Chapter 5

    Two hours later, a moderately sized carriage halted in front of the Shen family's residence. Elder Mao disembarked, his gaze swiftly taking in the dilapidated wooden gate and the crumbling wall facade. He quickly hid the sympathy in his eyes.

    "Please come inside, Elder," Yu Chang welcomed Elder Mao into the house with a gesture of hospitality.

    Before this moment, Yu Chang had presented the seal to Elder Mao at the Fu Lu Hall, where the old man scrutinized the seal for a long while, alternating his gaze between Yu Chang and the seal in his hand. Eventually, he sighed deeply, muttering about the unpredictable fates of people. General Shen had once been a prominent general of the region, known for his valor and numerous contributions. However, as power shifted and a new emperor ascended, the old powers were dismantled. Friends and allies vanished, fearing their association might bring them trouble, leaving General Shen in a pitiable state. Nevertheless, Elder Mao had known and owed a debt of gratitude to General Shen. The Fu Lu Hall, being a powerful entity, had little fear of the royal court's influence and saw no harm in meeting General Shen once more.

    Upon entering the residence, Elder Mao was led to the best-looking but still run-down guest house. Despite being the best room, it was evident that the house had seen better days. General Shen sat on a wooden chair, his lower body covered with an old linen blanket, clearly indicating his disability. The once formidable and revered man now presented a pitiable sight. By his side sat two young ladies, one of which presumably his daughters.

    "I apologize for causing discomfort to your eyes, Elder Mao," General Shen greeted the newcomer, indicating the state of his home.

    "Not at all, not at all. Greetings, General, sir. It's been a while. The hall's business keeps me busy indeed." Although Elder Mao and General Shen were not close, their past business dealings had been cordial. Traditionally, merchants and nobles kept their distance, exchanging pleasantries out of formality rather than genuine friendship. Seeing General Shen's current condition, Elder Mao was unsure how to react appropriately.

    "There's no need to address me as General anymore. Those days are behind me. Call me Shen You Wei instead. Please, have a seat, Elder Mao. I regret that my home is not more welcoming," General Shen said as Mei Zhu served tea to Elder Mao. The tea was of a lower quality than Elder Mao was accustomed to, but he drank it without complaint, adhering to the etiquette expected of a guest.

    "By no means, You are being too considerate."

    General Shen saw this and sparked admiration in his heart. In truth, the head steward of the Fu Lu Hall, such as himself, didn't need to personally visit a once prominent but now disabled general. However, Elder Mao, seeing the bigger picture, graciously accepted the invitation, ensuring no opportunity was missed.

    "Then, let's discuss the matter at hand. The season of frost is nearly upon us, and as you've seen, my household is in dire straits. Without funds for repairs and necessities, we may not withstand the winter. Recognizing the Fu Lu Hall's reputation for fairness and confidentiality, I wish to offer some items for sale, hoping for your consideration."

    "Oh? What precious items do you propose to sell, General?" Elder Mao wasn't one for shallow judgments. As a merchant, invitations outside typically meant a chance to buy or sell. Prepared for such encounters, he knew General Shen, despite his disability, once held a high rank and wouldn't offer anything mundane.

    Yu Chang, Ruo Lan, and Mei Zhu then brought in several baskets into the room, filled to the brim with the flesh of the White Tiger and the Snow Eagle, exuding a powerful spiritual essence unmistakable to anyone with spiritual power like Elder Mao. He immediately recognized the high-grade quality of the meat.

    "Th…this is...” the flesh of high-grade demonic beasts!

    High-grade demonic beast’s meat is exceedingly precious, not only for culinary enhancement but also for its parts usable in medicine beneficial for cultivators. Most high-grade beasts are kept as significant assets by influential groups, rarely slaughtered for their meat or medicinal properties unless untamable. Yet, before he lay...

    Stunned, Elder Mao managed to utter, "General Shen, this is..."

    "This is the flesh of the White Tiger and the Snow Eagle, both high-grade demonic beasts. We also have their claws, fur, bones, and feathers. What do you think?" General Shen, seeing Elder Mao in person, decided it was better to sell everything at once rather than attempting to sell them himself.

    "Excellent!" exclaimed the elder with a shaky voice, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the claws and bones, realizing the significant profit to be made. These items would undoubtedly grace the tables of royalty and be sought after by weapon forges.

    General Shen, despite his disability, living with his children and a maid, couldn't have possibly hunted these beasts. There must be a powerful individual behind them, perhaps an old comrade of General Shen. Thus, it was crucial for the Fu Lu Hall to maintain a good relationship with the Shen family for future offerings.

