Led by one of the bandits from Peach Mountain Band, Lu Jin and Lu Ming arrived at a secluded courtyard deep within the manor. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a faint, delightful peach fragrance.
Looking around, you can see three peach trees standing in the center of the courtyard.
The peach tree trunk is a pale red, like ruby, and is extremely beautiful. However, the peach branches are now all grayish-brown, drooping and looking droopy.
On the tree trunk, a few Red Jade Flat Peach still hung sporadically, but like the three in the warehouse, they were shriveled, with dull skin and extremely poor quality. Moreover, they were several sizes smaller.
Lu Jin strode forward, circled the tree twice, and even touched the trunk, saying with a complicated expression, "It really is a ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree,' what a pity! What a pity!"
Then Lu Jin noticed two more peach trees next to the three peach trees that had completely withered. Their trunks were rotten and their roots were decaying; these must have been the two " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " that had died of disease.
Seeing this, Lu Jin's face was filled with heartache and regret, and she remained silent for a long time.
Lu Ming also stepped forward, touching the trunk of a peach tree. In his perception, this " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " seemed weak and listless, like a young beast that had never been full.
"Young Master, I overheard Guo Kui mentioning that the ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree ' has been deteriorating since its transplantation, possibly due to the soil here. It's said that the cultivation of the Red Jade Flat Peach Tree requires fertile soil with abundant life force, known as ' Spirit Soil.' Once this soil is formed, it can create a virtuous cycle with the Red Jade Flat Peach Tree, mutually nourishing and sustaining each other."
"When Guo Kui first started transplanting, he didn't know this. Later, after consulting some masters skilled in cultivating spiritual herbs, he rushed to the original location of the ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree ' to dig up the ' Spirit Soil.' Unfortunately, when he went back, the ' Spirit Soil ' had already lost its vitality and returned to ordinary state because of the removal of the ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree.'" To save his life, the bandit was very eager and proactive in revealing all the information he knew.
Lu Jin and Lu Ming were speechless. If Guo Kui had done even one step right during the transplantation process, the " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " wouldn't have turned out so sickly.
If he had truly nurtured the " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree," he might already be True Qi Master, and his future destiny would have undergone earth-shattering changes.
All I can say is that this villain is short-lived and unlucky, unable to bear this great opportunity bestowed upon him by heaven.
Lu Ming pondered for a moment. There was no point in criticizing Guo Kui now; he needed to think of a way to salvage the situation.
"You can leave now."
Lu Ming spoke to the bandit, who, seeing that there was actually a way out, hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed before running away in a panic.
After driving away the bandits, Lu Ming took out the "sick peach" he had brought from the storeroom from his pocket. Then, with a thought, a green flame rose from his palm and covered the shriveled, sick peach.
Seeing this, Lu Jin understood Lu Ming's plan; he clearly wanted to try and cure the " Red Jade Flat Peach " with the " Flame of Life ".
Under the tense and expectant gazes of the two, the Flame of Life burned for about half an incense stick's time, and a large amount of life force poured into the " Red Jade Flat Peach ". Then, their eyes instantly turned joyful.
Because the " Red Jade Flat Peach " enveloped by the " Flame of Life " had become noticeably plumper, and the red jade luster flowing over it had also brightened.
"It actually works?" Lu Jin's hand, which was stroking his beard, trembled.
Lu Ming was also a little excited, and couldn't help but admire that this Flame of Life was truly a rare wonder in the world. Although it lacked offensive power, the ability it contained was enough to make up for this deficiency tenfold or a hundredfold.
"Grandpa, according to my estimation, it will probably only take about two days for me to restore this ' Red Jade Flat Peach ' using the Flame of Life."
"Not bad, not bad, this is a pleasant surprise." Lu Jin nodded with a smile.
"However, even if we can cure the ' Red Jade Flat Peach,' it's only a temporary solution. These ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree are in such poor condition that they probably won't survive a year before they all wither and die. Once the peach trees die, we won't even be able to collect the diseased ' Red Jade Flat Peach ' anymore," Lu Ming said with a frown and some regret.
Moreover, even if Lu Ming uses the Flame of Life to heal the Red Jade Flat Peach Tree, it is not a long-term solution. After all, even if it is healed, the Red Jade Flat Peach Tree will eventually wither and die without " Spirit Soil ". Is it possible for Lu Ming to guard the peach tree indefinitely to provide it with life? That is obviously not very likely.
