After a moment, Chen Jinshu finally rid the fields of the pests that buzzed about like flies.
"We still need to inspect the soil thoroughly—there may be insect eggs left behind."
She had fertilized the three mu of spiritual farmland at Green Pine Herbal Garden three or four months ago, which meant the insects had been hatching over that same span. That's a long incubation period for ordinary pests—clear evidence of how carefully this scheme was planned.
Three or four months is plenty of time for the culprit to disappear without a trace. Now, those suffering the consequences were the sect disciples who collected the spiritual fertilizer without inspecting it properly—and the spiritual farmers managing the herb gardens at Medicine King Peak.
"Those senior brothers were just unlucky... caught in someone else's trap. I'm sure they'll be a lot more careful with spiritual fertilizer from now on."
Chen Jinshu sighed, her thoughts drifting to the bug cultivator she once saw at the Shuiyue Pavilion during a fertilizer trade.
"Pests, and spiritual fertilizer... Could this be the work of a cultivator from the Insect Valley?"
However, the Insect Valley was a subordinate faction. If they were found guilty, it would be obvious, and the entire sect could face punishment. Of course, this was just her speculation. Only the elders sent to investigate would truly know the culprit. After some more searching, she found more scattered insect eggs in the soil across the three mu of farmland.
"I'll have to be more careful next time I buy fertilizer... At least I got an early warning this time."
Fortunately, the Green Pine Herbal Garden hadn't suffered too much—thanks to the purifying scent of the White Lotus in the center. Only the outer edges of the field had been severely damaged, and she had already used her Spring Rejuvenation Technique to heal the affected herbs.
The Frost Pool Herb Garden hadn't been planted long, so its losses were still within an acceptable range.
Inside her spiritual plant space, the soil was fertile, and the surrounding spiritual energy was channeled directly into the roots of her herbs. She had never used spiritual fertilizer there—luckily avoiding this crisis altogether.
"There's still some fertilizer left from last time... Might be more insect eggs inside."
She pulled out the leftover fertilizer from her storage pouch and quickly discovered tiny white insect eggs embedded in the surface—smaller than rice grains, blending with the soil granules, almost invisible to the naked eye. In total, she collected a small bowl full of white insect eggs.
"I'll just feed these to Shadowpeak Finch."
After another round of watering, she hurried back to Ink Plum Courtyard.
She needed to start refining the secret potion for repairing insect damage as soon as possible—to limit any further losses. The materials for the secret potion weren't rare—mostly healing herbs, which she had grown in abundance last time.
Back at Ink Plum Courtyard, she placed the bowl of insect eggs under the Ink Plum tree and called the Shadowpeak Finch down to eat.
"Chirp-chirp!"
After eating its fill, the sparrow chirped at her, indicating the eggs were rich in spiritual energy—clearly well-fed before being planted.
Chen Jinshu paused, thoughtful.
…
The next morning at the hour of Chen (7–9 AM), Chen Jinshu got up and rushed toward the Frost Pool Herb Garden.
She had stayed up half the night preparing the repair medicine and managed to produce only two jars. She planned to mix it with water from the cold spring to make the process simpler.
"Senior steward, has there been any news from the sect about the fertilizer pest situation?" she asked upon arriving at the garden.
"Medicine King Peak sent an elder to investigate. They've made some progress. The steward at the Affairs Hall didn't suffer too badly—just lost two months' worth of wages."
"But the worst hit are the disciples who collected the fertilizer at the market. They've been punished severely—besides losing their wages, they must identify the person who might've planted the bugs within seven days or else be sent to the mines for two or three years."
"So harsh?" Chen Jinshu said in surprise.
True, the disciples at the market bore undeniable responsibility—but it was mostly a failure in inspection. Sending them to the mines would basically waste one or two years of their cultivation.
Normally, being demoted to menial labor or docked wages was punishment enough—not something that would disrupt a cultivator's path.
"Those market disciples aren't from Medicine King Peak," the steward explained. "So the peak lord took it up with the sect leader. The pest outbreak affected nearly every herbal garden under the peak—that's no small matter."
"Mining sounds harsh, but honestly, it's a chance to survive. With the sect leader's strict ways, they might've had their cultivation crippled and been expelled otherwise."
Chen Jinshu nodded. That made sense. She had long heard that Medicine King Peak held a special position in the sect—being the source of all alchemy. Naturally, any threat to it wouldn't be tolerated. She took her leave and entered the spiritual fields.
Just then, Senior Brother Lin Yi returned from fetching frost pond water, his face troubled.
"Senior Brother, is your field alright?"
"Not great. The leaves are full of tiny holes. Took me forever to eliminate the bugs. Still, the damage is done—it'll affect the market price. This year's been trouble after trouble."
"It'll pass. As long as we take care of the herbs well now, we might avoid bigger losses."
"From your lips to the heavens, Junior Sister."
Chen Jinshu smiled, then activated the formation and entered the field, beginning to spray the secret recovery potion. The mixture of cold spring water and medicine drifted down over the three mu of land, filling the air with fragrant herbs. After half an hour, the herbs began visibly healing—the withered leaves regaining their vibrant green.
"Finally recovered… A little later, and the damage would've been hard to recover from."
She moved to the spiritual vine and carefully applied medicine to the damaged roots. The pests hadn't harmed the vine, but the vine couldn't repel them either. After finishing her work, she left the Frost Pool Garden and headed to Green Pine to apply the recovery potion there as well.
By the time these herbs matured, their leaves would regenerate, and the current pest damage wouldn't matter. As she walked out of Green Pine Garden, the steward informed her that registration had begun for the Outer Sect Grand Competition.
He asked if she planned to participate.
Chen Jinshu didn't give a clear answer—just said she was still considering it.
Only then did she recall—less than two months remained before the Grand Competition began.
On her way back to Ink Plum Courtyard, she decided she should start practicing spell duels at the Training Hall. But first, she had to master the offensive zither scores in her hands.
She had many zither scores now, but only two were at a proficient level:
"Hymn of the Earth Vein", which restored spiritual energy, and
"The Cry of Cranes Among the Pines", which boosted herb growth.
The others were only near-proficient, and her two strongest offensive compositions were still barely at the beginner stage.