“Frostfall Grass?”
That afternoon, the sunlight was warm. Song Yifan’s injuries had already mostly healed, and, unable to stand idling, he had gotten out of bed to tend the medicinal garden in the back courtyard. Hearing this, he froze for a moment. “This kind of herb is extremely precious and not common. What do you want it for?”
Shen Budu: “To open up my meridians.”
Although he still had no thoughts of making a comeback, after the incident with the Mad Wolf Gang a few days earlier, Shen Budu suddenly could no longer go on being a salted fish with a clear conscience.
First, the Zhenshan Sect had done him a kindness, and he couldn’t bring himself to stand by indifferently while they fell into trouble. Besides, although Shen Budu was not like many powerful cultivators who looked down on the weak with contempt, he had stood at the peak for so many years, and for most of that time he had borne the role of protector. He truly could not tolerate the words “powerless” being applied to himself.
Letting a few half-grown kids stand in front of him to protect him, what kind of way was that?
He had to recover part of his cultivation as soon as possible.
“Open up your meridians?” After the shock, Song Yifan was delighted. “Could it be that you have a method to open up the meridians?”
Shen Budu smiled. “That’s right.”
There was a kind of pill called the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, which had the effect of reshaping the meridians and could let those with congenital deficiencies set foot on the path of cultivation. Although this pill was precious, it wasn’t very rare in the Upper Spirit Realm. The Tianya Canghai Sect even used Marrow-Cleansing Pills as mission rewards, helping disciples wash the sinews and purge the marrow to improve their aptitude.
But the pill that Shen Budu once hadn’t cared about at all was now hard to obtain in the Northern Wastes. Even if there were a place that sold it, he had no money to buy it, so it would be easier to just refine one himself. The recipe for the Marrow-Cleansing Pill required thirteen kinds of herbs. Twelve of them were fairly common, and only the Frostfall Grass was relatively rare.
After thinking for a moment, Song Yifan said, “I don’t have any Frostfall Grass here, but the mountains east of Yeyun Mountain grow a lot of wild herbs. Perhaps there will be some there.”
He took this matter more to heart than his own. He immediately called over everyone in the sect except Zhongbo, explained the situation, described the appearance of Frostfall Grass to everyone, and had them split up to help look for it. Yeyun Mountain was so vast that Shen Budu, with such a frail body, would have had no idea how many years it would take him to find it alone. So he didn’t stand on ceremony with the others, and only recorded the favor in his heart.
“Sanbao is going too?” Shen Budu asked, unable to help raising an eyebrow, when he saw that even Ruan Ruan had strapped on a little back basket and looked eager to go, all geared up.
“Don’t underestimate him.” Song Yifan said with a chuckle, winking at him. “Just let Sanbao go with you. Maybe there will be a surprise.”
Shen Budu looked at him thoughtfully, took Ruan Ruan’s small hand, and split off from the others into the eastern mountain range of Yeyun Mountain.
This stretch of mountains had no inhabitants, and because no one had tended it for years, all kinds of plants and flowers grew almost half a person tall. Seeing that Ruan Ruan was nearly buried by the grass leaves, Shen Budu reached out, took off his back basket and carried it himself, and picked him up with his other hand.
Ruan Ruan, happy to slack off from walking, stayed in his arms beaming, his little head turning this way and that. He stretched out a short finger pointing in one direction. “Dudu, let’s go look over there.”
For some reason, this little guy didn’t like calling him older brother, and loved calling him “Dudu” at every turn. Shen Budu had corrected him several times without success, and simply let him be.
He hadn’t found any Frostfall Grass in this area earlier, so he simply followed Ruan Ruan’s words and walked in the direction he pointed.
Ruan Ruan, swaying his head, continued directing. “Dudu, a little bit further ahead.”
Shen Budu obediently walked forward.
Ruan Ruan, full of airs: “Mm… go right again!”
Shen Budu went right.
Ruan Ruan pressed on. “Further forward!”
Shen Budu went further forward.
Then the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he tumbled with Ruan Ruan in his arms into a pit.
Shen Budu: “…”
Song Yifan, is this the “surprise” you spoke of earlier??