    "Allow me a moment to appraise these," Elder Mao said, taking a calculator from his attendant to examine the goods closely, praising their quality. After a thorough assessment, he presented a figure to General Shen.

    "Are you satisfied with this amount?"

    General Shen, upon seeing the sum, nodded in agreement, "That will do."

    Thus, the transaction was completed. Elder Mao instructed his attendants to load the goods onto the carriage and swiftly depart. Yu Chang joined Elder Mao on the carriage as the Fu Lu Hall would pay in banknotes, to be deposited at a designated exchange shop, minimizing the risk of carrying large sums and preventing robbery.

    Ruo Lan wanted to know how much money was offered, so she turned to ask her father, "Father, how much did he offer?"

    "1,000 taels."

    "1,000 taels?" Mei Zhu frowned. The master has been a soldier since he was young and might not be very skilled in negotiation. Such precious meat was sold for only 1,000 taels. However, this price would still make the Shen family's life much easier. A catty of rice costs about 70-80 e-pae, so with 1,000 taels, they could live comfortably for a long time.

    While Mei Zhu was internally criticizing her master, Ruo Lan was calculating whether 1,000 taels were a lot or a little money.

    "Taels of gold," continued Shen You Wei.

    "Ha! Taels of gold?" Mei Zhu exclaimed in shock. Initially, when the master mentioned 1,000 taels, she thought it was in silver, not expecting it to be gold. 1,000 taels of gold could buy a small house within the city. For an ordinary family, this amount of money could sustain them for decades. The master indeed had a knack for business, not losing out to the merchants at all.

    "Father, we've got a lot of money now. So, I will invite a skilled doctor to treat you," Ruo Lan sat down next to her father. Shen You Wei, with his abilities, should not have to be disabled for life.

    Shen You Wei glanced at his daughter with affection. How could a father not be pleased with such a filial daughter? But as for his condition... "My condition can't be cured. The bones and tendons are completely damaged. I can only be a burden to you now. Do you despise me for this?"

    "How could I despise you? They say there's a wandering godly doctor with a grey beard, known as the Grey-bearded Godly Doctor, who can cure any disease. Father, don't give up hope."

    "Alright, I won't lose hope," Shen You Wei smiled to comfort his daughter, knowing well that his body could never return to its former state.

    "By the way, Father, have you ever seen this? I got it from the deep forest." She took out a pearl that had been condensed from her spiritual energy. She didn't know if it could benefit the human body. She had buried it in the ground once, revitalizing the land with spiritual energy, but it might not have the same effect on the human body.

    Shen You Wei examined the pearl in his daughter's hand, a sight he had never beheld before. Yet, upon touching it, he felt an immediate sense of relief, as if someone were massaging away his fatigue.

    "I've never seen this before. It resembles the spirit pearl of a demonic beast, yet it is not. Did you find this in the forest?" Shen You Wei inquired, puzzled.

    "Yes, Father. It might be some kind of pearl expelled by a demonic beast. With that in mind, I'd like to give it to you as a keepsake. I need to check on the kitchen now; it's almost time for your medicine," Ruo Lan insisted, pressing the pearl into the hands of General Shen before excusing herself. She wanted to see how her father would fare after this, hoping it would not bring any harm.

    As the tenth month began and the weather cooled, the workers Ruo Lan had hired to rebuild the family's wall worked diligently. Nearly a month passed, and the wall was nearly complete. After selling the beast's meat and receiving the money, Ruo Lan and her brother, Yu Chang, went to town to buy necessities like blankets, clothes, kitchenware, and gardening tools. They also hired craftsmen to repair several dilapidated buildings around their home.

    Having received 1,000 taels, the Shen family decided to stay in their rundown home rather than purchase a small house in the city as one might expect. Other families might have chosen the security and protection of living within the city, but the Shens had their reasons. They had enemies within the city and were well-known to many there. Moreover, Ruo Lan wanted to cultivate the wasteland behind their house into a vegetable garden. Living in the city meant being under constant scrutiny, which they wanted to avoid. Shen You Wei and Yu Chang agreed with her decision.

    "Lan'er, I've just been to the docks. Merchants have brought a variety of spices, some even with their roots intact. Come see quickly," Yu Chang urged upon his return, eager to show his sister the array of spices he had brought.

    "Really, Brother? That's great! I've just expanded the vegetable garden, so planting these seeds will be perfect," Ruo Lan, putting down her watering can, rushed to see what the middleman had brought for her.

