“Rumble!”
In the thick dark clouds overhead, thunder rumbled, reaching the medicine garden, and with the echo’s amplification, the sound grew even louder.
Rain poured down, like pebbles striking the sheds over the Spirit Medicine fields.
Chu Feng stood inside the house, shirtless, his hair still dripping water.
“Whew! Growing Spirit Medicine is not much easier than growing crops.”
After speaking, Chu Feng turned to boil water for a bath.
Logically speaking, Cultivators who want to keep themselves clean don’t need the trouble of boiling water for a bath; learning a Dust Cleansing Art or buying a Dust Cleansing Talisman would take only a minute.
But Chu Feng didn't have many Spirit Stones; neither the Dust Cleansing Art nor the Dust Cleansing Talisman were things Chu Feng could afford right now.
He was just a Utility Disciple, and his monthly Spirit Stones were already meager, mostly used for his own Cultivation.
As for Spirit Medicine, Chu Feng didn't have much of that either, and he had given it all to Fang Hui.
So, Chu Feng still boiled water for a bath.
Anyway, he had done this often during his years at the Liu family.
A moment later, Chu Feng soaked comfortably in the wooden tub.
Outside, thunder roared, and the sound of heavy rain continuously splashed.
“In this situation, if I could have some music or watch a movie, that would be wonderful.”
Chu Feng leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, contemplating his future plans.
He wouldn't be leaving the medicine garden anytime soon; this place was protected by a large Sect like the Taiqing Sect, posing no danger, allowing him to steadily gain Life Qi, and usually, no one paid special attention to it. For Chu Feng, it was truly a treasure trove.
“However, while planting Spirit Medicine yields stable Life Qi, it's still a bit slow. Some Spirit Medicines only mature once every few years; waiting is a bit too long.”
Chu Feng pondered whether to visit other medicine gardens while scrubbing himself.
As for killing Spirit Beasts, it would definitely increase Life Qi significantly.
But the risk was a bit high.
Many Spirit Beasts within the Sect had owners; Chu Feng either wouldn't kill them, or he would have to ensure no trace was left behind.
Once caught, the Liu family probably wouldn't be willing to protect Chu Feng either.
“Now that the Life Qi increase has slowed down, it would be great if I could go to the Sect Spirit Medicine field Forbidden Land that Zhou Yang mentioned before. If I harvest once, perhaps my Life Qi could reach ten thousand years.”
“The Spirit Medicine in the medicine garden has already been harvested once by me. Alas! The plunderable Life Qi will probably decrease in the next two years.”
Chu Feng sighed, stood up to get dressed, and then tidied up the house.
A moment later, the rain stopped, with only occasional drips from the eaves.
Chu Feng opened the window, and the Dragon Finch flew in, landing on the windowsill, shaking off water droplets, then flying to the table.
“So you finally decided to come back.”
Chu Feng smiled, looking at the Dragon Finch squatting by the candle.
He also sat down by the table and opened the book of strange tales Zhou Yang had given him earlier. A new edition of this book was published annually, with different content.
When Chu Feng read this book, he unexpectedly felt like he was back in his previous life, chasing updates of web novels.
Thanks to this being a Cultivation world, there were even more strange and interesting stories in the book: fox immortals in ruined temples, painted-skin female ghosts, Ancient Tombs in deep mountains… The dazzling and bizarre world in the book left Chu Feng a bit overwhelmed.
Amidst the faint rustling of pages, a night passed…
The next day
As the golden sunlight broke through the dawn and streamed into Chu Feng’s room, he slowly woke up.
He had read until late last night, so he naturally woke up late.
“I should read fewer novels in the future; they hinder my great Dao of Cultivation.”
Chu Feng yawned, got up, and began to wash up.
Just then, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Hearing the sound, Chu Feng put down the twig and soapberry he used for brushing his teeth, then went to open the door.
“Senior Brother? Do you need something from me?”
Chu Feng opened the door, looked at Li Ning in front of him, then glanced behind Li Ning, where two children, about fourteen or fifteen years old, stood timidly, hiding behind Li Ning.
“Junior Brother, these two little ones behind me are the Junior Brother and Junior Sister I’ve just taken in. One is called Huang Tianfang, and the other is Mo Xiaoyu. I’ll be leaving in another year, so you, as their future Senior Brother, should get to know them.”
Li Ning said with a smile. Although he was indecisive and a bit cowardly, he was very good to his fellow Disciples.
Chu Feng glanced at the two children and nodded, saying:
“That’s good. It will also add more Life Qi to the medicine garden.”
