Chapter 26: Success

Although she had said she would give it a try, the sight of the overgrown courtyard filled with weeds still made her scalp tingle with anxiety. She formed the hand seals and cast a spell, intending to wither the weeds away, but the effect was far from ideal; it only worked on a few dozen stalks, and even then, the weeds weren’t truly dead.

What’s more, that small spell had already depleted nearly a tenth of her spiritual energy. If her true form were present, perhaps after days of exhausting labor she could barely manage to clear them. But as only her spirit, relying solely on magic was clearly impossible.

Without turning her head, Liu Ping asked, “When did it become like this?”

Meng Shang replied, “About thirty days ago. At first there were only a few dozen wild stalks growing wildly. I removed them one by one, but later, they kept multiplying until eventually, they became what you see now. I tried to keep pulling them out, but their growth was simply too fast, and in the end, the whole courtyard was overtaken.”

Liu Ping touched the soil and said, “You should have removed them together with their roots and the surrounding soil back then. That’s where the mistake occurred.”

“I think so too…” Meng Shang said with a bitter expression, “But now it’s become like this. What should I do?”

Liu Ping pondered, “There is a way, but it’s a bit troublesome.”

Meng Shang quickly said, “Meng Shang isn’t afraid of trouble. I’m willing to do anything, as long as sir can help me get rid of these weeds.”

Seeing the pitiful and pleading look in Meng Shang’s eyes, Liu Ping’s heart stirred. He silently cursed her as a bewitching beauty and hurriedly recited a calming mantra, then continued, “Not only that… my method is rather risky, so I can’t guarantee success. I’ll tell you, and you can decide.”

“What is it?” Meng Shang asked.

Liu Ping answered, “We’ll use poison to kill all the weeds.”

“Poison?” Meng Shang exclaimed, frowning, “But won’t the poison kill my flowers as well?”

Liu Ping squatted down, pulled out a few stalks, and looked at them carefully. “The flowers here are monocotyledonous, while the weeds are all dicotyledonous. If we adjust the concentration of the poison, we can kill the dicotyledonous weeds without harming the monocotyledonous flowers.”

Meng Shang listened in confusion and said, a bit aggrieved, “I don’t understand, sir. Can’t you explain it more clearly?”

“Why are you so dense?”

“I’m sorry…”

“All right, don’t apologize. I was joking.” Liu Ping brought over the weeds and a nearly wilted flower, explaining, “Dicotyledons are plants whose seeds have two cotyledons, while monocotyledons have only one. There are many differences, not just in the seeds…”

After a rough explanation, Meng Shang finally understood and exclaimed, “So many details! I never knew any of this before. Sir, you’re so clever—there’s really such a difference!”

In this immortal world, as long as one’s spiritual power is deep enough, countless things beyond the scope of science can be accomplished, so scientific research has stagnated somewhat. Liu Ping nodded, “Dicotyledonous plants are more sensitive than monocotyledons, and most weeds are dicots. So, if we exploit this trait, we can solve the problem.”

“Wonderful!” Meng Shang was so delighted she nearly jumped for joy, holding Liu Ping’s hand and thanking him excitedly, “Thank you, sir, thank you!”

Her soft, delicate hands were clasped in his palm, feeling gentle and smooth. Liu Ping instinctively returned the grip and said, “There’s more. Even if we use this trait to get rid of the weeds, there’s a serious issue—the poison may cause irreversible harm to your soil, affecting future flower growth.”

Feeling her hand tightly held, Meng Shang subconsciously tried to withdraw, but her movement was so slight that she couldn’t pull away. Her charming face flushed, her eyes flickering, and she scarcely heard Liu Ping’s words.

Seeing Meng Shang’s distracted, shy expression, Liu Ping realized his own impropriety, but he was reluctant to let go. He softly called, “Are you listening?”

“Hmm?” Meng Shang finally came to herself, lowering her gaze, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “Sorry, sir… I didn’t catch what you were saying just now.”

“I said, the poison may cause irreparable damage to the soil…” Liu Ping repeated.

“What?” Meng Shang cried in alarm, “Does that mean I won’t be able to grow flowers here anymore?”

Liu Ping considered, “It’s not that severe, but there will be a negative impact…”

Meng Shang said, “As long as it’s not too serious, I can manage. Please help me remove the weeds, sir…”

“So you’re willing to go ahead with this plan?”

