Qingzhu's Test

"Let's tidy up first," Lu Yuan said briefly, walking towards the empty room on the left.

Lin Xiao followed him in, closed the door behind him, leaned against the door, and let out a long sigh.

"I'm suffocating," he said in a low voice. "That old man, his eyes are like knives."

Lu Yuan didn't reply. He walked to the window and looked outside. The main door of Qingzhu's house was tightly closed, and the herb garden was quiet. Sunlight slanted in, casting shimmering spots of light on the muddy ground.

This is enough place to stay for now.

The two changed out of their soaked clothes. Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the bamboo couch, trying to guide his meager Soul Power to circulate slowly. It was slow, but it was indeed recovering.

Lin Xiao awkwardly wrung out the wet clothes with his left hand and spread them out on the windowsill. His movements were clumsy, but earnest.

About half an hour later, the sound of a door opening came from the main house.

Qingzhu came out leaning on a bamboo cane, carrying a rough pottery jar and two bamboo tubes. He walked to the doorway and put the items on the ground.

"Water and a little porridge." He glanced at the two of them. "Come out when you're ready."

After saying that, he turned and walked deeper into the herb garden.

Lu Yuan and Lin Xiao exchanged a glance.

Follow them.

The herb garden was larger than it appeared from inside the house. A bamboo fence enclosed half an acre of land, divided into more than a dozen sections, planted with all sorts of plants. Lu Yuan recognized some of them as common medicinal herbs; most were unfamiliar to him, varying in shape and color from emerald green to deep purple.

The fluctuations of Soul Power in the air were peculiar. Multiple attributes intertwined, yet maintained a delicate balance.

The Qingzhu stopped in front of a plot of land about two zhang square.

The plants in this plot of land are clearly not in good condition.

The plant is about half a foot tall, with oval leaves and finely serrated edges. It should be a full, deep green, but it is drooping and yellowing, with an abnormal, gilded light gold tinge along the veins. Some of the leaves have curled and dried out at the edges.

Qingzhu pointed with his bamboo cane.

"Golden Thread Grass." His voice was calm. "It's a three-year-old plant that prefers shade and requires pure wood and water elemental Soul Power to nourish it. It also has extremely high requirements for the circulation of Soul Power in the soil. The veins on its leaves are golden, which is a sign of maturity. But look..."

He crouched down and gently used his bamboo cane to remove the soil around the base of a plant.

The soil was dark brown and looked moist and fertile. But after stirring the soil a few times with the tip of the bamboo stick, a few thin, dark-colored roots were picked out.

"The roots are underdeveloped, absorbing less than 30% of the Soul Power." Qingzhu stood up. "I've tried adjusting the intensity of the Soul Power input, changing the irrigation frequency, and even changing the soil formula, but the results haven't been ideal. In the last half month, the situation has deteriorated rapidly."

He looked at Lu Yuan.

"Girl Shen said in her letter that you have some 'unique insights' about Soul Power and plants." Qingzhu's eyes were scrutinizing. "So, in your opinion, where does the problem with this patch of Golden Thread Grass lie?"

Lin Xiao listened from the side, his brows furrowing. He didn't understand these things, but he could sense that this problem was not simple.

Lu Yuan did not answer immediately.

He walked over to the Golden Thread Grass, squatted down, and got very close. After looking at it for a moment, he stretched out his right hand, palm down, and held it about three inches above a Golden Thread Grass.

A faint blue light emerged from his palm.

Blue Silver Grass.

A slender vine emerged, not materialized, but merely a phantom of Soul Power, approaching the leaves of the Golden Thread Grass extremely slowly and gently. Just before contact, the tip of the vine split into several finer strands, like the most delicate tendrils, gently resting on the golden veins of the leaf.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes.

Soul Power perception was amplified to its limit.

Qingzhu's grip on the bamboo cane tightened almost imperceptibly. A genuine look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

Using Martial Soul to perceive Soul Power with such precision requires an almost superhuman level of control over one's own Soul Power. How old is this boy?

Lin Xiao held his breath.

Time passed little by little.

The only sound in the herb garden was the rustling of leaves in the wind. The sunlight shifted, lengthening the shadows of the three people.

About an incense stick's time later, Lu Yuan withdrew his hand. The illusory image of the Blue Silver Grass dissipated. He opened his eyes, his gaze clear, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

He didn't speak immediately, but stood up and glanced at the other areas of the herb garden. He looked at the north side, then at the plants with thick, fiery red leaves growing in the plots next to the Golden Thread Grass, and finally his gaze fell back on the Qingzhu.

"When the senior nurtured it," Lu Yuan began, speaking steadily, "Did you primarily use wood-attribute Soul Power to nourish it?"

Qingzhu's eyes moved. "Yes. Golden Thread Grass likes the dual attributes of wood and water, but wood is the main element and water is the supplement. I use my own soul power to guide the wood attribute in the surrounding heaven and earth energy, nourishing it for two hours every day."

Lu Yuan nodded and then asked, "Is the irrigation water from that cold spring on the north side?"

Qingzhu paused for a moment before saying, "... Yes. The water from the Cold Spring is pure and contains a trace of water-attribute Soul Power, which is exactly what the Golden Thread Grass needs."

