Chapter 574: Five Years

The terrain of Poison Dragon Slope slopes higher in the east and lower in the west.

After surveying the area, Fang Xing selected a large flat stretch on the western side as his territory.

This entire region totaled nearly a thousand soccer fields in size, nearly occupying half of Poison Dragon Slope.

According to the agreement, future land vein energies, toxic spots, and similar features were all allocated to East Peak.

"This land alone could support ten thousand mu of bamboo forest…"

Fang Xing leveled a plot of several mu, sighed contentedly.

Rome wasn't built in a day; he had no intention of planting ten thousand mu of bamboo overnight, so he first built himself a wooden cabin.

Then he planted the Three Saints Oak and Green Spirit Bamboo around it.

And he released mutated ants… effectively creating a small druidic ecological zone.

"This is the blueprint for future expansion… I can just replicate it later."

After a flurry of activity and laying out a rough plan, Fang Xing nodded in satisfaction: "Just need to acquire another insect-controlling inheritance… then I'm set."

As for the five hundred talisman coins the Floating Cloud Five had scraped together, he unhesitatingly embezzled most of it, planning to buy a beast-taming inheritance— insect control was merely one chapter within it.

After all, the druid's animal domain is vast; it can't be confined solely to insect cultivation.

"Per our prior agreement with the Fei family, the first ten years of reclamation are self-reliant—no tribute required annually…"

"For now, I'll farm here for ten years."

Using his "Plant Growth" talent, Fang Xing spurred the growth of countless young Green Spirit Bamboos, preparing them to appease the Floating Cloud Five; then he stood upright, gazing at the emerging ecological zone, and sighed.

…

Time flowed like water; years passed like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

Poison Dragon Slope had changed dramatically since before.

On East Peak, a ring of buildings had risen, and a patch of spirit farmland had been cultivated.

On the western slope, lush greenery now covered hundreds of mu of bamboo forest, occasionally punctuated by a few oak trees amid the green.

One day.

A pair of teenagers slowly approached the bamboo forest.

"Big Brother Feng, my mother told me to stay away from here…"

A girl in a snow-white dress, no more than eleven or twelve, stared ahead at the bamboo forest, hesitating: "Is there really a giant black snake here?"

"Of course… I've seen it once—it was thicker than a water barrel… slithering through this bamboo forest like a black dragon surging through emerald seas…"

Big Brother Feng, a year or two older than her, beamed with excitement: "And the bamboo shoots here? Delicious."

"Maybe we should just go back… I barely escaped; let's go play somewhere else first."

The girl in white hesitated, yet her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Like a child fleeing a strict parent, she longed to do something forbidden.

"Don't worry—we six families of Poison Dragon Slope are bound by blood. The hermit here is one of us."

Big Brother Feng strode into the bamboo forest; the girl in white followed immediately.

Soon, a green bamboo viper dropped down, landing on Big Brother Feng's shoulder.

"Ah! Poisonous snake!"

The boy's shrill scream echoed through the entire bamboo forest.

"I told you so…"

The girl in white was near tears: "West Slope isn't like East Peak—here, the venomous snakes haven't been cleared at all… many people have been bitten, which is why they banned us from coming…"

Beside her, Big Brother Feng lay on the ground, lips turning blue-black, nearly foaming at the mouth.

At that moment, a flash of green light appeared, and a figure stepped forward.

He appeared as a young man, dressed in stitched leather, holding a bamboo staff with several untrimmed branches still clinging to its top.

"Uncle Fang, save me!"

Seeing Fang Xing, the girl in white looked as if she'd found a savior.

"You're… Song Yunqian's daughter, Song Yunyun? You've grown so much?"

Fang Xing looked at Song Yunyun, recalling the tiny, doll-like girl from before, and smiled: "Oh? You've already absorbed Qi into your body—you're at Qi Absorption Level Two now. Impressive, very impressive…"

"Uncle Fang…"

Song Yunyun pleaded: "Lv Feng is almost dead!"

"Don't worry—he won't die."

Fang Xing smiled and handed her a berry and a packet of snake venom antidote: "Feed him this… see if he dares steal bamboo shoots again."

Song Yunyun quickly gave the antidote to Lv Feng, pouting: "Uncle Fang, why are there so many venomous insects and snakes here? I'm too scared to come play anymore."

"I prefer quiet. Besides… venomous snakes are part of nature."

Fang Xing replied solemnly: "You still want to come play? Didn't your mother drag you off to practice Qi Absorption and embroidery?"

At the mention of this, Song Yunyun's face fell.

"And… what did Lv Feng do to upset you?"

Fang Xing pointed at the still-unconscious Lv Feng.

He knew Song Yunyun had a mischievous streak; on the surface, Lv Feng had come to steal bamboo shoots for stir-fried pork, but secretly, she might have egged him on.

"Nothing… Big Brother Feng treats me well."

Song Yunyun lowered her head, fiddling with the embroidered sash on her dress: "He even helped me sneak out from Mother—so I could play for hours." "But you won't get that chance again."

Fang Xing shook his head: "Someone's already arrived beyond the bamboo grove. Let's go meet them."

"No, Uncle Fang! My mother will kill me!" Song Yunyun's face paled.

