Chapter 11 Withered Seed_1

Although the Moon Erosion Fruit brought a First Grade Artifact, Silver Rift Blade, it was merely a fragment and still needed other pieces to complete it, Lu Xuan was nonetheless quite satisfied.

After all, in the Cultivation World, among resources of the same grade, elixir recipes and cultivation techniques are the most valuable, followed by formations, magical artifacts, elixirs, and charms. Finally, there are various cultivation materials, such as spirit grass, spirit ore, and demon beast's flesh and blood.

The Moon Erosion Tree is merely an unranked spirit plant. Even though it only yielded a magic artifact fragment, it was still an unexpected blessing.

He gazed at the three silver-white thin slices dancing around his body, eagerly anticipating the moment when the Silver Rift Blade could be fully synthesized.

That day, the courtyard, which had been quiet with no cultivators coming to disturb him, was suddenly filled with sound.

From outside the courtyard came a gentle voice tinged with urgency.

"Brother Lu, are you home?"

Lu Xuan instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Zhang Hong's wife.

He had only encountered her a few times, usually during visits to Zhang Hong's home. His impression was of a serene, gentle woman named Xu Wan, with a cultivation level of Qi Cultivation Second Layer.

Lu Xuan opened the courtyard gate and immediately saw Xu Wan, who looked somewhat fatigued.

"Sister-in-law, is something the matter? Please, come inside and discuss in detail."

"No need, Brother Lu. I do have a matter to trouble you with."

Seeing Lu Xuan appear, Xu Wan's hurried breathing slowed significantly.

"I previously heard from Old Zhang at home that Brother Lu had encountered Black Bud Worm larva in his spirit fields and spent quite a few spirit stones to hire someone to deal with them."

"Recently, many loose cultivators in the North District have suffered from insect infestations. Despite my constant vigilance, I still couldn't guard against it. The spirit plants in my family's spirit field were invaded by Black Bud Worm larva, and by the time it was detected, the situation had become quite serious."

"I wanted to ask you, Brother Lu, about which loose cultivators nearby might be able to deal with Black Bud Worm larva and how much the service would cost."

Lu Xuan pondered briefly before sharing the information he'd gathered with Xu Wan.

"There are three I know of: Lingyun Fairy, who is skilled in flying needle artifacts, Sword Cultivator Li Xu, who specializes in Sword Qi into Silk techniques, and Qin Ming, who is highly accomplished in ice system techniques. Among them, Qin Ming is the most affordable, charging seven spirit stones, with some room for negotiation."

"Seven spirit stones…" Xu Wan muttered, her eyes showing a trace of inner struggle. She bit her lip as her hands, clasped before her abdomen, rubbed together nervously.

Her husband, Zhang Hong, had consumed most of the family's savings to prepare, and raising their child was costly. Spending seven spirit stones to resolve the infestation would leave them struggling to afford meals for a while.

"Thank you, Brother Lu."

Ultimately, Xu Wan decided to hire someone to remove the Black Bud Worm larva. Her expression returned to normal as she thanked Lu Xuan, turning away with the intent to leave.

"Wait a moment," Lu Xuan called out to Xu Wan. When she turned back to look at him, he spoke with certainty.

"Sister-in-law, I've made rapid progress in a cultivation technique recently and now have a seventy to eighty percent confidence of solving the Black Bud Worm larva issue. Why not let me take a look first?"

"Then thank you so much, Brother Lu."

Hearing Lu Xuan's offer, joy flashed across Xu Wan's face. She hadn't expected Lu Xuan to help free of charge. That said, the expense of hiring a Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer cultivator like Lu Xuan would certainly be less than that of hiring one at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer level.

If Lu Xuan could resolve the issue, even a small saving would be welcome.

Lu Xuan closed the courtyard gate and followed Xu Wan, his thoughts already well-considered since the moment he'd offered assistance.

After observing the white light clusters in the spirit field, his first priority was ensuring he wouldn't endanger himself.

The Zhang family lived very close by, and the opponent in question—Black Bud Worm larva—did not pose significant danger.

Previously, an adult Black Bud Worm had been destroyed in one strike under the Golden Sword Technique. Now, his cultivation level was deeper, his understanding of sword techniques more profound, and he possessed the Silver Rift Blade fragments and numerous charms. He felt confident about handling Black Bud Worm larva without issue.

*Lu Xuan thought reassuringly to himself.*

Beyond that, there was another key reason.

