To Raise A Soul Chapter 27 Part2

That night, the two men slept in separate rooms. Surprisingly, Yu Zhen was not used to it. He tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep.

The next morning, as soon as he woke up, Yu Zhen rushed to the dimensional pot*. He was shocked speechless by the colorful sight which befell his eyes.

Every flower had bloomed, with the roses beside the pond growing especially well. They were tender and beautiful with bold colors, seeming as if they would bleed bright red juice if they were pinched.

Happily, Yu Zhen dashed into the dimensional pot and looked around. He lingered at various spots, turning this way and that to behold his plants. Br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement, he pulled out his phone to call the owner of the flower shop he had previously worked with. He wanted to ask if the shop owner had a branch in B City and if he wanted to purchase the flowers. However, when his finger hovered over the shop owner's number, he paused. He suddenly remembered something and withdrew his hand. 

No, that won't work.

He looked at the flowers that had fully bloomed and was conscious of a devastating fact.

These flowers have bloomed nicely. If they were sold, they would bring in a tidy sum of money. But, flower shops only stock flowers that haven't fully bloomed. Their flowers are mostly still buds. If these fully bloomed flowers are delivered, before they are sold, they may start to wilt. They just won't last long.

Although they're nice, these flowers aren't what the market needs.

What should I do now…? The flowers grew too quickly. With so little time, I won't be able to find a place that will buy them. 

"There's a top-cla.s.s hotel under Bu Chen's name and it's getting close to the time for the New Year's festive period. The hotel has many annual banquets and decorating the venues requires a lot of fresh flowers. You can sell these flowers to him and they can be used the very same day." 

Yin Yan stood beside the dimensional pot with his new phone in hand. He asked, "Do you need me to contact him?" 

Yu Zhen turned to look at him with a foolish expression on his face. With joy and some sheepishness, he walked over to Yin Yan's side and said, "If you can… Thank you! I'll have to trouble you!"

"I want to eat the food you make."

"I'll make it. You can count on me for today's meals." Yu Zhen enthusiastically nodded. His eyes lit up, as if he was a puppy excitedly eyeing a delicious bone he got as a treat.

Yin Yan suddenly looked away. Then, with a hand on Yu Zhen's forehead, he pushed him back into the dimensional pot. Taking his phone with him, Yin Yan headed to the quiet balcony. 

After hearing his friend had a batch of flowers he wanted to sell, Bu Chen accepted the proposal with neither question nor hesitation. Considerately, Bu Chen asked if he should send workers to collect the goods. 

Yin Yan gracefully declined. Instead, they decided on a delivery time and the contact person. Then Yin Yan called a well-known vehicle rental company within the city and requested a medium-sized van, specially equipped to deliver flowers.  

"We also need to buy packaging materials. And the flowers need to be cut carefully, so let's get some of the more expensive tools. We need to catch – "

"Go cook," Yin Yan interrupted. Putting down his phone, he called out for Xu Wu and continued, "The rest will be left to Xu Wu." 

To Xu Wu?

Yu Zhen was puzzled. He turned his head and watched as Xu Wu opened its mouth and exhaled. Suddenly, out of thin air, a few wooden, puppet-like forms clothed in an ancient style were produced. Once the puppets touched the ground, they mysteriously brought out their own flower shears, then lined up and entered the dimensional pot. 

“My G.o.d…” Yu Zhen was dumbstruck with wide eyes as his jaw dropped open.

Yin Yan reached out a hand and held Yu Zhen's chin, pushing upwards a little to close his open mouth. He gently knocked on Yu Zhen's forehead. 

Without needing Yu Zhen to worry about anything, the fresh flowers were delivered a few hours later and the amount in Yu Zhen's bank account increased. It feels like I just earned money without doing anything.

The manufacturing costs were next to nothing. The amount of manual work was basically nothing. I didn't need to do the delivery. The only thing I did was make a meal but even the ingredients were bought by Yin Yan.

The dimensional pot is perfectly clean. The leftover flower stems and roots were removed by the dimensional pot. The rose bushes are also nice and tidy, and not even a single leaf was damaged.

This is the first time that I've thought making money is easy.

"This kind of thing can happen once, but it shouldn't happen a second time. Normal people should live by basic rules. It's easy for cultivators to use magical items to earn money, but it shouldn't be done too often. Yu Zhen, your priority right now should be to practice cultivation."

