Chapter 12: Sowing, a New Year Begins!
Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Sowing, a New Year Begins!
"You?" Wei Wuwei looked at him in astonishment.
He obviously didn’t expect that someone who was only at the Qi Refining First Layer and had been acting as a Spirit Plant Cultivator for barely a year would actually ask to contract 5 mu of Spirit Fields.
"Boss Wei, I’ve thought about it. If I can take these two mu of land, I can earn an extra 200 catties of Spirit Rice next year. This will be very beneficial for my future Cultivation," Chen Mo spoke with assurance. His tone and eyes were full of naivety, making no mention of the potential disasters that could strike the Spirit Fields and acting as if he was completely ignorant of them.
Wei Wuwei didn’t rush to answer. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Wait here. I’ll be right back."
Currently, there was less than a month until planting time. Therefore, unless there was a ready-made Spirit Plant Cultivator willing to contract those two mu of Spirit Fields, it was already too late to train someone new.
The minor Steward of Niu’s Shop gave a brief report and received a very clear directive: As long as someone was willing to rent the Spirit Fields, rent them out. Under no circumstances was he to mention that a minor disaster occurred every three years and a major one every ten. After all, if the tenant couldn’t hand over the grain, they would just end up being sold into the Black Mine Pit!
Naturally, Wei Wuwei wouldn’t disobey the Steward’s words. After receiving his orders, he returned to the courtyard and came before Chen Mo. The young man who had stepped into the Cultivation Immortal Realm just a year ago was curiously examining every plant and tree in the yard, looking just like an innocent youth.
Wei Wuwei sighed inwardly. The abundant harvest of the first year had caused this man to underestimate the risks of planting. He didn’t know whether this was a good or bad thing for the other party!
"Boss Wei? How is it?" Chen Mo had noticed him long ago, but pretended not to until the other approached.
"The Steward agreed, but as for the seeds for these two mu of land..." Wei Wuwei trailed off, also afraid of not recouping his capital.
"Boss Wei, I’ll trade 3 Fasting Pills for them. How about that?" Chen Mo proposed. He still had over 50 catties of Spirit Rice secretly stashed at home. If he was frugal, it would be enough to feed him for three months. Before winter arrived, he could restock his Fasting Pills after selling the next batch of grain.
"Then you..." The words reached the tip of Wei Wuwei’s tongue before he realized that the other party really only needed 9 Fasting Pills. As long as everything went smoothly and he sold his grain before winter, there was a chance to exchange it for Fasting Pills. The premise was that he had surplus grain!
"Alright!"
Chen Mo took out the 3 Fasting Pills he had prepared in advance from his pocket and handed them over. The other party accepted them without any refusal. A moment later, he carried a bag of Spirit Yellow Rice seeds out from the shop.
"The seeds are ready. Since you’re here, I’ll give them to you now. It’s one catty and six taels in total, enough to sow 5 mu of land. Also, remember to store them in a dry, cool place after you get back. Make absolutely sure they don’t get damp."
"Understood, thank you!"
Chen Mo took the Spirit Yellow Rice with both hands and weighed it lightly. The weight was correct. After opening the bag and observing carefully, he found no difference from the seeds in his memory. They looked like Spirit Rice, yet they were different. Every single seed was plump. He wondered how they were cultivated! If he knew, he could save a large amount of expenses. Of course, this was the Marketplace’s exclusive formula; they certainly wouldn’t let bottom-tier Spirit Plant Cultivators like them know about it.
"Boss Wei! Thank you so much, I’ll take my leave now!"
Chen Mo cupped his hands in farewell, and naturally, the other party didn’t try to make him stay. He was just a Spirit Plant Cultivator, incapable of drawing the slightest bit of importance from Wei Wuwei. All Wei Wuwei cared about was how much grain the other party could hand over next year!
