Chapter 74: Odd Happenings at the Spirit Medicine Garden
“Ripened? Instantaneously?”
“Well, it can’t be said that it was instantaneous. There was originally still half a year left in the spirit medicines’ maturing cycle. There was at least a month left until they ripened. But these spirit medicines suddenly ripened yesterday, and they were full of spirit energy. In terms of quality, they were actually a grade higher than the spirit medicines that had matured before!”
This was indeed an odd happening!
Although the cultivation of spirit medicines was more particular than that of ordinary crops, it was impossible for a miracle such as ripening overnight to occur.
However, such a bizarre occurrence had indeed happened.
“Take me to it,” Jiang Chen was unable to make much of a judgement without actually seeing things for himself.
Jiang Yu hadn’t spoken a single false word. When Jiang Chen saw that batch of spirit medicine, he saw that they had indeed matured and exuded a thick sense of spirit energy. They were indeed a grade higher in quality than those that had matured before.
Jiang Chen once again creased his brow, but something didn’t add up in this matter no matter how much he thought about it.
Even with his plentiful knowledge of spirit medicine from his past life, he didn’t have the answer nor did he know how to respond..
A same batch of spirit medicine was planted roughly one kilometer away from this patch, but it was still a patch of green shoots and was at least two months away from ripening.
But the spirit medicines on the two sides were of the same breed and planted at the same time. Even the methods and process in which they’d been raised were the same.
“Collect a few samples of soil for me. I’ll test the soil.” Jiang Chen was a connoisseur of spirit medicines, and the first problem he thought of was that of the soil changing.
But, after testing the soil collected from various corners, they discovered that there was not much difference in the soil. It was practically the same.
“Is someone playing a malicious trick and applying spirit fertilizer to this patch?” Jiang Chen thought of this point but then immediately discarded this possibility.
There was a natural rhythm to cultivating spirit medicine. Spirit fertilizer could help the spirit medicine grow better and shorten the cycle of growth, but it wouldn’t make the spirit medicine mature overnight.
If one wanted to make spirit medicine mature overnight, then the amount of spirit fertilizer needed would absolutely exceed the value of this spirit medicine by ten times, or even a hundred times.
No one would commit such a boring act.
“Or could it be that a strong practitioner passed by carrying a strong spirit weapon, and the spirit energy from the weapon leaked out, unintentionally benefiting this patch of soil?”
This possibility seemed triflingly insignificant.
Putting aside the fact that it was impossible for a practitioner on such a strong level to appear in this common, ordinary kingdom. Even if such a practitioner did pass by, there would be noticeable traces of such a strong spirit energy. It would be impossible for only this patch to benefit and nowhere else.
“Could it be that some secluded practitioner is playing a prank?” Jiang Chen even thought of such a farfetched possibility.
A light wind breezed over as Jiang Chen lightly shook his head, throwing those random, laughable speculations to the back of his mind.
“Xiaoyu, you have handled this matter properly. Temporarily seal off news of this and harvest the spirit medicine as they’ve ripened. Continue to sow the seeds and observe what other changes occur. I will spend a few days here and wait and see what occurs.”
Jiang Chen ordered.
Jiang Yu nodded and hesitated momentarily, asking, “Should we ask the duke to come back…”
Jiang Chen waved his hand, “No need. The winds and clouds of the political situation change rapidly within the capital, and a slight move on one part may affect the whole. He will absolutely be unable to leave at this moment.”
Even if Jiang Feng returned, he was sure to be at a loss of what to do. Within the Eastern Kingdom, if he, Jiang Chen, couldn’t understand something behind spirit medicine, then it would be futile for anyone else to come.
Jiang Yu told the medicine boy to harvest the spirit medicine according to Jiang Chen’s instructions, and to begin sowing seeds in the late afternoon.
“All of you take notice that the matters of the spirit medicine garden must not be revealed to the outside world. Otherwise you will be subjected to the family rules!” Jiang Yu warned severely.
It was a good thing that the plots were independent of each other within the spirit medicine garden, with mutual noninterference. The matters that had occurred within the spirit garden hadn’t made their way out yet.
Due to Jiang Yu’s timely information blockade, the true status of the situation had yet to spread.
After a night, Jiang Chen came to this plot of land early next morning. His eyes fell on the seeds from yesterday. They had already sent out young shoots, and were already two to three inches tall.
This… this was an insane speed of growth!
“Brother, this…” Jiang Yu was also dumbfounded by this scene. The medicine boys were also bewildered. They had the most dealings with spirit medicine and had a thorough understanding of the cultivation cycle of spirit medicines.
This scene was absolutely incredible.
“Jiang Yu, seal off all information flow and allow no one to approach this plot of land.”
Jiang Chen also had a head full of questions. Although it looked like it was absolutely a good thing for the spirit medicine garden to be so miraculous as to shorten the cultivation period, Jiang Chen had a foreboding feeling prickle down his back.
One had to remember that in his past life, Jiang Chen was widely experienced and had seen all the various theories beneath the heavens. Something falling from the heavens into one’s lap like this often concealed a hidden mystery and danger!
Jiang Chen felt slightly frustrated that there was something he couldn’t resolve.
“Brother, this isn’t a bad thing, don’t worry about it. The wind is mild and the sun is bright today. Why don’t you and I amuse ourselves and scale Purple Cloud Peak to survey the beautiful scenery of the Redbud region?”
Purple Cloud Peak was located not too far from the spirit medicine garden and the distance in a straight line did not exceed five kilometers. After scaling its heights, looking out would open one’s mind and heart.
Jiang Chen brought his personal guards and scaled the Purple Cloud Peak with Jiang Yu’s accompaniment. They looked out after climbing to the peak, and all that fell within sight belonged to the Redbud region.
