Chapter 191 - 187: Wondrous Scenery of South Mountain

Chapter 191: Chapter 187: Wondrous Scenery of South Mountain

Although Lin Feng wouldn’t admit it, many people still believed that Lin Xian Village was undergoing a Spiritual Qi Revival and that he was secretly cultivating.

Back in his house, Lin Feng stared at the information about the Land God Temple that had suddenly appeared. He was just as confused as the tourists.

He tried selecting option ③, and another prompt appeared.

[Please select an item to refine.]

’I have to choose something else?’

Lin Feng didn’t make a random choice. He knew nothing about Sacrificial Artifacts, so he searched for information about them on his phone.

"Sacrificial Artifacts are special utensils used in sacrificial rites, primarily for holding offerings and symbolizing deities."

’The Earth God Statue symbolizes the deity. I can’t just refine the statue itself.’

’As for holding offerings... the Land God Temple doesn’t seem to have anything for that, except for the Incense Burner.’

Lin Feng thought about the large Incense Burner. Initially, it was just a random container he’d found, but it was later replaced by a giant bronze cauldron.

Refining the cauldron into a Sacrificial Artifact wasn’t out of the question. After all, ancient cauldrons were used for sacrificial rituals.

Still, Lin Feng didn’t proceed just yet. He had no idea what the refining process would entail, so he figured it was best to wait until nightfall.

Meanwhile, in Lin Xian Village, some tourists were secretly looking up Daoist Scriptures online. They then found secluded spots and began trying to cultivate according to the texts.

Their strange behavior quickly drew the attention of other tourists.

"Dude, what are you doing? Is this some kind of performance art?" the man asked, looking around for a hidden camera.

"Cultivating."

The man was stunned. He stared at the group as if they were complete idiots.

"So, what have you cultivated? A Kidney Gold Pill? Or maybe a Gallbladder Gold Pill?"

"Look, man, if you don’t know what’s going on, could you please not bother me?"

"Sorry, sorry."

Just then, he overheard a nearby tourist say, "Is Lin Xian Village really undergoing a Spiritual Qi Revival?"

"Boss Lin won’t admit it, but I think it’s a Spiritual Qi Revival too. Those Jade Grapes have to be Spirit Plants."

"And don’t forget about those Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills. They must be infused with Spiritual Qi to be so effective."

"Yeah, yeah, and the Medicinal Cuisine in Lin Xian Village must contain some special Spiritual Qi, too."

"So, does that mean the buildings in Lin Xian Village were constructed according to an Array? Is that why it has this effect?"

As the man listened to their increasingly outlandish conversation, he found himself starting to believe it.

Mainly, it was because Lin Xian Village was just too miraculous. So many things there defied scientific explanation.

"Hey, why don’t we give this cultivation thing a try? It’s not like it costs anything."

"Let’s give it a shot."

Soon, two more tourists were sitting cross-legged on a nearby patch of empty ground, preparing to cultivate.

An online streamer walked over, phone in hand.

"Everyone, take a look! These are people cultivating right here in Lin Xian Village. This place fits all the criteria for a Spiritual Qi Revival."

"Even though we can’t live inside Lin Xian Village, the effects of a Spiritual Qi Revival have a wide range. We can judge by the changes in the air..."

The news spread like wildfire among the tourists, especially the story about Lin Feng communicating with the Golden Eagle and controlling animals.

The rumors grew more and more fantastic as they spread. Some people even embellished the stories, making the gossip all the more elaborate.

An hour later, even people outside the village had heard the news: Lin Xian Village was undergoing a Spiritual Qi Revival, and Lin Feng was a cultivator.

"Brother Lin, everyone outside is saying you’re cultivating. The story they’ve spun is so logical that if I didn’t see you every day, I’d probably believe it too."

"These people have too much time on their hands," Lin Feng said. "Have your sister help put out a statement to debunk these rumors. We don’t want this to cause trouble down the line."

Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang. Lin Feng saw it was a call from Mayor Ma.

"Lin Feng, are you really cultivating?"

Ma Dehua’s voice was deliberately low, as if he was afraid of being overheard.

"Uncle Ma, those are just rumors. You should make an announcement over the PA system to clear things up before this gets out of hand."

Lin Feng knew perfectly well that the local villagers were prone to believing any rumor they heard. No matter how wild the story, they’d take it as fact.