The purpose of cultivating the " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " is to provide Lu Ming with better cultivation resources, not to make it a shackle for Lu Ming. Otherwise, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
"The cultivation of this ' Spirit Soil ' is extremely demanding. Not to mention our Third-Tier Divine Ability Hall, even powerful families like the Li Clan and Yan Clan families wouldn't possess such a secret technique," Lu Jin sighed.
Lu Ming pondered for a moment, then squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and burned it with the " Flame of Life." After a while, some vitality gradually appeared in the soil, but as Lu Ming withdrew the Flame of Life, the vitality in the soil slowly dissipated.
Clearly, the effects of the Flame of Life are more effective against the category of "herbs," while soil is not included. Therefore, Lu Ming cannot use the flame to scorch the soil and refine it into Spirit Soil.
However, it seems like a clumsy method can be used.
"Grandpa, we can try transplanting these three ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree ' into the Thunderfire Hall. I'll first use the Flame of Life to replace the Spirit Soil, replenishing the peach trees' vitality and restoring them to their Perfection state. Then, I'll use the Flame of Life to refine the surrounding soil, temporarily imbuing it with vitality and turning it into ' Pseudo Spirit Soil ' to nourish the peach trees. After maintaining this for a period of time, the peach trees will also begin to nourish the soil in return. As long as these two can form a virtuous cycle, the soil will eventually gradually form true ' Spirit Soil '," Lu Ming suggested.
Lu Jin was stunned. Could this really be done?
"Will it work?"
Lu Ming stroked his chin, not entirely sure. "It's still a solution, and it's better than just watching the peach trees wither and die."
Lu Jin nodded. That's true. Could things get any worse than they are now? Besides, the value of this " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " is immense. If it can be successfully cultivated, the benefits it brings will allow the Lu Clan to grow rapidly.
So whether they succeed or not, they will definitely give it a try.
"First, dig out this ' Red Jade Flat Peach Tree '!"
Lu Jin and Lu Ming exchanged a glance and made a decisive decision. Then, the two of them found weapons and began digging.
An old man and a young boy dug through the quiet manor, carefully avoiding the roots of the peach trees. It took them half a day to dig out the three " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " intact.
Such meticulous digging left the two of them drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.
"I feel even more exhausted than last night's life-or-death battle." Lu Ming, covered in mud, lay beside a tree pit, too exhausted to complain.
Digging the hole was actually very simple and effortless, but they had to ensure that every root of the Red Jade Flat Peach Tree was not damaged. After all, its condition was already extremely poor, and if the roots were damaged, even the " Flame of Life " would not be able to save it.
Therefore, with each stroke of their hoes, they had to be tense and control their strength, peeling away the soil as if unraveling a cocoon.
Lu Jin couldn't help but smile. Indeed, even the fiercest battle he had fought with Guo Kui hadn't made him this tired.
"I'll go and move those two boxes of ' Heavenly Gold Sand ' over and take them with me. As for the Divine Ability Weapon and goods in the warehouse, we'll wait for your father and second uncle to arrive and then take them with us to sort them out."
Lu Jin said something, then went to the storeroom, carried back the box, and at the same time found a rope to carefully tie the three " Red Jade Flat Peach Tree " together. Finally, he picked them up, one in front of the other, along with the Heavenly Gold Sand Box.
Looking at Lu Jin's appearance, Lu Ming couldn't help but chuckle, "Grandpa, we don't look like we're here to ransack your house, we look more like farmers going to the city to buy goods."
"Hey, with so many benefits, I'd be happy to take advantage of it every day."
Lu Jin smiled happily, the deep wrinkles on his face smoothing out considerably. Only then did he take out his pipe, light it, and put it in his mouth, making him look even more like an old farmer.
"Let's go, first send them out of the Peach Miasma Mountain Range, then wait for your father and second uncle to arrive."
Lu Jin carried a stick on his right shoulder, with a box hanging from one end and three peach trees hanging from the other. At the same time, Thunderfire Feather Robe materialized on his body, and he reached out his left hand to grab Lu Ming's arm.
The next moment, his figure soared into the sky, and guided by Lu Ming, he reaped a bountiful harvest as he broke through the air beyond the Peach Miasma Mountain Range.