Arc 1The Jade Gourd and the Mass Grave

Lin He and Su Qiuran used the jade gourd to cultivate Green Spike Grass, strengthen Lin He, and awaken Su Qiuran’s dormant Spirit Root while pursuing spirit rice and rabbit-bounty money. After hunters crowded Green Mountain, Lin He followed Old Man Sun toward the Immortals' Mass Grave, where a sinister mist possessed the old hunter and forced them to flee.

  • Lin Fu left Lin He and Su Qiuran in Emerald Mountain Village with far less money than promised, and the newly married couple discovered their dilapidated home and revealed that they had both transmigrated from Blue Star.
  • Lin He showed Su Qiuran his inherited jade gourd, and they learned that its sun essence accelerated growth while its moon essence could improve plants, animals, and Spirit Roots.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran gathered Green Spike Grass seeds and used diluted sun essence to grow a lush crop, which Lin He sold to Shopkeeper Qian for money to buy hunting gear and supplies.
  • Lin He used pure sun essence to temper his body, found and hatched the red egg into Goudan, and learned hunting from Old Man Sun.
  • The gourd produced a drop of moon essence that revived Su Qiuran’s dormant Spirit Root, though the couple found they could not cultivate in Emerald Mountain Village’s sparse Spiritual Qi.
  • Lin He hunted Fanged Spotted Rabbits for the Li Household’s bounty, killed a bearded hunter who attacked him, and sold rabbits and Green Spike Grass for spirit stones and silver.
  • As rabbit hunters crowded Green Mountain, Lin He joined Old Man Sun at the rocky slope near the Immortals' Mass Grave and caught six rabbits before persuading him to venture closer.
  • A sinister gust and gray mist turned the landscape into a vast graveyard and possessed Old Man Sun, but Lin He slapped him back to his senses and escaped with him and the rabbits.
Chapters 1–25 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 1When fellow countrymen met

Lin He and Su Qiuran were abandoned in Emerald Mountain Village with almost no money after Lin Fu dismissed them from their households. As they faced their shared misfortune, they recalled how they had recognized each other as fellow transmigrators from Blue Star during their wedding.

  • Lin Fu delivered Lin He and Su Qiuran to Emerald Mountain Village and gave them only five hundred copper coins and two pieces of silver instead of the promised fifty low-grade spirit stones.
  • Lin He complained privately about Lin Fu’s theft and found Su Qiuran dusty but calm in her wheelchair.
  • Lin He recalled that he had died from overwork on Blue Star before transmigrating as a mortal son of the Lin Household.
  • Lin He reflected that Su Qiuran had also died from overwork on Blue Star and had been mistreated by the Su Household because she lacked a spirit root and had disabled legs.
  • Lin He remembered how he and Su Qiuran recognized each other as fellow countrymen during their slapdash wedding by exchanging familiar catchphrases.

Ch. 2Marry a dog, follow the dog

Lin He and Su Qiuran reached their rundown home in Emerald Mountain Village after a steward took most of their starting money. Their jokes lifted their spirits, and Lin He helped Su Qiuran free her wheelchair from a stone as they made their way to the door.

  • Lin He joked that retreating from the stronger steward Lin Fu was a strategic choice, while Su Qiuran teased him about his missing system.
  • Su Qiuran suggested they inspect their new home, and they found a dilapidated hut surrounded by weeds.
  • Su Qiuran struggled to push her wheelchair along the uneven road toward the courtyard.
  • The wheelchair became stuck on a stone, and Su Qiuran reluctantly asked Lin He for help.
  • Lin He lifted the wheelchair over the obstruction and pushed it to the wooden door.

Ch. 3So Secretive

Lin He secretly brought Su Qiuran to a dilapidated house, where she mistakenly thought his serious precautions meant he had acquired a system. After he denied it, he began unwrapping a carefully concealed bundle, leaving its contents unrevealed.

