Chapter 132 (2/2): A Slightly Awkward Gift

Then the Venerable reminded her she had a method of self-healing, given to her in that previous moment of enlightenment.

So Hua Jian searched her memory, and really did find a way.

It just required some imagination…

“Don’t think of yourself as a human. Think of yourself as a plant. If a leaf is damaged, as long as the root isn’t hurt, the leaf can grow back.”

Hua Jian repeated the Venerable’s reminder, lifting her shirt for Linglong and Qilai to see her now fully-healed belly.

She really might not count as a pure human anymore.

Watching green buds grow from the edge of her own wound and gradually knit her body back together—it was quite a psychological shock for Hua Jian.

“I feel like even if my head came off, another would grow from my neck.”

But of course, Hua Jian had no intention of chopping off her own head to test what would happen.

From this experience, she knew that for certain ordinary injuries, she really could ignore them.

“But after my belly grew back, I was so hungry. I had to eat several of those fruits to recover.”

Such a broken, cheat-like ability naturally had a cost. Healing the body consumed a lot. For the stomach wound, she could use her own energy reserves.

But for bigger wounds, she’d need outside sources of energy.

“Being able to do that is already terrifying…” Linglong handed her a freshly-roasted chunk of Spirit Beast Meat.

This kind of regeneration was something only spiritual flowers and grasses could possess.

Even Spirit Beasts couldn’t do it—she could attest to that herself.

“Here, let me show you another skill.” Hua Jian opened her mouth wide.

She hadn’t had a chance to try this, as she’d eaten nothing but strange things for days.

Now was the perfect chance to let Linglong and Shiqi share in her misery.

Vines slithered from her mouth, each tipped with a tiny maw lined with sharp teeth. In no time, they shredded the meat into bits and gulped it down.

Once the meat was gone, the vines vanished back inside, as if nothing had happened.

“Ugh, that’s creepy,” Shiqi hugged her arms and whispered.

Hua Jian looked like a monster from a story. Who ate like that?

But only Shiqi reacted so strongly—Linglong wasn’t surprised.

After Hua Jian learned to summon flexible vines, Linglong had imagined something like this. Now it was just confirmation.

“Is that a special Spirit Technique?” She looked at Hua Jian seriously.

Seeing that Linglong wasn’t scared, Hua Jian deflated, flopping onto her back and muttering, “It’s actually useless.”

She could grow vines out of her mouth to eat, but why not just bite down herself? Was her mouth too big?

If it wasn’t nearby, swinging the vines like whips was more effective.

That ability was only good for scaring girls who’d never seen the world—useless otherwise.

Most of the skills the Venerable had taught her had this kind of gimmick. Hua Jian rarely needed them.

She certainly wouldn’t risk taking a hit just for a counterattack—dodging was better whenever possible. Taking a hit and retaliating was a last resort.

“Feels like the Venerable buried a nail in my heart, so I know I can do things others can’t.” Hua Jian clenched her fists, muttering.

“Compared to those skills, opening up my mind is the real treasure.”

……

“She’s very clever.”

“Anyone with eyes can see that. If not, do you think I’d value her so highly?”

The two Venerables stood side by side in the heart of Huahai, their reflections and those of the three girls shimmering in a mirror-like pool at their feet.

They’d been watching from afar all along, just remaining silent.

“It’s not just me. Lingcai of the Wanling Sect is also quite fond of Hua Jian, and Hua Jian likes her too,” Fenghua Venerable reported another name, tinged with envy.

Her biggest rival now was the Lingcaifeng Master, and truth be told, she had little advantage over her.

Seeing Fenghua Venerable’s dismayed expression, Bai Hua Zun Zhe gave a soft laugh.

She herself had no obsession with taking Hua Jian as a disciple, and simply enjoyed the spectacle of Fenghua Venerable’s worries.

Once she had finished teaching Hua Jian what she should, she wouldn’t keep her here. The child would have to find her own path.

“Good luck, then. She learns quickly—maybe she’ll be done in less than half a month.”

“I can tell. What you’re teaching her isn’t much use for us,” Fenghua Venerable sniffed, taking a jab at the techniques Bai Hua Zun Zhe had taught.

Bai Hua Zun Zhe kept her hands in her sleeves and ignored the provocation.

Let this one keep hoping, even if it’s in vain. When Hua Jian was snatched by the Lingcaifeng Master, she wouldn’t be the one left crying.

“Aren’t you going to give her something as a parting gift, as her kin?”

When Bai Hua Zun Zhe kept up her unconcerned air, Fenghua Venerable could only bring up another topic.

At this, Bai Hua Zun Zhe glanced sidelong at her, as if asking if she really thought she was that stingy.

Even just letting a few things slip through her fingers would be enough to stuff Hua Jian full.

With a flick of her hand, a few vines poked up from the soil, holding several Storage Pouches.

Bai Hua Zun Zhe hooked her finger, and the Storage Pouches floated over into her hand.

“These are for Hua Jian. I won’t show you the ones for Qilai,” she said, lifting the spiritual seal on the pouches and tossing them to Fenghua Venerable.

Fenghua Venerable glanced through the pouches, and her expression quickly turned odd.

Not because the gifts were poor—if anything, they were too good. Most were far beyond what Hua Jian could use at her current level.

“You should give her things she can actually use right now. These rare items won’t be of any use yet… Hold on, why are there so many Spirit Tools here? Did you rob an entire Spirit Tool shop?”

One Storage Pouch was filled to the brim with Spirit Tools, mostly Lingshi-level, with a few carrying the aura of the Ling Wang Realm.

