After Baili Dao left, Shen Jizhi took out the pen and ink from his room, spreading them on the desk.
He wrote while explaining to Jian Huan, "Between you and me, the reward is a total of thirty thousand spirit stones. In that, we’ve given a thousand to the Jiang Manor for the marriage banquet, exchanged two for twenty ounces, used for inns and carriages etcetera. We still have twelve ounces left. Each of us has fourteen thousand four hundred and ninety-nine spirit stones, and six ounces of silver, is there any problem?"
Jian Huan stood beside him, listening attentively, trying to recall, and also calculated it on her own. Finally, she shook her head: "No."
"Okay." Shen Jizhi put down his pen and gave Jian Huan her deserved share.
Jian Huan happily stuffed it into her Mustard Seed Pouch, the smile in the corner of her mouth couldn't be hidden no matter how she tried.
"Alright." Shen Jizhi was counting his spirit stones while sitting on the ground. He put his share back into his Mustard Seed Pouch and looked at Jian Huan, reminding her, "It's your turn to divide now."
The smile on Jian Huan’s face paused: "... Oh."
Originally, when cleaning up the battlefield, because she packed less than him, the space she cleared was also less, so she packed some of his stuff.
At Yujian City, it was a mixed bag, and they didn't dare to divide. What if the Imperial Pacification Office came knocking, asking them to return it?
Thankfully, this did not happen. The Imperial Pacification Office took over the assets of Jiang Manor and the leftovers they found in the old mansion.
One by one Jian Huan returned Shen Jizhi's belongings to him. At the end, while holding a piece of pitch-black iron in her hand, she asked while handing it over, "What are you going to do with this?"
They had each gone treasure hunting earlier. Jian Huan had seen this piece of iron in the pile of broken swords in the old mansion's armory.
Jian Huan took one look at it and then focused on digging out the jade adorning the nearby porch pillar. Afterward, she just left.
Unexpectedly, he actually picked up this piece of junk iron?
Shen Jizhi put the large chunk of iron into his Mustard Seed Pouch calmly, his eyes slightly drooping, and said lightly, “It's just for me to forge a sword, it's not worth anything."
"Oh? Really?" Jian Huan expressed her skepticism.
She always felt something wasn't right. According to his character, would he really use the precious space in his Mustard Seed Pouch for a valueless piece of iron?
"Yes. I couldn't find better things later, so I put in that piece of longevity stone."
Yes, that large stone that had been discarded. It had now turned into dust along with the destructed formation.
Jian Huan, who was squatting, sighed regretfully. She then decided to join Shen Jizhi and sat in front of him.
She looked at him, and he looked at her too.
Their eyes collided in mid-air, sparking a flame.
Jian Huan took a deep breath, took out the greenish jelly-like mud, and gently placed it in the middle of them.
What could tumble into a faceless human shaped form was now a somewhat irregular round, like a poached egg.
Both their eyes were sharply focused on it.
It seemed to realize it has been brought out; with a plop sound, it stood straight up, and the soft jelly-like stuff reshaped itself into a matchstick man.
The legs of the tiny figure moved very quickly; it 'flew' in the air trying to go the other way.
Looking at it, Jian Huan touched her chin with her fingertip, "Mmm, it seems like it wants to run?"
"Mmm." Shen Jizhi commented, "But it's a bit slow."
"Who did you just call slow!" The little figure, huffy now, stood still. With its little hand, it pointed at Shen Jizhi and ranted, "How dare you, human! Repeat what you just said if you dare!"
Voiced by a child, it was impossible to tell if it was a boy or a girl.
Shen Jizhi's brow twitched ever so slightly, he responded with an 'Oh' before repeating, "I said, you're slow."
Like a struck matchstick, the little figure morphed into a green flame - distorting with rage. "Ah, if it weren't for that awful woman's strange incantations slowing me down, I'd be moving so fast you couldn't see me! I'm not slow; I'm the fastest in the world!"
