Chapter 146: Chapter 147: Rewards
The dawn softly broke as a carriage traveled westward on the wide road.
Inside the carriage, Ye Jingcheng and Ye Haiyi sat with a table before them holding ordinary Mortal Tea, neither picking up their cups.
Ye Jingcheng never imagined the two of them would be traveling by carriage this time.
But it had to be said, the carriage was the safest option.
For most Loose Cultivators, flying high in the sky was undoubtedly the preferred target for those Tribulation Cultivators who liked to rob.
Inside the carriage were some who boasted low cultivation levels and lacked Spirit Stones or Spirit Pills for travel – impoverished cultivators.
After all, the carriage only required some gold and silver items, and its travel speed was decent.
So Ye Jingcheng found this arrangement both surprising and novel.
The carriage’s speed was slow, and along the way, Ye Jingcheng could admire the scenery outside — the boundless wilderness, farming mortals, and the gentle rivers.
Also, out of fear of exposure, the two did not use their Divine Sense, creating a leisure-like atmosphere.
All the places they passed were mortal cities.
The bustling atmosphere of the marketplace moved Ye Jingcheng somewhat.
The mundane earthly life is what soothes the mortal heart.
Ye Haiyi remained watching beside him, not speaking, occasionally glancing at Ye Jingcheng.
But Ye Jingcheng, after observing for a while, returned to focusing on the carriage.
Though the earthly life was appealing, Ye Jingcheng wouldn’t forget he was a cultivator and that his path was yet undetermined, and thus he couldn’t be so lost.
He took out a Jade Talisman; while he couldn’t cultivate, he could quietly study Alchemy.
Ye Haiyi was quite pleased with Ye Jingcheng’s behavior.
Why must clan cultivators remain separate from the mundane world and not leave easily?
For fear that upon returning to the mundane world, they would lose their original intentions and never find the motivation to cultivate again.
By comparison, Ye Jingcheng seemed much better in his eyes.
Not avoiding nor indulging – such an open-minded mindset was rare among the Xing Generation.
The carriage traveled for three days, and the horses were changed three times.
Finally, when they reached the wilderness, Ye Haiyi stepped out of the carriage.
"Driver, stop for a moment; my grandson and I need to attend to nature’s call!" Ye Haiyi said, setting down a bundle wrapped with Golden Leaves.
"Watch over this bundle for us!" Ye Haiyi instructed before hurriedly taking Ye Jingcheng into the forest.
The driver nodded earnestly, his eyes occasionally darting to the inside of the carriage.
Seeing this, Ye Jingcheng reminded himself to stay cautious.
The two quickly entered the forest, a dense pine woodland.
The intense sunlight left only sparse shadows on the ground.
They both used a Divine Movement Talisman, and their speed increased significantly. After traveling for more than half an hour, Ye Haiyi took out a Spiritual Ship, heading towards Lingyun Peak.
This time they were evidently more cautious compared to before. Once aboard the Spiritual Ship, Ye Jingcheng released the Jade Ring Rat. With it around, they could forewarn impending dangers.
The Spiritual Ship was still piloted by Ye Haiyi, maintaining a consistent speed. Upon nearing the Taihang Mountain Range, Ye Haiyi summoned a new Spiritual Ship.
The speed suddenly increased significantly.
...
With the rise of a new dawn glow, a Spiritual Ship followed the play of light, approaching Lingyun Peak. The long-missed mountain silhoutte stirred Ye Jingcheng’s emotions.
The two disembarked the Spiritual Ship and headed towards the Clan Assembly Hall.
Inside the grand hall, Ye Xingliu was still discussing matters with some other elders of the family.
Seeing Ye Jingcheng and Ye Haiyi return, Ye Xingliu promptly set aside his affairs.
"Third Uncle..."
"I did not fail the mission!" Ye Haiyi presented a Spirit Beast Bag and a Storage Bag to Ye Xingliu, who smiled upon receiving them.
Upon confirmation, his joy was immense.
"Third Uncle, the clan will credit you twenty thousand Contribution Points this time; as for you, Jingcheng, the clan will credit you ten thousand Contribution Points for your assistance, in addition to five thousand Contribution Points for your contributions to the Pill Formula research!" Ye Xingliu first spoke to Ye Haiyi and then turned to Ye Jingcheng.
"Thank you, Third Uncle!" Ye Jingcheng was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected this trip to yield such high-value Contribution Points.
But knowing the clan could upgrade to a Tier Three Spiritual Vein, benefiting his future cultivation and Spirit Fields, he was even more delighted.
Moreover, the numbers Ye Xingliu gave were quite deliberate.
Keep in mind, at the clan’s Treasure Tower, exchanging for a Foundation Establishment Pill costs exactly fifteen thousand Contribution Points.
This implied the clan was essentially rewarding Ye Jingcheng with a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Since there currently wasn’t a Foundation Establishment Pill, and Ye Jingcheng hadn’t reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, it was converted into Contribution Points.
"Patriarch, we encountered other clan cultivators at the Taichang Market, and they even tested us!" Ye Haiyi mentioned with concern.
Hearing this, Ye Xingliu nodded, indicating he understood.
Ye Jingcheng also took his leave.
After exiting the Clan Assembly Hall, he first returned to his own courtyard, checking on his Purple Illusion Flowers and Five Poison Bees.
This time, he had taken with him over a hundred well-trained Five Poison Bees, but he still left nearly five hundred Spirit Bees to gather honey.
Once back at his courtyard, Ye Jingcheng could see his Spirit Field enveloped in thick purple mist.
The Five Poison Bees flew busily within it.
With almost five hundred Five Poison Bees, there were no worries of not gathering enough nectar.
