Chapter 31: Patrol

Sanyin Temple, backyard.

Chen Ci observed for another four days, during which he took the time to go to the vegetable market, obtaining twenty-one drops of Essence Refining; at this rate, offering two hundred drops of Essence Refining each month was becoming difficult.

Unfortunately, the Black Jade Rice seeds still showed no signs of sprouting.

"I watered them, too."

Chen Ci finally couldn't help it; it wasn't about the money, but he really wanted to taste a few mouthfuls of that Heiyu; if one cultivates immortality without eating Spirit Rice, he isn't doing it right!

Digging out a few of the planted seeds, he discovered that the seeds showed absolutely no signs of sprouting; let alone sprouting, the dozen or so seeds near the center of the Corpse Ganoderma even showed signs of withering and rotting.

This small Yin site at Sanyin Temple couldn't even be called a "refined chamber"; it needed to be nourished by Corpses from time to time, so the Yin Qi obtained wasn't that pure and easily became mixed with corpse aura.

Ninety-two grains were planted, and only seventy-eight remained viable when dug up.

A total loss.

A single seed was worth nearly two taels of silver.

"Is it because I didn't soak the seeds?"

Chen Ci pondered for a moment and decided to try again; he had learned a bit over the past few days that some seeds needed to be soaked to soften the outer shell and absorb enough moisture to stimulate germination before they could be planted.

"One more try."

He fetched a basin of clear water, threw the Black Jade Rice seeds in to soak for a night, and carefully planted them the next day, looking forward to them sprouting.

Another five days passed; these past few days, Chen Ci didn't even find practicing his arts enjoyable, always feeling like something was on his mind, so he came to the bare backyard and dug.

Damn it, the Black Jade Rice seeds had all rotted in the ground.

Chen Ci gripped the seeds and squeezed hard, his Three Yin True Qi completely pulverizing the inactive seeds: "A real man lives between heaven and earth, how can he spend his time in the fields? This damn field, I won't plant it anymore!"

"I regret not buying the 'Spirit Field Breeding Method' that came with the Black Jade Rice seeds back then, but a thin two-page booklet wanted to charge me two Spirit Pearls—why don't they just rob me!"

Chen Ci sighed, ultimately abandoning the idea of boiling the remaining Black Jade Rice seeds into porridge.

But if he had to choose again, he figured he still wouldn't spend the money to buy that so-called Spirit Field Breeding Method; although knowledge has value, it was just too damn expensive.

Chen Ci prepared to hunt for a second-hand copy at Xishan Market next time, *cough, cough*.

"In that case, I probably won't be eating Heiyu this year, but for a wage earner like me to think about eating expensive ingredients, I should just give it up."

Chen Ci felt a bit wistful; definitely next year.

"Master, the Head of the Family of the Huang Family is here to visit."

"Serve tea, I'll be there immediately."

Chen Ci rubbed his face; finally, there was some good news, but where did this strange feeling of expecting a paycheck come from?

When Chen Ci arrived at the front hall with a strange expression, Huang Defa was already seated and sipping tea; seeing Chen Ci's somewhat displeased look, he hurriedly stood up: "True Person Chen, what is the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just that I planted some Spirit seeds recently and they haven't sprouted for a long time; I reckon it's a failure."

Chen Ci collected himself, took the Abyssal Sinking Sand to store away, and smiled as he exchanged pleasantries.

"Oh, the Spirit seeds didn't sprout?"

Huang Defa became a bit interested and asked: "Did the True Person use Water Attribute Divine Sand to soak the seeds?"

"What do you mean?"

"This is a folk remedy my caravan picked up; grinding Water Attribute Divine Sand and sprinkling it into the water to soak the seeds can greatly increase the germination rate."

Huang Defa said cautiously: "Qingquan Village at Spirit Spring Stream is good at planting medicinal herbs, and my Huang Family Caravan often goes there to purchase high-quality Poria and Gastrodia; we have a good relationship. This soaking method is a tacitly understood little trick in the planting trade, but the specific concentration and time are secret recipes of each family, which outsiders find hard to inquire about."

