Three days had passed since the first leaf had sprouted from the bloodroot and I found each passing day agonizingly slow. I’d spent some more time reading even more into the bloodroot and how the little plant spirit worked, but even on the second floor of the library, there was surprisingly little information to be found on it.

The plant had grown into a bulb poking from the ground like a little blob of green and red. From what I’d read, it’d blossom into a flower, taking the form of its desire based on my own blood. The mental image I had right now was of a miniature root man looking just like me and running around speaking its name.

I chuckled at the thought, and Labby squeaked in reply. It’d been a while since Labby had stayed with me and she was being excessively clingy, refusing to stay away from me for even a while, and I ended up indulging her anyway. Heavens know I’d missed her too. I wondered if this was what parents felt like when they sent their kids to school.

I also felt curious about what Labby was getting up to with Yan Yun, but since she’d not broached the topic with me at all, I’d just awkwardly decided to do the same for now. As long as she didn’t hurt herself in the process, I was mostly fine with it, even if I felt a bit sad to not have Labby squeaking about it to me excitedly.

Leaving the thoughts aside, I headed towards the central halls of the sect. There was very little time till the start of the tournament and I could already see people running around making preparations. Multiple wards and formations had been set in place with access restricted to them as work was done in preparation. I was extremely curious about how they planned to prepare an arena for the fighting, but even more so, how they planned to prepare or track people in the spirit herb hunt at all.

I took my eyes off the distant fields, and turned towards the building in front of me. It was time to register for the hunt. I walked towards the entrance of the hall, pausing a step outside the entrance. Would I meet Elder Feng here as well? He’d been the one I’d registered Labby with, and he’d been in the library as well. In fact, he’d been around behind most of the desks in here, so it wasn’t a stretch to think that he’d be here as well. But if I did meet him, what would I say? Ask him why he gave me the bloodroot? Ask him what he knew?

“Labby thinks Master should wait for the Elder to talk to him. If the Elder would like to talk, wouldn’t he go to Master on his own?”

I nodded along with Labby’s words, when I realized something. That had been Labby? That was… surprisingly mature and wise for Labby.

“Rude!” Labby exclaimed back, thumping her feet.

“You sensed my thoughts?” I asked, bewildered. I hadn’t shared those thoughts with Labby.

“Labby sensed the intention behind them. Sort of. Labby is growing up too!” the little rat exclaimed and I ended up laughing. That was a lot more in line with the Labby I knew.

“Yes, you are. Perhaps a bit too fast if anything,” I said, petting her head as she crackled with lightning. I sensed at Labby’s core and noticed the increased lunar Qi in her core. Perhaps the lunar Qi was changing her behavior or perhaps she truly was growing up. I really needed to look up how quickly spirit rats matured mentally. She was still very much a kid, but with the recent changes in her demeanor, and the mystical nature of a rat talking and thinking at all, perhaps there was more to their age than just their physical age.

Someone walked past me, brushing my shoulders and I realized that I’d been standing outside the sect hall, staring blankly at the air. A bit embarrassed, I walked in, looking around to find where they were noting people down for the participation in the tournament.

A quick glance later, I found the person in question. Walking closer, I dipped my head to the person, slightly surprised that it wasn’t the Elder, but I suppose they wouldn’t have an elder doing a trivial task like this.

“Name?” the man behind the counter asked.

“Lu Jie. I’d like to join the spirit herb hunt,” I said, and the man nodded, writing my name down.

“Any spirits?” he asked, and I held back a grin.

I’d found a very delightful thing as I’d been looking for information against taking spirits in the herb hunt. There was no rule against bringing spirits of a higher realm with you as bonding with one was still considered a measure of your own worth.

“Two- no, three spirits,” I said, realizing that I’d likely have to take the new bloodroot as well with me. Unless it was content to stay in its pot, but seeing how I’d been feeding it my blood, I really doubted that would be the case.

“Very well, send your Qi through the jade slip,” the man said, extending a little piece of jade towards me. I grabbed it, sending my Qi in as a few characters lit up on it. The man nodded, taking the slip back from me. “Your name has been registered. In five days, there will be a selection round for the tournament, you’re expected to arrive there at sunrise,” the man said, continuing to write through his sheets of paper. I nodded, holding back a grimace. Of course there was some stupid participation round.

Struggling not to sigh, I turned around, and headed towards the library. I’d have to prepare for the trial round, although I suspected that having Sheldon by my side was going to be enough for most scenarios. As long as he didn’t accidentally injure someone too badly.

I picked my way towards the library, heading in as I took out my library slip. I’d been holding on to it more often than Liuxiang had, and I’d felt bad about doing so. I’d have to find some way to repay him one of these days.

A chill touched my spine as I entered the library and Labby’s ears perked up as a familiar chime sounded out near my ears.

“Ah, if it isn’t our most curious disciple, alongside his spirit,” the moon spirit whispered, floating out in front of me as she shimmered with a faint white light.

