Days flowed by like water, and Chen Yang had grown accustomed to his labor in the Herb Garden.

During the day, he tended to the delicate spiritual herbs and immortal plants, while at night, he sat alone in his cramped servant's room, staring blankly at the jade token given to him by Zhao Yanran.

Ever since witnessing the intimate scene between his wife and the three senior brothers, his heart felt as if it had been mercilessly crushed by something.

It was both painful and bitter.

The sense of helpless humiliation gnawed at his heart day and night.

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This night, the moon was bright and the stars sparse.

Chen Yang, troubled in his heart, found it difficult to fall asleep.

He decided to get up, put on his clothes, and strolled into the Herb Garden.

The garden at night had a unique charm, with various spiritual herbs glowing faintly under the moonlight, and the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance.

As he wandered, he suddenly noticed a faint, flickering light in the southeast corner of the garden, unlike the usual glow of spiritual herbs.

Curious, Chen Yang walked over slowly.

Parting a cluster of dew-condensing herbs that reached half his height, he saw that the light source was buried in the soil—something was hidden there, with only a small edge exposed.

Chen Yang crouched down and carefully dug into the soil with his hands.

Before long, the object was fully revealed.

It was an ordinary-looking clay bowl, dark brown in color, with a slightly chipped rim, appearing quite aged.

The only unusual thing was the faint runes at the bottom of the bowl, which were emitting a gentle glow.

"What is this?" Chen Yang examined the bowl closely, unable to discern its purpose.

He took the bowl back to his room and placed it on the table for further study.

In his hands, the bowl felt no different from any ordinary clay bowl used by farmers.

However, the runes at the bottom flickered mysteriously under the lamplight.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Yang fetched a kettle and poured some clear water into the bowl, waiting quietly.

At first, nothing happened.

But after a short while, the water in the bowl began to emit a faint glow, with tiny specks of light seemingly moving within it.

He suddenly recalled hearing the servants chat about certain magical treasures in the cultivation world that could gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth, transforming ordinary objects into spiritual ones.

Could this seemingly ordinary bowl be such a treasure?

Staring at the clear, glowing water in the bowl, Chen Yang's mind was filled with doubts.

He turned and walked into the forest outside the Herb Garden, capturing a gray wild rabbit. He pried open its lips and forced it to drink half a spoonful of the water from the bowl.

Then he watched closely under the lamp.

At first, the rabbit kicked its legs uneasily.

But after a quarter of an hour, it suddenly perked up its ears, and a lively gleam appeared in its eyes.

It leaped lightly around the room, creating a faint vortex of spiritual energy, clearly more extraordinary than before.

***

An hour passed, and Chen Yang tapped the edge of the bowl with his fingertips, gazing at the remaining half-bowl of glowing water.

The rabbit's transformation didn't seem like poisoning; rather, it appeared to have gained some kind of fortuitous encounter.

After much hesitation, Chen Yang picked up the bowl and drank the water in one gulp.

The water was cool as it went down his throat, then transformed into a warm current that surged through his limbs and bones.

He felt as if his entire body's meridians were being cleansed by warm water, indescribably comfortable and pleasant.

What surprised him even more was that a faint stream of heat was born in his dantian, growing stronger and eventually breaking through some kind of barrier, circulating endlessly within his body.

"This, this is..."

Chen Yang was both shocked and delighted, hurriedly attempting to guide the heat flow using the basic breathing method of the servant disciples.

Sure enough!

The heat flow moved smoothly according to his will—this was the hallmark of entering the Qi Refining Stage!

Zhao Yanran had once declared that with his aptitude, he would never step into the world of cultivation in his lifetime.

Who would have thought that tonight, due to this unexpected encounter, he would break through to the first level of Qi Refining in one fell swoop!

Chen Yang was so excited that his hands trembled slightly, holding the bowl as if it were a precious treasure, the fervor in his eyes almost tangible.

He experimented repeatedly and discovered that as long as ordinary water was poured into the bowl, it would contain spiritual energy after a short while. Though not dense, it was highly beneficial for cultivation.