*From the original host's memories, Lu Xuan understood that he owed much to Zhang Hong for achieving his status as a Spirit Plant Master. When he had first rented his small spirit field, Zhang Hong had lent him some spirit stones.*

*After inheriting this body, Lu Xuan had also benefited from Zhang Hong's advice on cultivating spirit plants. Besides, Zhang Xiu Yuan, their child, was quite endearing—this was a perfect chance to visit him as well.*

The two homes were close to each other, and soon, Lu Xuan found himself inside the Zhang family courtyard.

Young Zhang Xiu Yuan was guarding the spirit field. Upon seeing Lu Xuan arrive, a flicker of delight appeared on his face. Then, as if recalling something, he pouted and turned his head away.

"Zhang Xiu Yuan!"

Xu Wan scolded sternly.

"Hello, Uncle Lu," the child said reluctantly out of fear of his mother.

"Good," Lu Xuan replied indifferently, stepping toward the edge of the Zhang family's spirit field.

The spirit field in the courtyard was nearly double the size of his own, with a more diverse assortment of spirit plants. Besides Spirit Firefly Grass, three other common spirit plants were cultivated here.

He quickly identified the infected Spirit Firefly Grass.

Flipping over its leaves revealed strands of black filaments clinging tightly to the surface as if fused with it.

Lu Xuan's gaze sharpened as he focused on the black filaments.

He then closed his eyes, recalling the essence of the Golden Sword Technique while circulating spiritual power within his acupoints, compressing and refining it repeatedly.

In an instant, a strand of golden sword qi, thin as a hair, materialized and sliced close to the leaf's surface, severing one black filament cleanly in two.

Cutting through one filament, the golden sword qi retained its vigor, tracing a beautiful arc and slicing another black filament into two.

Piece by piece, the black filaments were severed and fell to the ground, wriggling briefly before losing all motion.

"Wow! Uncle Lu is amazing!"

At some point, young Zhang Xiu Yuan had crouched beside Lu Xuan, loudly exclaiming in astonishment.

Lu Xuan stood upright with a composed demeanor, seemingly unperturbed by Zhang Xiu Yuan's admiration.

"These Black Bud Worm larva are hardly worth mentioning."

"Brother Lu, thank you for your hard work. Please, come inside and have a cup of hot tea."

Seeing the pesky Black Bud Worms handled so effortlessly, Xu Wan's face lit up with relief as she invited Lu Xuan inside.

After sending Zhang Xiu Yuan off to study cultivation concepts, Xu Wan returned from the inner room with five spirit stones.

"Brother Lu, I really appreciate your help this time. Please accept these spirit stones."

"Sister-in-law, that won't do. Brother Zhang has helped me so much in the past. How could I possibly accept your spirit stones?"

Lu Xuan quickly waved his hand in refusal.

Zhang Hong had been kind to him, and Lu Xuan also knew Xu Wan, as a woman bearing responsibilities for her son, lived a difficult life. Naturally, he couldn't bring himself to accept the five spirit stones.

"No way! You've helped us so much, you must take them! Hiring anyone else would've cost far more—only giving you five spirit stones is already a great bargain!"

Though Xu Wan appeared delicate, her personality was remarkably strong-willed, insisting Lu Xuan take the spirit stones.

Unable to refuse further, a thought passed through Lu Xuan's mind.

"How about this: Sister-in-law, I still won't take the spirit stones; you keep them for yourself. But I won't work for free either. Do you happen to have any unknown spiritual seeds at home? If so, just give me one."

He proposed a compromise. Zhang Hong frequently explored wilderness areas, so perhaps he had acquired unknown spiritual seeds.

"Unknown spiritual seeds? I do have one, but I don't know its type, and its vitality is nearly depleted."

Xu Wan paused to think momentarily before speaking.

She disappeared into the inner room and quickly returned with a shriveled seed.

The seed resembled a small sword, its outer surface gray-black, clearly stored away for quite some time.

"Your Brother Zhang found two seeds by chance long ago and asked several loose cultivators about them, but none could identify the type."

"He tried planting one, but it never sprouted and was eventually abandoned."

"The remaining spiritual seed couldn't fetch anything valuable, so it was kept at home, but over time, its vitality has severely diminished."

"I won't be polite, then. I'll take this spiritual seed."

Lu Xuan carefully examined the slender, sword-like seed and smiled as he spoke.

After acquiring the shriveled spiritual seed, he didn't stay long. Amid Xu Wan's gratitude and young Zhang Xiu Yuan's reluctant farewell, Lu Xuan left the Zhang family's residence.