Lu Baishan did not answer Lee Hyun's question and simply remained silent.
He seemed displeased with the contents of the letter and went back over it from the beginning, as though checking whether he had misread something.
A moment later, the letter flew through the air and stopped before Lee Hyun.
"Read it yourself."
Lee Hyun took the letter, and the words written at the very top caught his eye.
「By order of the Outer Gate Affairs Hall on the main peak, outer disciple Lee Hyun is hereby appointed field caretaker of Withering Yin Field No. 8 on Medicinal Field Peak...」
Below that, it even stated that Lee Hyun cultivated the Primordial One-Qi Art and had reached Qi Refining Stage 2.
'Withering Yin Field?'
He had never heard the name before.
Being entrusted with a new spirit field was practically a promotion. Until now, Lee Hyun had merely been an assistant caretaker helping Lu Baishan. If he became the field caretaker of his own spirit field, there was a good chance the contribution points he received each month would increase as well.
But Lu Baishan's reaction was strange. He did not merely look like someone upset at losing a Junior Brother who helped lighten his workload.
"So the inevitable has finally happened."
"Is there something wrong with Withering Yin Field?"
Lu Baishan looked at Lee Hyun sympathetically.
"Do you remember me cursing Steward Wang when you first said you'd learned the Primordial One-Qi Art?"
"I... don't."
"Is that so? I suppose I only cursed him in my head."
Lee Hyun waited for Lu Baishan to continue.
"Withering Yin Field is a special spirit field where yin-aspected spirit herbs and highly poisonous medicinal herbs are grown. It's located in a gloomy valley where sunlight never reaches. As the spirit herbs there grow, they absorb the vitality around them and release foul toxic qi. Because of that, working there for too long eats away at your lifespan and easily damages your body."
Lee Hyun's eyes widened slightly.
'It eats away at your lifespan?'
"Don't tell me... only disciples who cultivate the Primordial One-Qi Art are assigned to Withering Yin Field?"
"For the most part. It's one of Qinghe Valley's less savory customs. Ordinary outer disciples without exceptional talent are rotated through Withering Yin Field. You had a triple spiritual root, didn't you? Your aptitude isn't bad, but you're older than your fellow disciples, so I suppose that's why they chose you."
"Why does cultivating the Primordial One-Qi Art matter?"
"To work in Withering Yin Field, you need to be able to use techniques of several different attributes. For example, you need a wind-aspected technique to breathe safely, and a fire-aspected technique to drive the yin qi out of your body."
Lu Baishan gave a bitter smile.
"The Primordial One-Qi Art is the only cultivation art that lets an outer disciple who has only recently joined the sect use techniques of multiple attributes. There are inner disciples who can handle several attributes without cultivating the Primordial One-Qi Art, thanks to unusual constitutions or exceptional magic tools, but those disciples are valuable talents the sect intends to nurture. They would never send them to Withering Yin Field to lose years of their lives."
"......."
"Don't be too discouraged. I worked in Withering Yin Field when I was young too."
Lee Hyun looked at Lu Baishan's graying hair.
"No disciple is assigned to Withering Yin Field for more than five years. Even if you follow every rule and minimize the damage to your essence, qi and spirit, five years there will still cost you roughly fifteen years of lifespan."
"Fifteen years...."
"In exchange, the spirit stones and contribution points paid each month are three times what an ordinary spirit-plant cultivator receives. You also get one Essence-Nourishing Pill each season, and you can learn the basic techniques you need without spending contribution points. You're essentially trading away your lifespan for resources."
'Selling my lifespan to buy resources... But I don't age anyway, do I?'
Lee Hyun had lived for nearly forty years since his transmigration, yet neither his appearance nor even his bone age had changed. That meant the ordinary passage of time had no effect on him.
But he had no way of knowing whether Withering Yin Field would truly have no effect on him.
'Is my constitution immune even to having my lifespan eroded by toxic qi...?'
