Zuo Mo takes a small step on his road to become a ling plant farmer. And then he gets into trouble.
In cultivation, the ling energy moves around in “channels” through the body like blood does and a complete circuit is called a revolution. When more ling energy is used, the revolution speeds up, like the heart pumping more blood to carry oxygen during exercise.
Chapter Seven Ye’ll[1] Wait For You
Waking up from his meditation, Zuo Mo’s soul and body were both refreshed, his entire body light and extremely comfortable.
Coming out of the seclusion room, he took along the sound tablet and jumped onto the roof.
Reaching out with his fingers, his mind moved and the light gold of [Aged Gold Energy] appeared with no effort at all. Zuo Mo was gleeful. He didn’t eat all that trouble for nothing. Clearly his control of [Aged Gold Energy] had increased dramatically.
The [Aged Gold Energy] around his finger suddenly twisted quickly and stopped. It shone like the stars, like specks of tiny gold sand, extremely pretty in the dark.
An idea suddenly came into his head. Was [Aged Gold Energy] actually an offensive spell?
That minor yet exceptionally vicious fight made him conceive this idea.
But, from what he understood about ling plant farmers, they were the classical non-fighting profession. He had never heard of any ling plant farmer that was good at fighting. Also, he wasn’t the only one in the sect that knew [Aged Gold Energy]. Everyone had different talents. Zuo Mo could learn the third level of [Little Art of Cloud and Rain], naturally there were people good at the other arts.
In the outer sect disciples, there was a shixiong who was on the second level of [Aged Gold Energy]. Not just [Aged Gold Energy], even the [Art of Flora], [Art of Earth Energy], and [Art of Crimson Flame] were practiced by other people. It was just they were not high-level.
Was he wrong?
The question circled in his head and wouldn’t disappear.
But very quickly, he didn’t want to think about the question. He took up the sound tablet, added some ling energy and put it beside him.
His head lying on his arms as he looked at the vast sky, his heart slowly calmed. The night wind blew gently, cold, unspeakably pleasant. Hearing the news that continuously streamed out of the sound tablet, Zuo Mo peacefully fell asleep.
The next day, he went to make rain for the medicine fields and made another contract to make rain for a shixiong before going back to his own yard.
Passing by the ling fields, looking at the neat rows of ling grains, he suddenly thought of his suspicion from last night.
Hesitating for a second, he decided to try once.
His hand touched a ling grain, the [Aged Gold Energy] soundlessly permeating the stalk. Just like yesterday, Zuo Mo’s consciousness was connected to the [Aged Gold Energy].
Very quickly, the [Aged Gold Energy] found a patch of aphids. Zuo Mo instantly became nervous. Due to the brutality of yesterday, he still felt trepidation
However, today’s situation was out of his expectations. The [Aged Gold Energy] didn’t encounter any resistance. All the aphids were ground to dust in less than fifteen minutes. The entire process was done in one go without any hindrance.
Why was it like this?
He was puzzled. He put his hand on another stalk of ling grain. The same situation occurred. Was it that stalk of ling grain yesterday was different? He shook his head. There were no differences between the two stalks today and the one yesterday.
Where was it going wrong?
He ran to the spot of the stalk of ling grain from yesterday and checked again. There truly weren’t any differences. However, he found that this stalk of ling grain’s growth was much better than yesterday, the leaves greener. And the powdered remains of the aphids had become their food. Based on his two years of farming experience, he estimated that the production of this stalk of ling grain would definitely be greater than before.
Zuo Mo was gleeful. The question of whether [Aged Gold Energy] should be considered offensive or not was thrown to one side.
What was a benefit more realistic than increasing production? Ling grains were jinshi, jinshi were talismans, spells… …
Zuo Mo put one hundred percent into the large task of clearing pests from the ling fields. Five mu of ling fields, he wasn’t going to let go of one stalk.
Ten entire days. Other than going to the medicine fields and ling fields to make rain, all the other time was spent on the ling grains in his yard. He used [Aged Gold Energy] on one stalk after the next. When he spent all his ling energy, he ran to the seclusion room to recover and then came out, and repeat. After a while, he was almost numb, mechanically using [Aged Gold Energy].
After the last stalk of ling grain was scanned by the [Aged Gold Energy], he looked at the organized ling fields. The growth was amazing, the ling grains were all green and plump. A strong feeling of accomplishment rose in his heart.