    At this moment, Ruo Lan's garden was not very extensive, containing only a few types of plants. This was because, for the past month, builders and repairmen had been constantly coming and going, and she did not want her garden to attract unwanted attention. Once the workers finished their tasks, she would have more freedom to manage her garden as she wished.

    "Cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan pepper, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, chili, black cardamom, coriander seeds, galangal, ginger, turmeric, bay leaves, garlic... Wow, there's so much stuff. This is really good," Ruo Lan excitedly inspected the goods. Some of the spice seeds could be planted, promising a future where they would not lack spices.

    Yu Chang frowned in confusion, "Do you really know so many foreign spices?" Originally, his sister had always stayed at home, learning to write and paint. How then did she become familiar with such a variety of spices?

    "Well... when Brother and Father were ill, I once worked sorting spices in a spice shop, so I got to know some," she replied.

    Yu Chang's face fell with sorrow for his sister had to work hard while he and their father were sick, "It's really tough on you."

    "It's okay. We will have delicious food to eat from now on," she said, as she moved those spices into the kitchen. Some of the spices could even be grown from their seeds, allowing for further propagation.

    At the beginning of the eleventh month, the weather turned cold. On the ninth day, the first snow began to flutter down. The damaged walls and houses had been repaired. At this time, the Shen family had already prepared sufficient food and clothing for winter. This winter would not be as hard as the previous ones.

    Yu Chang leaped from the beam of the house to the ground agilely, "All set. This house will stand firm even under heavy snow." By now, Ruo Lan's vegetable garden had been harvested and set aside. Only some plants and spices that could not be uprooted or harvested were left. Therefore, Ruo Lan had asked her brother to build a small greenhouse for them, at least they wouldn't be crushed by snow and die from erosion.

    "Thank you, Brother. You should go warm up by the fire quickly, look at your hands, they're all red," she said, pulling her brother into the house where a charcoal stove was lit for warmth. Shen You Wei had moved to stay here throughout this winter season.

    Surprisingly, after Ruo Lan gave Shen You Wei the pearl that was refined from the spirit realm to keep close, over a month passed, and she noticed his health was improving. Sometimes, Shen You Wei said he began to feel warmth and cold in his paralyzed legs, and sometimes when touched, he could feel it. This news brought joy to the Shen family. Yu Chang entered the town once a week to buy herbs to nourish their father's body, ensuring no shortage.

    "Tomorrow, I will go into the forest. It's been a long time since I last went. I'm afraid the fruits in the forest are ripe and falling off, rotting away," Ruo Lan told her father and brother. In reality, she wanted to absorb spirit energy. The pearl in her spirit realm had not absorbed spirit energy for a while, thus it hadn't refined any spirit pearls lately. Its growth had also stalled. After finishing household chores, it was fitting for her to find some food for her magical pearl.

    "The weather is getting colder, and the snow has started to fall. It's difficult to enter the forest now," Shen You Wei objected. He just didn't want to see his daughter struggle. At this time, Ruo Lan was the main support of the family, the only one capable of training in spirit energy, and her spirit energy had advanced significantly. Moreover, the martial arts and control over spirit energy that he taught her every day had improved significantly. Entering the deep forest was no longer a problem for her, but as a father, he didn't want to see his daughter struggle and didn't want her to walk through the difficult and deep forest, especially in winter, which would be twice as hard.

    "Father, I like going into the forest. There are many good things in the forest, and I also get to practice fighting with demonic beasts. I like going into the forest," she said in a coaxing tone. Which father could remain unmoved by such words?

    "Sigh... just be careful then," Shen You Wei sighed. His daughter had never been one to listen to him.

    "Brother, please take care of Father for me."

    "Rest assured, I will take good care of Father."

    The next morning, Ruo Lan woke up before dawn, slinging a basket on her back and heading into the forest by a familiar path. The snow continued to fall gently, but it wasn't too heavy. During winter, the villagers preferred to stay indoors to escape the cold, especially since most outside the city walls lacked spiritual power and sufficient clothing to withstand the chill. Venturing into the forest at this time could lead to freezing before finding anything to bring back.

    Ruo Lan ventured deeper into the forest, familiar with its paths. The animals usually active were nowhere to be seen, as most were hibernating during this season. On this day, Ruo Lan went deeper into the forest than usual. The distance she covered would require a group of high-level spiritual practitioners for safety. However, with the high-level demonic beasts hibernating, she ventured further than normal.