  • Lin He pushed Su Qiuran's wheelchair into the ruined house and blocked its door and windows to keep out peeping Toms.
  • Su Qiuran teased Lin He about wanting to share the broken bed, but he told her he had something secret to reveal.
  • Su Qiuran excitedly guessed that Lin He had a system and asked whether it could heal her legs or help her take revenge on the steward surnamed Lin.
  • Lin He denied having a system and showed Su Qiuran a bundle he had secretly carried from the Lin Household.
  • Lin He unwrapped several layers of cloth and snapped open an old silk handkerchief, but the chapter ended before its contents were shown.

Ch. 4The Family Heirloom

Lin He revealed that his mother had left him a jade gourd, and he and Su Qiuran discovered it could absorb the essences of the sun and moon. They learned the essences could accelerate plant growth and improve plants, animals, and Spirit Roots, giving them a possible path to change their fortunes.

  • Su Qiuran recognized Lin He's jade gourd as the Little Green Bottle and excitedly imagined its value.
  • Lin He explained that his mother had passed the heirloom down to him and that he had kept it hidden from the Lin Household.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran tried to activate the sealed gourd, then dripped their blood onto it.
  • The gourd absorbed their blood, glowed, and sent information about its abilities into both their minds.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran learned that the sun essence accelerated growth while the moon essence improved plants, animals, and Spirit Roots.

Ch. 5Market day at the village entrance

Lin He and Su Qiuran planned to grow spirit rice to improve their fortunes and help Su Qiuran’s health, but they lacked both seeds and money. At the village market, a traveling merchant told Lin He that Emerald Mountain Village’s poor spiritual conditions could not support spirit crops and that even the cheapest seeds cost far more than he could afford.

  • Lin He and Su Qiuran found only a faint trace of silver mist in the jade gourd after leaving it in moonlight overnight, and Su Qiuran estimated that collecting one drop of moon essence would take at least half a year.
  • Lin He proposed using the gourd’s sun essence to ripen spirit rice, but Su Qiuran reminded him that they had almost no money and no seeds.
  • Lin He pushed Su Qiuran’s broken wheelchair to the village market and rejected the ordinary rice seeds sold there.
  • Lin He asked an itinerant merchant where he could obtain spirit rice seeds, and the merchant said Emerald Mountain Village’s thin Spiritual Qi and barren soil could not sustain them.
  • The itinerant merchant told Lin He that the cheapest low-grade Green Jade Spirit Rice seeds cost five low-grade Spirit Stones per tael, then questioned whether Lin He could afford them.

Ch. 6Sharpening the Blades

Lin He and Su Qiuran discovered they were too poor to buy spirit rice seeds, so they chose to earn money gathering green-ear grass with help from the jade gourd. After buying basic food and tools, they sharpened their sickles and set out for the mountain.

  • Lin He showed Su Qiuran their meager savings and learned that spirit rice seeds cost five low-grade Spirit Stones per tael.
  • Lin He suggested growing and selling daily vegetables, but Su Qiuran warned that doing so would attract dangerous attention.
  • An old farmer told Lin He that green-ear grass grew in shaded mountain rock crevices and that Spring Restoration Hall bought it for five copper a catty.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran agreed to gather green-ear grass, use the jade gourd to cultivate it, and save for spirit seeds.
  • Lin He bought two sickles, hemp rope, coarse rice, and salt, then sharpened the sickles as the jade gourd absorbed sunlight.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran left for the mountain to search for green-ear grass.

Ch. 7Essence of the Sun

Lin He and Su Qiuran changed their plan from harvesting green spike grass to collecting its seeds, then used the Jade Gourd’s essence of the sun to grow a patch behind their hut. The grass sprouted rapidly, leaving them with a promising new source of income.

  • Lin He struggled to harvest green spike grass on the rocky slope, earning only enough to replace his damaged sickle.
  • Su Qiuran realized they could collect seeds and use the Jade Gourd’s essence of the sun to grow the grass themselves.
  • Lin He gathered hundreds of green spike grass seeds with Su Qiuran’s help.
  • They planted the seeds in the abandoned garden behind their hut and diluted a drop of essence of the sun in water.
  • Lin He watered the soil, and the seeds rapidly grew into a lush patch of green spike grass.

