Chapter 177: Spirit Horse of the Spirit Mushroom

Xu Jia ignored how this Jinchan Duobao had brought disaster upon the ox spirit, saying only: "Duobao, do not harm his life for now; I will need him to serve as a mount and beast of burden in the future."

Jinchan Duobao responded briskly: "Rest assured, at most I will let him breed, plow the fields, and then take him out for a stroll as a rare exhibit or something."

The Green Ox Spirit was terrified and about to flee, but the Jinchan had already received the method taught by Xu Jia and ordered his servant to tie the ox-leading rope, adding: "Don't worry, follow me and do things, and I guarantee you will serve as both ox and horse!"

When dawn broke, Xu Jia saw the people working the fields and saw this ox; they were all very envious and asked if they could borrow it for plowing. They all made their wishes, and thus each had their own farming tasks.

"You must pay, and if you have no money, borrow it from me!" the Jinchan said loudly: "This is a Green Ox Spirit with two hundred years of cultivation; it can plow twenty mu of land in a single night!"

Immediately, a chorus of curses followed, but Duobao was not afraid of the scolding; instead, he laughed happily.

Xu Jia was very gratified that this Green Ox Spirit could find a way to realize his self-worth here, and that he could reform well, be an ox again, and thereby forget the grudges of his past life, understanding that only by living well in the present can one have any future at all.

Of course, if he showed improvement, Xu Jia would also be happy to set up a shrine for him; for the common people to farm and worship a Great Immortal of Ox Strength, praying for a smooth harvest and abundant grain, was also a very normal thing.

After resolving the matter of the Green Ox, Xu Jia went to the "Earth Mare" portal to take a look. This five-colored Stone Spirit Mushroom was still operating, and it could basically be seen that it was not just because a True Person of the Earth Immortal realm was performing Taiyin Refining Form here that it appeared auspicious; this was a "Spirit Root of Heaven and Earth."

The five-colored mushroom Qi, combined with the spores of the Spirit Mushroom, meant that sooner or later this place would become a field of Spirit Mushrooms.

"Calling this place Lan Shi Huo is a bit lacking in fortune; it should be renamed Xianzhi Valley." Just as Xu Jia was thinking this, a small horse suddenly rushed out from there and bumped into him.

How could Xu Jia be bumped by this miniature horse? He only said: "I just said that for the ox and horse, there was only the ox; now the horse is here too."

It turned out this was a "Spirit Horse," a type of spirit of heaven and earth, a monster transformed from the spirituality born of a Spirit Mushroom, just like the Ginseng dolls that transform from Ginseng.

Perhaps it was Xu Jia's covetous heart toward the Spirit Mushroom that made it feel threatened, so it appeared bravely, wanting to bump Xu Jia to death.

This little Spirit Horse bumped into Xu Jia's straw sandals, did a somersault, but still kicked its heels and charged again, like Don Quixote.

The mud doll Liu Yuanheng took the initiative to attack, grabbed the little thing, and rode on its back, startling the Spirit Horse so much that it wanted to escape into the ground, but the mud doll could also escape into the ground.

Xu Jia grabbed it in his hand, tore off a piece of vermilion red thread, and tied it to the Spirit Horse's neck; it immediately quieted down and revealed a submissive expression.

"You little thing, it looks like you were born only a few days ago; you are quite malnourished. The nutrients from before were all taken by the Taiyin Refining Form, right?"

He took a fierce breath, just like sniffing a cat, and inhaled a mouthful of mushroom Qi into his body. The little Spirit Horse immediately looked listless. Xu Jia untied the red rope, and it returned to the five-colored jade mushroom as if fleeing, not daring to come out again.

Huang Pipo and Hu Jinhua both revealed greedy expressions: "Master Xu, this is a good thing! Sniff it to prolong life, and eating one is worth a hundred years of bitter cultivation!"

"Why eat it? It is a mushroom spirit, best at growing Spirit Mushrooms. One full meal, or a full meal every time—which do you want?"

"Of course, a full meal every time!"

Xu Jia had just inhaled a mouthful of mushroom Qi, feeling refreshed and clear-headed; his Spleen Palace was strengthened, his innate foundation was solid, and he had made up for some of the deficiency from his previous "Refining Essence into Qi."

