To Raise a Soul 51.1

In the afternoon, Yin Yan and Yu Zhen walked around the construction site.

The leisure center project’s construction had reached its final stages where the interior decorations would be installed. This phase was expected to take quite some time, so the landscaping stage didn’t need to be rushed. With the landscape plans in hand, Yu Zhen walked around the construction site and checked for changes in the site’s negative energy. After confirming that nothing was out of place, he looked for Yin Yan. Yin Yan had been speaking to the person in charge of the construction site when Yu Zhen mentioned he was going to visit the plant nursery.

Yin Yan swiftly ended his conversation and then turned to ask, “Are you going to the plant nursery you bought?”

“Mhmm. After signing the contract, I didn’t get the chance to visit the place again because the previous owner had to rush back home. I need to see him for the final handover.” Yu Zhen looked around the construction site. Although he didn’t want to be away from Yin Yan’s side, he sensibly added, “I’ll go on my own. You should focus on your work. I might be back home a little later than usual today, so don’t wait for me for dinner.”

Truly, Yin Yan couldn’t leave the site as there was a lot of work being done which needed his final decision.

He checked the time before holding out the car keys. “Drive there.”

Yu Zhen shook his head and replied, “No need. I’ll use public transport.”

We came to work together today. If I drive, Yin Yan won’t be able to use the car. 

Understanding Yu Zhen’s concern, he replied, “I can head back to the company with Department Head Liu. He’ll be here later.” He picked up Yu Zhen’s hand and placed the keys into it. After looking at Yu Zhen for a few moments, he leaned in and kissed his forehead. 

With pursed lips and a red face, Yu Zhen blankly stared up at Yin Yan.

“When you’re by yourself, don’t let your mind stray to silly things.” He brushed a hand against Yu Zhen’s face, then turned around and led Yu Zhen to the car. “Go on. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can go back home.”

Head hot, Yu Zhen looked into Yin Yan’s ever calm gaze. Abruptly, he pounced on Yin Yan and bit his lips, then leaned his head down against Yin Yan’s body and roughly rubbed against it. The next second, in a series of quick motions, he peeled himself away from Yin Yan, unlocked the car, got inside, shut the door, put on his seat belt, and drove away. 

Yin Yan had taken a step back from the force of Yu Zhen leaning his head and rubbing against him. When he righted himself, he was met with a face full of engine exhaust and dust from the construction site. He watched the rear of the car until it disappeared from his sight, then he rearranged his mussed-up shirt collar.

“Evil disciple.”

He unexpectedly used a sneak attack.

Yu Zhen drove to the plant nursery with longing in his heart. When he arrived, he didn’t immediately enter. Instead, he crouched by the roadside and dejectedly forced himself to cool his head. After his mood returned to normal, he finally stood up and brought his hands up to rub at his face.

Honestly, if you say those kinds of things, how can I not think about silly things?

That’s a foul move.

So Yin Yan does like me. And he doesn’t want me to think about nonsense.

“Mr. Yu? When did you get here? Why don’t you come in?”

The nursery owner happened to return just then, carrying a small jute sack on his back. He was surprised and confused, having unexpectedly seen Yu Zhen standing outside.

Startled, Yu Zhen whipped around. Looking over the man, Yu Zhen saw a weak, red aura around him. He froze for a moment and then frowned. “Boss, where did you just come back from?”

Not noticing anything, the man thought he was simply exchanging greetings and laughed. “I’m about to go back to my hometown. My children like to eat the wild herbs from the mountain nearby, so I went to gather some. After pickling them, I’ll be bringing them home with me. Once back in our hometown, we won’t be able to eat this anymore.”

As he spoke, he motioned at the jute sack he was carrying.

Shifting his gaze to the grey-black sack, Yu Zhen’s frown deepened further. 

The sack looks very old and used. But that’s not important, the main problem is that there’s a faint layer of black, evil energy coming from that sack. 

With a heavy mood, Yu Zhen entered the plant nursery with Tian Yuan, his attention on the sack.

