Chapter 15 The Next Part of the Plan

Zhao Lingfeng stared at the mangled spirit herb in the Stone Claw Bear's massive paw, his mind racing behind his carefully maintained facade of dignified authority. The herb's leaves were crushed, and its stem was bent at an awkward angle, but even in this sorry state, he could make out its distinctive purple-veined pattern.

It wasn't anything extraordinary, but after hours of finding nothing but empty patches where the wolf's spiritual frost had frozen or withered everything...

"Hmmm," he hummed, stroking his chin in what he hoped was a sage-like manner. The bear's eyes lit up at his attention, and it waggled the herb with increased enthusiasm, nearly destroying what remained of the poor plant.

Think, think! How do beast tamers do this in stories? Zhao Lingfeng cleared his throat and raised his hand in what he hoped was a commanding gesture. "Good... uh, bear. Now, show us where you found this."

The Stone Claw Bear blinked its small eyes, dropped the herb, and promptly flopped onto its back, exposing its stone-encrusted belly. Its rocky growths clinked against the chamber floor as it wiggled expectantly.

"That's not quite what I..." Zhao Lingfeng's dignified mask cracked slightly. He could swear he heard a muffled snort from Lin Tian's direction.

The bear's hopeful expression somehow intensified, its paws now waving in small circles in the air. The sight would have been adorable if not for the fact that each paw was the size of Zhao Lingfeng's torso and tipped with claws that could shred iron.

"Perhaps," Zhao Lingfeng tried again, deepening his voice, "my faithful subject would prefer to demonstrate its herb-finding prowess after—"

The bear whined, a sound like grinding stones that echoed through the chamber. Two more Stone Claw Bears perked up at their companion's display and began approaching with distinctly hopeful expressions.

"Brother Zhao," Lin Tian's voice carried just a hint of amusement, "I suspect your 'subjects' are struggling to grasp the intricacies of your command."

"I can see that damn it," Zhao Lingfeng muttered through clenched teeth, maintaining his smile as the first bear started making increasingly pitiful grinding sounds. "Would you perhaps have any suggestions?"

Lin Tian's response was to move with practiced grace toward the [LV12 Black Earth Python]. The ancient serpent watched his approach with unblinking eyes, its scales shifting in mesmerising patterns. When Lin Tian made a series of flowing gestures with his hands, the python's head tilted slightly, as if considering.

"Show-off," Zhao Lingfeng mumbled, still trapped in his standoff with the increasingly dramatic Stone Claw Bear. He was starting to worry the poor thing would strain something with its wiggling.

The Black Earth Python finally moved, its massive coils unwinding with liquid grace. It turned its head toward a narrow passage between two pillars, then looked back at Lin Tian expectantly.

"After you," Lin Tian said to Zhao Lingfeng with a slight bow that did nothing to hide his amusement. "Unless you'd prefer to finish attending to your... admirer first?"

The Stone Claw Bear let out another hopeful whine.

Zhao Lingfeng cleared his throat. "Yes, well... excellent work, my faithful subject. Truly exemplary... belly-presenting. We shall... continue this audience at a later date. For now, duty calls!"

He quickly strode toward the passage, trying to ignore the disappointed grinding sounds behind him as the rest followed suit.

Ding!

[LV9 Jade-Spine Serpent] x3 have temporarily joined as an Ally!]

[LV10 Stone Claw Bear] x4 have temporarily joined as an Ally!]

….

***

The passage curved upward in a steep incline, its walls covered in faintly luminous moss that cast everything in a soft green glow. The Black Earth Python led the way, its massive form somehow navigating the narrow space with fluid grace. Behind Zhao Lingfeng and Lin Tian, their newly acquired entourage tried to follow with considerably less elegance.

"Ow!" Zhao Lingfeng winced as a particularly enthusiastic Thunder Scale Drake knocked loose a small shower of rocks in its attempt to squeeze through a tight turn. "Careful with the—no, don't all try to fit at once!"

