What do you mean I'm a cultivator?-Chapter 15

The sun had reached its zenith when Jiang Cheng walked a final hill and saw the valley spread before him.

Verdant and lush, it stretched for several hundred Zhang in either direction, cradled between two gentle ridges. A small stream wound through its center, glinting silver in the midday light, and the vegetation grew noticeably thicker here than on the plains he'd traversed.

"Finally." Cheng murmured, pausing to take in the view.

He descended into the valley with measured steps, alert for any signs of the herbs described in his mission brief. The sect had been specific about their requirements.

Two distinct herbs: cloud lotus and spirit grass. Five pieces of cloud lotus and three pieces of spirit grass. precise quantities that left no room for error.

Of course, he doubted the sect would mind if he brought back more than that, but he doubted he'd get more contribution points.

Near the stream, where the water ran most clear, Jiang spotted the first target. Delicate white lotus flowers with translucent petals that seemed to shimmer with an internal light.

Their stems were long and slender, emerging from the shallow waters with an ethereal grace. He carefully waded into the stream, selecting the most pristine specimens.

"Cloud lotus." he confirmed, counting carefully as he harvested. Five perfect flowers, each carefully placed in the sect-provided pouch to prevent damage.

The spirit grass proved a tad more challenging. It grew in patches along the rocky northern slope of the valley, its wispy green blades almost invisible against the stone. Each blade seemed to pulse with a faint, barely perceptible energy. Jiang moved methodically, selecting only the most vibrant specimens.

"Spirit grass." he muttered, ensuring he collected exactly three stalks, their roots intact.

With the primary mission herbs secured, Jiang saw the remaining days as an opportunity for additional collection. He knew the sect awarded points for each unique herb discovered. One point per type, no matter the quantity.

Five distinct varieties, each with particular growing conditions, requiring them to be grown in the wild, as it was not worth the trouble growing them in the sect.

Near the stream, where the soil was richest, Jiang spotted the first target. Small plants with glossy, heart-shaped leaves growing in clusters. Between the leaves peeked tiny berries, deep blue and almost translucent, appearing like small beads but with a strange silvery sheen when caught in direct sunlight. He knelt beside the patch, carefully examining them.

"Azure Dew Berries." he confirmed, recalling the description. Thankfully, the sect had made sure the descriptions were clean enough in the mission scroll. He plucked them delicately, being careful not to crush the soft fruits as he placed them in the small cloth pouch the sect had provided.

Each berry released a subtle scent reminiscent of spring rain and mountain mist.

Strangely enough, the spirit grass didn't have a smell really, smelling exactly like normal grass, while the Cloud lotus almost reminded him like a misty scent, almost like how the air smelt after it rained.

Moving deeper into the valley, Jiang followed the stream until it widened into a shallow pool. Along its edges grew the second herb.

Slender stalks topped with clusters of tiny star-shaped white flowers. The stems were hollow and produced a soft whistle when the breeze blew through them. As he gathered several stalks, he noticed they exuded a sweet, almost honey-like fragrance that made his mouth water unexpectedly.

"Whispereed." he muttered, securing these in a separate compartment of the pouch. These plants sure had interesting names.

The afternoon grew warmer as Jiang continued his search. In a shadowed recess beneath a rocky overhang, he discovered the third herb. A peculiar mushroom with a domed cap that shimmered with iridescent colors despite the lack of direct light. Its stem was pale and twisted like a gnarled finger.

When he carefully harvested it, the fungus released a musty, earthy smell with undertones of something metallic.

"Shimmercaps." he muttered, wrapping these particularly carefully in a scrap of clean cloth before adding them to his collection.

The fourth herb proved more challenging to locate. Jiang spent nearly two hours searching the valley floor, grabbing whatever herb he thought could be useful for himself, more than likely grabbing common weeds in his efforts, before spotting it growing in irregular patches on a north-facing slope.

A low-lying plant with serrated leaves that transitioned from deep green at the base to blood red at the tips. Tiny thorns lined the underside of each leaf, requiring mortals to don gloves to pick.

Of course, to him, it was Just matter Of flowing some Qi in his hands, the action proving more effective than any mortal glove. The plant had no discernible scent until he cut it, whereupon it released an aroma like freshly tanned leather.

"Bloodtooth." he muttered, carefully placing the cut plant into yet another section of the pouch.

The sun was beginning its descent when Jiang finally located the last herb. It grew entwined around the trunks of several elderly trees at the eastern end of the valley.

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A vine with pale, almost translucent leaves that seemed to pulse gently when touched. Small pods hung from the vine, each containing three black seeds arranged in a perfect triangle. The entire plant smelled faintly of a cooking spice and something else he couldn't quite identify.

"Ghostvine." he said with satisfaction, completing his collection.

With all five herbs secured in his sect-provided pouch, Jiang found a suitable clearing to make camp. Unlike his previous nights on the plains, the valley offered more natural shelter and resources. He selected a spot near the base of a large oak, where the roots created a partial hollow that would shield him from wind.

The stream gurgled nearby, providing easy access to water. After purifying another skinful with his token, Jiang gathered wood for a fire, noting with approval that the valley offered drier, better-burning branches than the sparse plains had.

As twilight descended over the valley, Jiang arranged stones in a circle and built a small fire. He secured the herb pouch inside his satchel, handling it with the reverence appropriate for items that, while mysterious to him, were clearly valuable to the sect.

