Chapter 16

Perhaps it was because the plant the cutting came from was already sick.

Or perhaps the cutting he had brought back was too thin and weak.

While cultivating Spirit Plants at home, he visited the Supreme Harmony Sect every other day to tend its sick Spirit Plants.

The results were not very good, though. He had only stabilized the Spirit Plants' condition, but had not managed to cure them.

Those Spirit Plants were still half-dead.

While he was tending them, Jiu Mingyue and the others also hired other growers.

But the other growers were even worse than him. He had at least kept those Spirit Plants alive, while the ones assigned to the other growers slowly withered.

At the same time, the mysterious disease continued to spread. The defensive formation they had set up earlier could not stop it at all, and the healthy Spirit Plants nearby gradually fell ill, making the situation even worse.

That day, after once again using Rising Sun Ascends in the East on all the sick Spirit Plants and stabilizing their condition, Shan Heyuan said gravely to Jiu Mingyue, "This can't go on. These Spirit Plants have stopped growing altogether and are slowly beginning to wither. There's little point in trying to save them."

Jiu Mingyue said, "What would you suggest, Fellow Daoist Shan?"

Shan Heyuan said, "If I remember correctly, the other growers suggested pulling out all the sick Spirit Plants, disinfecting the spirit fields, and turning the soil and leaving it exposed to the sun for at least a year?"

"That's right," Jiu Mingyue said. "But this batch of Spirit Plants is too valuable, so the elders wouldn't agree."

Shan Heyuan looked at him. "If this drags on, the whole army will be wiped out."

Jiu Mingyue said, "Are you also suggesting we dispose of these Spirit Plants, Fellow Daoist Shan?"

Shan Heyuan said, "I have a way to put them on death ground and give them a chance to live, but I can't guarantee it will succeed, and I can't take responsibility for the outcome."

Jiu Mingyue said decisively, "Go ahead and tell us, Fellow Daoist Shan. We'll decide for ourselves whether to use it."

Shan Heyuan said, "The first part of my suggestion is the same as the other growers'-pull out all the sick Spirit Plants, then disinfect the spirit fields, turn the soil, and leave it exposed to the sun."

"What about the second part?" Jiu Mingyue asked.

Shan Heyuan said, "Find a separate spirit field, select sturdy branches from the uprooted Spirit Plants, and plant them again as cuttings."

After Shan Heyuan finished speaking, silence fell over the scene.

A few breaths later, Jiu Mingyue raised his eyes to Shan Heyuan and asked in a low voice, "What are the chances of this method succeeding?"

"Thirty percent," Shan Heyuan said. "I tried it with the diseased branches I cut off earlier, and the success rate was about thirty percent. But I can't make any guarantees. If the Supreme Harmony Sect entrusts me with this, you must be prepared to reap nothing, and swear a Heavenly Dao oath not to make things difficult for me."

Jiu Mingyue's eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze sharpened.

Shan Heyuan met his gaze openly.

Jiu Mingyue suddenly nodded. "If you doubt a man, don't employ him; if you employ him, don't doubt him. You have courage, Fellow Daoist Shan. I'm willing to swear a Heavenly Dao oath with you, so go ahead and give it a try."

Shan Heyuan looked at the sick Spirit Plants around them.

So many Spirit Plants were worth at least tens of millions of spirit pearls. Even converted into Spirit Stones, they were worth over a hundred thousand.

He doubted whether Jiu Mingyue could make that decision. "Fellow Daoist Jiu, I need the Supreme Harmony Sect's guarantee."

"Very well," Jiu Mingyue said. "I'll have my sect leader martial uncle swear a Heavenly Dao oath with you."

Shan Heyuan said solemnly, "In that case, I'm willing to do my utmost and give it a try."

Getting to practice on Spirit Plants of such value would be a great boon to his career. Even without being paid in spirit pearls, it would be worth it.

Chapter 16

Shan Heyuan accepted the task of treating the Supreme Harmony Sect's sick plants.

He knew what to do about the Spirit Plants, so that was not difficult. The difficult part was transportation.

Gangzhi Village was too far from the Supreme Harmony Sect, and Jiu Mingyue could not come and pick him up every day. A Brine Worm could only take him as far as the foot of the mountain, so getting there was very inconvenient.

The Supreme Harmony Sect was willing to provide him with a room, but he could not bear to leave the Spirit Plants at home and did not want to stay at the sect.

As a result, the burden of taking him there and back every day fell on Shen Duheng.

