```
It turns out, after losing all the money, the mind becomes clearer, and the pace of cultivation has actually quickened a bit.
Chen Qing decided to extend his cultivation time during this period.
In just three days, two more injured people had been added to Chen Qing's care.
The injuries weren't very severe, which suggested success.
It was unclear what quality of Bugs they had managed to seize this time.
After dealing with the injuries, Chen Qing went to tend to the Spiritual Ginseng Field as usual.
With Chen Qing's daily care, the Spirit Ginseng had grown quite robust by now.
Compared with the Spirit Plant Garden's past, Chen Qing easily noticed the difference.
In the past, when Spirit Ginseng in the garden reached the stage of which he was currently cultivating, it would grow extremely slowly, necessitating years to accumulate spirituality.
But the Spirit Ginseng he was growing now, with the assistance of his Grass Spirit Butterfly, was still flourishing.
And those twenty acres of special Spiritual Ginseng Field were growing even more unbelievably!
If it were like the past, it would be just barely ready for harvest.
Grass Treasure is truly awesome indeed!
After sorting out life-saving measures, he would continue to enhance Grass Treasure!
Chen Qing stayed on the mountain for a few days, with no news coming until the 15th of June when he finally heard something.
According to Li He, the people from Lotus Cave had been robbed, but it wasn't just one group of perpetrators.
The exact number wasn't clear from the information coming up from below the mountain, as it was all just rumors after all.
Chen Qing guessed that the news about Lotus Cave had leaked, and it was not just Wuyou Mountain that got wind of it but possibly other forces as well.
Looking at the injuries of the two senior brothers from War Affairs Hall, they were likely ambushed right after their opponents had fought among themselves.
It's a case of the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman profits.
In such circumstances, Lotus Cave probably couldn't afford to make a fuss.
The follow-up turmoil should be minimal.
After learning this news, Chen Qing's heart settled down a bit more, and he couldn't help but praise Feng Qi and Ye Yuntian inwardly.
They really handled things cleanly and efficiently.
In the afternoon, when Chen Qing went to tend to the Spiritual Ginseng Field, Gongsun Xiu brought a pot of wine and invited Chen Qing to sit on the field ridge. They laid out a carpet and sat on it drinking wine and eating dried fruits.
"Little brother, those twenty acres of your Spirit Ginseng really make one's mouth water!"
Chen Qing smiled and said, "No rush, once it's time to harvest, senior brother can come and collect."
Gongsun Xiu asked, "Are you interested in planting some Blood Ginseng?"
Blood Ginseng cultivated by sprinkling demon beast blood on the soil?
In the wild, demon beasts would pile up the corpses they consumed next to wild Spirit Ginseng, and over time, the Blood Ginseng would grow from it!
Chen Qing said, "This demon blood isn't easy to come by."
Gongsun Xiu said, "I've heard that the Beast Driving Hall has some in stock."
With that said, Gongsun Xiu did not continue, just letting Chen Qing drink.
Chen Qing pondered privately, Blood Ginseng was much more valuable than Spirit Ginseng, and if he could grow some, his own status and position would be more secure.
Moreover, once grown, he could also keep some for himself, which would be greatly beneficial for his own cultivation.
Although this was exactly what Gongsun Xiu was calculating at the moment, it didn't matter.
The question was whether Grass Treasure was up to the task now.
After Gongsun Xiu left, Chen Qing called for Li He and asked him to fetch a bucket of demon blood from the Beast Driving Hall.
Half an hour later, Chen Qing instructed Li He to pour the demon blood into the fields.
Under the sunlight, the Spiritual Field drenched in demon blood became scorching hot.
Chen Qing hurriedly spread his hands and sent out the Grass Spirit Butterfly to take care of it.
Soon, under the Grass Spirit Butterfly's care, the temperature gradually dropped, the demon blood infiltrated the field, and the Spirit Ginseng became even more spirited.
Feeling the spiritual energy inside him deplete like flying, Chen Qing couldn't help but take a couple of deep breaths.
This looks promising!
