Ji Mo couldn't believe his ears.
What did he hear?
Warming his bed!
"Miss Tang, you do have a sense of humor."
Ji Mo chuckled self-deprecatingly, dismissing it as a joke.
How could such a beautiful girl possibly warm his bed?
As a mortal with a poor background and no cultivation, he was like a toad dreaming of a swan. How could a swan possibly fancy him?
Ji Mo was acutely aware of his status and dared not harbor any extravagant hopes or improper thoughts. He merely regarded Tang Xueyi as a friend.
Tang Xueyi's mood instantly turned dejected. After mustering the courage to confess boldly, she was gently rejected. As expected, she was still not good enough for Mr. Ji.
Indeed, such an expert, with unfathomable status and position, likely only a celestial maiden could be worthy. How could she harbor such unrealistic desires?
Yet, whenever she looked at Mr. Ji, her heart would pound like a drum, and she found it difficult to control herself.
On the other side.
Hui Neng was questioning his existence.
It was also silver wrapped in paper, with nothing different. Why was Fan Jingxing so excited?
Then, he saw with even greater astonishment as Fan Jingxing was enveloped by Daoist rhymes, his cultivation soaring rapidly.
There must be a detail he had overlooked.
Hui Neng calmed his mind and carefully examined the broken silver in his hand. He indeed discovered a clue.
It turned out the problem wasn't with the silver, but with the paper.
On the crumpled white paper, a "卍" character pattern was written.
At first glance, it seemed ordinary.
But upon careful sensing, he felt vast Buddhist teachings surging forth. It was as if he could hear the chanting of three thousand Buddhas, all profound and exquisite Buddhist scriptures.
Zen melodies lingered in his ears, and Buddhist intent entered his heart!
"Amitabha!"
Hui Neng clasped his hands together, his appearance solemn. Golden light emanated from him, and a sacred aura rose from the crown of his head.
"Damn, these two simpletons have struck it rich! This is the rhythm of becoming a saint!"
Tian Peng felt a pang of envy. His master's rewards were as generous as ever, but unfortunately, he hadn't achieved anything recently and could only watch enviously.
If this continued, his status would likely decline further. Tian Peng felt a strong sense of crisis.
"Oh, so to work under Mr. Ji, one must give to receive great rewards."
The Ginseng King suddenly understood.
But then he squatted on the ground, scratching his head and pondering. He felt that apart from being eaten, he was truly useless.
Ah, he, the number one ginseng in the Xuan Ling Realm, was actually useless, a waste!
Thinking of this, the Ginseng King's leaves immediately wilted, and his life felt dim.
In the distance, Hong Qiantu saw Fan Jingxing and Hui Neng break through consecutively. He pounded his chest, regretting it to the extreme.
Why didn't he persist? He was only one step away from Mr. Ji, but due to a moment's hesitation, he gave up halfway.
There was nothing more regretful in this world. If he had another chance, he would definitely kneel without rising.
Hong Qiantu left in a daze, racking his brains to figure out what other way he could gain Ji Mo's forgiveness.
Xuan Ao was also dejected. The three of them worked together, and two of them received great benefits, but he received none.
What had he done that was not good enough?
"Useless bumpkin, from now on, you will follow this old turtle. Dig soil, weed, and take care of this vegetable garden."
Ji Mo pointed at Xuan Ao, who was lying in the vegetable patch, and instructed the Ginseng King.
As a face-connoisseur, he ultimately disliked the Ginseng King's unattractive appearance and casually assigned it a task.
Ginseng paired with a turtle. If they developed feelings for each other, perhaps a stew made from them in the future would be even more delicious.
The Ginseng King was unaware of the true thoughts of Ji Mo, the glutton. It was deeply grateful for Ji Mo's appreciation.
It took its short legs and scurried to Xuan Ao's side. With a squat, it burrowed into the ground, its numerous roots digging into the soil, exuding its aura and nourishing the fruits and vegetables in the garden.
Xuan Ao's shell trembled, his face filled with astonishment, and then tears began to flow.
Indeed, Mr. Ji had not forgotten him. He had actually assigned this mutated tenth-grade ten-thousand-year Ginseng King to be with him. This was the greatest gift!
With the Ginseng King nearby, his cultivation speed was dozens of times faster than usual. Although the effect might not be obvious in the short term, over time, he would benefit the most.
As expected, Mr. Ji had a scale in his heart and knew clearly who deserved what credit.
Xuan Ao was filled with vitality and enthusiasm, thinking to himself: Hui Neng, Fan Jingxing, you two old simpletons must not have expected that I am the one Mr. Ji values the most... turtle!
The Ginseng King looked at Xuan Ao, who was smiling blankly, and quickly moved away, fearing it might be infected.
Then, it set its sights on the iron cauldron not far away and excitedly pounced towards it.
"Ah, what is this?"
The Ginseng King was adsorbed onto the iron cauldron, feeling an irresistible force frantically drawing out its essence.
Within a few breaths, its plump body became dry and shriveled, almost becoming a dried radish.
Inside the iron cauldron, a pattern identical to the Ginseng King appeared.
The Ginseng King, with lingering fear, obediently returned to Xuan Ao's side, refusing to move no matter what.
Disobeying Mr. Ji truly had dire consequences.
What exactly was that dark iron cauldron? It was too terrifying!
"Don't provoke that cauldron. It's highly likely an artifact embryo of mythical grade forged by Mr. Ji," Xuan Ao kindly reminded.
"Mythical grade!"
The Ginseng King gasped sharply.
The grades of equipment were generally divided into: Common, Rare, Legacy, Epic, Legendary, Dreamlike, Celestial, Mythical, and so on.
Since the passage connecting the Xuan Ling Realm to other realms was severed, the entire Xuan Ling Realm had not seen mythical equipment appear. Yet, now, it had witnessed a mythical artifact embryo!
Once this artifact embryo was fully formed and became a true divine artifact, its power would be enough to sweep across the entire Xuan Ling Realm!
"Mr. Ji is likely playing a grand game, plotting to take over the entire Xuan Ling Realm!" Xuan Ao said cautiously.
"Plotting to take over the entire Xuan Ling Realm? Little turtle, you are still too naive."
The Ginseng King stroked the ten flowers and ten leaves on its head and said profoundly, "You don't understand. The Xuan Ling Realm is too shallow; it's afraid it cannot hold a true dragon like Mr. Ji!"
Recalling the scene on Tongtian Peak, Mr. Ji was fearless of the rolling heavenly lightning, cursed the heavens, and directly confronted the heavenly tribulation.
From this, it could be inferred that Mr. Ji was likely a fallen deity, bearing deep-seated hatred, and would eventually kill his way back.
Thinking of this, the Ginseng King gasped again, filled with shock and bewilderment.
Xuan Ao saw that this Ginseng King seemed to know some incredibly important secrets.
He was itching with curiosity and kept probing, but the Ginseng King was tight-lipped and refused to speak.
However, the Ginseng King still friendly reminded, "Little turtle, you must cultivate diligently. Your cultivation is too low; you might not even qualify to be cannon fodder by Mr. Ji's side in the future."
"What kind of cultivation is required to qualify as Mr. Ji's cannon fodder?" Xuan Ao humbly asked.
"Immortal!"