Although he had no cultivation, his reaction speed was still there. In the instant of falling, Shen Budu threw away the basket and held Ruan Ruan firmly in his arms. Fortunately, the pit wasn’t very deep, and the two of them only took a tumble and weren’t hurt. Only then did Shen Budu breathe a sigh of relief, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at the same time.
Earlier, he had noticed that Ruan Ruan’s identity was unusual, and seeing Song Yifan keep playing coy, he had truly thought the child had some special ability. That was why he had followed his words, winding left and right to find his way here. Who would have thought he would be led straight into a ditch.
He patted the dirt off the hem of his clothes and stood up, just thinking about how to climb out, when Ruan Ruan reached out and tugged at his hem, saying softly, “Dudu, look, there seems to be something over there.”
Shen Budu looked up, slightly surprised.
Not far ahead, a person lay on the ground.
He put Ruan Ruan down and signaled him to stay put, then walked up himself to look. He found an unconscious, unfamiliar youth on the ground, his clothes ragged and tattered and his body covered in tiny wounds. In front of him was an overturned back basket, with herbs of all sorts scattered across the ground. Among them one cluster was especially conspicuous, faintly emitting a silver-frost glow in the dimness.
It was precisely Frostfall Grass.
Shen Budu: “…”
He looked back at Ruan Ruan with a strange expression, but Ruan Ruan mistakenly thought he was calling him, and immediately ran over on his little short legs. Seeing the unconscious youth, he exclaimed “Ah!” in surprise. “What’s wrong with him!”
“He probably fell from outside and was knocked unconscious.” Shen Budu felt the youth’s breath, confirmed that he was still alive, and turned to ask Ruan Ruan, “Do you have anything like a signal on you?”
“Yes!” Ruan Ruan said, took a deep breath, then pursed his lips.
Shen Budu: “?”
A rare look of bewilderment appeared on his face. He watched helplessly as Ruan Ruan spat a transparent bubble out of his mouth. The bubble rose higher and higher, flew higher and higher, until it floated out of the pit and into the sky, then burst lightly, diffusing a riot of colors.
Shen Budu: “…”
Ruan Ruan looked at Shen Budu, bashfully pinching his hem. “Dudu, I didn’t scare you, did I? I’ll tell you a secret, but don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“I’m actually not human.” Ruan Ruan signaled Shen Budu to crouch down, and whispered by his ear. “I’m a koi spirit.”
Shen Budu understood.
No wonder Song Yifan had had Ruan Ruan accompany him to look for herbs. Koi symbolized good fortune, and a koi spirit that had taken human form had an especially special constitution, with a great chance of bringing good luck to the people around it, and even of fulfilling people’s wishes.
That the Zhenshan Sect had been able to survive so peacefully for so many years was surely greatly related to this treasure that guarded the sect.
But…
“Don’t casually reveal your identity to others. Didn’t Song Yifan and the others warn you?” Shen Budu frowned slightly and pinched his fingers as he asked.
The world was greedy. Cultivation techniques and treasured artifacts could be fought over until heads were broken and blood flowed, let alone a living great treasure that could fulfill wishes.
Should it fall into the hands of villains, Ruan Ruan’s fate would be unimaginable.
“I know.” Ruan Ruan said naturally. “But you’re not other people.”
Shen Budu was momentarily speechless.
“Only everyone in the sect knows my identity!” Ruan Ruan lifted his arms and hugged Shen Budu’s neck, saying with a beaming smile. “Now Dudu is also a person of the sect, so of course I have to tell you!”
The child’s soft little body carried a faint milky fragrance, and it gently bumped against the depths of Shen Budu’s heart.
A child’s heart was simple, and he spoke without so many twists and turns, and for that reason his words were all the more precious.
Shen Budu didn’t speak. He only lifted a hand and gently ruffled the child’s hair.
Everyone was clearly very familiar with Ruan Ruan’s bubble signal. In less than a quarter of an hour, they all rushed over together and used vines to pull the three of them out of the pit.
Thus, following Shen Budu, the Zhenshan Sect had picked up another person.