"Really? But the stories they’re telling are so vivid and detailed. I actually thought it was true," Ma Dehua said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

Lin Feng didn’t know how to respond. ’It would be great if I actually could cultivate,’ he thought, ’but I haven’t even gotten my hands on a Cultivation Technique yet.’

’Besides, the name of that technique doesn’t sound like some profound cultivation manual either.’

As the news continued to spread, more and more people called, all beating around the bush to ask him about his supposed cultivation.

"These people have nothing better to do," Lin Feng muttered. "If I could actually cultivate, I would’ve gone into hiding long ago, not put on a show like this."

Hu Zhiming put down his phone as well. He had just gotten calls asking about the cultivation rumors in Lin Xian Village.

"These netizens actually believe it," Hu Zhiming said. "Look, the news about Lin Xian Village’s Spiritual Qi Revival is already trending online."

Lin Feng opened the app and took a look. It really was trending. There were even a number of netizens analyzing how credible the news was.

Before long, Lin Feng saw Professor Zhang Ying approaching with a group of other professors. They were all looking at him with curiosity.

"Boss Lin, the changes to the Arrow Tower... are they the result of an Array?"

"And the Land God Temple... don’t tell me the Earth God actually made his presence known?"

"Boss Lin, can you help us think of a way to detect Spiritual Qi? Or perhaps you could tell us its properties?"

"Boss Lin, is Lin Xian Village protected by an Array..."

Lin Feng and Hu Zhiming stared, dumbfounded, at the professors. They were starting to think the academics had lost their minds.

"Brother Lin," Hu Zhiming whispered, "I think the situation in Lin Xian Village has driven these professors mad. They actually believe all this stuff."

Lin Feng nodded. ’Yeah, they might really be losing it.’

Zhang Ying lowered his voice and asked, "Lin Feng, are the environmental changes in Lin Xian Village... also related to *that*?"

"Professors, let’s all just take a moment," Lin Feng interjected. "There is no Spiritual Qi Revival in Lin Xian Village. I am not cultivating, and there are no Arrays."

"If you don’t believe me, the Array theory is the easiest to disprove. Just go ask the construction workers. They’ll tell you what’s what."

"If you’re still not convinced, you can dig up the ground beneath the Arrow Tower and see for yourselves if there’s an Array there."

"You’re all academics. We should trust in science, not believe or spread rumors."

One of the professors was staring intently at South Mountain, his expression a mixture of stiffness and astonishment. He stammered,

"Y-y-you say we should trust science and not believe rumors... so what’s that over there?"

Everyone turned to look toward South Mountain. Lin Feng looked over as well, a flicker of worry in his mind. ’Did something happen to the Land God Temple?’

But it wasn’t the Land God Temple. Something strange was happening on South Mountain itself—the entire midway point was shrouded in clouds and mist.

A rainbow of colors shimmered within the mist, making it look as though it were a special effect from a movie.

"Is that a rainbow?"

"I don’t know. Come on, let’s go check it out."

Seeing this, Lin Feng and Hu Zhiming jumped to their feet and sprinted toward South Mountain.

As he ran, Lin Feng pulled up his system panel to see if another event had triggered.

’Good, no new notifications,’ he thought with relief. ’That means this must be a natural phenomenon.’

The village square was already packed with people, all of them holding up their phones to film the multicolored mist on South Mountain.

Amid the clamor, Lin Feng pushed through the crowd, hopped onto a boat with Hu Zhiming, and set off toward South Mountain.

"Brother Lin, what’s going on?"

"I’m not sure. It’s probably just a natural phenomenon."

However, he had a feeling it was related to the Lin Xian Tea. Otherwise, why would mist appear specifically halfway up the mountain?

The altitude was a perfect match for the area where he had empowered the Lin Xian Tea. There was no mist anywhere else on the mountain, only in that specific spot. It was obviously not normal.

The moment they reached the shore, they tied the boat to a post and ran toward the cave.

Once they reached that part of South Mountain, they confirmed it was just ordinary mist, albeit a little strange.

As for the vibrant colors, it seemed to be caused by light refracting through the water vapor, much like how a rainbow is formed.

"Brother Lin, these tea trees... have they mutated?"

Hu Zhiming noticed that light was reflecting off the leaves of the tea trees, and this was what was creating the colorful glow in the mist.

He looked closer at the tea leaves and discovered that the reflection was coming from the sunlight hitting the veins of the leaves.

