At that moment, Yue Ling turned around and was startled to see an old man and a young boy.
Mu En was old and frail, with a hunched back and white hair that fell over a snowy-white beard. Deep wrinkles creased his face, and his cloudy eyes were half-lidded. Dressed in white, he radiated a kindly air, with the mysterious aura unique to a reclusive powerhouse.
The little boy beside him was full of energy. He stood obediently by Mu En's side, his eyes darting about as he curiously took in everything around him. He was probably Mu En's descendant.
Yue Ling hadn't sensed a trace of Mu En's Soul Power from the moment he appeared until now. It was as if he'd materialized out of thin air. Even Yue Ling's teacher might not have been capable of that.
Mu En simply looked at Yue Ling kindly. He had a vague sense that something was strange, but couldn't explain what, so he let it go.
Beside him, Bei Bei looked around with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Cough, cough."
At Xuan Zi's hint, Yue Ling snapped out of his shock and hurriedly bowed deeply to Mu En.
"Hello, Elder Mu. My name is Yue Ling, I'm eight years old, and my Martial Soul is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!"
"Oh, ho ho. It's all right, there's no need to be so nervous. We're just here to have a look around..."
"That's right, big brother. Your Soul Skill was so dazzling!"
"Thank you, little friend. What's your name?"
"My name is Bei Bei!"
Xuan Zi took a swig of liquor and looked at Mu En with a smug expression.
"What do you think? Not bad, huh, my newly accepted closed-door disciple?"
"Mm... Xuanzi, you have a good eye. This new little disciple of yours really is excellent. He has great talent and a good disposition, too."
Xuan Zi was grinning so broadly his eyes had disappeared.
Mu En turned to Yue Ling.
"Your teacher is the vice-captain of the Shrek Inspection Team, so he's busy most of the time. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can ask me. If I'm not around, go ask Zhang Lexuan."
Yue Ling nodded emphatically. "All right, Elder Mu!"
"Mm. Then this old man will be heading back. Bei Bei, say goodbye to big brother."
The blond boy waved at Yue Ling. "Goodbye, big brother!"
"Mm, goodbye!"
As soon as the words left their mouths, the two vanished in the blink of an eye.
Yue Ling gaped at the sight, his eyes filled with envy.
Xuan Zi's greasy hand patted him on the head, making Yue Ling jump.
He looked at his disciple, who was staring at him with a resentful expression, and gave an awkward smile.
"All right, all right. Why are you looking at me like that? They're already long gone, and you're still watching. I'll be busy soon, too. As a member of the Shrek Inspection Team, you can't slack off."
"Teacher, do you think Elder Mu might be even stronger than you?"
"Why ask so many questions? Hmph, let's go!"
Xuan Zi vanished into the air, glaring with his beard bristling.
"Evil Soul Masters... an organization, elders... I need to gather the people from the Sea God Pavilion and discuss this."
Yue Ling watched his teacher fly farther and farther away. He hadn't even had time to say goodbye.
What a busy man!
Only after Xuan Zi disappeared from sight did Yue Ling sit down on the ground. He breathed in the lingering chrysanthemum fragrance within his domain, gradually calming his Soul Power and healing his injured body.
Uh, he'd forgotten to ask his teacher for Gold Soul Coins...
Yue Ling wanted to buy some chrysanthemum seeds and other flower seeds, so he could grow a garden outside. The place was just sitting there unused, anyway.
With a little garden, not only would he feel happier, but his spirit would be satisfied, too.
Hundred Flowers Village.
The sea of flowers everywhere had been key to Yue Ling's rapid increase in Soul Power. Sitting among the blossoms calmed his mind and relaxed his spirit, making cultivation twice as effective!
What a pity, sigh...
Yue Ling sighed softly. The seed of his desire to grow stronger had begun to sprout, but there was no need to rush. He'd deal with the problems at hand first.
He'd ask Sister Lexuan in a bit. If all else failed, he'd ask to borrow some Gold Soul Coins from her...
After Xuan Zi left, Yue Ling hesitated for a long while before finally borrowing one thousand Gold Soul Coins from Zhang Lexuan. He promised to pay her back with interest.
With her approval, Yue Ling eagerly headed to the flower market in Shrek City to buy seeds for Spirit Pattern Chrysanthemums and ordinary chrysanthemums.
