Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Han Qingsong's voice wasn't loud, but it was like an icicle in the dead of winter, piercing straight to Zhao Feng's bone marrow.

"This...this..."

Zhao Feng knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold, wet mud, his whole body trembling like a leaf. He wanted to explain, but it felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't utter a single complete syllable.

Embezzling strategic resources from the sect is punishable by death according to the law. Moreover, this is at a critical moment when the front lines are strained and the sect urgently needs resources.

Han Qingsong coldly stared at the trembling steward at his feet, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. If it weren't for the fact that he needed manpower right now, and that Zhao Feng had a distant relative who was an inner sect elder, he would have already smashed him into mincemeat.

"snort."

Han Qingsong withdrew his gaze, about to issue a ruling.

Suddenly, a sickening "snap" sound came from all directions.

The mulberry forest, already ravaged by the eruption of Yin meridians, underwent an even more bizarre transformation. As Han Qingsong forcibly sealed the black pillar that pierced the heavens and earth, the pure Yin energy that had been violently surging from the ground abruptly ceased.

Those mutated spirits that relied on yin energy to survive were like weaned children, instantly losing their source of life.

The once deep purple leaves turned grayish-white at a visible speed, then dried up and curled up. The "ghost face"-like growths on the trunk burst open, no longer oozing pus, but rather dry black powder.

Within a few short breaths, more than ten sacred mulberry trees withered and died completely, turning into rotten wood.

Even the cocoons of Xuan Yin silkworms hanging on the branches, yet to be picked, quickly lost their luster due to the lack of nourishment from their carrier. If this continued, the young silkworms inside would surely die, and this batch of precious Xuan Yin silk would become waste.

"this……"

Zhao Feng looked up abruptly and saw this scene; his face turned ashen.

That's it. Hoarding supplies is a capital offense, but destroying these supplies would be an even greater crime—beyond saving.

"Fool!" Han Qingsong's face darkened, and with a wave of his sleeve, a surge of powerful wood-elemental spiritual energy erupted like a blue wave, attempting to protect the remaining mulberry grove.

However, while he is indeed a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he cultivates the orthodox "Azure Wood Technique," which possesses abundant and pure spiritual power, representing the most yang and righteous vitality.

However, the mutated spirit mulberry trees in the Ghostly Valley had already adapted to the Yin and Sha environment. The infusion of this supreme Yang spiritual power not only failed to revive them, but was like hot oil poured on ice.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

Several spirit mulberry trees that were still clinging to life instantly emitted black smoke and died even faster under the impact of this Foundation Establishment spiritual power.

Han Qingsong froze, forced to withdraw his spiritual power, and his expression turned extremely ugly.

As an elder of the Spirit Plant Hall, he could naturally see the crux of the problem—an imbalance of Yin and Yang, rendering the body unable to absorb nourishment. If given a few days to adjust the formation and refine the Yin-attribute spiritual liquid, he might be able to save the patient.

But now, these trees won't last more than half an hour.

"Zhao Feng! You're in charge here. How have you been taking care of things on a daily basis? Hurry up and come up with a solution!" Han Qingsong shouted sternly.

Zhao Feng collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with despair. How could he possibly know how to take care of someone? It was always that sickly Gu An who did all the work; he was only responsible for collecting money and silencing witnesses.

"I...I'm incompetent, I...I don't know either..." Zhao Feng's voice was choked with sobs.

Seeing that the treasures of this valley were about to vanish, Han Qingsong's eyes revealed a murderous intent.

In this deadlock.

Deep within the ruins, beneath a pile of rubble, a weak cough, like that of a broken bellows, suddenly rang out.

"Cough cough... Elder... Rong Bing..."

A bloodstained hand trembled as it reached out from between the rubble.

Gu An pushed away the broken log that was pressing down on him and struggled to climb out of the pit. He looked extremely miserable, with blood flowing from his seven orifices, his clothes tattered, and a deep wound on his right shoulder that exposed the bone. He looked like a vengeful ghost who had just crawled back from hell.

But he didn't faint; in his cloudy eyes, there was a stubbornness that seemed to be a final flicker of life.

"Hmm?" Han Qingsong's gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the little servant whom he had just judged to be "barely surviving" by his divine sense.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Feng was terrified. This kid wasn't dead? What if he said something inappropriate…

"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak here!" Zhao Feng roared, his voice trembling with fear, and he even tried to make a move in secret.

"Let him speak." Han Qingsong uttered three words indifferently, and an invisible pressure immediately imprisoned Zhao Feng in place.

Gu An struggled to his knees and kowtowed heavily to Han Qingsong in mid-air. His forehead hit the gravel, and blood flowed freely.

"Elder Qibing... this spirit mulberry is nourished by yin energy. Now that the earth's veins are sealed and the yin energy is cut off, ordinary methods... cannot save it."

Gu An's voice was hoarse, each word as if he had used up all his strength, "Only... only by feeding the formation with my body and transforming my essence and blood into yin can there be a glimmer of hope."

