Chapter 32 - A Little Morning Glory
As Zhang Ji's praises towards Chen Chen continued, Chen Chen's thoughts began to wander.
If he could become a legendary physician just by using the tracking system at the pharmacy, what would happen if he went elsewhere?
For instance, in the kitchen, he would know which kinds of food to match with each other, in order to maximize a meal's nutritional value.
If he went to the tailor's, he would know which kinds of clothes to match, in order to make a person look his or her best.
Also, at the brothel, he would know which girl matched the customer best, in terms of length, depth and so on…
"Bah! What kind of nonsense am I thinking about."
Chen Chen shuddered, and pulled himself back from the wild flights of fancy.
However, he had made up his mind. Once he made it to certain places, he would trial the system to see if it really could work out in such a way.
...
"A rock containing jade +1."
"A fruit with strong toxins +1."
"Soil with ethereality +1."
"Tree roots containing the ground essence +1."
...
Half a day later, Chen Chen and his companions had traveled a hundred miles, stopping at a courier station. By then, one of the two carriages which was previously empty, was now half-filled.
The carriage was filled with a wild disarray of items that Chen Chen had come across.
The look in the stablemen's eyes changed as they looked over at Chen Chen; it was as though they were looking at a psycho.
The stablemen could understand loading the carriage with herbs and fruits, however, what was his problem with digging up soil and tossing it into the carriage?
And there was also that rock, which was at least a few dozen kilograms in weight. Did he think that the horse wasn't exhausted enough already?
Despite their doubts, they did not raise any questions. After all, Chen Chen was an immortal, he might have his reasons for which they could not comprehend.
Zhang Ji didn't ask any questions either, but for every item that Chen Chen retrieved, he mused for a great period. Eventually, he would appear as if he had been enlightened, but no one had a clue what he was really thinking about.
By the time they entered the station, it was already eight or nine o'clock at night.
"Is there anyone who harbors ill will in this station?"
Chen Chen asked as he stood at the center of the station lobby.
It was too exhausting to try and guard against each other; it was more reliable to ask the system for the answer.
"There isn't." The system replied.
Chen Chen looked at Zhang Ji upon hearing the answer, and replied, "We can get a peaceful sleep tonight."
"Erm, do we need someone to do the vigil?" Zhang Ji doubted.
"No need, while I am here, nothing unexpected can happen."
"Alright..." Zhang Ji agreed with reluctance.
Honestly speaking, he was still on high alert inside.
The first of August was the day of which the Tianyun Clan would hold an open selection for apprentices. All the youngsters of the Ji State who yearned for the path of immortality would be heading for Ji State City, and those who had enough confidence and money to travel the long journey were mostly the sons of wealthy families.
Thus, these rich youngsters naturally became the best targets of the robbers and thieves.
Also, along with the robbers and thieves, a group of apparently decent people would come out of hiding in July to play the role of thieves and robbers to plunder the travelers. To avoid vengeance, most of the victimized rich young men would be killed as the crimes were swept under the rug.
As such, the rich youngsters from big cities would often travel in groups, and the number of guards they kept in company could easily reach the hundreds.
However, for someone like Zhang Ji who traveled from a small county town, it was extremely precarious. There weren't even a handful of people throughout the entire county who had the intention of pursuing cultivation.
If Zhang Ji hadn't received the token from the Tianyun Clan beforehand, which promised his enrollment in the Tianyun Clan once he arrived in the Ji State, there would be no way he would take such a risk.
...
Easing his thoughts, Zhang Ji gazed toward Chen Chen, and he was filled with a sense of security.
"Luckily you are here, Brother Chen. You have rescued me twice previously, and I can't be sure how many more times you would need to save my life. Haih, Zhang Ji owes you his whole life, Brother Chen."
Shaking his head, Zhang Ji returned to his own room. They had to rise in the wee hours to carry on with their journey, meaning it was time to get some shut-eye.
...
In comparison to Zhang Ji's anxious mood, Chen Chen kept very relaxed. Upon returning to the room arranged by the station, he gingerly held out a pink little morning glory.
He had previously dug out the little morning glory at the roadside. It looked completely identical to an ordinary morning glory, and was even more battered with some damage at its branch.
However, it was this very ordinary-looking little morning glory that had been verified by the system as 'a morning glory that had been given consciousness'.
"Even a morning glory has its own consciousness, what a wondrous world."
After making some rueful remarks, Chen Chen retrieved the 'jade-containing rock' from his sachet which he had prepared beforehand.
Next, he grabbed a dagger that he had previously obtained from the treasury, and used it to carve the rock. Before long, he had carved a big hole on the surface of the rock, revealing a patch of emerald.
In Chen Chen's previous life, rocks like the 'jade-containing rock' could be sold at prices of at least ten million; it was something so rare that the chance of him seeing one was practically zero.
However, as far as Chen Chen could see right now, he wasn't missing much.
Ever since he began cultivation, he had become downright utilitarian, and had lost interest in ostentatious jewelry.
After digging the hole, Chen Chen retrieved the handful of soil from his sachet.
It was the "ethereality-containing soil".
After filling the hole on the rock with soil, Chen Chen planted the morning glory inside. Next, he watered it with a little 'ethereality-containing water'.
After he finished watering, the morning glory began recovering its vitality at a visible speed.
"Interesting!"
Rather than jewelry, Chen Chen was more attracted to weird things like the morning glory.
"Little morning glory, do you understand the words that I say?"
Chen Chen asked the little morning glory.
The little morning glory did not respond.
As he spoke to the morning glory in the middle of the night, Chen Chen began feeling like an idiot. If it had been in his previous life, he would have been taken to the mental asylum.
However, right at that moment, the little morning glory swayed unnoticeably.
Suddenly, Chen Chen's eyes lit up like a beacon. It was important to note that he had shut all the doors and windows before carrying out such queer, foolish things.
Such meant that it couldn't be the wind.
How did the flower move?
It went without saying that it had moved by itself!
"Whoa, what the heck? Interesting, very interesting, move once more for me!" Chen Chen said, and gently caressed the little morning glory.
Moments later, the little morning glory moved again in a hardly discernible fashion. Before Chen Chen could continue marveling, the little morning glory's branch had bent, and the flower turned to another direction, facing away from Chen Chen, as if it was shy.
Chen Chen was at a loss for words upon witnessing such a scene.
"I'm fine with a pig becoming humanized, but a morning glory could do it too?"
Chen Chen was flabbergasted.
After another round of observation, he couldn't help but say, "Little morning glory, I'll call you Little Flower from now. Once I get to the Tianyun Clan, follow me to go for cultivation."
He wasn't certain if the little morning glory had understood what he said, but it took a turn in another direction moments later, now facing Chen Chen.
Chen Chen flashed a smile of satisfaction upon Little Flower's little turn. Shortly after, he continued scraping the rock. Before long, the crude jade was sculpted into the shape of a vase.
After carving the rock, Chen Chen cleaned the ground, and placed the little morning glory on the headboard of his bed.
Right as he became prepared to get a night of peaceful rest, out of nowhere, the hectic galloping of horses sounded on the boulevard outside the station.