When Tian Yuan’s wife, Fang Yun, heard and saw their approach, she cordially poured some tea and cut up some fruits. Cheerfulness filled her face. It was a stark contrast to her previous downcast mood when signing their agreement.

Suppressing his mood, Yu Zhen exchanged greetings with them and observed the couple as well as the condition of the plant nursery. Fang Yun appeared normal, and the red aura was only on Tian Yuan. However, he felt a growing sense of discomfort as he stayed longer in the plant nursery.

Something’s not right. This is different from what I’d felt last time.

The last time I was here, the energy in this plant nursery was weird, as if there was negative and evil energy present. But it wasn’t serious. It could easily be dealt with by using merits and spiritual energy to sustain an array.  

At the time, I’d thought about secretly helping the boss and his family resolve the issue. After all, this plant nursery was created with their painstaking effort. It would’ve been too much of a shame for them to give up because of a mysterious energy.

I wouldn’t have bought this plant nursery if I hadn’t known that the boss and his wife were needing money for their sick child and that they had already bought another plant nursery in their hometown.

But from the looks of things, this plant nursery might have more problems than just negative and evil energy.

Glancing again at the ominous sack in the corner, a suspicion formed in Yu Zhen’s mind. He looked at Tian Yuan and asked, “Boss, where did you find these herbs? Do they smell good?”

He made an awkward face and continued, “My spouse grew up in the city, so he’s never had wild herbs. I heard that dumplings made with wild herbs are especially nice. If these herbs are good, I’d like to bring some home for him^[1]  to try.”

Surprised, the boss laughed. “Who would have thought? Mr. Yu is so young but is already married. These wild herbs can be found on the mountain nearby. It does look a bit ugly, but the taste is alright. Though the taste of this herb is quite strange. Everyone’s reaction to it is different. For example, my child loved it as soon as he had some. I slowly grew to like it, but my wife can’t stand it. Mr. Yu, you can test them first. See if you like this taste. If you like it, I’ll give this sack to you. I can pick some more, there’s no shortage of it!”  

“What’s with the one-off generosity? If Mr. Yu likes them, it’s better to tell him where he can find the herbs himself than to only give him one sack of it.” Fang Yun patted her husband with a smile and then said to Yu Zhen, “What a coincidence, right now we have pork dumplings wrapped using these herbs. I’ll cook some for you.”

Yu Zhen smiled and replied, “Then, I’ll have to trouble you. Apologies, I’m lacking in manners to have you do this for me.”

“Not at all, not at all. Mr. Yu is our family’s benefactor. It’s only a few dumplings. It’s nothing at all.” Fang Yun hurriedly waved her hands. Smiling, she left to cook the dumplings.

In only a quarter of an hour, two plates, one with fried dumplings and the other with boiled dumplings, were served. Dipping sauce was also brought out with a refreshing side dish.  

“Then, I won’t be polite.” 

With a smile, Yu Zhen picked up a pair of chopsticks. Then he looked at the two plates of dumplings which were covered in black energy. He randomly picked up a dumpling and ate it. 

A deliciously appetizing flavor filled his mouth instantly, making him salivate and making the spiritual energy in his body slightly stirred up. However, the merits within him rushed into Yu Zhen’s dantian, as if meeting something repulsive.

As I thought, there’s a problem.

Yu Zhen swallowed the dumpling and then, as he sipped his drink, he secretly ate a detoxifying pill. After his disturbed spiritual energy had calmed down, Yu Zhen put down his chopsticks and regretfully said, “Looks like this taste isn’t quite for me, but my spouse might like it. His^[1] preference is quite unique and is quite different from mine.”

“That’s a pity. Ah Yun, can you wash and arrange these herbs later? Let Mr. Yu take them home.” As soon as the dumplings had arrived at the table, Tian Yuan had begun munching on them. He ate them hurriedly, one after another, and without a care for how hot they were. 

Fang Yun pinched him, reminding him to have better table manners. Then she said some parting words to Yu Zhen and left with the sack of herbs. 

