"Are you sure?"
Xiao Liu jumped at those words. Turning around, he saw that Zhou Bo had returned at some point and was standing behind him, expressionlessly surveying the area he had watered.
"Look at what you've watered." Zhou Bo pointed at several stalks of blood-stopping grass. "You gave this one too much. The water's overflowing, and the roots will rot! This one got too little. The soil's still dry! This one's even worse-you poured all the water onto its leaves. The afternoon sun will scorch the seedling!"
Xiao Liu's face fell.
"Do it again," Zhou Bo said flatly.
Xiao Liu wanted to cry but had no tears. He stood frozen with the bucket in his hand.
Zhou Bo turned to look at Tang Yin's area.
Tang Yin had done even worse. Of the twenty plants he had watered, more than a dozen failed inspection. Some had received uneven amounts of water, some had water poured on their leaves, and two hadn't been watered at all.
Luckily, this was a specially designated trial plot. Otherwise, they would have ruined all those perfectly good spirit herbs!
"Useless!"
Tang Yin's face turned green.
Tie Zhu and Zhang Qiang barely passed, but Zhou Bo still found plenty of faults and made them redo several spots.
Han Tang had done a good job. In a rare display of approval, Zhou Bo nodded. "Not bad. You've got a knack for this."
Luo Shan had done well too. Zhou Bo said nothing, but didn't make him start over either.
Finally, Zhou Bo walked over to the area Mo Yun was responsible for and crouched to inspect it closely.
One plant, two plants, three plants...
He inspected more than a dozen plants. Every one had received exactly the right amount of water, the fertilizer had been placed with flawless precision, and even the stubs left by weeding had been neatly cleared away.
Zhou Bo looked up at Mo Yun, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Your first time doing this?"
"Yes."
"Did you know anything about blood-stopping grass before?"
"No."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Bo stood and brushed the dirt off his knees. "You did well."
Just three words, but judging by what Xiao Liu and the others had endured earlier, that was already exceptionally high praise.
Beside them, Xiao Liu was eaten up with envy. "How is that fair? This is Mo's first time too! How did he do so well?"
Zhou Bo glanced at him. "Because your brain doesn't work."
Xiao Liu: "..."
Tang Yin snickered at his misfortune, only to earn a glare from Zhou Bo. "You have the nerve to laugh? You're hardly any better than him. Do it again! If you make another complete mess of it, you can go straight back where you came from!"
Tang Yin's smile froze instantly.
The morning passed in watering, fertilizing, and weeding.
At noon, they ate in the shade shelter beside the herb plots.
The food was good, with meat, vegetables, and all the steamed buns they could eat-a considerable improvement over before.
Xiao Liu slumped on his stool, utterly drained. "I thought the Spirit Herb Garden would be a haven for taking it easy. Turns out it's even more exhausting than the Forge Room..."
"That's because you're stupid." Tang Yin rubbed his aching lower back. "Look at Mo Yun. He finished everything with ease and spent more than two hours afterward practicing the Tiger-Crouching Stance."
Chewing a steamed bun, Mo Yun said indistinctly, "It's not that I had an easy time. You guys were just too sloppy."
"Exactly!" Xiao Liu protested indignantly. "Easy for you to say! Why don't you try it?"
"Uh, didn't I already?"
Xiao Liu was struck speechless.
Han Tang put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked thoughtfully at Mo Yun. "Brother Mo, how did you judge how much water each plant needed?"
Mo Yun thought for a moment. "By the color of the soil. Dark soil has more moisture, while pale soil is dry. Then look at the leaves. Wilting leaves mean it needs water, while firm leaves mean it has enough. Put the two together, and you can tell."
Han Tang's eyes lit up. "So that's how!"
Xiao Liu was lost in a fog. "What's all this about colors? Why can't I see any difference?"
Mo Yun glanced at him and smiled without answering.
Tang Yin chimed in, "Your eyes are too small. No wonder you can't see clearly. Stop squinting all the time when you've got nothing to do. Look, I'm talking to you right now. Why are you still squinting?"
Xiao Liu snapped, "My fucking eyes are already open as wide as they'll go!"
They all burst out laughing.
The afternoon's work was a little easier, mainly weeding and loosening the soil.
With the morning's experience under their belts, they were clearly more practiced. They still made mistakes, but at least Zhou Bo no longer scolded them until they were drenched in abuse.
