips. "I thought I'd get to eat some Peaches of Immortality! What a shame."
"Hong Yun, what are you in such a hurry for? Brother Shi Mo still has one tree. Once it bears fruit, do you think he'd leave you out?" Zhen Yuanzi shot him a look.
Hong Yun's eyes lit up. "That's right! Brother Shi Mo, good thing you transplanted one. Otherwise, who knows if I'd ever get to taste one!"
"Hmph. Whoever transplanted those Peach trees will eventually give themselves away. We'll just see who has Peaches besides Brother Shi Mo, and then we'll know," Hong Yun said, then added, "Brother Shi Mo, when the time comes, I'll go with you to their door and help you vent your anger."
Shi Mo only gave a helpless smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Who knew whether you'd even still be alive by then, Brother Hong Yun?
"Although the Peach trees have been transplanted, there are still plenty of Peaches that ripened and fell from them earlier."
As he spoke, Shi Mo walked toward the nearby cluster of pits. He looked at the scattered Peaches on the ground and frowned. "What a shame. They're all rotten. Such a waste!"
"Looks like Hongjun really did take those Peach trees. He's the only one who wouldn't care about ripe Peaches falling to the ground," Shi Mo thought, growing more certain of his guess. Then he looked around. "Strange. Why isn't the place preserving them anymore? Were the Peaches fresh when they fell, not because of the environment here but because of the trees themselves?"
"Hey, what happened to the pool on the snowy mountain? Was it covered by clouds and mist?" Shi Mo looked toward the distance, growing more puzzled.
"So many Peaches! What a wanton waste!" Seeing the rotten Peaches, Hong Yun couldn't help stamping his foot in dismay.
Hearing this, Shi Mo's expression shifted. "Peaches of Immortality—even rotten ones—are still good stuff! They're innate spiritual fruits. Even if they're too rotten to eat, they still contain innate energy. We can take them back and use them as fertilizer."
"And these pits, too. We can plant them on Eight Treasures Peak and grow Peach trees. Even if they can't compare to the real trees, the Peaches they bear will still be better than ordinary spiritual fruits." His eyes brightened at the thought. With a thought, he controlled the spiritual energy of the earth veins and gathered all the rotten Peaches together.
"Brother Shi Mo, what are you doing? You can't eat those rotten Peaches," Hong Yun said, taken aback.
"I'm not planning to eat them. I'm taking them back to fertilize the fields." Shi Mo's words left Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi speechless.
Using innate spiritual fruits to fertilize the fields was certainly extravagant. Neither of them had thought of it at first. Now that they had, they exchanged glances, their expressions becoming rather complicated.
After Shi Mo carried the heaps of rotten Peaches to Eight Treasures Peak on Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain and scattered them through the woods, Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi, who had watched the whole thing, still looked a little uneasy.
"Brothers, I'm sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing," Shi Mo said apologetically. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "To be honest, there's another matter I invited you here for. I'd like to ask you both for help."
"Brother Shi Mo, just say the word. If we can help, we certainly will," Hong Yun said readily.
Meeting Zhen Yuanzi's smiling gaze, Shi Mo got straight to the point. "Here's the thing. When I connected the earth veins earlier, I discovered that the Western Continent's veins were severely damaged. I spent some effort connecting and repairing them, and found that I received merit from the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World."
"Merit?" Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi exchanged a glance. Then Hong Yun immediately asked, "What kind of merit? What use is it?"
What use was merit? Hong Yun's question left Shi Mo somewhat speechless. Seeing that Zhen Yuanzi seemed only half to understand as well, he said, "You two really don't know about merit? It's no ordinary thing. You have to make great contributions to the Primordial World to receive a reward from the Heavenly Dao."
"Merit is closely tied to fortune. With merit, cultivation and enlightenment come with divine aid, and you make faster progress. When an Innate Spiritual Treasure absorbs merit and becomes a Merit Spiritual Treasure, it can kill without incurring karma," Shi Mo continued. "In short, merit has many uses, and possessing great merit has plenty of benefits."
"Oh? Merit has all those uses?" Hong Yun said, raising his brows in surprise.
"But gaining merit isn't easy," Shi Mo said, turning to Zhen Yuanzi.
Zhen Yuanzi's expression shifted. "Brother Shi Mo, are you asking us to help you repair the Western Continent's earth veins? If there's a chance to gain merit this way, why involve us?"
Seeing Zhen Yuanzi's puzzled expression, Shi Mo smiled helplessly. "Brother Zhenyuan, do you know how vast the Western Continent is? How long would it take me to repair it all on my own? There's no way I could claim all this great merit for myself."
"Besides, if you can use the Earth Book to mobilize the power of the earth veins and help us, repairing the Western Continent's earth veins together will be much easier," Shi Mo added.
"So Brother Shi Mo mainly wants Brother Zhen Yuanzi's help. I'm just along for the ride!" Hong Yun couldn't help teasing him with a laugh.
"Hong Yun, Brother Shi Mo is willing to share such great merit with you. You should be content!" Zhen Yuanzi said.
Hearing this, Shi Mo looked eagerly at Zhen Yuanzi. "So, Brother Zhen Yuanzi, you agree to help?"
"If you're offering me great merit, how could I refuse?" Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile.
Before you continue