Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Binding and Harvest
The hustle and bustle of the marketplace gradually faded away. Li Ye wrapped his thin robe tighter around himself and looked up at the icicles hanging from the eaves.
The moonlight scattered over the icicles, emitting a faint blue glow. He gently exhaled a puff of white mist and pushed open the creaking wooden door.
A wave of warmth surged from inside the house, instantly dispelling the chill from his body.
Although cultivators are supposed to be impervious to the elements, that privilege is reserved for those with abundant vitality. Someone like him, with injured meridians, ultimately struggles to withstand the winter night’s cold.
Relying on sheer willpower to ward off the chill was proving difficult.
Fortunately, the house had a warming system of "underground dragon," though he had no idea what immortal technique was used within it.
He simply threw the lit charcoal into the hearth, and before long, the entire house was warm and filled with a faint elegant fragrance.
After taking a deep breath, Li Ye brought the Flint Fire Crystal Insect to the Silver Moon Grass in the courtyard.
The insects in the box seemed to sense something and stopped moving. One of them arched its body, poking its tiny head out to curiously look around.
[Do you wish to bind the Flint Fire Crystal Insect with Silver Moon Grass? The binding will consume twenty points of Vital Essence.]
"..."
Just one plant costs twenty points?
Li Ye’s eyes widened. After the binding, his Vital Essence would be completely depleted.
He still didn’t know how difficult it was to acquire Vital Essence. If it was challenging to obtain, he could only focus on "quality," unable to balance with quantity.
After a brief consideration, he made a decision:
’Bind.’
With his choice, the rainbow-colored light on the panel flickered softly—
[Binding Successful: Flint Fire Crystal Insect·Silver Moon Grass].
Once the binding was complete.
A small Flint Fire Crystal Insect suddenly leaped out of the box, sinking into the thick snow.
It struggled to wriggle, carving a small path in the snow as it slowly crawled towards the Silver Moon Grass.
It happily wrapped itself around the Silver Moon Grass, threads of heat rising from its body.
The originally withered Silver Moon Grass, upon absorbing this heat, its leaves gradually deepened in color, looking more vibrant and full of life.
At the tip of a young silver bud, like a tiny moon, droplets of silver liquid seeped out—thick and translucent, radiating a chilling silver light in the cold night.
"!!!"
"Is this Moon Liquid Pearl?" Seeing this, Li Ye quickly took out a teacup and carefully collected the liquid. It did not stick together, ultimately forming three drops, round like pearls, glimmering faintly in the teacup.
Then, he looked at the Flint Fire Crystal Insect. It was dominantly coiled around a leaf of Silver Moon Grass, soon falling into a deep sleep.
Falling snowflakes gently settled on the leaves of the Silver Moon Grass, as if covering it with a warm blanket.
A Yin attribute spirit plant and a Yang attribute spiritual insect, supposedly incompatible, yet here they harmonized exceptionally, as if destined to be this way.
A single binding revitalized two lives that were destined to perish, bestowing them with renewed vigor. In this serene snowy night, Li Ye watched them, a surge of indescribable emotion rising in his heart.
He suddenly remembered an article he once read, describing a bird building a nest in a hanging orchid.
The lush leaves of the orchid provided shelter for the small bird that flitted through them—such a harmonious scene filled him with immense comfort, even a trace of envy.
"Sigh."
Before the crossing indeed.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, when memories resurfaced, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat melancholic.
Thankfully, after a momentary sigh, he quickly adjusted his mood, bringing his focus back to reality.
Unable to change it, he might as well live happily in the present.
He glanced at the remaining Flint Fire Crystal Insects and Silver Moon Grass, and a daring thought suddenly sprang to his mind.
"Should I try it?"
However, when he attempted to place the Flint Fire Crystal Insect next to the Silver Moon Grass without binding, the insect crashed around recklessly, nearly toppling the Silver Moon Grass.
Seeing this, Li Ye hurriedly removed it, not daring to make any more reckless attempts.
"Seems like there’s only one plant, after all."
’Moreover, there’s not even an introduction for this binding. Do I really have to figure it out myself? This golden finger is way too unintelligent.’
He muttered a few complaints but found no changes, so it seemed it really was just unintelligent.
But perhaps that was for the better.
In his view, the golden finger was merely a tool, something to slowly figure out over time.
The binding was already complete, and the cold wind outside was still biting. Taking one last look at the vibrant Silver Moon Grass, he returned inside with the teacup.
The silver beads in the teacup emanated a strange aura, as if urging him to enjoy them as soon as possible.
"Moon Liquid Pearl..."
According to the original owner’s memory, the liquid from these spirit plants was the main ingredient for crafting certain pills.
Moreover, it was the first ring task of the Four Seasons Sect’s entry assessment—handing over fifty Moon Liquid Pearls by the Spring Equinox marked task completion.
"Technically, a single Silver Moon Grass should only produce one Moon Liquid Pearl at once...Why are there three this time?"
"The task jade scroll mentioned that Moon Liquid Pearls can be consumed directly."
Li Ye licked his lips. Shouldn’t these Moon Liquid Pearls also contain Vital Essence?
He was extremely curious about spirit plant products in the cultivation realm and, combined with his currently weak state, was in desperate need of spiritual power supplementation.
Thus, he did not hesitate much and carefully picked up a Moon Liquid Pearl.
It felt much like pearls in milk tea, but it melted as soon as it touched the mouth, with tender streams of slightly sweet liquid sliding down the throat, into the stomach.
Then it released a cool sensation, as refreshing as drinking a glass of ice water on a summer day.
Soon, this aura automatically flowed into his meridians, briefly suppressing the pain from the damaged meridians and increasing the spiritual power within him.
Just a single Moon Liquid Pearl provided a spiritual power boost equivalent to a month’s worth of meditative cultivation!
Li Ye was momentarily stunned, but upon further thought, it seemed logical—
After all, this was his golden finger. If it couldn’t even solve the current dilemma, he would probably have to consider how to travel back...
Compared to those who traveled into ancestors, Mahayana stage cultivators, or whose cultivation advanced rapidly, his golden finger seemed rather "unremarkable."
However, the most pressing question now was: how quickly could these Moon Liquid Pearls be produced?
Would they continue to mature every three days, producing one each time? Would their effect remain this significant? And how much had his Vital Essence increased?
On this thought, an idea flashed in his mind: [5].
A number appeared in his mind.
"..."
A single Moon Liquid Pearl only increased five points of Vital Essence?
If this was a one-time product, consuming twenty points per binding while each Moon Liquid Pearl only provided five points, it would certainly be a loss.
Fortunately, they could be continuously produced.
And since consuming them yields benefits... eating should work too, right? Just make sure to get better materials.
He looked at the two remaining silver beads in the teacup and casually covered it with a tea lid. While self-grown spirit plants were his rightful enjoyment, it was best to reserve some stock.
After properly storing the teacup, he lay back in bed, covering himself with the thin but warm blanket. The sound of burning charcoal "crackled" from afar.
Listening to it was indeed quite reassuring.
Before falling asleep, he suddenly found some advantages to crossing over—previously needing to rely on a phone for white noise, now he could listen to it directly.
Perhaps this was how you find peace, adapting to circumstances. He soon fell into a deep, dreamless slumber until morning.