Goose-Goat Mountain Spirit Fields

Liu Xiaolou counted with worry. More than twenty rogue cultivators had gone into the spirit fields, and his heart sank. The manor usually only recruited twenty helpers, and there were already more than twenty rogue cultivators here. Where would the spots be?

Suddenly, he thought again, and in his anxiety, he began to anticipate. They had recruited four extra people this year, why was that?

Had they made an exception?

Since they made an exception, adding one more person like me... shouldn't be a problem, right?

Zang Baili was the patriarch of the Zhang clan. He himself had a cultivation of Qi Refining tenth layer Grand Perfection, but his talent was limited, and he couldn't advance further. Therefore, he had no chance to be accepted into the inner sect. However, for the two hundred years since the Zhang clan's rise in the Zhanglong Sect, they had been a relatively important branch of power. Almost every generation had disciples enter the inner sect, and three of them had held high positions as elders of the Zhanglong Sect.

It could be said that the Zhang clan was a prominent cultivation family in Xiangxi. Even if placed within the entire Jingxiang region, they would rank within the top one hundred, possessing deeper foundations than the Zhang clan of Jinping Mountain Villa.

Liu Xiaolou's chance to see the manor lord, Zang Baili, was naturally slim. In fact, it was so. The person who met him was Steward Zang of Goose-Goat Mountain Manor, a fatso in his fifties, immeasurably fat, with a ruddy face. He always maintained a hands-on-hips posture, whether it was his habit or a problem with his lumbar spine.

Steward Zang had just returned from inspecting the spirit fields and saw Liu Xiaolou at the entrance of the manor. With his hands on his hips, he asked, "You look somewhat familiar?"

Liu Xiaolou quickly replied, "This junior worked here three years ago. It is my fortune that the steward, who handles so many affairs, remembers this junior."

Steward Zang nodded thoughtfully, the fat on his neck jiggling. He then asked, "Three years ago? Indeed... then why haven't you come in these past two years?"

Liu Xiaolou was stunned, unable to keep up with the steward's train of thought. He could only smile and say, "The number of helpers at Goose-Goat Mountain is too small, and the applicants are as numerous as clouds. It's truly difficult to seize the opportunity."

Steward Zang said, "Oh," his voice trailing off, not rising, indicating he accepted Liu Xiaolou's explanation. He then asked, "Since you know opportunities are few, you should have come earlier. Why are you late again this time?"

Liu Xiaolou had thought of his excuse on the way. He replied, "I descended the mountain two days ago, but there was a sudden heavy rain in the mountains, and the mountain torrents blocked the road. Thus, I was delayed by two days. I ask for the steward's forgiveness."

Steward Zang asked, "Which mountain?"

Liu Xiaolou said, "Wulong Mountain, Liu Xiaolou of Qianzhu Ridge."

Steward Zang gestured to the estate manager who was bowing beside him. The estate manager always held an account book in his hand. He flipped it open and checked. "Wulong Mountain, Qianzhu Ridge, Liu Xiaolou, a rogue cultivator of the Three Xuan Sect. That's correct."

The account book contained the roster of rogue cultivator helpers for Goose-Goat Mountain. Those who had helped before and were recognized by the Zhang family were registered after verification. Rogue cultivators not on the roster were not recruited. Who knew if you would pack up all the harvested spirit rice and steal it?

Steward Zang stood with his hands on his hips, pondering for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking. Liu Xiaolou blinked his eyes, waiting for his decision. After a long wait, he finally heard a reply: "Stay."

Liu Xiaolou was overjoyed and thanked him profusely. He watched Steward Zang leave with his hands on his hips and followed the estate manager to collect a sickle and a bamboo basket. There were some dry rations in the basket.