With those harsh words, the flame huffed and puffed before continuing its run, eventually reaching a closed window with difficulty.
Right about then, Jian Huan had an intuition.
She could see a floating white line; it appeared that she could pull it gently and bring back the jelly-like figure.
Jian Huan was amazed and asked Shen Jizhi, "Do you see it?"
"No." Shen Jizhi shook his head, reflecting, "Qi Wan drew a symbol on it before giving it to you."
Jian Huan was the first to touch the jelly-like being after Qi Wan had completed the symbol.
The jelly-like being was pulled back.
It jumped onto Jian Huan's face in fury, "You! Hurry and undo this!"
Jian Huan defended herself, "I'm unaware of the nature of this symbol you bear. How am I supposed to undo it?"
The jelly-like being calmed down for a moment and grumbled, "True, both of you seem rather powerless."
Jian Huan, "…"
Shen Jizhi, "…"
Jian Huan narrowed her eyes while wearing a pretty warm smile, "You seem quite strong though. Are you the Ground-Fruit tree?"
"No." The jelly-like being transformed back into a matchstick-man. It sat down, hands on hips, looking rather bossy, "I am a Ground-Fruit spirit. I am me, the Ground-Fruit is the Ground-Fruit, and the tree is the tree. They can't be lumped together."
Jian Huan twitched at the corner of her mouth, "Then do you know where your tree went?"
The matchstick-man waved its little hands, "No, no, no, my tree doesn't run. How can it run without me?"
Jian Huan's eyelids twitched as she shared a glance with Shen Jizhi.
Sure enough, their gut feelings were correct. They were still firmly convinced that someone had conspired against them that day to steal the Ground-Fruit tree!
Jian Huan asked swiftly, "Then do you know who took your tree?"
The matchstick-man sounded surprised, "I got locked in a dark room by you, and you're asking me?"
Jian Huan, "…"
She closed her eyes briefly and looked over at Shen Jizhi, "It's even more annoying to talk with than you."
Shen Jizhi, "?"
He was still beside them, quietly listening, without uttering a word. What did this have to do with him?
Jian Huan carried on her conversation with the jelly-like being, "Then do you have any sense of where your tree has been taken to?"
The little figure shook its head, seeming baffled, "Why should I have any sentiment for the tree? There are countless trees in the world. If one is gone, I can always choose another one. Any tree I live in can bear Ground-Fruit. But without me, any tree would only be a regular tree after some time. You humans don’t get it. There are trees everywhere, and there can be many Ground-Fruits, but there's only one Ground-Fruit spirit, and that's me!"
Its small face lifted slightly, if it had facial features, it definitely wore a proud look.
Jian Huan: "!"
Wasn't that implying that the thrush hiding behind the scenes had wasted all its effort and gained nothing?
Jian Huan suddenly bursts in laughter: "Good, well done!"
Di Guo, mistaking he got praised, lifted his face even higher, resembling a green sunflower.
Jian Huan casually exchanged glances with Shen Jizhi.
These days, they had fully explored the Di Guo Tree by using the Xuantian Mirror and inquiring Brother Su Tian.
The rumor stated that hundreds of years ago, a monk had graduated from a thunder tribulation in a deep mountain forest. At the junction of life and death, a tree moved over and used roots to give him a fruit.
He ate it and finally carried off the tribulation, becoming a Golden Core Stage cultivator.
Such encounters would occur every few years, and hence, the legend that eating the fruit of the Di Guo Tree could help cultivators resist thunder tribulation and not die emerged.
"Those who died couldn't talk about it." In response to this rumor, Di Guo itself commented, "Those random talkers have really troubled me. That lunatic Qi Wan thought so, assuming that placing me inside her man would bring him back to life. I have already told her that even if she uses the array I provided her to rush, transfering the extra life essence from her child to her man, it would only give her man a heartbeat. But his consciousness is already gone, not even a Great Luo Golden Immortal can save him... but she refused to believe! She thought I was lying to her! Pooh! I'm a fruit spirit, I never stoop to lie!”