The sound of scales scraping stone and frustrated growls echoed through the passage as the spirit beasts jostled for position. The Spirit Wind Leopards had given up walking entirely and were now trying to ride atop the Stone Claw Bears, which only added to the chaos.

"Such loyal subjects," Lin Tian commented dryly as they climbed. "Though perhaps a bit... overeager?"

"They're just... enthusiastic about serving their king," Zhao Lingfeng replied with as much dignity as he could muster while dodging another rain of pebbles. "Though I'm starting to think some court etiquette lessons might be in order."

A Jade-Spine Serpent, apparently tired of waiting in line, attempted to use the wall as an alternate route. Its jade scales left glowing trails in the moss as it slithered upward, inadvertently creating a rather pretty light show.

"Oh no," Zhao Lingfeng muttered as he saw the other serpents take notice. "Don't you dare-"

Too late.

The remaining Jade-Spine Serpents immediately began their own wall-climbing attempts, turning the narrow passage into a serpentine traffic jam. Their scales created intersecting patterns of light that, while aesthetically pleasing, did nothing to help with actual progress.

"Your subjects seem quite artistic," Lin Tian observed, somehow managing to maintain perfect balance despite the increasingly chaotic procession behind them.

Before Zhao Lingfeng could respond with appropriate royal dignity, the passage opened into a broader chamber that made both cultivators pause in surprise.

Terraces of stone rose in natural steps along the chamber walls, each level hosting clusters of spirit herbs that seemed to pulse with inner light. The air was thick with spiritual energy, creating a misty haze that diffused the moss's glow into something almost dreamlike.

"Now we're talking," Zhao Lingfeng breathed, "this is more like it."

The Black Earth Python turned its massive head toward them, and Zhao Lingfeng could have sworn he saw a hint of pride in its ancient eyes. The other spirit beasts finally managed to squeeze through the passage, tumbling into the chamber in a jumble of scales, fur, and stone claws. Fortunately, his worst worry of fearing a collapse had not come to pass.

"Order!" Zhao Lingfeng clapped his hands, trying to project authority. "Let's gather these herbs in an orderly fashion—"

A Stone Claw Bear, apparently still hoping to impress its new king, immediately charged toward the nearest terrace. Its powerful claws, designed for rending stone, proved less than ideal for delicate herb gathering.

"Careful!" Zhao Lingfeng called out as the bear triumphantly held up a crushed bundle of leaves. "Those need to be intact to be useful!"

The bear's expression fell, its massive shoulders slumping. The herbs dangled limply from its claws, now resembling dead grass more than valuable spiritual materials.

"No, no, it's... fine," Zhao Lingfeng said quickly, seeing the bear's distress. "You just need to be more... gentle. Like this." He demonstrated with exaggerated care, gently working a spirit herb free from the stone.

[You have obtained a Hundred-Year-Old Glowroot Fern]

The bear watched with intense concentration, its stone-encrusted brow furrowed in focus. When Zhao Lingfeng finished, it nodded solemnly and turned back to the terrace with comical determination. Its next attempt was... well, slightly less destructive.

"Very good!" Zhao Lingfeng praised, trying not to wince at the still rather mangled plant. "Much better!"

[You have obtained a mangled Hundred-Year-Old Glowroot Fern]

The bear's eyes lit up at the praise, and it immediately tried to go for another herb with renewed enthusiasm until it was stopped short by Zhao Lingfeng.

He raised his head and assessed their situation.

The terraces, while beautiful, presented a significant challenge. Many of the most valuable herbs grew from precarious angles, their roots deeply entrenched in narrow cracks between stones. Worse, the perpetual spiritual mist made the rock surfaces slick and treacherous.

He watched as Lin Tian eyed a cluster of Silver Moon Grass growing from a near-vertical face of stone. Even from this distance, Zhao Lingfeng could see the herb's distinct luminescent petals that marked it as far more valuable than the common plants they'd gathered so far.