Ye Jingcheng took out an Array Banner and entered the Spirit Field; the Purple Illusion Flowers were thriving.
The sickle-shaped leaves were growing luxuriously, evidence of recent good care, though there were fewer Purple Illusion Flowers blooming.
This time last year, a single plant could have five or six Purple Illusion Flowers; now it bears only two or three blossoms.
Obviously, although he entrusted Ye Jingyu to help take care of it, the latter ultimately did not have the Treasure Light.
Fortunately, plenty of Purple Illusion Flowers are planted.
Ye Jingcheng walked up to the beehive and, in the next moment, he was overjoyed to see that the hive contained over ten pounds of Spiritual Honey, ten times more than the previous year.
For Ye Jingcheng, this was quite a pleasant surprise.
With this Spiritual Honey, he could consume it himself, and with some Spirit Pills, greatly enhance his cultivation speed once again!
Ye Jingcheng took a Jade Bottle and collected nine-tenths of the Spiritual Honey.
The remaining one-tenth was left for the Five Poison Bees to consume.
Moreover, the flowering season would last about another month, making another five to six pounds of Spiritual Honey possible.
Most importantly, he could employ the Treasure Light, which should cause the Purple Illusion Flowers to bloom even more.
Having thought this through, Ye Jingcheng then looked at the tea tree nearby. The tea tree, because no one had picked them, grew larger and larger, with clusters of tender new tea leaves and stubs of old twigs.
Ye Jingcheng plucked the new tea leaves and stored them in a Jade Box.
However, after picking them, Ye Jingcheng noticed that this tea tree’s Spiritual Energy wasn’t as potent as his former Spirit Tea Tree.
Evidently, like the Purple Illusion Flower, without the Treasure Light, it had declined a tier.
But overall, it still belonged to the realm of Spirit Tea, and the flavor wasn’t much different.
After infusing the Purple Illusion Flowers and Spirit Tea Tree with some Treasure Light, Ye Jingcheng released the Jade Ring Rat, which seemed equally invigorated to return to its Spirit Field.
It proactively tilled the soil in some unplanted Spirit Fields!
This made Ye Jingcheng nod repeatedly; he happened to have some Black Cloud Flower and Poison Thorn Flower seeds to plant, and the Jade Ring Rat voluntarily loosening the soil matched his intentions perfectly.
Lastly, Ye Jingcheng went to take a look at the bamboo.
The bamboo shoot that had grown previously had now become a bamboo stalk about ten feet high.
Beside it, there were several more that had just shed their shoots.
Ye Jingcheng also infused them with some Treasure Light, then returned to his house.
Nearly two months without proper cultivation; he now planned to enter seclusion for a while.
Of course, during this period of seclusion, he also intended to practice alchemy diligently.
He could now refine two or three Green Water Pills.
So in half a year, the Jade Qilin Snake had grown faster, whereas the Golden Scale Beast grew the slowest.
Ye Jingcheng took out Spirit Pills and fed them to the spirit beasts.
The Red Flame Fox was given the Red Ganoderma Pill, the Golden Scale Beast the Lotus Yellow Pill, and the Jade Qilin Snake the Green Water Pill.
The three beasts all appeared quite joyful.
Both for returning to Lingyun Peak and for being able to eat Spirit Pills again.
After doing all this, Ye Jingcheng didn’t immediately begin cultivating.
Returning from Taichang Market took a bit over half a month.
Though Ye Jingcheng and Ye Haiyi didn’t encounter any major dangers during this time, being constantly on edge made him look extremely fatigued.
He transmitted a message via Sound Transmission Jade Talisman to Ye Jingyu indicating there was no need to come again, then slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, Ye Jingcheng awoke almost with the first rays of sunlight.
He watched the light shining on the windows, as the Red Flame Fox, as per its daily routine, came to the window absorbing a strand of Purple Qi.
The Golden Scale Beast was nowhere to be seen, seemingly off to roam outside.
The Jade Qilin Snake still lay at the Spirit Array.
However, now its body was larger, making it exceedingly cramped.
Ye Jingcheng took a deep breath, feeling the refreshing and clear air.
Compared to the bustling Taichang Market, he preferred the tranquil serenity of Lingyun Peak.
Make a cup of tea, watch the sunrise, practice alchemy.
He found them all extremely enjoyable.
And on this day, Ye Jingcheng tidied up his room and began visiting others.
Having gone to Taichang Market, it felt odd not to bring back something, so he brought Red Lanshan Wine for Ye Xingqun and Ye Xingyu this time.
He also brought Spirit Tea for Ye Haiping, Ye Haitian, and Ye Haiyun.
However, Ye Haiyun was in seclusion, causing Ye Jingcheng to make a fruitless trip.
Returning to his own small courtyard, Ye Jingcheng felt more determined.
Lying on his Spirit Bed, Ye Jingcheng took out some Spiritual Honey, along with a Red Ganoderma Pill, and began consuming them!
His Fire Phase cultivation was the highest, so he planned to break through with the Fire Phase first!
As for the Four Elements Balance, he would seek that out upon reaching Foundation Establishment.
With the simultaneous consumption of the Red Ganoderma Pill and Spiritual Honey,
his body was immediately enveloped by the abundant Fire Attribute Spiritual Power.
His Four Phase Celestial Essence Scripture also began to operate rapidly.
Moreover, unlike the slight stinging sensation from merely absorbing Spirit Pills, there was none now.
This also indicated that the Spiritual Honey could indeed neutralize the erysipelas.
This made Ye Jingcheng even more fearless.
Previously, it wasn’t Spirit Pills he lacked, but the worry of erysipelas accumulating from consuming too many Spirit Pills.
Now with Spiritual Honey, he could focus on enhancing his cultivation!