I dipped my head respectfully. “It’s good to see you as well, spirit Xian.”

The spirit nodded at my words and I raised my head, glancing around. “Is the Elder not here?” I asked curiously. This had to be the first time I’d ever seen this place empty with just the spirit around.

“There have been tasks pulling him away from his regular duty. If you have any need, I will be here for them,” the spirit said, her voice wispy as she looked at me silently. I sensed an odd linger to her gaze that hadn’t been there before.

“No, forgive me, just some curiosity,” I said, as the spirit nodded, stepping away and vanishing into thin air. I stood around for a moment longer, before shrugging as I headed further in. As Labby had said, if the elder wanted to talk to me, then he’d approach me on his own. If not, then I had little reason to be concerned. If they’d found the Gu in one of my cores I doubt things would’ve been this calm. And if somehow I’ve been found out but they still don’t do anything… Well, in either scenario, there was little I could do.

I walked up to the second floor, going through the now familiar rows of books as I picked up the ones on herbs that mentioned the blood root. A very neat thing I’d learned of was divination arts that could be used to find the location of the book with the needed information. If there was anything I ever planned to learn it was that art.

The only thing holding me back was that if Qi as a whole was filled with mystical bullshit, then divination arts were mystic bullshit personified. Even just a brief look at the details regarding divinations had me confused at the many contradictions present everywhere.

Nevertheless, I’d still picked up a couple books to study and look further into them. It would be a lifesaver to be able to pick out pieces of information as I wished to, and information filtering with Qi seemed to be precisely what divination magic was all about. Something that sounded just like my thing.

I picked an area to sit and began to make my way through the thick books. I’d long since grown used to the odd way some of these books weighed. An extremely thick book can be quite light and not weigh anything at all, while the thin bundle of notes could weigh like a boulder. There wasn’t anything too heavy in here, which made sense as it was the outer sect but I still couldn’t help but wonder why the Qi giving weight to words was taken so literally.

I flipped through my books on herbs, as Labby chirped and chittered, running around briefly for a while. I noted the spirit talking to her here and there as she explored the second floor before returning to my dantian soon and falling asleep.

The hours passed by as I continued to read, the familiar daze of pleasantly going through text soaking me in.

“The lunar blossom was commendable,” the spirit’s voice spoke in my ears, almost making me jump as I snapped out of my gaze to turn around. The moon spirit lingered behind me, her face covered with a white thin cloth as usual, but somehow, this time, I could tell that her eyes were directly on me.

“Ah, well. It was at least partly a fluke,” I replied, unsure of how to talk about the lunar blossom.

“Humble. Or perhaps unaware? There are few in this world who can heal what you have healed, in your realm certainly so. Does the disciple not see his own merits?”

I stared at the spirit for a moment. “Well, I do. But there are limits to it like everything, and a lot of the details escape me right now. How the spirit roots work, how the lunar Qi plays a part, so many things I don’t understand. It would be odd to become arrogant over just this,” I replied and the spirit glided around me.

“What an odd one you are, just like your sleeping spirit I suppose,” the spirit said, her Qi pulsing outwards for a brief moment and I felt as if a hand had rested upon my head. “It had started as mere curiosity, but now, even my sisters agree upon your strange demeanor. Know that if you ever wish for help, I would be willing to provide it.”

I dipped my head gratefully, when something I’d read in the divination book came to me. “Isn’t there a karmic burden on each favor received without something returned?”

The spirit’s lips curved upwards in a sly smile, her lips peeking through behind her veil. “Indeed. And your ties are already bound to mine,” the spirit whispered, and I was reminded that who I was talking to was not human in any way whatsoever, even if she looked the part.

“You should head on now. I sense a child awaiting your return,” the spirit said and I frowned.

A strange sensation tugged at me, thin, weak and attached to a tiny strand of Qi. The sensation grew, and I felt Thirst touch upon my mind. With my eyes wide, I got up, hurriedly grabbing the books and placing them where they belonged as I rushed back to my room.

My heart thundered with excitement, so much so that even Labby woke up from the disturbance. I quickly made my way back, bursting into my chamber as I stared at the little box containing the bloodroot.

Walking closer, I crouched down, opening the lid as I saw the little bulb pulsating with deep and rich vitality, glowing with golden Qi. The green buds soon began to open, one leaf at a time. Even Sheldon walked closer to take a look at the birth of the new spirit.

Tiny green hands peeked out of the petals, like a chick hatching from its egg, the hands pulled the leaves apart, stumbling out. I rushed out and caught the little green spirit as it sat, two beady red eyes looking at me with a deep white and purple flower set atop its head.

A little girl, small enough to fit in my palm with a flower atop her head, sat there, before turning towards me as something flashed in her eyes. Qi flared as the bond between us formed and words escaped my mouth before I’d realized it.

“Twilight. You’re going to be Twilight,” I muttered out loud and the little spirit's face split into a smile as it rolled on my hand and then bit my finger drawing blood as it exclaimed.

“Chii~!”