He should be able to get some idea after working in Withering Yin Field for just a day. If something happened to his body, he could look for another solution then.
In fact, there would be a problem even if Withering Yin Field's toxic qi did not affect him.
If he worked there for five years without his appearance changing at all, that in itself would become a serious problem.
The other disciples were said to lose fifteen years of lifespan. If he alone did not age in the slightest, wouldn't that look strange to anyone?
If that happened, the sect would check Lee Hyun's bone age again and discover that he did not age. Then Lee Hyun would never be allowed to leave the sect.
But realistically, refusing the sect's order to take up his post at Withering Yin Field was impossible as well. At only Qi Refining Stage 2, he had no idea what price he would pay for defying the sect's command.
'For now, I'd better accept the appointment and see how things go. And I'll have to leave Qinghe Valley before the five years are up.'
It might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise. If he received three times the spirit stones and contribution points, he could obtain the cultivation arts and items he needed much faster.
Lee Hyun composed his expression and answered in a solemn voice.
"If that truly is the sect's will... I will gladly obey."
A trace of guilt and approval flickered through Lu Baishan's eyes.
"Good. Since the compensation is triple the usual amount, it isn't entirely hopeless. If you're lucky, those rewards might even shorten your path to Foundation Establishment."
"I'm really fine."
"That's only because you don't know what awaits you yet. Rest for a while."
Lu Baishan took the letter back from Lee Hyun's hand.
...
Lu Baishan returned from the direction of the main peak, opened his storage pouch, and took out a bundle of manuals.
"I told you that field caretakers of Withering Yin Field receive several benefits. This is one of them."
The covers of the manuals Lu Baishan had taken out were titled 《Cleansing Art》, 《Air-Clearing Art》, 《Breath-Sealing Art》, 《Fire-Kindling Art》, 《Qi Sphere Barrier》, 《Detoxification Art》, 《Poison-Discerning Art》, and 《Faint Light Art》.
They were all thin manuals, but there were eight of them in total.
"Normally, you'd have to spend contribution points to borrow these techniques from the Scripture Pavilion. They're issued for free because they're essential while working in Withering Yin Field."
"Do I have to learn all of them?"
"You won't last long there if you don't."
Lu Baishan opened the manual at the top of the pile.
"The Cleansing Art removes dust and medicinal powder from your body and clothes. They don't give it to you merely for convenience. If even a little poisonous powder from Withering Yin Field remains on your clothes, it can damage your skin overnight."
He picked up the second manual.
"The Air-Clearing Art pushes away foul air and creates breathable air around you for a while. The Breath-Sealing Art is a method of sustaining your body with spiritual power while you stop breathing."
"How long would I be able to hold my breath?"
"At your realm, about half a shichen (about one hour)."
The Fire-Kindling Art was a technique that produced a small flame at the fingertips. It was not powerful enough to use for attacking, but it was useful for dispelling damp yin qi or cooking spirit rice.
The Qi Sphere Barrier was a defensive technique that formed a thin barrier around the body, and disciples working in Withering Yin Field had to use it to keep out toxic qi.
The Detoxification Art was a qi-circulation method that gathered toxic qi that had entered the body into one place before expelling it, while the Poison-Discerning Art was a technique for roughly identifying the nature of poison mixed into water, soil, air, and the like.
"The Faint Light Art must be for use in the dark."
"That's right. Withering Yin Field receives almost no sunlight even at midday. At night, it's so dark you can't see your fingers in front of your face."
Lee Hyun placed the manuals inside his storage pouch.
"Did you learn all these techniques as well, Senior Brother Lu?"
"Of course. Quite a few of these techniques are commonly learned even by cultivators who have never worked in Withering Yin Field. The Cleansing Art in particular is popular with practically every cultivator."
"But there's no way I can learn all eight in a single day."
