Chapter 4: Coming Clean

Danxiang Grass and King Danxiang Grass differed by only a single character, but their values were worlds apart.

Danxiang Grass hadn’t originally gone by this name. It got its name because its scent closely resembled the first whiff of aroma from a newly formed pill. Though the name sounded impressive, its medicinal properties were mediocre, and it was not picky about its environment at all. As long as there was soil, it could grow. It was everywhere in the cultivation world, so common that it wouldn’t even fetch a price if sold as firewood.

But King Danxiang Grass was a different story. Any spiritual plant with “King” in its name was bound to be extraordinary. Bian Chunzhou remembered clearly that when King Danxiang Grass matured, it would release an incredibly rich herbal aroma. The closer it got to maturity, the stronger the scent became. Much like a ripening durian, this fragrance would eventually take on a rotten, foul odor, which was actually just the scent being overwhelmingly concentrated.

Aside from the scent, King Danxiang Grass looked no different from regular Danxiang Grass. In other words, the King Grass had to grow amidst a massive cluster of regular Danxiang Grass. This was because the King Grass could only mature by draining the life force of all the surrounding Danxiang Grass.

I should have realized this earlier, Bian Chunzhou thought. With so much Danxiang Grass growing in the Poyun Secret Realm, there was no way Yonglu Mountain hadn’t noticed. Yet they had let them grow wild, likely to create the perfect environment for the King Danxiang Grass to grow and mature.

It was worth mentioning that King Danxiang Grass had a highly frustrating trait!

“Is the scent still there? Quick, quick, quick, walk faster! If the smell is gone, that means it has matured!”

Knowing nothing about spiritual plants, Wen Xu asked curiously, “Isn’t maturing a good thing?”

“It is, but once it matures, it stops smelling. It’ll look exactly like the other Danxiang Grass around it. How are you going to tell them apart? Are we supposed to harvest every single stalk of Danxiang Grass in the area and just hope for the best?” Just how incredibly lucky would someone have to be to pull that off?

“That sounds quite interesting.”

Bian Chunzhou: …What kind of monster are you?!

The two of them rushed as fast as they could, finally arriving at the scene, and then…

“Holy crap, does there have to be this much?!” Bian Chunzhou knew that the King Grass was difficult to grow and required a vast amount of regular Danxiang Grass to sustain it, but he was still stunned by the sight of the grass covering the hills and fields before him.

The mountains stretched out and connected one after another, with no end in sight. No wonder Yonglu Mountain allowed candidates who hadn’t even entered the sect and were only in the Qi Refining Stage to harvest here.

To be completely honest, even if all the candidates came here, they wouldn’t be able to find it in a year.

Staying true to his persona as a blind man, Wen Xu tilted his head in confusion. “Is it that much?”

“An absolute, unbelievable amount. And there are already a lot of people searching. I thought I was going to get lucky and find it easily.” But one shouldn’t be too greedy. With those Red Pearl Fruits, passing the preliminary trial shouldn’t be an issue. “Well, since we’re already here, it won’t hurt to look.”

Wen Xu nodded and followed closely behind Bian Chunzhou. However, he quickly noticed that his savior’s route was rather peculiar. Not only was the path beneath their feet becoming increasingly rugged, but the fragrance was also growing fainter.

“Brother Bian, have you considered changing directions?”

Bian Chunzhou was puzzled. “But I chose this spot very carefully. The books say that King Danxiang Grass is quite delicate and loves rain, dew, and sunlight. So, it must grow on the sunny side of the slopes. Given its noble status, it surely grows in places where ordinary Danxiang Grass can’t. Don’t you think?”

Wen Xu nodded. “You make a lot of sense, but…”

“But what?”

“The scent is fading.”

Bian Chunzhou: “…Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

He immediately switched to Route B, only to be warned a second time by the naive companion he had picked up. After picking the wrong direction six times in a row, Bian Chunzhou finally had an epiphany.

