“Manager, since you’ve just arrived, the most important thing is to familiarize yourself with the types and characteristics of every spirit herb in the garden. You absolutely must not confuse them.”

Wang Fa seemed to remember something. He fumbled inside his robe and pulled out a thick booklet, respectfully presenting it with both hands.

“This is a copy of the Compendium of Hundred Herbs, bestowed by the Immortal Master from the peak. It records the appearance, names, growth characteristics, care essentials, and methods for preventing common pests and diseases for all the spirit herbs currently present in the garden. You must commit it to memory as soon as possible.”

Chen Ping took the booklet.

It felt heavy in his hand. The pages were made of thick, pale yellow paper, the edges trimmed neatly.

The cover was inscribed with precise characters in ink: Compendium of Hundred Herbs (Record of the Servant Peak Hundred Herb Garden).

He opened the title page. Inside, densely packed characters detailed one type of spirit herb after another, accompanied by simple yet clearly distinctive line drawings.

[Purple Ginseng (Ten-year-old)]: Root shape resembles a human figure; skin is purplish-brown; a thick main root is optimal. Prefers shade and coolness; fears direct, strong sunlight. Requires loose, fertile humus soil; avoid waterlogging. Watering should use morning dew or Spirit Spring Water, once every three days—thorough, but not soaked. Fertilize with well-rotted deer manure, applied thinly around the roots once a month. Common pest: Golden Thread Aphid (fears tobacco leaf water).

[Purple Milkvetch (Seedling stage)]: Stem is purple; leaves are round with fine hairs. Requires full sunlight; drought-tolerant. Soil should be on the dry side, sandy. Water once every five days; better dry than wet. Fertilize with plant ash mixed into soil once every two months. Disease: Leaf Spot (remove diseased leaves, spray limewater).

[Cold Star Grass]: Leaves like fine needles, dark green in color; silver star-like spots on leaf undersides. Extremely cold-natured; needs to be planted separately in shady, cold rock crevices or near cold springs. Fears warmth and heat. Watering requires cold pond water once every seven days. Do not apply ordinary fertilizer; requires special ‘Cold Jade Powder’ (to be requested from the peak by the Manager). Pests are rare; occasionally Frost Moth larvae (remove by hand).

Illustrated with pictures and text, the records were detailed and substantial.

Chen Ping’s finger brushed over the vividly drawn illustration of the Cold Star Grass…

His heart uncontrollably began to beat violently. An indescribable feeling of comfort instantly surged through his entire body.

Immortal Fate!

This was the Immortal Fate he had dreamed of.

This thick Compendium of Hundred Herbs was far more valuable than those two Spirit Stones, even more valuable than the Ox Strength Pill.

It was no longer just an instruction manual for fulfilling his Manager duties; it was a key.

A key to unlocking the true potential of the Black Earth within his Jade Pendant space.

As long as he thoroughly memorized the knowledge within this book… As long as he figured out which spirit herbs were the most precious, which were the easiest to cultivate, and which could yield the greatest value on that Black Earth…

Then, he could use every opportunity to enter the herb fields and secretly obtain even a tiny bit of root or an inconspicuous seed without anyone knowing.

He could transplant them into that miraculous Black Earth within his Jade Pendant space.

The explosive growth of the Purifying Grass on the Black Earth was the best proof of its power.

If ordinary Purifying Grass could do that, what if it were replaced with genuine spirit herbs from this garden?

Spirit Stones!

Spirit herbs could be exchanged for Spirit Stones.

Five Low-grade Spirit Stones could be saved up in no time at all.

He could even consume them himself to force his aptitude to improve.

Chen Ping tightly gripped the Compendium of Hundred Herbs in his hand.

He raised his head and looked out the window at the vibrant herb field, brimming with infinite possibilities. His gaze became exceptionally bright and resolute.

It was time to get down to serious business.

Chen Ping placed the heavy Compendium of Hundred Herbs on the wooden table.

He walked out of the stone house. Wang Fa was still waiting respectfully outside the door.

“Wang Fa.”

Chen Ping spoke up, his tone calm.

“Take me to see my assigned area and introduce me to everyone.”

“Yes, Manager. This way, please.”

Wang Fa hurriedly led the way.

Chen Ping’s assigned area was on the western side of the Hundred Herb Garden, close to the mountain cliff. The terrain was slightly higher here and received more sunlight.

Several herb fields of varying sizes were scattered about. The types of spirit herbs planted here were all recorded in the Compendium.

Eight regular laborers were busy working along the ridges between the fields. Some were carefully loosening the soil with small hoes; others were carrying special wooden buckets, using long-handled wooden ladles to precisely pour Spirit Spring Water at the roots of the herbs.

Seeing Wang Fa leading Chen Ping over, all eight immediately stopped their work and gathered around, their faces showing a mix of restraint and curiosity.

Wang Fa cleared his throat.

“Everyone gather round! This is our newly arrived Manager Chen Ping. From now on, Manager Chen will lead everyone in tending the western section of the herb fields. Be attentive!”

The eight men responded in unison.

“We greet Manager Chen!”

Their voices were uneven and carried the hoarseness of long-term labor.

Their ages varied: some were elders similar in age to Wang Fa; some were middle-aged men in their thirties or forties; and two were young men who looked just over twenty.

