Climbing to immortality step by step

Chapter 118 Green Crow Vine

"Damn it!"
"Damn, this is the only copy left in the entire land!"
"Damn, it's actually the legendary Changqing Crow Vine!"

The disciples of Sanyang Peak began to curse under their breath, not because the vine was obscure or difficult to find, but because they knew it all too well. One disciple exclaimed, "It was right under our noses the whole time!"
Under our noses, absolutely! Thousands of disciples from Sanyang Peak, all brilliant minds, and yet no one thought of the Crow Vine!

The Changqing Crow Vine was always referred to as "Little Sanyang Herb." Many entry-level disciples who couldn't afford Sanyang Herb would settle for cultivating with the Crow Vine instead.

Among the cultivators present, many had once used their Sanyang Qi to turn Crow Vine into ash for temporary medicinal use. It seemed they were all beginning to remember that the effects of this vine ash were actually quite impressive.

More importantly, although the Crow Vine was considered a spiritual herb, it wasn't rare at all. It grew rampantly, covering the barren lands. Even in wilderness areas, it spread like wildfire, and could be easily cultivated. Sanyang Herb could barely grow an inch in a year, but if you didn't control the growth of Crow Vine, within three to five months, it would take over an entire spirit herb garden.

Uncle Du, the leading cultivator, could hardly wait, "How did I not think of the Crow Vine? Nephew Dan, is the old Peak Lord in the peak?"

"Yes, the Peak Lord is in!" Dan Yunping responded immediately, "Shall I go invite him over?"

"I'll go myself! This matter, our two peaks will handle it together. We're sure to squeeze a fortune of spirit stones out of Shenxiao Peak..."

Dan Yunping quickly understood, even though they only got the words "Crow Vine" from Liu Suiyun's original copies of the Star Virtue Go Manual, it was far from useless to Sanyang and Baicao Peaks. Fortunately, Baicao Peak already had a well-established method to extract spirit stones from Shenxiao Peak. They would have to run hundreds of tests and spend tens of thousands of spirit stones before stopping.

"Let's work together!"
"We'll definitely get plenty of spirit stones from Shenxiao Peak!"

The group rushed toward the spiritual herb garden where Sanyang Herb was planted. Dan Yunping had already called over the old Peak Lord of Baicao Peak and a few other important cultivators, shouting, "Go get the Crow Vine!"
"If Baicao Peak doesn't have any, go buy some from the market. A handful of spirit stones can get us loads of it!"
"Don't worry, even if we can't find any, there's an unused patch of land on Baicao Peak that's perfect for planting Crow Vine!"

In the midst of all this, Liu Suiyun sat aside, completely immersed in the world of spiritual plants with a jade slip in hand, oblivious to the excitement of the Sanyang disciples. He was of no use to them now.

"Hm."
Liu Suiyun rarely looked up from his jade slip, but he glanced up at Gong Yuehua, who was carrying Dan Yulin on her back. "Sister-in-law? What's wrong?"
"What would you like for dinner?" Gong Yuehua asked gently. "You haven't eaten all day, have you?"

Liu Suiyun smiled and looked up at the rising moon.
Time had flown by, an entire day had already passed. Lowering his gaze to the jade slip in his hand, he replied, "Thank you, Sister Yuehua! Could you make me something a bit more flavorful?"
"I only cook with authentic, natural flavors!" Gong Yuehua shook her head, firmly rejecting his request. "You'll have to make do! How about some soy milk?"
"Thank you!" Liu Suiyun took the water bottle from Gong Yuehua and poured himself a large bowl. It was even more fragrant than he had expected. "Finally, I get to taste your soy milk."

The simple, natural flavors weren't so bad after all. Yet Liu Suiyun quickly refocused on the jade slip in his hand, his mind flying freely through the realm of spiritual plants.

Gong Yuehua glanced at him and thought to herself, "A man is most handsome when he's focused."

Several bundles of Crow Vine ash were carefully scattered, and the disciples of Sanyang and Baicao Peaks couldn't hide their smiles. Some even plopped down on the ground, laughing out loud, as reports came in:
"The fifteen-year-old vines are effective!"
"The twenty-year-olds are effective too!"
"The thirty-year-olds are working!"
"The forty-year-olds are showing results, though not as strong!"
"The fifty-year-olds aren't working!"

