Having entered the herb garden, Chu Chen immediately felt rejuvenated. All the pores in his body were relaxed. Rumor had it that there had been a spiritual spring deep within the garden that had already been directly connected to the Crystal Sky Spring at the peak of Crystal Spring Mountain. Due to the high density of the spiritual energy, it had been very suitable for the growth of spiritual herbs. Having witnessed it for himself, Chu Chen finally realized that it had not been exaggerated at all.
The rich and pure spiritual energy had even formed a thick layer of white fog, covering the entire garden like a heavenly court. The scenery there had been excellent. Spiritual herbs had blossomed everywhere with a small gentle stream having meandered through it, presenting a dreamlike state in the garden.
"You there, whose disciple are you? The herb garden is an important place in the sect and trespassing is prohibited!"
Just as he was mesmerized in a daze, an angry shout rang out. Having looked up, he saw a few disciples within the sect dressed in long robes approaching him. They continuously emanated a powerful aura. Even the weakest among them had been above the Spiritual Droplets Stage. They had obviously been the elite disciples among the external disciples. Some of them had even been internal disciples.
"Greetings, fellow senior brothers, I'm here to help out in the garden by the orders of Elder Ling Xin," Chu Chen greeted.
"Oh?" The leader of the group had been dressed in a golden trimmed robe with a platinum crown. His handsome features carried a trace of arrogance. Having heard that, he frowned and examined the elder's token. His mouth twitched unconsciously.
"Since Elder Xin Ling sent you, then you should be doing your work properly. The garden's spiritual herbs need to be watered and the dirt needs to be cleaned. Don't be lazy and wander around."
The leader checked Chu Chen out, returned the token to him and nodded. His Qi surrounded his body, after which he disappeared in an instant.
'What an incredible speed!'
Chu Chen's eyes narrowed, feeling shocked.The leading disciple left, but those behind him did not. They stood before Chu Chen, and watched him excitedly.
"Eh, Junior Brother, you seem familiar. Where have I seen you before—"
A young disciple with pimples all over his face stared at Chu Chen for a long time, then exclaimed loudly, "That's it! You're Chu Chen, aren't you? That trash that made no progress for three whole years! How did you get in here? How did you get your hands on Elder Ling Xin's token?"
"This guy is Chu Chen? The Chu Chen that stayed as an external disciple for three whole years?" The other disciple had also been mildly surprised. "Wasn't he unable to cultivate? Since when did the herb garden allow disciples who can't cultivate to enter?"
"When we first entered the herb garden, we had to waste so much effort trying to ingratiate ourselves with the elders in order to get permission, all for the rich spiritual energy in here. How did he get in here?"
"Is that token authentic? It's not a fake, is it?"
"The token is authentic for sure. It has Elder Ling Xin's unique mark. As for how he got his hands on it, that would require some questioning..."
…
The young disciples were talking among themselves, ignoring Chu Chen's existence. One should know that having cultivated within it for one day was as good as cultivating outside for ten days. Due to that, the disciples would have paid a high price in order to stay inside. Once the time was up, they would have had to leave.
At that moment, the infamous trash from the outer circle had somehow managed to enter the herb garden. To them, it had been a silent mockery. If a trash could have entered, why did they have to put in so much effort?
At that thought, the disciples felt that it had been unjustified. One of them immediately suggested, "This is a dire matter. We should arrest this kid and send someone to the Hidden Frost Valley to confirm if it was Elder Ling Xin's orders. After all, it would be bad if this kid had stolen Elder Ling Xin's token and came here to steal spiritual herbs."
"Senior Brother Li is right! We'll have to take this token from him, just in case he tries anything funny by abusing the token," huffed a gloomy looking disciple. With a wave of his hand, spiritual energy surged out from his palm, and pressed down against Chu Chen. His actions were swift and decisive, having given Chu Chen no chance to have explained.
Chu Chen's pupils shrunk. He narrowed his eyes as a sharp glow flashed in his eyes.
Bullying a newcomer was something that happened commonly everywhere. However, he was no pushover. It had been his first time visiting the herb garden. It seemed that he would have needed to teach them a proper lesson and have established his position to make his life easier.
He slowly expanded his spiritual consciousness. Just as he was about to act, he heard a shout coming from the door, "Stop it right there! Just what are you trying to do?"
The spiritual energy quickly dissipated. They turned around to see a girl with flowing ribbons from her dress walking over. Her elegance and beautiful face carried a hint of anger.
"Senior Sister Qing Yue!"
One of the disciples called out, then quickly pointed accusingly at Chu Chen. "Senior Sister Qing Yue, you're here just in time. This disciple here stole Elder Ling Xin's token and came here to steal spiritual herbs!"
Chu Chen's mouth twitched at its edges and stared coldly at that disciple.
"Bullsh*t!"
Qing Yue approached them, looking angry. "Junior Brother Chu came at the order of Elder Ling Xin with her token. He's here to learn how to care for the spiritual herbs. Who said that he's here to steal things? Look at you, all you do is slack off in cultivation and bully the newcomers. Go away!"
The disciples were stunned for a moment and had immediately felt embarrassed. Although Qing Yue's cultivation stage had been lacking, that was not the case with her identity. She was someone close to Elder Ling Xin. Elder Ling Xin had been the best elixir refiner in the entire Crystal Spring Sect. Even the great elders and grand elders respected her. Few dared to have bullied the disciples that followed her.
They shot a cold glare at Chu Chen and left with a huff. From the looks of it, they were unable to have taught Chu Chen a lesson and felt bad. Only Chu Chen knew that Qing Yue's appearance did not save him, but it saved them instead.
"Senior Sister, why are you here?" Chu Chen greeted Qing Yue with a smile. "Thank you for getting me out of that."
"It's nothing. Next time, just tell them you're Elder Xing Ling's disciple and they won't dare lay a hand on you." Qing Yue walked over and sighed. "Some time ago, Elder Xing Lin transplanted an ancient blood orchid. However, for some reason, it just won't grow properly in the garden and it keeps wilting. The elder had already tried various solutions but still failed to help it flourish. I'm here to check it out. If it's still that bad, we can only give up on it."
"Ancient blood orchid?" Chu Chen was surprised. "Senior Sister, can I have a look?" Ever since he discovered that mysterious ancient celestial mountain, Chu Chen had developed a special interest in things related to the ancient times.