Chapter 370: Huo Po

Cheng Shuili nodded, "The strength is definitely there, the area is also vast, and there's plenty of land, which is why I said the more the better."

The old woman clearly didn't believe him, chuckling softly as she asked, "Very big? How big? You humans never say a truthful word; the moment I ask for verification, you have to bow your heads and apologize."

"It's really huge."

Cheng Shuili's voice showed no tremor, as if the one being questioned wasn't her at all.

Her calm demeanor made the old woman a bit suspicious, yet she still clung to her belief, "Humans never speak a true word, unless I, the old woman, see it with my own eyes…"

"Then please do so." Cheng Shuili cut her off directly.

Seeing it with her own eyes is no problem for her, but that's her territory—can this Shou Ren Xiao Zhen really enter?

The old woman clearly hadn't expected the human to be so decisive; previously, when she used this method, those guys either stammered or simply confessed.

By that logic, the human's words should be truthful.

At that thought, the old woman dropped her sarcastic expression and asked earnestly, "Exactly how big?"

Cheng Shuili, seeing a chance, replied, "At least over 30,000 mu, right?"

The old woman had already believed Cheng Shuili's description of a "large territory," but hearing this figure made her furrow her brows and turn pale, "Are you here to amuse the old woman?!"

She glared at Cheng Shuili, her murky yellow eyes filled with fury and the humiliation of being deceived.

"Over 30,000 mu?! You human doll, do you even know what that means? Which lord could possess such a vast, stable land? Even at the peak of Shou Ren Xiao Zhen, the cultivated fields never reached that number! How dare you speak so recklessly!"

Su Rui furrowed her brows, stepped forward half a pace as if to say something, but Cheng Shuili halted her with a glance.

Cheng Shuili's face remained unruffled, calmly returning her gaze to the old woman: "What I'm saying is factual. My territory currently indeed has over 30,000 mu of arable land, and it's still expanding."

Her tone was too certain, her eyes too composed, which caused the enraged old woman to choke on her words.

The old woman skeptically sized Cheng Shuili up and down, as if judging whether she was insane or truly possessed that much land.

After a while, she let out a cold laugh, her voice still hoarse but her anger slightly eased, replaced by deep suspicion:

"Facts? Empty words! If you truly have 30,000 mu of land, the old woman will gladly give you my stock of seeds for free! But if you're deceiving me…"

She didn't finish, but the glint in her narrowed eyes clearly wasn't a good sign.

"Verification is possible," Cheng Shuili said briskly, "As long as you can enter the player's territory and tour it at will, is that acceptable?"

The old woman was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Cheng Shuili to propose this, she pondered briefly, her angry expression gradually replaced by a complex calculation: "…The old woman has my own way to stay briefly. But if you lie and waste my time and effort…"

"If I lie, this pack of strawberries is just a token apology; I'll still present a generous gift later."

Cheng Shuili replied, "Moreover, even if it's only a portion of the land, our demand for seeds is genuine and massive. Forming a long‑term stable trade relationship with a leader who commands vast territory should be nothing bad for you."

The old woman stared at Cheng Shuili, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the plump strawberry, its red juice seeming ready to seep through the skin.

The sweet fragrance kept tempting her.

Long‑term, stable, massive…

Those words are deadly attractive to a seed merchant, especially one like her who can consistently produce merchants.

Moreover, what if… what if it's true?!

If this human's words are true, the old woman will never have to worry about selling seeds again!

She could even simply join this territory, so future research and such, this human might even provide some financial support.

After much thought, the old woman slapped her thigh hard, "Fine!"

"Old woman, I'll go with you! If it's true, everything's fine! If it's false…"

She hummed, didn't continue, but the threat was clear.

"You won't be disappointed."

Cheng Shuili gave a slight nod.

With the matter settled, Cheng Shuili followed the old woman's request and made some adjustments on the faction page.

According to the old woman, this is called a Temporary Pass; only a lord can issue it, and once she has it, she can follow Cheng Shuili into her territory.

