What was even more astonishing:
The entire Sect was now filled with peach trees, their branches ablaze with brilliant blossoms, along with vast stretches of unknown red flowers swaying in the wind. From a distance, they looked like clouds of rosy dawn blanketing the ground.
“Gulp.”
The two unconsciously swallowed hard, exchanged a glance, and saw sheer terror reflected in each other’s eyes.
“Ghosts!!!”
They simultaneously let out a shriek, turned tail, and bolted down the mountain. Bu Ranchen ran so frantically that one of his shoes flew off, while Shi Zhouzhou, despite his limp, managed to run fast enough to leave a blurry afterimage.
Shen Ci, who had been harvesting Moon Glow Flowers, suddenly looked up, her voice filled with delight, “Senior Brother!”
She leaped down from the tree and, employing the Cloud Stepping Gait, flew toward the source of the sound.
Just as she reached the mountain gate, she saw Bu Ranchen scrambling to flee in panic, with a chubby little figure trailing behind him.
“Senior Brother!” Shen Ci’s voice called out from behind, but the two only ran faster.
“Wait! It’s A-Ci!”
She stamped her foot in frustration, unfolded the Cloud Stepping Gait, and instantly blocked their path.
Bu Ranchen screeched to a halt, nearly crashing into her, his eyes wide with disbelief: “A-Ci?!”
Shi Zhouzhou peeked out from behind him, half his head visible, “A-Ci? Is this the new junior sister Tao Shijie mentioned, the one who just joined our Sect?”
Bu Ranchen reached out and pinched Shen Ci’s cheek, “It’s warm.”
Shi Zhouzhou also poked her, “Right, right, she’s human.”
Seeing their timid expressions, Shen Ci couldn’t hold back a laugh, “I mean, Senior Brothers, you’re supposed to be cultivators! How can you be afraid of ghosts?”
Shi Zhouzhou emerged from behind Bu Ranchen, “Can you blame us?! Wasn’t our Sect so poor that even the rats moved out? So where did all these…” He pointed at the mountain covered in peach trees and red flowers, “come from?”
Shen Ci blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing, “A-Ci planted them!”
The two followed Shen Ci warily inside, rubbing their eyes with every step: the once-barren fields were now filled with flowers, plants, and trees. Though they weren’t spiritual plants but ordinary flora, they had infused the entire Sect with vibrant life.
The paths were paved with cobblestones, flanked by clusters of unnamed wildflowers. The damaged eaves had been repaired, and wind chimes hung along the corridors.
Shen Ci led them into the backyard.
Bu Ranchen suddenly froze, pointing at the backyard, “When did this stream come back to life?!”
Clear stream water gurgled as it flowed, its surface shimmering with a faint golden glow, and both banks were covered in blooming peach blossoms.
Shi Zhouzhou outright jumped, “Holy crap, are those Moon Glow Flowers?!”
Shen Ci twisted the hem of her clothes guiltily, “Well, I just planted a few casually…”
“Casually?!” the two exclaimed in unison.
Bu Ranchen clutched his chest in anguish, “A-Ci, every spiritual plant we ever planted—if we planted one, it died! If we planted ten, eleven would die!”
Shi Zhouzhou rushed to the stream, scooping up water in his hands, “This stream—Tao Yaoyao, Xia Fei, and the others and I tried channeling so many clear streams from outside, but not a single one stayed! They all dried up!”
Shen Ci: “…”
Was her blood really that overpowering?? What should she do? How could she explain? This was urgent.
She blinked, forcing out a dry laugh, “Maybe, perhaps, probably, I’m just really experienced.”
“In the past, A-Ci specialized in planting things!”
“An-ce-stor—!”
Shi Zhouzhou threw himself forward, hugging Shen Ci’s leg, and tearfully said to Bu Ranchen, “Little Bu, who would’ve thought that despite you being good at nothing and leaving no food uneaten, you actually managed to pick up such a huge treasure for our Sect!”