Of course, he wasn't nearly done. with a total of fifteen days to spare, Cheng planned to grab some more, making sure he had enough to satisfy the mission, and nab some extras for himself.

The fire's light cast dancing shadows against the oak's massive trunk as Jiang settled himself in the even familiar lotus pose beside it.

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The sounds of the valley at night surrounded him. Chirping insects, the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures, the constant soft murmur of the stream.

After consuming another satiation pill, Jiang laid his sword within arm's reach and positioned his satchel as a pillow. The valley, sheltered and alive with Qi, felt different from the open plains.

The slight difference brought another random thought. Those had become a bit more sparse, moving from less chaotic, to almost like adding a different input or idea.

This one, put the thought in his head. did some kind of dragon veins exist? and if so, what would they even be? was he really supposed to remember whatever that meant?

As the stars appeared overhead, visible in patches through the canopy of leaves, Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and began his evening meditation, letting his consciousness spiral inward while the valley continued its nocturnal symphony around him.

Dawn broke over the valley as Jiang Cheng emerged from his nightly meditation. The air carried a refreshing crispness, scented with dew and wildflowers.

With the primary mission herbs secured, he saw the remaining days as an opportunity.

He fashioned a simple system for his expanded collection. Using scraps of cloth torn from his spare underrobe, he created additional pouches, marking each with small notches to differentiate their contents. The original sect pouch remained separate, dedicated solely to the required herbs.

On the second day, Jiang ventured to the western end of the valley where the morning sun warmed a sloping meadow.

There he discovered a patch of tiny yellow flowers with curling petals that resembled miniature flames. Their stems were unusually warm to the touch, and they released a spicy aroma when plucked.

By midday, he had followed the stream to a small waterfall, where the constant spray created a perpetually damp area.

Clinging to the slick rocks grew pale green moss dotted with tiny purple spores. The moss itself had no scent, but the spores released a surprising citrus fragrance when squeezed.

The third day brought him to a secluded grotto where the valley wall receded into a shallow cave. Inside, where little light penetrated, he found delicate white filaments growing in intricate patterns across the stone.

They were cool to the touch and seemed to glow faintly in the darkness. Jiang carefully collected several intact sections, wrapping them in damp cloth to preserve their structure.

Each morning, Jiang would obtain more and more herbs, ensuring he had more than enough to satisfy the mission requirements, as well as some for himself, should something happen. By the fourth day, he had tripled the original quantities, storing the excess in separate containers.

During the fifth day, a light rain fell across the valley. Rather than seeking shelter, Jiang ventured into the downpour, knowing that certain plants might only reveal themselves in these conditions.

The rain felt nice too.

His persistence was rewarded when he discovered a cluster of broad-leafed plants whose surfaces beaded the rainwater into perfect spheres that rolled across the leaves without breaking. The water droplets carried a faint blue tint after contact with the plant.

The sixth day found him exploring the eastern ridgeline, where the soil was thinner and rockier. There, growing from seemingly impossible crevices in the stone, were tough, twisted roots with bark-like exteriors but vivid crimson flesh when broken. They exuded a bitter sap that numbed his fingers briefly upon contact.

"Could be medicinal." he murmured, carefully wrapping them after allowing the sap to dry.

Throughout these days of gathering, Cheng's evenings followed a consistent pattern. As sunset painted the valley in amber and gold, he would return to his camp, organize and check his growing collection, consume a satiation pill, and then settle into meditation.

The valley proved to be richer in Qi than the plains, making his nightly cultivation sessions a tad more productive. He could feel the energy flowing more abundantly here, drawn perhaps by the lush plant life or some hidden feature of the landscape itself. His dantian absorbed this energy eagerly, compressing it into a gradually densifying gas-like form.

By the seventh day, his satchel bulged with various pouches and packages. He spent the afternoon reorganizing everything, discarding some finds that had wilted or lost their distinctive properties.

On the eighth and final day of his gathering, Jiang Cheng made a systematic circuit of the entire valley, revisiting the most productive locations and filling any gaps in his collection. He paid special attention to the required herbs, verifying their freshness and proper storage.

As evening fell on that last day, Jiang sat beside his fire, surveying his collection with quiet satisfaction. What had begun as a simple mission had evolved into something more.

A personal expedition yielding potential resources far beyond the original requirements. Whether these additional herbs would prove valuable or worthless remained to be seen, but the knowledge gained in identifying and harvesting them felt worthwhile regardless.

The night passed in deep meditation. When he opened his eyes to greet the dawn of the eleventh day, Cheng felt a subtle but unmistakable difference in his cultivation, born from the week of cultivation and likely from the newfound freedom.

With his expanded herb collection secured in his satchel and the rising sun at his back, Jiang Cheng began the westward journey back to the sect.

He took one last look at the valley that had sheltered him these past days, committing its features to memory. The stream's path, the distribution of various plants, the quality of Qi.

All information worth preserving for potential future visits, should he get the chance. It was a nice change of pace. Too bad he had to return.

Then, adjusting the weight of his satchel against his shoulder, he turned and started up the hillside. The walk back would take some days, but he carried with him more than just herbs.

As he crested the hill and the valley disappeared behind him, Jiang set his course westward. The familiar plains stretched before him, making him groan as he wasn't the most happy to start the daily forced tasks. At least he got some points, and a nice break here.