Ch. 8The Immortals' Mass Grave

After discovering that the jade gourd could make grass grow rapidly, Lin He and Su Qiuran learned of a dangerous cultivator mass grave and agreed to avoid it until they were stronger. Lin He secretly tested pure Essence of the Sun on himself and endured a brutal transformation that left his body much stronger.

  • Lin He and Su Qiuran celebrated their rapidly growing grass, then welcomed Granny Zhao, who brought them flatbreads.
  • Granny Zhao noticed Lin He's scratches and warned them that the hills held a miasma-filled mass grave where many immortals had died.
  • Lin He excitedly considered searching the grave for treasures, but Su Qiuran persuaded him to stay alive and build strength first.
  • Lin He discovered that diluted Essence of the Sun had healed the scratches on his arm and wondered whether the essence could strengthen a person.
  • Without waking Su Qiuran, Lin He put a tiny amount of pure Essence of the Sun into his palm and suffered hours of intense pain as his body transformed.
  • Lin He survived the ordeal, felt that his body had grown much stronger, and recognized the change as Body Tempering.

Ch. 9The results of body tempering

Lin He woke after absorbing a wisp of the essence of the sun and discovered that his body had grown dramatically stronger. After he revealed the painful body tempering to Su Qiuran, she scolded him for risking his life.

  • Lin He woke from the agony of body tempering and felt newfound strength, while his wounds had healed without scars.
  • Lin He lifted Su Qiuran and her wheelchair overhead to demonstrate his strength, frightening her before setting her down safely.
  • Lin He explained that he had absorbed a wisp of the essence of the sun and described the painful transformation.
  • Su Qiuran realized the wet patch on the quilt had been Lin He's cold sweat, not her wetting the bed.
  • Su Qiuran angrily warned Lin He that his mortal body and lack of a Spirit Root made using the violent power dangerously reckless.

Ch. 10I want to try too

Lin He apologized to Su Qiuran for secretly using the Essence of the Sun, and she decided to try it herself, but it had no effect on her. She devoted the remaining essence to strengthening Lin He and planned his combat training, leaving him to check on the Green Spike Grass after teasing her.

  • Lin He admitted he had been scared of the danger surrounding their treasure gourd and wanted to grow strong enough to protect Su Qiuran.
  • Su Qiuran insisted on testing a tiny drop of Essence of the Sun, but it did not affect her.
  • Lin He explained that the essence had painfully tempered his body and that he needed several days to recover before using it again.
  • Su Qiuran decided to reserve the remaining Essence of the Sun for Lin He and planned daily training in archery, close combat, and weapons.
  • Lin He teased Su Qiuran about nighttime training, then dodged her thrown teacup and went to check on the Green Spike Grass.

Ch. 11Selling Green Spike Grass

Lin He and Su Qiuran brought their unusually high-quality Green Spike Grass to Spring Restoration Hall to seek a fresh-herb deal. Shopkeeper Qian examined the grass and was visibly startled by its quality.

  • Lin He harvested and bundled the lush Green Spike Grass, showing off the strength he gained through Body Tempering.
  • Su Qiuran decided they would sell the grass fresh and arranged to borrow the village chief’s cart.
  • Lin He loaded Su Qiuran and the sacks onto the cart, then ran with them to town.
  • A dismissive assistant initially tried to drive them away, but Su Qiuran persuaded him to fetch the shopkeeper.
  • Lin He showed Shopkeeper Qian the Green Spike Grass, and the shopkeeper’s pupils contracted at its quality.

Ch. 12The first pot of gold

Lin He and Su Qiuran sold their potent Green Spike Grass to Spring Restoration Hall for nearly a tael of silver, then bought weapons, food, and a quilt. They returned to Emerald Mountain Village with plans to keep growing the grass, strengthen Lin He, and begin combat training the next day.

  • Su Qiuran bargained with Shopkeeper Qian until he agreed to buy their 120 jin of Green Spike Grass for eight copper coins per jin and promised them a silver tael.
  • Lin He bought a powerful black bow, refined-steel arrows, and a chopping knife after demonstrating that he could draw the bow.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran spent their remaining money on flour, rice, pork, chickens, seasonings, and a thick new quilt.
  • Su Qiuran laid out their plans to keep cultivating Green Spike Grass, use excess essence of the sun to temper Lin He, and start practical combat training the next day.
  • Lin He practiced with his bow at home, missed his first shot, then struck a tree thirty paces away before joining Su Qiuran for dinner.

