8 The Exchange (1/2)
It was a quiet morning.
A thick fog gathered around the emerald-green leaves, condensing into water droplets as large as a pearl.
Fang Yuan paced around the garden, and carefully scattered the Realgar Powder on the soil, especially around the Questioning Heart Tea Tree and Vermillion Jade Rice plants, as these were the spiritual plants he wanted to protect.
”I can't imagine, such an agile and strong beast would have so much fear for a normal Realgar? Could it be true that one item would be the perfect counter to another?”
After finishing up, he wiped his sweat, sat on a large rock and started to ponder.
”Ferrets are afraid of Realgar? Wait a minute, this ferret is no ordinary ferret, it's possible that its fears are different from the usual ferret. Ferrets like to eat snakes, could it be that it ate too many snakes and evolved certain special traits?... Luckily I still have quite a lot of Realgar Powder left over!”
In order to make enough Still Fire Liquid, Fang Yuan bought not only the highest quality Realgar Powder, but also got a large quantity of it, and so did not need to worry about not having enough of it for the time being.
”But I'll still have to be careful, as the White Ferret may react differently once it becomes desperate.”
Fang Yuan plucked a few fresh fruits for breakfast, went to the river and collected some pure spring water. He then took out his tea set and some Questioning Heart Tea leaves.
These leaves were roasted before they were sealed, which kept the essence of the Questioning Heart Tea leaves, and since they were stored away and well hidden, the White Ferret did not manage to get its paws on it.
If the White Ferret took these last leaves, Fang Yuan would definitely be speechless and depressed.
Boiling water, washing the pot, setting the tea leaves…
Within the peace, every single movement seemed effortless and tranquil.
Not long, the fragrance of the tea leaves rose.
”Good!”
Even though he had drank this tea countless times, the comfort this tea brought to Fang Yuan was still able to earn his praise.
He noticed his qualities and saw a change at the top,
”Name: Fang Yuan
Essence: 1
Spirit: 1
Magic: 1.4
Age: 18
Cultivation: None
Techniques: None
Skills: [Medicine (Level 1)], [Botany (level 3)]”
”A normal person should have an average magic value of 1, but I have already exceeded that by about half... Although the effects of Questioning Heart Tea has decreased, before it loses all its effectiveness, maybe it can increase my magic level by more than twice of the average?”
More than twice of the average human, how would that feel like?
What Fang Yuan didn't know was that although he had only increased by 0.4 in magic, he would feel much wiser, and memorising books would take a much shorter time than usual, as though the gods were helping him.
Take now for an example, At the corner of his eye, he quickly spotted a white flash.
”Keke… Have you not given up? Come out!”
With the Realgar Powder in one hand, Fang Yuan waited patiently without fear and exclaimed loudly.
From the previous encounter, he knew that the White Ferret was a spiritual being, and could not be dealt with using normal ways, and it seems that it could understand what Fang Yuan was saying.
”Come out!”
”Come!”
”... …”
His voice echoed throughout the valley, but the white shadow was nowhere to be seen.
”That's true, it's daytime now…”
Fang Yuan looked at the sunrise, ”Wasn't it night time? Eh… This fellow only appreciates spiritual plants, and the only thing more superior than the Questioning Heart Tea here is the…”
He smiled to himself and brewed another pot of Questioning Heart Tea, the fragrance of the tea spreading far.
”Keke!”
As expected, a loud hissing followed by a white flash appeared. It circled the Realgar Powder but did not dare to approach it.
”Seeing how the Questioning Heart Tea Tree was damaged, the essence of the brewed tea leaves would attract it even more right?”
Fang Yuan took a teacup, walked a few steps forward and stopped one and a half metres from the White Ferret.
”Hisss!”
Behind the line marked out by the Realgar Powder, as White Ferret tried to approach, its fur stood and he made a sound of fear but dared not to approach.
The fragrance of the tea made the White Ferret even more desperate as it scratched its head like a monkey.
”Haha… you are a ferret, not a monkey!”
Fang Yuan became intrigued and the kid in him took over. After a round of fooling with the White Ferret, he exclaimed, ”If you don't ask and take, that makes you a thief! This tea tree and tea leaves have an owner, and only if I am willing to give it to you, then will it be yours. Understood?”
Within the secluded valley, he was always living along and had already been used to himself mumbling to himself. He laughed at himself, ”How would I expect for you to understand such complicated teachings...”
At this moment, Fang Yuan's eyes grew wide.
The White Ferret clasped its paws together as though a human apologising, its jet-black eyes staring at the cup of tea, as though it was begging for the tea.
”This White Ferret is magical!”
Fang Yuan mumbled to himself, looked at the cup of tea in his hands, and suddenly he realised, ”Yes… this Questioning Heart Tea has magical properties and would be even more valuable to the wild animal. Could it be that the tea leaves made it smarter?”
Fang Yuan told the White Ferret, ”If you want to drink this cup of tea, you will have to understand… It is hard to obtain this tea, and I do not have much of it left. If you really want this tea, you will have to exchange it with the fertilizer that you brought the other time!”
Fang Yuan was still thinking about getting his hands on the crystal droplets, as they were spiritual fertilizer.
This was because he noticed that by using the crystal droplets as fertilizer, the Vermillion Jade Rice grew very well, and even the broken branches of the Questioning Heart Tea Tree began to heal and shoots began sprouting.