Li Ning nodded, turned, and waved to the two children, telling them to return to their lodging first, then looked at Chu Feng and said:
“Junior Brother, Master wants to see you. Please go there.”
Chu Feng nodded, closed his house, and headed to the Pavilion.
A moment later, Chu Feng walked out of the Pavilion, holding a token.
“There are so many people in the medicine garden, why did it have to be me?”
Chu Feng sighed and said.
Jiang Mei had looked for him, but it wasn't anything major, just a Sect rule that the medicine garden had to complete a Sect mission each year.
Jiang Mei thought it over and decided Chu Feng was the most suitable.
Liu Wei had just arrived and wasn't familiar with the rules, and Li Ning, as a Senior Brother, was very busy.
Ren Huanhuan was in seclusion recently, so only Chu Feng had free time.
And at this moment, Li Ning was already waiting outside the Pavilion; he clearly knew about this earlier.
“Senior Brother, this mission is in the Outer Sect. Does that mean I have to leave the medicine garden for three years?”
Chu Feng asked Li Ning. Leaving the medicine garden for three years meant he would lose a lot of Life Qi.
Hearing Chu Feng’s words, Li Ning smiled and shook his head, saying:
“No, it’s just cleaning the Outer Sect trial grounds. You only need to go once every two or three months. If you encounter any mature Spirit Medicine or usable treasures, bring them back. The Sect will give you a seventy-thirty split.”
Hearing Li Ning say this, Chu Feng’s eyes lit up. This mission sounded pretty good; he could gain Life Qi and get Spirit Stones.
Chu Feng had long coveted the Dust Cleansing Art. After completing this mission, he could buy it and even renovate his home.
Thinking of this, Chu Feng looked at Li Ning and said:
“Senior Brother, do you know the way to the Outer Sect? Could you take me there?”
Li Ning nodded and said:
“Tomorrow, I’ll first explain to the Junior Brother and Junior Sister how to Cultivate. If you have time, you can also come and learn; you’ll be responsible for this kind of thing in the future.”
Chu Feng thought about it and decided to go and watch. He would accumulate some experience. If he stammered when teaching the Junior Brother and Junior Sister in the future, his Face as a Senior Brother would be completely lost.
Thus, Chu Feng and Li Ning spent a day together, teaching the Junior Brother and Junior Sister.
Although Chu Feng’s cultivation was not as high as Li Ning’s right now, his strength was much greater than Li Ning’s, plus the gains from investing five hundred years of Life Qi to evolve the Nourishing Yuan Skill.
When it came to teaching Cultivation basics, Chu Feng seemed more like a Senior Brother than Li Ning.
The Junior Brother and Junior Sister looked at Chu Feng with adoration, which also allowed Chu Feng to experience the thrill of being a Senior Brother in advance.
Li Ning, for his part, was filled with emotion. Chu *Shidi* was indeed quite good and suitable to be a Senior Brother. It was just a pity that his talent was a bit lacking, and his personality was somewhat lazy, not very diligent in Cultivation.
………………
The day passed quickly.
Chu Feng woke up very early today; he had promised Li Ning yesterday to take on the mission.
“Knock knock!”
“Senior Brother, are we leaving?”
Chu Feng stood in front of Li Ning’s door, knocking.
A moment later, a neatly dressed Li Ning emerged, yawning.
“Junior Brother, let’s go. Today, I’ll let you experience Flying Sword flight.”
After speaking, Li Ning reached back, drew the long sword from his back, then flicked it forward into the sky, then pointed with his hand, and the Flying Sword immediately hovered in the air.
“Junior Brother, come up quickly.”
Li Ning lightly leaped onto the sword body.
Chu Feng nodded, following closely behind.
“Junior Brother, stand firm.”
Li Ning felt Chu Feng’s large hand pressing on his waist and coughed lightly, saying.
He hadn't expected Chu Feng to hold on so tightly.
A moment later, the Flying Sword set off, swaying slightly.
Although its speed was not as fast as Fang Hui’s, it was stable.
Chu Feng stood behind Li Ning, but cold gusts of wind still occasionally blew across his Face.
Chu Feng didn't feel much about it; his physical strength was stronger than that of an average Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so this bit of wind was nothing.
“This is Cultivation.”
Chu Feng looked at the constantly receding scenery around him, and a heroic feeling couldn't help but rise in his heart.
“Riding the sword on the wind, slaying demons between heaven and earth!”
Chu Feng laughed and shouted.
Li Ning, meanwhile, smiled and said:
“I didn’t realize Junior Brother had such literary talent.”
“Junior Brother, do you want to learn Flying Sword flight?”