From then on.

Chen Yang continued his labor in the Herb Garden during the day and used the spiritual water from the bowl for cultivation at night.

His progress wasn't rapid, but it was steady.

***

In just over a month, he had stabilized his Qi Refining Stage at the first level.

On this day.

Steward Wang instructed Chen Yang to cultivate a spiritual medicine called "Moonlight Herb," a fundamental material for refining various elixir pills.

The Moonlight Herb in the garden was not growing well, requiring new plants to be collected from the wild for grafting and improvement.

Chen Yang searched the mountains all day but couldn't find suitable Moonlight Herb.

Just as he was feeling troubled, he suddenly remembered Liu Yiyi mentioning Butterfly Valley.

"Though remote, it has many rare herbs," Liu Yiyi's words echoed in his ears.

The next morning, Chen Yang requested a half-day leave from Steward Wang, stating that he needed to venture deep into the Rear Mountain to find Moonlight Herb.

With permission granted, he followed the direction Liu Yiyi had indicated, heading towards the western foothills.

***

Butterfly Valley was indeed secluded, and it took Chen Yang nearly an hour to reach the three peculiarly shaped ancient pines.

Beyond the pines, a narrow path wound its way into the depths of the valley.

Before he even reached the entrance, he heard the sound of flowing water.

Following the sound, he saw a shallow creek flowing out of the valley, and by the creek, a familiar figure was washing clothes.

"Miss Liu," Chen Yang called out.

Liu Yiyi looked up at the sound, and upon seeing Chen Yang, a look of surprise and delight appeared on her face. "Brother Chen? What brings you here?"

"I'm here to find Moonlight Herb. The ones in the garden aren't growing well, so I need to find new plants for grafting," Chen Yang explained, approaching the creek. "What are you washing, Miss Liu?"

As soon as he spoke, he saw what Liu Yiyi was washing—strips of plain white cloth stained with dark red blood.

Liu Yiyi blushed and said softly, "These are the menstrual cloths of some female disciples in the sect. Many of them haven't yet achieved the Red Dragon Slayer stage and still have menstruation, so they leave the washing to us servants."

Chen Yang suddenly understood.

He had heard from servant disciples that female cultivators could "slay the red dragon" and stop menstruation after reaching a certain level, to preserve their vital energy.

It seemed that many female disciples in the Greenwood Gate had not yet reached this level.

Seeing Liu Yiyi washing such a large basin alone, Chen Yang couldn't help but offer, "Let me help you. At home... I often helped my wife with these chores."

Liu Yiyi widened her eyes in surprise. "This... how could I let you..."

"It's no trouble." Chen Yang had already crouched down, picking up a cloth stained with red grime and skillfully washing it in the creek.

In the past, when he was in love with Zhao Yanran, he often helped his wife with such tasks, so he was not unfamiliar with it now.

Seeing his adept movements, Liu Yiyi no longer refused, though her face still held a hint of shyness, her cheeks flushed.

The two worked side by side by the creek, silent except for the sound of the flowing water and the washing of clothes.

Unknowingly, they had almost finished washing the basin of clothes, with only the last strip of cloth remaining at the bottom.

Just as Chen Yang was about to reach for it, Liu Yiyi hastily stopped him.

"I'll wash this one myself," she said in a small voice, her face flushed.

Chen Yang was puzzled. "Why? Did I not wash them clean enough?"

Liu Yiyi lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "This one... is mine..."

Chen Yang was momentarily stunned, then realized, feeling embarrassed himself. He quickly withdrew his hand and stood up. "Then, I'll go into the valley to look for Moonlight Herb."

Liu Yiyi nodded gently, not daring to look up at him, her ears already a deep red.

Chen Yang walked quickly into the valley, but his heart inexplicably rippled with a strange emotion.

That shy expression, those downcast eyes, suddenly reminded him of the early days of his marriage to Zhao Yanran.

Back then, his wife was also so easily flustered.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan