Chapter 40: A Youth Worth Teaching

The next day, Chen Yu watched as several silver crucian carp flipped onto their backs, clearly beyond saving. He quickly gutted them, stuffed them with salt, and set them on the table to be pan-fried for lunch.

His cultivation of Qi was still ongoing, but today there were other matters to attend to—he needed to make a trip into the mountain.

Previously, he had planned to dig a pond, but now he had to first find a suitable location to avoid missing the first heavy rains that would fill it with water.

In the courtyard, two trees imbued with spiritual energy stood quietly without any unusual signs.

In contrast, the peach trees were more straightforward. The transformation of the peach blossoms had extraordinary effects. After eating some yesterday, he felt much better this morning, his stomach nearly healed.

The injury was not completely gone, and his strength was still difficult to summon.

But now he could resume practicing.

Seeing the dwindling number of blossoms, he resignedly chose a few more trees to infuse with spiritual energy, burying it in the soil around their roots, hoping to encourage more healing peach blossoms to grow.

May 23rd, Spiritual Energy Count: twenty-four.

Ten days had passed since he last used any from the foot of the mountain. The spiritual energy accumulated slowly at a rate of one grain every three days, still insufficient for his needs. He thought of the millet behind the courtyard, soon ready for harvest. Once cleared, the empty medicinal fields could be replanted with a fourth batch. According to earlier plans, although a few herbs had already been infused with spiritual energy on clay pots and wooden boards, the other medicinal plants could not be neglected.

By current reckoning, a single grain of spiritual energy could nurture and catalyze an entire patch of common vegetables, but medicinal herbs required much more—perhaps several times as much.

“Not enough to go around,” he sighed.

His mental discipline had grown more skilled, easily directing waves of consciousness to extract spiritual energy, but the problem now was the slow generation rate.

It couldn’t keep up with his usage.

“There are still over twenty left; that should last a while.”

Chen Yu wished to fully understand the nature of spiritual energy, to uncover every secret, but that was unlikely in the short term. The matter was tied to the mental realm, in which he was only a novice—he had yet to find that vast, boundless ocean.

He called it the space of consciousness. Each time he entered, he felt a sense of origin; the turbulent depths below were perhaps none other than his own awareness.

With a woven basket on his back, this trip into the mountain was not meant to go far—just a stroll along the forest’s edge to find a spot to dig a pond, with some wild vegetables gathered along the way.

It was late May, the season when purslane, bracken, and bitter greens thrived.

These wild greens offered far more ways to prepare them than those previously gathered.

They could be boiled, fried, sautéed, or deep-fried—not limited to just cold dishes.

He had no intention of venturing deep into the forest; the further away, the harder it would be to channel water. If he did manage to dig a pond, he would still need to create two small irrigation channels connecting to the medicinal fields and vegetable garden, perhaps even one leading toward the mountain terraces.

The farther the distance, the greater the effort.

Just as he was ready to enter the mountain, a deer’s head suddenly poked out from a clump of grass nearby. Its black, glossy eyes moved about, and it trotted past Chen Yu, who was close to the forest’s edge, heading straight toward two rows of peach trees.

The deer made two soft calls, as if greeting him, and cheerfully bounced toward the innermost tree.

Chen Yu was momentarily stunned. This creature had left before without much notice, but now it seemed truly familiar, visiting frequently every few days. He rapped it lightly and wrapped an arm around its body, inspecting it from head to toe but found no new wounds.

He unwrapped the bandage—the wound beneath had already scabbed over, the blackish-red crust thick and firm, no longer needing medicine.

After a moment’s thought, he tore off the bandage and released the silly deer, then turned and entered the forest without looking back.

They were regular visitors and hardly strangers, always causing mischief among his treasured peach blossoms.

Unfortunately, considering this, Chen Yu had raised the fence higher, hoping that the greedy deer would be forced to retreat even if it approached.

...

Several trips into the mountain brought different impressions each time. The mountains of the Western Prefecture were mostly beautiful, and Green Terrace was no exception, though there were imposing peaks on either side, adding a touch of grandeur to the delicate scenery.

