Chapter 38: Appearance! Drunken Aphid!
Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Appearance! Drunken Aphid!
Now at the Qi Refining Second Layer, He Zhiping had naturally contracted five acres of Spirit Fields, just like Xiao Changhua before him. The Harmonious Wind and Rain over the past two years had allowed him to live quite comfortably. He had Fasting Pills and Spiritual Sand whenever he wanted them, and he could even save some Spirit Rice to treat himself to a good meal now and then. He hadn’t encountered the droughts of previous years, let alone the insect plagues that the Elder Spirit Plant Cultivators spoke of! While he hadn’t seen a plague, he had certainly seen his fair share of bugs. However, the occasional one or two stragglers could never amount to anything serious. Currently, the Spirit Rice had grown to a normal person’s knee height, densely packed and extremely gratifying to look at.
One day, He Zhiping was patrolling his Spirit Field. A RUSTLE came from the plant’s roots. He approached for a closer look and, sure enough, found a palm-sized Drunken Aphid gnawing on a root. At palm-size, it was still just a larva for a Drunken Aphid. He didn’t even need to use Magic; the physical strength of a Cultivator alone was enough to squash it easily. This type of bug usually needed ten days to half a month to pose a threat, and by then, killing them would require some effort.
When He Zhiping saw this bug, a plan suddenly formed in his mind! He carefully plucked the Drunken Aphid from the plant, its sharp, terrifying mandibles constantly scraping together. Even though it was only in its larval stage, its sharp carapace could easily tear through a normal person’s skin. He Zhiping stored the Drunken Aphid in a jar and made a few more rounds in the field, catching a total of five bugs. He was somewhat surprised; it seemed the Drunken Aphids had appeared earlier this year than in previous years. But it was just a few, not too many, so he didn’t care too much. Besides, he had more important things to do right now!
Holding the earthen jar of Drunken Aphids, He Zhiping excitedly ran to the field of Lan Ling, whom he had coveted for a long time. She was currently casting the Rainfall Technique, watering her three acres of Spirit Fields. Regarding He Zhiping’s sudden visit, Lan Ling frowned slightly but didn’t show too much aversion. After all, he was at the Qi Refining Second Layer, while she was merely at the Qi Refining First Layer.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, Fellow Daoist Lan, something terrible has happened!"
Seeing his unusual demeanor, Lan Ling’s heart skipped a beat. "Fellow Daoist He, what’s wrong?"
He Zhiping presented the earthen jar, opened the sealed lid, and pinched out a thrashing Drunken Aphid. "Bugs are starting to grow in the fields. We must catch them immediately, otherwise, once they grow up, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"Ah?!" Lan Ling instantly paled in fright. She had heard of insect plagues, but in her three years as a Spirit Plant Cultivator, she had never encountered one. She had never even seen what a Drunken Aphid looked like!
"Right now, while they’re still larvae, they’re easiest to catch. Once they grow into adults, not only will they be unkillable, but our few acres of Spirit Fields probably won’t even be enough to feed them! When the time comes, they’ll blot out the sky in swarms, and even we Cultivators might be in mortal danger!"
He Zhiping wasn’t fear-mongering. He was describing the actual scene of an insect plague, though just a few larvae wouldn’t amount to that.
Lan Ling’s face was a bit pale. If she couldn’t harvest grain this year, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to pay her taxes at all. When the Grain Collection Officer from Purple Cloud Peak arrived, how would she explain herself? "Fe... Fellow Daoist He, y-you have to help me!"
Seeing her pitiful gaze and moved expression, He Zhiping was instantly delighted! Sure enough, this trick was a great idea! "Don’t worry, leave it to me."
Then, holding his large earthen jar, He Zhiping patrolled Lan Ling’s Spirit Field for half an hour and successfully caught two more Drunken Aphids. Seeing the low number, he didn’t wait for her to speak and continued, "Don’t just look at these two; the field might already be full of invisible bug eggs."
"Ah?" Lan Ling was startled. "Then what should we do?"
"From now on, I’ll come over every three days to help you catch bugs, until you have a bountiful harvest this year just like last year. How about that?"
"Really?" Lan Ling felt a burst of joy and finally relaxed.
"Naturally. That’s all for today, Fellow Daoist Lan. I’ll come by again in a few days!"
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist He! Thank you so much!"
He Zhiping didn’t linger, nor did he make any demands. He understood well the logic of playing the long game to catch a big fish. She might still have her guard up after one or two times, but after ten or twenty visits, he was confident he would easily have her in the palm of his hand! When the time came, he’d create some pleasant surprises. Getting her to become his Dao companion would be as easy as reaching out and taking it. Moreover, leaving now, he had another important thing to do!
He Zhiping quietly arrived at Chen Mo’s Spirit Field. Taking advantage of the fact that Chen Mo had gone to Xiao Changhua’s side to cast Rainfall, he sneakily released all the Drunken Aphids from his earthen jar into Chen Mo’s Spirit Field. Then, he returned to his home pretending nothing had happened.
"Hmph! Let that be a lesson to you!" he thought smugly.
After finishing his Rainfall duties, Chen Mo returned to his Spirit Field as usual. Just as he sat cross-legged in Cultivation, the Spiritual Qi at his fingertips suddenly experienced a slight disturbance.
"Is it the Geng Metal Finger? Or my Metal Spirit Root?"
Chen Mo didn’t know whether this anomaly was brought about by his Spirit Root or his Magic, but one thing was certain: something was definitely going on nearby, triggering his sensitive nerves. Feeling a bit restless, he hurriedly stood up. Soon, in the northern section of the Spirit Field, he discovered a sizable nest of Drunken Aphids!
Seeing this, Chen Mo frowned deeply. He had only encountered one or two in total last year. This year, before the rice had even formed ears, there were already bugs in the field. Was he going to face an insect plague? He had a bad premonition.
At the same time, he tapped lightly, effortlessly exterminating this nest of Drunken Aphids as if controlling his own arm. At the Great Success Realm, he could use the Geng Metal Finger entirely as he wished, not even harming the Spirit Yellow Rice seedlings. After dealing with the bugs, Chen Mo returned to his original spot and continued to sit in Cultivation.
The next day, while in Cultivation, he surprisingly sensed an anomaly once again. Approaching for a closer look, he saw two more Drunken Aphids breaking out of their eggs, which he naturally disposed of with a wave of his hand. From then on, every night, three to five bugs would appear. However, because they were still very weak, they didn’t stir up any trouble!
But this matter in itself made Chen Mo feel that something was amiss. Although the bugs were few in number and very weak, why were they appearing endlessly? Furthermore, why were there bugs breaking out of the soil during the day?
Chen Mo, who had already been paying close attention, discovered He Zhiping’s little tricks on the fifth day. On this day, heading to Xiao Changhua’s Spirit Field to cast Rainfall as usual, he observed He Zhiping making a trip to Lan Ling’s Spirit Field. Not long after, on his way back, He Zhiping passed by Chen Mo’s field ridge. Upon returning, Chen Mo easily spotted the several Drunken Aphids that He Zhiping had secretly released there!
"Fine! You’ve got some nerve."
Chen Mo was grinding his teeth in anger! Since that was the case, he would gladly play a good game with him!