“Forget it. It’s not meant to be. You can’t force these things.” Besides, the preliminary trial was drawing to a close. Most importantly, everyone else was just as clueless as he was.

“Are you giving up just like that?”

Bian Chunzhou nodded, but remembering that Wen Xu couldn’t see, he added, “Yeah. There’s no need to be too hard on yourself in life. The King Danxiang Grass is great, but I’ll be fine without it.”

Hearing this, Wen Xu smiled and said, “That’s good. I was actually going to tell you that I think I smelled its location, though I might have been mistaken.”

Bian Chunzhou immediately bolted into action. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?! Quick, quick, quick! If we really get to harvest it, you have no idea how cheerful of a boy I can become!”

Wen Xu: …His savior’s choice of words was certainly unique.

These massive hills were covered entirely in Danxiang Grass, with no other spiritual plants in sight. Most of the candidates were searching with their heads down, so the duo’s movements didn’t attract any attention. Besides, with the exam nearing its end, everyone had mostly given up hope of finding the King Grass.

“Looks like no one is finding it again this year. I heard long ago that the King Danxiang Grass in the Poyun Secret Realm only matures once every six years. Unfortunately, ever since Daoist Master^[1] Suiyuan harvested one over fifty years ago, no one else has managed to find another.”

“How can we compare to a genius of the Dao of Alchemy? If we can just pass the preliminary trial this time, we should count ourselves lucky.”

The voices of candidates chatting nearby drifted over. Bian Chunzhou carefully parted the grass and couldn’t help but lean down to sniff. Well, the scent of the King Grass was everywhere across the hills, making it impossible for him to distinguish any difference in intensity. Compared to Wen Xu’s nose, he suspected his own was just for decoration.

Fearing they might be overheard, he carefully pulled Wen Xu’s hand over and wrote on his palm. Seeing the blindfolded Wen Xu nod seriously, he immediately smiled with joy. But then, he fell into distress again. Oh no, this King Grass hasn’t fully matured yet. Harvesting it now would be useless. With the exam about to end, I wonder if telling the examiner its exact location counts toward our score.

Wen Xu smoothly withdrew his hand. His hands lacked the cuts and calluses typical of a blind person navigating the world. Right now, Bian Chunzhou’s mind was entirely focused on the King Grass, so he naturally didn’t suspect anything, but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t start overthinking later. Since Wen Xu was playing the part of a “blind man,” he didn’t want his cover blown too quickly. After all, he still needed to rely on this guy to get out of the Poyun Secret Realm.

Wen Xu could easily guess how precious this King Danxiang Grass was. However, if he could gain a sincere friend out of this, it wouldn’t be a bad trade. Besides, according to Bian Chunzhou, even if they dug up the King Grass, it would still belong to Yonglu Mountain, the owner of the Poyun Secret Realm.

Since that was the case, and he wasn’t an examinee, there was naturally no need for him to scheme against anyone else.

“Is the exam time almost up?”

Bian Chunzhou made a shushing gesture, but quickly felt he was being overly tense. Forcing himself to relax, he spoke: “Almost. Forget it, I’m not looking anymore. My luck really is terrible.”

“Me too. Why don’t we sit down, rest, and wait for the exam to end?”

Bian Chunzhou nodded. The two of them chatted casually back and forth. It wasn’t unusual for examinees to sit together like this, so no one suspected them. As the minutes ticked away, Bian Chunzhou grew increasingly anxious.

If he hadn’t found it in the first place, he could have accepted it. But finding it and not being able to wait for it to ripen was just cruel. It was worse than trying to get the final cut on a bargain app^[2].

Just as he was anxious enough to tear his hair out, he felt two quick taps on the back of his hand. This was the signal he and Wen Xu had agreed upon for the ripening of the King Danxiang Grass!

The King Grass was ripe!

Bian Chunzhou’s heart hammered, but his hands were steadier than ever. He didn’t even clearly register his own movements. By the time he realized what he had done, the King Grass was already lying inside his jade box.