The forests were dense but nowhere near as deep as the places he had once traversed to harvest reed roots far within the mountains. This time, after searching around, he found few medicinal herbs.

Wild vegetables were scarce as well.

“There aren’t even two mushrooms,” he muttered, poking a bright red mushroom cap spotted with white with a stick, then looked in another direction.

There had been no rain for days; mushrooms could not grow. But that was never the main purpose anyway.

After walking another twenty or so yards and breaking several branches blocking his path, Chen Yu’s eyes lit up—he finally found a low-lying area that seemed suitable.

“Too bad it’s a bit far,” he said, glancing back toward the Taoist temple. Though he hadn’t walked much, this place was at least a mile from Yunhe Temple.

Digging channels to bring water here would require considerable work.

Chen Yu turned around and chose another direction to explore, hoping to find a closer spot. Size didn't matter much; he could dig several smaller ponds to expand water storage.

If nothing else, he could dig a few medium-sized pits on the right side of the vegetable garden.

He could line the bottom with stones and earth to make a tight seal, allowing irrigation.

Though this would require more work than simply modifying an existing depression to hold water.

“Not that much more, really.”

He considered carefully: the spots suitable for water retention without damaging the mountain soil were all somewhat distant, requiring long irrigation channels. But near the fields, there was no such concern. Comparing the two, it was hard to say which method demanded more time and effort.

“I’ll keep looking; if nothing better is found, I’ll settle for what I have.”

Two pits dug to serve as reservoirs. The plot wasn’t large enough for a full pond, but it would suffice for watering the vegetable garden and medicinal fields.

Previously, with fewer crops, he had fetched water from halfway up the mountain, but with the expansion, the vegetable garden would also require more water—a significant increase.

Carrying water alone was too troublesome.

Perhaps... he should take on a few apprentices?

The thought stirred in Chen Yu’s mind as he seriously contemplated the idea.

In past years, the mountain temple had many occupants; disciples and followers, though not as many as the capital’s main temple, numbered around two or three dozen. Including novices, servants, and laborers, at its peak there were over a hundred.

In fact, Yunhe Temple had been well-known several years ago; from the founding patriarch to the old Taoists, each generation were top-tier experts, famed for their protective arts.

Yet high martial skill did not guarantee the temple’s prosperity. During the time of the old Taoists, though their reputation spread throughout the prefecture, the temple steadily declined, never regaining its former glory.

Now, Chen Yu naturally qualified to accept disciples. Even without the title of Yunhe Temple’s master, his small but solid cultivation achievement was enough to attract pupils from the foothills.

But after careful thought, he gave up on the idea. After all, he lived well alone in the mountains, eating and sleeping comfortably, with no need to invite trouble by taking on apprentices.

Moreover, neither the medicinal fields nor other matters, including spiritual liquids and energies, were ready to be revealed. He himself had not yet fully grasped them; exposing these secrets prematurely could lead to unforeseen complications.

...

At midday, Chen Yu returned early. He was massaging the deer’s head, firmly teaching it not to trample the fence with its hooves.

When he arrived, the silly deer was already tapping the fence with a pair of front hooves, breaking a hole.

Whether it understood or not, Chen Yu scolded it after rubbing its head in frustration.

It was also a way to vent some of his own vexation.

The mountain trip was only moderately successful. He gathered some wild vegetables but failed to find a suitable natural depression for water storage. He finally decided to dig one himself near the vegetable garden, slightly closer to the mountain, where there were some small rocky pits—small but sufficient.

He guessed that most of the pond would rest against a stone wall.

With some minor renovations, it would become a natural reservoir.

“Did you understand?” he asked.

The deer gave a soft call in response.

“Good, you’re teachable. It’s a relief you understand.”

Another soft call.

Then, with a thud, a pair of hooves landed, trampling the fence.

Chen Yu was speechless.

The sika deer paid no mind and happily ignored the two-legged creature muttering incomprehensibly. Stretching its neck, it prepared to bite fiercely into a cluster of vibrant peach blossoms!