Gu Qingyan hurried to the backyard.

Back then, the old mortician suddenly appeared, handed him the purple river placenta, and then shut himself away, refusing to be seen.

When Gu Qingyan went to find him again, the man had completely vanished—obviously not planning to explain anything.

Holding that spoiled purple river placenta, neither edible nor usable, and looking quite creepy, Gu Qingyan simply dug a hole in the backyard and buried it.

But how could a human placenta possibly grow into a sapling?

When he reached the backyard, Gu Qingyan was stunned.

In the familiar spot, a tender, fresh, lush green sapling was sprouting, upright and unyielding.

In less than two months, the sapling had grown to one meter tall, as if it had been fertilized with something special.

Seeing him appear, the sapling swayed happily, the leaves rustling as if greeting him.

Gu Qingyan gasped.

Did I plant it myself?

No, it must be a coincidence.

It had to be that after he buried the purple river placenta, some bird nearby dropped a seed there by chance.

The rotting placenta provided rich nutrients, so the sapling grew especially fast.

Gu Qingyan tried to convince himself this way.

But the next moment, he could no longer fool himself.

Right before his eyes, the sapling changed from green to shining with golden light.

A check-in point suddenly formed, and Gu Qingyan couldn’t ignore it even if he wanted to.

Can a human placenta from Earth be this amazing? It can even grow a tree? Could he be the Jia Baoyu of the Great Zhou, born with seeds already inside?

Now that the system had appeared, Gu Qingyan found all this impossibility suddenly reasonable.

Gu Qingyan took two steps closer.

“What exactly are you?”

The sapling obviously was happy to see Gu Qingyan, waving its little branches tenderly.

Even though it couldn’t speak, Gu Qingyan clearly felt its joy and excitement.

Raising an eyebrow, Gu Qingyan reached out his finger and touched the trunk.

[Discovered Life Wisdom Tree. Consume 100 points to bind?]

Gu Qingyan’s heart jumped.

What’s this?

Life Wisdom Tree—sounds pretty awesome.

He looked at the system.

[Host: Gu Qingyan] +

[Age: 16]

[Points: 433]

[Occupation: Scholar Candidate] +

[Fame: 8]

It’s just 100 points, he could afford that.

[Bind.]

[Starting to bind Life Wisdom Tree.]

[Binding 1%… 2%… 3%…]

Watching the slow binding progress, Gu Qingyan gently squeezed the tender sapling and turned to go back inside.

Mother Liu had been studying the recipe for a while and had already started preparing with the two sisters.

Early the next morning, Gu Qingyan saw the progress bar still struggling at 30%—so slow it made one want to cry.

Mother Liu took Zhang Nian into town to buy spices.

Gu Qingyan followed the two sisters up the mountain to pick fruit.

All three carried small bamboo baskets; Gu Shuyan chattered happily like a little sparrow.

As she walked, she pointed at a hillside.

“Brother, look over there—that patch is all apricot trees, but the apricots here are super sour. One bite and your teeth will ache.”

Gu Qingyan glanced over; it was still early, and the apricots were all green.

Too unripe to use.

“Are any fruits ripe?” he asked.

Gu Shuyan pointed to another hill.

“The plums over there must be ripe, but they’re also sour and astringent—can’t eat them.”

“Behind that, there’s a patch of fuzzy peaches. They should be ripe too, but the variety isn’t good—they’re really small,” Gu Wangqing added.

Gu Qingyan quickly made up his mind.

“Then let’s pick plums and fuzzy peaches. Sour and astringent doesn’t matter since they’re for making candied fruit.”

“Alright.”

After climbing for half an hour, the three arrived at the plum grove.

The wild plum trees were laden with fruit, though some showed signs of being pecked by birds—clearly ripe.

Gu Qingyan picked one, wiped it on his sleeve, and popped it into his mouth.

“Brother, don’t—”

His sister’s warning came too late. Gu Qingyan’s face immediately scrunched up, twisted in sour agony.

Gu Shuyan burst out laughing.

“I told you they were sour! How are you still so reckless?”

“Quick, drink some water and rinse your mouth,” Gu Wangqing hurried to hand him a cup.

Gu Qingyan gulped down several sips, but the sour and astringent taste lingered.