Cheng Shuili had never known about this before; after following her instructions, she discovered that obtaining it requires Game Coin.

One thousand Game Coin per pass, and each can be used only once.

The item's name is "Temporary Pass"; its function is written right on the name.

Cheng Shuili glanced at the old woman a few times, feeling a bit hesitant; after all, as a businessperson, paying a thousand Game Coin upfront for seeds would make anyone hesitate.

Yesterday, that informant Cai Bao only gave two thousand Game Coin, and that was for crucial intel, so Cheng Shuili naturally felt obliged.

And now…

Cheng Shuili looked at the old woman again; she hadn't said anything yet, and was already tired of just watching her.

"Is it a thousand Game Coin? Young man, being so stingy won't do. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child; if you want to make big money, you must be willing to spend."

"Are these idioms used like this?"

Cheng Shuili inwardly cursed, but on her mouth she was blunt: "If you promise to sell me seeds, I'll apply for this pass for you, how about that?"

The old woman originally thought she was trying to loot the fire or was guilty and unwilling to let her into the territory, hence the dithering, but didn't expect it was just a feeling of being shortchanged.

Moreover, the words sounded like those of a businessperson; the old woman didn't really care about the thousand Game Coin, only whether her time was wasted and whether this human deceived her.

She only hoped to find a long‑term patron, or simply join a reliable territory, to study seed hybridization and mutation on her own. Meeting such a capable human was a rare joy, and she had already thanked that little girl Zhou Zhuxing in her heart several times.

But verbally, she certainly couldn't reveal her purpose so quickly.

"The little girl's calculations are quite sharp," the old woman hummed, but her complexion softened, "Afraid the old woman will freeload your pass, wander in, and not buy your seeds?"

Cheng Shuili nodded calmly, "After all, a thousand Game Coin isn't a small sum; being cautious is never wrong."

"Fine!" the old woman replied cheerfully, "The old woman can agree to you; as long as your territory truly is as large as you say, and I see the potential for long‑term stable cooperation, the seeds in my warehouse will be supplied to you first, priced as for an old patron! But to be blunt, if you brag or the land is barren and can't grow anything, don't blame the old woman for turning around and leaving!"

"A word is binding."

Cheng Shuili needed that promise, and immediately began operating on the system interface.

Consume 1000 Game Coin to apply a Temporary Pass (single‑use) for "Old Gardener Huo Po"?

Cheng Shuili selected "Yes".

A faint glimmer flashed across Huo Po, and the system prompted that the application succeeded.

"Let's go," Cheng Shuili indicated.

"You can go straight back to the domain; this old woman will follow you inside."

Cheng Shuili nodded, chose to return to the domain, and Su Rui naturally followed.

When the scene reappeared before their eyes, two humans and a beastfolk stood together; the others in the domain had been busy with their own tasks, occasionally chatting, but upon noticing the situation here, they all halted what they were doing.

"Lao Da back?"

"Lao Da!"

That's a greeting; you could say it's quite polite.

There are also impolite ones: "Who is that old lady beside Lao Da?"

The remark was immediately countered by another, "That's the old granny!"

"She's a beastfolk NPC, right? Doing business?"

"Even knowing it's business and still gossiping—if the deal falls through, you'll be doomed!"

That was Xinxue's voice; truly reliable.

Xinxue's voice was soft, yet enough to make the surrounding members who were chatting fall silent, exchange glances, lower their heads and resume their work, though their eyes couldn't help but glance curiously this way.

Huo Po seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter and scrutiny; all her attention was firmly fixed on the scene before her.

She stood in place, her clouded yellow eyes now bulging, her gaunt body leaning slightly forward, nostrils flaring as she greedily inhaled the land's unique scent!

The musk of fertile soil, the freshness of newly sprouted seedlings, and the faint aroma of food drifting from afar…

All these intertwined, forming a vibrant world starkly different from the beastfolk town she came from and the Badger Clan's domain.

