Life on Tai Shang Feng was far too idle and comfortable.
Shen Manyi spent a few days enjoying the thrill of borrowing authority from a powerful figure, but soon grew bored.
Xiao Mo hadn't appeared once since giving her the token that day.
The entire mountain peak was empty—not a single soul in sight except for her and Tangyuan.
"So boring…"
Shen Manyi lay by the window, poking at Tangyuan's fur absentmindedly.
"Tangyuan, what do you think my brother is even doing? He hasn't shown his face at all!"
Tangyuan rolled over impatiently, turning its rear toward her, and replied lazily:
"What else would he be doing? Cultivating, of course!"
"You think everyone's like you, with cultivation speed slower than a snail crawling?"
"What do you know! I call this balancing work and rest!"
Shen Manyi snorted, her gaze drifting out the window.
There was a large patch of open ground outside, bare and somewhat desolate from years of neglect.
Suddenly struck by an idea, her eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet.
"Tangyuan, do you remember that bag of black seeds we swiped from the Shen family storeroom?"
"Of course I remember. I thought they were roasted melon seeds and took a bite—almost cracked this Divine Lord's teeth!"
Tangyuan grew irritated just thinking about it.
Shen Manyi ignored its complaint. With a thought, she entered Baihu Space.
Sure enough, in the corner, she found that unremarkable cloth pouch.
When she opened it, inside were dozens of black seeds of varying sizes and shapes.
These seeds looked utterly unremarkable—they didn't even emit the slightest ripple of spiritual power.
"These are perfect!"
Shen Manyi cradled the seeds and dashed out of the space excitedly.
"Little girl, what are you up to now?"
Tangyuan, seeing her eager expression, had a feeling nothing good would come of this.
"Gardening!" Shen Manyi declared with complete confidence.
"Look at that big empty patch outside—what a waste to leave it barren.
My brother said his home is my home.
Is there any problem with me adding some flowers and plants to my own home to beautify the environment?"
Tangyuan looked utterly speechless: "You call that flowers and plants? What could possibly grow from these worthless seeds?"
"We'll find out by trying, won't we?"
Shen Manyi wasted no time.
She found a small hoe and, like a diligent little gardener, hummed a tuneless song while busying herself with the work.
Half an hour later, all the seeds were in the ground.
"Final step!"
Shen Manyi smiled mysteriously, pulled a small jade bottle from her space,
and dripped a single drop of spiritual liquid into a bucket, diluting it into a full bucket of water.
Beside her, Tangyuan's eyes nearly popped out of its head.
"Wasteful girl! You're using Spirit Spring Water from the space to water these worthless things!"
Tangyuan wailed in heartbreak.
"Quiet! This is called investment!"
Shen Manyi carried the bucket and happily poured the diluted Spirit Spring Water carefully over the soil.
After finishing, she patted the dirt off her hands and returned to her room, thoroughly satisfied.
The next morning, Shen Manyi was awakened by a strange, wondrous fragrance of herbs.
She pushed open the window and was instantly stunned speechless by the sight before her.
The bare patch of ground from yesterday was now lush and teeming with life.
Over a dozen plants of various forms had burst through the soil—
some blooming with seven-colored flowers, others bearing dragon-scale-shaped fruits.
Every single one radiated brilliant light, and the dense medicinal fragrance was almost tangible—one breath of it left a person feeling refreshed and invigorated.
"G-Good heavens!"
Shen Manyi rubbed her eyes. "Tangyuan, am I dreaming?"
Tangyuan was dumbfounded too. It hopped onto the windowsill and stammered through telepathy.
"Th-These look like Dragon Blood Vine from the ancient era… and that one, that's Seven-Haze Exquisite Flower!
Oh my heavens, weren't these things supposed to have gone extinct long ago?"
Just as the mistress and her pet were reeling in shock, the sound of an old, hurried figure tearing through the air approached from afar.
"Let this old man see what treasure has appeared!"
Before the words even faded, an elder in a gray robe with a snow-white beard landed before the small medicinal garden.