The unoptimized plum variety tasted terrible, no wonder no one picked them on the hills.

Clearly, they were practically inedible.

“Brother, if you eat this one, it should be a bit sweeter,” Gu Shuyan said, picking through to find a soft, bright red one.

Gu Qingyan took one and squeezed it—juice burst out, and the skin could be torn off easily, showing it was fully ripe.

He cautiously took a small bite, and the taste was indeed much better—not sour and astringent, but sour with a slight sweetness.

However, the astringent taste still lingered.

After eating two more bites, Gu Qingyan nodded and praised, “This sweetness—Yan Yan would still be the one to pick the best.”

“It’s a pity that this kind can’t be stored at all. Once pressed, it spoils and can’t be sold,” Gu Shuyan sighed.

Back when the family was short on money and the sisters had no snacks, they would sometimes come up the mountain to pick fully ripe fruit just for the pleasure of eating.

The sisters even considered picking ripe fruit to sell, but none made it down the mountain—by the time they got there, the fruit had broken skin and turned mushy, all their effort wasted.

Gu Qingyan looked around. There were many plum trees, but the variety was poor and the mountain soil was barren, so the fruits were indeed quite average in taste.

When he was with the Li family, he had eaten plums sent from the village—those were big, red, and sweet, completely different from the ones on the hills of Meiling Village.

Maybe they could introduce other varieties, Gu Qingyan thought to himself.

The three started picking fruit. The requirements for making preserved fruit weren’t high—they didn’t have to select only fully ripe ones.

Gu Qingyan also saw the fuzzy peaches the sisters mentioned. Like the plums, they were a common variety. Wild fuzzy peaches were only thumb-sized, more fuzz than flesh, and clearly not very tasty.

Fortunately, although small, they were plump enough. Because of the fuzz, Gu Qingyan didn’t eat them right away but picked some to try at home.

Before long, three bamboo baskets were full.

“This should be enough. Let’s head back,” Gu Qingyan said.

Going down the mountain was harder than going up. The three each carried heavy bamboo baskets and walked very carefully.

Seeing his sisters wobble, Gu Qingyan said, “Qingqing, Yan Yan, let me carry the baskets.”

The sisters refused, “It’s nothing, not heavy. This is lighter than bamboo shoots.”

Gu Shuyan said this and then took a few quick steps.

“Slow down, don’t fall,” Gu Qingyan watched anxiously.

Gu Wangqing covered her mouth and laughed, “Brother, we know this place well. We won’t fall.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re old hands. Brother, you better watch your step and don’t fall,” Gu Shuyan added.

Gu Qingyan was both amused and helpless. His help was refused, and instead, the sisters worried about him.

He didn’t know that in their eyes, this new older brother wasn’t really capable of hard work. Especially since Mother Liu always reminded them that Brother Yan was weak since childhood and often had to take medicine.

That idea was deeply rooted, and the sisters thought Brother needed care, unlike them, who had been healthy and rarely sick since childhood.

With this lovely misunderstanding, the three siblings returned home one after another.

Mother Liu had already come back. Seeing the fruit, she was happy: “So many, they look pretty good.”

Gu Qingyan took a fully ripe one from his bosom: “Mom, try this.”

Mother Liu bit into it and commented, “The taste is okay. This should be sellable.”

“Foster mom, that one was fully ripe and can’t keep well. Brother kept it in his bosom so it didn’t break,” Gu Wangqing explained.

Mother Liu picked one from the basket and frowned after tasting it: “Indeed too sour, makes my teeth hurt.”

Then she ate the fully ripe one again, feeling happy inside. The plum was sweeter than honey in her mouth.

This was Brother Yan’s special effort, carrying it from afar hidden in his bosom for her to try.

After tasting, the family got busy—first washing all the picked fruits, then peeling, shelling, and cutting them into pieces.

Gu Qingyan’s skill he had practiced showed. He used the knife faster than the two sisters.

With a few swift strokes, the fruit skin came off intact.

Then, slicing and digging, the pits were scooped out and set aside.

The whole process flowed smoothly, pleasing to watch.

Gu Shuyan clapped hard like a little seal: “Brother is amazing! How did you do it?”

Looking at their own peeling and pitting, which was uneven and unattractive, they were even more impressed.

