All things possess spirit. Beasts that awaken to cultivation become demons.
This was a general term, not meant as a slight.
Even though Qinghe possessed the body of a flood dragon, in human terms, she was classified as a demon.
Naturally, if you pointed at Qinghe's nose and called her a demon, she wouldn't mind delivering a swift elbow to your face.
Plants that awakened to spirit were essentially the same as beasts, but compared to demons with actual brains, mindless plants needed rather more favorable circumstances to produce anything of note.
Things like spiritual energy nourishment, bathing in moonlight—conditions like these.
Thus, plant cultivators were mostly called "spirits"—it made them sound more precious.
A thousand years or so ago, plant spirits were still rare treasures. Though weak and rather troublesome to raise, their undeniable cuteness and ability to put on an adorable act made them highly sought after.
For a time, there were even plant spirit capture teams.
But then some genius came up with a plant spirit cultivation method, and prices plummeted overnight.
Many cultivators at the time were left questioning reality, wondering if some great heavenly tribulation was approaching—how else could plant spirits exist in such abundance?
By the time the selling price nearly matched the cost of production—with the only profit being the labor—the genius cultivator simply published the cultivation method for all to see.
While opening everyone's eyes, he also made them grind their teeth in frustration.
Fortunately, this genius had solid skills and played no tricks. He didn't spread rumors about needing a plant spirit to survive the heavenly tribulation.
Otherwise, no corner of heaven and earth would have been large enough to contain him.
And so, plant spirits became worthless.
Naturally, no one cultivated them anymore.
After all, you could cultivate whatever you wanted—flower spirits, tree spirits, the full variety.
But raising these flower spirits was tedious work, and they possessed no combat ability. Poisonous ones might have some value, but that same effort could be better spent on one's own cultivation.
The plant spirit craze faded into history as though it had never existed, smoothed over by the passage of time.
Nowadays, most plant spirits were genuinely wild-born.
Compared to cultivated ones, wild plant spirits were thoroughly wary.
If you tried to approach them politely and ask questions, you wouldn't even catch a glimpse of them.
After all, no one would risk their life on curiosity—wondering whether these human cultivators wanted to chat, or were just curious about how they tasted.
Plants were, after all, part of the human diet.
Li Yingling was no naive innocent. She wouldn't go shouting across Wanhua Ridge demanding the flower spirits show themselves.
In situations like this, she would simply execute Li Yingling's Super Plan.
Night fell. At the spot where moonlight gathered most intensely across Wanhua Ridge, Li Yingling placed an artificially created Wood Spirit Crystal.
This was the most effective bait from the plant spirit capture era. No plant spirit could resist a glowing Wood Spirit Crystal.
The crystal sat bathed in moonlight, radiating a pale green glow. The essence of life drifted slowly outward on the breeze.
A fresh night belongs not only to small animals, but also to diligent flower spirits hard at work on their cultivation!
San Dong sensed that everything around her was calm, just like yesterday.
Deep within the densely packed sea of flowers, a pale blue blossom cautiously transformed into a tiny girl no larger than a palm.
Long petals of pale blue hue shifted into a dress.
This was an outfit San Dong had seen a human wear. Among all the flowers, it was love at first sight.
She had worn this dress for countless winters now. Over time, she had seen other humans wearing all manner of different clothing.
But this remained her favorite.
She looked up at the round, full moon, and a satisfied smile spread across her face.
This place had thin spiritual energy and no precious treasures. Relying on spiritual energy alone meant barely scraping by.
If she truly wanted to cultivate and become a powerful flower spirit, she had to treasure every full moon, every night when moonlight descended.
Such nights weren't numerous, and San Dong couldn't absorb moonlight every time it appeared.
After all, good nights were popular with everyone—including the demons that had gained sentience.
San Dong might not necessarily lose to other demons, but she didn't enjoy fighting.
As a plant spirit, San Dong could live for a very long time.
Much longer than those demons.
And unlike San Dong, who remained in one place for years, demons were nomadic. They rarely stayed anywhere for long.
So San Dong would quietly make way, letting those demons absorb the moonlight.
It was the same when she encountered humans watching the moon in the flower fields.
Most often it was a man and a woman. Usually ordinary mortals.
San Dong could easily cast a small spell to frighten them away, but watching them laugh and talk, sharing all sorts of interesting stories...