In the next instant, every single Danxiang Grass across the entire mountain withered away. Everyone realized it at once: the King Danxiang Grass had been harvested!

At the same time, the power of the secret realm began to transport the examinees out. Bian Chunzhou felt his vision spin, and in the next moment, he was back at the center of the formation.

“The preliminary exam has ended. Please step forward in turn to hand in your jade boxes and register your results. The passing list will be announced in the time it takes an incense stick to burn^[3]. Please remain calm.”

How could anyone remain calm? That was the King Danxiang Grass!

“Who on earth was it? Did any of you see?”

“No, but everyone’s out now. It must be one of us!”

“Could it be the young master of the Li Family of Huiyuan City? I heard their family is famous for cultivating spiritual plants. Do you think…”

“Stop talking! The senior brother from Yonglu Mountain is glaring at you!”

“…”

The crowd could only whisper among themselves, not daring to challenge the authority of Yonglu Mountain any further.

As for Bian Chunzhou, who actually had the King Grass, he was naturally keeping quiet to make his fortune. Except… his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He instinctively looked around for his naive companion, and then… Oh no. Was Wen Xu really not an examinee? Was he actually just a mortal who had wandered into the secret realm by mistake?

An indescribable anxiety gripped him, and the jade box in his hands suddenly felt like a hot potato. Bian Chunzhou couldn’t help but step out of the line, scanning it from front to back. And… he really wasn’t there!

He was doomed. Wen Xu wasn’t an examinee and didn’t have a jade box from Yonglu Mountain. Had he been left behind in the Poyun Secret Realm? How helpless must a blind man be in there right now?

He felt like a total bastard.

Bian Chunzhou grew more and more anxious. To the onlookers, it looked like he had lost all hope of passing the preliminary exam, which was why he had deliberately moved to the very back of the line. By the time the people ahead of him had finished handing in their boxes, Bian Chunzhou had made up his mind.

The King Danxiang Grass was wonderful, but he refused to abandon his conscience. Even if he managed to enter Yonglu Mountain with it, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

“Are you saying you harvested the King Danxiang Grass?”

The inner disciple collecting the jade boxes trembled, nearly dropping his tray. “You… wait here. I’ll go call the Elder.”

The elder presiding over the preliminary recruitment was named Elder Zhan. He did not look particularly young and had a rather weary face, but he possessed an excellent temper, which was why he had taken on the task of recruitment. “Bring the jade box here. Let me see.”

Elder Zhan happened to hail from the Alchemy Peak. Although the King Danxiang Grass looked identical to regular Danxiang Grass, its medicinal properties were entirely different. He only needed to scrape off a tiny portion to verify its authenticity.

“It really is the King Danxiang Grass! Who harvested this? This child must join my Alchemy Peak!”

Elder Zhan quickly met the examinee, Bian Chunzhou, forcing a somewhat stiff but enthusiastic smile onto his face. But before he could speak, the examinee said, “Greetings, Elder. To be honest, I wasn’t the one who found this King Danxiang Grass.”

“What? You stole it? Well, as long as you didn’t kill anyone for it, managing to snatch it is still a testament to your ability.” Elder Zhan’s enthusiasm cooled visibly.

Bian Chunzhou: …This elder’s expression is pretty terrifying. Did he come from the Discipline Hall or something?

But for the sake of his new friend, he spoke up anyway. “No, that’s not it either. It went like this…”

Bian Chunzhou had expected his story to be hard to believe, but to his surprise, Elder Zhan believed him immediately. The elder even muttered, “To think someone has wandered into the Poyun Secret Realm by mistake again this year.”

Bian Chunzhou: …Am I just too inexperienced?

“Alright, go wait outside for the results. If there is still someone in the secret realm, I will have someone bring him out.”

Once he finished speaking, Elder Zhan waited for the examinee surnamed Bian to leave reluctantly. Then, he spun around and dashed straight into the Poyun Secret Realm. Go, go, go! Whether the Alchemy Peak could recruit a new genius this year depended entirely on him!