Chapter 236: Low-Grade Vines

Not far away, several people were summoning rain.

Another group had stopped, estimating a good spot to reclaim wasteland.

The two groups were separated by some distance; the first paid little attention. Qin Yan and Rong Juan understood more and had already walked around the area. The ground was severely compacted, so reclaiming wasteland meant finding a patch with slightly better soil quality within the compacted earth.

If you didn't pick carefully, you'd find out the situation just by trying.

He Zu held Rong Yuan and went for a stroll. Qin Bi pointed randomly at a patch of land: "I don't mind. I'll reclaim this spot."

Qin Tang squatted down, lifted the compacted layer to inspect it: "No good. This place isn't worth reclaiming; the soil is too poor. Wait, let my eldest cousin find you a better spot."

Qin Bi wouldn't accept defeat. She went over, squatted, and grabbed the soil.

Her hands were tender. After grabbing the hard soil once, her fingertips hurt. The soil quality was comparable to stone. Qin Tang glanced at her, knowing this sister wouldn't accept defeat. He took a hoe from his storage bag and dug one hoe-full.

The soil scattered. Luo Bi stood aside, stepped on it, and gasped: "Oh my, it hurts my feet!"

He stomped again; it was even more like a stone lump. The soil particles, big and small, were hard enough to smash stones. Try smashing it; you probably couldn't. These soil particles were, after all, mutated soil.

"What the hell is this thing?" Qin Bi cursed.

"How are you speaking?" Qin Tang frowned.

Qin Bi shut her mouth. Right, she was a young lady from the Hou Fu.

Qin Xun smiled. Qin Lang glanced at Rong Juan and the others in the distance and said: "Sister, a young lady shouldn't curse like a street hooligan. You are the noble Rong He Shizi's wife."

Qin Bi gave an almost imperceptible sneer, unconvinced.

Qin Tang didn't notice. Qin Yan called out, and several people walked over. Qin Yan and Rong Juan had selected several spots where the soil was less compacted, though not much better.

Unfortunately, the spots reclaimed last time were already taken. That area had better soil, looser, and less severely compacted.

The selected plots varied in size. Qin Yan pointed to one for Qin Bi: "You reclaim that one. There's another nearby, slightly smaller. If Rong Yuan wants to practice, that one is his."

Qin Bi nodded. He Zu set Rong Yuan down. The little bundle ran over with a clatter to inspect the soil.

Qin Yan and the others each chose a plot and spread out. Qin Yan and Qin Tang took several summoning artifacts and walked toward Qin Bi. The artifacts depicted plants and streams.

"Rong Yuan." Qin Yan waved.

The little bundle walked over. Qin Yan asked: "Which summoning artifact do you want?"

He Zu lifted Rong Yuan. Rong Yuan stared with his round black eyes, choosing. Qin Bi handed him one depicting a stream. Qin Yan gave the child another depicting plants.

An uncle doting on his nephew was no fake.

Rong Yuan accepted. Qin Bi refused: "I have one."

Qin Yan and Qin Tang gave up and returned to their own plots prepared for reclamation.

By then, the sun was out. It wasn't scorching, but it was bright. Everyone busied themselves with their own tasks. Qin Lang, the little follower, worked beside Qin Bi's plot and Rong Yuan's plot. On the other side was He Zu's reclamation area.

He Zu taught Rong Yuan how to reclaim wasteland. He Zu wasn't old and was very patient: "First, use vines to turn the soil. The ground is severely compacted. Turn the soil once, then summon rain so the earth absorbs it quickly."

Rong Yuan nodded. Qin Bi withdrew her gaze.

Qin Lang stepped over: "Sister, I'll turn the soil for you."

Qin Bi smiled. Having a little follower was nice. Qin Lang held a summoning artifact depicting vines, summoned the vines, and a small vine ran into the field to start turning the soil.

Qin Bi knew a bit about farming. Seeing the vine only dug a shallow layer, she said: "Too shallow."

