Chapter 12: The Teaching

Turning toward the sound, several people could be seen approaching. Among them were two faces Shen Qinghe recognized: Senior Sister Li and the burly man who had stormed off in anger the day before.

“Well, well, Junior Sister Shen,” Senior Sister Li sneered as she neared, her tone dripping with mockery. “It’s only been a few days since we last met, and yet here you are, deceiving people!”

She raised her voice, addressing the crowd. “Everyone, be careful not to fall for her tricks! Just a few days ago, she managed to ruin an entire field of Purple Cloud Ginseng, and even tried to frame Senior Brother Zhao for it. Now, who knows what scheme she’s used to make the spiritual energy in the field circulate and fool you all!”

“Exactly!” Wang Gang echoed, stepping forward with a cold snort. “Look at her cultivation—does she really know any sophisticated planting techniques?”

“Hmph, nonsense!” Before Shen Qinghe could respond, an older disciple spoke up, his voice firm. “I, Wei Rong, have tended the spirit fields in the outer sect for decades. How could I possibly fail to tell whether Junior Sister Shen’s planting method is genuine?”

“Oh? Then what have you discerned, Senior Brother Wei?” Senior Sister Li asked with a smirk.

“Nothing at all!” Wei Rong declared emphatically, but then shifted his tone. “Which is precisely why I need Junior Sister Shen’s guidance!”

“There you have it!” Senior Sister Li crowed triumphantly. “If even Senior Brother Wei can’t see what’s special, doesn’t that prove her method is fake?”

The onlookers began whispering among themselves. Though Wei Rong had the rather poor Five Spiritual Roots and had been stuck at the Qi Refining stage for decades, his expertise in cultivation and planting was widely acknowledged.

If even he couldn’t discern anything…

“Whether it’s real or false, why not test it and see?” Just as the crowd wavered, Shen Qinghe suddenly spoke, her expression as calm as still water, as though the earlier barbs had been nothing but a passing breeze.

“Oh? Test it?” Senior Sister Li’s voice was laced with ridicule. “And how do you propose we do that?”

“It’s simple,” Shen Qinghe replied, turning to Wei Rong with a gentle smile. “Senior Brother Wei, would you allow me to offer you some personal guidance?”

Wei Rong blinked in surprise, then nodded vigorously. “I would be most grateful!”

“Very well.” Shen Qinghe extended her hand. “Then please pay the spirit stones, Senior Brother.”

“You dare to ask for spirit stones?” Senior Sister Li shrieked.

Shen Qinghe ignored her, simply gazing steadily at Wei Rong.

After a moment’s hesitation, the old man pressed three low-grade spirit stones into her hand and, in a low voice, asked, “Junior Sister Shen, how do you intend to proceed?”

He then added, using sound transmission, “I will cooperate with you completely!”

Shen Qinghe accepted the spirit stones, her smile deepening. “Why don’t we go to your spirit field, Senior Brother? I noticed it was just harvested and no new plants have been sown yet.”

“Excellent,” Wei Rong agreed, stroking his beard.

Thus, under the curious and skeptical eyes of the crowd, the two walked side by side to Wei Rong’s spirit field. The rest quickly followed, eager to witness the outcome for themselves.

Senior Sister Li and her companions, of course, were not to be left behind, trailing along with mocking glints in their eyes. She thought to herself, With so many watching, let’s see what tricks Shen Qinghe can possibly pull now!

Wei Rong’s spirit field lay only a dozen steps from Shen Qinghe’s own. At the field’s edge, Shen Qinghe carefully surveyed the ground. It was well-tended, the ambient spiritual energy abundant.

She turned to Wei Rong and asked softly, “What would you like to plant, Senior Brother?”

Wei Rong stroked his graying beard thoughtfully, then said kindly, “Since you’re offering personal guidance, why not plant Azure Spirit Rice?”

His choice was no accident. Given Shen Qinghe’s cultivation, even if she possessed any advanced methods, they would surely be best suited to staple crops like Azure Spirit Rice. Anything else might embarrass her.

He produced a bag of Azure Spirit Rice seeds from his storage pouch. Having tended spirit fields for decades, he always kept a variety of seeds on hand and rarely needed to visit the steward’s hall for more.

Shen Qinghe understood his reasoning and nodded. “Azure Spirit Rice it is.”

Just as she was about to begin her instruction, Senior Sister Li shrilled, “You said you would only instruct him! You’re not allowed to do it yourself!”

“Relax,” Shen Qinghe replied, not even sparing her a glance, dismissing her with a wave.

Her nonchalance left Senior Sister Li fuming—how much longer could this little upstart keep up her act?

Shen Qinghe then began instructing Wei Rong via sound transmission. The hopeful disciples who had hoped to eavesdrop and learn were disappointed, but soon their attention was captured by Wei Rong’s actions.

Guided by Shen Qinghe, Wei Rong stepped into the field. His actions mirrored Shen Qinghe’s from the previous day, but as a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he could wield spiritual techniques and control magical tools.

From his pouch, he produced a low-grade spiritual hoe, jet-black and faintly glowing. With a flick of his finger, it danced through the soil as if guided by his will, quickly turning and smoothing the earth.

With a sweep of his hand, spiritual energy enveloped the rice seeds, scattering them evenly. Then, forming a hand seal and chanting, he cast the Rain Technique. A cloud of mist gathered overhead, and gentle spiritual rain nourished the newly sown seeds.

“That’s enough,” Shen Qinghe reminded him at the right moment.

Wei Rong ceased his incantation, and the rain stopped.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

The onlookers exchanged uncertain glances. The process was almost identical to what Shen Qinghe had done the day before—the only difference being that Wei Rong, with his higher cultivation, could use spells and tools, making everything smoother and more effortless.

Shen Qinghe watched, envious of his ability to control magic and spiritual tools so easily. Alas, her cultivation was too low; she needed to reach at least the third level of Qi Refining to even attempt such feats.

But for now, she could only watch.

Yet, even after all this, there were no unusual signs from the spirit field.

“So this is your so-called advanced planting technique?” Senior Sister Li’s mocking voice rang out again, her face full of disdain.

Shen Qinghe sighed inwardly. Senior Sister Li’s incessant chatter was even more irritating than the spirit cicadas in the fields.

Ignoring her, Shen Qinghe sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, regulating her breath. Her unruffled composure only made Senior Sister Li seethe with rage. If not for the sect rules forbidding private duels, she would have lashed out at this insolent junior long ago. As it was, she could only curse her silently.

At last, when the Azure Spirit Rice seeds sprouted and grew into seedlings, Shen Qinghe opened her eyes and resumed her guidance.

As a cultivator at the fifth Qi Refining level, Wei Rong did not need to do everything by hand. With a spell, he summoned a gentle rain that bathed the field in life-giving moisture. Soon it was time for the crucial step of transplanting the seedlings.

“Transplanting spiritual seedlings requires precision down to the inch…” Shen Qinghe shared her insights with Wei Rong.

Under her guidance, Wei Rong used spiritual energy to deftly transplant each seedling into the earth. The spacing and depth of each plant were exact, as though measured by an invisible ruler.

As Shen Qinghe concentrated on her instruction, a mysterious realization suddenly washed over her. She summoned her ancient book in her mind and saw that her proficiency with Azure Spirit Rice was rising at an astonishing rate. Eyes widening, she thought, So teaching others to plant can also increase my mastery!

Her delight was interrupted by a sudden exclamation from the crowd: “Look, quickly!”