After Senior Sister A Heng told Chen Shuangbai the rules of the medicine garden and how to tend the Jade Marrow Orchids and several other spirit medicines growing there, she leaned on her seven-section bamboo staff and, as if flying, vanished in the blink of an eye into the lush greenery.
From his brief encounter with this senior sister, Chen Shuangbai made a guess.
She was at least a cultivator at the Late Qi Refining Stage!
Putting aside his longing for the lofty cultivation of high-level cultivators, Chen Shuangbai turned to look at the medicine garden he was to tend.
The Jade Dew Hall oversaw the sect's cultivation of spirit medicines and refinement of spirit pills. More than a dozen mountains and valleys stretching beyond Spring Water Peak were planted with medicinal herbs.
The four major spirit medicines were the most numerous among them, followed by all manner of auxiliary medicines. Naturally, there was also no shortage of herbs that nourished Qi and Blood, such as Solomon's seal, dendrobium and fleeceflower root.
Chen Shuangbai crouched down and gently stroked the leaves of a jade marrow orchid beside him. Its veins shone an icy blue-green, its petals were like jade cups, and its stem resembled frosted crystal. He sighed. "It really is no ordinary plant."
The Jade Spring Sect cultivated water arts, with the paths of wood and earth as supplementary disciplines.
Jade marrow orchids were cold in nature and needed to be watered with cold water.
This did not mean merely water that was cold, but water drawn from the cold springs on Spring Water Peak, or from channels fed by the Shattered Star River.
The water from both sources possessed the nature of cold springs, which jade marrow orchids loved most.
The hazy moon vines, rosy robe grass and jade-rinsing moss planted alongside them had also absorbed plenty of their medicinal properties, transforming into spirit medicines with richer medicinal properties.
Following Senior Sister A Heng's instructions and the techniques in a Book of Tending Medicines the senior sister had just handed him, Chen Shuangbai turned the soil and picked out the insects in the garden. After that, there was little else to do for the time being.
The cold spring water channeled beneath the Cold Mist Jade Garden was cold in nature, as were the many spirit medicines grown there. As a result, ordinary medicinal pests could not survive long in this place.
Without spending much effort at all, Chen Shuangbai finished everything he needed to do that day.
Once he was done,
he went to the small pavilion nearby, opened the Book of Tending Medicines and studied it carefully.
The Book of Tending Medicines had been prepared by the Jade Dew Hall for its medicine boys and attendants, as well as sect disciples serving short terms as garden guardians. Most of it recorded how to tend spirit medicines, what they favored and the various taboos concerning them.
The book looked like a herbal guide, but as Chen Shuangbai read on, he noticed hints of something more.
The Moon-Worshipping Clear Illumination Method bestowed upon Chen Shuangbai by the Dao Fruit cultivated pure Luminous True Qi, but it also gave him an unobvious sensitivity to certain hidden things.
Chen Shuangbai studied it closely several times, but he always felt as though a thin sheet of window paper stood between him and understanding.
He did not force the matter, thinking that his cultivation realm was probably insufficient.
The golden crow sank in the west, and the jade rabbit rose in the east.
Rather than return to the disciples' quarters, Chen Shuangbai sat cross-legged in the pavilion, his five centers facing heaven, and began to cultivate.
The Moon-Worshipping Clear Illumination Method involved cultivating by contemplating the forms of the twelve monthly moons.
These twelve monthly moons were Zouyue, Ruyue, Bingyue, Yuyue, Gaoyue, Qieyue, Xiangyue, Zhuangyue, Xuanyue, Yangyue, Guyue and Tuyue, symbolizing the changes of the moon as it waxed and waned, shone clear and grew obscured.
After formally contemplating the moon through one complete circulation, Chen Shuangbai naturally cultivated this pure, lively Law Power. His understanding of water-aspect and frost-aspect Law Techniques and Dao arts also far surpassed that of others.
Chen Shuangbai visualized the [Mystic Radiant Moon] that had remained unchanged through the ages within his sea of consciousness. The distracting thoughts upon the lake of his mind gradually smoothed away as he slowly drew in the Spiritual Qi around him to cultivate.
With him at the center, the silver radiance falling from the high heavens brightened a little, though no one else could see it.
Bright moonlight and clear radiance in all directions fell upon the surrounding jade marrow orchids. The spiritual charm they gave off grew ever more ethereal and secluded, and without anyone noticing, they seemed to grow a little faster than others of their kind farther away.
As the sky began to brighten,
Chen Shuangbai noticed the subtle changes in the jade marrow orchids. After a moment's thought, he more or less understood that this was a wondrous effect of the wisps of pure moonlight he had drawn down while cultivating.
The moon governed abundance and blessed all things, and was even known by the elegant name of Moon Mother, so this was nothing unusual.
For the next stretch of time, he spent most of his days in the medicine garden on Spring Water Peak, tending the spirit medicines.
He returned to Crisp Spring Peak only when Daoist Lingxiu held lectures on the scriptures.
He earned Merit Points while cultivating.
His secluded life, with so few outings, left both He Qi and Fu Qianlan somewhat amazed.
He Qi even said, "Old Chen, don't tell me some pretty senior sister on Spring Water Peak has taken a fancy to you?"
Chen Shuangbai felt rather helpless about it.
Fu Qianlan rolled her eyes and promptly rapped He Qi on the head with her knuckles. "Shuangbai is already at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement and nearly in the middle stage, while the two of us have only just entered the third layer. Instead of putting your mind to cultivation, you're sitting here wagging your tongue?"
He Qi yelped in pain and muttered under his breath, but he no longer dared to tease Chen Shuangbai.
The three of them had similar aptitudes, and all had successfully broken through to the Third Layer of Qi Refinement and remained in the sect.
Those two were now earning Merit Points as well.
He Qi had taken a Jade Guarding Hall assignment under the Abyss Suppression Hall, guarding the sect's cold pool. It was a grueling job, but the reward was generous.
Fu Qianlan was much luckier. A senior sister from the Expenditure Hall had taken a liking to her and given her work, and she earned no small amount of Merit Points each day.
By comparison, Chen Shuangbai's [garden guardian] assignment offered no particularly generous reward for the time being.
Under Chen Shuangbai's careful tending, the several kinds of spirit medicines in the garden gradually passed through the frail stage of early growth. They grew strong and lush, brimming with spiritual charm and verdant greenery.
This remarkable sight far surpassed the medicine gardens tended by the fellow disciples nearby.
Sure enough, it drew more attention from the Jade Dew Hall.
The person who came was none other than A Heng.
The blind senior sister crouched down and gently stroked a delicate jade marrow orchid. A faint light shone from her hand, and after a long while, she smiled.
"Junior Brother Chen, you've tended them very well. These jade marrow orchids are growing much faster. At this rate, we might even be able to harvest their fragrant dew half a month early!"
As soon as she said this, the fellow disciples nearby cast envious looks at him.
They all knew what her words meant.
For the [garden guardian] assignments the Jade Dew Hall issued to disciples, only the basic Merit Points could be earned in the early stages. Only after the spirit medicines matured
would the garden guardian's "dividend" be determined according to their quality and yield.
A Heng's words were a forewarning to Chen Shuangbai-
Kid, your dividend is bound to be generous when the time comes!
Smiling, Chen Shuangbai showed neither shyness nor conceit. With neither servility nor arrogance, he said, "I'll take that as a blessing, Senior Sister."
A Heng seemed not to have expected Chen Shuangbai to say that, and she smiled too.
She felt
that this Junior Brother Chen before her was rather different from the other newly admitted junior brothers and sisters, and seemed quite interesting.