He Zu turned to look. Qin Lang sighed helplessly: "Sister, this is just a low-grade vine. That's all it can do. It lacks the strength to dig much soil. Even loose soil in the Wildlands is very hard."

Plants summoned by artifacts also had grades. For reclamation, almost no one could summon high-grade plants. Low-grade plants, the lowest of the low; some plants would wither and die just from turning the soil.

The plant Qin Lang summoned looked like a half-meter-high luffa vine, with yellowed, withered leaves.

Fine. One couldn't expect much from the plants. Qin Bi waved her hand. Qin Lang withdrew the vines and busied himself with his own work. Qin Bi took out a hoe and dug the ground. One hoe-full yielded only a little.

He Zu walked over: "Let me do it."

Free labor shouldn't go to waste. Qin Bi handed the hoe to the youth.

Rong Yuan stood aside. Qin Tang also took out a hoe and went over. Qin Tang and He Zu dug for quite a while before clearing an area the size of four table tops. Afterwards, they dug another area the size of a single table top for Rong Yuan.

Seeing there was nothing else to do, the youths returned to their own reclamation plots.

Qin Bi didn't rush to summon rain. Instead, she squatted down and asked Rong Yuan: "Are you hot?"

Rong Yuan shook his head: "Not hot."

"Tell me if you get hot." Qin Bi said gently.

Rong Yuan nodded, stood by the table-top-sized plot, held a small summoning artifact, and summoned a drizzle. Qin Bi watched for a moment, then returned to her own plot, held a small tea bowl, and summoned a brief shower.

The killing intent of the fighting spirit had lessened. Qin Bi's ability to summon rain stabilized; she wouldn't immediately unleash heavy downpours.

Regarding her rain-summoning ability, Qin Bi could sense it. If unconvinced, just try. Summoning for a long time still yielded only drizzle. A fine, dense, continuous rain was possible. By late morning, the sky was already very hot.

Qin Bi took out a string of spirit fruits she had brought and called to Rong Yuan: "Rong Yuan, come rest."

Rong Yuan was of noble birth and had never suffered hardship since childhood. When Qin Bi called him, the child ran over. Qin Bi washed her hands with the summoned rain, then simply sat on the ground, holding the child to shield him from the sun.

Rong Yuan was well-behaved. Qin Bi peeled a grape and placed it in the little one's mouth.

The sweet spirit fruit made the little one feel no longer hot.

Qin Bi was surprised. Spirit food and spirit fruits were truly amazing!

After eating the spirit fruit, the child nestled in Qin Bi's arms and ate a small spirit cake. After resting enough, the child went back to summoning rain. Qin Bi's plot received a continuous drizzle, not a downpour, but a fine, dense shower.

By noon, the sun was scorching. Everyone had a simple meal.

In the afternoon, it wasn't so hot. Everyone returned to their fields to continue reclaiming wasteland. He Zu summoned a tree over a meter tall to shade Rong Yuan. Rong Yuan sat under the tree eating cakes and finished the remaining spirit fruits.

Qin Lang wiped sweat from his brow. After summoning rain for only half the day, he was already exhausted. Qin Yan came to Qin Bi's plot and couldn't help but click his tongue: "You've been summoning rain that keeps falling without stopping?"

The Wildlands had thin spiritual energy; summoning rain was even harder.

Qin Bi nodded: "Yes, just this kind of drizzle."

"A drizzle is good enough." Qin Yan waved: "Let's go, we're heading back."

Reclaiming wasteland in the Wildlands was difficult; no one could clear a field in a single day. Qin Yan spoke to a minor official from the Ministry of Household, entered the teleportation array, and returned. Back in Jingcheng, the scorching heat immediately faded.

Rong Juan looked at Rong Yuan. The little bundle had hardly tired all day, had supplemented with spirit food and fruits, and was full of energy. Rong Juan felt relieved. He Zu also returned to report.

The next day, everyone went to the Barbarian Wilds again early in the morning.