This was a large grove of tea trees, and the light reflecting from countless leaves at different angles into the mist was what created this magical spectacle.

"They’ve definitely mutated," Lin Feng said. "We’ll need to fence off this whole area."

Hu Zhiming’s eyes gleamed with desire as he looked at the tea leaves. You could tell at a glance this was high-quality stuff; tea brewed from these leaves would be amazing.

Just then, the professors arrived, making their way over to Lin Feng.

The moment Zhang Ying saw the tea trees, he noticed they were different.

"What strange tea trees. Have they mutated, just like the Jade Grapes?"

"These leaves are beautiful. Preserved in Amber, they could be collectors’ items."

"Professor Qian, what’s the deal with this mist?"

"It’s likely water vapor rising from the adjacent valley, which created these conditions."

Everyone heard this explanation, and it seemed plausible. The location was perfect for it.

Any water vapor rising higher would be evaporated by the sun, while the temperature lower down would be too low for mist to form.

Still, looking at the mutated tea trees, they concluded this area was anything but ordinary. It probably had some unique geographical properties, just like the spot with the Arrow Tower.

Otherwise, why would only this patch of tea trees have mutated while all the surrounding ones remained normal?

The phenomenon lasted for a little over ten minutes. As the sun’s position shifted, both the reflections and the mist vanished.

"Nature truly is amazing," one professor remarked. "This was obviously a rare coincidence that created such a magnificent spectacle."

"Indeed. It must be related to the temperature, time of day, and the sun’s angle. This scene could only be triggered under a very specific set of conditions."

Such phenomena aren’t unheard of. On the Emei Mountain Golden Summit, for example, a "Buddha’s Light" sometimes appears due to specific environmental changes.

"Brother Lin, it doesn’t matter how you try to debunk the rumors now. It’s useless."

Lin Feng watched the videos the tourists were posting. The narrative had already shifted from him cultivating to Lin Xian Village being the site of a celestial vista.

Even if the professors tried to debunk it, some people would refuse to believe them, remaining firm in their conviction that Lin Xian Village was experiencing a Spiritual Qi Revival.

"Lin Feng, what’s going on over there? What was that colored light all about?"

"I’ll explain when I get back. It was just a natural phenomenon, a coincidence."

Hu Xia was clearly impatient. "Did you get a video? Just send it to me directly."

"Fine, I’ll send it. You can upload it to the official account."

After getting Lin Feng’s permission, the professors collected a few tea branches to take back for research.

Some of them were hoping they could get the cuttings to grow.

Tea produced from these trees would obviously be far too expensive for them to afford.

When the group returned to Lin Xian Village, Lin Feng asked the professors to explain the situation to the tourists in the square.

However, judging from the tourists’ reactions, they didn’t buy the professors’ explanation for a second. They were much more inclined to believe that a treasure had appeared on South Mountain.

In any case, their minds couldn’t be changed. They were convinced that Lin Xian Village was undergoing a Spiritual Qi Revival.

Lin Feng was at a loss for words. He himself wasn’t sure if this was a coincidence or if the "village" system had done it on purpose.

He had a feeling that once his special buildings were complete, no one would believe his denials, no matter what he said.

The two of them had just gotten back to the courtyard when they were surrounded by people.

"Xiaofeng, what was all that just now? I heard everyone saying an Immortal made an appearance."

"Mom, don’t listen to them. It was just a natural phenomenon. I even have a video."

"But a patch of tea trees on South Mountain did mutate. From now on, the tea harvested from those trees won’t be for sale."

’I’m not short on cash right now,’ he thought. ’It’s better to keep something this good for myself.’

Lin Chaoyan quickly interjected, "Lin Feng, save some of that tea for me when the time comes. I’ll trade you something for it."

He had seen the video. Those mutated tea trees were definitely no ordinary thing—they were probably just as special as the Jade Grapes.

"We’ll see. I need to see what the harvest looks like before I decide how to distribute it."

Zhou Jun and Sun Lili both smiled. Since they were going to be working in Lin Xian Village, they were sure to get a share of the benefits.

Lin Feng’s noncommittal answer soured Lin Chaoyan’s mood. He decided he would ask Zhou Jun about it later.

Hu Xia chimed in, "Lin Feng, I posted the video, but the netizens don’t believe the explanation at all. It’s just made Lin Xian Village even more famous."

Thinking about the current situation in Lin Xian Village gave her a headache. What good was all this fame if they couldn’t accommodate the visitors?