Ch. 13The mysterious red egg

Lin He and Su Qiuran gathered Green Spike Grass seeds on the mountain and discovered a warm, marked red egg hidden in a rocky crevice. They brought the mysterious egg home, planning to use the Essence of the Sun to hatch it.

  • Lin He practiced drawing his powerful bow while Su Qiuran urged him to build strength and expand their Green Spike Grass planting.
  • Lin He pushed Su Qiuran up the mountain, and they split up to gather seeds.
  • Lin He found a scorched patch beside a boulder and pulled a large, warm, dark-red egg from a crevice.
  • Lin He showed the egg to Su Qiuran, who warned it might be an evil object from the nearby mass burial ground.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran returned to their hut with the seeds and egg, intending to try hatching it with the Essence of the Sun.

Ch. 14Opening a Mystery Egg

Lin He fed the mysterious red egg Essence of the Sun, and it hatched into a strange duck-headed, dog-bodied creature he named Goudan. After sowing Green Spike Grass seeds and setting out to practice hunting, Lin He met the village hunter Old Man Sun on the mountain path.

  • Lin He dripped Essence of the Sun onto the red egg, which cracked open and hatched a furry creature with a duck's head and a dog's body.
  • Lin He named the creature Goudan, and it followed him until he left it with Su Qiuran.
  • Lin He sowed Green Spike Grass seeds across much of the backyard and watered them with Essence of the Sun.
  • Su Qiuran agreed that Lin He could practice shooting at moving targets near the mountain, and he set out with his bow and arrows.
  • Lin He met the experienced village hunter Old Man Sun on the path and greeted him.

Ch. 15Old Man Sun the Hunter

Lin He joined Old Man Sun in Green Mountain and learned the basics of tracking and archery. After Lin He shot a pheasant, Old Man Sun ended their hunt and told him to keep practicing.

  • Old Man Sun saw Lin He draw a powerful bow and invited him to learn hunting in the mountains.
  • Old Man Sun taught Lin He to read animal signs, walk into the wind, and choose shooting positions.
  • Old Man Sun told Lin He that his son had left the village to do menial work for cultivation lineages because he lacked a spirit root.
  • Old Man Sun spotted a pheasant and had Lin He take the shot; Lin He killed it with an arrow through the neck.
  • Old Man Sun ended the hunt and encouraged Lin He to keep practicing so he could make a living in the mountains.

Ch. 16Spirit Root Restoration

Lin He and Su Qiuran discovered that the full moon made the jade gourd gather lunar essence quickly, and a drop awakened a dormant spirit root in Su Qiuran. Her legs remained paralyzed and Emerald Mountain Village had too little spiritual Qi for cultivation, so they planned to keep farming and use spirit rice while gathering more lunar essence.

  • Lin He returned with a pheasant he had hunted and shared a hearty meal with Su Qiuran and Goudan.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran noticed that the jade gourd absorbed moonlight far faster on the full moon and produced a drop of silver liquid.
  • Lin He found that the lunar essence did not affect him, but it melted into Su Qiuran's palm and enveloped her in silver light.
  • Su Qiuran said her legs still felt numb but she could sense spiritual Qi and believed the essence had revived a dormant spirit root.
  • Su Qiuran tried to cultivate but could not absorb the sparse spiritual Qi around them, so she and Lin He decided to keep farming and seek spirit rice while collecting more lunar essence.

Ch. 17Hunting rabbits

Lin He hunted Fanged Rabbits with Old Man Sun and discovered that both essence of the sun and essence of the moon affected the rabbit. After Su Qiuran warned him not to attract attention by selling too much Green Spike Grass, Lin He set off for town with a rabbit and a small harvest.

