After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 7

After a long silence, the little grass in the pot finally stirred.

Having bathed in sunlight and absorbed celestial dew during the day, Jiang Mianhao was brimming with energy and vitality.

Late at night, when Ye Qingge cut her wrist to water the grass with her blood, Jiang Mianhao noticed.

“Lujiu, are you watering me?” Jiang Mianhao swayed her leaves slightly. The liquid seeping into the soil carried an intense chill, which felt incredibly soothing to her.

Once the blood had been poured, Ye Qingge pulled down her sleeve and gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.

“Thank you, Lujiu!” After absorbing all the nourishing liquid, Jiang Mianhao sighed contentedly. “I feel like I’ve almost fully recovered.”

Ye Qingge remained expressionless and didn’t respond.

“Lujiu, don’t be mad at Lanlan,” Jiang Mianhao began chattering again. “Lanlan is really, really nice. She’s the best person I’ve ever met besides Grandma Banyan.”

Ye Qingge gave a perfunctory hum in reply. She spread out a sheet of paper on the table and began jotting down her observations for the day.

[Talkative. Enjoys noise.]

Her brush paused briefly before she closed the notebook and laid out a fresh sheet to continue writing.

Jiang Mianhao wasn’t upset by the lack of response. She had already gotten a sense of Lujiu’s temperament. After all, anyone who had been a carefree immortal in the heavens only to be cast down to the mortal realm would naturally be in a bad mood.

So Jiang Mianhao asked again, “Lujiu, what are you doing?”

“Drawing,” Ye Qingge replied, dipping her brush in ink before calmly setting it to paper.

Since she intended to settle on this mountaintop for the long term, Ye Qingge had begun considering building a new dwelling outside.

Though the banyan tree hollow was comfortable, it was too dim inside, and the deep cave shielded them from the frosty air atop the cliff which wasn’t ideal for Jiang Mianhao’s recovery.

With most of her spiritual power restored, constructing a new residence wouldn’t be difficult.

“You can draw too?” Jiang Mianhao exclaimed happily. “Lujiu, you’re amazing!”

Ye Qingge ignored her, focusing instead on recalling the surrounding terrain in her mind.

Jiang Mianhao had grown accustomed to being ignored and pressed on, “Lujiu, do you know when I’ll be able to see again? Everything’s pitch black right now, and it’s a little scary.”

A grass spirit that had reverted to its original form could only reside within its roots. Normally, a cultivated grass spirit could hear, smell, and speak.

But the injured Jiang Mianhao was curled up at the very base of her roots, and even her hearing had only fully recovered today after basking in the warm sunlight.

Now she could speak and hear, but unfortunately, her vision remained shrouded in darkness.

As a sleep-inducing grass, Jiang Mianhao was particularly afraid of the dark, so she would naturally fall dormant after sunset, sparing herself the torment of long nights.

But ever since her injury, aside from the pain, she also had to endure the unbearable blackness.

Ye Qingge glanced at the drooping leaves and said flatly, “Probably two or three days.”

“Really?!” The wilted leaves instantly perked up, swaying joyfully. “Yay! That means I’ll get to see Lanlan’s transformed form!”

“Isn’t Lanlan just the most beautiful?” The mere mention of Lily of the Valley made Jiang Mianhao giddy. “Her pink hair is so gorgeous! Before we transformed, we used to guess what color our hair would be. I always thought hers would be pink, but she wanted white. Personally, I think pink suits her better than white.”

Ye Qingge’s brush paused mid-stroke, but she didn’t respond.

“Oh, Lujiu,” Jiang Mianhao swayed her leaves and asked, “What color is your hair?”

Ye Qingge: ……

Jiang Mianhao gave a soft hum and continued talking to herself, “I bet you’re green too, right? After all, your name is Green Wine, so you must be a vibrant, emerald green absolutely stunning.”

Ye Qingge couldn’t be bothered to respond, and her focus on sketching was completely disrupted.

“Oh, Green Wine!” Jiang Mianhao seemed to remember something else she wanted to ask but was interrupted.

The incessant chatter was giving Ye Qingge a headache, and her brush hovered motionless over the paper. “Enough,” she said.

“Enough?” Jiang Mianhao swayed her leaves cheerfully. “If you’re done drawing, then come chat with me!”

Jiang Mianhao was terrified of the dark, and the only way to ease her fear was to keep talking and talking. Today, the only time she hadn’t been afraid was when she was with Lily of the Valley.

Ye Qingge set down her brush, her fingertips glowing faintly with silver light as she touched the base of the grass.

In the next moment, the noisy Slumbergrass yawned and slowly drooped its leaves.

Slumbergrass had a sleep acupoint, much like the vital point of an immortal.

Distracted beyond measure, Ye Qingge sighed helplessly as she watched the little grass slump into slumber.

This grass was far too noisy.

……

……

As usual, the candle burned through the night. Just before dawn, Ye Qingge carried the still-sleeping grass pot and stepped outside.

She had no habit of sleeping. Over all these years of cultivation, she had spent every night regulating her breath and energy.

Because the moment she closed her eyes, endless nightmares would flood her vision—

The inescapable alchemy furnace, the heartstrings and emotions ruthlessly torn away.

Among the nine sisters, Ye Qingge was the only one who had awakened her spiritual intelligence, and the burden on her shoulders was far heavier than that of other divine maidens.

Her wisdom had come early, and her talent for cultivation seemed innate.

Though she had a master to guide her, her entire path of cultivation had been forged by her own efforts, and the hardships she endured were hers alone to bear.

Ye Qingge carried the grass pot to the mountaintop just as the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon.

The sleeping Slumbergrass stirred awake, stretching its leaves luxuriantly.

Ye Qingge’s gaze lingered on the little grass. Over the past few nights, she had been nourishing it with her own blood, and the grass had been recovering at an astonishing rate.

Everything was progressing as planned. Once the grass fully recovered and sprouted its emotions, it would be time to harvest it.

Bathed in sunlight, Jiang Mianhao was brimming with energy. She waved her leaves and greeted, “Good morning, Green Wine!”

Ye Qingge averted her gaze, her pupils meeting the warm sunlight. She responded with a faint hum.

……

……

After basking in the sun, Ye Qingge carried the grass pot and paced around the banyan tree before finally heading inside.

She had already finished drawing the blueprint the night before.

With the daily surges of spiritual energy, her magic power was gradually recovering.

Creating a new dwelling was nothing more than a trivial task.

Ye Qingge planted ice blades around the perimeter to secure the terrain before carrying the grass pot into the banyan tree hollow.

The moment she stepped inside, she heard a commotion.

“Is that Lanlan’s voice?” Losing her sight had sharpened Jiang Mianhao’s hearing.

She rustled her leaves anxiously. “Who is Lanlan arguing with?”

Ye Qingge had no interest in joining the commotion and was about to carry the grass pot back to her room.

As the voices grew fainter, Jiang Mianhao pleaded, “Green Wine, Green Wine, can we go take a look? Please?”

“No,” Ye Qingge refused without hesitation.

The sound of the lilies of the valley had faded, and Jiang Mianhao was frantic, her leaves trembling incessantly: “Please, please, I’m really worried about Lanlan. I beg you.”

Ye Qingge closed the door, completely shutting out the clamor from outside.