Chapter 8: Towering Ganoderma  

Chang Kong had just entered the room with the freshly brewed medicine when Xu Nan Xian’s furious roar nearly made him drop the bowl.  

“Think carefully about the word before ‘go’—I want you to reconsider it thoroughly!”  

Su Han Sheng: “No!”  

Xu Nan Xian: “Say that again!”  

Chang Kong sighed inwardly. They had barely gone a few days without quarreling—why were they bickering like children again?  

Stepping over the threshold, he saw Su Han Sheng sprawled on the floor, his long hair and thin robes in disarray, not caring about the dirt.  

Xu Nan Xian was dragging him by the ankle, his hair practically standing on end from anger: “You pulled this stunt at three years old for milk candy, and now you’re doing it again at seventeen?! Get up!”  

Su Han Sheng clung stubbornly to the table leg, nearly rolling around in defiance: “If you force me to go, I’ll throw the umbrella away halfway! Let the Heavenly Dao strike me down—I’d rather burn to death!”  

Xu Nan Xian: “Su Xiao Xiao!”  

Xiao Xiao was stubborn, but seeing his senior brother genuinely furious, he reluctantly shut his mouth and stopped arguing.  

Chang Kong murmured, “Fourth Uncle…”  

Xu Nan Xian was so angry his head was buzzing. He released Su Han Sheng’s ankle, rubbing his throbbing temples before waving a hand weakly.  

“Put the medicine there.”  

Chang Kong set the wooden tray down. Seeing the two at a stalemate, he knew that in every argument, Xu Nan Xian was always the first to relent. So, he offered him an out.  

“Young Master complained of discomfort yesterday. With his impending flare-up these days, it might not be suitable for him to attend the scripture lecture—best not to trouble the World Honored One further.”  

Xu Nan Xian suppressed his anger but still couldn’t resist kicking Su Han Sheng’s calf before storming off, muttering curses under his breath.  

“I’m definitely telling the eldest senior brother about this—let him come back and whip you to death.”  

Su Han Sheng hugged the table leg tighter and pouted, pretending not to hear.  

As Xu Nan Xian passed the wooden tray, he snatched up every last piece of dried fruit meant to ease the bitterness of the medicine, leaving none behind. He coldly instructed Chang Kong: “Make sure he drinks every last drop of that medicine—not a single one spared.”  

With that, he angrily chewed the dried fruit and strode away.  

Chang Kong quickly helped Su Han Sheng onto the couch, wiping the dust from his face with a handkerchief. He sighed. “Young Master, why must you provoke him again? Attending the World Honored One’s scripture lecture isn’t a bad thing.”  

Su Han Sheng was still fuming over how Chong Jue had hung him up yesterday and called him a “body-snatching ghost.” The last thing he wanted was to listen to scriptures—he’d rather pick a fight than endure that.  

Scriptures my foot!  

Seeing Su Han Sheng sulking with his knees drawn up, Chang Kong sighed and handed him the medicine. “Young Master, your fever started yesterday. You should drink this first.”  

The bitter smell made Su Han Sheng recoil. “No. Take it away.”  

Chang Kong hesitated. “But Fourth Uncle just said—”  

Su Han Sheng stiffened, then reluctantly took the steaming bowl. With a pained expression, he forced himself to drink every last drop, not daring to leave even a trace.  

Xu Nan Xian had childishly taken all the dried fruit, leaving Su Han Sheng to suffer the bitterness alone. His fingers curled in discomfort, and he kicked his feet a few times. “What the hell is in this medicine? Just stab me—it’d be less painful.”  

“Bitter medicine cures best,” Chang Kong soothed, stroking his hair. “The Towering Ganoderma is cooling—it helps suppress the Bone Fire of your Bone Affliction.”  

Su Han Sheng had been sticking out his tongue and fanning desperately to rid himself of the taste, but he froze at those words.  

Towering Ganoderma?

