Chapter 43: Vicious Schemes and Borrowed Power

Gu Xiaoyun couldn’t care less if Zhang Kuang’s reaction was genuine. Even if it was an act, now that the words had been spoken, Zhang Kuang would have to acknowledge him as a sworn brother in the future to save face. With that connection, his life in the Taichu Sect would be very comfortable indeed.

“Brother Gu, you know about Zhang Yang, right? He was my cousin, used to do everything I said. But ever since he completed the Rooting Stage, he’s turned against me and is now making his own trouble…”

Before Zhang Kuang could finish, Gu Xiaoyun interrupted, “Junior Brother, don’t you worry. I hate that kind of fickle backstabber the most. I’ll go and ask my uncle to take you in as his disciple. With your Purple Seed aptitude, my uncle will surely prefer you. Then, we brothers can find a way to alienate him from Zhang Yang and just let him fend for himself.”

Zhang Kuang put on an ecstatic expression. Having achieved his goal, he had no desire to continue the charade with the arrogant Gu Xiaoyun. He respectfully bid him farewell and left.

Feeling that he had now secured a relationship with a Purple Seed, Gu Xiaoyun’s confidence soared. He gathered a few of his followers. “Tonight, we’re going to pull up all the crops in Qin Haoxuan’s field!”

After a moment’s thought, however, he muttered to himself, “That Qin kid has just established his roots. As a weak seed, his progress is surely being watched by the sect’s higher-ups. It’s best not to act now while he’s in the spotlight. We’ll wait a few days until the attention on him dies down, and then we’ll go.”

“Brother Gu is wise and brilliant! We must teach that kid a lesson!”

“Of course! Our Brother Gu is now connected to the Purple Seed Zhang Kuang. In the future, he’ll be the one calling the shots in the Taichu Sect!”

“Yes, yes, Brother Gu has thought of everything. Wise and powerful! Long live Brother Gu…”

…

While Li Jing, Zhang Kuang, and Zhang Yang were each hatching their own schemes, the Undying Witch Fiend was also making his own calculations in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley. A sharp glint would flash in his murky eyes from time to time. He hadn’t been this excited in thousands of years.

He had sensed it the moment Qin Haoxuan began the Rooting Stage. At first, he had just prayed that he would successfully root a few immortal roots with perfect compatibility. But when he sensed the bizarre rooting order and the appearance of 100 roots at once, his spirits had plummeted, fearing that the Immortal-Demon Seed he had so painstakingly nurtured would be ruined.

But when Qin Haoxuan used his Spiritual Sense to perfectly root all 100 lateral roots, the fiend was stunned. And when the subsequent 500 demonic roots were also perfectly guided into the dantian, he could no longer contain himself. For the first time in millennia, his desolate, cackling laughter echoed through the valley until he no longer had the strength to laugh.

Whether in immortal or demonic cultivation, no one had ever heard of someone perfectly rooting all their lateral roots. Qin Haoxuan had not only done it, but he had done it with 600 of them. With this perfect combination and a foundation far beyond any normal person’s, he was destined to shine brightly after the possession, perhaps even ascend and prove the Dao!

Just wait until he sprouts his seedling!

Exhausted from laughing, the Undying Witch Fiend slowly closed his eyes, the deep excitement in his heart taking a long time to subside.

Qin Haoxuan, who had caused a sensation by completing the Rooting Stage in 20 days, had no idea he was being plotted against. Tormented daily by the medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus, he had a sudden, strange idea: he wanted to go back to confinement.

Firstly, he was currently in the spotlight, which was not good for his cultivation or state of mind, and it had certainly earned him a lot of jealousy. Secondly, he could use the harsh environment to digest more of the remaining power of the lotus. Time was passing, and its potency was slowly dissipating. It was a treasure that even the sect’s Grand Ancestors dreamed of; he had to waste as little as possible.

He decided to act on it. But first, he had to make arrangements for his corn. He decided to fill up several large vats with water.

Each one-acre plot was equipped with three large iron vats, each capable of holding 200 buckets of water. They were there because the Spirit Spring had a one-month dry season each year, and the vats ensured the crops could survive.

For the next few days, while others only fetched enough water for their daily irrigation, Qin Haoxuan would carry an extra hundred buckets a day to fill the vats for his trio. His actions baffled everyone. Some even laughed behind his back, wondering if the Rooting Stage had scrambled his brains. It wasn’t the dry season, so why was he storing water? Didn’t he know that the spiritual energy in the water would dissipate in an iron vat, making it less effective than freshly drawn water?

“Look at that idiot. The rooting must have made him stupid. Doesn’t he know an iron vat can’t preserve spiritual energy?”

