Anomaly of the Spirit Medicine

"Because this large ship is too massive and the spacing between the ridges is too narrow, it cannot pass through. We must transfer to a small boat to enter the spirit fields."

Yan Zhengping addressed Song Wen and Guo Tao.

"Men, lower the small boat."

Two Yan family cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining dragged a small boat out from the large ship's cabin.

The boat was about six meters long and one meter wide.

It was quickly lowered into the water.

Yan Zhengping said, "Board the boat."

The moment his voice fell, the four late-stage Qi Refining cultivators of the Yan family leaped onto the small boat in unison.

The boat, which already had limited buoyancy, immediately sank more than a foot into the water. The surface of the water was now less than a foot from the gunwale, as if a single tiny wave could flood it.

Yan Zhengping said, "This small boat can only carry five people at most. Fellow Daoist Guo Tao, young friend Ji Yin, let us see which of you will board the boat to count the spirit grass with us. As for the other, you can only remain on the large ship."

Song Wen stared at Yan Zhengping's performance in a daze. He had already pondered countless times in his mind how the Yan family would cover up the issues in the spirit fields.

Now, he finally understood. The Yan family had no intention of letting him set foot in the spirit fields at all; they only wanted him to watch from afar.

Although Yan Zhengping claimed they could choose between him and Guo Tao, there was no need to think about it-it would definitely be Guo Tao, who had the higher cultivation, who went in. Moreover, Guo Tao was the leader of this stocktaking mission, while he was merely a low-level attendant.

Guo Tao glanced at the dazed Song Wen and spoke up.

"Junior Brother Ji Yin, you stay on the large ship. I shall accompany Patriarch Yan into the spirit fields."

Song Wen's expression turned somewhat strange. The logical holes in Yan Zhengping and Guo Tao's words were simply too glaring.

If the boat could only hold five people, why couldn't one less Yan family cultivator go so that Song Wen could board?

If the four late-stage Qi Refining cultivators absolutely had to tag along, why hadn't they prepared a second boat?

They were completely treating him like a fool.

After a brief silence, Song Wen spoke.

"Patriarch Yan, Senior Brother Guo, I have also accepted this sect mission, and I am required to personally count the quantity of the Seven-Color Grass. If I cannot even enter the spirit fields, it will be difficult for me to report back to the sect."

Song Wen had already mentally prepared himself to be at the mercy of the Yan family and Guo Tao during his stay.

However, the two parties were being too blatant now, completely treating him as though he lacked basic wit. If he did not raise a single question, it would look unnatural.

Yan Zhengping laughed heartily.

"It is this old man's mistake for not explaining clearly to young friend Ji Yin."

"The waters of this swamp are shrouded in poisonous mist and miasma year-round, so they have long since become toxic and highly corrosive. A boat made of ordinary timber would be corroded and sunk within moments."

"This small boat beneath my feet is crafted from a spiritual material known as Baqing Wood, which is why it can withstand the corrosive poisonous water. Because Baqing Wood is exceedingly expensive, gathering enough to build a vessel is no easy task."

"Therefore, even my Yan family possesses very few vessels capable of navigating this swamp. For this stocktaking, we could only dispatch this single small boat."

"We had no choice but to let only one person enter the spirit fields. I hope young friend Ji Yin can understand our plight."

Though Yan Zhengping's explanation was riddled with flaws, Song Wen knew he could not press any further.

If he pushed them too hard, they might strike out in anger, and a thunderous blow would be the only thing awaiting him.

Song Wen cupped his fists toward Yan Zhengping.

"Thank you for clarifying, Patriarch Yan."

He then turned to Guo Tao.

"Then I shall trouble you, Senior Brother Guo."

Guo Tao nodded and leaped onto the small boat.

At that moment, Yan Zhengping spoke again.

"Young friend Ji Yin, you need not worry. Though you cannot personally board the boat into the spirit fields, I have a Magical Artifact here that will allow you to witness everything within the spirit fields."

With a flick of his hand, a basin-sized bronze mirror appeared in Yan Zhengping's palm, while his other hand held a fist-sized stone.

"This mirror is called the Retaining Image Mirror, a Middle Grade Magical Artifact. It forms a set with the Image Stone in my hand. When one person holds the Image Stone and activates it with spiritual energy, another holding the Retaining Image Mirror can see everything near the stone, provided they are within a hundred li."

With that, Yan Zhengping handed the bronze mirror to Song Wen and passed the Image Stone to Guo Tao.

"We will trouble Fellow Daoist Guo to activate the Image Stone later so that Fellow Daoist Ji Yin can see your surroundings."

Guo Tao put on a look of profound amazement and said, "I did not expect Patriarch Yan to possess such a miraculous treasure. With this, Junior Brother Ji Yin will be able to view the spirit fields as if he were there in person."

The small boat gradually drifted into the distance. The Yan family cultivators on the large ship brought over a pre-prepared wooden rack, allowing Song Wen to place the bronze mirror upon it.

Guo Tao activated the Image Stone, and the scene before him immediately materialized on the surface of the bronze mirror.

As the small boat sailed into the spirit fields, Song Wen finally saw the layout clearly.

The boat first entered the region of the century-old spirit fields. Because century-old spirit medicines demanded an immense amount of Spiritual Qi to grow, the Seven-Color Grass was planted very sparsely, appearing only once every few tens of meters.

The projection in the bronze mirror was incredibly sharp, allowing a clear view of the leaves and veins of the Seven-Color Grass.

Song Wen stared intently at the mirror, refusing to miss a single detail.

Every leaf of these century-old plants bore seven distinct colors, and the edges of the leaves were marked with crisp, black lines-completely matching the descriptions of century-old Seven-Color Grass recorded in the jade slips.

Yet, perhaps because the images were transmitted through a Magical Artifact, preventing him from examining them up close or sensing them with his mental strength, the plants in the mirror gave Song Wen a persistent sense of unreality.

It felt just like watching a movie in a theater in his previous life; no matter how realistic the special effects were, a subconscious feeling of falseness lingered deep within.

After watching for a short while, Song Wen concluded that these century-old Seven-Color Grass plants looked perfectly flawless on the surface.

But that was only to be expected. The bronze mirror had been provided by the Patriarch of the Yan family himself. If one could spot a flaw through the mirror, the Yan family would have to be incredibly foolish.

'If only I could get a closer look,' Song Wen thought to himself.

He glanced around. The dozen or so Yan family cultivators on the deck had initially gathered around the bronze mirror out of curiosity, but they had now dispersed to various corners of the large ship. Some were chatting while others sat cross-legged in meditation; no one was paying attention to him anymore.

After standing before the bronze mirror a bit longer, Song Wen began to look around aimlessly, as if he had grown bored of the display, eventually gazing out toward the distant spirit fields.

After staring into the distance for a while, he walked over to an empty section of the deck, rested his hands against the gunwale, and peered deeply into the distant expanse.

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