Supreme Emperor of Mist

"Good morning, fellow disciple Qin." Li Wei's energetic look was the first thing Qin Lan could see as he came out from the spiritual cave. From his observation, Qin Lan is convinced that the Essence Transformation Pill will be widely accepted.

(It will be a good idea to start preparing for the unexpected... But the question is... Should I approach Luo Yiren as Pharmacist Lu or my current identity as Qin Lan?)

With most of the work is done yesterday, all Qin Lan would have to do is tending the plants as he sees fit. The Emerald Transformation Spiritual Grass needs at least two weeks to reach the maturity required for refining the Essence Transformation Pill.

But to reach the point where a daughter plant grows, it would take no less than a month. This is also why Qin Chan responded when Qin Lan talked about running a Spiritual Herb farm. As the Spiritual Energy surrounding them was insufficient, running a farm can hardly bring them a considerable profit.

Of course, this is the same analogy of "to say grapes are sour when you can't eat them." A Spiritual Herb would only have value when there's someone capable of appreciating them.

Perhaps outside of the Yunshan Province, Spiritual Herb Farm is as abundant as the number of humans due to the sum of profit its capable of bringing.

It might seem like a bottomless pit to the others, but not Qin Lan. As a person with a lifetime of experience before this, Qin Lan was accustomed to it. What he could see is more than mere benefits.

Furthermore, there's a reason Spiritual Herb was categorized differently from Common and Medicinal Herbs.

A Spiritual Herb is capable of accelerating its growth according to the Spiritual Energy surrounding them. Just like the law of the jungle and Cultivation World, only the strong can survive.

"Why... Why are you here!" Li Wei's loud voice can be heard even from afar as he yelled at some uninvited visitor.

"What do you mean why I am here? Why are you here?" Li Shixin pointed back at Li Wei.

"Is there anything wrong?" the interesting situation caught Qin Lan's interest as he appeared near them in a flash using the Thousand Miles Travel in a Step technique.

"Fellow disciple Qin, this is my stupid little brother, Li Shixin. He's a member of Min-Ren Dwelling." Li Wei introduced Li Shixin to Qin Lan because he was supposed to be a chosen candidate of Li Wei to receive the jade slip.

But last night, Li Shixin rejected Li Wei's request flatly because he said he's still in the middle of completing his task.

"Qin? Are you the younger brother of senior sister Qin Fan and Qin Chan?" Li Shixin asked.

"That's me." Qin Lan nodded.

"How coincident..." Li Shixin laughed.

Who could have imagined that Li Wei was, in fact, the older brother of Li Shixin? Furthermore, they happened to be pushing away one another to favor the request from the same person.

The three of them chatted for a while to clear the misunderstanding that was built yesterday. Li Shixin's attitude was similar to Li Wei. From this point alone, it obtained Qin Lan's approval highly.

(I can't wait but see their parents. To groom two thoughtful offsprings like them is not an easy task if it is according to how harsh has this era has become...)

Qin Lan finished the cup of tea in his hand as he pondered about this topic. And as Qin Lan was getting ready to tends the remaining plants, Li Shixin's curiosity made him kept Qin Lan around to answer one more question.

"Fellow disciple Qin, what kind of herbs are planted on the farm?" he said.

"The two columns closest to the spiritual cave is a type of herb known as Emerald Transformation Spirit Grass. As for the others, I've planted them with the seed of Rock Lotus Fruit." Qin Lan's reply made the brother questioned the plant's identity in the early sentence and flowing with cold sweat at the end.

"Rock... Lotus... Fruit... You said... Fellow disciple Qin?" even Li Wei finds it hard to believe what he just heard.

"Yes. Rock Lotus Fruit." Qin Lan smiled and went back to where he stops earlier.

"Big brother, are you sure..." Li Shixin grabbed his older brother's shoulder and asked.

"Just have faith in him. Faith... That's the most important thing for us now!" Li Wei stuttered. But he managed to finish his sentence nevertheless.

...

...

Qin Lan chuckled on his own as he remembered the brother's expression earlier when he mentioned the Rock Lotus Fruit. It was not like he has no recollection of when he's still a child in the Qin Family Manor.

In fact, the plant wasn't rare at all. There was too much of it, actually, to the point it was treated as a nuisance.

It was labeled as the most worthless Spiritual Herb once upon a time. Growing from seed to maturity in the gap of two days, it only takes the plant three days to start bearing an olive-like fruit with an overwhelming sweetness.

The tenacity of this fruit is also unbelievably mind-boggling. A fully grown Rock Lotus Fruit Plant could literally bear fruit forever. Even if the plant is uprooted, it can survive as long as a third of the root still remains near suitable soil.

What was bothering the brothers was the Rock Lotus Fruit, which holds little to no worth to cultivation at all. Although it was a Spiritual Herb, the content of energy inside the fruit is almost non-existent, which is about a tenth of what a Flesh Foundation Pill has.

It was common once, to the point the fruits were littered on the street and crushed under people's shoes when walking past. Today, there's no longer anyone remembered the contribution of this Spiritual Herb once upon a time.

This Spiritual Herb is, in fact, the real reason that the Spiritual Energy gathered around them, providing them with an inexhaustible supply daily without complaining about how it was treated.

(Even if everyone had forgotten what you've once done for mankind, I won't forget. A legacy may be lost in the corrosion of time, but not what you've done)

Qin Lan gently rubbed his finger around the single blade of grass of the Spiritual Herb and injected it with a hint of warm Spiritual Energy. And like it was sentient, the plant seems to be reacting with Qin Lan's Spiritual Energy by showing a bulb growing in between the leaves.

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Note: The Rock Lotus Fruit was a tribute to Shennong, also known as Grain Emperor in Chinese folk stories. It was said that he used his body to test the medicine. He was also the one to introduce farming to mankind. Hence, I believe that it will be disrespectful for me to leave him out of the credits.

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