Chapter 194

Qin Lang cared for the two on the side, then took one to eat as well.

"Sister," Qin Lang asked, "when will you summon rain for the third and fourth branches?"

Qin Bi was not in a hurry: "Is rain really so scarce?"

"It is very scarce," Qin Lang said, holding the boiled corn and nodding vigorously.

Qin Bi hesitated, afraid to overpromise: "Let's wait until Guard Yan returns. Perhaps the rain I summon will have already stopped, or the amount will be small, and I won't show off then."

"You call that amount small?" Qin Lang's eyes widened: "Even that amount would be enough."

Qin Bi neither agreed nor refused, still planning to wait for news from the fiefdom. She loved boiled corn; she ate one, then took another.

Rong Juan ate one and stopped, taking out melon seeds to eat.

The little milk dumpling made sounds, and Qin Bi chatted with the little one, who happily waved its tiny hands. There was a plate of spirit fruits on the table; the yellow peaches were perfectly ripe. Qin Bi gave one to Rong Juan first, then fed the little milk dumpling.

Qin Lang sat aside teasing the little one, making it kick its little legs.

Qin Lang dared not hold him; this was the Rong Young Master's heart's delight.

By evening, Guard Yan returned with the guard squad via the teleportation array, beaming with joy. The Rong Young Master and his advisors emerged from the study. The Rong Young Master asked, "Is it still raining in the fiefdom?"

"The rain has lessened," Guard Yan smiled, "but it is still falling."

The Rong Young Master raised an eyebrow; it had been raining for nearly a whole day. Even light rain could alleviate the drought. The advisors were also surprised. After reporting, Guard Yan and others left to change clothes.

Lin Yao clasped his hands in a bow: "Young Lady, you have accomplished a great feat."

Qin Bi was the Young Lady, so she accepted Lin Yao's bow: "Summoning rain does consume spiritual power. One rainstorm cannot saturate the ground. Once the rain soaks into the soil, I will go to the fiefdom to summon more in a few days."

The Rong Young Master observed Qin Bi's expression: "Are you unwell?"

Qin Bi nodded: "A little tired."

The Rong Young Master took the youngest son: "It is due to the heavy consumption of spiritual power. Eat some spirit food."

With that, the Rong Young Master held the youngest son, activated the teleportation array, and went to the Immortal Sect. Not long after, he returned with a spirit-plant chicken and a handful of mushrooms, tossing them to the kitchen to stew with Qin Bi and the child.

Qin Lang looked at the basket of boiled tender corn and said, "Sister, Cousin Jiang Shi's dowry estate has planted beans. Later, I will pick fresh bean pods and bring them to you; boiled, they are also delicious."

Qin Bi smiled and said, "I want to eat them now."

Qin Lang left without a word. This time, he used the teleportation array. After asking Jiang Shi, he went to her estate, selected and picked a basket of bean pods.

Qin Lang carried the basket back to the Rong Wang Fu, gave it to a maid, and the cook put the bean pods in the pot to boil.

Qin Bi was delighted; this was the treatment one should expect after traveling to ancient times. Eat whatever you want, surrounded by a host of maids and nannies. Otherwise, the journey would be a loss.

The cook washed them, poured them into the pot, and soon the salty scent of bean pods with Sichuan peppercorns wafted out.

The salty aroma made Qin Bi wait patiently, intending to eat her fill. However, when the cook brought the finished dish to the table on a plate, Qin Bi picked one up, peeled it, and her eyes widened in disappointment. The beans were flat and not fragrant at all.

Qin Bi frowned: "They didn't grow well?"

Qin Lang took a look: "They are dry. The soil lacks water."

Qin Bi wouldn't wait a few days. She asked the Rong Young Master for a summoning artifact: "Give me a summoning artifact depicting a stream."

The Rong Young Master did not move: "We summoned today. Let's talk tomorrow."

Qin Lang also nodded: "Yes, yes, don't tire yourself out."

Qin Bi did not insist. She sat down and continued peeling and eating the bean pods, telling Qin Lang: "Go back and tell Third Mother and the others that I will summon rain for the Hou Fu farmland tomorrow."

Qin Lang agreed, didn't stay long, ate a few boiled bean pods, and left.

Back at the Hou Fu, Qin Lang immediately went to find Zhu Shi: "Hurry and ask Fourth Aunt Zhang Luo to make preparations. Tomorrow, my sister Qin Bi will summon rain for our Hou Fu. Arrange the adjacent fields to facilitate the summoning."

Zhu Shi hesitated: "How large an area can your sister Qin Bi summon rain over?"

Qin Lang thought for a moment: "It can cover almost all the farmland adjacent to the Hou Fu."

Zhu Shi went to find He Shi. The Marquis Qin Yan's wife and the Young Master's wife also joined the discussion. Their estates had dozens of mu of farmland connected together; preparing several water-element spirit stones would be beneficial.

Qin Yan ran to tell Qin He. Qin He considered: "Go back and tell Eldest Mother that I will summon rain for the Hou Fu farmland, specifically the largest fertile field. I will prepare my own summoning artifact; my artifact is of a high grade."

"I will go back and tell Eldest Mother immediately." Qin Yan happily returned.

Upon returning to the Hou Fu, Qin Yan went straight to the Young Master's wife of the Marquis Qin Yan's household. After explaining Qin He's plan to summon rain, the Young Master's wife dared not delay and immediately went to discuss with the Marquis Qin Yan's wife.

"This... why choose the same day?" The Marquis Qin Yan's wife felt it was inappropriate: "Go call the Young Master to discuss."

The servant quickly found the Young Master, Qin Yan. Qin Yan listened and pondered.

Summoning rain was a good thing, desired by all families, but choosing the same day was unnecessary. Qin Yan had never heard of anyone checking the calendar to summon rain; while such a notion existed, no one had mentioned coordinating the date.

Qin Yan stood up: "I will go and tell Qin Bi."

The Marquis Qin Yan's wife nodded: "That is good."

Qin Yan was heading to the Rong Wang Fu when Qin Lang followed. It was already dusk. Qin Bi had just finished dinner, eating stewed spirit-plant chicken. At this moment, Qin Bi and Rong Juan were enjoying the cool air in the courtyard.

"Where is the Rong Young Master?" Qin Yan looked around and asked.

"The Young Master is holding the youngest in the study." Qin Bi gestured for Qin Yan and Qin Lang to sit, smiling as she guessed, "Why come at this hour? Does someone want to summon rain on the same day as me?"

Qin Yan: "..."

Qin Lang: "..."

"Sister," Qin Lang said, "how did you know?"

Qin Bi sneered slightly: "I guessed."

Qin Yan did not beat around the bush: "Qin He also wants to summon rain tomorrow. Look, what should we do? The soil is dry; every day is the same. In my opinion, we should summon rain as soon as possible, or the crops will suffer reduced yields."

"Then summon it," Qin Bi considered and said, "I will summon at my place. If Qin Lang is free, come to the Rong Wang Fu to watch me summon; otherwise, when the rain comes, no one will know who summoned it."

Qin Yan was stunned: "I will come too."

Qin Bi: "..." "Just handle your own affairs."

Qin Yan was not busy. They agreed to meet early the next morning. He stood up and left with Qin Lang.

Qin Bi smiled lightly. The next day, Qin Bi woke up early. Qin Yan and Qin Lang also arrived early. Qin Bi took the summoning artifact from Qin Yan and immediately summoned a cloud cluster.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose, and many tree branches and leaves fell.

Inside Xue Wang Fu, Qin He was called up by a maid. Seeing the oppressive dark sky, Qin He immediately perked up, took out a summoning magic treasure, and began to summon.