Chapter 6

Chu Li said, "Zhuo Feiyang, are you still not going to admit defeat?"

Zhao Ying hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Zhuo!"

Zhuo Feiyang glared at Chu Li, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy. Disbelief, unwillingness, and anger intertwined, churning in his heart.

Chu Li shook his head and smiled.

Zhao Ying softly said, "Senior Brother Zhuo!"

Zhuo Feiyang turned to look at her, and finally spat out three words with hatred: "I admit defeat!"

"Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap!" He slapped himself six times in one breath, his handsome face covered with dense red marks.

Chu Li shook his head and laughed, "Winning and losing are common in battles; why go to such lengths?"

"You..." Zhuo Feiyang's eyes seemed to spout fire.

"Senior Brother Chu, you should talk less!" Zhao Ying scolded.

"Forget it, talking won't help!" Chu Li waved his hand, "Go back and practice hard. Don't take flattery seriously and foolishly think you're a genius!"

"Today's lesson will be repaid!" Zhuo Feiyang gritted his teeth and said this, then turned and left.

Zhao Ying pouted, "Senior Brother Chu, you're being too harsh!"

Chu Li shook his head and smiled, "Junior Sister Zhao, he has a thick skin; he's not that fragile!"

"I'll bring the Moonlight Orchid right away!" Zhao Ying huffed, stomped her foot, and turned to leave.

Watching the three of them leave in a boat, Li Yue laughed out loud, but Chu Li swayed and quickly supported himself with his sword, his face turning even paler.

"Brother?" Li Yue tried to help, but Chu Li stopped him with a gesture.

"It's not that serious, just overexerted."

"Then sit down quickly." Li Yue said hurriedly.

Chu Li slowly returned to the Green Mulberry flower bed, touched a Green Mulberry flower, and a surge of spiritual energy immediately flowed in. His spirits lifted, and he practiced the Eternal Spring Technique twice, feeling even more energetic, all fatigue gone.

The Eternal Spring Technique was a new cultivation method he had learned, a Daoist technique for circulating inner energy, a method for refining one's nature and extending life, using the essence of grains to expel illness and prolong life.

"Clang..." The jade chime sounded, and Li Yue ran out, quickly bringing in the Moonlight Orchid, "Miss Zhao is truly reliable, she brought it so quickly!"

Chu Li looked at the Moonlight Orchid with delight and beckoned.

Li Yue brought it close to him, "Do you want to transplant it?"

Chu Li shook his head.

He touched the Moonlight Orchid with his right hand, and a cool spiritual energy flowed in, circulating through the Small Washing Pulse Technique.

In the following days, he almost always sat beside the Moonlight Orchid, feeling it and exploring its habits and patterns.

It disliked water; dew was enough, and no more watering was needed.

It consumed a lot of nutrients, especially when it glowed at night, and the soil in the pot quickly became barren.

Chu Li eventually dried the lake bottom mud and mixed it with rotten soil to replace the soil in the pot.

The Moonlight Orchid was very uncomfortable with the mud and rotten soil, like a capricious child who would rather starve than eat the food it hated.

Chu Li used the spiritual energy of the Green Mulberry flower to sustain its life. After a week, it slowly adapted and began to absorb nutrients.

Chu Li sighed again, without the Withering and Flourishing Sutra, the Moonlight Orchid really couldn't survive!

For a month, Chu Li stayed by the Moonlight Orchid, oblivious to the outside world. A new sprout had grown from the original Moonlight Orchid, reaching half its height.

Under the infusion of spiritual energy, the new Moonlight Orchid grew extremely fast, which was a new discovery of its wonderful use—accelerating growth.

The Withering and Flourishing Tree seemed to be the king of plants, capable of making them wither or flourish, life and death at its command.

In an instant, countless ideas flooded his mind. If the Moonlight Orchid could do this, what about other spiritual herbs? What about those legendary treasures?

If he could find their seeds, the Withering and Flourishing Sutra could make them grow, shortening their growth cycle, the benefits unimaginable.

If he opened a Rare Herbs Pavilion, he could make money like water.

Li Yue had been urging him to report, to avoid being preempted by Gu Liting, but Chu Li held back, not wanting to create complications or face skeptics without a new Moonlight Orchid.

Besides, the Withering and Flourishing Sutra gave him confidence.

---

In the evening, as the sun set, Chu Li sat beside the two Moonlight Orchids, practicing. Li Yue returned from outside and plopped down on the ground.

"Brother, there's some news..."

"Gu Liting succeeded?"

"Not Gu Liting, but Zhuo Feiyang!"

"He—?"

"Zhuo Feiyang emerged from seclusion yesterday and broke into the Ninth Rank Tower... He's now a Seventh Rank Guard!"

"Shamed and then brave, striving for strength," Chu Li nodded indifferently, "Not surprising, his talent is indeed good."

Li Yue looked at him in surprise, "Aren't you worried?"

"Worried about revenge?"

