Chapter 3 Part II

    Considering these spirit herbs, it seemed they were homegrown, both pure and potent. Even the gardeners of noble families couldn’t grow spiritual plants of such high quality.

    He had truly found a white elephant in the vast forest.

    It was as if heaven was rewarding a good, honest, and patient person like him. Finally, Tiao family’s Ruyi Pharmacy was on its way to flourishing under his generation. His ancestors would be proud. When meeting his ancestors in the afterlife, he could proudly say how much the Ruyi Pharmacy had prospered in his time.

    “Shopkeeper!”

    “Geez, you startled me. What is it, little lady?”

    “I’ve been calling you for a while, master. You didn’t hear me,” she said, still seeing him in a daze.

    “Oh, sorry about that. Go ahead, have some tea inside to relax. Mi Fan, why are you standing there like a statue? Go make some tea for the young lady.”

    Master, you really need to control yourself better. Others might get scared of you, Mi Fan thought despondently.

    Thus, Zhenzhu was honored with a seat in the Ruyi Pharmacy’s guest room after reaching an agreement with Master Tian. She also received 12 taels as payment for her herbs today, a generous tip from Shopkeeper Tiao.

    When she stepped outside, the little beggar boy was still waiting for her and stood up immediately as she emerged.

    “How did it go, sister? Did you get a good price?”

    “Yes, I did. Here, this is for your help,” she handed him 1 tael as a finder’s fee for leading her to master Tiao. Without his help, she might not have thought to sell there, perhaps opting for another major pharmacy instead.

    “That’s...that’s too much,” the little beggar was shocked at the sight of 1 tael, his eyes wide in panic. Such a large amount of money, how could he accept it? Was the sale of herbs really that profitable?

    In his life, he had never touched 1 tael of money, the most he had ever held was 5 brass coins.

    “It’s not too much. You helped me get a good price. Take it. Next time, I might need your help again. By the way, what's your name?”

    It wasn’t that she was frivolous with money now that she had more, but she saw value in befriending this little beggar. He knew the city well, and if she wanted to do business here, she needed an ally. The little beggar seemed like a good choice.

    “Take it, or I won’t ask for your help again,” she said, half-joking but also serious, valuing his honesty.

    “Thank you, sister. My name is Xin Si. I’ll help you with anything. You can trust me,” he said, patting his chest sincerely, tears welling up as he clutched the tael.

    “And what’s your name, sister?”

    “I’m He Zhenzhu. I’ll seek your help when I need it.”

    “Understood, Sister Zhu.”

    When Zhenzhu returned home, the He family was excitedly looking at the 11 taels of money. It wasn’t a small sum for them, enough to last the entire year without financial worries.

    “You got so much for just 20 herbs?”

    “11 taels for 20 herbs. With the remaining 80 herbs in the garden, if we sell them, we could make another 44 taels! That’s so much money!” He Ming said, thrilled.

    “Yay! Does that mean I can eat lots of sweets?” He Yu exclaimed excitedly.

    “You’ll definitely get more sweets, but you have to promise me first not to tell anyone about this, not even a single person,”

    “I promise I won’t tell anyone. If someone asks, I’ll say I don’t know and tell them to ask Mother, right, sister?”

    “That’s good, Yu’er. If you keep being such a good boy, I’ll buy you sweets more often.”

    “Yay!”

    "And before that, did the owner of the pharmacy not wonder where you got so many spirit herbs from, Zhu’er?"

    He Liao asked worriedly. Earning a large sum of money so easily always comes with its downsides, not just its benefits. It could cost the life of a family member; if you have money but can't use it, what's the point?

    "I told him that our father is a spiritual cultivator and that he planted those spirit herbs," she replied.

    "Really? And he won't come looking for our home, Zhu’er?" Miss Wang asked worriedly.

    "Don't worry too much, mother. If he comes, we can just let father hide somewhere else first and say that father has business elsewhere. I told the shopkeeper so because next time we can continue to sell herbs as usual, isn't that good?" And she didn't think shopkeeper Tiao would come to their home as long as she continued to bring him herbs.

    "That's good then, Zhu’er. Now that my health is improving steadily, I hope I will fully recover. If I do, I will resume my spiritual cultivation. I have some knowledge about cultivating spirit energy," he said.

    "Father, can I learn to cultivate spirit energy too?"

