Chapter 37

Jian Huan was momentarily stunned.

She looked at her palm, then at the figure in front of her growing more distant, and finally at the sky. She muttered softly to herself, "Has the sun risen in the west today?"

...

Nearly a month had passed since her last visit to the small hill. Jian Huan's mindset had completely changed.

Previously, as soon as she returned, she would rush straight to the wooden house, paying little attention to the surroundings. To her, this was merely a temporary place to stay, and she didn't feel the need to invest much time in forming an attachment to the land. It was like renting a place in modern times—she might rent a house for half a year before discovering that the back gate of the community led to a small forest with a walking path where she could stroll at night...

However, from now on, the eastern half of this land would be entirely her private property.

Jian Huan crossed her arms behind her back, her feet gliding slowly over the green bamboo strips as she inspected her territory.

A breeze swept through the mountains, causing her pale pink skirt to flutter like the delicate wings of a butterfly.

The small hill was roughly oval-shaped, and the gentle slope leading to it naturally divided the land into eastern and western halves.

The surface of the hill was covered with a thin layer of grass, which had been a vibrant green when she left but now, touched by the autumn air, had taken on a golden hue.

At the outermost edge of the hill stood large, dark gray rock walls. She had occasionally seen Shen Jizhi practicing his sword there.

Below the rock walls was a steep cliff, and across from it stretched a range of rolling mountains, their green peaks towering and unchanging, as if frozen in time.

The scenery was breathtaking, and the view was unparalleled. If one were to build a luxurious manor here, it would be the epitome of a modern mountain-view villa.

Jian Huan was overjoyed.

She glanced at the small wooden house.

Shen Jizhi had already entered, and she had no idea what he was busy with.

After pondering for a moment, Jian Huan suddenly remembered something. She moved her feet, sliding the green bamboo strips, and returned to the entrance of the hill.

With a single gesture symbolizing division, she split the land in half. In her line of sight, a quarter of Shen Jizhi's wooden house was clearly encroaching on her eastern territory!

"Can you do something about this?"

From the small window of the wooden house, Jian Huan poked her head in, speaking softly and gently to him, "I know you've been building this for years, but it's still occupying my land. It's not good to let this continue. Just think, if I were to build a house and it encroached on your western side, would you be happy?"

Inside the house, Shen Jizhi was taking a straw mat out of his spatial pouch and placing it in the corner. Hearing Jian Huan's words, he turned his head.

Jian Huan stood by the window, blocking most of the sunlight, casting him in shadow. His eyes, in the dim light, seemed to carry a hint of gloom: "Once I have more resources in the future, I'll build a new house, and this one will be dismantled."

Jian Huan probed, "And during that time..." Surely, she couldn't be expected to pay him spirit stones as she had before, right?

Shen Jizhi glanced at her lightly: "You can stay in that quarter of the east as you please?"

Jian Huan's lips curved up: "No problem!"

The Earth Fruit Spirit, with its matchstick-like legs, floated slowly over. It was quite satisfied with the place; there were no trees around, so as soon as it arrived, it would be the only one of its kind.

The Earth Fruit Spirit squeezed between Jian Huan's arms and stopped between the two, asking, "When will you give me the tree you promised?"

Jian Huan: "..."

Shen Jizhi: "..."

Jian Huan asked, "What kind of tree do you want?"

Shen Jizhi also looked at it thoughtfully, considering. The cheapest seventh-grade spirit tree cost over two hundred each, which wasn't too bad.

The Earth Fruit Spirit didn't hesitate: "It would be best if it were a first-grade spirit tree, though those are rare and you might not be able to find one. So, a second-grade one will do, I can make do with that."

Jian Huan didn't know the prices of spirit trees, but she understood the grading system.

Unlike talismans and techniques, which are ranked from first to seventh grade in ascending order, spiritual herbs and artifacts are graded from seventh to first, with seventh being the lowest and first being the highest.

A first-grade item, regardless of what it is, is priceless, and a second-grade one is also extremely valuable.

So, this blob of mud was asking for first or second-grade trees right off the bat. Jian Huan internally scoffed, turned around, and walked away without a word.

The Earth Fruit Spirit was stunned, looking at Shen Jizhi: "I haven't finished speaking, why did she leave?"

Shen Jizhi's lips curved in a cold smile: "No need to say more, we understand."