  • Lin He practiced archery, then joined Old Man Sun in the mountains to hunt for game.
  • Lin He shot a Fanged Rabbit and returned to Emerald Mountain Village with half the meat and a live rabbit.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran fed the rabbit diluted essence of the sun and essence of the moon, observing that the sun essence healed it while the moon essence calmed it and improved its fur.
  • Su Qiuran warned Lin He that selling too much Green Spike Grass could make Shopkeeper Qian suspicious, so Lin He harvested only about thirty jin.
  • Lin He left for town carrying the live Fanged Rabbit and Green Spike Grass to sell.

Ch. 18The Li Household's bounty

Lin He sold superb green spike grass at Spring Restoration Hall, then discovered that his Fanged Rabbit matched the Li Household’s bounty notice offering one low-grade Spirit Stone per rabbit. After Shopkeeper Wu explained that the Li Household needed the rabbits for its guardian spirit beast, Lin He realized the bounty could be his chance to enter the cultivation world.

  • Lin He sold thirty jin of superb green spike grass to Shopkeeper Qian for two hundred and forty wen.
  • Lin He spotted a bounty notice at Drunken Immortal Pavilion offering one low-grade Spirit Stone for each Fanged Spotted Rabbit.
  • Shopkeeper Wu recognized the rabbit Lin He carried and offered the bounty price plus one tael of silver.
  • Shopkeeper Wu told Lin He that the Li Household needed the rabbits to extract bloodline essence for its guardian spirit beast.

Ch. 19Going all in on rabbits

Lin He sold a Fanged Spotted Rabbit to Shopkeeper Wu, earning a Spirit Stone and silver, then brought home a roast goose and told Su Qiuran about the Li Household’s urgent demand. Su Qiuran redirected their plans toward catching rabbits, selling their Green Spike Grass, and eventually farming spirit rice.

  • Shopkeeper Wu explained that the Li Household urgently needed Fanged Spotted Rabbits and paid Lin He a Spirit Stone and silver for his rabbit, asking him to bring any more to the pavilion.
  • Lin He bought a roast goose and returned home, where Su Qiuran questioned how he had gotten the money and Spirit Stone.
  • Lin He told Su Qiuran about the rabbit bounty and Shopkeeper Wu’s ambition to improve his standing with the Li Household.
  • Su Qiuran ordered Lin He to harvest and sell all their remaining top-quality Green Spike Grass, then focus their efforts on catching Fanged Rabbits.
  • Su Qiuran explained that Qi Refinement cultivators could not directly absorb Spirit Stones and proposed using them to enrich soil for growing spirit rice.

Ch. 20Into the Mountains Again

Lin He and Old Man Sun entered Green Mountain to catch Fanged Spotted Rabbits for the Li Household’s Spirit Stone bounty. After Lin He caught three, the bearded hunter who had misdirected them ambushed him, but Lin He dodged and shot the attacker through the thigh, leaving the hunter pinned and exposed.

  • Lin He persuaded Old Man Sun to join him in hunting Fanged Rabbits for one low-grade Spirit Stone each.
  • Lin He and Old Man Sun searched Green Mountain, ignored the bearded hunter’s misleading directions, and tracked rabbits into an eastern stone forest.
  • Lin He captured two Fanged Rabbits with arrows, then insisted on pursuing a third despite Old Man Sun’s warning to leave.
  • As Lin He reached for the third rabbit, the bearded hunter shot a refined-iron bolt at his arm.
  • Lin He dodged the bolt and retaliated with a wolf-fang arrow that pierced the bearded hunter’s thigh and pinned him to a tree root.

Ch. 21The cruel cultivation world

Lin He killed a hunter who had tried to rob him, then took the rabbits and Green Spike Grass to town to sell. After earning silver and spirit stones, he brought Su Qiuran and Goudan to stay at an inn for the night.

  • Lin He killed the wounded bearded hunter after the man begged for his life, and Old Man Sun covered the body.
  • Old Man Sun gave Lin He the rabbits to sell, asking only for one low-grade spirit stone for his son.
  • Lin He harvested a cartload of Green Spike Grass and brought Su Qiuran and Goudan to town with him for safety.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran sold 520 jin of top-quality Green Spike Grass to Shopkeeper Qian for 4,160 copper coins.
  • Lin He sold three live Fanged Spotted Rabbits to Shopkeeper Wu, who paid him three low-grade spirit stones and three taels of silver.
  • Lin He took Su Qiuran and Goudan to stay at an inn and promised them a roast goose.