Soaking seeds with Water Attribute Divine Sand?

Chen Ci rubbed his chin; don't look at it as sounding ordinary, but the so-called "True Inheritor's one sentence" often means the trick is just that simple.

"Many thanks to Daoist for the guidance, I will try it later."

Chen Ci bowed politely to thank him.

"True Person Chen is too polite, but I did hear about another matter this time."

Huang Defa stood up, clearly preparing to take his leave: "According to news from the prefecture city, strange and eerie incidents have been occurring one after another in the counties and towns of Xishan Prefecture recently, with many people and livestock going missing. The government is powerless, and Longhu Mountain is furious; they will dispatch high-merit Daoists to patrol everywhere. *Cough*, that's about it, just a small matter, the True Person just needs to know. I shall take my leave first."

Well, it seems those cheap fellow apprentices are much more industrious than himself.

He figured this Head of the Family of the Huang Family must have seen what happened at the vegetable market; although he didn't know Chen Ci's intentions, he gave a well-intentioned reminder.

"A high-merit Daoist from Longhu Mountain; to be honest, apart from some miscellaneous rogue cultivators, I really haven't met a proper disciple from a major sect, and I don't know what kind of demeanor they have."

The He Mountain Sect values artifacts over techniques; although it is quite advantageous for fighting, it is still somewhat different compared to orthodox immortal sects.

However, Chen Ci could also see that Longhu Mountain's attitude toward Hutou Daoren of the Fuhu Altar attempting to impact an Upper Grade Dao Foundation was not friendly. Some things everyone knows but doesn't say, and that's fine, but since it has been brought up, it means there is a real objection.

In such times, the small fry at the bottom are the easiest to suffer.

Chen Ci grinned, but with all those fellow apprentices as pearls and jade before him, he shouldn't have too much of a problem, right?

Late night, the Hour of the Ox.

Chen Ci slowly exhaled a breath, pressed his hands down, and regulated his restless Three Yin True Qi. After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at his Gold Finger panel.

Three Yin Qi-Eating Method: 32/100

"Finally opened another aperture, it's not easy."

His cultivation speed wasn't fast, but it was very steady.

Opening three apertures in six months; at least for now, the situation looked excellent.

"It's just that the consumption of resources is too high. Although my cultivation has improved, I still have no surplus wealth; my pockets are cleaner than my face."

Chen Ci sighed inwardly; this speed of cultivation was all fed by silver. If one also counted the rations for the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag and the expenses for refining Essence Refining, he spent about eighteen thousand taels of silver every month.

And this was the result of him being frugal everywhere and trying his best to control it.

It was all supported by the profits from the Frost Sugar he had tinkered with back then.

"I can still hold on for two and a half years. Why did I suddenly think of an old friend? *Cough*, but after two and a half years, I should be able to be different from what I am today."

Chen Ci looked at the wooden basin in front of him, inside which ninety Black Jade Rice seeds were soaking; for this, he had even painfully ground up four taels of Abyssal Sinking Sand and sprinkled it inside.

However, this basin of clear water truly looked beautiful after adding the Abyssal Sinking Sand; hazy, pale blue light spots rippled in the water, evenly distributed throughout the basin, even giving the Black Jade Rice seeds a thin layer of blue.

"We cultivators should be planting Spirit Fields, drawing spirit talismans, refining Spirit Pills, and living by our own labor!"

Chen Ci grunted and groaned as he fished out the Black Jade Rice seeds that had been soaking for a day, carefully planted them in the backyard, and then used a spoonful of the soaking water for each seed to sprinkle over them; he truly did not waste a single drop.

If they still didn't sprout after this, there would truly be no justice to speak of.

Thinking about how he had already invested nearly a jin of Five Elements Divine Sand into just farming this field, if there were no results, he feared that even breathing would feel painful.

(End of chapter)