    Suddenly, as Ruo Lan reached a steep cliff, the magical pearl within her spirit realm that absorbed spiritual energy began to act up, the energy around it fluctuating wildly like a storm.

    "What's happening!" Ruo Lan looked around cautiously, but the surroundings were calm. The anomaly was the pearl in her spirit realm, reacting as if it detected something nearby, causing unrest.

"Where is it?" Ruo Lan tentatively asked the pearl in her spirit realm, and it seemed to perceive her question. Suddenly, the tumultuous energy gathered on her right, as if pointing out that there was something there.

Ruo Lan turned to look to her right, only to find a steep cliff covered with vines and creepers clinging to the edges, spreading down and enveloping the cliff in lush greenery.

"Is it in this cliff?" She looked up at the towering cliff in front of her with puzzlement. This cliff held nothing intriguing; it was an ordinary cliff utterly devoid of spirit. What could be so special about it? However, given the intense reaction from the peal in her spirit realm, it wouldn't hurt to explore.

    Carefully following the pearl's guidance, Ruo Lan climbed a small rock outcrop and found a dense thicket of vines covering an area of the cliff, concealing its surface.

    "Here?"

    The pearl was tumultuous again, urging her to explore further. Carefully parting the greenery, she discovered a small opening, just large enough for a child to squeeze through, leading into a large cave illuminated by light filtering in from above and the sides, causing the stalactites and stalagmites within to sparkle.

    "Inside, there's a cave," Ruo Lan exclaimed as the energy around the magical pearl danced, urging her to enter.

    Being small, she managed to squeeze herself inside. She slid the basket into the cave first, before gradually making her way in with some difficulty. Inside, the cave was immensely spacious, with some areas having small to large pools of water, making the air inside highly humid.

    Using the natural light seeping through the crevices, Ruo Lan explored the cave, finding it likely untouched by humans due to its concealed entrance. Without the pearl guiding her, she wouldn't have known about this hidden cave.

    Venturing deeper, Ruo Lan noticed the spiritual energy growing denser, and soon, a vast number of fireflies filled the cave, providing more light.

    Suddenly, something luminescent caught her eye, not a firefly but a silver-glowing object submerged in a small water pool, created by rainwater dripping down the cave walls, accumulating over time. Upon closer inspection, it was a glowing stone. As she approached, the pearl in her spirit realm spun wildly.

    Ruo Lan plunged her hand into the water, intending to retrieve the peculiar stone for a closer look. However, she discovered the water she dipped her hand into was thicker than usual. Yet, the spiritual power embedded within this water was also denser, corresponding to its viscosity. It was only when her hand touched the luminescent stone and pulled it from the bottom of the pool.

    Suddenly, the pearl in her spirit realm greedily absorbed the stone's spiritual energy, acting like a large beast with a dark, bottomless stomach, consuming as much energy as it absorbed.

    Almost two hours passed, and the glowing stone in her hand gradually dimmed pitifully until the dense spiritual power within it was completely depleted. Ruo Lan then felt a burp resonate within her own consciousness.

    "You're really too much." With that, her hand was filled with pearls that had been refined out, roughly three hundred in a cursory glance.

    "You've consumed so much, yet only three hundred pearls came out? Are you being stingy or what?" Ruo Lan remarked, half-seriously scolding the pearl in her spirit realm. After expressing her dissatisfaction, she turned her attention back to the dimmed stone in her hand and the thick, viscous water in front of her once again.

    If she wasn't mistaken, this pool was a point that absorbed spiritual power from the heavens and earth, perfectly situated to catch the sun and moon's rays every morning and evening. Subjected to the spiritual power from the heavens and earth circulating over a long period, even ordinary stones at the bottom of the pool transformed in this manner, with even clear water circulating spiritual power until it became thick and viscous.

    Ruo Lan scooped up some water to drink, and instantly, her body felt as though it had been cleansed. Diseases lurking in her bones and joints seemed to dissolve and disappear. The aches and pains in her body vanished astonishingly, leaving her feeling lighter and more comfortable than ever before.

    Before she could do anything else, the pearl in her spirit realm began to act again, greedily sucking up the water in the pool.

    "Stop it! You glutton!"

    Ruo Lan shouted loudly, her belly already full of the spiritual power drawn from the glowing stone, and now, without even digesting it, it was about to suck up the thick, viscous water in front of her—its greed was immense.

    "That's enough! I won't allow you to suck any more. I'll go out and cut some bamboo to store this water," Ruo Lan ordered sternly, afraid that the glutton in her spirit realm would not stop. The water full of spiritual power was too precious to be lost into a black hole like this.