"That's because the vines we've used are only three to five years old. With better Crow Vines, there should be results!"
"We can't yet tell exactly how much the medicinal properties have increased. There's too little time to observe."
"As long as there's improvement, that's all that matters!"

Each had their own thoughts, but the excitement in the air was impossible to suppress. "Let's get some older Crow Vines!"
"Yes, Crow Vine is common enough in the market. If we put in some effort, we'll find it."
"I don't think we should rely solely on the market. It's too limiting. Since it grows like wildfire, why not dedicate a patch of land to planting Crow Vine?"
"Good idea! Let's pull an all-nighter tonight and work out the details!"

More and more cultivators gathered around the spiritual herb garden, all high-level cultivators from the two peaks who had come to see for themselves. They even set up a protective boundary, pushing the lower-level cultivators out.

Liu Suiyun, being among the lower-level ones, found himself sitting at Dan Yunping's dining table with a touch of embarrassment. "Sister Yuehua, I'm sorry. It was a foolish idea of mine, and now everyone's so busy they can't even eat, and Senior Brother Dan can't come home for dinner."

He could tell that Dan Yunping was the kind of man who valued his family, and Gong Yuehua had been tirelessly working in the kitchen since she arrived—a true picture of a devoted wife. She replied with a warm smile, "You're too kind, Junior Brother Liu. It's just one night without dinner at home, and it's official business. I don't mind."

Although her words were polite, Liu Suiyun couldn't shake the feeling that Dan Yunping was wrapped around her little finger. But that was their family matter, so he didn't pry. "Thank you for this wonderful meal, sister-in-law. I'll start eating now!"

After just two bites, Liu Suiyun noticed something different. Dan Yulin, sitting next to Gong Yuehua, had already started asking, "Mom, why does tonight's dinner taste different? It feels special..."

Gong Yuehua had added quite a few spices to preserve the natural spirit energy of the food while enhancing the flavors. Liu Suiyun smiled, "I really must thank you, sister-in-law!"

Although yesterday's meal had retained the original, richer spirit energy of the ingredients, tonight's dinner suited Liu Suiyun's taste perfectly. He ate heartily, and little Dan Yulin joined in, grabbing his chopsticks and spoon to compete with Liu Suiyun for food:
"Uncle, this one's delicious... You can't have it!"
"Uncle, this one's not so good, you can have it!"
"Uncle, this one's alright, you can have one bite, but just one!"

Listening to Dan Yulin's childish voice, Liu Suiyun happily finished two large bowls of rice. It was the most satisfying meal he had eaten in a while. At Chonghua Peak, despite the good treatment, his mistress's habit was to provide only tea, nothing else.

Gong Yuehua's dishes were simple, home-style cooking, but Dan Yunping had often praised her as the best cook in the Shenxiao Sect, and it was no empty boast. This quiet woman truly had a gift for cooking, with each dish perfectly balanced in flavor. She didn't eat much herself, and Liu Suiyun, feeling a little guilty, said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'm sorry for troubling you to adjust the meal to my taste."
"No need to thank me!" Gong Yuehua replied, "But I do want to ask—what spiritual plant text are you studying?"

She had noticed that Liu Suiyun never let go of the jade slips in his hand, and had even discovered the Crow Vine in one of them. Clearly, it was a profound spiritual plant text. Her question wasn't prompted by Dan Yunping, but by her concern for him, hoping that this text might help Dan Yunping in his cultivation of spiritual plants.

Liu Suiyun didn't hesitate to respond, "It's The Complete Guide to Spiritual Herbs. But the only remaining copy in the sect library is the one I've borrowed, so I won't be able to return it for a few months."

Gong Yuehua asked, "Is it possible to buy it in the market?"
Liu Suiyun replied, "It's said that the markets in the Great Chu Kingdom have it, but it costs three hundred spirit stones."
"Alright!" Gong Yuehua stood up with a smile, "Since you're enjoying the meal so much, I'll go prepare a couple more dishes."
"Thank you, sister-in-law!"