Zhang Chen heard this and let out a bitter laugh, patting the bundle: "No good things harvested, but harmful things, on the contrary, collected quite a bit."
As Zhang Chen spoke, he untied the bundle to reveal the alluring flowers within; even after several months, the Golden Wind Flower remained vibrant and fresh.
"Jade Dew Flower!" Xie Lingyun’s breath caught upon seeing the flowers, her voice full of shock.
"You’ve mistaken them; these aren’t Jade Dew Flowers, they’re Golden Wind Flowers. Though they look alike, their effects are opposite. Jade Dew can temporarily boost one’s strength, while this Golden Wind Flower can reduce it by thirty to fifty percent. Be sure not to mix them up, lest you harm yourself," Zhang Chen explained to Xie Lingyun.
He found that people in this world only knew the Jade Dew Flower, but were unaware of the function of the Golden Wind Flower.
If he utilized this trait, perhaps he could accomplish something significant.
When designing to kill others, this was undoubtedly an unexpected divine artifact.
Xie Lingyun, upon hearing Zhang Chen, showed disbelief in her eyes: "There’s truly such a thing in this world? Astonishing! Two flowers with different effects, yet looking identical—is there anything in this world more unbelievable?"
Zhang Chen smiled, took ten flowers from the pile, and handed them to Xie Lingyun: "These ten flowers are for you; perhaps they can save your life in a critical moment. But you need a jade box to preserve them, so make sure to prepare one when you return."
Xie Lingyun’s face blossomed with joy, and she didn’t hesitate with Zhang Chen: "Since that’s the case, I’ll accept these ten flowers."
Looking at the remaining eighty-plus flowers in the bundle, Zhang Chen’s gaze showed a hint of helplessness. Preserving these eighty flowers wasn’t easy; he had to buy at least eighty jade boxes. But how precious is jade? Especially jade boxes, which were even rarer.
"Is your injury healed, elder sister?" Zhang Chen chose not to perplex himself with the preservation method of the flowers but instead looked at Xie Lingyun. After a few months, she seemed healed, without a trace of injury.
"The Inspection and Supervision Department has various strange spirit medicines," Xie Lingyun replied.
Zhang Chen was relieved upon hearing this. They chatted a bit more, and Xie Lingyun ordered fine food and drinks. As they drank and ate, dusk gradually fell, and Xie Lingyun ordered candles to be lit: "Unfortunately, the passage to the Spiritual World keeps shrinking, and it’s not far from closing."
Seated by the lamplight, Zhang Chen laughed: "Why regret, sister? I haven’t told you; the First Heaven of the Spiritual World will soon shatter. Then everything within will fall from the Spiritual World into the mortal realm. If the Inspection and Supervision Department is prepared and makes a move early, it will surely reap unimaginable benefits."
Xie Lingyun was shocked: "The First Heaven of the Spiritual World will shatter? Why? How certain is this news?"
"Absolutely!" Zhang Chen affirmed: "As for why it will shatter, it’s because a world-shaking change occurred deep within the Spiritual World, causing the First Heaven to break."
Hearing this, Xie Lingyun’s gaze showed horror: "With countless creation in the Spiritual World, if it shatters and falls to the mortal realm, who knows how many unpredictable powerhouses will emerge, potentially causing greater chaos in the world."
Zhang Chen heard this and fell silent; this was unavoidable.
They continued talking for a while, but Zhang Chen was concerned with the God-Beating Whip he was refining in his Eight Trigrams Furnace. He then took his leave with his bundle.
By now, it was deep winter, with the north wind howling, and the cold enveloping Heaven and Earth.
After exchanging winter clothes from Xie Lingyun, donned in a fox fur cloak, Zhang Chen walked in the cold winds towards Huangli Temple.
"Next is to gather points to drive my mountain-moving technique to Great Success and Perfection, and then find the next cultivation technique for cultivating immortality from Huangli Temple, and then practice discreetly," Zhang Chen’s mind flickered with countless thoughts as he tightened the cloak around him, blocking the cold wind, pondering how to handle the Golden Wind Flower.
Finding dozens of jade boxes was unrealistic.
Walking through the cold wind, Zhang Chen suddenly had an inspiration: "I have the Ice Freeze Technique and the power of the ancient Osmanthus; if I use the power of the Osmanthus to seal them in ice, I wonder if it can preserve their medicinal effects."
With this thought, Zhang Chen directly searched for a deep forest, drew moisture from the air, then froze the Golden Wind Flower. Going further, he added the power of the ancient Osmanthus, which was oddly mysterious and indeed managed to seal the flower’s medicinal power fully.
"Success!" Zhang Chen was overjoyed at the sight, then worried about how to store the eighty Golden Wind Flowers.
Bring them back to the Daoist Temple?
That was impossible. The temple was full of old foxes; if someone inadvertently noticed the qi mechanism of the Golden Wind Flower, it would be troublesome.
"How should they be hidden?" Zhang Chen pondered for a while and decided to bury them underground.
Only by burying them underground could they remain undiscovered.
Zhang Chen found a mountain, made marks, and then, carrying eighty Golden Wind Flowers, transformed into water, hid them deep underground.
Zhang Chen’s cultivation was limited; whether he transformed into water or a Vampire Bat, he couldn’t carry over thirty pounds, which made his journey through the First Heaven of the Spiritual World quite arduous.