The only thing that hadn't changed was that Mo Yun still worked the fastest and best, saving himself plenty of time to cultivate.
As the sun slanted westward, the day's work was finally done.
Zhou Bo gathered them together and announced the next day's arrangements. "Tomorrow, you'll keep working in Herb Plot No. 3. Once you've learned how to tend blood-stopping grass properly, you can move on to something else."
He looked at Mo Yun. "You stay behind. The rest of you can leave."
Xiao Liu and the others cast him sympathetic looks, then greased their heels and slipped away.
Mo Yun stayed, unsure what Zhou Bo wanted.
Leaning on his bamboo staff, Zhou Bo limped deeper into the herb plots. "Follow me."
Mo Yun followed.
They passed through the ordinary herb plots and reached the wooden fence separating them from the Precious Herb Plot.
Zhou Bo pushed open the gate and motioned for Mo Yun to enter.
The Precious Herb Plot was much smaller than the ordinary plots. The medicinal fragrance filling the air was richer and mellower; a single breath was enough to refresh the mind.
Mo Yun swept his gaze across the plot, then suddenly stopped.
At the very center stood a plant half a person's height, its leaves so vividly green they seemed ready to drip, its stem straight as an arrow. A fist-sized fruit grew at its tip, giving off a faint crimson glow.
The glow was weak, but it stood out sharply in the twilight.
"That's..." Mo Yun instinctively took a step forward.
"A Fire Spirit Fruit," Zhou Bo's voice came from behind him. "The crowning treasure of the Precious Herb Plot."
As Mo Yun stared at the Fire Spirit Fruit plant, he suddenly felt the Black Seal on his wrist grow slightly warm.
He lowered his gaze. On the Black-and-White Seal, which only he could see, the Black Seal portion was actually trembling faintly, as though something had stimulated it.
The Black Seal seems especially hungry for this Fire Spirit Fruit? Mo Yun was taken aback. If I swallowed it, how much energy would it replenish in the Black Seal?
Zhou Bo didn't notice anything unusual about him. Leaning on his bamboo staff, he walked over to the Fire Spirit Fruit and crouched to inspect the soil around its roots.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll work in the ordinary plots as usual in the morning, then come help in the Precious Herb Plot in the afternoon," he said without turning around. "The work in the ordinary plots is too easy for you. Don't waste too much time there."
Mo Yun: "..."
I just want to finish my work nice and easily!
As though something had occurred to him, Zhou Bo added, "Working in the Precious Herb Plot will teach you a few things. It'll be valuable experience once you leave, too. Those big herb shops will probably fight over hiring you."
Mo Yun came back to his senses, then asked seriously, "Zhou Bo, I've only just arrived. Can I really take proper care of the Precious Herb Plot?"
"I'm a good judge of people," Zhou Bo said calmly. "You're not careless or clumsy, and you learn quickly. You're capable of it."
He stood and glanced at Mo Yun. "Besides, Commander Li specifically asked me to look after you. That fellow rarely asks anyone for a favor. I can't refuse him that courtesy."
Mo Yun froze, warmth welling up in his heart.
Commander Li never said anything, but he had been helping him behind the scenes all along.
"All right, stop standing there in a daze." Zhou Bo waved a hand. "Go back for today. Be here on time tomorrow."
Mo Yun bowed. "Thank you, Zhou Bo."
"Don't thank me." Zhou Bo headed out, leaning on his bamboo staff. "Doing your job well is the best thanks you can give."
Mo Yun followed him. As he left the Precious Herb Plot, he couldn't help looking back at the Fire Spirit Fruit plant.
The Black Seal had stopped trembling, but he was certain he hadn't imagined it.
Too bad I can't get my hands on that thing to eat it...
By the time he returned to the dormitory after dinner, it was already dark.
Xiao Liu lay on his bed, groaning and complaining that his waist and back ached and his legs were cramping.
Tang Yin stood in the corner, examining his sun-reddened face in a bronze mirror.
Tie Zhu was fetching water to wash his feet, while Han Tang sat beneath the lamp, leafing through an herbal medicine book he had borrowed from somewhere.
After they had been transferred to the Spirit Herb Garden, Commander Li had requested a separate dormitory for them to make their work more convenient. For now, only their group lived there.
Mo Yun quickly tidied up, then pushed open the door and headed toward the Rear Mountain.
Keep practicing martial arts and build up as much strength as I can before the Guard Examination. Hard work is my greatest talent!
Before you continue