Purple Xuan Grass

The next morning, Lin Zhiyue was awakened by the residual warmth of the campfire.

When she opened her eyes, the sky had just fully brightened. The sky of the secret realm was tinged with a soft, pale blue, and the dewdrops on the meadow sparkled like crushed diamonds in the morning light.

The surrounding disciples had already begun to wake up one after another. Some were packing their gear, others were sharing dry rations, and Chu Zhixun was squatting by the stream washing his face, splashing water until he was half-soaked.

Lin Zhiyue sat up and stretched her neck and shoulders. Just as she was about to take a sip of water and continue exploring today's area, the system screen suddenly popped up. This time, the notification was a bit different from usual.

【Environment Detection: The host is currently located in the core vegetation area of the "Luoshuang Secret Realm." The "Forest Spirit's Verses" set is highly compatible with the current environment. The hidden piece "Golden Cascade, Entwined Flowers" has triggered a special draw privilege—in a wood-affinity environment, the drop rate for this piece is significantly increased. Draw now?】

Lin Zhiyue screwed the cap back onto her water canteen, staring at the lines of text in a brief daze.

She remembered the hidden piece of the Forest Spirit's Verses. In the preview image, "Golden Cascade, Entwined Flowers" was a set of long golden hair adorned with tiny flower buds and vines. It was a hidden hairstyle of the same tier as the "Snowy Cascade, Drifting Clouds" she had drawn before.

When she had previously gathered all the regular pieces of the Forest Spirit's Verses, she had not unlocked the hidden piece qualification, leading her to believe this set did not have one. She had not expected it to be locked behind an environmental trigger.

“Draw,” she said, swallowing the dry rations in her mouth without hesitation.

Six cards stacked together immediately appeared on the light screen, flipping over one by one.

The first card—duplicate regular piece, converted to points.

The second card—another duplicate.

Lin Zhiyue watched the screen without a change in expression. When the third card flipped open, a ball of pale golden light welled up from the center of the screen, like melted spring sunlight spun into threads. Strands cascaded down one by one, gathering into a flowing mass of golden hair in her palms.

The hair was warmer than the silvery-white of "Snowy Cascade, Drifting Clouds," with a very faint, honey-colored luster floating over its golden base. Tiny flower buds and tender green vines were woven throughout the locks, the vines winding down along the flow of the hair, while the buds were tightly closed as if they could blossom at any moment.

It felt warm and soft to the touch. Holding the entire mass of hair in her palms felt like clutching a handful of sunlight.

【Congratulations on obtaining: Forest Spirit's Verses - Golden Cascade, Entwined Flowers. Quality: Purple. Effect: Significantly increases wood affinity. Once equipped, the wearer's perception when communicating with spiritual plants and harvesting spiritual herbs is enhanced, spiritual energy affinity is increased, and the hostility of surrounding plant-type creatures toward the wearer is significantly reduced.】

Lin Zhiyue held the golden hair in the morning light, staring at it for a good while as a smile slowly curved her lips.

Her previous fondness for the Forest Spirit's Verses set had been entirely based on the wings and the bow. Now that she had this hidden hairstyle, the overall utility of the entire set had been elevated considerably.

Wood affinity sounded rather academic, but when it came to gathering herbs and hunting for treasures in a secret realm, it was easily the most practical ability.

She stored the Golden Cascade, Entwined Flowers into her system space, clapped her hands, and stood up, deciding to wear this set today.

She put on the regular pieces of the Forest Spirit's Verses—the light green vine-patterned dress, the woven gauze coat, the wings, the bow, the tiara, the bracelet, the necklace, the shoes, and the socks.

The moment the last strand of the Golden Cascade, Entwined Flowers draped over her hair, she felt the surrounding air shift slightly. It was as if the surrounding vegetation had come to life, silently greeting her.

Lin Zhiyue tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, the flower buds trembling slightly in the sunlight. She then turned and walked toward the depths of the meadow. Her steps were light and brisk, and as her boots brushed through the grass, the blades seemed to part automatically to clear a path for her.

The deeper Lin Zhiyue walked into the meadow, the friendlier the vegetation became.

The low spiritual grasses and shrubs around her swayed as if brushed by an invisible breeze, their leaf tips tilting slightly in her direction. A few flowering plants even trembled their petals gently as she passed, as though saying hello.

She walked for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Her ears were filled with nothing but the rustling of wind through the leaves and the chirping of unfamiliar insects, quiet and vast.

Then, she heard crying.

The sound was very faint, nearly indistinguishable from the wind. It was intermittent, sounding like someone sobbing with a muffled throat, or like some creature trying its best to suppress its grief but failing to keep a sliver of it from leaking out.

Lin Zhiyue paused and listened closely for a moment to pinpoint the direction. She parted a half-man-tall shrub and walked over.

Behind the shrub was a small rock face covered in moss. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy above, casting dappled shadows across the stone.

Nestled in the moss at the base of the rock face was a spiritual herb glowing with a pale purple luster. Its leaves were long and slender, edged with a ring of very faint, silvery-white fuzz. The entire plant was about a palm tall, but its stem was thick and sturdy, exuding a heavy sense of age.

It was trembling slightly, with dewdrops rolling off its leaves one after another. It was clearly crying.

Lin Zhiyue squatted down in front of the rock face, softening her voice. “What's wrong? Why are you crying?”

The Purple Xuan Grass shuddered violently, its leaves snapping shut as if startled. Only after several breaths did it slowly and tentatively unfurl its topmost leaf, turning slightly toward Lin Zhiyue as if "looking" at her.

Lin Zhiyue quickly apologized. “I'm sorry, did I startle you? I only came over because I heard crying. I don't mean any harm.”

The leaves of the Purple Xuan Grass trembled slightly, and a few more unfurled. After a moment, a voice so soft it was almost inaudible drifted from between the leaves, childish and accompanied by a sniffling tone: “Are... are you a fairy?”

Lin Zhiyue blinked, looking down at the Forest Spirit's Verses set she was wearing—the light green vine-patterned dress, the woven gauze coat, the translucent wings folded slightly behind her shoulders, and the flower buds in her hair shimmering with tiny specks of light.

Squatting before a blade of grass like this, she indeed did not look much like a mortal.

“I am not a fairy,” she answered honestly. “I am a disciple of Tiance Palace.”

The Purple Xuan Grass fell silent for a moment, its leaves drooping slightly as disappointment practically overflowed from it.

It sniffled twice more, its voice growing even smaller. “Then... then you won't be able to help me either. My elder sister has gone missing. It's been several days, and I can't find her.”

Lin Zhiyue shifted into a more stable squat. “Who is your sister?”

“My sister is also a Purple Xuan Grass, and she is two thousand years old,” the little fellow said with a sob in its voice. “She is the oldest spiritual plant in the entire secret realm. She knows everything. Ever since I was a hundred years old, she taught me how to navigate, read the weather, and avoid the people who come to harvest herbs.

But half a month ago, she suddenly vanished. I've searched everywhere nearby, but I can't find her. She wouldn't leave me behind. She said I had to reach five hundred years old before I could live on my own...”

Listening to the little grass's tearful explanation, Lin Zhiyue's brow slowly furrowed. Half a month ago.