The Spirit Plant Courtyard.
Wang Qiuru was drinking tea.
She sat upright in a Grandmaster Chair, holding a cup of fragrant tea. The liquid was crystalline and clear, plainly no ordinary brew.
"The Formation Disc is easy enough. Gou Fengying is the real issue."
Wang Qiuru looked at Lin Mo, who sat opposite her, and said thoughtfully, "I believe he did it too, but we have no proof, after all."
"You should know that slandering an elder is a grave offense. Although you have a special constitution and the Sect Master values you highly, none of that has been made public. It's best to keep a low profile, lest you interfere with the Sect Master's plans."
Lin Mo nodded lightly.
"Of course, I won't let you suffer for nothing."
Wang Qiuru set down her teacup, a trace of smugness appearing in her eyes. "Let an elder handle matters involving elders. It's not as though our Spirit Plant Courtyard has no Outer Elder of its own, wouldn't you agree?"
Lin Mo paused briefly, then chuckled inwardly.
If his guess was right, Wang Qiuru would certainly ask Elder Yuan to step in.
He was the Spirit Plant Courtyard's chief elder, equal in standing to Gou Fengying. Although his cultivation realm was slightly lower, his strength was not far behind.
Elder Yuan had been more than a little furious over the Ghost-Crying Field affair. Now that he had finally caught an opportunity, how could he swallow his anger again?
He would surely seize on this excuse to storm Spirit Beast Peak and raise an uproar!
"I don't have a blank Formation Disc on me. I'll send someone to deliver one to you shortly."
With a solution settled, Wang Qiuru said no more.
She still had plenty of Spirit Plant Courtyard business to handle, and Lin Mo was worried about Liu Xianzong as well. He promptly cupped his hands in farewell, rose, and returned to his courtyard.
In the courtyard, Liu Xianzong sat cross-legged in meditation, his complexion much better than before.
His injuries were not serious. A sneak attack on his sea of consciousness had knocked him unconscious, but after waking, he was no longer in any real danger. After meditating and cultivating, he had practically returned to normal.
Qin Sang Sang paced anxiously around the courtyard, worry written across her face. Lin Xiaohe also knew her brother had run into trouble and kept glancing toward Spirit Beast Peak, her gaze fierce.
"Are you all right now, Senior Brother Liu?"
Walking into the courtyard, Lin Mo checked Liu Xianzong's complexion and felt considerably relieved. He smiled and said, "The trouble at the Ghost-Crying Field has been resolved too. There shouldn't be any more problems."
"Sang Sang, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy... hey, Xiao He, where are you going? Put down that hatchet!"
Qin Sang Sang had always been obedient. Hearing that the Ghost-Crying Field was fine now, her little face immediately brightened.
But Lin Xiaohe had grabbed a hatchet and was charging furiously toward the gate when Lin Mo caught her.
"Was it that bastard Gou? I knew it was that dog!"
Ignoring Lin Mo's attempt to stop her, Lin Xiaohe struggled fiercely and let loose a torrent of abuse. "Senior Brother Liu told me everything! That old dog actually dared to bully my brother! I'll hack him to death!"
"Does being an Outer Elder make him so great? If he's so capable, why doesn't he become an Inner Sect elder? In the end, he only bullies the weak and fears the strong! Rotten dog, stinking dog, wicked dog! He deserves to be beaten to death!"
Those were not things she could say carelessly.
Both annoyed and amused, Lin Mo had been about to scold her when he suddenly noticed that the little girl was absurdly strong. Had he not been gripping her sleeve firmly, she might actually have broken free.
Hmm... it must be all that Spirit Spring Water she's been drinking. She's much stronger than other children her age.
After another moment's thought, Lin Mo understood.
He put on a stern expression and told Lin Xiaohe to stop making trouble, then turned to Liu Xianzong and said quietly, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Liu. I've already spoken to Steward Wang about this. The Spirit Plant Courtyard will stand up for us. They won't let you suffer for nothing."
"Also... from now on, let the Servant Disciples tend the Spirit Fields. Focus on your cultivation, Senior Brother Liu. You don't need to worry about contribution points anymore."
Lin Mo had seen all the kindness Liu Xianzong had shown him.
He truly had not expected this honest, simple-hearted senior brother to risk being assailed by resentful energy and keep watch for him overnight at the Ghost-Crying Field.
Most ordinary Outer Sect Disciples in the Spirit Plant Courtyard spent the vast majority of their time tending Spirit Fields to earn the contribution points required by the sect.
Contribution points were the one thing he lacked least. How could he let such a minor matter hold back Senior Brother Liu's future?
Previously, the pressure of meeting the sect's contribution requirements had left Senior Brother Liu little time to cultivate. Coupled with his poor spiritual root, this had kept him stuck at the third level of Qi Refining, unable to advance even an inch.
Now, with Lin Mo supplying him with spirit stones and secretly giving him some Spirit Spring Water to drink, he might not achieve anything extraordinary, but reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm should not be too difficult.
"Junior Brother Lin, you... all right. I'll listen to you!"
Liu Xianzong had wanted to refuse, but when he saw the unwavering resolve in Lin Mo's eyes, he finally nodded firmly.
He had long since decided that Lin Mo's affairs were his own. Now that he could improve his strength and help Lin Mo more effectively, he could ask for nothing better.
However, he had no idea that Lin Mo's wealth was far more astonishing than he imagined. He silently swore that from now on, even his life belonged to Lin Mo!
"Keep chatting. I'll go check the formation in the back courtyard."
Lin Mo had not hidden the formation in the back courtyard from Liu Xianzong. Like Qin Sang Sang and Lin Xiaohe, however, Liu Xianzong would never enter without Lin Mo's permission.
After letting them know, Lin Mo turned and went to the back courtyard to inspect the spirit plants' growth carefully.
One look was enough to make his eyes go perfectly round.
All the other spirit plants were normal. Only the Golden-Light Wheat had a problem.
Its newly formed ears still shone with a faint golden glow, just like the first batch of spirit rice plants, with a faint phantom of the Ashen Youth enveloped within.
Yet the instant Lin Mo stepped into the back courtyard, the Ashen Youth's phantom began fading rapidly, until it vanished completely!
"The spirit wheat mutated into Golden-Light Wheat, and now... it's mutated back?"
Deeply startled, Lin Mo could not help letting his thoughts run wild.
A moment later, he seemed to realize something. He took the Treasure Gourd from his Storage Bag and examined it closely, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
There was no question about it. This had to be the Treasure Gourd's doing again.
The Ashen Youth's phantom would not disappear without reason. The Treasure Gourd had taken him inside earlier, so the change in the Golden-Light Wheat must be connected to that!
"Treasure Gourd, you've never let me down..."
Lin Mo took a deep breath, then slowly reached out and carefully opened the gourd.
Sure enough.
Inside the gourd, the Ashen Youth remained utterly silent and still, as though asleep.
But his phantom was clearly much more solid than before. Gray-white and gray-black hues shimmered all over him, mingled with the distinctive gold unique to Golden-Light Wheat.
At the same time, a strange, indescribable feeling arose in Lin Mo's sea of consciousness.
He had experienced this feeling when he used a drop of blood to bind the Venomous Thorn Bee to him. The two sensations were exactly alike!
"I... I've become his master?"
Filled with joy, Lin Mo casually capped the gourd, looking forward to the days ahead more eagerly than ever.
How powerful would the Ashen Youth be once he woke?
After all, the resentment he left behind after death had been so immense that even the Azure Cloud Sect's higher-ups had been powerless against him!
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