It wasn’t strange for Bai Hua Zun Zhe to have Spirit Tools, but having so many low-grade ones was suspicious.

Where did she get them all?

“Wait, these Storage Pouches are made with outside techniques. You didn’t…” After a moment, Fenghua Venerable finally thought of a possibility.

One that explained everything.

Not long ago, many cultivators had died here in Huahai—their bodies buried deep as fertilizer.

And their belongings, like Storage Pouches?

Could someone have gathered them all up and consolidated them?

“So what? They died here. Can’t I freely dispose of what they left?”

Bai Hua Zun Zhe didn’t deny that her gifts were the belongings of the dead.

If someone died in her domain, their things were naturally hers.

What was the problem with her giving them away?

“What I’ve personally prepared for her is in this pouch.”

“Oh, then I’d like to see what treasures you’ve got for her.”

……

What Bai Hua Zun Zhe had personally prepared for Hua Jian was not material wealth, but a few close-fitting pieces of equipment.

When Hua Jian opened the Storage Pouch to look, her eyes widened in shock. What the heck—so the Venerable was into bodysuits? And they were pure white at that…

Was this really a gift, not some kind of instrument of restraint?

She pulled one out, stretching it in front of her. The suit was very elastic and completely opaque—a true sense of security.

That eased her heart a bit.

Then Bai Hua Zun Zhe explained, clarifying some of Hua Jian’s confusion—why she’d chosen such an odd-looking gift.

“This garment is made from my own branches and petals. Wear it and you’ll be protected from many harms,” she said softly.

“Take it. With this, even a Ling Emperor might not be able to hurt you,” added Fenghua Venerable, who had been waiting nearby.

A few days ago, she had warned Bai Hua Zun Zhe that this sort of clothing might not be acceptable among humans, but Bai Hua Zun Zhe insisted that the closer-fitting, the better for protection.

Who knew where she’d even gotten the idea for this style of clothing.

“But if I wear it, won’t I be unable to use my vines?” Hua Jian asked weakly.

She used her body’s vines as a regular means of attack. If she wore such a seamless suit, it would cripple her main combat style.

She doubted her own vines could even pierce this garment that could block a Ling Emperor’s attacks.

“You can try it,” Bai Hua Zun Zhe’s lips curved slightly. “It’s more flexible than you think.”

She walked over and had Hua Jian establish a spiritual bond with the suit, which could essentially be considered a Spirit Tool.

Then Hua Jian understood why she said that. She didn’t even have to struggle to put it on—the suit could wrap her body like a movie’s nanotech armor.

Her regular clothing wasn’t affected; to outsiders, it just looked like she was wearing white gloves, nothing more.

When she summoned her vines, the suit would automatically create a path for them.

Since both were controlled by her soul, there’d never be a conflict between the garment and her abilities.

“It’s really comfortable…” Wearing it, Hua Jian felt a real sense of security. Knowing it could even resist a Ling Emperor’s attack made her more willing to accept it.

Curious, Linglong came over and pinched the white “skin” of Hua Jian’s arm.

It was a thin layer of silk, but no matter how hard she pulled, it was as tough as iron and wouldn’t tear.

When she let go, the silk returned to normal, showing no sign of ever being touched.

“If you want to take it off, do this.” The Venerable taught Hua Jian how to remove the suit.

Taking it off didn’t mean the suit left her body completely. Instead, it became a flower-shaped choker around her neck.

It was easy to take off, but the Venerable suggested she always wear it for best protection.

Touching the choker, the Spirit Garment could be instantly deployed—one second and it was on.

Faced with such powerful practicality, Hua Jian’s sense of shame retreated. She had to take such a useful treasure!

It was super amazing, super useful!

What was shame, could you eat it?

Besides, the suit was completely opaque and conservative. Thank you.

Hua Jian convinced herself.

The Spirit Garments were Bai Hua Zun Zhe’s main gifts for Hua Jian. Shiqi got something similar.

Perhaps thinking white didn’t suit Shiqi, the Venerable gave her black gloves instead.

These could also transform into a bodysuit, or simply be worn as gloves—or as wristbands if she didn’t want to wear gloves.

As for the other miscellaneous items, the Venerable couldn’t be bothered to introduce them one by one and simply handed them over for the girls to explore.

The three would be leaving in the morning, and there was plenty of time before noon for them to sort through their spoils.

Hugging several Storage Pouches, Hua Jian felt like she was in paradise.

Returning to the little nest she’d set up these days, she began to sort through the pouches one by one, and the happiness hit a new peak.

Wow, so many spiritual materials, so many Spirit Tools, so many Spirit Stones!

Even if the three of them split everything evenly, it would be more than enough for all of them to rise up in wealth!

“Don’t laugh like that, calm down,” Linglong hurriedly cupped Hua Jian’s face, reminding her to keep her composure.

“I’m trying to control myself! And look at Shiqi—she’s even worse,” Hua Jian, face squished by Linglong, pointed to Shiqi.

Hua Jian had at least seen the world a little—she was surprised by this windfall, but kept up some dignity.

Shiqi, on the other hand, had never seen so much in her life. Having all these treasures dumped in front of her made her think she was dreaming.

She pinched her thigh after every glance at a Storage Pouch, using pain to check if she was awake.

“These… these are really ours?” she gulped, staring at Hua Jian and Linglong.

She would rather hear a denial than believe this was real.

“You two calm down. The Spirit Garments the Venerable gave you are worth more than all this put together—why weren’t you like this earlier?”

Linglong sighed, bonking each little money-grubber on the head.

Couldn’t they be a little more like her? Stay calm!