He wasn’t the only one who knew [Aged gold Energy] but no one would be as crazy as him. To inspect the ling grains one stalk by one, the amount of work was horrifying! They only would use [Aged Gold Energy] whenever they found a sickness in the ling grains.
If there wasn’t that section of ling vein in the seclusion room, Zuo Mo wouldn’t dare to do it.
Ten days of continuous toil. Whether body or mind, Zuo Mo was extremely exhausted.
He only wanted to do one thing now. That was, going back to his room and getting a good sleep.
Just as he prepared to start walking, a pink Little Thousand Crane flew at him straight from far away, stopping right in front of him.
“Whoa!” Zuo Mo felt it seemed familiar. After thinking for a long time, he finally remembered that the wishing Little Thousand Crane he had picked up ten days ago when he was cleaning the yard was also pink.
That wasn’t right. A wishing Little Thousand Crane couldn’t localize. For a Little Thousand Crane to find its target, it needed an imprint to guide it. Last time, the Little Thousand Crane had its owner’s imprint so if ling energy was put in, it would fly to its owner.
But he didn’t leave behind any imprint!
Any kind of imprint would contain ling energy. To avoid the other finding him, when Zuo Mo wrote the words, he didn’t dare to use any ling energy at all.
The first time it flew to him, that was luck. But if it can fly for a second time to him, that couldn’t be explained by luck.
Such a strange event!
Examining the fine Little Thousand Crane floating in front of him, he hesitated. But Zuo Mo still reached out and took it.
Holding the small crane, he went into the seclusion room.
Sitting on the mat, he started to unfold this Little Thousand Crane.
Spreading out the pink paper, there were only two characters, still the same graceful writing of before.
When the two words entered his vision, an unforeseen event occurred!
A kind of icy cold energy surrounded Zuo Mo, the sense of extreme danger made the hair on his entire body straighten! It was like a sharp flying sword was right as his throat. The chill from the blade easily pierced into the skin and quickly spread through his body.
Damn it, he couldn’t move!
On the zombie face was a pair of terrified eyes. Zuo Mo’s entire body was frozen by this cold presence, he couldn’t even more a finger!
The other’s retribution? Punishment? Joke?
He didn’t have time to think about all that. He was like a trapped beast, the only instinct left was to fight! He fought with his life, trying to take back control of his body. He pushed the ling energy inside. No effect. His body wouldn’t move. He froze in his spot.
The icy energy continued to increase. It was like a ruthless beast, mercilessly nearing Zuo Mo, opening its gaping maw. It seemed to be certain that Zuo Mo didn’t have the ability to resist.
Zuo Mo was like a strange candlewax figure. That expressionless face was so still it was funny.
Only the eyes, the pair of eyes full of terror, full of helplessness, full of rage, that conflicted with his thin and weak body and still face!
His efforts were to no avail. That icy energy that terrified him pushed him to desperate straits and he didn’t have any room to retreat.
The unwillingness and wrath inside his heart suddenly lit up.
Go to hell!
Furiously casting [Aged Gold Energy], all of his ling energy, along with all of his consciousness slammed at the icy presence!
This was his only solution.
His only experience that could be considered a battle was the first time he used [Aged Gold Energy] on the ling grain. He still remembered the brutal energy at the time, the rush it gave his consciousness. But that consciousness made from the merging of thousands of aphids were as weak as an infant compared to this icy energy.
At this time, he was like a madman, raising a sickle and rushing at a fully armored enemy.
[Aged Gold Energy] was like a ball of light gold mist. Once it appeared, it aroused the attack of the icy energy.
Suddenly, Zuo Mo seemed to see countless flying swords, with their bright tails and screaming as they flew at him! The sword strikes were bitingly cold, crisscrossing into a forest that he couldn’t avoid!
The clear pupils transformed into a roaring sea of flames. The edges of the eyes that had widened to the limits cracked, blood running down his face. On the stiff face, it drew out two bright marks.
He didn’t feel it.
The ling energy under his crazy revolutions started to spin out of control. He didn’t stop and continued to speed up his revolutions.
Under full power, the [Aged Gold Energy] seemed to become especially crazy. It didn’t retreat and leapt at that icy energy.
If someone walked into Zuo Mo’s room at this time, they would see a strange sight. A faint gold ball of light twisting furiously as though there was something invisible relentlessly corroding it and its size continued to decrease.
The faint gold cloud turned even more furiously but closely protected Zuo Mo.
The battle became even hotter. The [Aged Gold Energy] faced the icy energy that threw out the sword strikes and didn’t retreat. Like facing the consciousness of the aphid, the [Aged Gold Energy] made this energy as an extremely large consciousness from a gigantic aphid!
