The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Chapter 108 Youthful Inexperience

Qinghe Sword Sect, Danxia Peak.

This place is nourished by the earth's fiery energy and the spiritual essence of plants all year round, making it spring-like all year round.

The medicinal herbs covering the mountains and plains exhale the glow of the sunset, making this majestic mountain look like a fairyland.

The morning bell has rung three times, but the thin mist has not yet dissipated.

Within the Hundred Herbs Garden, a spiritual light permeated the air.

Hundreds of acres of medicinal fields stretch out in terraces along the mountainside, their fragrance filling the air.

Xu Xiyue squatted beside a row of "purple smoke rose".

Today she wore a light blue cloud-patterned Taoist skirt in the outer sect style, with a plain white brocade belt about a hand's width around her waist, and her black hair was styled into two buns.

Although this outfit is not a high-grade ceremonial robe, the material is impervious to water and fire and can ward off dust and dirt.

The girl held a pair of jade-bone tweezers in her hand, her movements extremely gentle, carefully picking out a "spirit-devouring worm" as thin as a cow's hair from deep within the veins of the purple smoke leaf.

Article 35.

Xu Xiyue tossed the struggling, wriggling little green insect into the bamboo tube at her waist and let out a long sigh of relief.

Danxia Peak has strict rules.

If an outer disciple takes care of the medicinal herb field and the roots of a Purple Smoke Luo Ruo are eaten by insects, a small amount of sect contribution will be deducted.

If the leaves are broken, even the monthly ration of spiritual rice will be reduced.

In this powerful and prestigious clan, no one will make an exception for you just because you are young or have a pleasing appearance.

However, Xu Xiyue did not harbor much resentment.

The spiritual energy here is so rich that even with her mixed aptitude of four spiritual roots, she steadily advanced to the second level of Qi Refining under the influence of this spiritual energy and through her daily diligent work and breathing exercises.

A mountain breeze swept across the medicinal herb field, creating ripples of turquoise water.

Soft footsteps echoed on the bluestone-paved mountain steps.

Xu Xiyue looked up at the sound.

A young man in a blue shirt walked in through the thin morning mist.

He was slender and tall, with a standard-issue fine iron longsword slung across his back.

The boy's name was Shen Chu. He entered the sect two years earlier than her and now works as a fire-watcher in the alchemy furnace room on the back mountain of Danxia Peak.

Shen Chu stopped at the edge of the medicinal herb field, holding a slightly worn clay pot in her hands, her expression revealing a hint of restraint.

"Junior Sister Xiyue," Shen Chu called out.

Xu Xiyue stood up, smoothed the few wrinkles on her skirt, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and a shallow dimple appeared at the corner of her lips: "Senior Brother Shen, are you not on duty at the Earth Fire Room today? What brings you to the front mountain?"

Shen Chu didn't dare to look too much into the girl's clear eyes. She lowered her gaze slightly and handed the clay pot forward.

In the clay pot, there was an unnamed little flower, with a few leaves that were lush and green, and petals that looked like pale purple crystals, emitting a faint, cool fragrance.

"A few days ago, I went to the secluded valley behind the mountain to dump the waste pill residue and saw this 'Purple Ghost Vine' growing unusually amidst the pill ash."

Shen Chu scratched her hair.

"Knowing that you are knowledgeable about all kinds of herbs and enjoy tending to them, I dug them up and planted them."

Xu Xiyue reached out her hands to receive it.

As they handed the keys over, the girl's soft fingertips inadvertently brushed against the boy's calloused knuckles.

Shen Chu's hand stiffened as if she had been electrocuted. She hastily withdrew her hand and hid it in the wide sleeve of her robe.

Xu Xiyue looked down at the purple vine in the pot, her eyes filled with joy, and said softly, "This flower is delicate and extremely difficult to grow. Senior brother has gone to a lot of trouble. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet for covering for me for half an hour last time."

"It was just something I did."

Shen Chu's gaze drifted to the purple mist.

"You're new here and don't understand the dangers of that underground fire chamber. Your water and wood cultivation techniques will damage your foundation if you go there too often."

In this aristocratic and cold-hearted world of immortals, Shen Chu's ability to speak such heartfelt words is an extremely rare act of kindness.

