Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 53 Cultivating Medicinal Herbs

Laurel stopped in her tracks when the label caught her attention.

Dan Shen.

Her fingers hovered over the container before she picked it up carefully. The seeds were small and dry, nothing extraordinary at first glance, yet she knew better than to judge them by appearance alone.

Dan Shen was not a common medicinal herb that people grew casually. It was cultivated for survival.

It could improve blood circulation, treat internal injuries, and stabilize the heart. In a world where hospitals would collapse and medicine would become scarce, a single mature plant of Dan Shen would be more valuable than gold.

"This is one," she murmured softly.

She continued down the aisle, her eyes scanning the shelves with more focus now. If she was going to fulfill her mission, then the plant had to serve a purpose beyond simple medicinal properties.

A few steps later, another name drew her gaze.

Shi Hu.

Laurel lifted the container with both hands this time, studying it longer.

Unlike Dan Shen, Shi Hu was known for its resilience. It thrived in harsh environments, endured heat better than most medicinal herbs, and restored hydration to the body. During extreme heatwaves, when dehydration silently claimed lives, this plant could become their hidden lifeline.

Her decision settled instantly. "I’ll take these two."

Luo clapped excitedly in the air. "Master Laurel has good taste!"

Laurel smiled faintly but said nothing. She was already thinking ahead, seeds alone were not enough. Rare plants demanded the right environment, and rushing the process would only waste them.

Without wasting much time in the system’s space, she returned to the farmland.

Laurel did not plant the seeds right away.

She remained standing at the edge of the field with the small packets resting in her palm while her gaze drifted slowly across the stretch of land before her. To someone without experience, the soil might have appeared uniform and dependable, nothing more than an ordinary patch of earth lying peacefully beneath the open sky, yet Laurel had already learned that survival often depended on noticing what others overlooked.

Instead of acting on instinct, she called forth the system manual. "System, show me the farming manual."

Instantly, a translucent panel unfolded quietly in the air, its pale glow reflecting in her eyes as she read through the guidelines once and then again, this time with greater patience.

Medicinal plants demanded a level of care that ordinary crops did not. Excess moisture could rot the seeds before they ever tasted sunlight, compact soil could choke the fragile roots before they spread, and even the balance of light required careful consideration rather than blind exposure.

When the screen dissolved into nothingness, Laurel released a slow breath and stepped forward with renewed deliberation.

Her attention soon settled on a portion of land that rose just slightly above the surrounding ground. The difference was subtle enough that most people would have walked past without noticing, but elevation meant safer drainage, and she had no intention of letting stagnant water sabotage her efforts before they even began, because the rain was coming. And although she could easily depend on the space water to grow it quickly.

She knew the difference between Grade D plants and Grand C plants depended on time, difficulty, and their properties.

She wasn’t willing to play that gamble.

"This should be suitable," she murmured, though she did not trust the observation enough to stop there.

Lowering herself into a crouch, she scooped up a handful of soil and allowed it to run between her fingers, the soil was very hot and burning. However, the earth broke apart easily instead of clinging together, its loose texture suggesting that air could travel through it without resistance.

It was breathable and full of potential, yet Laurel understood that potential alone was never a guarantee.

Reaching into storage, she retrieved a bag of organic compost and began working it into the soil with unhurried movements, turning the earth again and again until the structure softened beneath her hands. A richer scent rose gradually from the ground, carrying the unmistakable vitality of living soil, and she found the smell oddly reassuring.

It was surprising how something so simple could steady her thoughts.

Recalling the diagram she had studied moments ago, she whispered to herself, "Dan Shen requires deeper rows," and reached for the hoe resting nearby.

The blade cut into the ground with a little resistance as she carved the first trench, but she paused almost immediately when her eyes measured the depth.

It was too shallow.

She let out a sigh of frustration before pushing the soil back into place and began again, this time checking the depth against the length of the blade to ensure consistency.

After several adjustments, the rows stretched before her in neat, deliberate lines. Only then did she begin placing the seeds into the earth one by one, covering them with a thin layer of soil before pressing down gently enough to secure them while still allowing space for growth.

Once she finished with the Dan Shen, her attention shifted to the Shi Hu seeds, which required an entirely different environment.

As she reached for them, fragments from the manual surfaced in her mind, reminding her that their roots preferred airflow and natural support rather than deep soil.

Her gaze drifted toward the irrigation channel, and after a brief search, she gathered several porous stones, arranging them carefully along the shaded bank where sunlight filtered through in a softened glow rather than harsh exposure. The stones felt hot beneath her fingertips, their rough surfaces ideal for anchoring delicate roots without suffocating them.

She secured the seeds within the natural crevices and added a modest amount of nutrient mix, taking care not to compress it too firmly.

By the time she finished, a faint sheen of perspiration rested along her skin, and she became quietly aware that farming demanded far more attentiveness than its peaceful appearance suggested.

Straightening at last, Laurel reached for the diluted space water and poured it slowly across the prepared ground, watching as the soil darkened and absorbed every drop without resistance.

Even if the temperature was too hot for the seeds, the space water could easily regulate the temperature of the soil for them.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then, a tiny sprout of the seeds rose from the earth, subtle enough that she might have dismissed it as imagination had she not been paying such close attention.

Laurel grew still, and only then did she realize that the tightness lingering in her shoulders had begun to fade... it worked.

[Mission completed: Hosts have successfully cultivated two rare medicinal plants.]