Zuo Mo had no attention left for the [Aged Gold Energy] There was only one though in his head – faster, faster!
The revolutions of ling energy was already at a shocking step. He had never tried to make his ling energy revolve so fast. He didn’t dare. But at this time, Zuo Mo, who’s eyes were red from battle, only hated that the ling energy couldn’t move faster. He continued to speed up his revolutions!
Zuo Mo’s head roared as though something had been broken. His consciousness suddenly became dizzy.
The ling energy stampeded like wild horses, completely free of control. The [Aged Gold Energy] which originally had been turning and twisting furiously did so even more, like boiling water. The shape of the cloud was extremely unstable. If xiuzhe of higher cultivation saw this scene, they would instantly pale. Loss of control of ling energy, what would follow was the explosion of the body and death!
Suddenly, a warm stream came from Zuo Mo’s heart and entered his channels.
The violent ling energy suddenly became more obedient than anything. The speed of revolution didn’t decrease and increased. The strong shaking of the [Aged Gold Energy] disappeared without a warning and calmed down.
What would amaze others was that icy energy seemed to have detected the strangeness and retreated for the first time.
The peaceful [Aged Gold Energy] ball once again changed. It quickly shrunk towards its core. The cold energy changed along with it.
A faintly gold seven segmented awl shaped liked a pagoda!
A water-blue crescent shaped flying sword with a small bell hanging!
Silently opposite each other. But in the blink of an eye, both started to move.
One awl, one sword, turned to one gold and one blue stream of light and accurately hit together.
Ping!
A clear note like breaking glass. A scattered ball of light exploded in the air. It was like a firework, blue and gold mixing, extremely beautiful.
An unknown amount of time later, Zuo Mo dazedly opened his eyes. His entire body hurt, his skin seemed to have cracked. He couldn’t help but groan. This groan made his dizzy mind wake up.
He could move!
That damned energy had disappeared!
He first froze and then a kind of unnameable carefreeness formed. He wanted to laugh but before his mouth could move, the muscles pulled at the wound, and it turned into a screech. Even though he didn’t know what had just happened, but without a doubt, he won!
He was still holding the pink paper in his hand. On it were written two words.
“Bad Person!”
The writing was still graceful and the tone of speech meant the writer wasn’t very grown but Zuo Mo, who was on his last gasps, couldn’t help but feel disgust.
Such a vicious woman! She wanted his life!
The other must have put a spritual attack on the words. To use the words to release such a terrifying attack, it wasn’t someone he could face. Zuo Mo was very clear about that. The head of the sect and the other elders, he didn’t know if they could do it. But among the inner sect disciples, there definitely wasn’t anyone who could reach such power.
That mean, the vicious woman’s power surpassed his sect’s shixiong.
But walking once around death’s door, he wasn’t that scared, not even if the other’s strength surpassed him greatly.
He had heard that some strong xiuzhe was arrogant and indifferent to low-level xiuzhe but had never thought the other would desire to kill because of a word!
Ge was naïve!
Zuo Mo took a deep breath. The wound that was pulled was extremely painful. He struggled up and bared his teeth as he moved to the desk.
It was still the bright and thick cinnabar, still the same weasel bristle brush. Zuo Mo dabbed viciously a few times.
His entire right hand seemed to have been broken into quite a few pieces. Just the pain from a slight movement ached into the bones. He gritted his teeth and moved the brush. A few drops of red cinnabar dripped from the brush and landed on the pink paper, looking like blood.
Due to pain, Zuo Mo unconsciously sucked in breathes. His right hand holding the brush, he gravely left four crooked words on the pink paper.
“Ye’ll wait for you!”
Throwing the brush in his hand away, he took a few looks and then gave a strange laugh. His right hand didn’t move according to his wishes so it took an hour before he managed to fold the pink paper into a paper crane.
It was a pity. The writing this time wasn’t as good-looking as last time. Zuo Mo was slightly regretful.
As he jerked in breaths, he put the last bit of ling energy in his body into the paper crane.
Watching as the pink Little Thousand Crane disappeared into the horizon, he cursed the vicious woman countless times inside.
When he finished all this, he couldn’t persevere any longer. Dried up, his eyes became back and like a block of wood, he dropped to the ground and fainted.
[1] 爷(ye): means grandfather. At the same time, it can be a way of referring to oneself in third person, usually in an egotistical manner.