So, that's how it is.
Jian Huan thought about it, and confirmed: "But in any case, your fruits can assist cultivators during a thunder tribulation, right?”
The spirit of Di Guo fruit proudly nodded its head.
Jian Huan's heart pounded.
Spirit instruments, spirit pills, spirit fruits that can aid in thunder tribulations are all worth a fortune. Such a Di Guo fruit, if auctioned, wouldn’t it fetch a handsome amount?
Jian Huan held his breath. With a gentle tone, he coaxed, "Look at you now, you can't go anywhere. I really don’t know how to untie the symbol on you. How about this, we take you back to the Sect first, pick a tree for you to grow and bear fruit. I will cultivate diligently, research the symbol on you and try to untie it. In return, the fruits you bear during this time would belong to us, how about it?”
The fruit sighed: “I suppose there’s no other choice.”
What else could it do? It just got to live with it.
It not only flees fast, but also thinks open-mindedly.
That seemed to be all, Jian Huan looked at Shen Jizhi, hinting with his eyes if there was anything else to add.
Shen Jizhi stared at the fruit, suddenly asking: "What if you are split in half?”
The fruit couldn't believe that such a sentence would actually come out from a human being's mouth, and it incredulously retorted: “What would happen if you were split in half?”
You would die.
Shen Jizhi: "."
Outside the Qinglong City, the rolling mountains were no longer the extreme green of summer, with a few touches of early autumn yellow embellishing them.
Baili Dao asked: "Are you guys really not going to use the teleportation array?”
Shen Jizhi shook his head.
Jian Huan, clutching the bamboo segments she had chopped from the Chu Family's bamboo garden, could not help but feel fascination, "I am currently in the middle of swordsmanship practice. I cannot afford to use the teleportation array."
Baili Dao nodded in understanding. He laughed, made a polite gesture with folded hands and said, "Many thanks to Miss Jian and Brother Shen for their help on this journey, I hope we may meet again someday!"
"Meet again someday is hardly necessary, didn't we already add each other on Xuantian ID? Don't be a stranger, connect with us now and then." Jian Huan winked at him. "If you and your little brother ever stumble upon profitable deals and need teammates, do not hesitate to call us."
Baili Dao nodded solemnly, "I will remember that. Please take care of yourself along the way."
Jian Huan waved him off, not hesitating any further. She rode her new bamboo back with Shen Jizhi, making full speed back towards the Jade Clarity Sect, day and night.
No sooner had they arrived when they were summoned to the leader's presence.
...
The main peak of the Jade Clarity Sect towered above the rest with majestic grandeur, commanding the view of all beneath it.
From afar, the imposing grand hall was visible through the mist, half concealed and half revealed, seemingly a dwelling place for immortals.
While Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi could use their swords to fly, their current level of skill could not take them up there.
A spiritual crane flapped its white wings, carrying them across the mountains and rivers.
Jian Huan gently rubbed the soft, cloud-like feathers of the spiritual crane, a twinkle in her eyes.
Her demeanor was like a country dweller visiting the city for the first time, full of awe as her gaze wandered from one fascinating sight to another.
In a blink of an eye, they were there.
Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi dismounted from the crane. It then flapped its wings, executed a graceful turn, let out a cry, and continued to roam over the vast peaks and valleys.
Although it was Jian Huan's first time at the main peak, Shen Jizhi seemed to be quite familiar.
He led the way with Jian Huan taking every opportunity to turn around and look at the departing crane.
Someday, when she had enough money, she would keep one for herself!
As they drew closer to the grand hall with its golden, splendid pillars, the intricate details became ever more clear.
Seeing the lavish grand hall, Jian Huan wondered about the expenses it took to construct such a structure.
Just when they were heading towards the grand hall's entrance, Shen Jizhi suddenly changed course to a small path.
Jian Huan paused, instinctively stopping to look at the grand hall's entrance. She asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Aren't we supposed to meet with the Sect Leader?"