Gu Qingyan smiled mysteriously and said seriously, “Nothing special, just practice.”

“You guys go play, leave this to me.” He felt he could finish the work in one go—it was quite relaxing.

Gu Qingyan got completely absorbed in the work. Another handful later, the baskets were empty.

Setting down the knife, he still felt reluctant to stop, sighing, “I think I could work for a while longer.”

Mother Liu smiled wryly: “Better rest soon. You don’t feel it while working, but once you stop, your back and waist will ache.”

“Brother, come try some plum syrup. I just made it,” Gu Wangqing said.

Gu Qingyan jumped up quickly; his back cracked, almost hurting his waist.

He rubbed his back, realizing he was careless. Mother Liu was right—when doing physical work you don’t feel it, but when you stop, the soreness comes.

After stretching a bit, Gu Qingyan tried the syrup and immediately gave a thumbs up.

“Delicious. My sister made a masterpiece.”

Gu Wangqing blushed from the praise, while Gu Shuyan laughed heartily nearby.

Gu Qingyan took two more sips and raised his head helplessly: “Why are you laughing? I’m telling the truth.”

Gu Shuyan then asked Zhang Nian beside her: “A Nian, you try it and tell us how it tastes.”

Zhang Nian didn’t hesitate, gulped it down, and wiped her mouth: “Sweet.”

“Just sweet? Anything else?” Gu Shuyan asked.

Zhang Nian scratched her head, glanced at their big brother, then said, “After drinking it, my mouth feels a bit numb.”

Gu Qingyan disagreed: “You don’t get it. If it were just sweet, it would be cloying. The aftertaste’s slight astringency perfectly balances it.”

Now everyone except him was laughing.

Mother Liu came out and said, “Then eat more. I originally thought the syrup wouldn’t taste good and planned to feed it to the pigs. Now it’s all yours.”

Gu Qingyan’s face darkened: “Mom, you don’t care about me anymore.”

After enough laughter, Mother Liu said, “Made into syrup, it tastes okay but nothing special. Not sure how it will be as preserved fruit—the plums are too astringent.”

Gu Qingyan suggested, “Let’s try all three secret recipes. One should work.”

Making preserved fruit, the cooking process is very important. Mother Liu took charge, using every spice precisely.

She first made syrup, blending spices with sugar, then added the fruit pieces.

The heat had to be carefully controlled—too high or low would affect the final taste.

Gu Qingyan stood by, smelling the sweet aroma and watching the fruit mix with the syrup.

This process required patience, constantly stirring by the stove, because one careless moment and the syrup would burn.

“Big Brother Gu, do you still want these peach pits?” Zhang Nian asked while cleaning the yard, holding a small basket of peach pits.

The peach variety was ordinary, with little flesh and large pits.

The flesh wasn’t very good, but the pits were reddish and looked pretty nice.

When Gu Qingyan had just dug them out, a thought flashed through his mind, so he kept all the peach pits in the small basket.

“Keep them, I have a use for them.”

He no longer stayed in the kitchen to get in the way and went out to the yard to deal with the peach pits.

First, he used a small brush to clean off the tiny bits of fruit clinging to the pits, then sorted them by shape and laid them out in the shade under the corridor to dry.

The peach pits from this variety were not the same as the walnuts favored in the Great Zhou for carving—they were too small and looked too plain to be worthy.

But the peach pits had their own special uses.

The secret recipe compendium contained two recipes that used these peach pits. However, Gu Qingyan wasn’t keeping them to make medicine but to exercise his woodworking skills.

[Skill: Carpenter Beginner 14%]

His woodworking skill had always stayed at the beginner level, progressing slowly.

Gu Qingyan wanted to try using his woodworking skill in reality and see if it would increase in the system.

Determined, the next day Gu Qingyan got started on the dried peach pits.

At first, he chose to polish the pits into round beads, drilled holes at both ends, and strung them together to make a peach pit bracelet.

Because they hadn’t been handled before, the pits were not glossy or vibrant, just dull-colored, only looking somewhat cute as little round beads.

Gu Shuyan liked it a lot: “Brother, I like this bracelet. Can you give it to me?”

Gu Qingyan naturally didn’t refuse: “Sure, take it and play with it.”

