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Chapter 41: The Spirit Fruit is Exposed
Chapter 41: The Spirit Fruit is Exposed
Chu Ning, having cultivated to the fifth layer of Qi Refining and practicing the Nine Derivative Body Refining Technique, naturally had keen eyesight.
Although he was slightly surprised to see someone outside his courtyard, he quickly recognized that it was Qi Chongmao, his neighbor.
Qi Chongmao had also spotted Chu Ning and instead of leaving, he waited at the courtyard entrance.
"Senior Brother Qi," Chu Ning greeted with a bow, to which Qi Chongmao politely returned the gesture.
"Junior Brother Chu, you're back. I was waiting for you," Qi Chongmao said amiably.
Chu Ning was a bit taken aback as Qi Chongmao was usually cordial and affable, but he rarely sought out Chu Ning for interaction.
Pondering this, Chu Ning asked, "What might Senior Brother Qi need from me?"
Qi Chongmao smiled and pointed at the iron creeper vine twining around the wall of Chu Ning's courtyard. "It's not anything important, but I was curious as to where you got this high-quality iron creeper. It grows so quickly and healthily, I thought of planting some in my own courtyard to add some decoration."
Chu Ning was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Qi Chongmao to approach him for such a trivial matter.
Nonetheless, he answered honestly, "I found the seeds for this iron creeper on the back mountain. As for its rapid and robust growth, it's because I was practicing the Urging Technique and the Green Wood Spring Technique, so I used a few more spells on it."
Qi Chongmao's face lit up with understanding.
"That's wonderful. I'll go get some seeds to plant myself. With winter setting in, the courtyards can get quite dreary without some greenery." As he chatted casually with Chu Ning, he began to make his way back to his own courtyard.
Watching Qi Chongmao leave, Chu Ning shook his head. It seemed that Senior Brother Qi had specifically waited for him to inquire about the iron creeper. Although they had crossed paths occasionally, Qi Chongmao had never shown interest in the plant before.
A thought occurred to Chu Ning, and a hint of suspicion crept into his expression.
Indeed, he had been cultivating this iron creeper for a while now, and Qi Chongmao had seen it before, even complimenting it once or twice. So, why hadn't he asked about it previously?
Chu Ning couldn't quite figure it out, but after pondering for a while, he shook his head, dismissing the matter. The iron creeper wasn't anything special, after all.
With that, he shook his head again and stepped into his courtyard.
Just as he was about to push the door open, Chu Ning's pupils suddenly contracted.
Someone had entered his courtyard!
Due to the Seven Star Spirit Fruit he cultivated, Chu Ning always left a small mark on the door whenever he left the courtyard. He would tie a tendril of the iron creeper vine, which would fall as soon as the door was opened.
Today, as he had planned to spend a longer time in the market, he had definitely not forgotten to set this mark.
However, the tendril he had left was now gone.
Chu Ning quickly entered the courtyard and surveyed the area, but nothing seemed amiss. He circulated his spiritual power to sense for any other presence but found none.
Without hesitation, he strode towards the back courtyard.
To conceal the Seven Star Spirit Fruit, Chu Ning had planted the iron creeper vines more densely in the back. The seemingly random growth of the vines actually formed a hidden passage, which he usually took to reach the fruit.
Upon entering the back courtyard, Chu Ning did not proceed directly along the usual path as he normally would. Instead, he paused to observe carefully, and his expression changed slightly.
The iron creeper vines looked normal at first glance, but upon examining the flowers, he noticed that some of the vines had been disturbed and pulled aside.
Following the path formed by the vines, he made his way towards the Seven Star Spirit Fruit, and his heart sank.
The iron creeper vines near the Seven Star Spirit Fruit had also been tampered with.
Of course, he also knew that if someone had discovered the fruit, they would definitely covet it.
Qi Chongmao! The name suddenly popped into his mind.
The man had just appeared outside his courtyard and seemed to have been loitering there for a while. He must have just left the courtyard.
Qi Chongmao probably intended to leave the courtyard and was about to depart when he happened to run into Chu Ning.
That must be why he waited for him to return and casually asked about the iron creeper.
And now that Qi Chongmao had seen the Seven Star Spirit Fruit, he didn't even bother to mention it, which spoke volumes about his intentions.
As this realization dawned on Chu Ning, he quickly calmed himself.
Qi Chongmao had joined the sect a few years before him and was currently at the fifth layer of Qi Refining. In terms of cultivation realm, Chu Ning was not inferior.
However, since Qi Chongmao had reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining earlier, his cultivation was undoubtedly more profound.
Chu Ning then mentally reviewed the skills he possessed.
In terms of spells, he could still only cast the Thorn Spell and the Vine Armor Spell, but he had achieved instant casting for both.
He wondered about Qi Chongmao's proficiency in these two spells and whether he had learned any others.
He also had a few talismans on hand—one each of the Golden Sword Talisman, the Protection Talisman, and the Haste Talisman.
Chu Ning slightly regretted not buying more talismans during his last trip to Fang City.
After some thought, he felt that the possibility of Qi Chongmao resorting to forceful means was low, at least not openly.
After all, the sect had strict rules prohibiting disciples from provoking each other.
That was also why outer disciples were not allowed to visit the living quarters of the menial disciples without a valid reason.
For now, Chu Ning's primary concern was the possibility of Qi Chongmao stealing the Seven Star Spirit Fruit while he was away.
Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility of Qi Chongmao taking extreme measures and attempting to seize it by force.
For the rest of the day, Chu Ning didn't leave his courtyard, not even the backyard. He spent his time contemplating the various scenarios that could unfold.
The next day, Chu Ning used a Sound Transmission Talisman to summon Qiu Shuny to his courtyard and asked him to buy a few talismans for him with some spirit stones.
The Sound Transmission Talismans were given to him by Mu Ling to facilitate communication between them.
Although Qiu Shuny found the request strange, he readily agreed after Chu Ning offered a plausible explanation.
In the following days, Chu Ning didn't leave his courtyard, not even to tend to the spirit plants in his spirit field—the Ink Spirit Bamboo and the Purple Thistle.
After all, these two spirit plants didn't require constant vigilance against insects and birds like the Spirit Rice.
By neglecting his spirit field, he would, at most, miss out on the opportunity to use the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art, resulting in a slower improvement in quality.
However, Chu Ning was confident that with his current proficiency in the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art, he could make up for the lost time by using it more frequently in the coming days.
During these days, Chu Ning practiced his spells and the Nine Derivative Body Refining Technique during the day.
At night, he would retreat to the backyard to cultivate the Green Wood Eternal Spring Technique.
Worried that cultivating with the aid of the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art might affect the Seven Star Spirit Fruit, Chu Ning opted for the most conventional method of cultivation.
As a result, his progress in the Green Wood Eternal Spring Technique slowed down, but his mastery of the Nine Derivative Body Refining Technique improved rapidly.
Seven days passed in this manner, and Chu Ning noticed something amiss.
(End of Chapter)
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