My junior sister sees everyone as a heretical cultivator.

Chapter 19 Strange Object: The Flower of Sorrow
In Su Ling'er's palm lay a dull, lifeless seed.

"This item is special,"

A messy head peered in, and Shen Nong's hoarse voice rang in her ear.

"It requires your lifeblood to awaken it."

Essence and blood?

He wants my life essence?!
Does nurturing this demonic plant actually require lifeblood?!
Su Ling'er's inner alarm bells were ringing loudly.

"Come on, hold out your hand."

A muddy hand grabbed her wrist with such force that she couldn't break free.

She watched as Shen Nong took out a silver needle.

"Don't be afraid, it will be over in a moment."

The cold touch landed on my fingertips, followed by a slight sting.

A drop of blood oozed out. Shen Nong held her finger and buried the seed in a pot of black soil. Then he pointed her fingertip at the soil.

"Clap."

The drop of blood fell, instantly seeping into the black soil and disappearing.

After waiting for a while...

that's all?
Failed?
suddenly!

The black soil in the pot churned and churned, and a tender sprout broke through the soil, then grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It has only one twisted main vine, from which two side branches extend upwards, eventually growing to about half a foot tall. (The vine...)
At the tip of the vine, a deep blue flower blooms.

In the center of the flower's stamen, there was a blurry outline, with faint traces of eyes, nose, and mouth.

That was a face.

A face filled with fear, melancholy, and bewilderment, and this face bore a striking resemblance to Su Ling'er.

Shen Nong examined the small magical plant, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He sent over a [Spiritual Plant - Appraisal] token and then nodded in satisfaction.

[Strange Item: Sorrowful Flower (Unripe)]

quality:? ? ?
Category: Companion Plants

Binding status: Bound to the essence blood of "Su Ling'er".

Description: It takes the blood of the Lord as its guide, feeds on the Lord's sorrows, and reflects the Lord's image as its countenance.

When the flowers bloom in full glory, there will be unexpected effects...

Current status: Seedling stage

Growth Needs: Absorb the host's negative emotions (fear, anxiety, sadness, despair, etc.)
"This flower is inspired by your essence and blood, and takes its form from your thoughts."

The deeper the sorrow in your heart, the more vigorously it grows.

This 'flower of sorrow' is for you; after all, it grows by feeding on your blood.

After saying that, he patted the dirt off his hands and plunged back into the medicinal herb field he had purchased without looking back.

gone?

Just leaving like that?!

You just gave me this strange "flower of sorrow" after you grew it?!

Su Ling'er froze on the spot.

The wind blew through the valley, bringing the fragrance of grass and trees, but she couldn't smell anything; only a few big question marks remained in her mind.

She looked down at the small vine bearing her sorrowful expression.

It swayed in the wind, its two slender branches drooping limply, and the face at the top, outlined in ink, was filled with the same bewilderment and helplessness as she was at that moment.

Su Ling'er looked at it as if she were seeing herself.

Small, pitiful, weak and helpless.

However, this flower also carries a strange sense of destiny.

Is this a shackle?
Countless thoughts churned in her mind.

Using blood essence as a guide and thought as its form... Could this flower be my substitute?

Or like the worm Gu given to him by the sect leader before he left, where if one is damaged, all are damaged.
If it is destroyed, will my soul also be harmed, just like the Spirit-Binding Insect?
Or is it even more serious?
If some foolish disciple were to pass by and pluck a vine from it, would I lose an arm as well?
If someone doesn't like it and steps on it, will my head explode with a "bang"?!
The spirit-binding insect given to me by the sect leader only causes my soul to tremble when I die.

But what are the consequences for this thing when it gets injured or dies?
You should explain yourself clearly!

Why did you run away?

She wished she could throw that thing off a cliff right then and there.

But she didn't dare.

This thing is already bound to her essence and blood.

Throwing it away might be tantamount to throwing away your own life.

Furthermore, it feeds on sorrow...

Does this mean that the more I fear, suffer, and despair, the better it grows?
It really is a heretical and demonic method!
But what am I supposed to do with you?
Su Ling'er looked at the little thing with its gloomy face and felt like crying.

You little monster, besides bringing me bad luck, can't you do anything else?
Should we water it?
What kind of fertilizer should I use?
Is it flour made from grain, or... the flesh and blood of other senior brothers?
She couldn't help but shudder.

"Junior sister, don't worry about it, just put it away."

Lin Qingfeng's voice came from behind; he had just cast an appraisal spell on the flower as well.

"If you take good care of it, it should be very useful."

"Just water it normally, I don't know much about this stuff. Maybe if you look more worried, it will grow faster?"

This eccentric Shen Nong never explained himself clearly.

Oh well, at least it won't kill my junior sister.

Su Ling'er carefully held the flowerpot in her arms, then stiffly took a step and followed behind her senior brother.

I took each step with utmost care, afraid that something might happen to the little darling in my arms, and that my own head would explode with a "bang".

Just then, a disciple walked towards them, his face beaming with the joy of harvest, carefully cradling a handful of seemingly warm and smooth black soil in his hands.

And that soil seemed to be exactly the same as the soil in Su Ling'er's flowerpot.

"Junior sister, do you see that handful of black soil?"

Lin Qingfeng pointed and said,

"It's the kind of soil in your bonsai, called 'Human Essence Soil,' which is currently the highest grade spiritual soil in our sect."

Shen Nong gave you such precious spiritual soil, along with this priceless Sorrowful Flower. Others would need to spend spirit stones just to get some black soil.

So don't let his eccentric behavior fool you, he's actually a really nice person. Just get used to him, and who knows, he might even give you some nice things later.

But Su Ling'er only heard the three words "Ren Yuan Rang".

This moment captivated Su Ling'er's entire being.

An image unfolded uncontrollably in her mind:

It was a bloody quagmire, where the blood, flesh, and even souls of countless cultivators were crushed by some evil force.

Then it is stirred and mixed, becoming the most basic nutrients, and then continuously ground with the best soil, until finally...

This fine black soil has been refined!

Using the flesh, blood, and soul of cultivators as fertilizer to nourish spiritual plants?!
A wave of nausea rushed to her throat, and she even wanted to throw the potted plant in her hand, but she forcibly suppressed it.

Based on her understanding of this demonic sect, they were perfectly capable of doing such a thing!
Here, they're actually using cultivators as fertilizer?!

Lin Qingfeng felt he had explored the area enough, so he changed the subject and looked at Su Ling'er.

"Junior sister, have you ever thought about... what if there was a way to have many tedious tasks done by 'others'?"

"others"?!

Are they newly captured prisoners?
Or perhaps a lower-ranking disciple with even worse aptitude?!

Lin Qingfeng didn't give her much time to guess. Instead, he turned and pointed deeper into Hundred Herbs Valley, towards a direction where the roars of beasts could be faintly heard.

"Let's go, junior sister. I'll take you to see my Guixi Sect's... Palu... oops, no, I mean the Spirit Beast Garden."

(End of this chapter)