"For now, inserting a low-grade spirit stone into Withering Yin Field's access token will activate a formation that keeps out the toxic qi, so you shouldn't have any immediate problems. Practice one technique at a time each day inside the living quarters. The Breath-Sealing Art and Air-Clearing Art are simple and useful, so learn those first."
Lu Baishan led Lee Hyun to the hanging scrolls on the wall.
When he lifted one of the scrolls away, several old paintings were revealed behind it. He selected three of them.
"If it's Withering Yin Field No. 8... it's probably growing these three varieties."
The first painting depicted a grotesque flower with ivory-colored petals blooming from a pitch-black stem. A hazy powder floated around the stamens, while its roots were knobby like the joints of an animal's bones.
"This is the Bone-Rot Flower. Its pollen slowly dissolves bone. But once its toxicity is removed and it's refined, it becomes the main ingredient in Bone-Forging Powder. Body refiners use it to temper their bones or heal broken ones."
"A flower that damages bones is used to make medicine that heals them?"
"I don't know enough about alchemy to explain the exact principles myself. But the sect's alchemists often say there's only a fine line between poison and medicine. I suppose they remove the toxicity and leave only the medicinal potency behind."
The second painting showed an orchid with long, broad leaves spreading in every direction. The veins running through the leaves were a deep purple like blood vessels, and strands of purple mist flowed from the flower bud like threads.
"The Purple Poison Orchid is the most troublesome fellow of the three. Most of the mist you'll see in Withering Yin Field comes from these plants. Their leaves and stems constantly release purple toxic qi. When that toxic qi touches the body, it drains vital essence and gradually reduces one's lifespan. However, Purple Venom Extract refined from this toxic qi is indispensable as the main ingredient of Poison-Warding Pills, which increase resistance to poison."
"Can cultivators be poisoned too? I thought poison was something only used in the mundane world."
"Naturally, ordinary poisons from the mundane world can be forced out with spiritual power alone. But who says cultivators can't use poison themselves? They're rare, but there are certainly sects and cultivation systems that specialize in poison. The poisons used by cultivators are incomparably more dangerous than anything found in the mundane world."
The final painting showed a spirit herb whose dark blue-green leaves grew in a circular cluster. The leaves were thin and long, and pale blue droplets of dew clung to each tip. Among the roots exposed above the ground, faint shadows resembling human faces seemed to flicker.
"This is Yin Soul Grass. It's the main ingredient in Spirit-Calming Pills. A Spirit-Calming Pill is a valuable medicine used when a cultivator suffers from a heart demon during cultivation or begins showing signs of qi deviation. On top of that, it has a slight effect on tempering the primordial spirit and divine sense, so it's highly sought after."
"Can I really grow such extraordinary spirit herbs? Just hearing about them makes them sound difficult to cultivate."
"It's the opposite."
Lee Hyun blinked at Lu Baishan's answer.
"Most of the spirit plants in Withering Yin Field are easy to grow. As long as the yin qi is dense and the environment is damp, they'll thrive on their own. Their poison is so strong that most spirit insects avoid them, and they even drain the vitality from the weeds around them, so there's almost never any need to weed."
"Then what does the field caretaker actually do?"
"Check the formation, water them, and harvest them when the time comes. Occasionally, you'll move them around so the spirit plants don't steal each other's vitality. Compared to an ordinary spirit field, it's so easy even a child could do it."
Lu Baishan fell silent for a moment.
"The problem is that people grow old and sick while doing such easy work."
Lee Hyun looked at the Bone-Rot Flower in the painting.
"When do I have to leave?"
"Tomorrow at noon. Someone from the Outer Gate Affairs Hall will come to guide you."
Lu Baishan hesitated before adding,
"Don't get greedy in Withering Yin Field. Just because they give you three times the contribution points doesn't mean you need to do three times the work. If anything at all feels wrong with your body, stop and rest immediately."
"I'll remember that."
"And...."
After considering it for a moment, Lu Baishan sent Lee Hyun a voice transmission.