“Other than your method, I have no other way. It must be done…”

Hearing this, Liu Ping reluctantly released her hand, the lingering sensation making his heart ripple. Suddenly jolted, he shook his head, banishing all such stray thoughts.

His spirit roamed out of his body; all feelings were magnified, and it was difficult to remain composed, hence the impulsiveness. Fortunately, he could barely keep himself in check.

The next step was to prepare the “herbicide”—the troublesome part Liu Ping had mentioned. After a day of effort, he finally found a substitute.

Night fell. After a busy spell, it was nearly midnight.

Liu Ping entered Meng Shang’s fragrant chamber; she still hadn’t rested, watching him intently as he mixed the herbicide.

Meng Shang leaned on her hands, chin propped, watching Liu Ping with rapt attention. Seeing his serious expression, her heart filled with gratitude.

This was the first time someone had helped her so wholeheartedly, and the first time a living, breathing youth was before her.

At first, he’d seemed fierce and intimidating, but later, he felt warm and reliable.

Thinking of this, she blushed. Oh, what am I thinking? Now isn’t the time for such thoughts.

But…

The feeling is wonderful.

Someone stands behind her, ready to be relied upon.

Lost in thought, she recalled how Liu Ping had tightly held her hands during the day.

That feeling was odd; in fact, it was the first time a man had ever held her hand.

Her heart fluttered, her gaze grew languid, and she looked at Liu Ping with dreamy eyes.

Her gauzy attire could not hide her graceful form; swathes of skin gleamed like white jade, radiating perfection. Even her undershirt couldn’t conceal her curves or the delicate collarbones, and her bare feet, extended and overlapping, were enchanting.

Her exquisite face wore a sweet smile—a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.

Candlelight flickered nearby, its gentle glow caressing her, accentuating her allure; any man would feel primal desire stir.

This was the visage of a celestial maiden, with a hint of ethereal grace amidst her charm, making her enchanting but not wanton. In fact, Meng Shang’s beauty ranked among the finest under the Flower Fairy, and was not inferior to the fairy herself; no wonder the celestial maidens secretly envied her and did not wish to help.

But Liu Ping was oblivious to this scene, focused intently on mixing the homemade herbicide.

After another hour, it was finally ready.

Yet, smelling the herbicide’s sweet fragrance, Liu Ping was somewhat frustrated. Though homemade, it smelled more like perfume than any herbicide—could it really work?

Best to try it first.

Seeing Liu Ping succeed, Meng Shang regained her composure, silently berating herself for not being more reserved—she mustn’t let Liu Ping think her too forward and grow disgusted. All those stories say upright gentlemen prefer dignified, proper women.

She tested it on a weed and a flower, anxiously awaiting the result…

Half an hour later, the weed withered while the flower remained healthy.

“It worked!” Liu Ping couldn’t help but laugh with pride, overjoyed: I really am a genius! Ha ha ha!

Meng Shang was delighted by the result, expressing her gratitude, “It really worked! Thank you, sir, thank you!”

Liu Ping said, “Now we just need to distribute the poison evenly throughout the courtyard.”

Meng Shang smiled, “Let me handle this small task. You’ve worked so hard, sir; please rest.” She brought him a cup of flower tea.

Liu Ping accepted it, his hand brushing hers.

Their eyes met; Liu Ping’s heart stirred, and Meng Shang’s blush crept up behind her ears as she hurried away.

Using the Water Command spell, she evenly sprayed the herbicide. Within half an hour, swathes of weeds withered away. Soon, as dawn broke in the east, all weeds had died, while the flowers remained vibrant.

With the outcome clear, Meng Shang finally relaxed. She used the Gentle Rain spell, and the flowers revived, gradually radiating vitality.

“Wonderful, wonderful. As long as I tend the soil, all will be well…” Meng Shang murmured joyfully, returning to her room—only to find Liu Ping asleep, slumped over the desk.

After a day and night of toil, exhaustion had claimed him. With the task completed, he could no longer resist and had fallen asleep.

Step by step, she approached, as if a thief, staring nervously at Liu Ping’s face. Her heart thumped wildly, lips parted, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, then recoiled as if struck by lightning.

Covering her mouth, face ablaze, she chastised herself for her shamelessness—what had she just done!

Yet amid her self-reproach, joy and excitement bubbled within. She really had kissed him… it felt wonderful, even though it was stolen…

“It’s not good to sleep here,” Meng Shang murmured, casting a spell to gently move Liu Ping onto her bed. Without further thought, she slipped off her gauzy robe and climbed onto the bed herself…