When he saw what was inside, he was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.
"D-Dragon Blood Vine? Seven-Haze Exquisite Flower? Nine-Turn Yang-Restoring Grass?!"
The elder's voice trembled. He reached out a hand, wanting to touch but not daring to, his eyes bulging like brass bells.
These were divine immortal herbs that existed only in ancient texts!
Any single one of them, taken out into the world, would drive the entire Jiuzhou Xiuzhenjie into a frenzy!
And yet here they were, casually planted in a patch of garden!
Shen Manyi recognized the newcomer and her heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't this the Great Elder of the Sword Sect, the one in charge of the spiritual herb gardens?
She'd heard he had an eccentric temper.
She steeled herself, pushed open the door, and stepped out with a sweet, obedient smile on her face.
"Good morning, Great Elder! Are you here to admire the flowers too?"
The Great Elder heard her voice and turned his head mechanically.
"You… you planted this?"
"Yes!" Shen Manyi puffed out her little chest proudly. "Pretty, isn't it?"
"Pretty?" The Great Elder's beard trembled with rage.
"Waste! This is a criminal waste of heaven's gifts!"
He pointed excitedly at a vine bearing crimson-red fruits,
and roared with deep anguish: "Do you have any idea what this is?"
"This is Dragon Blood Vine! Its fruit is the main ingredient for refining the 'Dragon Blood Body-Forging Pill.'
Just one pill can make a Golden Core Stage cultivator's physical body as tough as a magic treasure!
And you're just letting it grow wild like this?"
He then pointed to a flower with a seven-colored halo beside it.
"And this! Seven-Haze Exquisite Flower!
That's a sacred medicine for repairing soul wounds!
You're just letting it bloom, letting the medicinal properties dissipate?"
"Little girl, you're stewing dragon liver and phoenix marrow with cabbage!"
The Great Elder grew more agitated with each word, his expression as if his own home had been robbed.
Shen Manyi was stunned speechless by his shouting.
She had just thought the empty land was a waste, so she wanted to plant something for fun—how was she supposed to know she'd grow something so extraordinary?
"I… I didn't know these things were so precious." Shen Manyi defended weakly.
But that only made the Great Elder angrier.
"You didn't know?"
"Ignorance is no excuse for wasting treasures!
These divine herbs—every single one needs to be preserved in the finest jade boxes, nourished with the purest Spiritual Power!
And you planted them in this shabby ground! This is simply… simply…"
He was so furious he couldn't speak, pacing in circles around the herb garden,
looking torn between wanting to dig the herbs up immediately and fearing he'd damage the roots.
Shen Manyi watched him, her heart beginning to pound.
She might have… really messed up this time.
"Then… then what should I do?" she asked quietly.
The Great Elder whirled around to glare at her.
"These things must be immediately transplanted to the Spiritual Eye on my Alchemy Peak!
No! That won't work! Transplanting would damage their roots! We need to move the entire plot of land!"
As he spoke, he was already forming hand seals.
Shen Manyi was startled and quickly stopped him.
"Wait! Great Elder, this land belongs to my brother—you can't just move it!"
"Your brother?" The Great Elder paused, then realization dawned. "You're that little girl the Jianzun brought back?"
"Yes!" Shen Manyi nodded immediately.
The Great Elder's expression shifted through several changes.
If it had been anyone else, he would have already bound both the person and the land and hauled them back to Alchemy Peak.
But this involved the Taishang Jianzun…
He wrestled with the dilemma for a long time, then finally stamped his foot.
"No! This matter is too important! I must personally report to the Jianzun!
This wasteful behavior of yours must be stopped immediately!"
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and flew furiously toward the main hall.
At the entrance to the side hall, only Shen Manyi remained, staring blankly at the garden full of rare treasures, her little face turning pale.
She turned to look at Tangyuan on her shoulder, her voice tinged with tears.
"Tangyuan, he… he's going to tattle."
"I think… I've caused my brother a huge problem."