Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Peach Blossom Immortal Brew Rain, Harvest of Fish Scales
He returned to his room with the Locust Spirit Scroll.
With the sunset glow shining on it, he observed the faded characters on the book’s surface, it felt just like ordinary paper in his hands.
Honestly, whether through scanning with divine sense or caressing with fingers, he couldn’t feel that this thing was actually a "Spirit Beast" that required two thousand points to bind.
Previously, he had bound First Tier and Second Tier ones, only requiring twenty points and a hundred points respectively.
According to the tiers of spirit beasts and spirit plants issued by the Four Seasons Sect, First to Third Tier correspond to Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, above Third Tier involves Golden Core.
"So it’s a Golden Core then." With this speculation, he indeed felt this thing was rather hot to the touch, but it seemed too valuable to just discard.
"Focus on cultivation first, and after reaching Foundation Establishment and entering the Four Seasons Sect, look for a divine technique or magical artifact to control it, as a Golden Core Book Demon could provide substantial assistance."
Deciding this, he placed the Locust Spirit Scroll into a box, setting it aside in the cabinet, separated from the bottle of Qi Fortune Shining Gold and the Flint Fire Crystal Insect seedlings.
Then, he took out the peach branch.
The peach branch in his hand remained smooth and warm like jade, even the few peach blossoms on it emitted a spiritual glow of pink mist, with a faint scent of delicate peach blossom fragrance.
"According to Senior Su Ya..."
He gently touched the peach branch to his brow.
A wave of cool spiritual qi suddenly surged into his spirit platform.
Accompanied by the swaying peach tree’s pink mist halo, some mysterious words appearing in his mind, in ancient script, yet extraordinarily understood.
"Peach Blossom Immortal Brew Rain!"
This was different from what Li Ye imagined as a straightforward magic activation.
It required certain materials and had connections with previously learned "Small Cloud Rain Technique", even attached a secret brewing method.
Using peach blossom petals, spiritual spring water, morning dew, and cinnabar, concocting "Peach Blossom Brew."
With a special technique, it would create a cloud rain, enhancing the growth of plants watered by it.
Most importantly, the peach branch itself could substitute for peach blossom petals, with nothing better than the peach blossom blessed by the Mountain God.
Just this peach branch alone was an everlasting source of spirit stones!
The rest, he just needed to seek morning dew and cinnabar.
"No wonder Su Ya, Yang Ke Dao You, said something meaningful when leaving, implying that people would soon come asking for the Peach Blossom Brew.
This is indeed a lucrative business.
As for morning dew, it can be collected tomorrow morning.
But cinnabar..."
Li Ye silently pulled out the mechanical box he hadn’t used, a creation from the Mo Family Mechanism Workshop, which, once you write your desired item inside, would have mortals deliver it directly to your doorstep.
The marketplace mortals make a living by serving these "Immortals" through such small businesses.
Like little delivery guys.
Now, he wrote "Top-grade Cinnabar" on the wooden board inside the box, immediately seeing the required spirit stone amount appear.
Since he wanted top-grade, it was one tael of cinnabar per spirit stone.
"Let’s get ten taels first."
After writing his desired quantity, the inscriptions vanished, replaced by the word "Wait."
Li Ye waited for about the time of a cup of tea.
A knock on the door came from outside.
"That was quick." He went to open the door, standing outside was a young man in a gray-white robe.
He had no trace of spiritual qi, with the words "Liu’s General Store" on the robe.
The young man respectfully took out the box he had been protecting.
"Immortal senior, here’s the ten taels of cinnabar you requested."
Inside the box was cinnabar powder, with a vivid red texture, exuding abundant spiritual qi, undoubtedly top-grade cinnabar.
"Hmm."
"Not bad."
Li Ye handed over ten spirit stones to the young man.
"Thank you, senior, if there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave."
"You may go."
The young man hurriedly expressed thanks again, quickly leaving with the spirit stones.
Seeing his cautious demeanor, he must have encountered not so pleasant situations before, as cultivators often have an indescribable superiority over mortals.
This was a reputable sect’s marketplace; if it were a Demon Sect’s marketplace, mortals would likely face more hardships.
He shook his head and returned to make preparations.
After half the night memorizing all the knowledge needed for the divine technique, and drawing all the "Array Patterns" mentioned in the technique on a large vat, he quietly waited for the next day.
...
The next day.
Before dawn.
Li Ye yawned and stepped out of his house, the slightly cool air of early spring refreshed him, quickly dispelling his sleepiness.
"Morning dew..."
Morning dew naturally referred to the early morning dew, he soon found plenty around the lotus and water gourd.
The drops of dew stayed on the bluish-purple petals of the lotus and the leaves of the water gourd, waiting for him to collect them.
According to the Peach Blossom Immortal Brew Rain tradition, morning dew serves as an ingredient, to be placed with cinnabar and petals in the vat with drawn array patterns, fully mixed with spiritual spring water, sealed for forty-nine days before extraction.
The quantity depends on peach blossom petal quality, morning dew, and cinnabar amounts, but Li Ye had no worries about peach blossom petals, naturally able to fill a vat with fifty pounds.
In the following days, he collected morning dew in preparation for brewing, and by about the sixth day, he suddenly noticed something strange happening with the gourd of the Spirit Water Phoenix Eye Lotus—
The original water gourd was smooth and green, but now its surface was covered in dense cracks, with gold-red blood light flowing through them.
Squinting, he jumped into the pool.
"Splash!"
Water instantly rippled, and the Golden Red Dragon Carps hiding beneath the water gourd swam out, their heads increasingly gold-red, even the small protrusions grew somewhat.
Li Ye was thoughtful, slowly parting the pool water covered by the Spirit Water Phoenix Eye Lotus, revealing at its roots about twenty-some scales scattered at the pool bottom.
The scales were as crystalline as gold-red jewels, shining brightly in the morning light.
"A scale drops every seven days."
"Yet now there are fully over twenty scales..."
"Isn’t it possible that you little fellows recklessly bumped the gourd, causing more to drop?"
The fish swimming in the distance were still cheerful, full of spiritual qi, showing no signs of injury or spiritual qi depletion, even more lively than when purchased.
Since they were fine, Li Ye could only collect all the scales, considering whether to attempt picking the blood-red crack-covered gourd when leaving.
Yet the Spirit Water Phoenix Eye Lotus conveyed a not yet mature consciousness.
Helpless, he let it be.
So back he went to prepare the Peach Blossom Brew, and maybe taste what these fish scales were all about.