    However, before she could turn around to cut the bamboo, the power in the magical pearl swirled and twitched, as if it was telling her there was no need to go. It was unclear whether it was because it had absorbed so much spiritual power that it could communicate more easily with her or something else, but recently, Ruo Lan felt that it was easier to communicate with it. It was as if their spirits were connected, and just by thinking or questioning in her mind, she could marvelously perceive the answers it gave back.

    "I need to use this water. You've already absorbed so much spiritual power; share some with others. Don't be so miserly," she chided.

    "Huh? Are you saying you can store all this viscous water?" the young woman asked when the magical pearl communicated that it could store all the viscous water without her needing to go through the trouble of cutting bamboo.

    Without giving Ruo Lan time to wonder, the power of the pearl surged again, and in the blink of an eye, the pool in front of her vanished, leaving a dry, cracked stone basin as if it had never contained water. Simultaneously, a mass of water appeared in her spirit realm instead, and not just that, the volume of water was increasing exponentially.

    "Can you also absorb things from the outside?" Ruo Lan exclaimed in astonishment. Not only could it absorb, but it also increased the quantity, as if it were a high-quality copier, similar to how it absorbed spiritual power and then increased it enough to condense into spirit pearls.

    The excessively greedy pearl swayed proudly, and Ruo Lan even felt as if it was looking down on her with disdain, conveying, ‘Find me more spiritual power in the future, you fool.’

    "What can you actually do? Tell me," she demanded, feeling that this pearl could do much more than she had imagined. She felt as if she had acquired a new toy but had no idea how to play with it or what it was capable of. It would be a process of trial and error until she found the correct way to use it. However, everything would be easier if there was a manual, wouldn't it?

    Ruo Lan's question was met with indifference from the gluttonous pearl.

    "Tch," the young woman muttered, losing interest in it and continuing to explore the cave. Inside the cave, besides the various pools of water scattered throughout, there were also small plants growing in the crevices. Ruo Lan recognized some of them as common herbs for healing wounds or stopping bleeding, so she picked one of each to propagate in her garden.

    After a thorough exploration revealed nothing more of interest, the young woman left the cave, squeezing out through the same crevice she had entered. Upon exiting, she did not forget to rearrange the vines to cover the entrance as before.

    Outside, the snow still fell lightly. The young woman tightened her cloak slightly before continuing to explore the forest. Her basket still had plenty of room to collect more fruits or forest products.

    Since the part of the forest Ruo Lan had entered was deep, most hunters or groups of spiritual practitioners did not venture this far, leaving the herbs and other forest plants largely untouched. Ruo Lan filled her basket with fruits, plants, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Looking around, she saw many more wild fruits and colorful mushrooms, regretting that she could not collect them all and decided to turn back. However, after only a few steps, a glossy black rock formation caught her eye.

    In front of her lay a large ridge of rock that stretched out long like a giant python lying across the forest. But what caught Ruo Lan's attention was the color of the rock—it was glossy black with a shiny texture. Upon closer inspection, her heart raced with excitement.

    Coal!

    It can't be coal, can it? In the previous world, coal was used as a fuel source in various industries, such as electricity production, metal smelting, or as household fuel. However, in this era, she was not sure if people were aware of how to utilize coal.

    In her previous world, knowledge about coal was a common lesson for students, so Ruo Lan had some understanding. Coal was a sedimentary rock formed from accumulated plant and animal remains over millions of years in ancient times.

    In the Yue Region, there were many mines for gems, gold, copper, and other minerals, which were the main income for the region. These mines were scattered across various cities throughout the region. However, in this deep forest, it's possible that no one had ever come to explore, or if someone had reached this point, they might not have the knowledge about minerals, allowing it to remain hidden from the royal court until now.

    She's found a mine!

    ‘I want it!’ Ruo Lan thought excitedly. If she could obtain this coal, things would be much easier. She wouldn't need to go up the mountain to gather firewood for heating. This winter wouldn't be cold, and she wouldn't have to suffer from cold hands and feet. Cooking would also become much easier.

    ‘Just take it, what are you waiting for!’ A voice sounded in her head. Suddenly, a massive hole appeared in front of Ruo Lan, and she found herself standing at the edge of a deep pit, feeling a shiver down her spine at the thought of falling in. The coal ridge she saw earlier vanished, and the vast amount of coal buried underground disappeared from sight. In the next moment, the coal appeared in her spirit realm, astonishingly.

    Ruo Lan was wide-eyed with astonishment.

    Utterly cheating!