In the Three Realms and Ten Continents, only the resting places of Immortal Lords can be called “tombs”—such as Magpie Mound and Old Talisman Tomb. The residual spiritual power from an Immortal Lord’s passing lingers for millennia, summoning spiritual rains that nurture celestial-grade spiritual plants.  

The Towering Ganoderma is one such treasure.  

Across the vast Three Realms, only the feng shui of Echoing Warmth Sect in Magpie Mound can cultivate the Lofty Ganoderma. In the black market of “Separate Year by Year,” a single stalk of Lofty Ganoderma is worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones—priceless and rarely available.  

Not only can the Lofty Ganoderma be used in medicine to suppress Marrow Poison, but it also aids the cultivation of those with Cold Spiritual Roots.  

Su Han Sheng tilted his head in thought for a moment before saying, “I think I once promised Qi Jian Yi that he could freely take the Lofty Ganoderma from Echoing Warmth Sect’s medicinal garden, right?”  

“Young Lord still remembers that?” Chang Kong nearly rolled his eyes. “Every time Young Master Qi visits our sect, he takes several stalks with him, leaving you to suffer Fourth Uncle’s beatings afterward.”  

Su Han Sheng pondered this, then asked, “Did I also promise to give him the thousand-year-old Lofty Ganoderma from the garden?”  

At this, the previously oblivious Chang Kong nearly exploded. “Young Lord, have you lost your mind?! That thousand-year-old Lofty Ganoderma was left behind by the Profound Advent Immortal Lord for you to use as medicine to suppress your Bone Affliction after your coming-of-age ceremony! How could you casually give it away?!”  

The ever-scatterbrained Young Lord Su winced at the shouting, tilting his head away irritably. “I haven’t given it to him yet, no need to make such a fuss.”  

Chang Kong protested indignantly, “That thousand-year-old Lofty Ganoderma is the rarest of celestial treasures! If not for your cultivation not yet reaching Core Formation—making you unable to withstand its cold energy—Elder Xie would have already prepared it as medicine for you. How could anyone else dare covet it?”  

Qi Jian Yi possessed a Cold Spiritual Root, one in a hundred. If he wished to break through to Nascent Soul, refining the thousand-year-old Lofty Ganoderma into medicine could temper his body and soul. Not only would his cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but he might even bypass the Lightning Tribulation entirely.  

No wonder he had his eyes on it.  

Su Han Sheng ordered, “Go to the medicinal garden now and bring that thousand-year-old Lofty Ganoderma here using a Spirit Mustard.”  

Chang Kong hesitated. “But—”  

“No buts. I know what I’m doing.”  

Chang Kong left with heavy steps, thinking to himself that the Young Lord was far too unreliable—he might just secretly hand the Lofty Ganoderma to Qi Jian Yi. Best to send a message and summon Fourth Uncle back.  

But before he could even step out of the room, Su Han Sheng added fiercely, “…And don’t you dare tattle to Fourth Uncle!”  

Chang Kong: “…”  

With no other choice, Chang Kong reluctantly agreed.  

Su Han Sheng held grudges, no matter how small. Tonight, his Phoenix Bone would flare up, and Chong Jue would undoubtedly be unable to soothe him. He also had no intention of using Qi Jian Yi’s Harmony Contract—mainly because he feared that scoundrel might take advantage of his muddled consciousness during the contract to coax him into making decisions against his will.  

After much deliberation, it seemed only that thousand-year-old Lofty Ganoderma could serve as a temporary solution.  

Though it couldn’t be ingested as medicine yet, it was, after all, a celestial-grade herb left behind by Su Xuan Lin. Perhaps holding it while he slept might offer some relief.  

The Lifebound Tree draped a snow-white robe over him, dressing him neatly, then creatively gathered his overly long hair into a loose knot.  

Su Han Sheng remained still, letting it work, lost in thought—until a withered branch crept in through the window, brushing against his ear and twitching.  

