Watching the Mountain

Chapter 8: Chapter 6: Have You Ever Experienced Life and Death?

After thinking for a moment about the elixir Ye Shan had given him, Xu Ran felt that a mere Qi Cultivation Stage disciple like himself holding a Fourth Grade elixir could attract disaster.

The main reason was that Ye Shan didn’t seem like someone who could keep things to himself. He would probably turn right around and broadcast the fact that he’d given him the elixir.

’If that happens, Ye Shan might not care, but what about everyone else? For someone like me, who isn’t even an Official Disciple, to accept it outright... wouldn’t that be a bit reckless?’

So, Xu Ran sought out Yue Qingyu to tell her about the elixir.

Dressed in white, Yue Qingyu was sitting upright on a stone bench in a pavilion. She tilted her head, gazing at the lotuses in the lake. A gentle breeze swept by, lifting her long hair and obscuring half her face.

Yue Qingyu was quite surprised by Xu Ran’s arrival; after all, it was the first time he had taken the initiative to seek her out since joining the Sect.

After hearing Xu Ran’s account, Yue Qingyu nodded slightly and spoke softly:

”Since he gave it to you, just accept it.”

”Is that really okay?”

Yue Qingyu raised a fair, delicate hand and waved it gently, saying:

”Yes. This isn’t the first time Junior Brother Ye Shan has done something like this.”

”Huh?” Xu Ran was taken aback.

”To press ever forward, to draw the sword without regret, to leave no path behind—this is Junior Brother Ye Shan’s Dao. Do you understand now?”

Hearing this, Xu Ran’s expression turned solemn. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration for Ye Shan’s spirit. He nodded and replied, ”I understand.”

Yue Qingyu nodded gently and added, ”And you don’t need to worry that others will take issue. No one dares to covet anything given by Junior Brother Ye Shan.”

Hearing this, Xu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could set his mind at ease.

Since the matter was resolved, Xu Ran was about to bid Yue Qingyu farewell, but just then, Yue Qingyu turned her head slightly, looked at him, and asked faintly:

”Besides the matter of the elixir, what else did Junior Brother Ye Shan say?”

Xu Ran paused, slightly taken aback. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded and replied, ”He also mentioned your arrangements for my entry into the Sect.”

He didn’t hide anything and directly recounted what Ye Shan had told him.

Yue Qingyu nodded lightly. Then, looking him in the eye, she asked, ”What are your thoughts on it?”

With a composed expression, Xu Ran replied, ”I can only dedicate myself to my cultivation and strive not to fail your great kindness, Senior Sister.”

A flash of surprise appeared in Yue Qingyu’s eyes. She then gave a faint smile and said, ”In that case, I will wait for you, Junior Brother, to achieve Foundation Establishment Success and catch a glimpse of the Great Dao.”

Xu Ran performed a salute. ”I’m grateful for your auspicious words, Senior Sister. I will do my utmost in my cultivation.”

Yue Qingyu smiled and nodded, gesturing with a wave of her hand. Seeing this, Xu Ran said his farewells and turned to leave.

After leaving Yue Qingyu’s Cave Mansion, Xu Ran let out a long sigh of relief.

He had appeared calm just moments before, but inside, a fire was stirring. It wasn’t anger, but a desire to vindicate Yue Qingyu.

Ye Shan had said before that the Sect would not send him on any combat missions. Even if the Sect were on the verge of being overrun, he would be the last one sent to fight.

This meant that as far as the Sect was concerned, his role was simply to live out his retirement by relying on his connection with Yue Qingyu.

He wasn’t displeased by this. Strictly speaking, it was the truth.

He could ignore his own feelings, but this would tarnish Yue Qingyu’s reputation. Others would think she had poor judgment for recommending an old man to join the Sect just to retire.

He felt that since he had received Yue Qingyu’s grace, the least he could do was vindicate her. He set a small goal for himself: become an Official Disciple through his own efforts. At the very least, he had to show the Sect that he wasn’t completely useless.

The Foundation Establishment Stage was still too far off for him. Right now, he couldn’t even see the path to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

And while breaking through to Foundation Establishment would make him an Official Disciple, in the eyes of others, he had consumed a Longevity Fruit, so his lifespan was already longer than most.

Given his longer lifespan, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage would be expected. That wouldn’t be enough to vindicate Yue Qingyu. In fact, if he failed to break through, it would only make her a laughingstock.

Therefore, he had to find some other way to make the Sect acknowledge him.

As for what to do specifically, he had no idea yet. But he felt he should start with the vast Spirit Fields and the Spirit Medicine Garden of Spirit Stream Peak.

Previously, Xu Ran, aside from his daily tasks and cultivation, was basically unconcerned with anything else.

However, starting from that day, in his free time outside of his tasks and cultivation, he began to wander through the Spirit Fields and the Spirit Medicine Garden, inspecting them carefully. He also grew more diligent in studying the fundamental knowledge of Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicines.

Then one day, as the Spirit Rice in the Spirit Field was nearing maturity, he watched some insects gnawing on the grains. A thought suddenly struck him, and an idea took shape in his mind.

The Cultivation Realm also had locust plagues. It was just that the locusts here were called ”Lingxi Insects,” and they were classified as Demon Beasts.

Normally, the Sect arranged for numerous disciples to handle pest control in the Spirit Fields and Spirit Medicine Gardens. Under normal circumstances, the pests could usually be completely cleared out. The impact on the crops was minimal, and any damage was kept within a manageable scope.

But once a locust plague broke out, the impact would still be immense.

Places like the Spirit Fields and Spirit Medicine Gardens were not suitable for setting up large-scale Protective Arrays. This was because the larger the Array, the greater its impact on the Earth Vein Qi. They could usually only rely on manpower to combat the infestations. Besides, since most infestations originated from within the Spirit Fields, setting up an Array wouldn’t be of much use anyway.