Gu Shuyan immediately wore it happily, fiddling with it and saying, “It looks really nice.”

But Gu Qingyan was dissatisfied.

This kind of bracelet was too ordinary and wouldn’t sell—it was only good for personal use.

After thinking it over, he started experimenting with other ideas.

He picked a suitable peach pit and made a small basket out of it. The slightly pointed shape of the pit perfectly formed the basket’s handle.

At first, Gu Qingyan’s work was clumsy and not smooth; the basket was a bit distorted.

But gradually, he got the hang of it. The second small peach basket was round and cute. After adding a red cord, it could be worn as a bracelet or necklace.

Gu Shuyan immediately hung it around her neck, delighted.

After successfully making the small peach basket, Gu Qingyan started to get creative: carving characters on the basket made it a “Five Blessings Basket.”

Carving patterns on it made it a woven basket.

He could also make bells, teapots, vases, lucky bags, peanuts, and little animals representing the twelve zodiac signs.

Gu Shuyan especially liked the little rabbit. Gu Qingyan made nine of them at once, stringing them into a bracelet.

“Sis, look, isn’t it pretty? Brother made it for me.”

The little girl was extremely fond of it and happily showed it off.

Gu Wangqing also thought they were nice, nodding and praising, “Brother did a great job.”

There was a trace of envy in her eyes.

Gu Qingyan noticed this and opened the basket to ask, “Come have a look and see if you like any. Take whatever you want. If you don’t like any, just tell me what design you want, and I’ll make it for you on the spot.”

Gu Wangqing blushed and squatted down to carefully pick out something.

“Sis, pick more. Look, I have pendants, two bracelets, and even a ring,” Gu Shuyan encouraged her.

In the end, Gu Wangqing only chose a pendant shaped like a small peanut. She liked it very much and immediately put it on.

Mama Liu chose a Five Blessings Basket, and Zhang Nian liked the round beads.

“I really didn’t expect Brother to have this skill. I thought Brother Yan only knew how to use a pen,” Mama Liu said with a smile.

Gu Qingyan said, “Walnuts symbolize good fortune and are auspicious. Peach pits also have effects like relaxing muscles and promoting blood circulation. Making baskets from them can ward off evil and disasters. Later, I’ll give some to Uncle. We can have the villagers make more, then sell them at the market.”

Mama Liu agreed: “That’s a good idea. They’re small but look festive. We can make a few during free time.”

Gu Qingyan nodded: “But peach pits are cheap. At best, it can just supplement the household income.”

It was probably not as profitable as doing manual labor in town. This kind of thing easily saturates the market, and when many people make it, the price drops.

If Mei Ling Village wanted to get rich, it still depended on the secret recipes.

The preserved fruits wouldn’t see results quickly—they needed cooking and drying. Given the current conditions, it would take a few days before seeing effects.

However, Gu Qingyan had just tasted some. After cooking, the sour and astringent taste of the plums had improved a lot.

Gu Qingyan continued to tinker with the peach pits.

He was especially satisfied with one little monkey—it was vivid and lifelike, truly the pinnacle of his woodworking craft.

He put it away, planning to string it up and give it to Pei Xuan as a small gift when he saw him again.

After putting away the remaining pits, Gu Qingyan stretched.

[Skill: Carpenter Beginner 54%]

Gu Qingyan was a bit surprised. Just one carving had increased his skill by 40%.

This was much faster than the system tutorials.

Looking at the woodworking knife in his hand, Gu Qingyan fell into thought.

Maybe he had misunderstood the system’s tutorial. The lessons were always just lessons—staying at the educational level.

To truly master a skill, one had to practice.

Gu Qingyan suddenly felt no soreness in his waist or legs and really wanted to immediately upgrade all his other stagnant skills.

Unfortunately, night had fallen. Gu Qingyan forced down his excitement, deciding to try again tomorrow.

He had been too narrow-minded before, always thinking skill grinding could only happen in the system tutorials. Now he realized the real treasure was in reality.

That’s right—a skill must be applied and truly mastered to really belong to him.

Gu Qingyan rubbed his hands eagerly, excited. He had found a new way to level up.

Looking again at the progress bar of the Life Wisdom Tree binding, after a whole day, it had advanced to 78%.

