Chapter 736 Closing the chapter  

?Yang Qing stood silently, observing Ma Yuan as he did repetitive tests on the soil and other materials using various techniques that Yang Qing recognized came from the herbal cultivation book that he had given him.

The book was called the 'Elysian Enclave' written by a cultivator who called himself the servant of the spiritual cultivation gardens. The book contains over 10,000 techniques and means to plant different spiritual plants and the nurturing process from start-up to finish. The book was wholesome and extensive as it dealt with spiritual plants that touched upon the different grades from the mortal rank up to the ascendant rank, with the latter only having two entries.

Yang Qing had received the book as payment for a job he did for one of the Instructors who dealt in herbology. The same instructor who had a friendship with the current king of the Summerfield Kingdom and also one of the founders of the Ocean refining crucible pavilion. As a lover and collector of books he readily accepted it, though he himself had little interest in becoming a herbologist, the book contained harvesting techniques, and an extensive list of plants some of which were excellent delicacies.

Since he had already read the entire book front and back a couple of times and mastered everything by heart, giving it to Ma Yuan was no problem for him. Seeing Ma Yuan's excitement, he felt gratified for the choice he made.

Half an hour passed by with Ma Yuan wholly absorbed in the preparation process for planting the twilight sky locust tree. It was only when he was close to the end, where it was just him placing its sap into the soil he had prepared did he notice Yang Qing who was sitting a few steps from him.

He was confused at first, thinking he was seeing things, before the confusion evolved to being startled.

"Jjjudge Yang Qing?!" he said with a gobsmacked expression almost dropping the sap in his hands. Luckily his excellent bodily control as a former core formation expert kicked in and he was able to hold onto the sap while still staring wide-eyed at Yang Qing.

"Ma Yuan.." said Yang Qing with a smile as he cupped his fists in greeting.

"I was surprised when I came. You exceeded my imagination. This place resembles an immortal's garden.." added Yang Qing as he looked all around him with admiration.

"Surely you jest, judge Yang Qing..." Ma Yuan said with a sheepish grin as he reflexively went to scratch the back of his head before he realized he was about to scratch it with the sap of the Twilight sky locust tree he had in hand, which drew another moment of embarrassment from him before he decided to first finish planting the sap to avoid any further mishaps.

As he was planting it, even though the process just took a few seconds, for those few seconds, Ma Yuan seemed to have transformed into a different person. The awkwardness he had a few moments earlier had disappeared and was replaced by an aura that was as stable as an immovable mountain. He was meticulous and filled with an air that made it seem as if he was the earth itself nurturing the plant in his hands.

The moment he was done, as if it was all an illusion, Ma Yuan went back to his earlier slightly nervous and awkward demeanor. "Have you eaten?" asked Yang Qing as he took out a few of the dishes Shi Hai had made for them as he left the Deer Mountain Range.

Ma Yuan had been about to modestly refuse but his nose twitched, and his stomach started grumbling when the tantalizing aromas of the dishes reached him.

With his cultivation crippled, his body though still regained the strength of a core formation expert owing to the baptism of the tribulation lightning, and he also had firm foundations having achieved a gold body, it now had constraints to it that were not there before when he still had his dantian and cultivation, one of which was he could get hungry.

From the moment one steps into the Foundation establishment, the body's requirement for food is reduced. In the qi refinement realm, one could go a month without eating and when one reaches the foundation establishment realm, that timeline extends to a few years and when one reaches the core formation realm, the body's need disappears completely as they can subsist off spiritual qi.

But now, for Ma Yuan, he was hungrier than usual, even more so than when he had been in the body refinement realm. Even though he still couldn't absorb and convert spiritual qi, his body still craved it and needed it lest his age started showing as it emaciated from deprivation and to curb that he needed to consume foods rich in spiritual qi which didn't need a dantian to convert it to a form that would be readily absorbed by his body.