Su Han Sheng snapped back to attention with a frown. “…Qi Jian Yi? What does he want?”  

The Lifebound Tree rustled twice more.  

After a brief hesitation, Su Han Sheng said, “Let him in.”  

The Lifebound Tree obeyed, slamming open the newly repaired door with a bang, its vines writhing menacingly in the courtyard like a den of man-eating spiders.  

Qi Jian Yi glanced at the Lifebound Tree indifferently before stepping calmly into Frosty Expanse Garden.

However, Qi Yuanshan, who was following behind him, suddenly turned deathly pale. He instinctively covered his healed neck, his eyes filled with unease.

Inside the house, Su Han Sheng was unusually dressed in white, sitting obediently as he brewed tea. Without looking up at the sound of footsteps, he said, “Senior Brother Qi, you’ve come at the perfect time. This is premium Knowing Heaven Duster.”

Qi Jian Yi nodded in greeting, but his brows furrowed slightly when he noticed Su Han Sheng’s clumsy tea-brewing technique.

Before the water even boiled, the young lord haphazardly tossed the tea leaves in, gave them a few casual stirs with bamboo tongs, and then poured the mixture into a teacup.

The tea was “ready.”

Knowing Heaven Duster was an expensive tea—this was nothing short of a waste.

Su Han Sheng, who couldn’t even dress or tie his hair without his Lifebound Tree’s help, had no idea how to brew tea properly. But in his past life, Chong Jue, that monstrous demon, had been quite the connoisseur of such pretentious elegance, often brewing tea after killing people as if it were some refined ritual.

Brew, brew, brew—how utterly tiresome.

Qi Jian Yi stared at the cup of tea Su Han Sheng had pushed toward him on the small table. After a long moment of hesitation, he still didn’t drink it. Softly, he said, “Now that the Young Lord’s birthday celebration is over, I must return to the Cold Mountain Sect today.”

Su Han Sheng, unable to taste anything but bitterness in his mouth, downed the entire cup in one gulp and asked in surprise, “Senior Brother, won’t you stay a few more days?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Su Han Sheng nodded, smiling sweetly as he cradled his teacup. The steam from the tea curled around his brows, and the white robes made him appear unusually pure and radiant.

“Very well. We’ll meet again at the Enlightenment Rite in September—you must attend, Senior Brother.”

Qi Jian Yi was momentarily dazed by Su Han Sheng’s smile.

Qi Yuanshan, who had remained silent the entire time, shuddered at the sight of Su Han Sheng’s seemingly harmless smile, his face growing even paler.

He had wanted to warn Qi Jian Yi about the young lord’s true nature many times, but every time he tried to speak, the foreign object in his throat would stir threateningly, leaving him in a constant state of terror, too afraid to sleep.

Su Han Sheng, not receiving a response, asked curiously, “Senior Brother Qi?”

Qi Jian Yi snapped out of his daze, lowering his eyes almost shamefully. A flicker of disgust flashed in his gaze—though it was unclear whether it was directed at the Harmony Contract or Su Han Sheng himself.

“Yes, of course.”

Su Han Sheng’s eyes were full of laughter, but upon closer inspection, the curve of his gaze was icy cold.

The two had only exchanged a few words when hurried footsteps sounded outside. Chang Kong rushed in, sweating profusely, holding a palm-sized Spirit Mustard in his hands.

The Spirit Mustard resembled an inverted glass bowl, and through its layered barriers, one could faintly glimpse a Lofty Ganoderma shimmering with a cold glow.

Qi Jian Yi froze.

A thousand-year Lofty Ganoderma?

A few days ago, Su Han Sheng had promised to give him the thousand-year Lofty Ganoderma to aid his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm. However, the immortal-grade medicinal herbs left by the Immortal Lord were far too precious—Xu Nan Xian and Xie Shizhi would surely intervene to stop him.

