After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 10

As dawn approached, Ye Qingge, having cleansed herself, stood before the writing desk and rapped her knuckles against it.

The wooden table emitted a dull thud, its echo reverberating heavily in the empty room.

The three plants, deep in slumber, huddled close together, showing no signs of waking.

The night before, Ye Qingge had opened the door to let them in, curious to see if the mimosa would try anything.

But once inside, the plants had simply slept, displaying no unusual behavior.

Now, none of the three showed any intention of waking.

Ye Qingge made no further effort to rouse them and walked straight out.

The next moment, the three pots on the table immediately lifted into the air and floated out after her.

The summit of Mount Taibai was the closest point between the earth and the heavens, the first place to be bathed in sunlight at dawn.

After yesterday’s meditation, Ye Qingge had recovered seventy to eighty percent of her strength. Now that Jiang Mianhao’s true form was fully healed, all that remained was her moonlight transformation.

The morning dew was heavy, with occasional breezes brushing past.

The three floating pots were encased in a large bubble of spiritual energy, bumping against each other as they moved.

Finally, one of them woke from the jostling.

Jiang Mianhao yawned as she slowly came to, momentarily dazed by the rapidly passing scenery outside.

The next second, she snapped awake, staring in horror at the ground, her voice trembling: “Lanlan! W-we’re flying.”

Terrified, Jiang Mianhao patted the budding lily-of-the-valley with her leaves and shook Mi Xiu. “Xiu Xiu, wake up!”

The lily-of-the-valley, nearly losing its bud from the patting, woke up and rubbed its head irritably. “What’s the rush—ah—”

Seeing the swiftly passing scenery, it too was jolted awake.

“What’s happening?” Mi Xiu was too scared to open her eyes, her branches clinging tightly to Jiang Mianhao beside her. “I’m scared, Mianhao.”

Forced awake, the three plants clung to each other. Jiang Mianhao reassured them, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. This is Lujiu’s spiritual energy bubble. We’re probably going to sunbathe.”

The swiftly moving bubble soon came to a steady stop.

At the mountaintop, Ye Qingge, already arrived, stood with her hands behind her back, her white robes fluttering in the morning wind. The only bright spot between heaven and earth.

The three pots, thoroughly frightened, obediently stayed inside the bubble, basking in the sunlight.

“Lujiu,” the lily-of-the-valley complained. “Let me out. I can carry the two of them. Flying like this is too dangerous.”

“Besides, I’ve already successfully transformed!”

The lily-of-the-valley tried channeling spiritual energy to break the bubble. But the gap between her power and Ye Qingge’s was immense. The energy she released bounced back, nearly knocking her out.

Ye Qingge, standing with her hands behind her back, didn’t release the bubble or even turn her head.

She let the lily-of-the-valley’s shouts echo across the mountains.

The other two plants remained quiet, aware of their injuries, and obediently soaked in the sunlight.

The sunlight filtered through the bubble, the warm spiritual energy seeping into their bodies. Jiang Mianhao felt the last traces of discomfort fade away.

Waving her leaves, she exclaimed joyfully, “Lujiu! I can feel my spiritual awareness awakening!”

Hearing her, Ye Qingge didn’t turn around, only giving a faint “Mm.”

Hidden beneath her white sleeves, her fingers subtly calculated. The woman carrying the three pots allowed a faint smile to curve her lips.

Those who cultivate immortality possess celestial bones; plants that transform are born of spiritual awareness.

Jiang Mianhao’s spiritual consciousness had recovered, which meant all the injuries to her true form had healed. After awakening her spiritual consciousness, she only needed to bathe in moonlight to transform into human form.

Before that, however, she still needed a thousand years’ worth of spiritual energy replenished.

If things went smoothly, she could transform as early as tonight.

Everything was proceeding according to plan. Ye Qingge withdrew her thoughts and turned away calmly.

The three plants squeezed inside the spiritual energy orb were chattering excitedly, celebrating the good news of Jiang Mianhao’s recovered spiritual consciousness.

Mi Xiu’s voice was soft: “Congratulations, Mian Mian. You just need to cultivate for another thousand years, and you’ll be able to transform.”

“I’ll give you five hundred of mine!” Ling Lan waved generously. “From now on, big sister will protect you.”

Jiang Mianhao patted her leaves left and right before finally resting them on Mi Xiu. “What about you, Xiu Xiu? How are you feeling?”

“I…” Mi Xiu’s voice lowered, tinged with disappointment. “Actually, after failing my third transformation, I could no longer sense my spiritual consciousness. This body of mine is probably running on its last reserves.”

As if realizing she shouldn’t dampen the mood, Mi Xiu forced a smile and said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s not talk about such unlucky things.”

Jiang Mianhao felt a pang of heartache and gently wrapped her leaves around Mi Xiu. “Xiu Xiu.”