Jiang Chen deployed his “God’s Eye” and his vision stretched out even further in a continuous stream, without boundary or end.
Suddenly, Jiang Chen’s eyes dropped onto the spirit medicine garden and his gaze abruptly halted.
When viewed from above, the spirit medicine garden was actually shrouded in a light, misty haze. If he hadn’t viewed it from afar, he never would’ve detected the abnormality when he was close to it.
But gazing out whilst standing from a high vantage point, he was able to discern the differences.
There was actually a thin layer of smoke clouding the air above the spirit medicine garden. It seemed like fog, yet wasn’t. It was muggy and indistinct, unable to be described or explained.
“Xiaoyu, look at that medicine garden!”
Xiaoyu followed the sound of his voice and also saw the strange phenomenon. “Brother, what is that? Is it the legendary spirit energy? Tsk tsk, this is too amazing.”
“Look carefully. This smoky haze is encircling the medicine garden. When considering it as a whole, does it look like an image or anything in particular?”
After perusing it carefully, Jiang Yu also spoke in surprise, “Brother, I wouldn’t have been able to make it out if not for your reminder. This actually does seem like something after a careful look.”
“What does it look like?”
“Talons, it looks like the talons of a large beast. Look, the four raised patches of soil in the spirit medicine garden looks like the four sharp talons of a large beast. This part in the back looks like the palm behind the talons. And this part, it looks like where the base of the talons connects to the leg. It really does look like it! Tsk tsk, the divine force that created nature is amazing, too amazing!”
Jiang Yu expressed many astonished sounds, but he didn’t see Jiang Chen’s expression become more and more frozen in seriousness.
“Jiang Yu, hasten down the mountain, quickly! Destroy the spirit medicines in that patch of land. Sow no more seeds in that patch of land, quickly!”
Jiang Chen’s entire body sprang up like the bowstring of a bow as he stood up.
“Brother, what’s the matter?”
“Don’t ask me questions, just do as I say!” Jiang Chen’s face was darkened as he beckoned to his subordinates. “We go down from the mountain!”
Jiang Yu had followed Jiang Chen since he was young and now that he knew that Jiang Chen was of a mind to foster him, he naturally had the utmost faith in Jiang Chen’s words now.
Once traveling down the mountain, Jiang Yu instructed the medicine boys to destroy all the spirit crops within this patch of land. He reminded the medicine boys over and over again not to breathe a hint of what had happened here, upon penalty of death!
None of them dared to ask much, seeing that Jiang Chen’s face was gravely solemn.
Jiang Chen took several turns around the four corners of the spirit medicine garden and looked around. His brows became more and more knitted together, as if he was remembering something and wanted to prove something.
After a long while, Jiang Chen walked over in Jiang Yu’s direction.
“Xiaoyu, come here. I’ll hand draw a map for you. Send some men to investigate the directions according to the distance and scale of this map. Find out whether or not spirit medicine is being planted in the soil in these areas.”
Jiang Chen started drawing. He didn’t draw a shape, but dotted various regions in numerous corners.
He then confirmed the direction and distance between each of these dots.
“No need to go to the other regions, pick the three closest locations to investigate. You must report back within three days, the sooner the better!”
Jiang Chen’s tone became more imposing.
“Brother, has something significant happened?” It was the first time that Jiang Yu had seen such a sense of urgency from Jiang Chen.
Even on the day of capturing the traitor Jing Man, his cousin, Jiang Chen’s performance had been carefree, at ease, and he had gone on talking and laughing as if nothing had happened.
Today’s matter was a bit bizarre, a bit out of the ordinary.
But Jiang Yu’s biggest redeeming quality was that he listened to Jiang Chen. He immediately invited some clan elders to personally set out and start investigating the directions that Jiang Chen had pointed out.
The three clan elders started returning after two days, and the news they brought back made Jiang Chen’s heart even heavier.
As Jiang Chen expected, there were indeed plots of land permeated with spirit energy in the regions that Jiang Chen had estimated, and spirit medicine was being grown on them! Some of these regions were within the Eastern Kingdom borders, and others had already traveled into the lands of other kingdoms.
“Brother, just what is going on?” Jiang Yu had been exceedingly curious over the past couple days.
Jiang Chen sighed lightly, “The creator of fate has preordained every sip and bite, there is no one who doesn’t have a predefined destiny. How could this spirit land appear in such a common kingdom without rhyme or reason? Why would such fertile spirit land appear? Xiaoyu, if my guesses are correct, this is an ill omen – an extremely foreboding sign!”
“Extremely foreboding sign? Brother, is something amiss with this spirit land?”
Jiang Chen shook his head, “This matter will not be resolved by the power of you or me. In order to verify my speculations, unless you and I both enter the realm of spirit dao and fully grasp the abilities of flying through the earth to travel deep into the ground for investigation and exploration, otherwise any speculations will remain speculations.”
Jiang Chen didn’t wish to explain much. The more he explained, the more uneasy Jiang Yu would become.
“Xiaoyu, do not do anything to that patch of spirit medicine garden at all costs. It’s a good thing that although the ill omen has faintly materialized, it has yet to reach a stage of breaking out. I do hope that my guesses are incorrect. Otherwise, this will be a disaster that a common kingdom can absolutely not defend against.”
Jiang Chen sighed faintly. His experience was broad and he had actually come to a sort of conclusion in his heart already. Except, he knew that he would be unable to share knowledge of this matter. Who knew what frightening consequences would occur once word spread.
Although he was the son of the Celestial Emperor in his past life, he was no longer that now, as he had reincarnated. He no longer had the ability and foundation to have his own way when fooling around in this common world.
He had to take into account all considerations behind every step and move, lest he be embroiled in it as well.