Ch. 22Spirit Beast Atavism

Lin He and Su Qiuran enjoyed a feast at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and learned that the Li Household was paying well for Fanged Spotted Rabbits to help its guardian spirit beast undergo atavism. Lin He decided to hunt more rabbits while the bounty lasted, as Su Qiuran worried about the dangers ahead and felt helpless because of her injured legs.

  • Lin He wheeled Su Qiuran downstairs and spent their earnings on a lavish meal at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
  • Wandering martial artists discussed the Li Household’s need for rabbit bloodline essence to help its guardian spirit beast undergo atavism, and warned that the Lin and Su Households might interfere.
  • Lin He told Su Qiuran he would return to Emerald Mountain Village in the morning and hunt more rabbits with Old Man Sun while the bounty remained high.
  • Su Qiuran warned Lin He that competition in the mountains would grow dangerous and admitted she felt useless because she could not walk or help him.
  • Lin He prepared to comfort Su Qiuran, then watched her swiftly steal and eat the last piece of roast goose skin.

Ch. 23Body tempering again

Lin He endured a second body tempering with the essence of the sun and discovered that mortal blades and arrows could no longer hurt him. After returning to Emerald Mountain Village to pay Old Man Sun his share of the spirit stones, he learned that hunters were flooding Green Mountain to pursue Fanged Spotted Rabbits.

  • Lin He used a drop of the essence of the sun to temper his body while Su Qiuran anxiously waited nearby.
  • After cleaning himself, Lin He tested his new toughness with a cleaver and a steel arrow, and both failed to injure him.
  • Lin He and Su Qiuran agreed he still needed to avoid Qi Refinement cultivators until they understood their combat abilities.
  • Lin He left Su Qiuran at the inn, returned the borrowed cart to the village chief, and gave Old Man Sun his promised spirit stone.
  • Old Man Sun told Lin He that hunters had flooded Green Mountain to catch Fanged Spotted Rabbits and urged him to enter the mountains early the next day.

Ch. 24Everyone Came to Strike It Rich

Lin He and Old Man Sun searched Green Mountain for rabbits after hunters from elsewhere had scoured the usual grounds. Old Man Sun revealed a dangerous place where rabbits might remain: near the Immortals' Mass Grave.

  • Lin He stayed overnight at Old Man Sun's house and set out with him at dawn to hunt.
  • Lin He and Old Man Sun found that other hunters had already ravaged the mountain and emptied the rabbit dens they checked.
  • They smoked a concealed burrow and Lin He caught a Fanged Spotted Rabbit with his newly enhanced reflexes.
  • Three hunters carrying rabbits encountered Lin He and Old Man Sun, then hurried toward town to collect the bounty.
  • Old Man Sun said the remaining rabbits had fled deeper into the mountains and revealed that he knew a dangerous place near the Immortals' Mass Grave.

Ch. 25Old Sun Was Possessed

Lin He and Old Man Sun hunted Fanged Spotted Rabbits near the Immortals' Mass Grave, but a supernatural mist revealed a horrifying corpse-filled graveyard and possessed Old Man Sun. Lin He knocked him unconscious long enough to escape, and they fled the mountain with their rabbits.

  • Old Man Sun led Lin He to rabbit burrows on the rocky slope near the Immortals' Mass Grave, where they caught six Fanged Spotted Rabbits.
  • Lin He persuaded Old Man Sun to venture farther toward the Mass Grave in search of more rabbits.
  • A sinister gust and gray mist transformed the landscape into a vast graveyard filled with corpses, blood, and ruined weapons.
  • Old Man Sun became possessed, raised his bow, and aimed an arrow at Lin He.
  • Lin He slapped Old Man Sun to restore his senses, then grabbed him and fled the mountain with the sack of rabbits.
Arc 1 of 2
Arc 1 of 2