With a higher level of cultivation, he could consider it, but for now, one acre of Blood Ginseng was likely his limit.
It looks like when he has some free time, he should go and have a chat with the senior sister from Beast Driving Hall.
After the Grass Spirit Butterfly took care of it for a quarter of an hour, Chen Qing clearly saw a hint of vivid red on the leaves of this patch of Spirit Ginseng.
After taking care of this, Chen Qing returned to his cave dwelling somewhat exhausted.
In the cultivation room, Chen Qing released the Bugs, letting them feed on Promotion Items and their daily necessities.
```
The Fog Bug transformed into a clump of mist, enveloping the Spiritual Dew and slowly absorbing it.
The Sword Bug was much more aggressive, lying atop Demon Wolf Teeth, waving its little claws to cut off a piece and sending it directly to its mouth.
The Grass Spirit Butterfly was much more elegant, nibbling on Bug Spirit Grass with tiny bites.
The Alcohol Bug was quite lively, and while eating, would occasionally pass a piece of the Bug Spirit Grass it had torn off to the Grass Spirit Butterfly.
Hmm, in two more days, both Fog Treasure and Sword Treasure should be able to ascend and transform.
After watching the four Bugs eat their fill, Chen Qing took them back into his body, drank a couple of sips of Spiritual Ginseng Wine, and while restoring his Spiritual Energy, he continued to cultivate.
Night fell.
Above the Nine Heavens, the drifting Clouds changed and transformed. On the Cloud Platform, a man wearing a black robe and a silver mask appeared at the head of the long table.
The moment he appeared, he was stunned for three breaths, and then disappeared from sight.
Ten breaths later, he appeared again at this leader's seat.
"Where are they?"
"My big three people, where have they gone?"
"Don't tell me I got the time wrong?"
He stretched out a hand, resting his chin on it as he pondered on the tabletop.
"That can't be right, I remember setting it for this exact time."
"Don't tell me, in the three months I've been gone, they all died?"
"The rate of becoming a lonesome figure is too fast, isn't it!"
"Is the world really so perilous?"
"No, wait, we're the evil cult!"
"Has the righteous path become that powerful?"
"I used to be hunted by evil sects when I was righteous."
"Though now as an evil sect member I'm hunted by the righteous path, at least I had three subordinates, didn't I?"
"Alas, I just embraced the darkness, how has it come to this?"
"Does that mean my joining the evil sect was in vain?"
The man with the silver mask vanished from his seat.
An hour later.
The man with the silver mask appeared again.
"This can't be!"
Then he vanished once more.
Another hour passed, and he reappeared at the seat, beginning to analyze the situation carefully.
"That mutt looks like he has a short life span; it's no surprise if he's dead."
"That girl Red Lotus is careless and doesn't know the severity of things, her death is possible."
"That scholar always seems shrewd, could it be he blew himself up while researching magic?"
He looked up and found Hu Yao and Murong Lang staring at him with surprise.
...
The leader, pretending to be nonchalant, straightened his clothes, "Ahem!"
He mustered an expression, "Ah, you've arrived."
Immediately after, he snapped, "Why have you only arrived now, weren't we scheduled for two hours ago?"
Murong Lang fluttered his folding fan, his expression showing no change, "Senior Taichu changed the time."
The leader snapped, "Who's running this meeting? He changes it just like that, who does he think he is?"
"Wait a minute, Senior Taichu?"
"A new member?"
Seeing the leader's temper flare again, and recalling how he had given her some advice in the past, Hu Yao felt she should explain, "Well, he's somewhat new. Senior Taichu is using the mask of the mutt."
The leader slammed his hand on the table and asked rudely: "Senior, how senior?"
"Is he that impressive?"
Murong Lang said, "You can't say he's just impressive..."
Calling Senior Taichu merely 'impressive' was indeed a bit of an insult.
Before Murong Lang finished speaking, the leader grandly declared, "Not impressive, yet still senior? Who gave him the guts?"
"I'm laying it out here today, this meeting goes by my word, even if the Divine Son or Goddess come, they'll have to lie down here and behave for me!"