Qi Jian Yi hadn’t actually expected Su Han Sheng to obtain the Lofty Ganoderma, yet here it was…

Even with a Dao Heart as firm as stone, Qi Jian Yi couldn’t help but feel a surge of longing at the sight of such a spiritual treasure.

With the thousand-year Lofty Ganoderma, the Nascent Soul realm was within reach, and his Cold Spiritual Root could advance even further.

Suppressing the rare greed in his eyes, Qi Jian Yi said calmly, “Then I shall take my leave.”

He stood to leave, employing a retreating tactic to prompt Su Han Sheng into offering the gift himself—avoiding any appearance of eagerness.

Sure enough, Su Han Sheng called out to him, “Senior Brother Qi…”

Qi Jian Yi turned back. “Young Lord?”

Chang Kong immediately hugged the Spirit Mustard tightly, daring to glare at Su Han Sheng, his eyes screaming, “Does the Young Lord want a beating from Fourth Uncle?”

So eager to get scolded?

Su Han Sheng pointed at him and said, “Chang Kong, take the Lofty Ganoderma to my inner chamber first. I’ll sleep with it tonight—Senior Brother Qi, wait for me, I’ll see you out of the sect.”

Chang Kong was stunned. “…Huh?”

Qi Jian Yi’s heart, which had been tightly wound with desire, suddenly clenched as he stared blankly at Su Han Sheng.

Take it… to his inner chamber?

The entire Frosty Expanse Garden fell into dead silence.

Without a care in the world, Su Han Sheng grabbed an umbrella, popped it open with a bang, and turned back to Qi Jian Yi with a radiant smile. “Let’s go, Senior Brother Qi.”

***

Outside the As Returning Pavilion in the front sect of Echoing Warmth Sect.

Xie Shizhi bowed his head, his face full of distress. “…World Honored One, please forgive me. As you know, the young master is afflicted with a severe poison and often suffers from flare-ups. Today, he happened to be unwell—so much so that he couldn’t even get out of bed this morning, and his Lifebound Tree has wilted, its leaves drooping.”

Chong Jue, clad in plain robes, stood beneath the corridor, watching him indifferently.

Xie Shizhi steeled himself and embellished the story further, thinking to himself: Once I return, I’ll report the young master’s misbehavior to the Dao Lord.

Chong Jue remained silent for a long while.

Xie Shizhi, feeling increasingly guilty, mustered the courage to look up and noticed the World Honored One’s serene gaze fixed on the dense forest and mountain steps in the distance.

Puzzled, Xie Shizhi turned to look.

At the end of the bluestone mountain steps built by Echoing Warmth Sect, a group of people strolled past.

Xie Shizhi focused his gaze, and his face suddenly turned green.

Several disciples of Cold Mountain Sect walked along the mountain path. Among them was Qi Jian Yi, the rumored composed and serene prodigy with the rare Cold Spiritual Root, who now wore an uncharacteristically grim expression, as if humiliated, his entire body tense with suppressed emotion.

Beside him, Su Xiao Xiao—who had supposedly been “too ill to get out of bed, with his Lifebound Tree wilted and drooping”—was bouncing cheerfully up the steps under a gaudy umbrella, chattering away at Qi Jian Yi.

“My fourth senior brother is already at the Nascent Soul stage, while Senior Brother Qi is only at the Golden Core. Getting injured must be hard to recover from—you should rest well when you return.”

Qi Jian Yi couldn’t tell whether Su Han Sheng was genuinely oblivious or deliberately “humiliating” him. His expression darkened further as he forced out a single word through gritted teeth.

“…Fine.”

Chong Jue stood beneath the shade of a phoenix tree, quietly watching the smiling Su Han Sheng. His fingers moved unhurriedly over the Bodhi prayer beads in his hand, his dark jade eyes revealing nothing.

Xie Shizhi: “…………”

I am doomed.