Moments later, Chen Jinshu spotted her master preparing to leave at the gates of the Pill King Hall and was taken back to the Biyi Palace.
"You're saying this is a Moon-Devouring Demon Lotus?"
A flicker of interest passed through Shui Huanmeng's eyes. From her expression, it seemed she recognized the species of demonic plant.
"My disciple truly is fortunate. To have captured such a rare spiritual plant—your luck is exceptional indeed."
There was a faint note of admiration in her voice. From the first time Shui Huanmeng laid eyes on Chen Jinshu, she had seen a faint aura of fortune surrounding her—something only those with vast luck could possess.
Though the aura had disappeared during their second meeting, likely hidden deep within her now, Shui Huanmeng still accepted her as a disciple. After all, she saw traits in Chen Jinshu that ordinary cultivators lacked.
"I was lucky, of course. But more importantly, an elder made a mistake and accidentally revealed the location of this dangerous spirit species."
"You still want to keep this demon lotus? If you do, I can cover for you. But I still must report the leak of this lotus to the peak lord. Once matured, this kind of demonic plant is extremely dangerous. It could cause mass casualties."
"Thank you, Master!"
"You may not know this, but both of these lotus blossoms have distinct medicinal properties. They're highly sought after by alchemists. If you ever run out of money one day, you could sell them for a hefty sum."
Chen Jinshu nodded in response but felt reluctant in her heart.
She could earn more spirit stones by refining pills, but if she lost a demon lotus this valuable, it would be truly gone forever.
From the Strange Records, she had discovered that the demon lotus could only reproduce by consuming a certain amount of flesh, after which it would transform into a spiritual seed.
This was also why, after the sect elders had destroyed the last batch of demon lotuses, so many spirit seeds had been left behind.
At Ink Plum Courtyard
After obtaining some new shrub-type spiritual fruit seeds from her master, Chen Jinshu returned to her courtyard. Her spiritual planting space was still too limited in variety—aside from the spiritual fields, all she had were snow lotuses and a wood-spirit peach tree.
The peach tree had only grown for five or six years and would need a few more to bloom and bear fruit. Shrub-type fruits, however, matured faster and could bear results in a short time. When she emerged from her spiritual space, night had already fallen. The crescent moon hung in the sky, but not the full moon.
Still, the Moon-Devouring Demon Lotus reacted the same to moonlight: its bud emerged from the soil, absorbing the moon's glow, and began to bloom.
"The sign of maturity is when the double-headed white lotus turns a pale pink. It's still white now—it needs more time."
She examined the demon lotus thoughtfully.
Two Days Later – Morning Hour (Chen Shi)
After waking, Chen Jinshu followed her usual routine and went to water the spirit herbs at the Cold Pool Herb Garden. But as she neared, she saw disciples rushing back and forth in a panic. She had only seen a scene like this once before—when the garden was invaded by demonic energy.
"The demonic aura was only just cleansed... is it back already?"
Her gaze turned serious. She hadn't expected the Frost Pool Herb Garden to be so vulnerable to demonic infestation.
"Senior Brother Overseer! What happened this time? Is the demonic aura invading again?"
"No, not at all! The spiritual fields were completely cleansed long ago. Typically, these outbreaks happen once every year or two, and the last one came too soon—less than six months ago."
"Then what's going on?"
"After fertilizing the fields, a pest infestation broke out! Rumor has it the spirit fertilizer was faulty. The sect has already sent people to investigate."
"The spirit fertilizer had issues?" Chen Jinshu frowned deeply.
Her own fields had been fertilized as well. Though not as large as others, they might have already been infested.
"You should go check yours right away."
She nodded and hurried toward her three acres of spiritual fields. When she arrived, her worst fears were confirmed—her fields were swarming with fly-like pests, buzzing like bees in thick clouds.
"My poor spirit herbs!"
She immediately began dousing them with Frost Pond water. These pests, being aerial like flies, lost their wings when soaked and dropped into the soil.
Splash!
Water shot out of her container, soaking the swarming insects and knocking them to the ground. Moments later, the earth writhed with countless squirming bugs. Without delay, she cast a flame spell on the soil, quickly incinerating the grounded pests.
A burnt, acrid smell soon filled the air.
"Leaves have been chewed into shreds... I'll need to do a second round of treatment."
During a lecture, Gu Zhēnrén had once explained how to heal spirit herbs afflicted by pests. One had to repair the holes left by the bugs, or the herbs would slowly lose their vitality—leading to weak medicinal power and high pill toxicity during refinement.
"But why did the spirit fertilizer fail?"
She remembered buying only Grade 1 fertilizer from the Hall of Affairs—fertilizer praised for its rapid replenishment of spiritual energy. It was a popular choice among fellow disciples on the Medicine King Peak. Who would've thought it would lead to such a catastrophe?
She refused to believe this wasn't sabotage.
Quickly, she cast healing spells like Spring Renewal to gently mend the spirit herbs' wounds. She would need to brew special medicine to repair the damaged roots—but having come unprepared today, she could only stabilize the injuries for now.
After tending to her field and the spirit vines, she hurried to the Green Pine Herb Garden.
The Frost Pool Herb Garden had been compromised—there was no guarantee the Green Pine one was safe, especially since she had used the same fertilizer. Sure enough, the same scene greeted her at the Green Pine Herb Garden. But here, the disciples looked even more dismayed, as if they had suffered a deeper loss.
"Quick, check your spiritual fields! The infestation's worse here!" the overseer urgently warned.
Her face darkened. Even Green Pine Herb Garden had been overwhelmed.
This infestation would cause a chain reaction—field owners would suffer losses, the Hall of Affairs personnel who sold the fertilizer would be held accountable, and the disciples who sourced it externally might also be implicated.
She rushed to her three acres of field and activated the formation barrier. Once inside, she found the same swarming fly-like pests. These bugs were tiny, shaped like ants but longer, with sharper jaws and the flight speed of flies—lethal to delicate spirit herbs.
Yet to her surprise, her Green Pine fields weren't as badly affected as those in Frost Pool.
The damage was concentrated near the formation's edge.
She then noticed the large pile of bug corpses near the Clearwater White Lotus.
"Ah, I forgot—its scent repels many spirit pests."
Relieved, she got to work clearing the infestation using the same methods as before.