As he watched Tian Yuan’s impatient eating, Yu Zhen’s mood sank lower.

There’s definitely a problem where the wild herbs grow. It’s causing some evil energy to appear.

For ordinary people with naturally high resistance, being in contact with evil energy will only bring about a small blood disaster. Judging by the red aura around Tian Yuan, he’s that type of person. For those whose bodies have a low resistance, their bodies will gradually weaken and they’ll have a serious illness. The evil energy will enter their hearts and they’ll meet their end. 

Everyone’s reaction to evil energy is different. The more upright a person is, the more sensitive and resistant they will be. However, young children, weak-minded youths, pregnant women, gloomy youths, and the elderly in poor health will mysteriously be attracted by evil energy.

As far as I know, the boss’ son is a high school student. His homework load would be heavy, and he would be under a lot of pressure. His “heavy illness” is most likely caused by the evil energy from the herbs entering his body. The boss’ mood was probably affected by his son’s illness, combined with setbacks in his business, so he was also affected by the evil energy.

The boss’ wife has a very tenacious temperament, leaving her unaffected. She appears weak but is more resistant to pressure than her husband. As a result, she was never lured in by the evil energy. 

I have to go to the place where this wild herb is grown.

Having made up his mind, Yu Zhen turned the topic of conversation back to the wild herbs. Tian Yuan had recently taken a strong liking to the herbs, so he talked a lot about it. 

Through their conversation, Yu Zhen learned that the boss and his family found the herbs over half a year ago. At the time, the boss’ son had brought the herbs back out of curiosity. When it was used in a dish, the son had really liked it, so it frequently appeared on their tables. 

It was strange that the herbs were available all year round regardless of the season. There was never a shortage of it. To be able to eat it every day, the son had his father pickle the herbs and he then brought it to school every day.

The time that the plant nursery’s business took a turn for the worse coincided with the time that the son asked his father to pickle the herbs. 

As his suspicion was confirmed, Yu Zhen’s fingers tapped on his knees. Fang Yun entered the room with the herbs when Yu Zhen asked, “Does this herb need to be dealt with in a special way? Can it simply be washed and eaten?”

Fang Yun replied, “You can’t eat it raw. The root of the herb is very large, but only the leafy part on top is edible. You must remove the roots before you eat it.”

Yu Zhen glanced at the lush greens in her hands. The leaves of the plant were oval-shaped and had teeth. It wasn’t a wild plant he was familiar with. “The root can’t be eaten?”

Feng Yun grumbled, “No, it’s very astringent. And if you cut it, it’ll ooze a thick yellow juice that tastes strange and disgusting.” She was usually the one who prepared the wild herbs so she was clear on the plant’s unpleasant parts.

Nodding, Yu Zhen asked, “What do you do with the root? If you throw it straight into the trash, would it smell bad?”

“It does have a bad smell. It’s best to dispose of it immediately instead of leaving it in the kitchen overnight. When we’re here, I normally bury it since plants can also be used as fertilizers. What is it called? Biological fertilizer?”

Fang Yun beamed at her own cleverness and Yu Zhen smiled along with her.

Having a general understanding of the family and the plant nursery’s problems, Yu Zhen nodded and didn’t comment on it anymore.  

After the dumplings had been eaten, Yu Zhen walked around the plant nursery with the boss to gain a better understanding of the place’s condition. They discussed the time they would complete the official handover and then headed to the mountain to find the place where the wild herbs grew.

The wild plants grew into a dense web on a steep, shaded mountainside where a lack of attention could easily cause a fall.

Tian Yun skillfully led the way. He pointed to the bottom of the slope and said, “It’s over there. There’s a lot growing, so you can pick some any time you’d like to eat some.”

Yu Zhen gave the place a quick glance, then with a subtle movement of his fingers, a glowing, golden seed was flicked in amongst the plants. Immediately, the evil energy from the area reduced significantly.

As it was growing late, Yu Zhen bid farewell to the boss and his wife soon after and he headed back to the apartment.