"So what if I mention it? Can Bai Yulou truly dominate Qingxuan Sect with one hand?"
Ziyang Daojun snorted coldly in response, then waved his sleeve and turned to leave. Just as he was about to reach his cave residence, he suddenly turned back to glance at the copper mirror behind him and said, "Next time's lecture is canceled. I will enter seclusion for three years."
After saying that, his figure vanished in the blink of an eye in front of the cave entrance.
"What's the need for this?"
A helpless sigh came from within the copper mirror.
Back to Qingzhu Residence.
"Hah... still not working..."
Sitting on his bed, Xu Taiping let out a long sigh after practicing his cultivation for quite some time.
After hearing Ziyang Daojun's lecture, the time had just turned to noon, the perfect time for practicing the Cangxia Sutra. Xu Taiping had started following the insights he gained from the lecture and began cultivating.
However, after an entire hour of effort, he still couldn't manage to guide the spiritual energy of the world into his body and refine it into true qi, as described in the Cangxia Sutra.
"Looks like I'll have to rely on the prescription from Fairy Lingyue."
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Xu Taiping spoke, somewhat unwillingly.
This attempt had truly made him feel the difficulty of cultivating with a white bone constitution.
With this thought in mind, and having already made up his mind, Xu Taiping took out the copper mirror again, placing a merit coin on top.
"Xu Taiping of Qingzhu Residence, what business do you have with me?"
The voice of the mirror spirit echoed from the copper mirror.
"Mirror Spirit, I wish to purchase a batch of medicinal herbs and seed materials."
Xu Taiping replied.
"Given your current rank, you may only purchase medicinal herbs and seeds from the Baicao Hall at the foot of the mountain. These are the herb listings from Baicao Hall. Once you've selected what you need from the mirror, a spiritual bird will deliver the items to your courtyard."
As the mirror spirit spoke, a list of herbs began to appear on the surface of the copper mirror.
"Thank you, Mirror Spirit."
After expressing his gratitude, Xu Taiping carefully began to browse the listings.
After a while, Xu Taiping had gathered all the ingredients listed in Fairy Lingyue's prescription. To avoid anyone noticing the formula, he also added a few cheap, inconspicuous herbs to the mix, and adjusted the quantities slightly.
As for the medicinal herb seeds for the garden, he only selected "Nine-Leaf Perilla," purchasing enough to plant three acres of land for three cycles.
He had his reasons for this choice.
According to the records in the transmission jade slip regarding the herb garden, the leaves, stems, and fruit of the Nine-Leaf Perilla could all be used as medicine. The leaves could be consumed as high-quality vegetables, and its seeds were among the cheapest of all spiritual herbs. It also grew easily, with a growth cycle from seed to harvest in just three months. Given that Yuncheng Mountain experienced a perpetual spring-like climate, it could be cultivated three times a year.
The only downside was the low price.
Normally, planting Nine-Leaf Perilla in an acre of land could only yield about thirty merit coins annually, far less than other spiritual herbs.
It was important to note that each outer sect disciple of Qingxuan Sect had to pay one hundred and twenty merit coins per year. Even if Xu Taiping planted Nine-Leaf Perilla on all three acres, it would still be difficult for him to meet the required merit coins for the sect.
But with Fairy Lingyue's array placed in the herb garden, things would be different.
According to Fairy Lingyue's explanation, any herb garden that was set up with the small Gathering Spirit Array would triple its yield over the course of three years. Therefore, planting Nine-Leaf Perilla was the most cost-effective option.
"If all goes as planned, with three acres of land and three harvests of Nine-Leaf Perilla, I should be able to earn at least 270 merit coins. After deducting the 20 merit coins for the cost and the 120 merit coins required for the sect, I'll still have 130 left. By next year, I'll be able to buy better seeds, and maybe even have some left over for cultivation methods and talismans."
After paying for the seeds and herbs through the copper mirror, Xu Taiping took out a notebook and began carefully recording the expenses.
"After purchasing the herbs and seeds, I only have three merit coins left. Fortunately, the rice jar is full, and there's enough oil and salt. I can set some traps in the mountains and hunt some wild game to last me until the first batch of Nine-Leaf Perilla matures."
While recording, Xu Taiping was also mentally calculating.
His choice of Nine-Leaf Perilla as the seed was largely due to its fast growth. It would allow him to quickly exchange for merit coins in just three months, which he could then use to buy the medicinal materials needed for his cultivation.
As for the True Fire Talisman required for burning the seeds, he had already asked the mirror spirit about it yesterday. The answer was that he could only buy talismans after he had been a disciple for at least a year, and even the most basic True Fire Talisman would cost over a thousand merit coins, which he couldn't afford in the short term.
"Hm, once I have some earnings, I'll need to think about saving up to buy the True Fire Talisman."
Xu Taiping wrote another note in his ledger.
The next evening.
A spiritual bird, a gray crane, arrived at Xu Taiping's courtyard, holding a large package in its beak.
The seeds and medicinal materials Xu Taiping had purchased had finally arrived.
After reluctantly paying a merit coin to the gray crane, Xu Taiping took the materials and entered his bedroom.
Inside, a large basin filled with hot water was prepared.
This was the bath he had set aside for soaking the herbs.
"Fairy Lingyue's prescription mentioned that the materials are ordinary, but to unleash their full effect, I must follow the timing and sequence of adding the ingredients as described in the prescription."
After categorizing the herbs and reweighing them using an old scale, Xu Taiping stood in front of the bath, quietly reviewing the order and timing for adding the herbs.
"It should be fine."
After a moment, Xu Taiping nodded to himself, seemingly encouraging his own confidence.
He then grabbed the first batch of herbs wrapped in oiled paper and poured them all into the steaming bath, counting off the numbers with his fingers as he did so: "8, 7, 6..."
When he reached "1," Xu Taiping quickly poured the second batch of herbs into the bath.
As the second batch was added, the hot water in the basin began to bubble, releasing a fragrance that smelled like a mix of orchid and musk.
"Looks like I did it right."
Xu Taiping smiled with delight and quickly added another batch of herbs.
One incense stick later.
After all the herbs had been added according to the prescription, Xu Taiping saw that the once-clear hot water had transformed into a thick, white liquid resembling paste.
"The color is translucent and white like jade, thick like paste, just as the prescription described."
Xu Taiping breathed a sigh of relief.
At least, from its appearance, the Bone-Washing Elixir was a success.
He then quickly stripped off his clothes, revealing his lean body, and slid into the thick, medicinal liquid.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Even after an incense stick had passed, the medicinal bath was still scalding hot. Xu Taiping couldn't help but grit his teeth in pain.
Had it not been for the prescription warning that leaving the bath midway would greatly reduce the effectiveness, he probably would have already gotten out by now.