“That’s not right. Even the senior brothers who’ve been here for years aren’t storing water. What’s he doing?”

“Maybe he’s just training his strength? If he’s not an idiot, he should get some jade vats. I heard they can lock in the spiritual energy.”

“Now who’s the idiot? Do you think jade vats are cheap? I calculated that with a good harvest, a year’s worth of sect contributions might buy you one. He’s been here for less than a month; what’s he going to buy it with?”

…

Although the whispers were quiet, Qin Haoxuan’s enhanced hearing picked up every word, but he just smiled and ignored them.

Not only did the others not understand, but even Xu Yu and Murong Chao were confused. After hearing the rumors, Xu Yu was even worried that he had really developed some mental problems.

“Brother Haoxuan, why are you storing so much water?” one evening at sunset, Xu Yu, touched by the sight of him silently carrying water for all three of them, finally couldn’t hold back her question. She and Murong Chao brought him to her room. “You haven’t been affected by… what happened, have you? It’s normal for the Rooting Stage to not be perfect. You already exceeded everyone’s expectations by doing it in 20 days.”

“That’s right, Senior Brother Qin. The path of cultivation is long. Even if there are some imperfections, it doesn’t mean they can’t be corrected in the future,” Murong Chao added.

Faced with their well-meaning concern, Qin Haoxuan gave a wry smile. So they also thought his brain had been scrambled. He wouldn’t deign to explain himself to others, but he would to them. He took a deep breath and organized his thoughts.

“Lately, especially after the Rooting Stage, I’ve been the center of attention. This is not good for my cultivation. So, after I’ve filled our water vats, I want to entrust my field to you for a while. I’m planning to deliberately cause some trouble and get sent back to Confinement Mountain. I need some peace and quiet to sort out some problems I’ve encountered in my cultivation.”

Even though he spoke with utmost sincerity, Xu Yu and Murong Chao were still shocked. Everyone in the Taichu Sect feared confinement, yet he wanted to go there voluntarily to seek “peace and quiet.” Not knowing about the torment from the One-Leaf Golden Lotus, they could never understand his reasoning.

Xu Yu looked at his earnest expression, and after a moment, she just sighed softly. “My and Murong Chao’s cornfield will be fine… wait, what?”

She had thought he was talking about his cornfield. But he had said… wait…

She looked at him, then at Murong Chao, then back at him. “Your cornfield… me and Murong will take care of it. Don’t worry.”

Murong Chao, seeing that Xu Yu didn’t try to dissuade him, also said nothing more. He knew Qin Haoxuan was not a reckless person. He must have his reasons. Perhaps for him, the harsh environment of Confinement Mountain was more liberating than the scheming and backstabbing of the Spirit Field Valley.

Both of them looked at his resolute face, a sense of warmth spreading through their hearts.

He had worked so hard to fill their vats so that he wouldn’t be a burden to them after he was gone.

After several days of such high-intensity labor, the exhausted Qin Haoxuan fell asleep on Xu Yu’s bed. He was still sleeping when Li Jing knocked on her door.

Seeing him, Murong Chao’s expression tightened, and he quickly made an excuse to return to his room. Xu Yu looked from Li Jing to the sleeping Qin Haoxuan. “Senior Brother Li, are you here to see Brother Haoxuan?”

“Yes,” Li Jing said with a smile. He even gave Murong Chao a nod as he left, as if he didn’t mind his betrayal at all. “It’s just that I haven’t had a chance to chat with Junior Brother Qin for a while, so I came to see him today.”

“Brother Haoxuan is exhausted and asleep.” Xu Yu, though not disliking Li Jing, had no desire to exchange pleasantries with him. She said politely, “If there is nothing else, please go back for now. When he wakes up, we will come and pay you a visit.”

Being asked to leave the moment he arrived didn’t anger Li Jing in the slightest. In fact, his smile grew wider. He bowed slightly. “Thank you for your consideration, Junior Sister. Please have someone inform me when he wakes. I will take my leave now.”

His confident smile perfectly concealed his arrogance. He was like a different person from the one who had just joined the sect. Just as he was about to leave, Qin Haoxuan, who had been snoring softly, woke up and called out, “Senior Brother Li, you were looking for me? What is it?”

“My apologies for disturbing your rest, Junior Brother Qin,” Li Jing said, clasping his hands with a warm smile. “It’s nothing important. I just wanted to apologize for only giving a hasty congratulations when you completed the Rooting Stage the other day, as I was at a critical point in my own cultivation. This is just a small gift. I hope you will accept it.”

Qin Haoxuan leaped from the bed. One doesn’t visit a temple without a reason. Seeing Li Jing’s roundabout way of speaking and his overly humble smile, and the fact that he had brought a gift, he knew this couldn’t be good.