Such a world… is truly rare.

Her gaze passed over the nearby seeded land sprouting specks of new green, reaching farther. Plots of neatly divided black‑brown fields stretched toward the horizon, seemingly endless.

Further away, more members could be seen laboring in the fields, and a familiar figure—a human little girl Zhou Zhuxing she favored—was also here.

"This… this…" Huo Po's voice was hoarse and trembling; she instinctively stepped forward a few paces, crouched, and with her hands scarred by old calluses and soil, carefully lifted a handful of earth.

The soil slipped through her fingers, loose, moist, and rich in humus.

It was evident the caretaker's affection for the land.

"Good soil… truly good soil…" she murmured, her clouded eyes suddenly glimmering, "How many years have I not seen such fertile ground… so much… so much…"

She sprang to her feet, turned to Cheng Shuili; the earlier arrogance, doubt, and scheming vanished, leaving only excitement and an almost reverent fervor on her face: "Lord! You… you didn't deceive me! This place… this is literally heaven!"

The speed of her change of demeanor was rather swift; Cheng Shuili didn't know what expression to give her, so she simply, as before, replied politely yet distantly: "May we discuss business now?"

"Discuss business?" Huo Po's face showed genuine puzzlement, "What other business would there be?"

Su Rui snapped, "What? Seeing our domain is large, you want to back out? We already agreed: priority seed supply, price based on the old patron!"

Huo Po only then realized, hurriedly gestured, her face plastered with an eager smile:

"Oh, it's a misunderstanding! Huo Po didn't mean that! I meant, what ordinary trade are we still talking about!"

She turned to Cheng Shuili, her tone fervent to the point of flattery:

"Lord, would this be acceptable? I, Huo Po, the Badger Clan's finest old horticulturist, bringing all my seed stock and these modest skills, wish to join your domain directly!"

"Seeds? I'll hand them all over as a token of allegiance! From now on, all seed supply, farmland planning, and crop improvement in the domain will be my responsibility! I want nothing else; just grant me a test plot so I can conduct my research peacefully, and feed me a meal, that's all!"

This sudden surrender left Cheng Shuili slightly stunned.

She looked at the trembling, excited old badger person before her, whose clouded eyes now sparkled with a pure, almost obsessive love for the land and crops.

Su Rui also froze; her anger faded, replaced by a flash of realization.

"I see, no wonder you insisted on seeing the domain; you were thinking of becoming a son‑in‑law!"

"Son‑in‑law?"

Cheng Shuili fell silent; was the term used like that?

Yet Huo Po smiled brightly, nodded eagerly, and looked at Cheng Shuili with longing, "Let me become your son‑in‑law, Lord!"

Cheng Shuili: "..."

But that's trivial; the main matter is urgent.

Cheng Shuili didn't answer immediately; after a moment of contemplation, she asked, "Exactly how many seeds do you have in stock?"

Huo Po, seeing an opportunity, listed them in detail: "For staple crops, high‑yield wheat seeds cover about eight hundred mu, drought‑resistant corn seeds about five hundred mu, plus rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes… all together enough for two thousand mu of land! Vegetable and fruit seeds are even more—tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, radishes… and various cash crops like cotton, flax… As long as there's land, I guarantee I can grow them all for you!"

That quantity far exceeded Cheng Shuili's expectations, enough to solve the immediate crisis and, one could say, ensure no future seed shortage.

Self‑sufficiency is beckoning Black Feather!

Cheng Shuili was about to agree, while Huo Po's self‑recommendation continued.

"As for my abilities," Huo Po straightened her stooped back, pride of a technician on her face, "Lord, you can ask that girl Zhou Zhuxing; she only learned a fraction from me! Soil improvement, crop hybridization, disease‑resistant breeding… I'm not bragging, the entire Shou Ren Xiao Zhen can't find a second person who knows crops better than me! If you keep me, you're securing a happy future!"