The Hundred Herbs Garden

1,482 words

Although Han Li had no idea what that Senior Martial Uncle Ye and the surnamed Wu were discussing after he left, he still felt stifled!

Ever since he had gone through the affair with Doctor Mo, this was the first time he had encountered a situation where he clearly knew he was walking into a trap but had no choice but to go along with it. This made Han Li feel immensely frustrated, but it also confirmed his conviction that the world of immortal cultivation was one where the strong preyed on the weak.

"If I ever need something from him in the future, I'll just go take it!" Thinking this, Han Li let out a cold laugh. One day, he would make sure that Senior Martial Uncle Ye understood that his possessions weren't so easy to embezzle.

He stood on the ground and looked into the distance. By now, Steward Yu had returned to the Hundred Mechanisms Hall, for just ahead was the Hundred Herbs Garden—a small basin nestled between two hills. The garden's master had set up some minor restrictions around it to prevent outsiders from entering.

Han Li walked a short distance until he touched the nearby restriction, which blocked his path with a white light.

Unfazed, he raised a jade token and shone it forward. A beam of green light shot out from the token and flew into the restriction. Then Han Li waited patiently.

"Come in!" a dry, raspy voice came from within, sounding as if it were right by his ear. The restriction then vanished like melting snow.

Seeing this, Han Li dared not delay and hurried inside.

Following the path before him, Han Li stopped in front of a courtyard bearing a sign that read "Hundred Herbs Garden." The courtyard was quite large, several acres in size. Before he even entered, a thick aroma of medicinal herbs wafted out, lifting his spirits.

"What are you standing out there like an idiot for? Hurry up and come in. I have things to do and need to leave!" Han Li paused, but immediately obeyed and walked inside.

Standing within, Han Li could finally see the garden clearly.

Several thatched huts built from dried grass and bamboo stood in the center of the garden. Surrounding them were orderly square plots divided by trenches. Each plot was lush and green, filled with many herbs Han Li recognized or was unfamiliar with, along with some strangely shaped plants. The entire garden was rich with spiritual energy; even a cultivator like Han Li felt incredibly refreshed after taking a deep breath.

"Come into the house!" The owner of the voice grew impatient with his dawdling.

Han Li smiled faintly and, unconcerned, walked into the thatched hut.

Inside stood a withered, short old man, staring discontentedly at the newcomer. The old man appeared to be around fifty, with two sparse, yellowed mustaches and a pair of cloudy, roving little eyes. At first glance, he looked like a giant, human-shaped rat that had become a spirit.

"You're the garden disciple sent by Hundred Mechanisms Hall? Too young, and your cultivation is far too weak! Is that surnamed Ye just going through the motions? Why is every person he sends worse than the last?" The scrawny old man's face darkened when he saw Han Li, and he flew into a rage.

"Disciple Han Li pays respects to Senior Martial Uncle Ma!" Having already learned of the old man's eccentric temper from the files, Han Li was not surprised and stepped forward to offer his salutations.

"Hmph! Do you even know how severe the punishment is for failing the task? Go back now and tell my Junior Martial Brother Ye to send someone else while there's still time!" The old man rolled his eyes and said gruffly.

"If it's about maintaining the garden's scale, ensuring none of the herbs wither, and submitting a set amount of herbs each month... then I have some confidence," Han Li said calmly.

Hearing this, the old man was somewhat surprised. It seemed he had never encountered a garden disciple who spoke with such confidence from the outset. He couldn't help but take another look at Han Li, though the suspicion in his eyes didn't diminish in the slightest.

"Come with me," the old man suddenly said coldly, then walked out of the hut. Han Li followed without hesitation.

"How many of these herbs can you identify?" The old man pointed at the garden full of plants, looking at Han Li askance.

"One in ten," Han Li said lightly after a glance.

Upon hearing this, the old man paused, then sneered:

"Boy, if you can really identify one in ten herbs, I'll hand the garden over to you without another word."

With that challenge laid down, Han Li smiled faintly and stepped away from the old man.

"Nightshade, Yellow Ball Grass, White Crane Mushroom, Moon-Gazing Grass..." As Han Li strolled through the garden, he casually called out the names of the herbs he recognized.

At first, the old man wore a mocking expression, but as he listened, surprise gradually crept onto his face. Han Li had named many very obscure herbs—some that even he himself had struggled to fully understand the properties of. This greatly astonished him.

"That's enough!" When Han Li had only named about half of the herbs he knew, the old man stopped his display.

"Good, so you weren't just blowing smoke after all. I'll hand the garden over to you for now. This is the restriction token for this place. Catch it!" The old man's face showed satisfaction. He quickly pulled out a dark green wooden token from his person and tossed it to Han Li.

"There are notes on my years of herb cultivation experience in the house. You should study them carefully. You're still unfamiliar with most of the herbs, so don't let any of them wither!" The old man stroked his mustache and gave his instructions.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Martial Uncle. This disciple will keep it in mind!" Han Li said respectfully.

"Cough! I hope your abilities are as good as your mouth. That way, I can truly be released from this garden and stop wasting time on my cultivation. This garden is my private medicinal field. If you truly prove competent, I won't treat you poorly. But I'll say this upfront: if you can't handle it, pack up and leave immediately, and I'll find someone else. Understood?" The old man spoke with a balance of kindness and authority.

Hearing the old man's blunt words, Han Li wasn't angered but instead felt a growing liking for him. At least this old man wasn't a hypocritical schemer like that Senior Martial Uncle Ye. So he quickly nodded in agreement.

After giving a few more instructions on managing the garden, the old man returned to the thatched hut, hastily packed a few things, and left the garden without looking back, flying away.