"Don't worry—she won't kill you."

Fang Xing grabbed Lv Feng by the scruff like a piece of trash and led Song Yunyun to the edge of the bamboo grove.

There stood Song Yunqian, looking anxious.

Five years had passed, making her appear even more mature—like a ripe, juicy peach.

Seeing Song Yunyun, Song Yunqian's relieved expression instantly turned to a frown: "Yunyun, you ran out again? Did you finish your basic talisman drawings? Did you complete your daily embroidery?"

Song Yunyun stuck out her tongue, face twisted in despair.

"Please, Sister Song, take this boy back to the Lv family…"

No mistake, no error, no content issue!

Fang Xing handed Lv Feng over, speaking casually.

"It's been months since we last met—your cultivation seems even deeper."

Song Yunqian bowed respectfully to Fang Xing, her expression grave: "My daughter has disturbed your cultivation—I apologize deeply…"

After years of interaction, the Floating Cloud Five knew Fang Xing's nature well.

"No problem… since you're here, take some spirit bamboo shoots with you."

Fang Xing chuckled.

Song Yunqian's smile froze—no matter how delicious, eating them daily for years had grown tiresome…

…

"This woman's cultivation must have reached Qi Absorption Level Five. Since she successfully opened that toxic spot two years ago, the Floating Cloud Five's progress has surged…"

Watching Song Yunqian depart, Fang Xing's eyes flashed with sharp light.

Over these five years, Poison Dragon Slope had been fully stabilized; the "Green Spirit Bamboo" he planted had grown to ten, even dozens of years old, and began purifying the toxic mists.

A common spirit gardener, with sufficient investment, could achieve the same in five years.

Once Poison Dragon Slope became habitable for ordinary people, the Floating Cloud Five immediately brought their kin here.

Among them, Old Lv's Lv family was the largest—over a hundred people, divided into multiple branches.

Rumor had it they had six generations under one roof; while family feuds—sister-in-law vs. sister-in-law, aunt vs. sister-in-law—weren't daily occurrences, they happened often enough.

Song Yunqian had brought only one daughter; Iron Luo Hermit had brought his brother's entire family of six.

Hu Liuniang and Lin Xu had originally been alone, but Hu Liuniang had brought along several human servants and attendants, occasionally hosting banquets that turned a section of East Peak into a chaotic mess.

Lin Xu had once been a lifelong bachelor, but recently, over the past one or two years, he seemed to be considering starting a family.

Fang Xing saw all this clearly, yet chose to ignore it.

As long as they didn't disturb his trees, he didn't care.

"My druid level is about to hit five. Each five levels in this druid inheritance is a major milestone… but I've deliberately suppressed my breakthrough, stacking layers of Qi Absorption cultivation first to maximize my innate lifespan…"

At Level Five druid, I gain the talent "Eternal Youth"—my appearance will never age, and the rate of life decay will halve.

That means my lifespan doubles!

And any lifespan gained before acquiring "Eternal Youth" counts as innate lifespan; any gained afterward through cultivation is acquired lifespan.

Fang Xing naturally chose to delay his druid breakthrough, focusing instead on the "Green Wood Art" to increase his innate lifespan.

No one ever has too much lifespan.

The difference between innate and acquired lifespan is like the original capacity of a cup versus water added later.

Due to his past life as a paper servant, Fang Xing feared his innate lifespan had been damaged, so he sought to compensate.

Now, leaning on his bamboo staff, he entered a refined pavilion, sat cross-legged, and gradually lost himself in stillness.

Astonishing plant essence surged into his limbs and marrow.

Shush!

Sssss!

Even between the bamboo groves, a rustling sound arose.

One after another, green bamboo vipers thrust out their heads, exhaling faint traces of poison.

"The seventh level of Qi Sensing, 'Sha Qi,' requires infusing a thread of sha qi into one's own spiritual energy to elevate its quality…"

"This hundred-poison snake sha is a relatively common variety…"

Fang Xing watched the sha qi taking shape in the void, but did not draw it in; instead, he lunged forward himself.

Sssss!

A green serpent, dozens of zhang long, emerged!

Wild Transformation — Green Snake Form!

The massive green serpent slithered forward, like the king of ten thousand snakes.

Under the 【Wild Transformation】 talent, Fang Xing truly became a green snake, silently cultivating, seeking to inhale and exhale sha qi.

In this state of insight, his spiritual energy circulated in a specific sequence, quietly acquiring a trace of sha qi's nature.

This was 'Green Snake Sha!'

In quality, it naturally surpassed the hundred-poison sha, and being born from within himself, it fused perfectly with his spiritual energy, effectively raising its quality once more.

This could rival some supreme evil qi!

"This Green Snake Form is still merely an ordinary creature…"

After reverting, Fang Xing resumed his human form and silently sensed the differences from the transformation.

"Indeed, Druid Level 5 is a major threshold — at Level 5, 【Wild Transformation】 upgrades all forms: carp can become fish spirits… combat power surges."

"Now, the Green Snake Form is merely an ordinary beast… compared to transcendent species like the Level 10 Mountain Viper or Water Wyrm, it's vastly inferior — it might not even defeat a fish spirit…"

(End of Chapter)