    He Ming's ears perked up when the topic of spirit cultivators was brought up. Every boy in the village, or even the entire region, dreams of becoming a spirit cultivator. If he could cultivate spirit energy, he would be the only boy in the village to be a spirit cultivator. As he grew up, it would not be difficult for him to marry a good wife.

    "Of course, we can plant spiritual plants. By eating food that contains spirit energy every day, you can cultivate without difficulties. The only thing missing is the pills for cultivation. But if we have enough money, we can also buy the pills," He Lei explained upon seeing his determined gaze.

    "I want to practice cultivation too!"

    "I want to practice cultivation too!"

    Seeing that their elder brother could practice cultivation, they believed they could do it too.

    "That's settled then! We will become great spirit cultivators!" He Ming declared with shining eyes full of determination.

    Zhenzhu, seeing his radiant gaze, could only smile. This boy was promising.

    "So, you all have to help plant more herbs so we can have plenty of money to buy spirit-enhancing pills and plant vegetables for food that contains spirit energy," He Lei told his children.

    "Alright! I will work very hard. We need to have more vegetable plots!"

    It was a pity that they only had the land in size of two mu. If they had a bit more land, they could plant more vegetables and herbs.

    Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!

    The chopping sounds awoke Zhenzhu from her sweet dream. With the cool weather of late autumn, who could be making such noise outside? Reluctantly, Zhenzhu had to leave her warm bed.

    A few days ago, they used the 11 taels of silver they earned to buy thick blankets and replace almost all the worn-out household items.

    He Yu was overjoyed, singing loudly enough to be heard three houses away, for he got new clothes after a long time without any.

    "What's that chopping sound outside since morning, mother?" Zhenzhu asked Miss Wang, who was cooking in the kitchen. The spirit energy spread out from the vegetables Miss Wang brought for cooking.

    "It's He Ming. He's digging up more plots, saying he wanted to plant more herbs so we can get money to buy spirit-enhancing pills for cultivation."

    "Oh."

    The day before yesterday, she had sold another 30 spirit herbs, leaving 50 more in the plot yet to be harvested. He Ming probably worried that once these were sold, there would be no more spirit herbs to sell.

    Her brother was obsessed with spiritual cultivation. He even begged their father to write down basic cultivation techniques for him and insisted that his father teach him to read so he could understand the basic cultivation texts. Whenever he was free from tending the vegetables, he would immerse himself in learning to read. Apart from farming and studying, he seemed uninterested in anything else.

    The income from selling the herbs was partly used to buy him papers and brushes, taking up two-tenths of their earnings. Papers are expensive these days, which is why scholars often came from wealthy, noble families. But everyone in the family supported him wholeheartedly. Zhenzhu would sometimes join him in calligraphy practice because, since arriving in this world, she surprisingly could read and write the official language perfectly well. However, she regretted not being able to decipher the ancient characters in that red-covered book.

    "Big brother, can I help?"

    "No need, Zhu’er. You're still young and a girl at that. How could you handle digging and chopping? Go help mother in the kitchen instead."

    As if he's so much older than me. Only two years older, but if counting my past life, I'm older by two and a half rounds. Zhenzhu thought resentfully.

    "What will you plant in this plot?"

    "The plot where the spirit herbs were harvested and sold, I'll dig up young shoots to replant. This plot will be for Zhen Jiang, and that plot for Yin Yi Cao."

    "Wow, big brother is really diligent. Am I going to have a brother who's a great cultivator in Yan Region?" Zhenzhu teased in a playful voice, making the boy blush a soft pink, looking even more adorable.

    "Go on, don't bother me. I'm going to dig the vegetable plot."

    Look at him, acting all grown-up.

    Zhenzhu turned around to see her father using a crutch that Miss Wang had carved, wrapped with linen to prevent friction. He uses his thin legs to practice walking slowly, though his legs still trembled noticeably. Seeing this, Zhenzhu hurried to assist him.

    It would be great if her father could walk freely again, making life less difficult for their family. And if he could do the spiritual cultivation ever again, the problem of the source of their plants and herbs would be solved.

    "Father, you will be able to walk again soon," she encouraged.

    "Thank you, Zhu’er."

    He was trying to walk more to speed up his recovery. Now, he could manage to take seven or eight steps with the support of a crutch. Hoping for a quick recovery, He Lei felt content.

    "If you're tired, take a rest first, Father. Don't push yourself too hard."

