Chapter 60: The Calamity of the Velvets
Xu Ning rolled his eyes at Wang Ergou. "So I don't know why you're so disappointed? We're nowhere near as good as you. You should be happy."
Li Yun urged them. "Stop talking nonsense. Let's hurry up and plant the spirit herbs, otherwise we'll be in trouble if we can't et our quota. The deadline is coming."
Then, the three of them carried seeds to their respective assigned spirit fields.
Hello! Spirit Field! Xu Ning couldn't help but reach out with his mind as soon as they arrived, communicating with the field itself.
"Hello, Xu Ning!" The Spirit Field's voice echoed in Xu Ning's mind, calm and ancient.
Xu Ning asked, "Using you to plant Cloud Spirit Flowers shouldn't be a problem, right? You're suitable?"
The Spirit Field replied, "Of course, no problem. But there's a root in my southwest corner that's been absorbing my nutrients for a long ti. You can dig it up first before planting. It'll be much better for the flowers."
Xu Ning was surprised. He quickly went to the place the Spirit Field ntioned, then picked up his hoe and dug.
Soon, a pale root covered in yellow mud was dug out by Xu Ning.
Holding it in his hand, Xu Ning couldn't help but ask, "What kind of spiritual plant are you? Speak."
The root in his hand imdiately replied, its voice indignant. "None of your business! Bury back in! I'm going to die out here!"
Xu Ning narrowed his eyes, his tone dangerous. "If you don't tell , I'll eat you."
Xu Ning definitely wouldn't eat it, but feeding it to Tie Dan was perfectly fine. He needed to upgrade Tie Dan to a low-grade spiritual level so it could start producing spiritual manure. This would be perfect.
The root was startled and quickly said, "I'm the root of the White Jade Leaf! It's a basic herb for many elixirs. Very useful."
Xu Ning nodded, satisfied. "I'll plant it in a flowerpot for you later. You'll be safe."
The White Jade Leaf root was surprised. "Really? You'll let live?"
Xu Ning ignored it and began cultivating the spirit field properly.
Being able to communicate with the spirit field allowed Xu Ning to know the optimal level of cultivation for planting the Cloud Spirit Flower. He knew exactly how much to water, how to aerate the soil.
After finishing, Xu Ning shared this technique with Wang Ergou and Li Yun, telling them to re-cultivate any areas they hadn't fully prepared. They needed to follow the field's needs.
Wang Ergou imdiately expressed his disbelief. "Brother Xu Ning, you've never fard before. How would you know? Clearing land is too tiring. I'll just plant it like this. It'll be fine."
Li Yun, however, seed thoughtful. He nodded and followed Xu Ning's instructions to clear the land again, working until midnight. He trusted his friend.
After returning to the thatched hut, Xu Ning tossed the white jade leaf root to Tie Dan without hesitation.
"Big brother, that's not what you just told !" The white jade leaf root panicked, crying out in alarm.
Xu Ning shrugged. "What nonsense! What's the use of planting you? You'd take years to grow. Tie Dan needs you more."
Before the root could speak further, Tie Dan swallowed it whole with a happy moo. He closed his eyes and began to digest, his body humming with energy.
Planting it was definitely out of the question. It wouldn't be of much use anyway, and he needed spiritual manure now.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Feeding it to Tie Dan was the most suitable option. This way, he could upgrade to a low-grade spirit level and start producing spiritual manure. It was a perfect first step.
Sure enough, early the next morning, Tie Dan had upgraded to a low-grade spirit level. With a satisfied grunt, he produced a lump of fresh spiritual manure.
Xu Ning was overjoyed and patted Tie Dan's big bull head. "Tiedan, well done! Keep it up! This is perfect."
Tie Dan looked at the pile of spirit dung he had produced with an unusually strange expression, sowhere between pride and embarrassnt.
After putting the spirit dung into the manure bucket to fernt, Xu Ning went out to the spirit field and began sowing the spirit herb seeds.
Of course, Xu Ning didn't sow all of them. He deliberately kept a few aside for his own cultivation in the flowerpots.
After sowing, all he needed to do was water when it was dry and remove any weeds. The field told him when.
Of course, if there was a pest infestation, it would be disastrous for the whole district.
Wang Ergou and Li Yun also sowed their seeds and waited, hoping for the best.
