Chi Lian’s expression was anxious, his speech extremely fast, and his account somewhat jumbled and chaotic. It took the others a while to piece together what he was saying.
It turned out that Chi Lian recognized this spiritual herb. It was the legendary Resurrection Herb. Not the “resurrection ferns” or “stemona” varieties—this was the genuine article.
And this particular Resurrection Herb was the very same one Chi Lian had known. It might also be the last one left in existence.
Back in the day, when Chi Lian had encountered a problem in his cultivation, he had run into the Resurrection Herb, which had only just learned to pull its roots from the soil and move about freely. The Resurrection Herb had used one of its leaves to save Chi Lian. Chi Lian, repaying the favor, had helped the herb survive a human-induced calamity by scaring away an herbalist who wanted to dig it up.
Unfortunately, not long after, the Resurrection Herb had left, because Chi Lian’s cultivation spot wasn’t suitable for it to grow.
Now, nearly a thousand years had passed before they met again. The gap was so long that his memory had grown hazy. The leaf the Resurrection Herb had lost had since grown back, slightly smaller than the other two, which was why Chi Lian hadn’t recognized it immediately.
Shen Ming glanced at Ye Yang again, then asked Chi Lian, “You don’t trust YCG?”
“That’s not it! But the Resurrection Herb can bring the dead back to life. With such an effect, how can you be sure no one would take the risk and try to take him by force? There are so many people in the Administration Bureau—who can guarantee that every single one of them is unwaveringly good? What if someone has a sick family member? And you should know, to achieve the effect of restoring life, you have to swallow the entire Resurrection Herb whole. This isn’t just a matter of plucking a couple of leaves!”
In Chi Lian’s heart, although this little plant couldn’t speak, they had once depended on each other. It was his only friend besides his snake group. He absolutely could not take that risk.
The office fell silent for a moment. Then Xing Tian suddenly said, “You make a fair point.” He had seen much in his long life and had heard of the Resurrection Herb—the one and only spiritual herb in the world that could bring back the dead. Even the gods couldn’t achieve that. Caution was indeed warranted.
Shen Ming was still holding the spiritual herb. “You just said all that out loud. Aren’t you afraid I’ll take it for myself?”
Unexpectedly, Chi Lian replied, “You might be rude, but I don’t think you’d stoop to something like that.”
Ye Yang and Xing Tian were both a bit surprised. Chi Lian had just met this stranger, yet he was already making such a judgment.
Chi Lian pursed his lips. “My instincts in this area have always been sharp. How else do you think I survived alone as a snake for so long? Brother Xing and Teacher Ye too—none of you would do something like that. I trust you.”
“Teacher Ye.” Shen Ming savored the title and suddenly smiled. “Take him away. I issued the mission, so I’ll just cancel it directly.”
“No!” Ye Yang opposed without a second thought. “If you cancel the mission, then we came all this way for nothing. What if they won’t even reimburse our subway fare? I can’t work at a loss.”
Shen Ming chuckled. “Then here’s another idea: put in the report that it was a misunderstanding and there were no supernatural phenomena.”
“That won’t work either. That’s too fake. Who would believe that you, Teacher Shen, made a mistake? It’s impossible for you to make that kind of error.” Ye Yang objected again. He would be the one writing the mission report, after all.
Xing Tian and Chi Lian tensed up, but then they heard Shen Ming say, “It’s fine. I’ll help you write the report. I guarantee there won’t be any problems.”
“Oh, well, if you insist.” Ye Yang grinned sheepishly. “Then I’ll trouble you with that, Teacher Shen.”
He turned to the other two and said, “Alright then. Let’s head back.”
“Wait!” Chi Lian again. “We’re just going back like this? What about the Resurrection Herb?”
Ye Yang looked as if it were obvious. “You take him back. Isn’t he your friend?”
Chi Lian couldn’t believe it. “Just like that? Is that allowed?”
“Why not?” Ye Yang asked, puzzled.
Chi Lian’s expression was complicated. He knew he hadn’t been wrong about this. This aquatic demon—who had effortlessly defeated him, taught him so much, and, though much younger, was far stronger, a Seventh-Rank demon who could thrash him, a Fourth-Rank—was indeed outstanding not only in strength but also in character.
Among demons, strength ruled. But powerful demons like Ye Yang were rare. The better ones were merely arrogant. The worse ones didn’t even deserve mention.
Xing Tian patted Chi Lian on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Take your friend back. Leave the rest to us.”
“Thank you, Teacher Ye.” Chi Lian suddenly bowed deeply, then turned to the other two. “Thank you both as well.”
“Don’t be so formal. We’re all friends here.” Ye Yang seized the opportunity to apologize as well. “By the way, about before—that was my fault. I didn’t mean to insult your taste.”
The tears of gratitude in Chi Lian’s eyes instantly receded. “…Let’s not mention that again.”
……
Back at the company, the Resurrection Herb naturally drew a crowd. Even President Long rarely came out to the main hall, bringing a pair of reading glasses with him.
Chi Lian was in a good mood and even took the initiative to introduce the herb. Sister Wu, ever the mischievous one, predictably said, “Such a magical spiritual plant—probably capable of more than just resurrecting the dead. I wonder if eating it would increase my cultivation by a lot?”
As she spoke, she reached out to pluck a leaf. The tiny Resurrection Herb trembled and shrank deeper into Chi Lian’s embrace, its many roots clinging tightly to the lining of his pocket—impossible to pull off.
