Liu Xianzong had gone this far, leaving Lin Mo unable to voice a refusal even if he wanted to.
Fortunately, failing to cultivate a spirit plant was hardly a serious offense, especially one they had never encountered before. It was not uncommon for all of them to wither.
"All right."
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Mo finally nodded. "Just this once. We can't do this again. With Elder Yuan and the others protecting us, that old dog will have to think twice before making a mountain out of a molehill."
The tension in Liu Xianzong's face gradually eased.
He stepped forward, gripped Lin Mo's hand tightly, and grinned. "That's true, but it's still best not to let that old dog get anything on you."
"I don't care, anyway. It's such a little thing. Could that old dog really expel me from the sect over it? I can't possibly be the only disciple whose plants failed!"
That was true.
After reconsidering, Lin Mo felt considerably more reassured without even realizing it.
Each outer sect disciple of the Spirit Plant Courtyard had received ten Spiritheart Vine Seeds. Keeping three or four alive was already impressive; most managed only one or two.
Even if none survived, they would receive a few words of reprimand at most. The punishment could not possibly be too harsh.
"Come on, let's head back."
With everything in the spirit field settled, Lin Mo said no more. He dropped Liu Xianzong off on the way, then hurried back to his own courtyard.
Despite all that work, the sky was only just beginning to brighten. Qin Sang Sang and Lin Xiaohe were still asleep.
Without waking them, Lin Mo strode into the rear courtyard and released Chen Li from the Treasure Gourd again. "Take another look at this Spiritheart Vine.