People say that immortals are wonderful, but only by truly stepping onto this place can one realize that even immortal mountains are a place of fame and fortune.

Xu Xiyue carefully placed the clay pot on the side of the field ridge and took out a plain-colored purse from her wide sleeve.

The purse was stitched with fine lines and was not a valuable storage item; it was simply made of ordinary blue linen.

"I asked someone to find some scraps of leaves left over from cutting the icewort, dried them, and sewed them inside."

Xu Xiyue handed over the purse.

"My senior brother watches over the furnace in the underground fire room. He wears this item on his waist. Although it is not as good as a high-grade fire-repelling bead, it can at least block the heat and calm his mind."

Shen Chu's ears turned slightly red. She rubbed her hands vigorously on the blue shirt beside her, as if afraid that the ash on her fingertips would dirty the clean object, before holding it with both hands.

Upon touching it, even through the coarse cloth, one can feel a very faint coolness.

The young man, who was usually able to freely order around those lazy servants in front of the Fireworks Room, stammered, "This—thank you, Junior Sister."

The two stood side by side on the edge of the field, the morning breeze carrying the fragrance of herbs.

"These past few days, the workload in the herb garden has been quite heavy."

Xu Xiyue gazed into the distance, looking at the cloud-shrouded Danxia main peak, and spoke softly.

"The fighting on the front lines is intense."

Shen Chu carefully tucked the purse into her bosom, pressing it against her heart, and her expression became more solemn.

"I heard from the senior brother who came from the inner sect to get medicine that the casualties at the Demon Slaying Dike were heavy. For the past few days, the Earth Fire Room has been burning day and night, and several deacons have been working around the clock to refine the Rejuvenation Pill."

"Last night, two of the fire-guarding boys couldn't withstand the corrosive effects of the earth's fiery toxins and had to be carried down the mountain. It's uncertain whether they'll survive."

Xu Xiyue nodded slightly.

The two stood side by side in silence for a moment.

The boy's eyes darted around, glancing at the flowers one moment and then stealing a glance at the girl's face the next.

The morning light shone on the girl's fair profile, revealing the fine downy hairs, and her clear eyes were filled with tiny sparkles of light.

"Um—it's getting late, the elders in the alchemy room should be urging us soon."

Shen Chu managed to squeeze out a sentence before turning around.

"This flower—this flower prefers shade, so don't expose it to too much direct sunlight."

Leaving behind this nonsensical instruction, the boy stumbled and fled down the stone steps he had come from.

Even at a corner, I almost tripped over a protruding blue stone because I was walking too fast, but I didn't dare to turn around and just grabbed the mountain wall for support.

Looking at the boy's slightly disheveled back, Xu Xiyue gently pursed her lips and smiled.

She carried the flowerpot, found a shady crevice in the rock, carefully placed it there, and then watered it with a stream of spiritual spring water. After that, she clapped her hands and squatted back down beside the purple foliage.

Not far away, on a precipitous cliff protruding from Danxia Peak.

A woman dressed in an inner sect flowing cloud sword robe stood with her hands behind her back.

The mountain wind howled, causing her clothes to flutter and outlining her figure, which, though not voluptuous, was remarkably upright.

The woman had a cool and aloof expression, with a purple jade pendant hanging from her waist that symbolized her status as a true disciple. She quietly looked down at the Hundred Herbs Garden below.

She watched the awkward young man flee in disarray, and the shy, timid girl.

A faint ripple appeared in his eyes, as if he were somewhat dazed.

Young people who are inexperienced in the ways of the world are generally of the same character.

They have great ambitions and lofty aspirations, and are most clever when faced with difficulties and obstacles, but are extremely foolish when it comes to love.

He had a burning desire, his face flushed, but he couldn't utter a single word.

If the woman were to tease him, and, amidst the blooming peach blossoms, ask who is more handsome or elegant, he would most likely blush and hastily make up an excuse to escape.

When summer fades and spring arrives, flowers bloom and fade, and then spring returns in another year.

Perhaps, only then did he dare to muster up the courage he had been saving for so long, run up to you, and earnestly and clumsily accept your unintentional joke from last year.

But where in this world is there a steadfast destiny that you can freely choose to seize?

Then I finally realized that he had made a mistake.