Chapter 140: Guarding the Rice Fields

Su Jin met Qi Yi on the way, who had come to collect the fruit. Qi Yi's expression was not good; her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

Su Jin handed over the thirty jin of fruit directly and intended to leave.

"You... do you have some special trick to pick more fruit?" Qi Yi asked pitifully.

"Yes, cheating," Su Jin said.

"Huh? How to cheat?" Qi Yi asked hurriedly.

"Just hire people to help you pick, like you," Su Jin said, then left.

Qi Yi finally realized Su Jin was teasing her.

"This guy is too despicable."

Su Jin handed all three hundred jin of fruit to the young lady managing the medicinal fields.

"Why did you finish picking three hundred jin of fruit so quickly today?" the young lady asked with a look of surprise.

"I have to leave today anyway. I figured if I finished early, I'd have time to pack my things and cultivate to complete today's cultivation task."

"You can also take a hot spring bath. You can't enjoy such a good hot spring at home," the young lady suggested.

Su Jin was immediately tempted.

This is something I can do.

When Liu Shi arrived at the main gate of the medicinal workers' dormitory area in the afternoon, he found Su Jin already squatting there.

"Su Jin, it is still three and a half quarters short of the agreed time; why have you run here?"

"Sigh, there's nothing to do, so I came early," Su Jin sighed slightly.

"Then you can sit and wait with Liu Shi for a while," Liu Shi said.

"Then how about I ask you a few questions, Liu Shi? Since we are idle anyway."

Liu Shi said helplessly, "That works too."

Su Jin straightforwardly seized the opportunity to ask Liu Shi about some difficulties she encountered while cultivating the third layer of Spirit Refinement.

Su Jin had only asked three questions when other student children started arriving one after another.

With this, Su Jin could no longer keep holding Liu Shi to continue asking questions.

By the time it reached the end of Shen hour, two student children from the Wood Class had not yet arrived.

Liu Shi did not wait any longer; he led the other student children and followed the first-grade main group away.

Faintly, Su Jin seemed to hear crying coming from behind.

Su Qingniao walked over to Su Jin's side again with her usual familiarity. "Do you want to know who was left behind last?"

Su Jin shook her head.

"Do you know what our next task is?" Su Jin asked.

"How could I possibly know that?" Su Qingniao rolled her eyes speechlessly.

Su Jin: "..."

Their third task was not performed in the Inner City, but in the Outer City.

They arrived at the edge of a spiritual rice field.

"This is the family's spiritual rice field in the Outer City.

This crop of spiritual rice is almost ripe. It particularly attracts insects and birds and beasts to come and steal it.

Last night, the entire Outer City of Xiancheng was cleared out. But the situation in the area outside the city walls is said to be extremely dire; saving people is like saving from fire. Now the family's young and strong have all gone to the area outside the city walls to rescue clan members and exterminate the parasitic humans. So there are not enough hands to guard these soon-to-be-ripe rice fields.

Your third task is to each be assigned three mu of spiritual rice field. You must be responsible here for catching insects, scaring away birds, and driving off various wild beasts that run over to steal the spiritual rice.

This Guarding the Rice Field task must also be done by you for three days.

Moreover, no more than fifty stalks of spiritual rice per mu may be lost."

"If your Guarding the Rice Field task results in a loss exceeding fifty stalks per mu, it counts as task failure, and you will receive no reward merit points."

"Can Liu Shi lead us to get warning arrays?" Su Cheng suddenly raised his hand and asked.

"Yes, the usage fee is ten spirit stones per day. Whoever needs one can come to me to collect a set," Liu Shi said.

After hearing this, Su Cheng looked at Liu Shi with an expression of disbelief.

Thinking to himself: Liu Shi, you actually charge us a usage fee?

Seeing the small expression on his face, Liu Shi could not help but smile.

"You have not yet gone to the Sect, but once you enter the Sect later, you will understand. In the Sect, if you want to take a task, you cannot do any task without spending spirit stones. Everything costs money. If you want to avoid wasting too many spirit stones, you had better prepare several sets of various warning, imprisonment, and illusion arrays for yourselves in advance," Liu Shi reminded.

Su Cheng: This Sect sounds so like a trap?

"Didn't they say the Sect's benefits are very good and they don't mind disciples having a little money in their hands? How is it that we can't even borrow a few sets of arrays to use?" Su Cheng countered.

Liu Shi laughed heartily.

"The Sect is powerful, but there are also many disciples within the Sect. Limited resources cannot possibly be shared equally by everyone.

Therefore, as long as you do not demonstrate sufficient value, scarce and precious resources will definitely not be used by you.

So what to do? Do it yourself. So for ordinary disciples of the Sect, everything in the Sect costs money."

While speaking, Liu Shi said, "The usage fee for the warning arrays is not something I decided; it was a temporary notice from the Headmaster. Who knew you were so unlucky? The student children from other grades who came to do tasks in the previous batch could still use them for free."

Su Cheng was stunned.

Su Wuji was speechless.

Su Jin thought to herself: I wonder what kind of fit the Headmaster has caught?

"Those of you who need warning arrays can contact me privately. Now, everyone come over and draw the rice fields you need to guard. This time you will not live together. Instead, you will be divided into four places to live. Those whose spiritual fields are drawn together will be arranged to live together.

The girls draw first."

The rice field Su Jin drew was located near the mountain side. It should be considered the plot of land that birds, beasts, insects, and snakes like to visit the most.

However, Su Jin thought to herself: I have Blood Crimson Luo; it makes no difference where the spiritual field is drawn.

The girls of her Wood Class are all in this area. The rice field Su Qingniao drew this time is right next to hers. It is also a border plot.

She searched the map and immediately sighed in despair. "Oh, my rotten luck! How did I draw such a plot? Border plots frequently have birds, beasts, snakes, and insects coming to steal the spirit rice. Even if I keep my eyes wide open for twelve hours a day, I can't guard it."

"Our plots are adjacent. How about you guard during the day and I guard at night?" Seeing her pitiful expression, Su Jin couldn't help but laugh.

"But at night, more birds, beasts, snakes, and insects will come. How can you guard two plots alone? That's six mu."

"Go borrow a warning formation," Su Jin said.

"Alright, I'll go with you to borrow one. We'll install warning formations on both plots." Su Qingniao gritted her teeth.

By the time everyone had been assigned housing, found their plots, and set up the formations, the entire morning had passed.

After eating the meals delivered by someone specifically for them, Su Qingniao prepared to go out.

"You just cultivate at home. I'll go guard the rice field."

"Alright. When it gets dark, I'll come to relieve you. I'll also bring you dinner," Su Jin said.

"Great." Su Qingniao happily went out.

As soon as she left, Qi Yi walked over. "I didn't expect you to pair up with Su Qingniao."

"What's so strange about that? The plots we drew happen to be adjacent. If I don't pair with her, no one else is suitable. It's too far."