A few days later, it was ti for the other servants to hand in their mature spirit herbs.
The three of them saw that many servants' spirit herbs had been unfairly withheld by Qian Zhide, the foreman. But they dared not speak out. They had no power.
Xu Ning and his companions were newcors, so they didn't have to hand in theirs this ti. Since it wasn't their business, they ignored it. It wasn't their fight.
After checking that the spirit field was in good condition, Xu Ning went to fetch water to irrigate it before returning to his hut.
The watering ti was carefully tid according to the optimal schedule indicated by the spirit field. He followed its advice precisely.
anwhile, inside Xu Ning's thatched hut, several flowerpots held seedlings growing inside. They were identical to the Cloud Spirit Flowers planted in the spirit fields outside, only much larger and healthier.
These were cultivated by Xu Ning using the seeds he had saved. They were fed daily with Tie Dan's fresh spiritual manure.
Because he wasn't in a hurry, Xu Ning fed them the sa asured amount each day. If he had fed only one plant all the manure, it would have matured long ago.
Xu Ning knew that even if one matured, there was nowhere to sell it now without drawing attention. So he planned to cultivate several at once before selling them for a better price.
Moreover, Xu Ning had already inquired and learned that there was a market near the sect specifically for trading between cultivators. It was called the Cloud Market.
The market not only housed disciples of the Tianbao Sect but also disciples from other sects, as well as traveling rchants who brought rare goods.
Xu Ning had already planned that when the traveling rchants arrived, he would take these cultivated Cloud Spirit Flowers to exchange for resources he needed.
In the blink of an eye, several more days passed. The Cloud Spirit Flowers in the spirit fields grew rapidly, already reaching knee height.
Next, they needed to wait for the flowers to bloom. This would be the busiest ti for Xu Ning and the others.
The Cloud Spirit Flowers didn't bloom all at once. Each flower opened only occasionally, and the entire plant had to be harvested imdiately when it blood. Otherwise, the flower would fall and be wasted.
They would need to stay in the spirit field constantly, waiting for the flowers to bloom at any mont. It would be exhausting.
However, to the surprise of all the nial disciples, Xu Ning and Li Yun's Cloud Spirit Flowers were growing significantly better than the others. Their plants were taller and greener.
The most striking contrast was Wang Ergou's. Planted by the three of them together, his Cloud Spirit Flower was noticeably shorter and more wilted than Xu Ning and Li Yun's.
"Brother Xu Ning, I should have listened to you!" Wang Ergou cried, his face contorted with grief and regret. His laziness had cost him.
Li Yun said irritably, "Who told you not to listen back then? We both told you."
Xu Ning had told both of them the thod, but Wang Ergou was just lazy. That led to this situation.
Wang Ergou promised, "I'll definitely listen next ti! I swear."
Xu Ning nodded. "After harvesting, just cultivate and replant as I told you. There won't be any major problems later if you follow it."
Wang Ergou nodded earnestly. "Brother Xu Ning, I understand. I'll definitely listen to you this ti. I've learned my lesson."
"Oh no, there are fuzzy insects!"
Just as the three were talking, a servant suddenly shouted in alarm.
Xu Ning and the other two were also startled. They rushed to check the spirit field and imdiately saw the leaves of the Cloud Spirit Flower covered with densely packed, wriggling fuzzy insects.
Instantly, the entire fifth planting area was in chaos. nial disciples ran in panic. Even Qian Zhide was alard and ran over.
"Get rid of the insects! Get rid of the insects!" Qian Zhide shouted in a panic, his face pale.
After all, the harvest here was also linked to his performance. If the harvest was less, he wouldn't get any extra spirit plants. And worse, if the entire area's share didn't et the standard, he would also be held accountable by his superiors.
All the disciples doing odd jobs dared not slack off. They imdiately got to work, trying to pick the tiny insects off by hand.
However, the worms were not only tiny but also terrifyingly nurous. They were impossible to eliminate completely. They spread faster than they could be picked.
Everyone knew that if left unattended, the entire planting area of the Fifth District would be completely devoured by the next day. All their work would be lost.
In contrast, Xu Ning was much calr. He walked over to his section and squatted down, reaching out his mind to ask the Cloud Spirit Flower for advice. The plants themselves would know how to fight back.
Reviews
All reviews (0)