White-Robed Chief

Chu Li thought for a moment before starting the laborious work without eating his breakfast.

He used the hoe to plow the land. Plowing 0.3 acres of Spirit Land did not take up much tow on him as he steadily worked through half the morning. Chu Li then went over to Elder Zhou’s to collect seeds for planting before carrying a bucket of spring water from the depth of the ravine to water the garden. By the time he was done, afternoon had arrived.

Growing Golden Glow Grass was a straightforward task since everything was written clearly in the Spirit Herb Scripture that was found on the desk in the house. Nevertheless, Golden Glow Grass was delicate. Planting it was easy but nurturing it was hard.

At times, both luck and diligence were required. Weeds must be cleared at first sight since Golden Glow Grass did not thrive with weeds.

Golden Glow Grass would wilt prematurely if these weeds grew so constant care was required in the Spirit Medicine Nursery. The Spirit Land has to be checked constantly for the appearance of weeds.

Sometimes, when one was down on luck, the weeds would break through the soil at night during one’s sleep, rendering it too late to intervene upon waking up at dawn. It would be a disaster.

This was a piece of cake for Chu Li. His Omniscient Mirror offered a great view of the underground which enabled him to spot these weed seedlings the moment they sprouted so that they could be immediately dug out.

Moreover, he possessed the Life and Death Scripture. Even without a hoe, Chu Li could control the spiritual energy through the Life and Death Scripture and destroy these weeds with Death energy, thus stopping them from growing entirely.

His Life and Death Scripture could also hasten growth shortening the time needed by multiple folds. Couple that with the help of Glory’s Will Tree, he could harvest Golden Glow Grass once a month rather than the usual once every six months.

It was the afternoon. Chu Li stretched out before heading off to Flavorful Tower.

As usual, it was bustling with activity at Flavorful Tower.

The moment he arrived on the first floor, he caught sight of Mo Cuicui, Sun Lihua, and Song Donglin having their meal together at a table. They were in a cheerful mood and were happily engaged in a conversation.

Chu Li shook his head and sighed.

Song Donglin sat opposite Sun Lihua. Upon lifting his head, Song Donglin noticed Chu Li and quickly extended a hand in greeting. “Junior Brother Zhao!”

Chu Li nodded and carried a tray with several dishes and two buns over. He sat opposite Mo Cuicui.

Sun Lihua measured him from head to toe before heaving a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, Junior Brother Zhao’s able to stay.”

Song Dongli replied, “We heard that Junior Brother Zhao entered the Spirit Medicine Nursery?”

Chu Li nodded.

Mo Cuicui curled her lips. “They did not oust you from Great Light Peak? The torture chamber’s really lenient now!”

If it was as normal, Chu Li would have been banished from Great Light Peak.

Chu Li responded, “Senior Sister Mo must be disappointed then?”

“Hmph, you can escape this time but you won’t be able to escape the next time,” said Mo Cuicui, her luscious red lips curled. “Take my advice and leave the peak as soon as possible before you’re harmed.”

Chu Li snorted. “I don’t believe Altar Leader Mo rules this place or that there’s no justice in Great Light Peak!”

“Justice is not something a person like you can indulge in!” Mo Cuicui sneered. “What are you good for? Isn’t it enough after suffering once?”

Chu Li coldly blurted, “I will cripple you if you anger me. We can go down together!”

“You…” Mo Cuicui paused before snorting. She curled her lips without saying another word.

Sun Lihua said, “Junior Brother Zhao, Junior Sister Mo’s only saying things out of spite. Altar Leader Mo won’t cross the line.”

Chu Li snorted. “If it weren’t for my quick wits, I would have taken the fall!”

He depicted the story about Cui Da while the trio listened with their jaws dropped. It was a hair-raising tale.

They would have been fooled if they were in the same position. It was a malicious move by Cui Da that would trap them in the Spirit Medicine Nursery with no return, just the thought of it sent chills down their spines.

“My father has no involvement,” Mo Cuicui immediately responded.

Chu Li snorted. “It’s the doing of Senior Brother Qin. I’ll have to say, it’s quite a good scheme. He’s really out to get me.”

“Senior Brother Qin, he…” Sun Lihua shook her head.