Their clothing was slightly better than that of the miners, but it was still coarse cloth stained with mud and plant juices.

Their eyes lacked that utter, soulless numbness seen in the miners, but they still held the caution and weariness common among those at the bottom of society.

Chen Ping’s gaze swept over them as he nodded.

“No need for formalities. My name is Chen Ping; we’ll be working together from now on. I assume Wang Fa has already told you all about the garden’s rules. I’ll just say one thing: take good care of your assigned herbs. If mistakes happen and blame comes down from the peak, no one can bear it alone. Just carry on doing what you should do normally.”

He didn’t give any rousing speeches or deliberately assert authority; he simply pointed out the core stakes involved.

Everyone responded again, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly.

Wang Fa added introductions from beside him.

“Manager Chen, this is Li Youtian. He’s an old hand at planting herbs; he’s worked in this garden for nearly twenty years… This is Zhao Shitou; he has strong Physical Strength and is good at carrying water and fertilizing… This is Sun Xiaohai; he has keen eyesight and is careful at weeding and catching insects…”

Chen Ping silently memorized these names and characteristics.

These people were his foundation—helpful if used well, troublesome if not.

For the next period of time, Chen Ping didn’t give orders or interfere unnecessarily. He simply followed behind Wang Fa, going from field to field.

Wang Fa pointed at the spirit herbs within the fields while softly explaining.

“Manager Chen, this plot here is ‘Red Sun Flower.’ See how the leaf edges are turning red? That means they’re nearing maturity; we need to pay special attention to pests… This plot here is ‘Blood Stanching Vine’; the vines have good toughness, so we need to frequently check the ropes supporting the frames… This plot here is ‘Dew Condensing Grass’; the dew droplets on the leaves contain its medicinal essence. When watering, you must absolutely not touch the leaves; the water must slowly seep in from beneath the roots…”

Chen Ping observed very carefully.

The leaves of the Red Sun Flower resembled saw teeth, and the edges indeed had a faint reddish tinge.

The Blood Stanching Vines twined around bamboo frames, the vine bark a deep, rich brown.

The Dew Condensing Grass leaves were thick and fleshy, the surface covered in fine, dense hairs. The centers indeed accumulated sparkling droplets of water.

He tried to imprint the appearance and growth state of each spirit herb into his mind.

This would aid his future actions.

He paid particular attention to the watering and fertilizing processes.

The Spirit Spring Water was carried on shoulder poles from the spring eye on the Back Mountain; the water was clear and carried a barely perceptible coolness.

When watering, the regular laborers were extremely careful, using measuring ladles to precisely control the amount, avoiding the leaf surfaces and only soaking the soil around the roots.

The fertilizer used was a black-brown, paste-like substance stored in wooden buckets. It emitted an extremely pungent odor—processed Spirit Beast manure mixed with humus soil.

When fertilizing, they used special small wooden shovels to scoop a tiny amount, evenly scatter it half a foot away from the roots, and then cover it with a thin layer of soil.

“Manager, this ‘Rotted Spirit Paste’ is very potent. If it’s too close to the roots, it can burn them rotten,” Wang Fa explained softly. “The amount is also crucial. Too much burns the roots; too little is ineffective.”

Chen Ping silently nodded.

This work required far more patience and meticulousness than mining.

In the evening, the regular laborers finished their work and returned to the shed huts where they lived at the other end of the garden.

Chen Ping also returned to his own stone house.

Closing the door, he immediately took out the Compendium of Hundred Herbs. Using the last of the daylight coming through the window, he flipped the pages to the Red Sun Flower, Blood Stanching Vine, and Dew Condensing Grass, comparing the details he had seen during the day against the book’s text and illustrations one by one.

He read very slowly, word for word, trying to understand the temperament of each type of spirit herb.

Night fell.

Chen Ping didn’t light an oil lamp—Manager disciples weren’t issued lamp oil, either.

He sat cross-legged on the hard plank bed, eyes closed, resting his mind. In reality, he was focusing his consciousness to enter the Jade Pendant space.

Within the space, eighteen Purifying Grass plants remained.

They occupied very little space, so Chen Ping hadn’t disposed of them yet.

Truth be told, after witnessing genuine Immortal family spirit herbs, Chen Ping had already begun to look down upon this common Purifying Grass.

He would wait until later, when he had better spirit herbs to plant, then dispose of them properly.

He picked up one Purifying Grass plant from the corner and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing methodically.

Although he had reached a higher platform, he couldn’t forget his origins.

He stood up and began practicing the Vitality Technique within the space.

Thirty sets of movements flowed smoothly, effortlessly.

With a foundation of two thousand pounds of Physical Strength, these basic movements posed no burden to him whatsoever.

Sweat seeped out, and a warm flow circulated throughout his limbs and bones, following the movements and bringing a feeling of comfortable suppleness as he stretched his tendons.

The medicinal potency was efficiently absorbed by his body.

After finishing his practice, he picked up the herb shovel and turned over that fertile plot of Black Earth within the space again, thoroughly loosening the soil anew.

The soil remained jet-black, loose, and soft, brimming with rich vitality.

He gazed upon this land, his thoughts returning to the garden he had seen during the day and those variously shaped spirit herbs.

When the time was ripe, he absolutely must acquire good quality spirit herbs to plant here!