Chapter 70: The Rougher the Seas, the Pricier the Fish! So I Choose to Eat Dried Salted Fish

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Rougher the Seas, the Pricier the Fish! So I Choose to Eat Dried Salted Fish

Failing at cultivation wasn’t fatal. At worst, one’s spirit would be drained for a time, and their appearance would become hideous.

But what was that compared to the change in status and treatment one would receive upon becoming a Spirit Plant Master?

Once the four were done transcribing.

Lan Cai Shen surveyed the four of them, his tone grave. "Remember, you must clearly explain the stakes involved."

"I have no desire to needlessly offend a Spirit Plant Master simply because a few words were omitted."

"Especially if it happens without my knowledge."

Lan Cai Shen said coolly, "You should understand what I mean!"

"Yes, Young Master, rest assured." "We understand. Please rest assured, Lord Steward."

A chill went down their spines, and they hastily bowed in acknowledgement.

"Go."

Lan Cai Shen waved his hand dismissively, then closed his eyes and sank into contemplation.

"Your subordinates take their leave."

The four divided the incense sticks, bowed, and withdrew from the hall.

Once outside the hall, they exchanged a look but said nothing, each departing in silence.

The outer sect disciples in Zones A, B, C, and D were numerous. One or two jade slips weren’t nearly enough, so they would need to transcribe more copies.

Moreover, they needed to carefully consider how to explain the method for cultivating the Spirit Plant legacy.

Just as Lan Cai Shen had said, a few well-chosen words didn’t cost any Spirit Stones. Why not explain things better and more thoroughly? Earning a favor would be a much better outcome.

Most importantly, they had to decide how to distribute the cultivation-aiding incense. An even split was the simplest method, but it would also be the least effective.

The value could only be maximized by concentrating resources in the hands of the few with the most suitable talent.

This was something they needed to consider carefully.

「Once they were gone.」

Lan Cai Shen opened his eyes, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed. ’What a headache.’

’I hear Martial Uncle Feng’s child has only average talent. Coincidentally, there are a few Spirit Vein Fruits growing in the Spiritual Land. I should find a way to spare one for them...’

Although his father and two other Elders had jointly decided he would take over the Spirit Field Hall, it was, in the end, a hostile takeover of Feng Bai Mei’s territory.

If he didn’t handle the fallout properly, it could cause him a prolonged headache.

Feng Bai Mei was at the Mid-Meridian Condensation Realm, and her Dao companion, Luan Jian, was the deputy commander of the Demon Hunting Corps and a Late-Meridian Condensation cultivator. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

With his father’s backing, he wasn’t afraid of the pair, but making enemies left and right was not his style.

While Lan Cai Shen was stressing over how to spare a Spirit Vein Fruit...

「Zone D Spirit Field, in a small courtyard at the foot of the mountain.」

"Junior Brother... that’s a... creative use of the Ice Condensation Art you’ve got there!"

Dong Xing sat on a stool in the small courtyard, the corner of his eye twitching as he watched Li Changsheng use the Ice Condensation Art to clean the filth from the beast pen.

Remembering the fruit he had just eaten, and then looking at the filth frozen into a lumpy pile just outside the courtyard, his stomach started to churn.

"Hahaha, I have you to thank for this, Senior Brother. I have to admit, the Ice Condensation Art makes cleanup so much faster."

After dumping the last bucket of filth and casting a Fattening Technique on the pile, Li Changsheng returned to the courtyard, lavishing praise on the spell.

Back when he was in Beast Valley, every time he cleaned the pens, he not only had to clear out the filth but also had to fetch water for a final rinse.

Now, with the Ice Condensation Art, he could skip the rinsing step entirely. It was much faster, and the result was just as clean.

Li Changsheng washed his hands and went into the wooden cabin.

A moment later, he came back out with a teapot and cups.

As he poured tea for Dong Xing, Li Changsheng smiled. "What brings you here, Senior Brother? Did you change your mind and decide you want to buy Little Xiaohua?"

Dong Xing looked puzzled. "You have a Little Xiaohua? What is that? A Spirit Beast?"