"Around here," Lu Yuan pointed to the clusters of fiery red plants nearby, "Are there any ' Blazing Sun Grass ' growing there?"

Qingzhu's knuckles were slightly white as he gripped the bamboo cane. He stared at Lu Yuan and slowly uttered a single word. "... Yes."

Lu Yuan obtained all the key information. The model in his mind was rapidly processing, revising, and verifying.

He squatted down again, grabbed a small handful of soil from the roots of the Golden Thread Grass, rubbed it between his fingertips, and brought it close to his nose to smell it.

A few breaths later, he stood up.

"The problem may not lie in insufficient nourishment," Lu Yuan said clearly, looking at the Qingzhu, "but rather in the 'imbalance of yin and yang' and 'acclimatization issues.'"

Qingzhu's pupils contracted slightly.

Please elaborate.

Lu Yuan pointed to the Golden Thread Grass: "Golden veins are a sign of maturity, but the gold is too bright and superficial, accompanied by withered yellow leaves and weak roots. This doesn't seem like normal maturity; it's more like... 'false heat'."

He paused.

"Wood-attribute Soul Power primarily for growth and nourishment, that's true. However, senior, you've been guiding wood-attribute energy at a high intensity for two fixed hours every day. Over time, this might cause the wood-attribute Soul Power in this small area to become excessively 'yang.' Although the Golden Thread Grass likes wood, its nature is yin, and it needs gentle, continuous growth power, not a violent infusion."

This is one point.

"Secondly, the water source." Lu Yuan looked to the north. "The Cold Spring water is pure and contains water-attribute Soul Power, which seems suitable. However, the Cold Spring is extremely cold. Irrigating with extremely cold water every day will cause the roots to be exposed to cold for a long time, which will inevitably greatly reduce their efficiency in absorbing Soul Power. Coupled with the 'excessive yang' nourished by the wood attribute, it will create a pattern of external heat and internal cold, with the upper body being excessive and the lower body being deficient."

Qingzhu's breathing became slightly rapid.

Lu Yuan didn't stop, pointing to the Blazing Sun Grass beside him.

"Thirdly, neighboring plants. The Blazing Sun Grass is extremely yang in nature, with abundant fire-attribute Soul Power. Although there is no direct contact, their Soul Power will influence each other. The Golden Thread Grass is already in a wood-attribute 'yang hyperactivity' environment, and with the Blazing Sun Grass's fire-attribute Soul Power continuously 'baking' it, its yin fluids are further damaged, and its deficiency fire is even stronger. The abnormal golden color on its leaf veins is probably partly 'scorched' by this external fire."

He concluded, "Therefore, it's not a lack of nourishment, but rather an improper method of nourishment. Excessive wood energy is 'yang,' excessive cold spring water is 'yin,' and the fiery energy of the Blazing Sun Grass is 'external evil.' When these three are combined, yin and yang are out of balance, leading to incompatibility with the local environment."

The herb garden was completely silent.

Lin Xiao only half understood what Lu Yuan was saying, but seeing Qingzhu's increasingly serious expression, he knew that Lu Yuan had hit the nail on the head.

Qingzhu stood motionless. He looked at the drooping Golden Thread Grass, then at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a long while, he took a deep breath.

"Then... in your opinion, what should be done?" he asked, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Lu Yuan had already come up with a plan.

"Adjust Soul Power input. Reduce the intensity and duration of single wood-attribute Soul Power channeling, and replace it with multiple, short, and gentle nourishments. Try introducing a small amount of gentle earth-attribute Soul Power; earth can nourish wood and also strengthen the foundation."

"Improve the water source. Cold spring water needs to be exposed to sunlight or mixed with other mild water sources to remove some of its coldness before irrigation."

"Remove some of the Blazing Sun Grass. At least, keep it at least three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away from the Golden Thread Grass."

He finished speaking in one breath, paused for a moment, and added, "In addition, one can observe the circulation of Soul Power Soul Power in the soil around the roots of the Golden Thread Grass. I just sensed that there was a slight stagnation in the flow of soul power in the soil. Introducing a small number of earthworm-like Soul Beast, or periodically loosening the soil with Soul Power to improve the microcirculation of deep Soul Power, might be even more beneficial."

After saying that, he remained silent and waited quietly.

Qingzhu remained silent. He lowered his head, staring at the patch of Golden Thread Grass, his bamboo cane tapping the ground unconsciously.

Time seemed to stand still.

After an unknown amount of time, Qingzhu suddenly raised her head.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes were incredibly bright. He stared at Lu Yuan for a long time.

Then, Qingzhu suddenly smiled.

It wasn't the gentle yet distant smile from before, but a genuine, hearty laugh, tinged with a touch of exhilaration. He shook his head, then nodded, and finally clapped his hands lightly twice.

"Okay." He said, with a smile and emotion in his voice, "What an imbalance of yin and yang, what a climate."

He took two steps forward, stood in front of Lu Yuan, and looked him up and down.

"This time, Girl Shen," Qingzhu said slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "Has truly sent this old man a... ' Little Monster '."

He paused, then slammed his bamboo cane heavily on the ground.

"You may stay."