"You have a way?" Han Qingsong narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing this Qi Refining Level 3 ant.

"This disciple... has been in charge of this valley for several months, and usually... uses this method to keep these trees alive."

Gu An didn't explain much. In front of such a powerful person, the more you do, the fewer mistakes you make.

He took a deep breath and stopped talking nonsense.

He forcibly suppressed the surging blood and qi within his body, and under the pressure of the "Green Wood Everlasting Spring Technique," the long-depleted spiritual energy in his dantian was squeezed out once more.

"puff!"

Gu An suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto his palm.

This wasn't all blood from his tongue; it also contained the medicinal power from a blood pill he had previously hidden in his mouth, which he had obtained from a demonic cultivator of the Blood Blade Sect. It looked strikingly red and full of vitality.

"rise!"

Gu An gave a low shout and formed hand seals. This time, he held nothing back, unleashing the full power of his [Proficient] Minor Cloud Rain Technique.

But unlike before, he deliberately reversed the flow of some of his meridians, making the wood-type spiritual energy in his body violent and cold, and then mixed it with the "essence blood" in his palm.

In an instant, Gu An's already pale face turned ashen, and he swayed precariously, as if this move had drained all his life force.

In mid-air, a dark cloud, no bigger than a millstone, rapidly gathered. The cloud hung low, exuding a chilling aura of blood and death.

"fall."

Gu An's fingertips trembled as he tapped the button.

"Splash—"

A light rain fell. But the rain was as black as ink, yet tinged with streaks of crimson. It felt cold and piercing on the skin, yet it also carried a strange, warm vitality emanating from the blood and qi.

Han Qingsong's pupils contracted slightly. An expert's skill is immediately apparent. He could clearly sense that the rainwater contained not just simple water spirit energy, but a kind of "yin wood" vitality that had undergone special transformation and was extremely compatible with these mutated spirit mulberry trees.

This transformation method is crude, primitive, and extremely harmful to the body; it's essentially trading life for the procedure. But the effect is immediate.

The dark red rain was pouring down on a dying mulberry tree.

The leaves, which were originally gray and curled, suddenly stretched out and softened upon contact with the rain, just like dried corpses that had absorbed a lot of blood. They regained their eerie deep purple color.

The cracked bark began to heal, and the once lifeless branches were once again alive with the few dying Xuan Yin silkworms wriggling, greedily sucking the blood rain from the leaves.

It's alive. It's really alive.

Gu An did not stop. He staggered forward, using this method to save three main mulberry trees in succession.

Each time he casts a spell, he spits out a mouthful of "essence blood," and his body hunches over a little more.

By the time the third spell ended, Gu An seemed to be completely exhausted. His eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward, unconscious in the mud.

[Performance Experience +20]

[Minor Cloud Rain Technique Experience +5]

In the last instant before his consciousness sank into darkness, Gu An heard Han Qingsong's voice, devoid of any emotion.

"That's interesting."

……

I don't know how much time passed.

Gu An felt a warm current flow into his body, forcibly awakening his dormant consciousness.

He did not open his eyes immediately, but instinctively activated the "Turtle Breathing Technique" to first examine his own condition.

The injuries were still severe, especially the penetrating wound in his right shoulder and the internal organs damaged by the shockwave. However, the feeling of depletion within his body had disappeared, replaced by a pure yet domineering wood-elemental spiritual energy circulating through his meridians, repairing the fatal damage.

This is the spiritual power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Gu An slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was a glimpse of a blue hem.

He was lying on a flat rock. Not far away, Han Qingsong stood with his hands behind his back, looking down and playing with the Xuan Yin Silk that he had taken from Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng, on the other hand, knelt to the side like a dog with its spine broken, his forehead touching the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"woke up?"

Han Qingsong did not turn around, his voice was calm.

Gu An struggled to get up and pay his respects, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to wince in pain. He could only lie weakly on the rock and say, "Your...disciple Gu An greets Elder. Thank you for saving my life, Elder."

Han Qingsong turned around, his deep eyes scanning Gu An up and down.

"Four spiritual roots, inferior aptitude. Qi Refining Level 3, weak foundation."

Han Qingsong spoke bluntly, even with a hint of harshness, "With your aptitude, even if you work your whole life on this miscellaneous servant peak, you'll never even get close to the outer sect."

Gu An lowered his head, his heart cold, but his face was full of bitterness and resignation: "The elder is right. This disciple... is just a worthless life."

"My life may be miserable, but my farming skills are passable."

Han Qingsong changed the subject, lightly flicking the Xuan Yin silk with his finger, producing a clear, ringing sound. "Did you create this mutated Xuan Yin Mulberry?"

Gu An trembled, neither denying nor daring to fully admit it: "This disciple... was only trying to save his life, it was just a lucky accident."

Whether it was a lucky accident or a deliberate plan, as long as the result is useful, the process doesn't matter.

Han Qingsong put the Xuan Yin Silk into his sleeve, his gaze passing over Gu An and looking at the dark purple mulberry forest that had regained its vitality and was swaying in the wind.