The two kinds of seeds were quite expensive. One hundred Spirit Pattern Chrysanthemum seeds cost three Silver Soul Coins, while one thousand ordinary chrysanthemum seeds cost only one Silver Soul Coin. One was a Plant-type Soul Beast that could be raised; the other was just an ordinary chrysanthemum.
After some fierce haggling, Yue Ling spent only two Gold Soul Coins on five hundred Spirit Pattern Chrysanthemum seeds and ten thousand chrysanthemum seeds.
During this time, Xuan Zi came back once to check on him.
Yue Ling told his teacher about planting flowers and borrowing money. Xuan Zi immediately gave him ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, making Yue Ling overjoyed. (It was actually money from the Spirit Bone, but Xuan Zi was afraid he'd spend it recklessly, so he hadn't given him all of it.)
The first thing Yue Ling did with his money was pay Zhang Lexuan back.
In the courtyard.
Xuan Zi said carelessly that Yue Ling could plant wherever he wanted on the back mountain and halfway up the slopes. He just couldn't plant in the other elders' courtyards, since each elder had a different way of life.
Yue Ling understood, of course, and obediently nodded.
With Yue Ling watching, Xuan Zi turned and flew away. He'd originally planned to show off in front of his teacher.
After all, this was one of Yue Ling's proudest skills.
Fine, if he didn't get to enjoy the food, he'd just eat it himself.
But as soon as he stir-fried some strange Soul Beast meat into a few dishes, he attracted the attention of the little glutton, Bei Bei.
The first time, Bei Bei secretly watched from behind the courtyard gate. He didn't come in, and no matter how Yue Ling beckoned to him, he shyly retreated.
The second time was the same...
The third time...
On the fourth time, Bei Bei finally came inside. His face was flushed, and his golden hair gleamed in the sunlight. His skin was fair, and he looked bright and sunny—quite adorable, too.
Perhaps his appetite finally overcame his shyness. Once the food was served, he dug in, devouring it noisily.
Yue Ling guessed that Mu En preferred healthy, plain food, and that Bei Bei might feel constrained at mealtimes. Besides, Yue Ling was only a child himself, so it made sense that cooking the kind of food children liked would attract another child.
Once or twice was fine, but Mu En eventually grew uneasy about Bei Bei eating like this so often.
At mealtime, he called Bei Bei over to eat, but Bei Bei sat down with his scalp prickling and stopped after a couple of bites. Mu En found it baffling.
What was wrong with this child? When had eating become so difficult for him? He was at the age when he needed to grow. He couldn't just stop eating...
It was only after secretly observing him that Mu En realized Bei Bei was sneaking off to Yue Ling's place every evening to eat before going home.
That brat Bei Bei was completely different when he ate with Yue Ling. Especially the way he wolfed down the food—it really reminded Mu En of himself when he was young. Heh heh.
So Mu En simply let him be.
Mu En came by from time to time, but his sudden appearances would scare Yue Ling half to death.
That taught Yue Ling a thing or two. Uh, he couldn't keep making kid food all the time. Every few days, he had to make some lighter vegetable dishes instead.
Mu En only came by every few days, and Bei Bei felt embarrassed, as though he'd been caught. But his appetite won out in the end, and he stayed at the table. Even if he felt awkward eating there, it was still better than going back home.
Of course, Xuan Zi came back from time to time, partly to see how Yue Ling was doing and partly because he was simply hungry.
Yue Ling was still young, so Xuan Zi had his doubts about the food he cooked. But after taking just one bite, he couldn't stop. Over the next few days, the rice jar was nearly emptied [cry].
After Xuan Zi left, Yue Ling's plan to clear the land and plant flowers was finally about to begin.
The sea of flowers that had once been everywhere in Hundred Flowers Village was nowhere to be seen now. It had become an obsession of Yue Ling's.
If he couldn't see one, then he'd make one himself.
No sooner said than done.
He furrowed his brow and thought through the steps.
First, he had to cut down the wild trees and weeds on the slope, then clear away the rocks and dead branches. Next, he'd dig terraces crosswise along the hillside to keep the rain from washing away the soil. Then, he'd channel a thin stream from the little stone pool in the courtyard and dig shallow ditches alongside each terrace to supply water. Finally, all that would be left was to sow the seeds.
Before you continue