    "I want to recover quickly so I can protect you, your mother, and everyone in the family." Once, he was a cowardly husband and a worthless father, causing the family to drift and struggle for many years. Every time he thought he might never recover from his illness, it felt like sharp thorns piercing his heart. He prayed to heaven every morning and evening for another chance to better protect his wife and children.

    Lately, Miss Wang hadn't gone up the mountain to collect herbs for sell. They also bought blankets, clothes, and many household items, causing the neighbors to wonder where they got the money from. Many villagers started to look towards the He family's home more frequently. Fortunately, they didn't intrude; if they had, he wouldn't have been able to protect his family in his current state.

    So, he had to try even harder.

    "Father, look at big brother. He's very determined to become a cultivator."

    "It's a grand dream for every boy," He Lei looked at his eldest son, seeing his own young self in He Ming. Back then, he was just as determined and dreamt of becoming a great cultivator. Unfortunately, he never succeeds.

    "And you, have you managed to read the manual I wrote?"

    "Oh, Father, shush, don't say it so loud. I'm smarter than big brother by far. I've already understood the manual you wrote. Just don't let big brother hear it, or he'll feel bad."

    "So quick!"

    He Lei knew his daughter was intelligent. Sometimes she had ideas beyond her years, but he didn't realize she was this sharp. How could she learn to read so quickly in just a few days?

    "If you don't believe me, I'll read it to you." She left and quickly returned with a thin book in her hand.

    "Cultivation is about dedication and feeling the spirit energy, understanding the natural laws, the laws of heaven and earth..."

    "You're this brilliant!" He Lei exclaimed in surprise after she read a page.

    He had encountered geniuses before, but none was like Zhu’er. Had she secretly studied from elsewhere? He regretted neglecting her to this extent.

    "See? I'm very smart," she boasted, causing her father to laugh affectionately.

    "Then try practicing as I wrote. the younger you start, the better advantage you have." At her age, children from noble families would have already begun their training.

    "Can I start now, father?"

    "Of course, give it a try."

    Zhenzhu helped her father walk for a while until the sun began to shine brighter, and they returned home. After eating and cleaning up, Zhenzhu took the basic cultivation manual and went to a quiet place by the stream behind the house, sitting on a rock.

    She read the book again and tried to follow the instructions earnestly.

    Nothing!!!

    Nothing. Zhenzhu couldn't feel anything at all. She couldn't sense the spirit energy within her body. Perhaps she hadn't consumed enough spiritually enriched food or hadn't taken any spirit-enhancing pills that aid in cultivation. Yet, Zhenzhu continued to search for the spirit energy from the dantian point[1] and other parts of her body.

    After more than a shichen of effort, she began to feel something. It was soft like a stream, light as a feather, flowing like the wind.

    Whoosh!!!

    Suddenly, the golden fish scale on Zhenzhu’s wrist sparkled for a moment when it sensed the faint spirit energy from her body. It slowly released spirit energy, as if recognizing that Zhenzhu's body needed spirit energy for cultivation. The pores on her small body opened up, absorbing the spirit energy continuously like an endless abyss. A faint blue light slowly formed at the dantian point.

    "Eh, after such a long time of practice, only a single strand of spirit energy has been formed?" she murmured in disappointment.

    In the manual written by her father, it is stated that spirit energy can be woven into 760 strands per tier. For example, a cultivator of the Blue-tier who successfully weaves 760 complete strands can advance to the next tier, and this applies to every tier, where one can weave 760 strands of spirit energy.

    Therefore, completing the weaving of spirit energy is challenging, yet not impossible for those who have consumed spirit-enhancing pills or food containing sufficient spirit energy. However, they must also balance the spirit energy within their bodies appropriately.

    If cultivators across the region were to discover that a novice cultivator could weave spirit energy with their first attempt in just two shichen without ever consuming any spirit-enhancing pills, they would likely choke on their envy. This is because, for most people, it takes 3-7 days to weave a single strand of spirit energy on their first try, depending on their talent. But Zhenzhu managed it in only two shichen, a feat that owes much to the golden fish scale

[1] The dantian point refers to the center of the body's internal energy. There are three dantian locations in the body: the upper dantian between the eyebrows, the middle dantian below the heart, and the lower dantian below the navel. Here, it refers to the position on the body located in the lower abdomen, three inches below the navel.