"If he comes back, he might not be your opponent!"

"Then I'll refuse." Chu Li smiled.

The rules of the Duke's Mansion protect the weak, unlike the outside world where the strong prey on the weak. Of course, to live comfortably, one still needs to work hard.

Li Yue widened his eyes, "Refuse? This..."

Chu Li shrugged, "We are guards, how can we compare in martial arts? Let them challenge us in gardening!"

Li Yue sighed worriedly, "Brother, I feel a bit... inappropriate."

Chu Li smiled, "Alright, just put your heart at ease. We'll report to the Hundred Herbs Hall tomorrow."

He was on guard; Zhuo Feiyang wasn't the forgiving type, and he would seek revenge.

"Exactly!" Li Yue became excited, "We should have reported it long ago, to avoid delays. Let's go after eating... or now!"

He got up and left.

Chu Li's face darkened, deep in thought. Zhuo Feiyang was resilient; the victory last time was hard-won.

There were five months left until the foundation stage, but Zhuo Feiyang would be even stronger in five months!

Meng Qinglin and Li Yue hurried over, saw the new Moonlight Orchid, and were overjoyed, patting Chu Li on the shoulder and laughing heartily.

"Good boy, you really did it!" Meng Qinglin laughed, "You really made it!"

Chu Li smiled, "Lucky success."

Meng Qinglin waved a hand and sat on the ground, "Xiao Chu, no tricks, right? Don't play games to beat Gu Liting!"

Li Yue shouted, "Old Master Meng—!"

Meng Qinglin gave him a look, "What's the excitement for? Just a casual question. This concerns the young miss's reputation. It's not a big deal if it fails, but faking it is shameful!"

Chu Li sat down, touched the Moonlight Orchid, and the spiritual energy circulated continuously, "Old Master Meng, this one is from a new sprout, the other one was bought from the Rare Herbs Pavilion over a month ago."

"Buy one and succeed?" Meng Qinglin asked with a smile.

Chu Li nodded with a smile.

Meng Qinglin's face was full of smiles. Gu Liting had bought no less than a dozen Moonlight Orchids, spending a lot of money, but still couldn't keep them alive. Chu Li succeeded with just one, what luck!

Li Yue said, "Old Master Meng, the Rare Herbs Pavilion said there's only one this year, and there's a problem on Moonlight Island. We can't buy any more!"

"Ha, can you really believe what businessmen say? They're just trying to make you buy. You actually believed them?" Meng Qinglin laughed.

"Old Master Meng," Chu Li said with a smile, "After today, the Moonlight Orchid won't be exclusive to the Rare Herbs Pavilion anymore."

Meng Qinglin looked at the half-grown Moonlight Orchid, rubbed his hands, "It's almost evening, I want to admire the beauty of the Moonlight Orchid!"

He wasn't doubting Chu Li; Chu Li was a smart guy and wouldn't risk his future for short-term gain.

This matter couldn't be faked; the successful cultivation of the Moonlight Orchid would spread throughout the mansion's gardens. You could buy one or two, or even ten or eight, but not hundreds; the Rare Herbs Pavilion didn't have that many!

He asked these questions to remind them; the Western Garden wouldn't be content and would try to deny and prevent Chu Li from standing out.

Li Yue showed off his cooking skills, making eight dishes and two soups. The three of them ate until they were full.

As night fell and the moon rose, two crescent moons appeared before Chu Li and the others, and the two Moonlight Orchids glowed, incredibly beautiful.

"Ah..." Meng Qinglin was entranced, sighing, "So beautiful!"

Chu Li smiled, "You'll get used to it."

"Ruining the mood!" Meng Qinglin glared at him and huffed, "Even after a hundred years, I won't get tired of it!"

Chu Li shook his head and smiled. The moon was beautiful, but how many people appreciated it every night?

"Xiao Chu, are you ready?" Meng Qinglin looked at the Moonlight Orchid and said.

Chu Li smiled, "Ready for what?"

"You're going to be famous." Meng Qinglin patted his shoulder, "More famous than Gu Liting!"

Chu Li smiled.

"Regarding entering the herb garden, you need to be patient. The Western Garden will try to block you, but with your achievements, they can't stop you!"

"Yes, thank you, Old Master Meng."

"Ah... Thanks to you, our Eastern Garden can finally hold its head high!"

Gu Liting had been suppressing the Eastern Garden, and such a genius was rare.

Gardeners were like doctors; they studied the same books, but their skills varied, mainly due to talent.

Meng Qinglin called out, "Bring the wine!"

Li Yue ran to fetch two jars of wine. Meng Qinglin drank half a jar heartily, soon feeling tipsy, and lay on the ground, snoring until the next morning.

Not long after Meng Qinglin left, a small boat drifted over, and a girl in a light yellow silk robe stood on it, exceptionally beautiful, with almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and cherry lips, like a figure from a painting.

She lightly landed on the shore and rang the jade chime.

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