Chapter 20

Zhao Ying's bright eyes widened: "Eternal youth? Bullshit!"

Chu Li smiled and said, "The seeds the young miss brought, they won't be wrong. How do you feel?"

"Such a precious thing..." Zhao Ying hesitated, feeling uneasy, and glared at Chu Li, "You're too wicked!"

When Chu Li said this, she suddenly remembered. No matter how little she read, as a woman, she had heard of the legend of the Tanmeng Flower.

When the female guards chatted together, they would talk about the Tanmeng Flower, all dreaming of how wonderful it would be if they could encounter such a rare flower.

They all knew it was a dream, impossible to realize. Not only was the Tanmeng Flower almost extinct, but even if there were any, it wouldn't be their turn.

She never thought she would actually eat the Tanmeng Flower today. She was just a small guard, how could she have the qualifications to eat it!

Chu Li sheathed his sword and came to her: "What, you don't think you deserve it?"

"Of course not!" Zhao Ying nodded vigorously.

She knew her own worth. Her looks were passable, but there were many beauties in the world, and the Guogong Mansion had plenty. Moreover, her beauty wasn't top-notch, and she couldn't compare to many women in the mansion.

For a guard, talent was the most important thing. Martial arts were the fundamental value, and her martial arts were weak, making her the lowest-ranking guard. Her beauty wouldn't change that.

Chu Li shook his head and laughed, "You deserve it!"

Zhao Ying glared at him and huffed, "How did you get the Tanmeng Flower?"

"Planted it for the young miss."

"But there's a limit, right? Misusing public resources is troublesome. The third young miss is fair and strict, she won't forgive you!"

The rules of the Guogong Mansion were strict, and once violated, the punishment was severe. She didn't want Chu Li to be punished because of this.

"Don't worry, the young miss gave me one."

"Really?" Zhao Ying sighed in relief.

"Don't overthink it. The Tanmeng Flower also enhances your martial arts skills. Hurry up and practice!"

"...Okay." Zhao Ying bit her lower lip and turned to leave.

She felt pressured. Chu Li had given her too much, and she had nothing to repay him with.

She understood Chu Li's intentions, but feelings were different. She couldn't force herself. She liked Chu Li, but not to the point of throwing everything away. She just liked being by his side, without the intense impulse of a moth drawn to a flame.

Chu Li watched her graceful back and shook his head. He was too eager and needed to take a step back. Pushing too hard would be counterproductive.

---

Time flew by, and a month passed quickly.

Chu Li's cultivation progressed rapidly. He completely broke through the thirty-six acupoints, reaching the peak of the acquired stage, and then smoothly advanced to the innate stage, where his internal energy could be transmitted externally.

He soon understood the reason: it was due to the Kuru Jing. He could already exchange spiritual energy with flowers and plants, similar to externalizing internal energy, which was an innate ability. However, it was limited to flowers and plants. After breaking through the thirty-six acupoints, this ability expanded to the entire world.

At the innate stage, the Kuru Jing became even more powerful.

Not only did it extend to two hundred meters, but he could connect with plants and grass without standing on the ground. More importantly, he could now transfer the spiritual energy of plants and grass to others.

This meant that within two hundred meters, his internal energy could attack others, making it impossible to defend against!

If the Kuru Jing were to upgrade further, allowing him to control a distance of a thousand meters, he would truly be invincible. He could suddenly attack someone while they were practicing, causing them to go into a state of madness!

Thinking of this, he felt a surge of excitement. What a wonderful Kuru Jing!

The innate stage also boosted his mental energy, allowing his Great Round Mirror Wisdom to cover a three-mile radius, where everything within three miles was thoroughly illuminated.

Zhao Ying also made rapid progress in this month, breaking through thirty acupoints and firmly reaching the eighth rank. She even had confidence in reaching the seventh rank. She felt that in another half month, she could reach the peak of the acquired stage!

This was partly due to the Tongjin Grass and the effects of the Tanmeng Flower, which enhanced her martial arts skills and strengthened her meridians. She felt that her current talent was two levels higher than Zhuo Feiyang's, ensuring her entry into the innate stage.

One morning, Chu Li harvested all the Immortal Whiskers.

The Immortal Whiskers looked like green grass, slightly finer and longer, and felt more resilient to the touch. A closer look would reveal their uniqueness, but who would pay attention to grass, let alone think it was Immortal Whiskers?

"Little sister, our task is over." Chu Li and Zhao Ying packed the grass into burlap bags and smiled, "We can go back."

Zhao Ying wiped the sweat from her forehead, nodded lightly, and looked around.

The two wooden houses were about ten meters apart. Although they had only lived there for a month, she felt at home. It was very quiet and comfortable.

"Alright, go wash up. We're leaving today." Chu Li smiled.

Zhao Ying asked, "How do we transport it back?"

She looked at the twenty burlap bags and realized they would need to hire two carts, never expecting the Immortal Whiskers to yield so much.

Chu Li shook his head and smiled, "Just leave them here. We don't need to worry about it."

"Leave them here?" Zhao Ying was surprised.

Chu Li smiled, "Someone will come to collect them. We don't need to worry about the rest. We'll leave after breakfast."

"...Okay." Zhao Ying nodded, tilting her head and smiling, "Brother, are you really sure?"

Chu Li laughed, "I trust the young miss. There won't be any problems."

"After a month of hard work, what if something goes wrong? Should we wait here and see who comes before we leave?" Zhao Ying asked, unwillingly.

She had seen how hard Chu Li worked, carefully tending to the plants, weeding, fertilizing, and watering them, never leaving the field, even at night.

She didn't know that Chu Li was using the Immortal Whiskers to cultivate, thinking he was just being cautious, afraid of wild animals trampling the plants.

Chu Li smiled.

Seeing that he was determined, Zhao Ying reluctantly prepared the meal. After eating, the two of them rode out of the valley.

Zhao Ying kept looking back, hoping to see who entered the valley.

Chu Li whipped his horse and galloped away. Soon, the valley was out of sight. Zhao Ying gave him a reluctant look, sighed, and followed.

They hadn't gone far when a hundred cavalrymen galloped towards them, their momentum like a tiger's. They maintained formation even while galloping, clearly a well-trained unit.

There were a hundred men and two hundred horses, each man riding two horses. They were covered in dust, exuding a fierce aura, and rode silently.

Upon reaching the valley, a dozen cavalrymen entered, while the rest formed a defensive formation, their eyes sharp and cold, seemingly indifferent to all life.

Soon, a cavalryman emerged from the valley and led in more cavalrymen, each carrying two burlap bags.

The twenty burlap bags were tied to twenty horses, and the hundred cavalrymen galloped away, their hooves thundering, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving only hoof prints behind.