Shen Jizhi paused as well, turned around and explained, "The Sect Leader is in the inner hall."
"I see," Jian Huan expressed a bit of disappointment. She lightly trotted to his side, then proposed in a hushed tone, "Perhaps we're not considered as important guests?"
She wanted to see the grand hall, to have a taste of what true luxury looked like!
Shen Jizhi faltered before answering, "The grand hall is only open when we have visitors from other sects?"
Jian Huan was all the more puzzled, but she understood everything when she arrived at the side hall.
The outer view of the side hall was properly constructed, but the interior was quite simple in its decoration.
Sect Leader Dao Xuan was dressed in a green Daoist robe, his hair held up by a wooden hairpin, sitting on a meditation cushion.
Shen Jizhi bent at the waist, performing a courteous salute, "We pay our respects to the Sect Leader."
Jian Huan glanced up at Sect Leader Dao Xuan before looking down and following Shen Jizhi's salute.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, his features neither breathtaking nor unsightly, simply the face of an ordinary man, indistinguishable from the crowd.
Dao Xuan opened his eyes, noticing the two disciples below. With a gentle smile, two meditation cushions instantly moved from a corner and landed in front of Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi.
He said in a congenial tone, "You must be tired from your journey. Please sit."
Jian Huan: "..."
She could sweep the relatively large side hall with a glance. Inside, there wasn't even a chair, just bamboo-made meditation cushions in abundance.
Jian Huan silently sat on one of the cushions, suddenly gaining some understanding.
"Yu Qing returned yesterday and filled me in on the matter of Qi Wan. I will not interrogate you further on this." Dao Xuan sighed subtly when mentioning Qi Wan, "We are thankful you uncovered this; otherwise, it would have led to endless trouble. You both did well, and the Jade Clarity Sect will provide the rewards you deserve."
Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi looked at him almost simultaneously.
"The Grand Conference of Jiuzhou will soon take place, and all the disciples representing Jade Clarity Sect have been selected. However, if you two are interested, you can accompany them and widen your horizons," Dao Xuan said with a smile, "What do you think?"
According to sect rules, he was supposed to reward these two disciples with spirit stones. After some thought, Dao Xuan felt that two accompanying positions at the Jiuzhou Grand Conference would be quite valuable as well.
These positions were sought-after, and disciples would go to great lengths to obtain them.
In this way, these two disciples would get the accompanying positions they wanted, and the Jade Clarity Sect could save some money.
Being the sect leader these days was getting increasingly challenging.
When there was an abundance of spirit mines in the past, life was extremely prosperous. There was no need to worry about the budget, the food hall was open for meals, and tens of thousands of spirit stones were rewarded freely.
The disciples were happy, and the sect leader was happy.
But things complicated over time!
All the major sects had spirit mines, but if they were to exploit more than half of them, they couldn't regenerate.
With the unrestrained use in the past, coupled with the huge expenditure to fight off the Demon Clan a hundred years ago, the spirit mines were on the brinks of exhaustion. All the major sect leaders were getting scared stiff and had to stop the mining in hopes of a slow recovery.
The spiritual treasury of the sect was nearly depleted.
Yet, the Imperial Pacification Office still expected an annual lump sum of spirit stones from all major sects to maintain the peace in Jiuzhou and ensure public tranquility.
The imperial court doesn't own any spirit mines. If the spirit stones are not provided by the major sects, who else?
Therefore, as the head of the Jade Clarity Sect over the past hundred years, Dao Xuan had broken his back trying to earn spirit stones.
He'd never worked this hard when practicing his own cultivation.
Being a sect leader is really a tough job, but there's no one to replace him.
His junior brother Gu Shan was willing to take over, but could he dare to hand over?
If he did, the Jade Clarity Sect would be ruined in no time, and Dao Xuan would forever be deemed a villain in the sect's history.
Hence, his idea of rewarding the accompanying positions was truly beneficial for all.
Below, Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi were whispering to each other.
"So, what's the benefit of attending the Jiuzhou Grand Conference?" she asked.
