Chapter 764: Why Invite Humiliation Upon Oneself?....
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the Spirit Herb Garden, Jiang Hao glanced at the people working inside. Most were ordinary folks, with a few outer disciples, but not even one-tenth of them.
He had examined each of these individuals. There wasn’t any problem with them.
If there were any, it might be because someone outside was influencing them.
Jiang Hao treated these people as well as he could. That was all he could do.
However, even so, they might not necessarily live for long.
Various things could happen within the Heavenly Note Sect, and they could be exploited.
It would ultimately lead to their tragedy.
Every time, Jiang Hao reminded himself to become stronger as soon as possible. Only then could he control matters of his life and death.
“Is there any problem today?” Jiang Hao asked Cheng Chou.
“The spirit herb has withered,” Cheng Chou said.
Jiang Hao frowned. “Who does the spirit herb belong to?”
“Flowing Waterfall.” “Do they know about it?”
“They haven’t found out yet.”
Jiang Hao hesitated for a moment and went to check.
It was a valuable spirit herb.
He had a feeling that there might be some problems with the herb.
It was still uncertain whether it was due to planting methods or other problems.
He decided to set it aside for now and not rush to inform anyone.
He would deal with it after the Heavily Gate Sect’s visit.
However, representatives from Flowing Waterfall arrived.
This time, it was a middle-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator. His cultivation was as strong as Jiang Hao at this level.
His only request was to see the spirit herb and assess the situation.
“Senior Brother, could you come back another day?” Jiang Hao asked.
“It’s not that I mind, but the person in charge has insisted that I inspect the herbs today,” said the person helplessly.
It seemed like they were instructed to follow orders at all costs.
Jiang Hao glanced at the sky. He felt that time was running short.
“Senior Brother, come with me,” Jiang Hao said politely.
He later asked for the person’s name, which was Qu Wenwu.
Soon, they arrived in front of the withered spirit herb.
Qu Wenwu looked surprised. “Junior Brother, what’s this about?”
“This is your spirit herb. Due to some reason, the herb has withered, so we had to transplant it for now,” said Jiang Hao.
He slipped some spirit stones into Qu Wenwu’s hands.
Qu Wenwu had intended to get angry, but he only appeared helpless now. “Junior Brother, I was instructed to inspect and report back. I have my own difficulties. I hope you understand.”
He discreetly returned the spirit stones to Jiang Hao.
“If it’s just a routine matter, you can return, Senior Brother. It won’t be a problem tomorrow or the day after,” said Jiang Hao.
“I do hope you understand, Junior Brother. I can see that you are busy, but I had to come and check. Please don’t make things difficult for me.” Qu Wenwu looked around as if he could sense something amiss.
Jiang Hao nodded in understanding.
Someone was targeting him.
But there was something he didn’t understand… How did they do it? Did they tamper with the spirit herb last night, or did they know that the Heavenly Gate Sect would visit at this time?
Making a fuss wouldn’t benefit him in any way.
The other person might not benefit either. It depended on who was less willing to escalate things.
“Then… How do you think we should handle things, Senior Brother?”
Qu Wenwu thought for a moment. “Well… I was asked to ask for compensation if there was something wrong with the herbs. A compensation for not only the damaged herbs but also for incurring a loss due to such a delay.”
“What if we can’t agree?”
“Then, I am supposed to go back and report to Seniors.”
Jiang Hao nodded. He discreetly gave back the spirit stones and even added two Healing Talismans. “Then, I must trouble you, Senior Brother, to make a trip again. We’re only free in the afternoon. You don’t need to overthink it. Just visit like you would normally.”
Qu Wenwu was surprised. After hesitating for a while, he accepted the talismans and spirit stones. This was quite a lot.
“Then, I’ll take my leave. After I return, I’ll honestly report about the spirit herb.”
He implied that he wouldn’t report anything bad.
Jiang Hao thanked him and asked the spirit beast to accompany him.
The spirit beast’s presence somewhat helped.
After that, Jiang Hao waited.
Senior Brother Bai Yi arrived with a group of disciples at the Spirit Herb Garden at noon.
There was a middle-aged man and four young cultivators.
In total, there were three men and one woman.
When Jiang Hao saw them, he could sense that they thought highly of themselves.
The more he looked, the more pronounced their attitude became.
In front of major sects, the Heavenly Note Sect was indeed mediocre.
They couldn’t compare in terms of cultivators’ strength or the Spirit Herb Garden.
The Heavenly Note Sect was a sect assembled in a short time. Such a sect could barely be considered huge.
The Heavenly Note Sect had improved over the years and managed to secure a top position.
Even though their foundation was not very good, and their overall strength was lacking, Elder Baizhi’s leadership was remarkable.
She had helped the sect progress significantly.
But even so, in front of these major sects, the Heavenly Note Sect was still considered a small, rustic sect.
Jiang Hao bowed respectfully and silently stepped aside.
As a mere inner sect disciple responsible for tending the Spirit Herb Garden, he didn’t have the qualification to show these guests around.
That was Senior Brother Bai Yi’s responsibility.
As a True Disciple and senior of the Cliff of Broken Hearts, he held significant status.
Jiang Hao’s role was to follow behind.
“Senior, please, our Cliff of Broken Hearts’ Spirit Herb Garden is somewhat small and not comparable to your esteemed sect. If any areas need improvement, please feel free to tell us,” Bai Yi said respectfully.
“You’re too polite,” the middle-aged man said.
After that, they walked inside.
After a while, they stopped in front of a particular spirit herb.
It was the Fragrant Nether Flower, which was a relatively common spirit herb.
“Why place the Fragrant Nether Flower under the scorching sun?” asked the woman in the group. “Wouldn’t that ruin the Fragrant Nether Flower? Fragrant Nether Flowers prefer shade. The scorching sun will affect it and might lead to the production of toxins. Your sect lacks even such basic knowledge?”
“I heard that many people in the Heavenly Note Sect have some kind of mental issues. This might be the reason,” said a man.
“The toxins from the Fragrant Nether Flower can disturb the mind. I used to think that some people’s unstable mental state was due to cultivation techniques, but now it seems it’s due to a lack of common knowledge about spirit herbs.”
A few of them chuckled softly.
“Nonsense,” said the middle-aged man. “This spirit herb is being cultivated very well. Perhaps, there’s a reason for this, right, Bai Yi?”
He looked at Bai Yi as though he was praising him while the others shamed his
sect.
Jiang Hao remained indifferent.
Bai Yi calmly said, “Senior, you’re right. Indeed, there is a reason.”
“I wonder what that is?” said Yin Xueni.
She was the only woman among them.
“It is… inconvenient to disclose,” said Bai Yi.
“It’s only natural to learn from each other,” said the middle-aged man, Nie Shanju. Then, he looked at Jiang Hao. “Young friend, you work here, right? So, you might know the reason behind it for sure.”
Bai Yi wanted to speak, but the man said again, “Young friend, are you unwilling to share so we can all learn from each other?”
Bai Yi couldn’t say anything.
Jiang Hao knew the pressure was now on him.
He agreed with the woman. The Fragrant Nether Flower was supposed to be grown in the shade. However, Miao Tinglian had wanted to move it here, so he couldn’t say anything.
She even explained the reasons for it that he could have never even thought of.
“Young friend, be bold and speak up,” Nie Shanju said with a smile.
The other four looked on as if watching a play.
Jiang Hao sighed.
‘Why bother?’
There was no need to provoke cultivators who were not from the same place..