Mortal Bones

Time in the mountains passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.

During these three months, Xu Taiping had lived a peaceful life.

Apart from the daily fixed hours spent practicing his Remaining Sunset Technique and a few martial arts and spells, the rest of his time was spent either watering the herbs in his medicinal garden, catching insects, and fertilizing them, or teaching the little monkey Ping'an to speak and read.

Due to his spiritual bone aptitude, the progress of the Remaining Sunset Technique had been slower than he anticipated. His energy sea in the dantian still hadn't formed, remaining a vague misty blur. However, Xu Taiping was in no hurry, as the current situation was beyond his control. He could only wait until the Earth Fruit matured and see if there was any way to resolve this issue.

As for the herbs in the medicinal garden, this year, Xu Taiping had focused on growing Snow Root He Shou Wu, a variety of He Shou Wu with white roots, used to treat sword and blade injuries—indeed a precious medicinal herb in the mundane world. This Snow Root He Shou Wu matured once a year, and one jin could be exchanged for ten merit coins. However, only a third of the plants would bear Snow Roots, so a three-acre garden would produce around fifty jin, yielding five hundred merit coins. After deducting the two hundred merit coins spent on seeds, the profit would be around three hundred merit coins.

Nevertheless, with the spirit gathering formation set up by Fairy Ling Yue, based on the experience of the Nine-Leaf Perilla from last year, Xu Taiping felt confident that he could produce around one hundred and sixty jin in a year.

In this case, he could earn at least fourteen hundred merit coins.

In addition to Snow Root He Shou Wu, Xu Taiping had also planted several herbs needed for the Qi Gathering Pills. Once these matured over the year, they would be enough for him to refine at least ten pills.

"Snow Root He Shou Wu is the most expensive herb that external disciples can buy, so if they don't compete for it, they can only earn about two or three hundred merit coins in three years. It looks like everything has been calculated by the Qing Xuan Sect," Xu Taiping thought, after finishing two hours of Remaining Sunset Technique practice.

"Xu Taiping, I watered the plants, swept the yard, and washed the vegetables. Can you play chess with me?"

At that moment, the little monkey Ping'an suddenly poked its head around the doorframe, its round eyes blinking as it looked at Xu Taiping.

"Sure, after dinner, I'll play with you," Xu Taiping said with a smile as he stood up.

More than a year had passed, and Xu Taiping was no longer the frail young man he was when he first arrived at the mountain.

Not only had he grown to six feet tall, but his body had also become well-proportioned and strong. His once youthful face had now gained more angles, looking handsome with a touch of youthful charm.

"Yay!"

Upon hearing that Xu Taiping would play chess with it, the little monkey Ping'an happily leaped onto a nearby bench.

Although only three months had passed, this little monkey, with its spirit beast bloodline, was exceptionally intelligent. Not only had it learned human speech, but it also loved playing chess with Xu Taiping.

Furthermore, the little monkey was so well-behaved that Xu Taiping often forgot it was a demon beast.

Every day, it would read and practice writing as Xu Taiping requested, help look after the herb garden, and even started learning how to start a fire and cook.

"By the way, Xu Taiping, that person came again. He asked me to tell you that he will come again."

While speaking, the little monkey jumped onto Xu Taiping's shoulder.

"If he comes again, tell him that I just want to focus on my cultivation and have no interest in joining the Cloud Tower Society," Xu Taiping patted the little monkey's head and said.

The so-called Cloud Tower Society was an organization for external disciples of the Yunlu Mountain. After joining, disciples could gain the protection of the society. For example, if Xu Taiping were attacked by a demon beast like last time, he could request help from them.

Initially, Xu Taiping had considered joining the society, as it would provide him with extra protection, but after asking Bai Yu about it, he changed his mind.

First, after joining the society, a third of the profits from his herb garden or celestial fields would have to be given to the Cloud Tower Society after the Qing Xuan Sect took its share.

Second, he would be required to follow the society's orders and hunt demon beasts with other cultivators.

While there were rewards for hunting demon beasts, the majority of the spoils would go to the Cloud Tower Society.

What completely dispelled Xu Taiping's thoughts of joining, however, was Bai Yu's warning—"Once a cultivator of the Cloud Tower Society becomes a disciple of the Seven Peaks, most of them are threatened by the society, forced to provide sect intelligence and deliver a large number of merit coins."

For this reason, Xu Taiping decided to ignore them.

According to Bai Yu, as long as he didn't show himself, the people from the Cloud Tower Society would eventually leave after harassing him for some time.

"Ping'an, when you talk to that person, make sure not to leave the courtyard," Xu Taiping then reminded the little monkey.

"Okay, Xu Taiping," the little monkey nodded seriously.

"Alright, let's go to the back garden and check the gourd vine. If all goes well, Fairy Ling Yue should wake up tonight."

Xu Taiping gently took the little monkey off his shoulder and cradled it in his arms as they walked towards the medicinal garden in the back.

...

In the medicinal garden.

At this moment, the garden no longer resembled the desolate sight from three months ago. It had become lush and vibrant, and the scent of spiritual herbs filled the air from time to time.

Among the swaying herbs, a gourd vine with green leaves stood out, and three gourds of different colors hung from it.

These three gourds were the fruits of the Earth Fruit's second transformation.

"Xu Taiping, this gourd smells so good," the little monkey sniffed the air and licked its lips, looking a bit greedy.

"Little monkey, if you dare to eat it, aren't you afraid it will crawl into your stomach and twist up your intestines?" Xu Taiping teased the little monkey, but just as he was about to speak, one of the gourds, the green one, suddenly emitted a sound—a melodious, pleasant female voice.

Hearing this voice, Xu Taiping immediately smiled and looked at the gourd, saying, "Fairy Ling Yue, you're finally awake."