Volume One, Chapter 46: The Little Mountain Spirit Who Secretly Ate the Spiritual Plants

Chen Qifan squatted in the spiritual herb garden, clicking his tongue in amazement. “Not a single mosquito in sight.”

Chi Xingwan explained, “It’s not just the herb garden. The whole Thousand Springs Monastery is protected by insect-repelling arrays. Haven’t you noticed you haven’t been bitten once since arriving?”

Now that he thought about it, Chen Qifan realized it was true. “This world is incredible.”

“Sister-in-law, do you think I could learn some of your skills?” he asked, his face full of anticipation.

Chi Xingwan was blunt. “I’m afraid not.”

Chen Qifan dropped his head in disappointment. “I figured as much. I have no talent. If I did, one of you would have discovered me by now.”

“But I can teach you a breathing technique that strengthens the body and prolongs life.”

Chen Qifan instantly brightened, bashfully saying, “Thank you, sister-in-law. Honestly, I don’t ask for much. As long as I outlive that scoundrel Chen Xin, I’ll be satisfied.”

Chi Xingwan was left speechless and didn’t want to continue the conversation.

The two chatted idly, mostly Chen Qifan talking while Chi Xingwan listened.

It was already well past midnight, and the spiritual herb garden they were guarding remained undisturbed. Chen Qifan grew restless. “Sister-in-law, do you think we’ll catch anything tonight?”

“Shh.” Chi Xingwan interrupted him. “Something’s here—but not in our garden.”

She suddenly stood and dashed outside. Chen Qifan followed without a word, and together they hurried to a neighboring garden where Tongtong and one of his senior brothers were on watch.

“Advisor Chi, is something wrong?” Tongtong asked.

Chi Xingwan circled the garden and asked, “Nothing strange happened here?”

Tongtong and his fellow disciple exchanged a look and shook their heads. “We’ve been here the whole time. Nothing unusual.”

But Chi Xingwan was certain. “It came to your garden. It just left. Check if anything’s missing.”

The two paled and immediately began searching.

“Oh no! We’ve lost several ginseng roots!”

So the culprit had indeed come.

Chi Xingwan said, “That thing likely has the power to cloud minds. Your cultivation isn’t deep enough, and you fell for its trick without realizing.”

The two looked utterly dejected, and little Tongtong was on the verge of tears.

“Are you sure it’s an evil spirit?” Chi Xingwan asked.

Tongtong gritted his teeth. “If it’s not an evil spirit, what else could it be? If I catch it, I’ll beat it into oblivion.”

“But so far, it hasn’t hurt anyone.”

Tongtong was left speechless. Perhaps it hadn’t harmed anyone simply because it lacked the ability. Yet whatever it was, it had enough power to kill the two young watchmen, and yet it hadn’t so much as touched a hair on their heads.

“Advisor Chi, if it’s not an evil spirit, then what is it?”

Chi Xingwan already had a suspicion. “Let’s go see for ourselves.”

Her spiritual power surged forth, blanketing the entire Thousand Springs Mountain. In an instant, she located the creature that had entered the herb garden.

Chu Fangfei, Jin Feng, and the others soon arrived, the disciples of Thousand Springs Monastery pouring out under the abbot’s orders to help Chi Xingwan catch the thief.

“There, it’s inside,” Chi Xingwan said, leading the group to a cave entrance.

Jin Feng was curious. “There’s no black aura—so it isn’t an evil spirit?”

Chi Xingwan called into the cave, “You’re surrounded. Don’t bother resisting. Come out quietly.”

There was a brief silence, followed by faint, shuffling sounds.

“I’m going to count to ten,” she continued. “If you’re not out by then, I won’t be so polite. Ten, nine, eight… three, two—”

Before she reached “one,” a tiny, trembling creature emerged from the darkness.

It looked like a small dog, except for the pair of curved horns on its head, which gave it a resemblance to a shrunken sheep.

“What is that?” Chu Fangfei exclaimed, turning to Jin Feng, who was just as bewildered. Even the abbot seemed unsure.

Chi Xingwan, however, was certain. “Just as I thought. This little thing isn’t an evil spirit. It’s a mountain sprite.”

“A mountain sprite?” The younger cultivators had never heard of such a thing.

The abbot’s face lit up with realization. “My master once told me that in places rich with spiritual energy, the forces of nature can give birth to spirits. Those born of the mountains are called mountain sprites.”

“That’s right,” Chi Xingwan confirmed. “Spirits formed from the world’s energy are exceedingly rare. It seems we’re quite fortunate.”

The mountain sprite understood human speech and nodded pitifully. “So, could you spare me?”

The disciples of Thousand Springs Monastery hesitated, and even the abbot wavered. After all, the sprite was not an evil spirit, but a being formed of pure spiritual energy, harmless to humans.

“No,” Chi Xingwan said firmly.

The abbot attempted to persuade her. “Advisor Chi, perhaps we should let it go. It hasn’t harmed us.”

“It’s ruined your herb garden and clouded your disciples’ minds. Isn’t that harm enough?”

Tongtong looked at the sprite with pity. “It must have been so hungry that it stole from the garden.”

“Mountain sprites are born of spiritual energy. They don’t need to eat—they survive by absorbing the ambient energy of the world. It stole the herbs out of pure greed.”

With every word Chi Xingwan spoke, the sprite’s head drooped lower, until it seemed almost buried in the earth.

The abbot could only ask, “Advisor Chi, how do you plan to deal with it?”

Chi Xingwan looked at the sprite. “The damage is done. It has to make amends. But it’s only just taken shape, clearly penniless, with nothing to its name.”

The sprite nodded tearfully.

“In that case, if it can’t repay you in goods, it’ll have to make amends through labor.”

The sprite tilted its head, confused, and even the monastery’s disciples seemed puzzled by Chi Xingwan’s approach.

She explained, “Why not make a contract? The sprite can protect Thousand Springs Monastery to atone for its misdeeds, and in return, the monastery, out of kindness, can occasionally offer it a treat from the herb garden. What do you say?”

Both the sprite and the monastery’s disciples stood frozen in surprise.

“It’s merely a suggestion. You’re free to refuse,” Chi Xingwan added.

The abbot quickly collected himself. “We would be delighted. The only question is: does the sprite agree?”

The sprite blinked its bright black eyes and nodded eagerly. “I agree! I can live at Thousand Springs Monastery?”

The abbot’s face broke into a wrinkled smile as he extended a hand to the sprite. “In that case, let’s go back together.”

The sprite bounded forward, leaping into Tongtong’s arms, demanding to be carried. Tongtong was overjoyed, parading at the front of the group, chest puffed out, as his senior brothers and sisters looked on in envy.

Chen Qifan followed all the way back. Once they’d returned to the monastery and were out of earshot of outsiders, he could no longer hold back his questions.