The Earth Fruit Spirit's tone was doubtful: "Is that so? I was going to say that there are many different kinds of second-grade trees, and some I don't like. The ones I like are..."

"I said—" Shen Jizhi lifted his gaze, his voice soft, "We understand, you don't need to say more."

The Earth Fruit Spirit felt a chill in the air and wrapped itself into a small green ball: "Alright then, if you understand, that's good."

Jian Huan found herself becoming a well-known figure at the Jade Clarity Sect. Wherever she went, fellow disciples would greet her with smiles, saying, "We've heard about what happened in Yuxian City. You two were really amazing!"

Jian Huan humbly responded to everyone's praise, then quickly darted into the talisman hall, sitting next to Jiang Mian.

Jiang Mian's desk was filled with various sweets. Hearing the sound, she turned her head, her eyes scanning Jian Huan from top to bottom with a look of grievance: "Jian Huan, have you forgotten something?"

The warm reception along the way had left Jian Huan a bit unsettled. She took out her books, talisman brushes, and other items from her spatial pouch, all the while feeling puzzled: "What?"

"I knew you forgot!" Jiang Mian's tone was full of accusation, "For this whole month, I've been worried about you, asking Gong Feihong about your situation from time to time, and even going to Elder Yu Qing several times to say I couldn't reach you!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Jian Huan was genuinely surprised by this and quickly said, "Thank you so much, thank you."

"But you forgot about my lotus seed cakes," Jiang Mian wiped away an imaginary tear, acting dramatically, "Women, once they have a man, forget another woman's lotus seed cakes..."

Jian Huan: "..."

She remembered now, it seemed there was indeed such a promise.

Jian Huan: "I'm so sorry, I really forgot. But today after the talisman class, I'm going to Approaching Immortal City, I'll definitely get them for you!"

Jiang Mian put down her hand, curious: "What are you going to Approaching Immortal City for?"

Jian Huan briefly explained: "I want to buy a spirit tree."

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‍prices at the sect were too high, so she and Shen Jizhi wanted to see if they could find a cheaper option elsewhere, and also deal with some items in their spatial pouches.

She later carefully probed the Earth Fruit Spirit. Whether a tree could bear earth fruits wasn't about the tree itself, but the Earth Fruit Spirit. The spirit absorbed the essence of the sun, moon, and heaven, then fed it back to the tree, which would then bear earth fruits.

So, as long as it was a spirit tree, that was enough.

"A spirit tree?" Jiang Mian blinked, "We have one at home, but it's half-dead. My mother and I can't take care of it. Do you want to buy it? Fifty spirit stones for one."

Jian Huan: "!!!"

The wooden chair under Jian Huan instantly moved, sliding over to Jiang Mian's side. She took Jiang Mian's hands, her eyes shining with sincerity: "Little Cotton, from now on, your matters will always be number one in my heart."

"Oh, there are no lotus seed cakes this season, remember to bring me a few boxes of water chestnut cakes," Jiang Mian quickly wrote down an address on the back of a discarded talisman paper, "Here, you can go to the backyard and dig it up yourself. My mother isn't home, and there's no one else there."

Jian Huan snapped her fingers and took the paper: "No problem."

Although gold bowls, silver basins, jadeite, and other valuables were expensive, even if combined, they could only fetch a few thousand taels, which translated to just a few hundred spirit stones.

It was those dozens of boxes of spirit herbs that were truly valuable, fetching nearly nine thousand in total.

Adding up all the various sources, including the talismans she had been drawing, Jian Huan now had over forty thousand spirit stones.

She stood across the street from the Immortal Storage Tower, which was adorned with red lanterns, pondering how to plan this sum of money while waiting for Shen Jizhi.

He had gone into the Immortal Storage Tower to return some repaired artifacts and pick up a few more orders.

Jian Huan, holding the pastries she had bought for Jiang Mian, waited impatiently, sometimes squatting, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing, glancing left and right at the street corner.

What was wrong with this guy? Every time he went into the Immortal Storage Tower, it was like a mouse entering a rice jar—he just didn't want to come out.

Just as Jian Huan was about to give up and leave, she suddenly heard a few conversations mixed in with the noisy crowd.

"I can't believe someone is selling a fourth-grade spirit iron today! And it's quite a large piece!"

"Alas, if only I had more money, I definitely wouldn't miss it."

