Revisiting (2)

Spirit Medicine Peak · Hundred Herbs Garden

The mist atop the mountain was like lingering thoughts that never dispersed, embracing and tangling with the ethereal clouds until neither could be told apart, a thin veil shrouding the herb fields.

Within the fields, the spirit herbs came in all manner of leaf shapes, their colors even more dazzling. Some were jade-green, lush and brimming with life; others shone as brilliantly as evening clouds, radiant enough to catch the eye. They swayed gently in the breeze, graceful as a host of dancing fairies.

The air was filled with the fresh, faintly sweet scent of vegetation. It lingered at the tip of the nose, and every breath seemed to reach straight into the depths of the soul, clearing the mind and soothing the spirit, as though even one's soul had been cleansed.

Wen Jian walked along the bluestone path, the faint sound of dew-soaked grass brushing beneath his feet.

Wen Jian could not help taking a deep breath. The medicinal fragrance instantly seeped into his lungs. That familiar scent should have brought him peace, yet at this moment, it could not smooth away the deep furrow between his brows.

The sound of running water came from afar. Following it with his gaze, Wen Jian saw Yu Xuan True Person's mountain-like figure standing beside a spirit spring. Holding a long bronze ladle in his single arm, he precisely watered each spirit herb with spring water.

"Master." Wen Jian stopped three paces away and bowed respectfully.

Yu Xuan True Person turned around. A smile bloomed across his square face, its ravines carved by the years, while his empty right sleeve swayed lightly in the wind.

"You're here." His voice was deep as a bell. He handed the long ladle to Wen Jian. "Good timing. Help