Ordinary Bone

"Very well."

Fairy Lingyue smiled faintly at Xu Taiping.

For some reason, even though the boy in front of her was just a teenager, there was a steadfastness in his heart that far surpassed many adults. He reminded her of someone she had known long ago.

"Bring your head closer."

Fairy Lingyue suddenly beckoned Xu Taiping with her finger.

"Is there something else the fairy wishes to instruct me on?" Xu Taiping asked, stepping forward with a puzzled expression.

"Slap."

At that moment, Fairy Lingyue extended a single finger and lightly tapped Xu Taiping's forehead.

Before Xu Taiping could react, he felt a refreshing coolness seep into his mind. Almost instantly, a white piece of paper materialized in his thoughts, containing both a prescription and detailed instructions for brewing the medicine.

"Bone-Cleansing Decoction? This really is a prescription for cultivation through the refinement of bones!"

After reading the effects described in the prescription, Xu Taiping couldn't help but show joy on his face.

"Don't get too excited too soon, little one," Fairy Lingyue said, dousing his enthusiasm with a dose of reality. "This Bone-Cleansing Decoction was originally meant to be used in conjunction with another medicinal recipe. However, the ingredients for the other prescription are far too rare. Giving it to you would be meaningless. As such, you'll face some challenges when using the Bone-Cleansing Decoction on its own."

"What kind of challenges?" Xu Taiping asked immediately.

"Without the second prescription, your entire body will feel excruciating pain during the Bone-Cleansing Decoction bath. It will be as if your flesh is being scraped from your bones." Fairy Lingyue's expression grew serious as she spoke.

Xu Taiping thought deeply for a moment before shaking his head resolutely. "I'm not afraid of pain."

Fairy Lingyue wanted to say, You've never experienced such agony before, or you wouldn't answer so confidently. But for some inexplicable reason, she couldn't bring herself to voice her doubts. She had a strange belief that the young man in front of her would never go back on his word.

"Since I'm in a good mood today, aside from the prescription I promised, I'll give you something else as well," Fairy Lingyue said suddenly with a smile. She raised her hand and made a light grasping motion.

In an instant, streams of white light converged in her palm like flowing ribbons. When she opened her hand again, three radiant, crystalline beads had formed.

As the three beads solidified, Xu Taiping noticed that Fairy Lingyue's figure became more transparent, and her aura weakened visibly.

"Whoosh!"

Before Xu Taiping could ask what the beads were, Fairy Lingyue abruptly raised her hand and flung the three beads into different parts of the medicine garden.

Afterward, she began softly chanting an incantation. Pale green light began to emanate from the three beads, converging into a mysterious rune-like formation that enveloped the entire medicine garden.

"This is a Small Three-Talents Spirit Gathering Formation. While it's not as potent as a true Spirit Gathering Formation, it will triple the yield of this half-acre medicine garden for the next year."

Having completed the process, Fairy Lingyue explained this to Xu Taiping, though her tone was tinged with weariness.

"Triple the yield?"

Xu Taiping's face lit up with joy when he heard this. He quickly pulled four yellow beans out of his pocket—spiritual crystals—and offered them to Fairy Lingyue.

"Fairy, please accept these four beans. My grandfather always said that fairness is key in any exchange; otherwise, it won't endure."

Hearing this, Fairy Lingyue couldn't help but chuckle. But soon, her expression turned serious, and she replied, "You're not wrong. Fairness is indeed essential in all dealings. However, your cultivation will require these spiritual crystals. Think of it as me lending them to you for now. Once the Earth Fruit bears treasures again, you can repay me then."

Xu Taiping thought about her words carefully before nodding. "When I repay you next time, I'll add interest. I'll return five spiritual crystals instead of four."

"Good, good. Interest should be included." Fairy Lingyue covered her mouth and laughed again.

At that moment, her figure became even more transparent, and her aura weakened further.

"Little Taiping, this remnant soul of mine is too frail. I'll need to rest and recover inside the Earth Fruit for at least a month or two before I can come out again. During this time, you'll need to manage the medicine garden and focus on your cultivation. Don't drag me down—I still need the Earth Fruit to restore my true form."

Fairy Lingyue's tone carried a hint of jest as she gave her instructions.

"Don't worry, Fairy. Cultivation is my own responsibility. I won't drag you down." Xu Taiping's eyes were filled with determination.

"Well said. Cultivation is indeed a personal journey. Others may help you temporarily, but they can't support you forever. In the end, you must rely on yourself."

Fairy Lingyue nodded approvingly. Then, she pointed to a withered bean plant in the garden. "Taiping, go inside and see if you can find a shovel. Dig up this plant and bury it in the center of the medicine garden."

"Understood."

Xu Taiping nodded without hesitation and turned to head inside the house.

As he turned away, Fairy Lingyue's previously gentle expression turned sharp. She abruptly spun around to face the courtyard wall.

Following her gaze, one could see a pair of ghostly blue eyes peeking into the courtyard with ill intent.

The moment the intruder realized Fairy Lingyue had spotted them, they tumbled off the wall in a panic.

"Whoosh!"

In the next moment, Fairy Lingyue's ethereal form transformed into a gust of wind, rushing out of the courtyard. She struck the figure who had fallen from the wall with a single blow, sending them flying.

"Mercy, Immortal! Mercy! I'm just a lowly ghost servant, forced into this by Lord Tiger of Green Peak Gorge!"

Before Fairy Lingyue could speak, the rotting corpse-like figure with exposed white bones prostrated itself before her, begging for mercy.

"A lackey for a tiger demon? The phrase 'aiding the wicked' was coined for scum like you."

Fairy Lingyue sneered and struck the ghost servant again with an air-palm, sending it flying. Her demeanor now was entirely different from the gentle one she had shown Xu Taiping.

But just as she was about to deliver a killing blow, she hesitated.

"Wait. My strength hasn't fully recovered yet. I might not be able to defeat that tiger demon. Killing this ghost servant now could bring trouble later. It'd be better to cast a Soul-Bewildering Curse on it, making it forget everything it saw here. When Taiping has grown stronger in his cultivation, he can deal with the tiger demon himself. That would make for excellent training."

Muttering softly to herself, Fairy Lingyue withdrew her hand. A small smile appeared on her face as she formulated her plan.

[--------------------------------------------]

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