Arriving at the entrance of the Marketplace, Wang Lixia leaned gently against the crimson threshold. With her eyes half-closed, she looked rather exhausted. That sudden visual impact made Chen Mo feel, for a split second, as if he were seeing his grandmother waiting for him after school at the village entrance. She looked aged and peaceful.
"She really has grown old," he realized. Chen Mo seemed to have forgotten that this Qi Refining Third Layer Cultivator—the strongest within a hundred mu radius—was already senile and aged. Yet even so, she still toiled with her face to the yellow earth and her back to the sky just to make a living.
"Sigh." He sighed softly. What else could be done?
Upon sensing his arrival, Wang Lixia slowly opened her eyes.
"Senior, let me carry you back on my back," Chen Mo offered suddenly, hoping to save the elderly woman a few steps of walking.
To his surprise, as soon as he spoke, Wang Lixia’s eyebrows shot up, and she scolded with slight annoyance, "No need! I’m not dead yet!"
With that, she took the lead, leaning on her cane as she walked out. Chen Mo scratched his head awkwardly and quickly caught up. They walked in silence the entire way.
...
Returning to his small wooden cabin, Chen Mo carefully stored the seeds in a cool place and resumed his Cultivation routine. This time, however, he had an additional task during the day—plowing the fields.
The soil of the Spirit Fields was hard; even for a Cultivator, it was considered physical labor. After spending three days plowing his initial three mu, Chen Mo went ahead and plowed Wang Lixia’s land without saying a word. For this kind of work that didn’t consume Spiritual Qi and only drained physical stamina, doing her a favor was a good thing. As for Wang Lixia, she simply tacitly accepted his actions.
...
Once all 10 mu of Spirit Fields were plowed, the planting season finally arrived. The cool spring breeze brushed against their faces, bringing a pleasant sense of comfort. The weeds in the Spirit Fields had yet to sprout, leaving the land bare and unadorned by any vitality.
The Spirit Plant Cultivators of the Ancient Dust Marketplace began to busy themselves. Some bought seeds, while others started sowing. During this time, Wang Lixia also made a trip to the Marketplace.
One sunny and breezy morning, Chen Mo took the Spirit Yellow Rice seeds he had stored for half a month and buried them in his Spirit Fields, turning the soil and covering them well. After finishing, he glanced in Wang Lixia’s direction. Seeing that she hadn’t appeared, he formed hand seals and cast the Rainfall Technique.
The Spiritual Rain lasted for half an hour until all 5 mu of the Spirit Fields were thoroughly moistened. Once the seeds were in the ground, the first watering couldn’t be too heavy, otherwise, they would drown. This was common knowledge. Having done all this, Chen Mo opened his interface, marking the beginning of a new year of Cultivation!
[Name: Chen Mo]
[Class: Spirit Plant Cultivator (Unlocked), Spirit Nurturer (Locked)...]
[Lifespan: 29/76]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining First Layer]
[Cultivation Technique: Qi Cultivation Technique (64/100)]
[Magic:]
[Rainfall Technique (Proficient): 22/200]
[Flaming Palm (Proficient): 46/200]
[Talent: Increased Production (Green)]
His class was still Spirit Plant Cultivator, and the Spirit Nurturer remained locked. Chen Mo guessed that he might need to raise a chicken or two before this class could be activated. Of course, right now, he didn’t want to waste energy on raising chickens and ducks. That kind of long-cycle, high-return investment wasn’t suitable for him at the moment.
His Realm was still at the Qi Refining First Layer, but the experience of his Qi Cultivation Technique had reached 64 points. At his current Cultivation speed, he would be able to break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer by the first half of next year.
That shower of Spiritual Rain just now had added 2 experience points to his Rainfall Technique. Watering Wang Lixia’s 5 mu would yield a total of about 4-5 experience points. Calculating at an average frequency of once every three days, he would reach Mastery in this Magic in four months. By then, his [Increased Production] Talent would also smoothly break through.
Of course, the one that had improved the fastest over this winter was undoubtedly the [Flaming Palm]!