"The Immortal Storage Tower has a lot of rich people. The starting bid was five thousand, and it was pushed up to twenty-two thousand."

"Sss, they're really rich, spending tens of thousands of spirit stones like it's nothing."

"Yeah..."

Inside the Immortal Storage Tower, hidden in a corner, Shen Jizhi placed the twenty-two thousand spirit stones into the sack in his spatial pouch specifically used for repaying debts.

With the few hundred spirit stones from the pawnshop and the ones earned from refining artifacts, there are now approximately 39,000 spirit stones in total.

If they can gather a few thousand more, they can repay a debt of 45,000 spirit stones.

Deep within the black hood, the corners of the young man's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile.

Remembering he had something to do, he lightly tapped his toes and quickly entered the bamboo forest, exiting the Immortal Storage Tower.

Across the street corner, Jian Huan was leaning against the wall, holding a pile of items.

Her pale pink skirt fluttered gently in the wind. These days, it seemed she had been wearing this same outfit.

Shen Jizhi's eyes flickered slightly as he walked toward her.

Suddenly, Jian Huan turned her head, her expression a mix of amusement and mockery. "Tsk tsk, refining artifacts for yourself?"

"..."

Shen Jizhi's steps immediately halted. Facing her bright, starlit eyes, for some reason, his heart skipped a beat. He averted his gaze, looking at the sky, the ground, anywhere but at her.

Jian Huan tapped her foot on the ground intermittently, her arms crossed as she smiled. "Not bad, Shen Jizhi. I didn't realize you had good taste."

Shen Jizhi silently lowered his eyes.

Jian Huan let out a soft scoff.

She didn't tease him further, realizing she had misjudged the situation.

If there was a next time, as soon as she saw an iron block, she would be the first to collect it.

"Let's go," Jian Huan turned and walked away. "We're going to Jiang Mian's place to dig up the trees."

Shen Jizhi followed, his gaze questioning. "Jiang Mian?"

"Yes, she sold us the trees. Fifty spirit stones each, twenty-five for each of us." Jian Huan lifted the pastry. "And this, I spent two taels of silver on it. One tael for each of us."

Shen Jizhi glanced at it. "But I don't eat it."

"Who said it's for you?" Jian Huan gritted her teeth. "It's for Jiang Mian. She also helped you get leave from the refining hall. Shouldn't you pay for this pastry?"

Shen Jizhi, assessing the situation, promptly took out the money.

As they headed to Jiang Mian's place, they passed by the Imperial Pacification Office in Approaching Immortal City.

A man suddenly chased after them. "Please, wait!"

Jian Huan instinctively turned her head.

Tonight was a full moon, and two large lanterns hung outside the Imperial Pacification Office, casting an ambiguous, romantic red glow on the nearby tree.

The man reached them and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, I've finally found you two."

The two had used fake names when they left, and the Imperial Pacification Office had been unable to locate them all this time, fearing something might have happened to them.

Jian Huan recognized the man as the cultivator who had given her the reward that day. She felt a bit puzzled and guessed, "Is there something wrong with the Invisible Hand?"

"Yes," the man looked around and gestured for Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi to move to the shade of a nearby tree.

The dense foliage blocked the moonlight.

The man sighed. "It's our fault for not paying attention. The Invisible Hand turned out to be a demon!"

Jian Huan was stunned. "A demon?"

"Yes. The Invisible Hand's limbs were crippled, so we first interrogated him, but he refused to speak unless we healed his limbs." The man sighed again. "Looking back, we regret it. After healing his limbs, the Invisible Hand tore out his heart and used a demon heartworm to turn one of our brothers into a puppet. That brother escaped the Imperial Pacification Office and has been missing ever since."

"This..." Jian Huan frowned and exchanged a glance with Shen Jizhi. "Are you afraid that the puppet might come to seek revenge on us?"

"Yes, the Invisible Hand is a narrow-minded person. He blames you two for this and probably won't let it go." The man said. "If you don't mind, it would be best to stay at the Imperial Pacification Office for a while. We can protect you..."

Jian Huan smiled and clasped her hands in a salute. "Thank you for your concern, but my senior brother and I are disciples of the Jade Clarity Sect. We need to return to the sect."

