Bamboo Shadow Courtyard.
After following her senior sister into the courtyard, Chen Jinshu was greeted by a yard full of weeds and wildflowers. Among them were a few low-grade spiritual herbs, but nothing of significant value.
"We're mainly responsible for clearing the weeds in the courtyard and cleaning out the dust inside the rooms. As for what you might find during the cleaning—well, that all depends on your luck, Junior Sister."
"I'll take the right side, you take the left."
With that, Dai Yuzhu turned and walked toward the right. The right led to the side hall—unlikely to contain anything of worth. Clearly, her senior sister was giving her the better side.
Chen Jinshu didn't hesitate and made her way straight into the main bedroom on the left, casting Cleaning Spells to begin tidying up. A single Cleaning Spell didn't cost much spiritual energy, and she quite enjoyed the thrill of these "mystery box" moments.
Earlier, Senior Sister Dai had explained that this Bamboo Shadow Courtyard had belonged to a Foundation Establishment cultivator who moved to a better residence half a year ago. Since then, this courtyard had remained unused.
As Chen Jinshu stepped into the room, she immediately caught the faint scent of pearwood, mixed with a hint of tea—clearly, the previous owner enjoyed tea tasting.
She raised her hand and methodically cleaned the room—desks, tables, doors, and windows—nothing was spared.
Soon, she found a small box of tea leaves on a bookshelf. The tea was stored in a bamboo tube with a ceramic lid. Taking a sniff, she found the tea's aroma rich and slightly invigorating. But that was all she found. After thoroughly cleaning the room and coming up empty-handed otherwise, she felt slightly disappointed.
So much for getting lucky.
When she stepped outside, Senior Sister had already cleared the weeds in the courtyard. There hadn't been many weeds to begin with—just a few spells had done the trick.
"Junior Sister, let's check the backyard. Some cultivators like to plant things there."
Chen Jinshu's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly. Before long, the two arrived at the back garden and discovered a small herb patch, where several spiritual herbs still grew. Of course, weeds dominated the area. These herbs must've regrown from leftover seeds during the previous owner's harvest.
"Junior Sister, we're in luck! There are six Xianlu Flowers here. They're perfect for making Xianlu Cream—it removes scars and whitens skin."
"I'll refine the cream and share some with you. At your age, proper skincare is essential."
As Dai Yuzhu spoke, she quickly began harvesting the herbs from the patch. Chen Jinshu had no objections. Xianlu Flowers were top-grade first-tier herbs with a variety of uses, though six plants wouldn't yield much. Besides, Xianlu Cream was only effective for cultivators in the early Foundation Establishment stage or below, and the refinement process was complex. She wasn't very interested.
Her attention shifted to a small tea sapling in the corner of the herb patch. If she remembered correctly, it was a Qingning Tea Tree seedling. Drinking this tea could stabilize one's cultivation foundation, strengthen the body, and with long-term use, even extend lifespan. Though no cultivator had yet proven any significant lifespan extension from this tea, it was believed to offer slight benefits—maybe just a few extra years.
"Senior Sister, do you want this tea tree?"
Dai Yuzhu glanced at the tiny sapling, only about three or four inches tall, and showed no interest.
"That Qingning Tea Tree would take at least two years to mature. If you want it, take it. Otherwise, it'll just end up benefiting the next disciple."
"Thanks, Senior Sister." Chen Jinshu smiled and quickly used a Transplant Spell beside the sapling.
Dai Yuzhu watched with amazement. "Your Transplant Spell really is something else. I bet that Elder Gu regrets not accepting you as a disciple."
"Didn't Elder Gu already pre-accept an outer sect disciple? Why would he choose me?"
Chen Jinshu recalled how, after the alchemy competition, Elder Gu had expressed regret at not being able to accept her. She supposed they simply weren't fated to be master and disciple. A moment later, she stored the tea sapling in her storage pouch.
"The next courtyard belongs to Peng Qi."
"What ever happened to Peng Qi?"
"Word is that after he became a mortal, he was torn apart by demonic beasts. Probably reincarnated by now."
The reason the poisoned cultivators hadn't taken revenge was likely because Peng Qi had become a mortal.
If a cultivator attacked a mortal, they could suffer immense consequences during their Golden Core Heart Demon Tribulation or the Nascent Soul Karma Tribulation—potentially even death or Dao dissolution.
Shihu Courtyard.
After arriving, the two inspected the area thoroughly and confirmed Peng Qi hadn't left any traps before activating the array.
"Junior Sister! Wear this poison- and spirit-shielding cloak—it'll protect you from a lot of harm."
Chen Jinshu accepted the white cloak, embroidered with delicate golden patterns. It had a refined and elegant appearance. She quickly put it on and followed her senior sister into the courtyard. Like the last, it was overgrown—but the greenery was even more lush.
"Senior Sister, let me take the right side this time. You go left."
Seeing her sister about to head right again, Chen Jinshu spoke up.
"In that case, I won't hold back."
Chen Jinshu wasn't particularly materialistic, but if she kept letting her senior sister take the short end, it wouldn't sit right with her. Who said lower cultivation meant you had to always be passive?
Upon entering the right wing, she discovered it was a pill refining room. Learning from her senior sister's previous method, she cast a Cleaning Spell outside the door, then used spiritual force to push it open.
A large cloud of dust billowed out.
She quickly stepped back. Once she confirmed it was only dirt, she entered. In the center of the room was a large black scorch mark, surrounded by bottles and jars. A bookshelf stood to the side, containing a variety of basic medicinal texts and herbology notes.
One book stood out: a poison manual titled "Heavenly Toxins Scripture".
It listed various poisons and their general refining methods.
"Moon-Chill Poison Powder!"
Chen Jinshu's eyes widened as she flipped through the book. This was the same poison that had made the competition disciples vomit uncontrollably.
It severely impacted cultivators' bodies—while it could be cured later, residual toxins would linger in the meridians. If not cleansed in time, it could hamper future cultivation.
"Peng Qi deserved to be stripped of his cultivation!" Chen Jinshu felt zero sympathy.
Or rather, she'd never felt any to begin with. Seeing the true damage of the poison, she now felt active disgust.
"This wasn't just about sabotaging the competition…"
She pocketed the poison manual and began rummaging through the pill bottles, hoping to find anything useful.
In the end, she found a bottle containing three Qi Condensing Pills, though their quality was mediocre—likely discarded.
She waved her hand and cleaned up all the garbage in the pill room, intending to destroy it later.
##
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