After Yin Jiuxiao returned, he hadn’t been cultivating long before he heard a sound outside his room.

Lin Qinghen, who had left quietly, was now back, delivered to his door by Yu Yinyin. His departure and return were so silent that no one else noticed.

Yin Jiuxiao waited for him to push the door open and come in, but even after a while, there was no sign of him.

What’s he doing outside?

But it would be strange for him to get up and go looking since he constantly reminded himself he was now a “blind man” and didn’t usually move around much.

So, thinking it over, he decided to do what he’d been doing lately and leaned against the bed, putting on his best “pitiful look.”

Lin Qinghen, crouching outside, heard Yin Jiuxiao’s voice from inside.

“Qinghen, Qinghen?” Yin Jiuxiao’s voice sounded like he’d just woken up. “Are you there?”

Lin Qinghen didn’t reply right away and then heard a loud “thud” from inside. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pushed open the door, only to find that Yin Jiuxiao had tried to get up from the bed and, unable to find him, had stumbled and fallen.

When Lin Qinghen rushed in, he found Yin Jiuxiao attempting to stand up. His hair was a bit messy, and hearing Lin Qinghen’s footsteps, he turned his head toward him, his gray eyes looking somewhat aggrieved.

“You’re here. Where did you go?”

Lin Qinghen helped him up, checking to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Only after confirming that he was okay did he relax.

“Did you think I’d run off?” Lin Qinghen muttered. “What’s the rush? Just sit tight and wait. I’ll be right here.”

Yin Jiuxiao thought to himself, Knowing you, you might actually run off. He had, after all, left once already. When Lin Qinghen moved closer, Yin Jiuxiao reached out and grabbed his wrist.

It was then he noticed Lin Qinghen’s hands weren’t exactly clean. In the rush to help him up, he hadn’t had time to wash them, and now there were a few handprints on Yin Jiuxiao’s robe.

Before he could ask, Lin Qinghen spoke up, “I was digging outside, didn’t go far. Sorry about the dirt on your clothes. I’ll get you a change.”

Then Lin Qinghen reached over, patting the dirt off his robe.

Digging?

Before Yin Jiuxiao could ask more, Lin Qinghen saw he was fine, tossed out a casual “Be good,” and dashed out again. A moment later, he returned with two jars in his hands.

The jars were full of soil.

So, he’d gone to the medicine garden with Yu Yinyin and came back with… this?

Yin Jiuxiao, curious, went ahead and asked, “What are you digging for?”

Lin Qinghen had intended to discuss this with him. He didn’t answer directly, instead saying, “Jiuxiao, remember before we came here, you told me that the soil in Bei Zhou was strange?”

Yin Jiuxiao hadn’t forgotten.

Lin Qinghen was probably up to something with crops again, though Bei Zhou’s soil wasn’t exactly promising.

It all tied back to that incident eleven years ago with the Demonic Qi Rift, a rift bringing “demonic qi,” a corrosive and frequent presence in the Spirit World that had to be constantly combated.

When Lin Qinghen first arrived in this world, he’d taken his time studying “demonic qi.”

The story went that the Spirit World had a “backside,” an alternate realm where all the world’s filth gathered. That place, called the “Demonic World,” was a hellish landscape, a collection point for everything impure.

Though these two worlds weren’t connected, demonic qi fissures often appeared on the continent, almost like thin slits slicing through the ground.

This “demonic qi” wasn’t physical but would quickly cause nearby plants and animals to wither and die.

Weak individuals exposed to demonic qi would feel a corrosive pain, their spirit energy would plummet, and without timely treatment, death was inevitable.

If not promptly contained, a demonic qi rift could spread, though its reach was limited and usually wouldn’t appear in densely populated cities.

But the Bei Zhou incident was unprecedented, unlike anything recorded in history.

Though it seemed purely disastrous, this phenomenon was a bit like a plague; there was profit to be made.

Demonic qi rifts brought death but also rare treasures and fortunes.

While most plants and animals succumbed to demonic qi, a small number survived, almost as if selected by the qi itself, absorbing immense power and going into a frenzied, indiscriminate attack mode.

The rift wouldn’t close until these frenzied creatures were defeated and killed.

When Lin Qinghen first experienced a demonic qi rift, it involved the Lin family, with Lin Zhongtian leading.

At that time, the most dangerous being in the rift was a Raging Ghost Eye Thousand-Hand Vine. Initially just a low-level One Star spirit plant, it had weak attack power. But under the influence of demonic qi, it grew at an alarming rate, becoming terrifyingly powerful with a noticeable intelligence and combat awareness.

It killed hundreds of Lin family members, including two high-ranking Three Star elders, and Lin Zhongtian nearly lost an arm, saved only by a family treasure.

