Chen Jinshu had just finished a bowl of moonlight rice when the token at her waist activated. Upon channeling spiritual energy into it, her senior brother's message appeared before her. As expected, he had uncovered the medicinal properties of the crystal rice.
The golden characters hovering in the air detailed his message: after a month of research and cultivation, he had finally confirmed the spiritual and anti-demonic properties of the crystal rice. He was inviting her to the Green Pine Herbal Garden to discuss how to report this spiritual rice and its seeds to the sect.
Chen Jinshu paused in thought, her brows gradually furrowing.
A discovery like this—crystal rice capable of suppressing demonic energy—must never be revealed as solely their work. Otherwise, they might face dangers they couldn't foresee. She packed away her treasured cauldron and headed straight to the Pine Green Herbal Garden. Moments later, Senior Brother Wen Shuyu greeted her with a smile and led her into his herb garden.
"Junior Sister, look closely! That faint black mist rising from the bottle is demonic energy. But once it touches the crystal rice plant, it disperses! This proves the rice truly has suppressive effects!"
"You're brilliant, Senior Brother! You actually cultivated such a spiritual crop." She smiled and praised him.
"This is all thanks to you for providing the seed grains. Still, I think before reporting this to the sect, we should inform Master first. What are your thoughts?"
"My thoughts align with yours. If Master handles this, we might receive more rewards—and avoid many potential troubles."
"As expected, we're on the same page. No time to waste. Let's go find Master."
Chen Jinshu nodded. She had suspected that Wen Shuyu had been prepared for this all along. After all, he'd spent years studying spiritual plants. It would be strange if he hadn't developed one that suppressed demonic energy. The lotus he gave her before had proven as much.
Her senior brother may seem open and guileless on the surface, but he was sharp and shrewd beneath. Soon, the two rode a Firefeather Crane to the hall where their master resided. They had first sent a message to confirm her location. If she had been in the Pill King Hall, their trip would've been for nothing.
"What brings you two here today?" Shui Huanmeng asked with a neutral expression.
She knew they had been working together often on spiritual plant studies lately. Their arrival likely meant they'd encountered a problem—or made a significant discovery.
"Master! Junior Sister discovered a type of spiritual rice that suppresses demonic energy. We've named it crystal rice. It contains more spiritual energy than ordinary spiritual rice and is very easy to cultivate. It could potentially solve the problem of demonic energy corruption across the spiritual fields of the Medicine King Peak."
Wen Shuyu glanced at Chen Jinshu, then spoke gently to Shui Huanmeng.
Chen Jinshu gave a slight nod, tacitly agreeing to his account. Though she hadn't expected him to give her most of the credit.
"This spiritual rice was brought back from Qingping Market last time, wasn't it?"
"Master is wise!"
"When I first saw the grain, I suspected something was different. I didn't expect it would mutate in a way that suppresses demonic energy. This truly is a rare discovery. You did well not to report it recklessly."
"Though the sect appears peaceful on the surface, there are traitors hidden within. We've never been able to root them out. If you had reported this without informing me first, the news could've dragged you both into danger." Shui Huanmeng's gaze turned cold.
"Your teachings are right, Master. We'll be more cautious in the future."
"Good. Now hand over the crystal rice. I'll negotiate with the Peak Lord personally. Do not spread word of this."
"Thank you, Master!"
Wen Shuyu respectfully handed over the small bag of white rice grains.
"Wait for my message." Shui Huanmeng's gaze softened slightly as she examined the pouch.
"Oh, Jinshu—there's news from the Xuanming Secret Realm. It's opening this month. Prepare thoroughly. It's best to form an alliance. Though fighting is forbidden within, if someone acts in secret, we may never know."
Chen Jinshu's heart trembled slightly—finally, news of the Xuanming secret realm. She'd spent so much time lately cultivating spiritual plants and refining pills that she had nearly forgotten. Luckily, her synchronization with the Lüqi Zither had steadily improved.
After leaving with her senior brother, Wen Shuyu advised her to also gather information about the other forces participating in the Mystic Realm exploration—it would be crucial for both safety and strategy.
Chen Jinshu found the advice reasonable and promptly headed to the library. Half a month passed in a blink. The opening time of the Xuanming Secret Realm was finally announced—seven days from now, at dawn. The realm would remain open for about a month. Near the end, an exit portal would appear. They would need to leave quickly. If they didn't, they could be trapped for who knows how long—possibly until death.
That day, while reviewing information about the participating factions in her courtyard, Chen Jinshu noticed the protective formation had been triggered. Opening the door, she saw the same two people from before—Jiang Daoyu and Du Yi.
"What brings the two senior brothers here today?" she asked, pretending not to know.
"The Secret Realm is about to open. We'd like to invite you to explore it together. That way, we can watch each other's backs," Jiang Daoyu said a little bashfully.
Recalling her master's warnings, Chen Jinshu didn't show any discomfort. In fact, she felt intrigued. These two were among the most capable outer sect disciples on Medicine King Peak, with impressive results in the recent tournament. They likely didn't invite Ke Jing'an because she was a healer—too unpredictable in combat.
"Seems like only these two are worth teaming up with on Medicine King Peak. The other cultivators I don't know well. And from other peaks… why would they care about someone like me, only at Qi Refining level seven?"
She sighed inwardly, her gaze toward the two softening.
"How will resources be divided?" she asked.
Both men lit up—this question meant she was seriously considering their offer.
"Whoever earns it keeps it. If one of us kills something, the others won't take a share. But if we gain something together, we'll divide it by contribution," Du Yi replied.
"That sounds ideal." Chen Jinshu nodded.
In team missions, resource division was often the root of conflict.
"Then let's agree to work together. We'll even draft a contract to keep everything fair."
Chen Jinshu raised her brows—she hadn't expected they were sincere enough to suggest a written pact. A smart way to prevent betrayal or disputes.
"In that case, let's work well together." She smiled and nodded.
"I'll draft the contract terms soon so we can sign." Du Yi said with a light smile.
"Then I'll wait for your message," Chen Jinshu replied.
After seeing them off, she watched their backs thoughtfully.
Still… it was best to investigate their characters a bit more—just in case something happened once they were inside the Secret Realm.