Shi Lan struggled with the decision all night, wondering whether she should steal from Yunpu if he disagreed. In the end, she decided to borrow a portion first, and then share some with him later when she had brewed good wine, as a way to calm his nerves and also as a bribe.
To everyone's surprise, the very next day when Yunpu arrived, he readily opened the barrier and cut a thumb-length piece of Thunder Bamboo from the top branch for her.
Shi Lan looked at him in disbelief, feeling a sense of surprise and delight, as if she had been unexpectedly struck by a windfall.
In contrast, Yunpu's face looked rather pale. Seeing Shi Lan looking so happy he could fly, he found her even more irritating.
"Alright, take this and get out of my sight immediately."
"Yes," Shi Lan was overjoyed and didn't care what he said.
Yunpu had carefully nurtured this bamboo, and she couldn't possibly accept the benefits without being bothered by the bamboo's peculiar behavior.
Upon leaving the garden, Shi Lan immediately went to the lakeside, climbed onto a large rock, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Old Turtle!"
The lake was as calm as still water, and the ripples gradually transformed into a smooth mirror.
Shi Lan looked down at the still lake for a while, a smile playing on her lips. She took out a small section of bamboo and gently swished it across the water.
The lake water suddenly rippled, and in an instant, it was like boiling water, with waves spreading out.
Shi Lan sat back down on the rock, calmly gazing at the water.
Before half a breath had passed, the old turtle floated to the surface. Without waiting for Shi Lan to call out, it slid its four claws across the water at a speed it had never achieved before.
"Quickly, let me see what this is!" Before the words were even finished, the old tortoise had already transformed into a man and grabbed directly at the Thunder Bamboo.
Shi Lan twisted her wrist, hiding the bamboo, and looked at the old tortoise with a smile.
The old tortoise stamped its feet in frustration, spun around twice, and finally resignedly lowered its head, saying, "Tell me, what do you want in order to give me that thing?"
Shi Lan chuckled, "The God King is Drunk."
The old turtle's eyes suddenly widened. "That won't do. Change it."
Shi Lan immediately stopped laughing, jumped off the large rock, and walked away without looking back.
The old tortoise's cultivation is currently stuck at a critical juncture. If its prediction is correct, it will face its tribulation in three years. If this bamboo is indeed as it understands it, then after being refined by it, its chances of surviving the tribulation will be greatly increased.
Don't underestimate this half-point. Under the heavenly tribulation, only one in ten thousand can survive safely. This half-point is much more than that of other minor immortals.
"Hey, don't go!"
Shi Lan stopped in her tracks without turning around, maintaining her composure perfectly.
The old tortoise smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Little Stone, how about this? I have other wine recipes. How about I exchange two other recipes for one?"
Shi Lan turned her head and looked towards the lake.
The old tortoise walked around and whispered in her ear, "To tell you the truth, many of the medicinal herbs in that recipe have become extinct. Even if you have the recipe, you won't be able to brew it."
Shi Lan shook her head again, neither speaking nor making eye contact with him.
Seeing her resolute attitude, the old tortoise sighed softly and said, "Alright, since you insist on this recipe, I can give it to you. But there's one condition I must make clear: after you've seen this recipe, you must burn it immediately and never let it circulate. Can you agree to this?"
Shi Lan rolled her eyes. She had traded things for the wine recipe, so naturally she would keep it for herself. Why would she let it circulate and benefit others?
"Okay, it's a deal."
The old tortoise breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she agreed so readily.
He handed over a piece of leather that was so worn it was almost rotten.
Shi Lan took it and looked at it carefully. She found the names on it extremely difficult to pronounce. She had never heard of these names in the Hundred Herbs Garden before, so she asked, "What are these?"
The old tortoise didn't explain, but simply made another copy, handed it to her, and put away his own precious copy before saying, "These are all the old names. Now that the world has changed, some of these immortal herbs have disappeared, and some have changed their names. It's probably impossible to brew them now."
Shi Lan put away the rubbing, squinted and said, "What? No way, I've been cheated. Give me another one, so I'll have a backup if I can't make it."
The old tortoise looked aggrieved and said indignantly, "How could you do this?"
Shi Lan grabbed the bamboo and shook it threateningly. The old turtle had no choice but to take out another piece of skin and stuff it into Shi Lan's hand. Taking advantage of the moment when she was distracted, it snatched the bamboo and flipped into the water before Shi Lan could react.
Shi Lan looked at the gently rippling water and chuckled softly.
Back in the Hundred Herbs Garden, Yunpu gave her a disgruntled look before lowering his head to continue working.
Shi Lan studied the recipe for the wine, which was written with "Jade Orchid", and thought of the endless magnolia trees by Haoze Cave, as well as the two shoulders that were an eyesore to her. Finally, she smiled.
Seeing her carefree attitude, Yunpu snorted.
Shi Lan slipped to the edge of the vine and waved to him, saying, "Uncle Yun, I've found something good. Do you want to see it?"
Yunpu raised an eyebrow, as if to say no.
Looking up and seeing Shi Lan's mysterious expression, he became very curious.
After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly moved to the side and said with emotion, "What good stuff? You've only recently taken human form, don't get fooled."
Shi Lan chuckled and spread out the leather in her hand for him to see.
Yunpu's eyes widened, staring at her as if she were a monster. "Did the old tortoise give this to you?"
Shi Lan nodded with a smile.
Yunpu's eyes darted around, as if in a dream. "Goodness, this miserly creature is actually willing to give you this?"
Yunpu shook his head, then suddenly woke up. "Wait, you didn't want that bamboo for this, did you?"
Shi Lan smiled without saying a word.
Yunpu immediately became anxious, "I told you you were ignorant, and sure enough, you were fooled in the blink of an eye."
Yunpu said, shaking his skin, "Although this wine recipe is rare, that old tortoise sends over a dozen jars every year. We have a small population here, so even if you drink to your heart's content, it's enough. Why exchange it for that treasure that only grows a fingernail every ten thousand years?"
Shi Lan listened patiently to his admonition, knowing that he genuinely cared for her. However, she didn't want others to know about the God King's drunkenness, so she could only let the old tortoise take the blame.
“Waiting for someone to deliver wine is never as reliable as brewing it yourself. We have such a large magnolia orchard, why would we need someone else to deliver wine to us?” Shi Lan smiled and shook his arm, saying, “Alright, Uncle Yun, don’t be angry. Isn’t this perfect? If you don’t want me in the way, I’ll go pick some petals. A month later, when the wine is ready, you can drink it while teaching me about immortal herbs. That way, I won’t be fooled in the future.”
Uncle Yun glanced at her helplessly, shook his head, stuffed the leather into her hand, and waved his hand, clearly adopting an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind."
Shi Lan smiled slightly, called to the little guy who was happily circling around her, and headed straight for the fragrant magnolia grove.
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