Yin Yan doused Yu Zhen's enthusiasm with cold water, waking him up from his momentary daydream of making easy money.

That's right.

Yu Zhen calmed down.

This batch of flowers came from the dimensional pot. If the people who buy these flowers really ask about my source of flowers, they'll quickly notice something suspicious – I don't have a plant nursery or the proper channels for handling the flowers.

In the long run, the market might be damaged and the flower growers in B City may be forced away from their livelihood.

On his phone, as Yu Zhen switched over from looking at his recent income to his overall financial information, he became disheartened at the realization that he was still dirt poor.

Don't tell me I'll just continue to be kept by Yin Yan? I'll definitely work hard at cultivating but, apart from cultivating, I also want to live like a normal person. I want to have a career, even if it's not hugely successful.

"In that case, I'll rent a plant nursery on the outskirts of the city. The dimensional pot is too powerful so I won't use it. I'll grow flowers the way I used to."

Yin Yan shook his head. "It takes a lot of energy to look after a plant nursery. It needs to be checked on every day. You'll need to employ workers, deal with various kinds of formalities, and run the sales channels yourself. But you don't have that much time, Yu Zhen."

Having already known these facts within his heart, Yu Zhen became quiet. Even now, I still don't even understand how to use the Scripture of Floriculture. Feeling that he couldn't do anything right, Yu Zhen became dispirited again. 

Using the dimensional pot is out of the question, but renting a plant nursery is also not possible. What should I do now?

"You can continue to use the dimensional pot to plant and sell flowers."

Yin Yan poured a gla.s.s of juice and placed it in Yu Zhen's hand. Immediately, Yu Zhen looked up at him expectantly. After a moment's pause, he withdrew and sat down at the single person sofa furthest away from Yu Zhen. He continued, "For low-end flowers, you need to constantly consider costs and profits. You would need to waste large amounts of energy, physical resources, and manpower. But for high-end flowers, especially the more precious ones, you can farm them alone. If you grow them successfully, even one plant can bring you profits equivalent to a year's worth of profits from your previous work."

Yu Zhen was dumbfounded.

"The dimensional pot's environment is rich in resources. Due to the exclusivity, the method that each big-time florist uses to develop their high-end flowers is a trade secret. No one will tactlessly ask around about that. Yu Zhen, for cultivation using flowers, you need a lot of energy."

I'm being enlightened with this wisdom.

Although Yu Zhen was new to floriculture, he had heard of the risks of raising the extremely expensive flowers. 

High-end flowers were, for the most part, treasures that were difficult to grow. Growing a plant could take several years, over ten years, or even several decades. The amount of money and effort needed to raise those flowers was incomparable to that of run of the mill, common flowers. 

Most big-time flower growers who dabbled with high-end flowers were supported by several plant nurseries. Some would set up laboratories and business chains for the sake of researching new varieties.

In addition, those treasured flowers were not guaranteed to yield a good result even if a lot of time was spent growing them. There were many cases of wasted effort, like trying to draw water using a wicker basket.

In short, trying to sell high-end flowers was akin to gambling. It was possible to earn a huge profit, but it was also possible to earn nothing from the investment. To the conservative and cautious Yu Zhen, it was something he had never considered trying.

But now there's the dimensional pot, sacred soil, and boundless water. This field of work may seem like gambling to others but, to me, it should be a relaxed way of making money.

He had an uneasy feeling of insanely cheating his way to an easy life. There was also the feeling of trying to reap benefits without first sowing the seeds, as well as the feeling of relying on Yin Yan.

Hesitation crept up in Yu Zhen's mind again.

By putting in the effort, people can collect on the results. Each person should rely on themselves for their livelihood. Since I was little, I have received this type of life lesson. Grandpa had always said there's no shortcut in life. Every step must be taken steadily. I shouldn't try to jump and fly around. If I'm not careful, I'll fall and hurt myself.

But now, Yin Yan has provided me with these hugely convenient tools and pointed out this shortcut to me.

"Don't forget your original intention." As if he knew what was going on in Yu Zhen's head, Yin Yan stood and walked back over to him. He reached out a hand to Yu Zhen's hair and patted it. "Yu Zhen, you're far better than you think you are. Don't hesitate to move forward, I'll watch you from behind."

[Xiao Zhen, Grandpa is old. Once Grandpa is gone, what will you do? Life is quite long.]

