[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult":3,"chapter-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-48":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Don't Mock the Poor Old Man: Gains a Year of Cultivation Every Day!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312540,4520,"Chapter 48","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-48",48,"\u003Cp>“Senior Elder Gongsun, then I’ll take Senior Jiang back to Tianyangfeng first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exchanging a few polite words with Gongsun Hong, Wen Yueyao directly led Jiang Ye out of the Office Hall and headed toward Tianyangfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About a stick of incense later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the two stepped onto Tianyangfeng, a warm breeze brushed against their faces; the peak’s temperature was noticeably higher than the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye looked up and saw rows of cauldrons of varying sizes arranged neatly across the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those cauldrons were cast in bronze or fired in red clay, all burning with roaring flames whose flickering light danced under the afternoon sun, turning the entire slope a deep crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several young disciples sat cross-legged beside the cauldrons, eyes closed, meditating, sweat beading on their faces yet utterly unaware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Elder Wen, why are there so many cauldrons on Tianyangfeng, and why are they all burning so fiercely?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of confusion passed through Jiang Ye’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao followed his gaze and smiled faintly, her voice clear and crisp: “Senior Jiang, Tianyangfeng specializes in fire-element true qi. Those cauldrons help disciples cultivate their true qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absorbing fire energy from these cauldrons to nurture true qi...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A look of sudden understanding crossed Jiang Ye’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed reaching the Golden Core realm was more profound than he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the entrance of a herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A simple wooden hut stood at the entrance, beside which stood a stone tablet half a person’s height, inscribed with the characters “Tianyangfeng Herb Garden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Senior Qin here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao called softly toward the hut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had she spoken than the hut’s door creaked open, and a figure staggered out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a middle-aged man clad in the long robe of a Tianqing Sect Elder, his face unnaturally flushed, his body radiating a faint heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steps were unsteady; before he even stood firm, a strong stench of alcohol washed over them, making one’s nose wrinkle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squinted, recognized them, and burst into laughter: “Oh! It’s Senior Wen back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strode forward, clapped Wen Yueyao on the shoulder, beaming: “I heard you took down Black Fifth in Anxi County! Good! Excellent! Better than Zheng Feng—that brat fought Bai Third for ages and still let him escape. Embarrassing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao frowned slightly, instinctively stepping aside to avoid the reeking alcohol, but held her tongue, speaking softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Qin flatters me. We succeeded in eliminating Black Fifth only thanks to Senior Jiang’s assistance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped aside to reveal Jiang Ye behind her and continued: “We’ve come to ask a favor—Senior Jiang is now an official of our sect. Could you assign him to guard one of the herb gardens on Tianyangfeng?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Qin Lie’s gaze fell on Jiang Ye, and he laughed heartily: “Easy task. I happen to be short one gardener for the Tiankui herb patch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouted toward the garden: “Lv Ming! Come out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a figure darted out from within the garden, agile and silent as a shadow upon landing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a slightly chubby, round-faced boy, around seventeen or eighteen, his eyes darting with sharp wit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Wen Yueyao, then at Jiang Ye beside her, surprise flashing in his eyes before quickly vanishing; he bowed respectfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, Senior Qin and Senior Wen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Lie waved his hand, pointing at Jiang Ye: “Lv Ming, this is Jiang Official, newly joined to our sect. He’ll be your colleague now—he’ll guard the Tiankui herb patch. Show him around and explain the garden’s details.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lv Ming nodded vigorously, his face beaming with warmth as he bowed: “Jiang Official, I’m Lv Ming—call me Little Lv. Come on, I’ll take you to see the garden!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well, thank you, young brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye returned the bow politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao had intended to accompany them, but a disciple rushed up the path, whispering urgently to her. She frowned slightly, then turned to Jiang Ye with an apologetic smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Jiang, the Sect Master has summoned me—I must go at once. Please get acquainted with Lv Ming first; I’ll come see you later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead—urgent matters come first,” Jiang Ye waved dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao offered another apologetic smile, then turned and hurried off with the disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Official, let’s walk and talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lv Ming was a chatterbox—he couldn’t stop talking once he started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leading Jiang Ye northward along the slope, he pointed out sights along the way, speaking nonstop:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tianyangfeng’s terrain is unusual—there are only four spots suitable for growing herbs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed east toward a field of crimson, flame-curling leaves: “That’s Chiyang grass—the most basic fire-element herb. We use it to brew the Pure Yang Pills disciples take daily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed west to vines clinging to the cliffside, bearing fist-sized crimson fruits: “Those are Yanxin fruits—rare. They ripen only once every three years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed south to a lower area where heat visibly rose: “That’s Dihuo ginseng—rarer still. It grows in rock crevices; you must dig carefully—damage the roots and it’s worthless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Jiang Ye’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart surged with heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dihuo ginseng and Tiankui grass were both key herbs required for the secret medicine in the Golden Body Art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To find both here in this garden was unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he’d need to find a way to pluck some of this sect’s wool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a saying: if the cook doesn’t steal, the grains won’t grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the garden, he learned much else from this chubby boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast Tianqing Sect maintained a True Disciple List—only ten disciples among the thousand inner sect members could appear on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao was the only Qi Condensation cultivator on the list; all others were Golden Core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She earned her place purely through talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye had assumed Wen Yueyao was roughly Liu Yiyi’s age—he was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting aside her overly mature body, Wen Yueyao was actually a few years younger than Liu Yiyi...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh... what did this girl eat to grow like that...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye marveled inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here we are, Jiang Official—this is your future herb garden: the Tiankui patch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lv Ming brought Jiang Ye to the northernmost edge of the garden, far from the other three patches, where rows of blood-red herbs grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young brother, I’m new here—please guide me. What should I watch out for guarding this garden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Jiang Ye subtly withdrew several silver notes from his sleeve and offered them to Lv Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Jiang Official, what’s this for?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lv Ming stared at the silver notes, startled, then waved his hands frantically, shaking his head like a rattle: “You came through Senior Wen—I’ll tell you everything you need to know. Please take it back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye chuckled, pressing the notes firmly into Lv Ming’s hand, his aged voice sincere: “I may be old, but I’m still new here. I’ll need your help going forward. An elder’s gift—how can I refuse? Don’t argue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lv Ming, unable to refuse, accepted the silver notes respectfully, his smile growing warmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tucked the notes into his robe, cleared his throat, and lowered his voice: “Since you’re so kind, Jiang Official, I’ll speak plainly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned closer, his expression turning serious: “All herbs grown on Tianyangfeng are yang-natured and fiery—especially Tiankui grass. It attracts something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire centipedes,” Lv Ming said slowly, voice tinged with wariness. “These venomous creatures love burrowing into Tiankui grass to feed on its yang energy. Their poison is extraordinary—a rare fire poison. One bite feels like fire burning the flesh; it can knock a man unconscious. Every year, they destroy several herbs in this garden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire centipedes...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye’s aged eyes gleamed with sudden interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past few days in his guest quarters, he’d been studying the Poison Taming Scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All poisons in the world fall into five major categories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scorpions, venomous snakes, centipedes, geckos, and toads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire centipedes are among the finest of the centipede class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their fire poison is far more potent than ordinary toxins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been planning to find a suitable venomous insect to cultivate once settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And here, right in this garden, were ready-made ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d come to the right place indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>",1369,"2026-06-20T12:57:27.461Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1099f222a8013d9a8a92ebb43f954544b14e8d519d715e526b939589c231963f","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-49","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-47",268,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdon-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-cover.jpg"]