Spirit rice was not ordinary rice. Harvesting spirit rice was not ordinary farming. The rice ears were full of spiritual energy and could sense danger, attacking the farmers who harvested them with the awns on the ears. Moreover, the stalks were tough, and ordinary farmers couldn't handle it, so only cultivator helpers could be recruited. Even the sickle was specially made. It couldn't be called a magical artifact, but it could withstand slight impacts of true essence.

Once prepared, Liu Xiaolou followed the estate manager around the spirit fields. The rogue cultivator helpers in the spirit fields were already working enthusiastically. Some were diligently cutting the ears with sickles, while others were using their own magical artifacts to collect the ears. Even more skilled cultivators who knew the five elements magical arts were directly burning the stalks with flames or using ice blades and water dragons to strike the ears. There was no end to it. For a time, the spirit fields were filled with flashing blades and water and fire like dragons, in all sorts of colors, making it quite lively.

Following the estate manager past the spirit fields, instead of going into them, they took a detour, circling around the north slope of the mountain pass and leaving the spirit fields.

After walking two li along the mountain path, Liu Xiaolou couldn't help himself anymore. "May I ask the estate manager, where are we going..."

"Just follow."

"Yes."

After turning past a small hill, the view suddenly opened up. Below, they could overlook a valley winding through the mountains, which was the west valley of Goose-Goat Mountain.

The valley was originally a dense forest. At some point, patches of rice fields had been cleared within the forest undergrowth, ranging from half an acre, one acre, two acres, to three acres, interspersed among the dense woods. There were also quite a few cultivators sweating in the fields. A rough count showed at least twenty people.

At this point, Liu Xiaolou finally understood why Goose-Goat Mountain had recruited more helpers than usual this year. They had opened up new fields, and the existing workers were not enough.

"Over here, there's also a residual spirit spring?" he couldn't help but exclaim.

The estate manager glanced at him sideways. "Don't ask too many questions. Just work." He pointed to the valley below. "See that patch of forest? The old sandalwood forest... to the left! By the big rock at the foot of the mountain! See it? Good... follow the forest to the right until you reach Shang'e Creek. Follow the creek south, see that shallow ditch?"

"The ditch full of wild flowers?"

"That's right, it's wild chrysanthemums. Up to this ditch, the thirty-eight spirit fields within are yours. I've calculated it, the total area, large and small, is seventy-eight mu and seven fen. You're two days late, so you only have seven days left. Can you finish harvesting?"

"No problem," Liu Xiaolou immediately declared his resolve.

The estate manager said, "It's the same old rule. For every mu, you pay thirty jin of rice, with the husk. The rest is yours."

Liu Xiaolou hesitated, "This spirit field..."

The estate manager interrupted him, "The yield will only be more, not less. Worry about how you can finish harvesting on time. You can't afford to miss the season."

Liu Xiaolou nodded. "Don't worry, estate manager, I understand the rules."

He had to finish harvesting this assigned plot of land within seven days and hand over two thousand three hundred and sixty-one jin of spirit rice with husk. The manor also required selected spirit seeds. For every hundred jin less, he would have to compensate with one spirit stone. If he didn't have spirit stones, he would need two hundred taels of silver. In fact, the spiritual energy that could be refined into true essence after consuming one hundred jin of spirit rice was far less than one spirit stone, at most half a stone. Therefore, when it came to compensation, no one would ever use spirit stones; they usually chose to pay with silver.

Goose-Goat Mountain Manor also knew that the rogue cultivators who came to help couldn't afford spirit stones, so they allowed them to compensate with money. How much of this was fake compensation and real purchase was a matter of perspective.

Time was of the essence, so Liu Xiaolou immediately descended the mountain. In a short while, he arrived at the spirit field assigned to him and started working from the leftmost spirit field at the northernmost end.

This spirit field was about one mu and three fen. Liu Xiaolou took out several pieces of cowhide from his bamboo basket and tied them to his ankles and wrists as simple protection to prevent being pricked by the awns. Then, he stepped into the muddy ground, picked up his sickle, and grabbed the rice stalks with his left hand.