Behind the Purple Bamboo Forest, Su Mu sensed a powerful aura.

This aura was the strongest Su Mu had ever encountered, much stronger than the "Zero" old man he had met before.

At this moment, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar also stopped in their tracks, pointing at the Purple Bamboo Forest with a timid expression.

It seemed that behind this Purple Bamboo Forest was indeed the herb garden the Little Monkey had mentioned.

"Let's go, lead the way."

Su Mu said to the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar.

Upon hearing this, the Little Monkey and the Wild Boar froze in place, remembering their previous encounters, feeling a lingering fear, hesitating to move forward.

Seeing this, Su Mu shot them a glare and said, "What are you afraid of with me here?"

With that said, Su Mu waved his hand, and two streams of Immortal Light enveloped them, concealing their aura completely. Their bodies also shrank, becoming about the size of mice.

The next second, with a thought, Su Mu transformed into a Golden Cicada, flying towards the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Thus, a Golden Cicada, along with a Little Monkey and a Wild Boar, entered the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Upon entering the Purple Bamboo Forest, Su Mu discovered that each Purple Bamboo here was no ordinary bamboo, emitting a faint glow on the surface. The leaves were extraordinarily beautiful, resembling green Amber.

From the ground, tender bamboo shoots peeked out, radiating specks of Immortal Light, vibrant with life.

Gazing at these shoots, Su Mu was tempted and pulled them out, taking about twenty or thirty of them to plant in his backyard.

The main purpose of coming here was indeed to collect seeds to plant in his vegetable garden.

As for the owner of this herb garden, it would be best not to disturb them. Once the seeds were collected, he would return home.

On this journey, Su Mu collected many seeds, such as purple flower pistils, tender branches, and vines. Though he couldn't name them, he was sure they were Great Medicine treasures.

Bring them back first, and then study them slowly.

...

Flying through the Purple Bamboo Forest, they arrived at a clearing, revealing a large herb garden.

Here, various Great Medicines were planted, many of which Su Mu had never seen before, and crucially, many Spirit Medicines were far superior to those in Su Mu's own garden.

Planted neatly, the ground was freshly tilled, indicating someone had been taking care of and planting these.

Transforming into a Golden Cicada, Su Mu flew through the Spirit Medicine Garden, collecting seeds within.

In fact, Su Mu was somewhat principled—he would only take the most vital seeds so he could plant them himself, allowing for sustainable development.

Because with just river water for irrigation, the seeds would grow very quickly, minimizing time costs for Su Mu.

After a round in the herb garden, he collected around a hundred different types of Great Medicine seeds.

Not every plant caught Su Mu's eye—though the garden was large, only about a third of the Great Medicines appealed to him; the rest were quite ordinary.

...

Suddenly, Su Mu sensed something and looked ahead.

He noticed a small pavilion in front.

The pavilion wasn't large, even smaller than Su Mu's, built from the Purple Bamboos outside.

It seemed the person living in the pavilion was likely the owner of this herb garden.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the pavilion without any warning.

"You wretched monkey!"

"Stealing medicine again, aren't you?"

An angry voice rang out, and upon looking up, the figure arrived at the garden's entrance, firmly grabbing the Little Monkey with one hand.

Su Mu looked over.

This man, dressed in a golden Taoist robe, wore a Purple Gold Crown, shoes, and had three strands of beard flowing from his chin. In his hand, he held a Jade Feather.

His face was radiant and glowing, though it was unclear if the color was natural or due to anger.

"And you!"

"You wild boar, how dare you come here."

The Taoist-robed man waved his hand, grabbing the miniature Wild Boar in the garden with one hand as well.

Thus, with a Little Monkey in one hand and the Wild Boar in the other, the Taoist-robed man turned and walked towards the pavilion.

Throughout this process, the Taoist-robed man did not notice Su Mu, who had transformed into a Golden Cicada.

Seeing the pleading looks from the Little Monkey and Wild Boar, Su Mu knew he couldn't stay hidden any longer.

"Dear Daoist, please wait."

Su Mu returned to human form, standing at the garden entrance, calling to the Taoist-robed man not far away.

Upon hearing this, the Taoist-robed man's body visibly stiffened, and he slowly turned around to look at Su Mu.

Their gazes met, and in the opposing eyes, Su Mu saw a complex expression.

After a few silent seconds of this confrontation,

The Taoist-robed man relaxed his grip, releasing the Little Monkey and Wild Boar from his hands, placing his hands behind his back, and asked Su Mu, "Are you their master?"

Hearing this, Su Mu hesitated for a moment and replied, "No, they're just little creatures I took in."

With these words, the Taoist-robed man extended his right hand, starting to calculate.

As he computed, his fingers suddenly froze upon discovering something incredible, and he raised his head, "Ah, so it's the respected guardian of the Long River. I've heard much about you."

....

Hearing this, Su Mu was equally surprised.

Am I really that famous?

"I'm just an ordinary River Guardian, you overpraise me," Su Mu responded.

Upon hearing this, the Taoist-robed man was startled too, but then laughed, "Hahaha, you certainly have a sense of humor."

...

"Are you interested in these plants of mine?" the Taoist-robed man asked Su Mu.

....

"I do enjoy caring for these plants, but I didn't realize this treasure land had its owner, sorry about that."

Su Mu smiled awkwardly.

It was indeed a bit awkward; he couldn't very well admit he came to steal vegetables, right?

Upon hearing this, the Taoist-robed man waved his hand, saying, "These plants grew on the banks originally, they're not exactly mine."

"I simply tidied up a bit."

"Honestly speaking, all these plants... no, all the plants along this river, they're all yours."

Hearing these words, Su Mu was taken aback as well.

Wow, isn't this person accommodating?

"You cheeky little monkey, you've found yourself a good master."

"I won't pursue today's and past wrongdoings,"

The Taoist-robed man said to the Little Monkey on the ground.

....

"Since we're fated to meet today, why not come inside for a visit?"

The Taoist-robed man gestured to Su Mu with an inviting motion.

"Sorry to intrude."

And so, Su Mu followed the Taoist-robed man into the pavilion courtyard.

Upon entering the courtyard, he immediately saw a large tree growing there.

The tree trunk was massive, emanating an ethereal Immortal Light, with thick leaves of a purplish-green color, and its branches bore unusually shaped fruits.

"The shape of these fruits is indeed peculiar."

Su Mu gazed at the fruits on the tree, admiring them.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.