Song Donglin’s face turned grave. “Senior Brother Qin’s indeed intelligent, you have to be careful.”

“What sort of martial art is the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture?” Chu Li frowned. “Is it that powerful? Can it be found in the Sutra Library?”

Song Donglin shook his head. “The Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture isn’t a martial art belonging to our Holy Church of Light. It’s said to be a sacred martial art of Fu Dynasty’s Reincarnation Temple. Junior Brother Qin inherited it by chance.”

“How powerful is it?”

“Fu Dynasty is the strongest of the five dynasties. Reincarnation Temple is similar to our Holy Church of Light so their martial arts wouldn’t be inferior to our Great Light Scripture,” said Song Donglin.

Chu Li slowly nodded.

Song Donglin added, “Junior Brother Qin may seem gentle but he is actually tyrannical. Once you become Junior Brother Qin’s enemy, he’ll stop at nothing to take you down until you submit. The way I see it, it’s better you give in to him.”

“Hmph! Submit to him!” Chu Li coldly smirked.

By the looks of things, Song Donglin knew his words had fallen upon deaf ears.

It was then he saw Qin Huaichuan enter the tower leisurely. Beside him was a sturdy and tall young man — Qin Huaichuan’s best friend, Meng Luo.

Chu Li’s muscles tensed when he lifted his head to take a look.

Noticing Chu Li’s presence, Qin Huaichuan flashed a smile and motioned towards Chu Li.

“Junior Brother Zhao, did you receive severe punishment?” Qin Huaichuan kindly asked, all smiles.

Chu Li smirked. “Qin, you sure play a fair game, crippling your martial arts because of the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture to frame me!”

“Junior Brother Zhao, what are you saying?” Qin Huaichuan looked surprised before his lips pulled into a smile. “I think Junior Brother Zhao must have misunderstood… Though I do have the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, I’m not bothered about my crippled martial arts. I’ll recover within a month but I feel bad about putting Junior Brother Zhao in trouble!”

“If you want to go against me, come at me in the open. I’ll look down on you if you pull tricks behind my back!” Chu Li smirked. “It makes you less of a man!”

“Hehe…” Qin Huaichuan shook his head and smiled. “Junior Brother Zhao has really misunderstood.”

“So you instructing Cui Da to frame me was nothing more than a misunderstanding?” Chu Li responded peevishly, “You used him as your pawn and had him tamper the Golden Glow Grass prior to his departure. You’re trying to drag me into this mess alongside him!”

“Junior Brother Zhao, that’s an unfair accusation. I did no such thing,” said Qin Huaichuan, shaking his head. “Junior Brother Zhao seems to have deeply misunderstood me and is thus thinking ill of me. I’m not bothered about having my martial arts crippled so I don’t hate Junior Brother Zhao.”

“Scram, I don’t want to see your face!” Chu Li furiously waved his arm and retorted impatiently, “I won’t waste my breath talking to a hypocrite like you!”

Still unfazed, Qin Huaichuan shook his head and sighed.

With his face scrunched in rage, the tall and sturdy young man beside him exclaimed in anger, “Zhao, don’t you turn your face away when people treat you respectfully! Senior Brother Qin’s generous and gave no thought about you crippling his martial arts yet here you are, causing a scene!”

Chu Li lifted his head to size him up. “Who in the world are you?”

“Meng Luo!”

“Scram!” Chu Li spurted.

Meng Luo charged towards Chu Li.

Qin Huaichuan extended his arm to block him. “Don’t! Junior Brother Meng, assist me in bringing my meal over.”

Meng Luo viciously gave Chu Li the evil eye before turning away.

Soon, he carried two trays of four dishes and a bowl of soup over.

Qin Huaichuan took over a tray and smiled. “We’ll look for a different place to have our meal. Junior Sister Sun, Junior Sister Mo, and Junior Brother Song, I’ll be taking my leave.”

Suddenly, Chu Li picked up a bun and squashed it into pieces, sending a piece flying into Qin Huaichuan’s soup. Before Qin Huaichuan could wrap his head around what was going on, four more pieces of the bun were squashed before they landed on his other dishes. Chu Li listlessly darted a glance at Qin Huaichuan. “Sorry, Senior Brother Qin, it was a slip of the hand.”