Li Changsheng pointed to the pen. "Little Xiaohua is Xiaohua’s only son."

"Oh..."

Dong Xing immediately lost interest and shook his head. "I didn’t come for that. I came to tell you something important."

He then repeated what his granddaughter, Dong Yao, had told him, neither embellishing the tale nor deliberately omitting any details.

When he finished his story,

Li Changsheng’s brow furrowed. A hint of envy crept into his voice as he said, "So that disciple who discovered it must have struck it rich, huh?"

"That’s ten percent of the new Spiritual Land’s entire yield!"

Dong Xing paused for a second, then nodded in emphatic agreement.

"Isn’t that the truth? He hit the jackpot, big time!"

The two of them sighed, both wishing they could trade places with that lucky disciple.

After gossiping for a while,

Dong Xing asked curiously, "Aren’t you tempted? A new Spiritual Land is dangerous, sure, but the rewards are definitely much higher than on the Miscellaneous Peaks."

"You’re still young. You could take a chance. With more resources, you might even have a shot at reaching the Vein Condensation Realm."

At this, he sighed. "Not like me. I’m just a washed-up old man. No hope for me in this lifetime..."

There was some truth to his words, a bit of genuine sentiment, but it was mostly just him lamenting his own fate.

Li Changsheng shook his head and said earnestly, "I’m still young, and I have a long life ahead of me. There’s no need to rush into life-threatening danger."

He felt his current situation was perfectly fine. Besides, with his Golden Finger, he wasn’t worried about being unable to reach the Vein Condensation Realm in the future.

He knew full well the truth in the saying, ’the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’. This was especially true in the Cultivation Realm, where a tall tree catches the strongest winds.

He was still just a sapling; he couldn’t withstand a major storm just yet.

Hearing this, Dong Xing sized him up with renewed interest. As he looked, his expression shifted to one of surprise.

"You’ve reached the Qi Cultivation Third Layer?"

Li Changsheng nodded slightly with a smile. "Just broke through recently."

"Not bad."

Dong Xing nodded, not thinking much of it. It was only the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, after all. His own grandson was younger than Li Changsheng but was already at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

"Anyway, I’m heading back."

Dong Xing picked up his teacup, downed the contents in one go, and rose to leave. He ambled toward home with his hands clasped behind his back.

Li Changsheng saw him to the gate. Watching him go, he let out a soft chuckle before turning back into his courtyard.

Back on the second floor,

he sat cross-legged on the soft couch. With a flip of his hand, he produced the manual for the Metal Sharpening Art and began to study it intently.

The Rune Hoe was an excellent tool, but he had noticed that with constant use, the runes inscribed on it were gradually fading, and its blade had lost much of its edge.

This made him worry. What would he do if the Rune Hoe became unusable?

Moreover, as time went on, the Yellow Seed Spirit Rice grew more and more vigorously. It looked like it would be ready for harvest very soon.

He couldn’t very well use the Rune Hoe as a scythe, so learning the Metal Sharpening Art had to become a priority.

「Time trickled by.」

Aside from his daily tasks of feeding the Spirit Beasts and tending to the Spirit Field, Li Changsheng immersed himself completely in his cultivation.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

「On this day.」

After feeding his Spirit Beasts, Li Changsheng grabbed a long-handled scythe, hopped onto Xiaohua, and ambled out of the courtyard.

As far as the eye could see, the distant Spirit Fields were a sea of gold.

The Spirit Rice was ripe.

Li Changsheng was on his way to help Dong Xing harvest his Yellow Seed Spirit Rice, just as he’d requested.

Of course, he wasn’t helping for free. He had been promised two hundred pounds of the new rice after the harvest was complete.

Li Changsheng had readily agreed.

After all, even a landowner’s family can run out of grain.

He had to be frugal with his days and couldn’t just squander his reserves.

Soon,

the man and his pig arrived at the edge of Dong Xing’s Spirit Field.

Seeing Dong Xing already busy harvesting the Yellow Seed Spirit Rice, Li Changsheng hopped to the ground and walked into the field.

"Senior Brother, why are you out here so early? You could have waited for me."