After its defeat, the vine’s tendrils were harvested, yielding crystals of pure power, materials highly sought for spirit weapons and alchemy, filling two whole warehouses.

It was this harvest that allowed the Lin family to climb from obscurity to prominence.

Danger and opportunity coexisted here in the Spirit World.

For many, risking one’s life in a demonic qi rift was far more enticing than ordinary adventure.

From this perspective, Bei Zhou’s catastrophe had never truly been resolved.

The Yin family’s approach was annihilation. A once-prominent family, with over a hundred high-ranking spirit masters and countless treasures, poured everything into sealing it.

While the incident ended, the ground surrounding the rift had been stripped of everything, including any treasures. No one profited from it.

The ruins of Lei City still bore witness to the destruction, but while cities could be rebuilt, the tainted soil remained as a lingering issue.

Many areas in Bei Zhou now contained faint traces of demonic qi.

Regular plants couldn’t survive in such soil, which is why, when Lin Qinghen flew over it, his first impression was of desolation.

Unlike Zhong Zhou, where any plot of land could be turned into a medicine garden, here, plots had to be carefully chosen, with only unpolluted soil fit for cultivation.

That’s why, when Lin Qinghen visited the medicine gardens earlier, he saw them all crammed together.

But from the moment his foot touched the ground, he sensed that the soil felt different, even if it wasn’t polluted.

Yu Yinyin had already planted there, and her Bee Crystal Butterflies had even enhanced the soil, making it similar to the Lin family’s.

Yet Lin Qinghen felt something was off.

His spirit energy, finely tuned from years of training and enhanced by system rewards, wasn’t just limited to alchemy quality improvements.

It felt as though he’d gained an extra pair of eyes, allowing him to perceive these things differently.

To compare, he dug up some soil from Yin Jiuxiao’s courtyard, where not a blade of grass grew—polluted soil.

Lin Qinghen went over his thoughts again, then looked at Yin Jiuxiao, not sure if he was talking to himself or asking him directly, “Jiuxiao, what do you think demonic qi really is?”

Yin Jiuxiao, half-demon in bone: “…”

To him, demonic qi and spirit qi were just two different kinds of power. They weren’t opposites but rather interdependent forces, much like yin and yang.

When Lin Qinghen asked, Yin Jiuxiao casually shared this view.

Knowing he would answer, Lin Qinghen listened, a smile on his face.

Yin Jiuxiao might seem weak, but he was still as relentless in his cultivation as ever. His answer resonated with Lin Qinghen’s thoughts.

The more time they spent together, the more alike they became.

“Some once tried to cultivate demonic qi or even miniature demonic qi rifts, hoping to profit, but all failed.” Lin Qinghen’s fingers tapped the table thoughtfully. “Jiuxiao, spirit and demonic qi do clash, but…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead eyeing the jars of soil he’d brought in.

Before, Lin Qinghen wouldn’t have dared touch demonic qi; he valued his life, and demonic qi was lethal.

But Bei Zhou was different. Here, the demonic qi in the soil was weak, making it unsuitable for plants, though safe for humans.

If this deathly essence could be repurposed…

Lin Qinghen seemed to have found a way to complete his mission.

Danger held riches, and he’d always been daring in his research.

Demonic qi… Lin Qinghen wanted to give it a shot.

Yin Jiuxiao wanted to hear what he’d say next and understand his next steps, but Lin Qinghen’s gaze shifted and, changing the topic, he said, “Your clothes are dirty; let’s change them.” He moved closer, helping Yin Jiuxiao out of his outer robe. “Arms up.”

Yin Jiuxiao followed his instructions, his gray eyes fixed on Lin Qinghen.

He knew Yu Yinyin still tried to take Lin Qinghen away, and if she insisted, his current power wouldn’t stop her.

Lin Qinghen couldn’t leave.

Yin Jiuxiao wasn’t about to give up, using every method at his disposal to keep him here.

Once changed, he held onto Lin Qinghen’s sleeve.

“Qinghen, when I woke up, the room was too quiet, and it frightened me,” he said softly. “Could you stay close? I just… don’t know what I’d do without you. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about Bei Zhou, give you whatever you want…”

“Alright, alright,” Lin Qinghen sighed, a bit softer. When Yin Jiuxiao’s eyes lowered, he couldn’t help but feel moved.

“I’m here; where else would I go?”

Yin Jiuxiao: “Really?”

Placing the dirty clothes aside, Lin Qinghen turned back to the jars of soil, replying, “Really, I promise. Satisfied?”

Author’s Note:

Yin Jiuxiao: …He’s so dismissive!