Chi Lian didn’t fall for it at all. “Alright, Sister Wu, stop scaring him. He can’t handle it.”
Sister Wu looked up in surprise. “You’re not scared at all? I was just talking about eating your friend!”
Chi Lian smiled smugly. “Do you take me for a fool? There isn’t a single person in this entire company who would eat him.”
“Brother Xing goes without saying—he’s immortal, so what would he need this for? Teacher Ye is kind-hearted and would never do such a thing. Besides, if he had designs on the Resurrection Herb, he wouldn’t have helped me just now. And as for you, Sister Wu, and you too, Brother Grey—I’ve heard your legends even from deep in the mountains. You have no use for the Resurrection Herb either.”
“President Long—a dragon’s son—need I say more?”
No one had expected him to say all this. Brother Xing was quite surprised. “Forget about me—how did you find out about everyone else’s identities?”
Chi Lian curled the corner of his mouth smugly, wearing an expression that said, “I’m not telling you. Guess.”
Sister Wu’s look toward him changed. “Well, well. All that silly, clueless act was just pretend, wasn’t it? Hiding your depth and sharp eyes.”
Chi Lian’s focus immediately veered off course. “Who’s silly and clueless? Explain yourself!”
After all the chaos, President Long, who rarely spoke much, suddenly said, “If I recall correctly, Little Snake lives in the branch dormitory. He can’t take the Resurrection Herb back there, can he?”
Chi Lian froze for a moment before it dawned on him. After all, he had only just arrived at YCG and had a prior record of harming humans. Although he was a naturally nurtured spiritual creature, he still needed to be monitored for a period of time. Currently, he lived in the East Continent Branch’s dormitory.
Taking the Resurrection Herb back there would be taking it straight back to YCG!
Sister Wu asked, “Then what should we do? Leave him at the company?”
“No, that won’t work,” Brother Grey immediately objected. “I’m here every day, and branch inspectors come by occasionally. How would we explain an unreported spiritual being if they found him?”
Sister Wu said, “Our place won’t work either. Everyone lives in YCG apartments. Only President Long has his own residence, but spiritual plants can’t survive there.” President Long was special—he lived inside a volcano. In winter, he often didn’t even come to work, staying cooped up at home.
Xing Tian looked thoughtful. After a moment, he said, “Maybe… Ye Ye’s place could work. Ye Ye, let me ask you something. Answer if you can, but it’s fine if you can’t.”
“That Teacher Shen from today—is his name Shen Ming by any chance?”
Ye Yang was a bit confused. “Yes. How do you know?”
“Then that settles it. The Resurrection Herb will be safe at Ye Ye’s place.”
Sister Wu, lacking patience, demanded, “What are you two talking in riddles for? Spit it out. Why is it safe at Ye Ye’s place, and who is this Shen Ming?”
President Long was concise. “Shen Ming is Xuanwu. He lives across from Ye Ye’s place.”
Then he said to Xing Tian, “You’re right. That’s a good idea.” With that, he and Xing Tian—both bombshell droppers—walked off on their own.
“Xuan… Xuanwu?!” Sister Wu nearly fell off her chair. Chi Lian, already pale, turned even whiter. Brother Grey wasn’t much better off, steadying himself by gripping the back of Sister Wu’s chair.
The three great demons—especially Chi Lian, who had just openly rebuked Shen Ming—had legs that turned to jelly.
Sister Wu grabbed Ye Yang by the collar as he tried to slip away. “Something this important—why didn’t you tell us sooner?!”
Ye Yang, dangling by the back of his shirt, felt quite wronged. “…You never asked!”
That day after work, Ye Yang really did take the Resurrection Herb home.
In any case, within the protective range of Xuanwu, safety was practically guaranteed.
This little spiritual herb was indeed intelligent—quite clever, in fact. Chi Lian only said it would be safe to go with Ye Yang, and without a second thought, the herb left Chi Lian’s embrace, took a running start, made a great leap onto Ye Yang, and slid down his collar into the inner pocket of his jacket.
Chi Lian felt a twinge of jealousy. Didn’t it miss him at all?
—
Along the way, the Resurrection Herb stayed as still as if it were dead, not moving a muscle inside the inner pocket. They made it home without incident. Ye Yang pulled it out and looked around. “Maybe I should find you an empty flowerpot?”
The Resurrection Herb ignored him. It jumped out of his hand and began boldly strutting around the apartment. Ye Yang didn’t think much of it. He had plenty of flowerpots and vases at home; the little plant could pick one it liked later.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
“Ye Ye! Open up!”
It was Li Chanyi.
What was he doing here? Ye Yang quickly grabbed the Resurrection Herb, which had just wandered into the dining room. In a panic, his eyes landed on the mint plant on the balcony. He transformed the Resurrection Herb into a sprig of mint. The magic wouldn’t last long, but it should be enough to get by.
The plants on the balcony were all planted in soil, but there was no time for that now. Ye Yang could only toss the fake mint into his own cup.
“What took you so long? The food’s getting cold.” Li Chanyi acted as if he were walking into his own home. He went straight to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of tea drink, opened it, and took a big gulp.
“Ah~ That’s nice.”
Then he returned to the dining room and plopped down in a chair.
Ye Yang discreetly hid the cup with the mint sprig in the kitchen and closed the door. Only then did he return to the dining room and ask with concern, “What brought you here so suddenly? And you were that thirsty—what were you up to?”
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