The two were close, and Shen Duheng did not mind, but Shan Heyuan felt bad about it and wanted to find a solution himself.

He had now reached Qi Refining Fifth Stage, barely meeting the requirements for flying on a sword. He planned to learn sword flight so he could travel that way in the future.

For that purpose, he had a wooden sword custom-made.

The wooden sword was made from a branch of the old tree in his courtyard, with several talismans engraved on it. It had cost him a full eight thousand spirit pearls.

The spirit sword was soon delivered to him, and every day he went to the little river to practice for a while.

When he had time, he practiced longer; when he did not, he practiced a little.

That day, Shan Heyuan returned early from the Supreme Harmony Sect. He hurried through lunch, then eagerly pulled Shen Duheng along to the little river outside the village to practice sword flight.

It was an overcast day, with yellow clouds stretching a thousand miles and a sharp, cold wind blowing.

After the latest drop in temperature, Jingzhishan Town had plunged straight into late autumn.

Carrying his wooden sword, Shan Heyuan looked around and saw that more than half the leaves in the riverside woods had fallen, exposing grayish-brown trunks.

Birds that had yet to return to their nests circled above the woods, cawing.

The weather had grown cold, and the river had run low. Its clear water reflected the gray-yellow sky, and everything looked gloomy. Though they had only just eaten lunch, the light was already like evening.

Shen Duheng followed behind Shan Heyuan. "You're still practicing in weather like this?"

"I am!" Shan Heyuan said.

Shen Duheng found a place to stand. "Go ahead, then."

Shan Heyuan nodded and tucked the wooden sword under his arm. He took two warming talismans from his storage ring, activated them with spiritual power, and stuck one to his chest and the other to his back.

Once they were in place, he hopped twice on the spot. Seeing that the warming talismans did not fall off, he deftly tossed the wooden sword into the air.

The wooden sword floated steadily a little over a meter above the ground. Shan Heyuan gathered his breath, jumped, and landed directly on it.

His landing sent the wooden sword rocking violently in the air. Shan Heyuan immediately spread his arms, drew in his waist and abdomen, and swayed with the sword, struggling to keep his balance.

A short distance away, Shen Duheng watched him intently, his hands raised slightly, ready to catch him at any moment. Watching his clumsy movements, he had a smile in his eyes.

Shan Heyuan had no attention to spare for Shen Duheng's laughter.

He was swaying so badly in the air that balancing on the wooden sword took all his concentration.

Fortunately, as badly as he swayed, he somehow managed not to fall.

After swaying for quite a while, he gradually steadied himself. Bent at the waist with his arms spread, he stood on the sword and carefully urged it forward.

The wooden sword carried him along, flying low and slow.

Whenever a strong gust came along, man and sword would rock violently again. Shan Heyuan would tighten his waist and abdomen and begin another round of trying to find his balance.

Sometimes he found it, and sometimes he did not.

Whenever he lost his balance again, Shan Heyuan would watch for an opening and jump down.

Since the wooden sword was still moving through the air, every time he jumped down, he was forced to run a couple of steps to counter its momentum.

Whenever that happened, Shen Duheng would step in and catch his arm with a smile, bringing him to a stop.

Sometimes Shan Heyuan would be moving too fast, and when Shen Duheng caught him, he would plunge straight into his arms and hit his shoulder.

During yet another loss of control, Shan Heyuan crashed headfirst into Shen Duheng's arms, striking his nose hard enough to make it ache.

He pinched his sore nose and said in frustration, "Brother Shen, how did you all learn sword flight back then? Why is it so difficult?"

Sword flight was much harder than learning to ride a bicycle before he had transmigrated.

Every time he stepped onto the sword, it felt less like a sword and more like a ball floating in water. The slightest failure to control his balance would send him tumbling off.

After practicing for days, he had kept his waist and abdomen tense every day, until the outlines of his abdominal muscles had grown more pronounced, yet he still had not gotten very good at it.

The main thing was that being suspended in midair with nothing to rely on brought a sense of fear. The slightest wobble made him panic, and once he panicked, he could not keep his balance, making him even more likely to fall.

Shen Duheng casually scooped him back up and said, "We were still young back then. We all learned in designated places under our elders' supervision."

Shan Heyuan's eyes curved. "Brother Shen, you really were human before."

This time, Shen Duheng did not deny it. "Something happened, and I became a sword spirit."

For a perfectly healthy person to become a sword spirit, it surely could not have been anything happy.

Shan Heyuan did not ask further. After recovering a little, he stepped back onto the sword.