The memory of his grandpa's words after a certain dinner flashed through his mind. That time, he was only in junior high school so he didn't understand the worries which were contained in the old man's words. Hearing Yin Yan's words, he felt his nose itch and couldn't help but reach out to hug the man he had only known for less than a month. 

In the past, when Grandpa Yu forced Yu Zhen to go to boarding school, he'd made a fuss about it. He had considered not continuing with his studies. Instead, he wanted to stay at the temple to accompany his grandpa. 

But Grandpa Yu didn't allow it. He chased Yu Zhen off to school with a stick in his hand. At that time, he seemed resentful that Yu Zhen was not living up to his expectations. I can still remember the helpless and downhearted look in his eyes.

Grandpa Yu was very good to him. He never neglected Yu Zhen when it came to the matter of food, clothes, and living expenses. Only when it came to the issue of accommodation was the old man unwilling to compromise. 

Yu Zhen never understood why his grandpa was so insistent. The old man was so dead set on it to the point of being heartless. It wasn't until Yin Yan said those words that triggered the memory of his grandpa's words that Yu Zhen understood his grandpa's efforts.

He didn't dare to spoil me. Didn't dare to let me get used to having someone by my side. Life is long and Grandpa was worried I wouldn't be strong enough. He was worried that I would become weak and crumble once my only relative pa.s.sed on. He was worried I would let my life become a mess.

The old man urged me over and over to try to set me on a steady path. He knew that once he was gone, there wouldn't be anyone left for me to lean on.

Now Yin Yan tells me to move forward without hesitation. Does this mean he'll always be by my side? He won't leave without warning, as Grandpa did?

In the past, I would always envy the other children. They had the unconditional support and doting love of their parents and elders. If they faced setbacks, they had a safe haven to return to. But, I didn't have that. I wanted to quickly grow up and become Grandpa's safe haven.

Now Yin Yan stands here. Does this mean that, even though I'm a grown adult, I can rely on him as if I was a child? Can I comfortably lean on his support?

As the person in his arms trembled slightly, Yin Yan quietly sighed and stooped to gather him into his embrace. Patting Yu Zhen's shoulders, he quietly said, "Yu Zhen, I've said this before: your fate and mine are connected."

It's not a short-term cooperation to preserve our lives. It's a true and destined connection which will entangle us for a lifetime.

Yu Zhen nodded in his arms. His fluttering heart finally settled, like a seed that fell to the ground, taking root in the soil provided by Yin Yan. It was a place where the seed could grow without worry.

“Thank you…”

He tightened his arms and closed his eyes.

Grandpa, look, I have someone to rely on now. You can rest a.s.sured that I will go through this life well.

A golden light abruptly appeared. All of the furniture in the room began to vibrate slightly. Yin Yan frowned and looked at the suddenly motionless Yu Zhen in his arms. He then realized something and quickly released Yu Zhen. As he expected, Yu Zhen's eyes were closed and he had entered a deep meditative state. Picking up Yu Zhen, he called, "Xu Wu."

“Meow.”

Xu Wu sprang out and dashed up the stairs to a mostly empty room. In a flash, his body transformed into a black tower covered in golden symbols. After landing on the ground, the entrance to the paG.o.da's lowest floor opened and, at the same time, a boundary was formed.

Yin Yan immediately entered the tower with Yu Zhen in his arms and shut the tower's door with a wave of his hand. 

A dark cloud appeared over B City. After rolling violently for a few seconds, it mysteriously disappeared. Then a heavy downpour began.

At different corners of H Country, many people raised their heads to look at the sky at the same time. They all wore identical, somber expressions.

Such a strong negative energy. There's an evil spirit in the world?

Translator(s): Epsea
Editor(s): Miiya
Proofer(s): Avalie

The weekend is over *lights candle*

PS: A little angel told me that roses are hard to grow from seeds, so I've changed it a little. *pats everyone*

Epsea:

Imagine if Yin Yan was the leader of a demonic sect. Wouldn't that be cool? :3 

Miiya:

Oooh, a dark 'daddy'. I'm sorry, I'm not over that joke yet. XD

Avalie:

I'm all for a demonic sect connection! The drama~ <>

The longer form: 'Heaven and Earth Dimensional Flower Pot' （乾坤转盆）
The shortened form: dimensional pot (转盆)

As with some previous translation terms, these aren't 100% accurate to the Chinese term, but it's close enough to work well. The previous chapters will be updated with these changes.