Lin Tian moved with his characteristic grace, using minimal amounts of spiritual energy to enhance his movements as he navigated the treacherous terrace. His fingers had nearly reached the herbs when the stone beneath his foot suddenly crumbled, forcing him to push off into a backward flip to avoid falling.

"Unstable," Lin Tian muttered, landing smoothly beside Zhao Lingfeng. "The stone looks solid, but the spiritual energy has made it deceptively brittle. One wrong move and..." He gestured at the fragments of rock that had given way beneath him.

Zhao Lingfeng attempted his own climb, hoping to reach a modest patch of Violet Spirit Grass. He made it halfway up before discovering another problem.

The spiritual mist wasn't just making things slippery. The concentrated energy made his skin tingle unpleasantly wherever it touched, like tiny static shocks that grew more intense the higher he climbed.

"Brother Tian," Zhao Lingfeng called down, trying not to show how his arms were starting to shake, "is it just me, or is this mist..."

"Corrosive to human spiritual energy? Yes." Lin Tian examined his own hands with a slight frown. "Not enough to cause real damage, but enough to make extended exposure uncomfortable and affect our movements. The spirit beasts don't seem affected though."

As if to demonstrate this point, a Spirit Wind Leopard gracefully bounded up the very same wall that had rejected Lin Tian, its wind-infused movements completely unhampered by the mist. It paused near the Silver Moon Grass, looking back at Lin Tian expectantly.

Lin Tian's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He made a series of elegant gestures, attempting to direct the leopard toward the herbs. The beast tilted its head, clearly trying to understand, but its first attempt to help resulted in it batting playfully at the glowing petals.

It was pretty cute but…

"No, like this," Lin Tian demonstrated the pulling motion again, his patience admirable. The leopard watched intently, its tail swishing as it processed the instructions.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lingfeng had his own challenges. The Stone Claw Bear was proving to be an attentive student, but teaching proper herb-gathering technique to a creature whose natural response to most problems was "hit it harder" required... creativity.

"Gentle," he reminded for what felt like the hundredth time, miming the motion. "Like you're picking up a baby cub."

The bear stared at its massive stone-encrusted claws, then back at the delicate herbs, its expression a study in concentration. Its next attempt was almost comically careful, moving in slow motion as if handling explosives rather than plants.

Surprisingly, it worked. The herb came free intact, its roots still well preserved. The bear's proud expression was almost worth all the previous failures.

"Excellent!" Zhao Lingfeng praised, trying to maintain his dignified 'human beast king' persona despite his growing excitement. "Now, if we can just keep that same energy..."

A Thunder Scale Drake, watching from nearby, perked up at the successful demonstration. It began moving toward another patch of herbs with what Zhao Lingfeng desperately hoped was similar careful intention.

The gathering proceeded with surprising smoothness for a while despite numerous mishaps. After several attempts, each beast seemed to gradually find its niche. The Spirit Wind Leopards were perfect for reaching high places, the Jade-Spine Serpents could delicately extract herbs from narrow crevices. The Thunder Scale Drakes played well as leaning support for Zhao Lingfeng and Lin Tian.

Even the Stone Claw Bears, once they grasped the concept of gentleness, proved remarkably thorough in their approach. Unfortunately, the burly large figures of the bears often served more counter-productive than useful.

Even the Black Earth Python contributed, its intellect was shocking, extending to knowing which herbs were ready for harvest and which needed more time. It would occasionally stop overeager beasts with a subtle movement, directing them toward better targets.

[You have obtained Hundred-Year-Old Glowroot Fern x 16]

[You have obtained Thousand Year Old Moon Glow Grass x 15]

[You have obtained Violet Spirit Grass x 18]

[You have obtained Mist Spirit Cluster x 21]

[You have obtained Coiled Vine Herb x 14]

[You have obtained Oversaturated Glowroot Fern x 6]

[You have obtained Corrupted Spirit Moss Patch x 18]

….

Heavens! I've struck rich! At this rate, with my limited inventory space, I am going to end up using my herb gathering pouch which I had brought with me before entering this secret realm. And even that is not enough!