Han Li watched Senior Martial Uncle Ma disappear into the distance, then casually picked one of the thatched huts, tidied it up, and made it his living quarters.

He had been busy all day without rest, and even a cultivator like him was feeling some fatigue. So he climbed onto the bed and went straight to sleep.

For him, no matter how great a catastrophe was brewing in the outside world, it could wait until he was well-rested to deal with. The sky was just growing dark.

Thus, Han Li's first day as a newly joined disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley passed, not without its share of complications. When he woke up the next day, refreshed and full of energy, his true path of immortal cultivation had finally begun.

In the days that followed, Han Li spent his days studying the old man's cultivation notes and insights. At night, he secretly buried the mysterious little vial in a corner of the herb field, covering it with the high-priced artifact fragment he had acquired to conceal the extraordinary signs of it absorbing spiritual energy.

This way, the spiritual energy in that corner was only slightly denser than elsewhere, with nothing else to draw attention. Han Li's heart, which he had been holding in secret anxiety, finally settled down.

A few days later, that Senior Martial Uncle Ye also found Han Li, bringing the so-called exchange goods for the Foundation Establishment Pill. He handed over spirit stones and magical tools that were less than a fifth of what had been originally promised. As for the elixirs that should have been included, that Hall Master Ye seemed to have completely forgotten, and Han Li pretended not to notice as well.

Even so, Han Li had become wealthy overnight. He received two mid-grade spirit stones, several dozen low-grade spirit stones, three well-crafted magical tools, and some talismans.

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Reading Guide Decoding

A Grumpy Old Man, A Secret Garden, and A Principle Confirmed

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

This chapter introduces a classic "sect occupation" scenario: the Herb Garden Duty. In xianxia, these are rarely just jobs. They are either punishment assignments for weak disciples or—in the hands of a protagonist with a secret advantage—the single most valuable strategic asset a low-level cultivator can obtain. Han Li's choice is a direct application of his "never lift a finger without benefit" rule, but applied to long-term resource management: he gives up immediate power (a Foundation Establishment Pill) for the means to produce his own. The mysterious vial is now a full-fledged part of his cultivation strategy, not just a curious artifact.

The chapter also confirms a core Mortal Stream dynamic: power within a sect is relational, not absolute. Ye the Hall Master can openly cheat Han Li, but he can't kill him or completely alienate him because the deal is an institutional obligation, not a personal favor. The system works against the weak, but it also offers them the faintest, most cynical thread of protection. The spirit stones and magical tools Ye gives are a minimal compliance with the rules, a bribe to keep Han Li quiet and cooperative rather than a genuine exchange of value.

Han Li's decision to feign ignorance about the missing Foundation Establishment Pill is a classic Mortal Stream survival tactic: never force a confrontation you can't win. He absorbs the loss, categorizes his new assets, and waits. The chapter ends not in defeat, but in a moment of profound strategic patience.

Chapter Overview

Alright, folks, settle in. Han Li’s first day as a proper Yellow Maple Valley disciple is officially in the books, and it wasn’t exactly a red-carpet welcome. This chapter is a masterclass in Mortal Stream positioning: Han Li is thrown into a hostile political inheritance, meets the most wonderfully grumpy old man in the sect, and begins to lay the quiet, long-term foundation for his true cultivation plan. He’s learned his lesson from Doctor Mo—never walk into a trap without setting up your own escape tunnel first. And by the end, he's done exactly that, turning a raw deal into a hidden advantage that will define his entire early sect life.

Key Plot Points

Han Li stews in his own frustration after the meeting with Ye and Wu, but that anger doesn’t last. It quickly crystallizes into cold resolve: he will make Ye pay for swallowing his due, and he's already plotting how. His immediate focus, however, shifts to the Hundred Herbs Garden.

He meets Senior Martial Uncle Ma, a scrawny, ill-tempered old man with a waspish tongue and a face like a weasel that chewed on a lemon. Ma immediately tries to turn him away, dismissing him as too weak and too young. Han Li, cool as a cucumber, accepts the challenge: he proves his competence by flawlessly identifying rare herbs, shocking the old man into silence. Impressed despite himself, Ma hands over the authority of the garden.

Ma gives a quick, brutally honest speech: succeed, and you'll be treated well; fail, and you're out. Han Li respects the old man’s lack of hypocrisy and accepts. Ma flies off, and Han Li claims a hut, sleeping off his first exhausting day.

The real meat of the chapter comes next: Han Li's nocturnal operations. He secretly buries the mysterious vial in a quiet corner of the garden, covering it with the celestial mecha fragment to mask its energy absorption. His long-term cultivation base is physically planted in the soil.

Days later, Ye returns with the pitiful leftovers of Han Li's promised payment—less than a fifth of what he was owed. Han Li says nothing, pretending the pill never existed. He accepts the haul: a couple of mid-grade spirit stones, dozens of low-grade stones, three decent magical tools, and some talismans. He's instantly rich by his own standards, but it's still a bitter reminder of how the system works.

Reading Guide

Watch Han Li's emotional calculus here. He's furious, but he doesn't act on it. He hums and haws, but pours himself into a grumpy old man's task. He's cheated, but he accepts the scraps. This isn't a powerless phase—it's a positioning phase. The chapter telegraphs a key contradiction in Han Li's character: he can feel the sting of being taken advantage of, but he never lets that impulse override cold calculation. The true war isn't being fought with swords and spells yet; it's being fought in the soil of a herb garden and the ledgers of a debt he will eventually call due.

The Vial's First True Use

Also worth noting: this is the first time the mysterious vial is used proactively, not just as a curious discovery. Han Li is no longer a passive owner—he is an active user of the artifact, integrating it into his cultivation strategy. This marks a subtle but crucial shift: he is learning to leverage his greatest asset.