Hearing the name Jade Clarity Sect, the man was momentarily surprised, then smiled. "In that case, we were overthinking. You should return to the sect as soon as possible and avoid leaving the Jade Clarity Sect. Once we find the puppet, we'll notify you."

Shen Jizhi nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."

The man glanced at the sky. "It's already quite late. Do you need me to arrange for someone to escort you back to the Jade Clarity Sect?"

Jian Huan hesitated slightly, as she still had some lingering fear of the demon heartworm.

But they still had to dig up the trees.

Shen Jizhi pondered for a moment. "What's the puppet's cultivation level?"

The man replied, "Foundation Establishment fifth layer."

Shen Jizhi: "In that case, there's no need."

He and Jian Huan were both at the Foundation Establishment first layer, so facing a Foundation Establishment fifth layer puppet wouldn't be a big problem.

Hearing this, Jian Huan's eyes flickered, and she immediately moved closer to the man.

Shen Jizhi glanced at her, his brows slightly furrowed.

Jian Huan's eyes were exceptionally bright in the dim light. She lowered her voice. "I want to ask, if my senior brother and I capture this puppet, will there be a reward?"

"Uh," the man paused. "I'm not sure. Maybe I can ask for you now? Our chief is still here."

Jian Huan quickly bowed. "Thank you, brother."

The man soon returned. "Yes, the reward will be doubled, six thousand. Our chief said that demon heartworms are difficult to deal with, so please be careful."

In the dead of night, the mountains were hidden under the dark veil of the night.

Moonlight cast a silvery frost over the mountains, quickly disappearing into the depths.

The wind howled through the valleys, its echoes resembling the cries of beasts as they reached the slopes.

But the two who had safely returned home paid no heed to it.

Shen Jizhi held a shovel and dug a hole in the ground.

Jian Huan crouched in front of him, measuring the distance.

Shen Jizhi put down the shovel, picked up the half-dead spirit tree by his feet, and planted it in the hole, asking, "Like this?"

"Don't keep moving it to the west," Jian Huan quickly gestured with her hands. "It's too far over. Move it a bit to the east."

Shen Jizhi moved the tree to the east until Jian Huan said it was okay.

But he wasn't entirely confident. "Are you sure it's not too far east?"

"No!" Jian Huan denied. "Don't you trust me? Come see for yourself."

Shen Jizhi raised an eyebrow, indicating she should take a look.

Jian Huan pouted, stood up, and went over to steady the tree.

He took a look and found it was about right.

One half of the spirit tree was on the east side, the other on the west side, perfectly balanced.

Shen Jizhi planted the tree and looked at Jian Huan.

Jian Huan took out a piece of paper from her bosom, stuck it on the tree, and with a flash of spiritual energy from her fingertip, a line faintly appeared.

The other end of the line was tied to a tree on the slope below.

That was a tree of the Jade Clarity Sect, where the Earth Fruit Spirit had stayed all day.

Jian Huan didn't want the sect's tree to benefit, which was why she and Shen Jizhi had to plant the trees overnight.

She tugged on the line, pulling the gelatinous mud back.

Jian Huan smiled warmly, gently addressing the Earth Fruit Spirit, which was sleeping like a fried egg. "Fruit, look quickly, the first-grade spirit tree you wanted has been planted for you."

With a "chirp" sound, two green little ears popped out from the edge of the fried egg.

What? A first-grade spirit tree?!

The Earth Fruit Spirit instantly woke up, jumping around in the air but unable to find it, anxiously asking, "Where? Where is my first-grade spirit tree?"

"Here," Jian Huan pointed to the tree about her height, "right here."

The fried egg stretched out two round lines, focusing its gaze.

The tree... was skinny, with sparse leaves falling off, and its spiritual energy was like that of a dying patient, barely holding on.

Earth Fruit Spirit: "..."

Earth Fruit Spirit: "???"

The Earth Fruit Spirit was greatly shocked, doubting its existence. "You call this a first-grade spirit tree?"

Shen Jizhi crossed his arms and stood by the tree, which was even shorter than him.

He suddenly spoke. "Can't you read?"

Earth Fruit Spirit: "Of course I can read!"

Shen Jizhi nodded, pointing to the paper with his finger. "Then take a good look. How do these four characters read?"

The Earth Fruit Spirit looked at the white paper, where it read:

Tree Name: First-Grade Spirit Tree.

Owner: Jian Huan, Shen Jizhi.t