The youth looked to be about twelve or thirteen. His clothes were dirty and torn, and his face was pitch black with grime, so that his original features were almost impossible to make out. He woke up soon, and on seeing the strangers around him, he showed no fearful expression, though he was clearly tense and constrained. He shrank his thin body further back into the bed and hugged his knees with his bony forearms.
Song Yifan had gained experience from picking up people, and he was also the most amiable-looking of this group, so he handed the youth a cup of water and said gently, “Don’t be afraid, we have no ill intent. Did you go up the mountain to gather herbs alone? Is there an adult with you?”
The youth hesitated for a moment, took the water, and shook his head lightly.
Song Yifan’s voice grew even gentler. “Then where is your home? Let me treat your wounds first, and you can rest well for a while, and then we’ll send you home.”
As he spoke, he reached out to roll up the youth’s trouser leg, wanting to help him deal with his swollen ankle.
The youth, however, shrank back and reached out to grip his trouser leg tightly.
Song Yifan thought he was just shy and bashful, and comforted him with a smile. “Don’t be afraid, I’m just going to take a look.”
He used some strength to lift the youth’s trouser leg, but the next instant his expression changed.
The youth’s ankle had indeed swollen into a lump, already faintly purple. But what drew the eye most were the terrifying whip marks crisscrossing the thin calf.
Now not only Song Yifan but everyone else was shocked. Nie Weiyu couldn’t help raising her voice. “What happened? Did someone beat you!?”
The youth pressed his lips tight and said not a word.
Li Xingyu also frowned and said, “Don’t be afraid. If you have difficulties, you can say them. Perhaps we can help you!”
After a moment of silence, the youth finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
It turned out he was an orphan, with no fixed abode since childhood, and had been sold from one place to another all along. The household he served now treated him extremely badly. Not only did they deprive him of clothes and food, they beat and scolded him at every turn, making him do all sorts of dirty and exhausting chores day and night. This trip to Yeyun Mountain to gather herbs was no different. Because he wasn’t familiar with the terrain, he had gotten lost, and with his strength failing, he had accidentally fallen into the hole. If he hadn’t run into Shen Budu and the others, he would probably have been in grave danger.
Hearing this, everyone felt rather indignant. By comparison, the youth’s expression was calm, as if he had long been accustomed to such treatment. “Thank you all for your help. I have nothing else on me, only these herbs. I hope you won’t mind.”
He handed the herb basket to Song Yifan, then made as if to get off the bed.
Song Yifan hurriedly stopped him. “Where are you going? You’re still injured…”
“I should go back,” the youth said in a low voice. “If I return late, my master will beat me again.”
Hearing that, Nie Weiyu was immediately anxious. “A scoundrel household like that, why would you go back to serve them!? Don’t go, just stay here!”
“That household is truly detestable, actually having the heart to beat a child this young so savagely!” Song Yifan said furiously, patting the youth’s shoulder. “That’s right, if you have nowhere to go, you can absolutely stay with us!”
Ruan Ruan, at the side, nodded his little head hard. “Don’t worry, we’re all good people! We definitely won’t bully you!”
Shen Budu: “…”
This conversation, this scene, seemed to have a tiny bit of familiarity.
The youth apparently hadn’t expected this group to be so kind and warm-hearted. His expression stirred, yet he was hesitant. “But…”
“You needn’t have any misgivings. Our sect doesn’t have many people, so one more mouth to feed is no problem at all,” Li Xingyu said with a smile. “Just stay.”
The youth looked at everyone and, after a moment of silence, made as if to get off the bed, wanting to kowtow to thank them. Everyone hurriedly reached out to stop him. Li Xingyu said, “Since you’ve joined the sect, you’re my junior brother now. There’s no need to be so polite.”
Nie Weiyu also nodded and asked, “We still don’t know your name?”
The youth said softly, “My surname is Xie, and my given name is Yun. I am Xie Yun.”
Shen Budu, standing nearby, heard this surname, and the corner of his eye involuntarily twitched lightly.
As luck would have it, the youth called Xie Yun raised his eyes at that very moment and silently looked over toward him.