"Then that settles it." Xu Jia laughed: "Liu Yuanheng, from now on, you will settle down here in Lan Shi Huo—no, from today it is renamed Xianzhi Valley—and protect this Spirit Mushroom of mine. If there is any mishap, I will hold you solely responsible."

The mud doll Liu Yuanheng said fawningly: "Can I come out of the Demon Registry? I think opening a shrine is quite good."

"We'll see how you perform." Xu Jia knew that these evil spirits were all incorrigible, habitual liars who could not be constrained at all.

Afterward, he checked the persimmon trees. The earth energy here was abundant and the temperature was uncertain; some bloomed early and some bloomed late, so persimmons grew all year round.

Xu Jia got a few soft persimmons that had already ripened and tasted them. They were not very large and had seeds, but they carried a unique sweetness, though the astringency had not completely disappeared. Perhaps it was related to the variety, or perhaps they had not been left long enough.

The poor might ignore this faint astringency, considering them a fine wild fruit, but those with some status would definitely not eat many. Moreover, they had many better substitutes.

Lao Zhupo said: "The fruits here are just like this. In spring and summer, the fruits are not big and the taste is average because they do not follow the solar terms. In autumn and winter, the persimmons are sweet, and they are the most mature."

"Then divide the area into spring/summer and autumn/winter zones." Xu Jia gave this task to Lao Zhupo: "Hai Sanniang, what do you think?"

"Then we only need to distinguish between north and south. In the valley, there is always a sunny side and a shady side." Hai Sanniang said: "The persimmons on the sunny side will bloom and bear fruit early, while those on the shady side will be much later..."

"Then mark them. The mud doll is literate; you work with him to get things done."

Hai Sanniang immediately shut her mouth.

"Hui Zhuo will build a small temple at the foot of the mountain named Shishen Miao, but the Incense Fire is for you to enjoy. As the place where you establish your shrine, if you do well, you will also be considered to have merit."

Hai Sanniang was curious: "Why is it Shishen, and not just building a Zhupo Temple?"

"This is mutual achievement. You exist as the guardian deity of the persimmon forest. If you set up a Zhupo Temple alone, what merit does it show?"

"Hui Zhuo's father will soon build a winery here and send people to pick persimmons. These ones with average appearance, average taste, and small size are the perfect auxiliary ingredients for brewing wine."

"At that time, mountain folk will come into the mountains to pick fruit."

"Then what will my descendants eat?" Hai Sanniang was puzzled.

"Just don't get eaten," Xu Jia said: "You only need to manage the few that might become spirits; let the rest multiply naturally and drive them into the depths of Yushan, where they can also forage."

Hai Sanniang felt she could not accept this: "Can't they stay with me in the persimmon forest? They were devoted to me; when I was paralyzed and couldn't move, it was they who brought me food..."

"Hu Jinhua has many fox descendants, and after they are two years old, she drives them out of the nest to live independently until they become spirits. Huang Pipo is the same. You must learn to let go. A sow gives birth to nine in a litter; if you raise them all, I can only raise them to kill and sell for meat, opening a pig farm and returning to the days of your former master. You thought your former master was unconditionally good to you, but they just wanted to raise you black, fat, and healthy to kill and sell for meat."

Hai Sanniang was deflated. She did not want her descendants to be raised by others, only to be finished off with a knife and put on the dinner table.

But she was also powerless to raise so many descendants, and for a moment, she felt heartbroken.

Back then, she was used for breeding in her master's house, and knowing that her descendants might have all been sent to the dinner table, she escaped, mated with a wild boar in the mountains, and gave birth to a batch of children, whom she raised with all her heart to make up for the guilt she felt toward her past children.

She had only raised that one litter, and as for these current pigs, they were all descendants of that litter...

"Alright, I will keep a few that have gained intelligence and drive the others away."

"Sanniang, suppress the turbid water, cut off the descendants, return to the innate essence, and mend the female womb; only then can you live longer. Your old flesh is like this because after becoming a spirit, your foundation was not yet consolidated, yet you reproduced without restraint..."

"Hai water is turbid yin; what you correspond to is the acquired kidney water of a woman."

Xu Jia passed on a section of the Complete Truth Alchemy method of "Subduing the White Tiger and Slaying the Red Dragon": "Try practicing like this."

Lao Zhupo let out an 'en' sound, still not in high spirits.

Xu Jia then left this place and said no more.

(End of chapter)