Gu Qingyan thought, maybe after a good sleep, the bar would fill to 100%, and he could see the new skill.

Life Wisdom Tree—that impressive name—what would it produce?

The Fountain of Life?

A Wise Spirit Root?

Or both? Just thinking about it made him happy.

With high hopes, Gu Qingyan happily fell asleep.

[Binding 98%… 99%… 100%. Binding complete.]

[Congratulations, host has acquired a Life Wisdom Tree. Tree spirit growing. Please explore it yourself.]

[The Life Wisdom Tree is a rare species. Please care for it carefully. Unexpected rewards will follow.]

Gu Qingyan, half asleep, heard the system notification sound.

He suddenly sprang up, quickly checking the system.

“Binding really succeeded. It’s self-exploration again. What exactly can the Life Wisdom Tree do?”

Gu Qingyan couldn’t fall asleep, so he just threw on a coat and went to the backyard.

In the night, the Life Wisdom Tree emitted faint glowing lights, looking like a fairy descending under the moonlight—so bright it didn’t even need a lamp.

Excited, Gu Qingyan reached out and touched the leaves.

The tender leaves gently responded at that moment, as if communicating with him.

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling the joy the Life Wisdom Tree sent him, but then—nothing more.

No life, no wisdom—just a tree.

Gu Qingyan frowned. This had cost him 100 points, and binding it was just like this?

What use did he have for a tree’s companionship?

He touched and examined the small sapling from leaves to trunk but found nothing.

“System, this is false advertising. Is this all the Life Wisdom Tree is?”

【Please explore by yourself, host.】

Gu Qingyan felt a chill in his heart, thinking the system had tricked him.

Maybe it saw his points were abundant and was just finding ways to drain them. Capitalists always do this.

If there’s no demand, create one.

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow and pinched a leaf: “Little guy, what skills do you have? Show me.”

The leaves didn’t understand human desires and just kept flattering and sticking close.

The little sapling wasn’t at fault—it was the cunning system.

Gu Qingyan sighed and flicked the leaf.

“Alright, I’ll go back to sleep. You rest well too, absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and try to become as formidable as your name implies,” Gu Qingyan said.

He turned and went back inside, lying down in bed in one go.

Gu Qingyan soon fell into a deep sleep, putting the 100 points out of his mind.

Suddenly, his soul was swept through time and space by a dream, arriving in an unfamiliar place.

In the night, the person still practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard was Pei Xuan.

He wore dark, tight clothes; the swordlight was like silver, cold and flashing.

Gu Qingyan was stunned. He knew Pei Xuan was skilled in martial arts, but this was the first time he’d seen him practice swordsmanship. Every move was precise and perfect—truly handsome.

He wondered if Pei Xuan was just as impressive when using the “Prince Huai” technique.

Gu Qingyan, intoxicated by the display of coolness, applauded loudly.

Unfortunately, Pei Xuan was so focused on his sword practice that he didn’t notice Gu Qingyan’s presence.

Gu Qingyan felt a little regretful but convinced himself he was dreaming, shamelessly giving advice and urging Pei Xuan to practice a little longer.

Such mighty and imposing sword techniques, Gu Qingyan felt he could watch them forever.

But as he watched, he grew sleepy, his eyes gradually narrowing.

He staggered and completely fell asleep.

At the old Gu family in Meiling Village, Gu Qingyan turned over in bed and slept more soundly, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

---

In the capital, at the Pei residence.

Pei Xuan sheathed his sword and looked coldly ahead.

In the next moment, a sword aura shot out, breaking the air, striking the courtyard wall behind him, leaving a deep scar.

There was nothing in the air.

Pei Xuan frowned in confusion. Just now, he felt something staring at him fiercely.

After a moment, Pei Xuan gave a self-mocking smile.

Since returning to the capital, he often thought of Gu Qingyan.

More than a month had passed. He didn’t know if Gu Qingyan had passed the scholar exam, or if he was doing well, or if anyone bullied him.

Every time he thought of this, Pei Xuan felt regret—he thought about Gu Qingyan too often for no reason.

So often that it disturbed his thoughts, making him want to leave the capital and go to Qingzhou Prefecture.

That was unlike him.

“Young master, the Duke has summoned you,” a figure suddenly appeared in the darkness.