https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-62-Reserving-the-Green-Water-Viper-s-Blood/12543732/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-64-Beyond-Saving-Might-as-Well-Wait-for-Death/12543734/
Chapter 63: The Sickly Spirit Plant
Chapter 63: The Sickly Spirit Plant
After leaving Yu's residence, Lu Chen and the Wu-surname cultivator parted ways, and Lu Chen made his way to the Hundred Herb Hall.
Inside the Hundred Herb Hall, the pungent fragrance of medicinal herbs permeated every corner, enveloping those who entered in a refreshing coolness.
"Lu boy, you've finally shown up. I've been looking for you for a while now."
Elder He grabbed Lu Chen's arm, his tone urgent.
"I just sent an apprentice to your house, but he couldn't find you. Good thing you came here on your own."
"Elder He, has something happened?"
Lu Chen's expression turned solemn. He knew that the old man wouldn't have sent someone to look for him if it weren't urgent.
"Have you noticed anything unusual in your spirit field lately?"
The thin old man looked around cautiously and, seeing that no one was paying attention, lowered his voice. "The other day when I was tending to the spirit plants, I discovered some spirit-gnawing insects. They're quite different from what's described in the books, and I suspect they may have mutated."
Lu Chen nodded, confirming the old man's suspicions.
"It's not just your spirit field; many other spirit plant cultivators in the Hall, and even in the entire market town, have encountered the same situation," the thin old man continued. "Some speculate that the excessive number of strong demonic creatures entering the market town has unknowingly polluted the spiritual veins, causing the spiritual energy to become murky and leading to these mutations in the insects."
"To minimize the losses, the pill refiners of the Hall have decided to gather all the spirit plant cultivators who collaborate with the Hundred Herb Hall to discuss a solution," he added.
The thin old man's words weighed heavily on Lu Chen, who listened with a grave expression.
"Don't worry, this concerns all spirit plant cultivators and even all cultivators in the market town. It won't be ignored, and you just need to follow their lead," Elder He reassured, seeing the concern on Lu Chen's face.
"When will the meeting start?" Lu Chen asked.
"It'll be a while. You can wait here for now."
Lu Chen nodded and, after calming himself, handed over the thirty-nine mature Spirit Fireflies Grasses to the thin old man.
The prices remained the same: three spirit stones and fifty fragments for good quality, an additional twenty fragments for superior quality, and four spirit stones for each perfect quality plant.
Among the plants, fourteen were of good quality, nineteen of superior quality, and six of perfect quality, earning Lu Chen a total of one hundred and forty-three spirit stones and thirty fragments.
With this sale, Lu Chen's wealth rebounded to over three hundred spirit stones.
As he noticed more and more spirit plant cultivators entering the inner room, he followed suit.
In the spacious hall, around twenty spirit plant cultivators who collaborated with the Hundred Herb Hall were seated. Lu Chen recognized only a handful of them, as most were strangers to him.
Lu Chen's entrance drew the attention of the cultivators due to his youthful appearance.
To become a proficient spirit plant cultivator, one needed extensive planting experience. Among the cultivators present, whether they were exclusively cultivating for the Hundred Herb Hall or had a more open collaboration, the youngest was still over forty years old. Lu Chen, in contrast, seemed like a young chick that had strayed into a flock of geese.
Some of the cultivators had heard of Lu Chen's reputation and knew that although he mainly cultivated the ungraded Spirit Firefly Grass and the first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng for the Hall, a high proportion of his plants were of superior quality, and he even produced the occasional perfect quality spirit plant.
As a result, several cultivators approached Lu Chen to initiate conversations and establish connections.
Soon, all the spirit plant cultivators had arrived, and a bearded man in a green robe entered the room.
His eyes swept over the assembled cultivators, lingering briefly on Lu Chen.
"I am He Zongguang, a humble pill refiner of the Hundred Herb Hall, and I presume you all know of me," he began.
"With the increasing number of mutated cultivators, the evil influences sneaking into the market town have become more rampant. Our spirit fields are also slowly being affected by these changes."
"The insects infesting the spirit fields have become more aggressive and destructive, and some spirit plants are suffering from mysterious maladies. For example, these two here."
The bearded cultivator took out two unusual spirit plants from his robe.
One of them was the Blood Jade Ginseng that Lu Chen had cultivated before. On the ginseng's body, where it was once crystal clear, there now appeared grayish-white areas, as if countless tiny grains of sand had accumulated.
The cultivator gently touched one of the grayish-white areas, and instantly, the affected part of the ginseng silently cracked and turned into fine sand that scattered on the ground.
The other spirit plant was one that Lu Chen had never seen before. It consisted of a single blood-red leaf.
At this moment, the leaf was covered with patches of black fuzz, as if it had grown mold. The countless fuzz moved gently in the air, giving it a disturbing appearance.
"These are two spirit plants that have undergone maladies, and the cause is unknown. The affected areas cause irreversible damage to the spirit plants."
"Moreover, these maladies may also be contagious. If they spread to other spirit plants, it could spell disaster for an entire spirit field."
The bearded cultivator spoke with a solemn expression.
"To prevent any impact on the spirit plants you cultivate and, by extension, the pill refining process of the Hundred Herb Hall, I have two suggestions."
"First, be vigilant and enhance your defenses. You can set up defensive arrays to keep the mutated insects out of your spirit fields, or use corresponding techniques to monitor the growth of your spirit plants. It's best to observe them several times a day to minimize the risk of mutation or pollution."
"Second, let's put our heads together and come up with a solution to address the maladies in the spirit plants."
"You all have unique approaches to cultivating spirit plants, and I believe you will be more likely to find ways to prevent or cure these maladies. If your methods prove effective, the Hundred Herb Hall will offer generous rewards."
The Ling Zhi masters in the room fell into contemplation, some discussing their ideas with their neighbors. However, the solutions proposed were only temporary fixes and did not address the root of the problem.
Seated in a corner, Lu Chen's mind wandered, and a peculiar idea began to form.
"I wonder if I can see the real-time status of these diseased spirit plants if I bring them back and plant them in my spirit field?"
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. If he could plant the seeds or saplings in his spirit field and nurture them to maturity, he might be able to obtain the white light orbs that offered various rewards.
There were a few factors that influenced the rewards from the light orbs: whether Lu Chen cultivated the spirit plant throughout its growth, the innate grade of the spirit plant, and the quality of the plant upon maturity.
If he could bring back these diseased spirit plants and successfully cultivate them, he might be able to see their real-time status and then nurture them to health. Even if he didn't contribute much to their growth, and the light orb rewards were minimal or non-existent, just restoring the spirit plants to health would still be immensely valuable.
"I must get my hands on one or two of these diseased spirit plants and conduct some experiments in my spirit field."
Lu Chen made a mental note.
(End of Chapter)
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