Unable to refuse the offer with his eyes trained on the dishes, he said,

"I will humbly accept your hospitality, Judge Yang Qing.."

"Just Yang Qing is okay.."

Ma Yuan nodded as he said," Thank you for your hospitality, Yang Qing.."

"No problem.." said Yang Qing as he divvied up the dishes and took out an ice spirit rice wine to accompany the dishes.

"How is Ma Ling?" asked Yang Qing in between bites and a sip.

Ma Yuan sighed slightly as he took a small sip of his wine.

"She's improving greatly, and even though she is not as averse to me as she was before, it is still disheartening whenever I see her look at me as a stranger.

We do talk here and there, amicably at that, but there is a wall of unfamiliarity between us, which sometimes makes it harder for me some days to go there.."

"Will she get better?" asked Ma Yuan with clear worry in his tone.

"She will.." Yang Qing firmly said as he stared at Ma Yuan whose tenseness eased a little when he sensed the certainty in Yang Qing's tone.

Yang Qing looked around him once more before an idea struck him.

"You could bring her here.."

"Yes?" asked Ma Yuan with a confused look on his face.

"Your daughter, Ma Ling. You could bring her here sometime to see your work and see what you have done with the place. Visiting her at the Medical Valley can't be easy for either of you, maybe a change of scenery might benefit you both. As you are waiting for her previous memories to come back, you can create new ones here, who knows the wall between you may grow thinner.."

Ma Yuan fell into silent contemplation as he envisioned the scenario Yang Qing described and he couldn't but feel hopeful and slightly excited at the concept.

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"You're sure it's okay.."

and slightly excited at the concept.

"You're sure it's okay.."

"Mmmh, it is.. You look happy doing this, and who knows maybe her seeing you in your element will ease you both.." answered Yang Qing.

"So what do you think?"

"I would love that.." Ma Yuan hurriedly said.

"I don't know how I can ever repay you for all you've done.." added Ma Yuan with a smile.

"I'm doing it for me too. With two more hands, I can only imagine how much more amazing this place would get.." Yang Qing said with a cheeky laugh, masking his true thoughts.

He still had his guilt for failing to save Ma Yuan's wife in time, even though there was nothing it could change, the guilt though wasn't as heavy as it was at the start, was still there. Helping Ma Yuan did indeed help him too as it eased the burden of the guilt in his heart.

The two ate, and drank while sharing conversation, which was mostly Ma Yuan excitedly explaining how wonderful the book Yang Qing gave him was, with Yang Qing asking a few questions here and there on how Ma Yuan transformed the place. When he met the man, he didn't seem like quite the talker, though granted Ma Yuan had a lot on his mind at the time, but Yang Qing still felt that in general, Ma Yuan wasn't a talker, but when it came to herbology, and farming, he would talk endlessly with enthusiasm.

Slowly a few hours passed with the two engaged in easy conversation before Yang Qing had to call it a night and went to the nest of the celestial nesting weaver. He had told Ma Yuan he could use one of the rooms in his courtyard, but Ma Yuan felt uneasy about imposing and opted to sleep outside.

Seeing he would not budge on it, Yang Qing suggested if he was to sleep outside then at the very least it should be at the spot below the green flame tree where a hundred or so leaves of the tree had accumulated. The leaves themselves were soft and the tree had restorative properties that would boost Ma Yuan's vitality and body condition. It wasn't hard to guess that Ma Yuan worked himself ragged, barely sleeping and eating, and Yang Qing could do little to dissuade him from it, the best he could do was have the green flame tree keep his body healthy.

After the duo reached an agreement, Yang Qing exhaustedly made his way to the nest. Though he would not admit it to the insufferable bird, one of the reasons he was in a hurry to come back was the nest. The whole nest was expertly built to provide the ultimate comfort and rest, something he was always in desperate need of. After a verbal spat with the celestial nesting weaver that proceeded to a short fight, Yang Qing slept officially closing his chapter as a branch chief.