Shen Jizhi corrected her: "The master refers to accompanying positions."
Jian Huan: "?"
Shen Jizhi: "Accompanying positions meaning becoming side observers along with the head elder."
Jian Huan: "..."
Shen Jizhi: "Besides, with the time spent attending the Jiuzhou Grand Conference, you could do more tasks and earn more."
Jian Huan: "I understand."
She continued, "I have my own wishes. Please let me have them."
Shen Jizhi: "Fine, say it first." If what she wanted was something he didn’t want, he would strive for what he wanted.
Jian Huan gave an 'ok' gesture.
Above, Dao Xuan could hear clearly: "......"
What's with the entourage quota? Close contact with senior disciples of the sect, with elders, and with the proud sons of various major sects.
Every year, there are many rich fathers and mothers of disciples who spend money for these entourage places.
Even the disciple of Gu Shan was alright, but how was it that the latest recruit, this little girl, had money and benefits on her mind?
This wouldn’t do, Dao Xuan sighed.
Jian Huan stood up from her mat, bowed deeply to the sect leader, and said, "Please excuse my boldness, my aptitude is dull, and it's just a waste if I attend. Please give the quota to senior brothers or sisters who need it more. If the sect leader wants to reward me and Brother Shen, I do have a wish that I hope to be fulfilled. May I ask if it can be satisfied?"
Dao Xuan, with the demeanor of a Taoist saint said, “Just speak freely.”
Jian Huan declared word by word: "I want a piece of land."
She had made a good profit this round and had already made plans in her heart.
The Jade Clarity Sect was pretty good and capable of nurturing people like Elder Yu Qing. The overall atmosphere wouldn't be bad.
Jian Huan planned to stay in Jade Clarity for a long time.
Therefore, she had to solve her living situation.
On her return this time, Jian Huan wanted to build a small wooden hut.
The Jade Clarity Sect had plenty of land, and one could pretty much build wherever they wanted, as Shen Jizhi had.
The disciples building their own wooden huts wouldn't cost the sect anything, and they would even have to buy Lingmu and such from the sect which usually turned a blind eye.
But the land ultimately belonged to the Jade Clarity Sect, and if told to tear down, it had to be torn down.
Jian Huan didn’t want this to happen; she wanted her own, completely owned, piece of land.
Dao Xuan raised his eyebrows: "Land?"
Jian Huan nodded and respectfully said, "Yes!"
Dao Xuan considered internally and glanced at Shen Jizhi.
He knew that Shen Jizhi had built a wooden house on a small bank.
In an instant, Dao Xuan's divine consciousness reached that hillside. There was nothing on the hillside and was far away from all other peaks. It wasn't a much-desired place.
There were slopes like these all over the Jade Clarity Sect. They weren’t valuable.
The worst-case scenario was that both of these disciples would eventually leave the Jade Clarity Sect.
But then, he could just move the hillside to outside of the sect premise for them. It wasn't a big deal.
Dao Xuan smiled: "If you want the land where Shen Jizhi resides, alright."
......
With the words of the sect leader, Jian Huan had Shen Jizhi lead her to the elder who was in charge of the matter so they could write the land deed.
The elder had wanted to write both their names on one deed, but upon their strong insistence, he wrote two, clearly stating that the hill was divided into two sides: Jian Huan owned the east side, while Shen Jizhi owned the west one.
Outside the elder’s chamber, Jian Huan examined her land deed carefully, smiling from ear to ear.
She clenched her fist and called out "Yay!" Not satisfied, she turned around and raised her right hand high towards Shen Jizhi behind her, wanting to high five to celebrate.
Before Jian Huan could even speak out...
A large hand rose, and the white and green sleeves slipped down, revealing the strong and fair wrist of a man.
His long fingers, slender as bamboo joints, imprinted gently upon her petite palm, only to draw away shortly after.
Shen Jizhi tucked away the deed, rounding her to proceed forward. He murmured softly, "Hmm, this occasion indeed calls for a celebration."