If she determined it was safe, she would transform back into a flower and listen to their tales from afar.
She listened to them promise to be together forever.
To return to this place every year to watch the moon.
Only a handful ever kept their word.
Few even returned the following year.
San Dong didn't quite understand—were promises so unimportant to humans?
Perhaps because the stories were interesting, or perhaps because San Dong reasoned that humans didn't live very long and enjoyed breaking promises, so they wouldn't take up much of her time.
And so she made way for them as well.
Perhaps... it also had something to do with how terrifying humans could be.
San Dong had one memory that might haunt her forever. It began with a child lost in the flower fields.
The sound of crying echoed through the flower ridges.
The breeze carried the sound far away, but brought no one in return.
San Dong was frightened—worried it might be a trap. But the crying went from loud to hoarse, then dissolved into long, shaky sobs.
Listening to the child's pure, desperate calls for help, San Dong finally transformed and showed the child the way home.
But from that day on, humans began searching for her traces across the flower ridges.
They even set fire to an entire small ridge.
The flames burned for a day and a night.
The surging red fire against the night sky left a deep impression on San Dong. She grieved through many winters afterward.
Had San Dong done something wrong?
She still hadn't figured it out, but she had learned one thing—humans... were terrifying.
They held no reverence for life. They cared only for their objectives.
San Dong never wanted to see another human again. She didn't want to hear their stories anymore.
Tonight the moonlight was at its peak. San Dong concealed her form, weaving between flowers toward the brightest spot.
She stayed alert to everything around her. No demons tonight. No humans either.
The wind carried only the scent of flowers. Everything was peaceful.
San Dong crept forward. Soon her eyes fell upon a Wood Spirit Crystal beneath the moonlight, glowing with pale green radiance.
Her eyes instantly widened.
In all her countless winters, San Dong had never seen such a treasure.
She could practically feel herself drooling.
With this Wood Spirit Crystal emanating such sweet essence, San Dong would surely become a more powerful flower spirit.
She instinctively took a step forward, then immediately stopped.
Her clever mind caught up a moment later.
Would the world really offer such a gift so freely?
She knew these flower ridges intimately. She had never encountered this Wood Spirit Crystal before.
And it just happened to appear exactly where the moonlight was strongest?
San Dong felt a chill run down her back—this had to be a human trap!
But staring at the Wood Spirit Crystal, she thought—what if someone accidentally dropped it?
But then she made her decision—pretend she never saw it, go home and sleep!
If a human dropped it, what if they came looking and found it gone? Would they burn her home again?
Better to pretend she never saw anything!
That way they'd have no excuse to burn her home!
Tonight wasn't a good night. Home and sleep was the safe choice!
San Dong wanted to live for a long, long time.
She spun around and hurried away. But after just two steps, a rich fluctuation of spiritual energy drifted toward her on the breeze.
She stopped again, looking in the direction the wind had come from.
San Dong peered cautiously through the flowers.
There, nestled in the blooms, sat a pale blue stone the size of a human fingernail, glowing softly.
This was... a spirit stone?
San Dong's feet refused to move.
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
{I need to be real with you for a moment. I'm reaching out because I'm in a genuinely tough spot financially right now, and I need your help to keep the stories flowing. Writing these chapters for you is my passion, but circumstances have put me in a position where I desperately need monetary support to continue dedicating time to what we both love—this fic.
Here's what I'm offering if you join my highest tier:
🚀 Instant Gratification: The moment you sign up, you get 30 chapters immediately—no waiting, no delays. Just a massive backlog of content to binge.
📅 Consistent Monthly Rewards: After that, you'll receive 60 fresh chapters every single month—double the story, double the excitement, all for your favorite fic.
But it doesn't stop there. Your support means everything, and I want to repay your generosity with mass releases, bonus chapters, and exclusive content that won't be available anywhere else. The more support I get, the more I can pour back into creating the stories you love.
If you've ever enjoyed this fic, if you've ever stayed up late reading "just one more chapter," if this story has been there for you during hard times—please consider joining. You're not just funding chapters; you're keeping this story alive and helping a creator in dire need.
Join today, get those 30 chapters instantly, and let's keep this journey going together.
Thank you for even considering it. You mean the world to me.}