“Don’t worry, Xiu Xiu!” Ling Lan patted her chest with her petals. “I’ll definitely take you out to bask in the sun and bathe in moonlight every day.”

The three plants huddled together affectionately, making promises for the future.

Ye Qingge had no intention of lingering. With a wave of her hand, the spiritual energy orb accelerated forward again.

The three plants, who had just been moved to tears, immediately screamed in terror.

……

……

“Unfair!”

Ling Lan, still wrapped in the spiritual energy orb, rolled around on the ground with a gulu gulu sound, her pot spinning wildly until soil covered her face.

Once she steadied herself, Ling Lan protested indignantly, “Green Leaf Wine, don’t you dare go too far!”

Her response was another spiritual energy orb rolling out, with Mi Xiu, equally covered in soil, coming to a stop beside her.

“Ye Lujiu!” Ling Lan shrieked at the top of her lungs, just as the door before them slammed shut.

Having regained her composure, Mi Xiu tried to soothe her. “Ling Lan, don’t be upset. Lujiu must be trying to treat Mian Mian.”

“Treat her my ass!” Ling Lan was furious. “Why did she have to throw me out?”

Staring at the closed door, Ling Lan was seething with anger.

Ever since returning from their sunbathing session, the three potted plants had been separated into three spirit orbs. Ling Lan had been thrilled at the thought of helping Jiang Mianhao bathe, only to be tossed out, pot and all, the next second.

Outside the door, Ling Lan stomped her feet in frustration.

Inside, however, it was eerily quiet.

Jiang Mianhao, who had expected to be thrown out alongside them, didn’t even get a chance to ask why before her sleep acupoint was pressed.

Ye Qingge popped the spiritual energy orb and placed the pot on the desk.

With a flick of her finger, she slit her arm, and crimson blood droplets began to flow continuously.

Unlike before, when she had only poured a little before stopping, this time Ye Qingge pressed her hand close to the roots of the Goodnight Grass, letting her blood soak every inch of the soil in the pot.

Only when a faint green glow flickered atop Jiang Mianhao’s leaves did Ye Qingge finally withdraw her hand.

The spiritual consciousness, freshly awakened that morning, was like a starving beast, devouring the spiritual energy from the blood in great gulps.

……

……

Ling Lan waited outside the door until she was exhausted, but the door never opened.

The spiritual energy sphere given by Ye Qingge contained abundant energy. Initially, Mi Xiu had been trying to calm Ling Lan, but seeing her efforts futile, she simply settled down to absorb the energy.

By the time the sun set, the door that had been tightly shut all day finally opened.

Ling Lan had shouted herself hoarse. The moment the door opened, she eagerly called out, “Mianhao!”

She rolled the spiritual energy sphere along the ground until it reached Ye Qingge’s feet.

Holding the grass pot, Ye Qingge didn’t even pause. She kicked the sphere aside and walked straight out.

The next second, the two spheres on the ground also rose into the air and followed her out.

Once again, they were at the mountain peak.

After the spheres of Ling Lan and Mi Xiu arrived, Ye Qingge stood with her hands behind her back, motionless.

Jiang Mianhao, placed at her feet, seemed to have just woken up, her leaves swaying slowly.

“Mianhao!” Ling Lan eagerly rolled over to her, relieved only after confirming she was safe.

“Immortal Lord, are you waiting for something?” Mi Xiu asked softly, looking at Ye Qingge.

Hearing the question, Ye Qingge remained silent, her back still turned to them.

The last remnants of the sunset had completely vanished, the fiery red clouds burned away, and the final glimmer of light was swallowed by darkness.

Ling Lan frowned and clicked her tongue. “What exactly did she bring us here for?”

Mi Xiu and Jiang Mianhao shook their heads.

“Hey! Lujiu!” Ling Lan called out, but still received no response. She couldn’t help but grumble, “Did she fall asleep?”

“Asleep?” Jiang Mianhao rustled her leaves. “Is Lujiu tired?”

Ye Qingge, sitting quietly, still showed no reaction.

Jiang Mianhao looked up. The woman beside her was clad in white, standing out starkly against the deep night. Her appearance was cold and transcendent, yet at this moment, Jiang Mianhao saw the gentle compassion of a bodhisattva and a lone star in the long night.

The little grass that had grown up in the darkness found herself utterly captivated.

“An immortal in dreams must look just like Lujiu,” Jiang Mianhao murmured in admiration.

Mi Xiu, standing beside her, also looked up at Ye Qingge and agreed, “Yes, is Lujiu’s true form really wine?”

Before her question could be answered, it was interrupted by Ling Lan’s exclamation.

“The moon?”

Ling Lan rubbed her eyes, her voice growing excited. “Mianhao, Mi Xiu, it’s the moon!!!”

The two grasses, still lost in thought, lifted their heads. A thin crack split the long-silent sky, and a soft beam of moonlight spilled through.