11 The So-Called Offering

"Our world is vast and expansive, dangerous and eerie," Uncle He Qi said, gesturing as he spoke.

"You saw it just now. What Black Dog and the others consume is 'Eerie.' That was merely a 'White-Wandering' grade human-headed seed; a single head-hound is enough to take one down."

"Ah Gui and Ah Xi are probably more used to seeing such things; after all, villages outside are different from He Village. Ye Lu, you haven't seen much of the Eerie. You were protected by your parents since you were young, and after the Ye Village was destroyed, you were brought to He Village, which is protected by Lady Copper Mirror. The Eerie from outside wouldn't dare enter."

"Even when we went to Qiang City, we always had a security team protecting you," He Qi sighed. "We are also to blame. We were afraid that your parents' death would affect you too much, so we tried to avoid mentioning the Eerie in front of you." He Qi knew this wasn't right, but his sister was gone, and all that had returned was his little nephew.

Everyone knew how they felt when they first went to find Ye Lu and saw that tiny child, panicked and terrified at the sight of the Eerie. His older brother, He Si—a man who was usually steady and silent, who liked to know everything clearly, and who was ruthless toward the younger generation when it came to their fear of the Eerie—had shown a tacit agreement in Ye Lu's case: just raise him, he must be raised. After all, it wasn't as if they couldn't afford it.

The delay in awakening his talent was also due to this concern. Only now, seeing that Ye Lu was no longer as fearful of the Eerie as he once was, had they decided to proceed with the awakening. As it turned out, they had done well. What He Qi needed to do now was tell his nephew some information he hadn't known before.

It seemed that was indeed the case. Listening to Uncle He Qi, Ye Lu instinctively sifted through his memories and found that this segment was indeed present: the mountains and plains covered in vines, the chittering sound of flesh being devoured, and the look on his parents' faces as they gave their all to send him away. Ye Lu paused, saying nothing.

Ghost Scholar and Xi Mingren, however, had no such memories at all. Yet, they had to pretend they knew everything, relying on their past experience in traversing Eerie instances, assuming that all Eerie were likely much the same.

"What about Eerie Plants and Eerie Beasts?" Ye Lu remained silent, so Ghost Scholar asked on behalf of his Daoist master.

"Strictly speaking, Eerie Plants and Eerie Beasts are also a type of Eerie. You wouldn't know this, but villages outside might have many different theories about them. In fact, to villages that have domesticated them, they are much the same. It's just that the Eerie Plants and Beasts that can be domesticated are extremely rare," He Qi said, holding nothing back. In his eyes, there was nothing that couldn't be said.

"They also exude Eerie power, but their power is more vibrant, more full of a unique vitality."

"Beyond that, there is a more important distinction." He Qi paused here. Ye Lu, forgetting to ponder his own memory issues, turned his full attention to his uncle's words.

Satisfied to see the two heads leaning in, He Qi grew serious and spoke earnestly: "Although Eerie Plants and Beasts also crave flesh, they prefer the flesh of the Eerie over human flesh."

"Because of this, Eerie Plants and Beasts have formed a connection with humanity. Since ancient times, tribes have cultivated them, hunting Eerie flesh for them to consume. In return, the Eerie Plants and Beasts produce fruits, branches, leaves, roots, furs, scales, horns, and even flesh to assist human cultivation. We generally refer to these collectively as 'Eerie Food'."

"Eerie Food is divided into edible food and usable materials. Generally, edible food is slightly better than materials and has a wider range of uses."

"Is this the 'external force' you mentioned earlier, Uncle?" Ye Lu asked.

"Of course. Didn't you receive the Green Millet distributed by the village?" He Qi replied matter-of-factly.

The Green Millet had been delivered the night before by a guard in three boxes. Ye Lu’s box was the largest, Ghost Scholar's was medium-sized, and the guards had also brought dried meat. Xi Mingren had received the most meat. It had been quite busy; Ye Lu had taken the parcel, glanced at it in a rush, managed only a word of thanks, and was then ordered around by Ghost Scholar. The parcel had been forgotten in the carriage ever since.

Ye Lu’s eyes shifted for a moment; he didn't even know where Ghost Scholar had put the parcel.

Ye Lu said nothing, and He Qi assumed his nephew hadn't taken it seriously. His expression turned stern as he said earnestly, "Don't compare White Millet with Green Millet."

"White Millet is barely considered Eerie Food, even at the White-Wandering grade. The truly useful stuff is Green Millet. The reason our village has always maintained the upper hand in the surrounding area is that our Green Millet is of the Yellow-Ferocious grade."

"The White Millet we grow now is just a cutting from the Green Millet; it only helps in building some strength."

"True Green Millet, beyond providing Eerie power, can strengthen the body and stabilize the meridians. While it might not make you strong enough to uproot mountains, it allows you to lift heavy cauldrons. If you eat enough of it, you can even stand a chance against the Eerie." He Qi straightened his upper body, emphasizing, "Why do so many villages come to our village every year to trade for so much grain?"

