Chapter 5: A Mountain Village Brimming with Treasures

"Yes, aside from myself, it’s mostly Little Zhu who uses it, but he just uses it for weeding," Aunt Li replied.

Little Zhu?

Yu Qiushui and the others were puzzled. If this was a cultivator of the Grand Ascension stage, why would he associate with an ordinary village woman? Moreover, judging from her tone, she showed no reverence toward this senior, only a sense of warmth and familiarity.

"Alright, I need to go tend to my vegetables, or I’ll run out of time!" Seeing the three of them looking so bewildered, Aunt Li quickly took her hoe and headed toward the vegetable patch.

"Let’s go have a look!" The three exchanged glances and followed her.

But when they arrived at the patch, they were shocked yet again.

"These... these are the weeds you were talking about?" Yu Qiushui’s pupils shrank sharply. This was no ordinary vegetable patch—everywhere they looked, there were supreme spiritual herbs of the highest quality!

Huang Xiantang’s breathing became erratic.

The value of this entire plot of land far surpassed that of their Fire Moon Sect.

He gazed at the field with burning eyes, genuinely wishing he could take the whole thing home.

"Auntie, your vegetable patch..." Yu Qiushui asked in shock.

"Oh, this one? Little Zhu helped me cultivate it too. He’s the most hardworking person in our village!"

Him again?

"To casually open up a patch of land and raise ordinary wild plants into supreme spiritual herbs—this... this is simply unimaginable!"

Yu Qiushui was so stunned that his thoughts were shaken. Even if their ancestor had transcended realms, could he achieve something like this?

"Auntie, could I have some of those weeds?" Huang Xiantang stammered, pointing at the pile Aunt Li had just discarded.

Aunt Li was even more confused. What value could weeds possibly have? Feed them to pigs, maybe?

"Take as much as you like!" She didn’t care about the weeds at all.

Hearing this, Huang Xiantang scrambled over and gathered up every last stalk.

Weeds? These were supreme spiritual herbs!

With these, the power of Fire Moon Sect would rise to a whole new level.

Yet, he felt a bitter pang in his heart—the things he yearned for were nothing more than a handful of weeds in this remote mountain village.

"Let me taste its spiritual essence!" Yu Qiushui, abandoning all decorum, grabbed a stalk and chewed on it.

"The spiritual energy is incredible—better than anything in our sect!" he exclaimed, full of admiration.

"My word, have these people gone mad?" Aunt Li grew uneasy at the sight—a man eating raw weeds with such delight, was he still human?

Flustered, she hurriedly picked up her hoe and rushed back to the village.

"It seems this mountain village, founded by our ancestor, has become a true haven of purity," Yu Qiushui remarked.

Huang Xiantang’s eyes shone with excitement. "To plant supreme spiritual herbs in a vegetable patch—perhaps even the greatest sects could do no better!"

Yu Qiushui’s eyes lit up. "Maybe this is what the ancestor intended—to use this village as a base and make our Fire Moon Sect flourish!"

"Come, we must find the ancestor!"

They pressed deeper into the village, and their astonishment grew with every step.

"Master, look at that ditch—the spiritual energy is so dense, and there seem to be Dao patterns flowing through it!"

"Master, look at that peach tree—the aura it emits is extraordinary!"

"Master, do you see that straw hat hanging on the house? It feels like a powerful magical artifact!"

They took in every detail and arrangement of the village, each one more astonishing than the last.

Even Huang Xiantang, knowledgeable as he was, found himself overwhelmed and could only turn to Yu Qiushui for answers.

Every hook and household object seemed to brim with the patterns of the Dao—it was simply beyond belief.

"Master, look at that stone house in the distance—it seems suffused with ancient power, blending with nature. It feels like a supreme spiritual abode."

When they saw the stone house, they were dumbfounded.

"You mean that house? Little Zhu helped build it. He’s very skilled—if you want to build a house, you should ask him for help!" An old man at the door laughed. Zhu Xiaoyuan had helped many villagers, and since the villagers were poor and couldn’t offer much in return, the old man took every opportunity to sing Zhu’s praises.

The three exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.

"I can hardly wait to meet the ancestor. With his power, he must have reached an incredible realm. Our Fire Moon Sect is finally about to rise!" Yu Qiushui’s eyes shone with excitement. He quickly asked the old man where Zhu Xiaoyuan lived, and hurried off with Huang Xiantang and the others.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Zhu Xiaoyuan was chopping wood when the noise outside caught his attention. He saw Aunt Li leading a group of villagers toward him.

"Little Zhu, something terrible has happened—three lunatics have come to the village!" Aunt Li exclaimed.

"Lunatics?" Zhu Xiaoyuan was puzzled.

In her urgency, Aunt Li quickly recounted what had happened.

"They were gawking at a hoe, eating the lotus grass with greedy delight... They must be mad! Who knows what trouble they’ll cause in the village. But the young woman seemed normal—why don’t you take her in? It’s pitiful for her to wander about like this."

Aunt Li rattled on.

"That group was eyeing the fruit trees you helped plant too! The way they looked at them, I’m sure they’re either lunatics or beggars!"

"But most importantly, they seem to be looking for you. Be careful..."

The villagers all looked at Zhu Xiaoyuan with concern.

He raised an eyebrow. From their description, the young woman sounded just like Leng Qianxue, whom he’d met before...

Still, he wasn’t worried. After all, he was dirt poor—what could anyone want from him?

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Zhu’s residence?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded at the door.

Everyone turned to look as Yu Qiushui and the others entered.

"Little Zhu, those are the ones I was telling you about!" Aunt Li pointed at them, eyes wary.

Zhu Xiaoyuan’s gaze landed on Leng Qianxue, and he smiled slightly—so it really was her.

Hardly beggars, though.

"Master, Grand Elder, this is the senior I was talking about," Leng Qianxue said.

Yu Qiushui narrowed his eyes and sent out his divine sense, only to be shocked—there wasn’t the slightest ripple of spiritual power from this man; he seemed just like an ordinary person.

Yu Qiushui pondered for a moment, then was utterly astounded. Even at the Grand Ascension stage, one couldn’t fully conceal their aura, yet this man showed no trace of spiritual energy. Could he be a cultivator beyond Grand Ascension?

Such figures could be counted on one hand in the entire Heavenly Martial Realm!

"Master, look at the firewood over there!" Huang Xiantang pointed with a trembling finger.

Yu Qiushui looked and instantly grew excited.

"They’re all sunfire wood... Judging by their form and markings, they’re of great age..."