Bu Ranchen: “??”
He stepped forward and kicked Shi Zhouzhou’s butt, “You fatso, you’re the one who eats everything in sight!”
Shen Ci quickly grabbed his sleeve, looking up with her small face to ask, “Senior Brother, why didn’t Senior Sister come back with you?”
Bu Ranchen crouched down and scooped her up in one motion, casually pinching Shen Ci’s cheek: “Your Senior Sister has been stuck at Qi Refining Great Perfection for a long time now, always unable to break through to Foundation Establishment.”
“So she went to visit a good friend in Suwen to exchange insights.”
Shen Ci’s eyes lit up. Suwen? So the good friend Senior Sister mentioned in a major sect was from Suwen.
Most Suwen disciples were medical cultivators, residing in Medicine King Valley. Though not comparable to the Five Great Sects, they had deep foundations. Most importantly: no cultivator from any sect would make an enemy of Suwen.
After all, who could guarantee they’d never get wounded in their lifetime?
“But…”
Bu Ranchen hesitated, then put Shen Ci down and slumped onto the stone steps beside Shi Zhouzhou. Both looked dejected, like two salted fish wilted by the sun.
Shen Ci stepped forward and crouched in front of them, “Senior Brothers, what’s wrong?”
Shi Zhouzhou smiled bitterly: “Little Junior Sister, you don’t know – it’s not just your Tao Shijie, but all of us…”
“Little Bu Senior Brother and I have been stuck at mid Qi Refining for six years, Xia Fei for five years, and the eldest senior brother has it worst – ten years at Qi Refining Great Perfection.”
Bu Ranchen fell backward onto the ground, “Little one, we feel terrible about always being away from home, leaving you alone in the sect.”
“Besides needing to earn money and gather Spiritual Qi, we’re mainly traveling around seeking opportunities for breakthrough… sigh…”
He let out a long sigh, “Several times I’ve felt Spiritual Qi stirring, but just can’t break through.”
Shi Zhouzhou also sprawled out like a starfish, gazing at the flowing clouds and murmuring: “Who isn’t? Maybe we really lack enlightenment.”
What exactly are we missing???
In cultivating immortality, both talent and effort are indispensable. Without sufficient comprehension, even Foundation Establishment is difficult.
Shen Ci furrowed her brows tightly. This was the suffering of minor sect cultivators – no Spiritual Qi, no resources, not even proper guidance from a master.
Seeing Shen Ci’s deeply worried expression, Shi Zhouzhou sat up, wanting to change the subject.
He suddenly leaned in, pointing at the cluster of vibrant red flowers by the stream: “Little Junior Sister, what are these flowers called? This senior brother has traveled everywhere but never seen them before.”
The petals layered upon layers, bright as morning clouds, carrying a fresh, sweet fragrance.
Shen Ci paused for a moment, then came back to herself, smiling until her eyes curved: “These are called roses… A-Ci figured them out herself!”
She didn’t dare say she’d brought them out from the jade pendant space to plant.
Speaking of which, just who created this jade pendant?
Everything in the attic – milk tea recipes, hot pot base, rose ice jelly… all things unheard of in the Cultivation World.
Shi Zhouzhou’s eyes shone as he stared at the rose cluster, unable to resist poking a petal: “Little Junior Sister is amazing! These flowers are even more beautiful than Danxia Valley’s spiritual peonies!”
Bu Ranchen looked around the completely renewed sect, both touched and heartbroken. He said softly: “A-Ci must have worked very hard on this.”
He glanced at the little girl again—still so thin and small—and pinched her nose. “Your senior brother gave you Spirit Crystals so you could feed yourself until you’re plump and healthy, not so you could buy so many things and wear yourself out.”
Shen Ci laughed and reached out to pinch him back. “A-Ci eats her fill every day! Brother Xiao always gives me extra snacks too!”
The two spoke in unison: “Brother Xiao?”