"It's all for the Green Millet. It's just a pity that we've already promised to trade it with the caravans, so there isn't much left for them." He Qi couldn't help but sigh.

Hearing the seriousness in his uncle's voice and realizing he had misunderstood, Ye Lu quickly explained, "No, no, it's just that last night was too busy, and I didn't have time to eat it."

"There will be plenty of free time ahead. I can eat it and cultivate while on the carriage." The journey ahead was entirely a flight for survival; aside from when they stopped to rest, they would be on the move. With the three of them taking turns, everyone would have plenty of downtime.

He Qi thought about it and agreed. The other children in the village weren't cultivating yet, so they were likely thinking the same as his nephew.

"Then, Uncle, how do we usually acquire these Eerie Plants and Beasts?" The usefulness of White Millet went without saying; Ye Lu could still recall the surprise he felt when he first ate it. He couldn't even imagine how potent the mother plant, the Green Millet, must be. He coveted it.

Ye Lu felt that if they kept eating Eerie Food, they might one day recover their original strength.

The only drawback was the low yield of Green Millet; there was only one plant, and the village prioritized those who had just awakened, while also needing to trade it for other resources. Supplies were tight, not to mention that the Green Millet now looked like a mere seedling and clearly couldn't produce grain for a while.

Ye Lu was envious, but he could only set his sights on finding other Eerie Plants. As for Eerie Beasts, that was out of the question; the meeting had made it clear that training them required special skills, which currently only the Ten Thousand Beast Court and a very few villages possessed.

Ye Lu just wanted to find a decent Eerie Plant to nourish his body.

"Hahaha..." He Qi laughed heartily, very much in agreement with his nephew. He had felt the same way when he first learned about Green Millet. "You go find them, of course."

"There are so many Eerie out there. Among them, you're bound to find Eerie Plants and Beasts. Find them, defeat them, and domesticate them. Do you know why Qian Bazun agreed to your proposal about the Forbidden Stone Ridge?" Ye Lu and Ghost Scholar looked at him, having already guessed. He Qi nodded. "Because no one is there."

"There are many Eerie there, so the chances of finding Eerie Plants are high."

"As long as we find one more Eerie Plant, no matter how much we suffer on this journey, it will be worth it."

"The methods for domestication vary from village to village, but they are mostly the same: beat them into submission, then hunt Eerie flesh to feed them. After a long time, the Eerie Plant will naturally understand. According to the caravans, some high-grade Eerie Plants have been cultivated by tribes for so long that they develop a bond with them. Sometimes, when the Eerie attack a village, they will even defend it."

Perhaps it was because the two young ones showed such a good thirst for knowledge, but He Qi was in high spirits and shared all the rumors he had heard from the caravans.

Ye Lu and Ghost Scholar were lost in thought.

Seeing that they had taken his words to heart, He Qi considered his mission accomplished and, feeling even better, patted his backside and prepared to leave.

"I'm heading back. You two cultivate well. Only through cultivation can you find Eerie Plants."

He Qi left these words behind as he departed.

Ye Lu and Ghost Scholar said nothing.

In truth, Ye Lu had taken it to heart. He looked at the wooden box Ghost Scholar had just brought out. When opened, the box was full of Green Millet, resembling green jade and radiating a powerful Eerie aura.

"I'll cultivate first!" Ye Lu didn't trust Ghost Scholar, whose talent was poor, and Xi Mingren didn't have his wits about him, so he had to go first.

Ghost Scholar frowned, about to say something, but seeing his master's eyes narrow and his pause, he knew this meant Ye Lu would brook no argument.

Ye Lu turned his focus back to the box. After a moment of thought, he reached out, took a piece of Green Millet, and swallowed it. The next second, with a "boom," countless amounts of Eerie power erupted within his body.

Ye Lu sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, trying to control the volatile energy while recalling He Qi's words.

*Cultivate according to instinct.*

Ye Lu groped for the path. As he began to cultivate, the restlessness in his heart was smoothed away; he grew calm, and the Eerie power was no longer as explosive as it had been at the start.

Ye Lu followed his intuition, and in his mind, the layer of white mist appeared once again.

Within the mist, three tree silhouettes swayed. Ye Lu could see the nearest one quite clearly. The moment the mist appeared, the Eerie power seemed to find its target and rushed toward it wildly.

The aura around Ye Lu began to rise steadily.

Outside, Ghost Scholar watched every move of the young man in Daoist robes intently. Only when the latter's aura surged did he pause and let out a long breath.

*Did it work?*

A moment later, the young man in Daoist robes slowly opened his eyes.

Ye Lu did not speak immediately. He looked down and opened his hand. The white mist condensed, and a jet-black, oily seed appeared in his palm.