[The spirit plants grown in Withering Yin Field No. 8 have the characteristics you were looking for before. All three varieties become more valuable the longer they're allowed to mature. If there's still some surplus after you've met the harvest quota set by the sect, leave a portion unharvested and keep growing them. When you eventually leave, secretly set some aside. If you get a chance to visit a cultivator market some distance from the sect, you should be able to sell them for a fair number of spirit stones.]
'...!'
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lu!"
"Enough. Go pack your things."
...
Lee Hyun did not have much to pack.
Once he put his clothes, bedding, and a few small farming tools into his storage pouch, his preparations were quickly finished.
At noon the next day, a man dispatched from the Outer Gate Affairs Hall arrived at Spirit Field No. 73.
His name was Chen Jiuming, and he was an outer disciple at Qi Refining Stage 6.
"Are you Junior Brother Lee Hyun?"
"Yes."
"I'll guide you to Withering Yin Field. It's a long way, so let's leave at once."
Lee Hyun gave Lu Baishan one final farewell.
"Thank you for everything you've taught me."
"You're not going off to die. What's with the final farewell?"
Lu Baishan spoke gruffly.
Lee Hyun bowed deeply to Lu Baishan, then followed Chen Jiuming down the mountain.
After descending an unfamiliar mountain path for quite some time, the forest gradually grew denser.
At first, sunlight filtered through the branches, but the farther they descended into the valley, the more twisted the trees became and the more their leaves turned black. Not even the cries of birds or insects could be heard.
Before long, they reached a dark valley where almost no sunlight penetrated.
The entire valley was blanketed in thick, murky mist faintly tinged with purple.
When Lee Hyun breathed in, the tip of his nose stung and his chest seemed to tighten.
"This is Withering Yin Field."
Chen Jiuming, who had been guiding him, stopped outside the mist and went no farther.
"The field caretaker's living quarters are farther inside. You can get the formation's access token from your predecessor."
"I have to go in alone?"
"I'm not a field caretaker for Withering Yin Field, am I?"
Chen Jiuming looked as though he could not understand why Lee Hyun would ask something so obvious.
Just then, someone staggered out of an old hut deeper in the valley.
"Hah, hah... A replacement... Has my replacement come?"
Lee Hyun could hardly believe his eyes.
More than half the man's hair had gone white, and deep wrinkles were carved into his face. His skin was pallid, and his lips had a faint purple tint.
"I'm saved. Finally, I'm saved...!"
He seized Lee Hyun's hand. His hand was as cold as ice.
"Junior Brother, listen carefully. When you water those cursed Bone-Rot Flowers, never breathe in. If the Purple Poison Orchids turn black, don't go near them. Use the Air-Clearing Art first. If you spend more than two shíchen in the field in a single day, you'll suffer the agony of your bones rotting."
The man pulled a black iron token from inside his clothes and pressed it into Lee Hyun's hand.
"This is the formation's access token. At least the toxic qi doesn't enter the hut. When you're done working, you must return inside, cleanse yourself with the Cleansing Art, and use the Detoxification Art three times!"
"Senior Brother, how many years have you worked here?"
"Four years and eleven months."
Tears welled at the corners of the man's eyes.
"They said they'd give me extra contribution points if I lasted one more month, so I tried to hold out, but I just can't do it anymore. What good are contribution points if I don't live to use them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he returned to the hut, grabbed his bundle of belongings, and came back out.
Chen Jiuming spoke.
"Junior Brother Wen, the handover...."
"I wrote everything down in the ledger on the table inside the hut!"
The man hurried up the mountain path without once looking back.
The sight of him channeling spiritual power into his legs and sprinting away showed just how desperate he was.
Lee Hyun watched his retreating figure and asked,
"Is he quite old?"
"You mean Junior Brother Wen Gang?"
Chen Jiuming tilted his head.
"He should be thirty-six this year."
"......."
"Well then, take care."
Chen Jiuming also hurried away as though fleeing.