Space Harvest

For several days, I wandered around the outskirts of Cangyun Mountain, spotting various medicinal herbs. I transplanted one or two into the Mysterious Space. I also casually brought a raspberry bush into the Mysterious Space; it's my little brother's favorite.

Whenever Wang Hong had free time, he would enter the Mysterious Space to look around, touching this and that. He'd measure how much taller things had grown today. It was a shame that the space didn't require weeding, tilling, or watering. There was simply no work to be done.

The wheat and rice had only been planted for five days, and they were already mature. Each stalk of grain drooped low, its kernels plump.

Harvesting this half-acre plot, however, stumped Wang Hong. He spent a long time fiddling around in the Mysterious Space before he finally finished harvesting.

In the Mysterious Space, he was an Astral Body. All his actions were controlled by his Consciousness. To pick up an item, he had to focus his Consciousness on his hand; otherwise, the item would pass right through him.

Normally, he didn't notice this when doing little things, and at first, it was quite fun. He directly controlled the Scythe, making it fly through the air. After harvesting only a dozen or so stalks, he felt mentally exhausted, as if he had been tormented for days.

He collapsed in the Mysterious Space and slept for several hours before recovering. After that, he obediently used his hands to hold the Scythe and harvest. After every thirty-odd stalks, he had to rest again.

By the time he finished harvesting everything, he went into the outside world and slept again before he felt any better.

"Hmm! How did they grow again? Do I not need to plant them anymore?" Wang Hong was stunned by the scene before him. The wheat and rice he had harvested yesterday had sprouted again from the roots, growing over five inches tall.

"I was originally planning to dig them up and replant, but it looks like that won't be necessary."

In the following days, his life became stress-free and quite leisurely.

Every five days, he would harvest rice and wheat. When he had free time, he would wander around the mountain. The Mysterious Space gained another Purple Ganoderma and several other medicinal herbs. Occasionally, he even took his little brother to pick wild vegetables. His little brother finally got to eat chicken legs too.

The Qingyun Mountain Range was the third-largest mountain range in the Chu State. It meandered and stretched for hundreds of miles, filled with countless ferocious beasts. Legend also had it that Demonic Beasts roamed there, though no one had ever seen them. Perhaps those who had seen them had all died. Cangyun Mountain, where Wang Hong was located, was one of its branches. It was named Qingyun Mountain because it was perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist.

South of the mountain and north of the water is Yang. Qingyang County is located south of Qingyun Mountain, hence its name Qingyang.

At this moment, Qingyang City was bustling with activity. Wang Hong had arrived in Qingyang City two days ago. The brothers were quite different from a few months ago. Their previously thin bodies had gained some flesh, their faces had a bit of color, and they had grown taller.

Currently, Wang Hong was extremely nervous, his eyes darting around, his gaze evasive, afraid to make eye contact with anyone. Being looked at by people made him nervous. Those who didn't know the truth might think he had done something wrong; or perhaps he was a thief casing the joint, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

In reality, Wang Hong was just feeling guilty. Who wouldn't, when he was carrying a fortune? Over thirty taels of gleaming silver! Wang Hong had never seen such a large sum of money in his life.

He had previously taken eight ten-year-old Ginsengs from the Mysterious Space and sold them at eight different pharmacies, earning thirty-two taels of silver. With many eyes around, he didn't dare to put them back into the Mysterious Space.

The Ginsengs planted earliest in the Mysterious Space had already reached ten years of age, and the unharvested Ginseng seeds had sprouted many small Ginseng seedlings. Every time Wang Hong looked at this patch of precious medicinal herbs, he would get so excited he'd roll around and do somersaults in the air.

Compared to the Ginseng, the half-acre of rice and wheat was less valuable. However, Wang Hong was reluctant to pull them out.

These rice and wheat plants were undergoing a mutation. Their growth period had extended by one day, the plants had become taller, and the grains were twice the size of ordinary rice and wheat. Moreover, their taste was better, and after eating them, he felt an inexhaustible surge of energy. Wang Hong decided to keep them for now and see.

Returning to the inn, he closed the doors and windows tightly, took the silver from his embrace, and placed it on the table. His little brother gathered around, his eyes emitting green light. He would weigh this silver ingot, then bite that one with his teeth.

"Brother! Where did we get so much silver? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Pah! Your brother has always been upright, honest, and trustworthy, respecting the old and cherishing the young. I never do anything like stealing chickens or dogs," Wang Hong declared, patting his chest proudly. Then, he leaned in mysteriously and whispered in his little brother's ear, "Only the two of us know about this. Don't tell anyone. Actually, last time I was in the mountains, I found dozens of old Ginsengs, and I sold a few today."

"Remember, keep it a secret!"

His little brother's face turned serious, and he nodded solemnly. He promised, "Whoever tells will be a dog!"

"You're already a dog, Szigouzi," Wang Hong thought to himself. It's good that he's still young and easy to fool!

The Qingyang Academy was not within the city but in a valley outside the city. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one valley entrance for access.

At this moment, the valley entrance was packed solid, a dense mass of human heads. The Wang Hong brothers squeezed into the crowd, unable to even show their heads, only able to drift along with the crowd, moving forward slowly.

Being squeezed in the crowd, waves of body odor mixed with foot odor, onion smell, roasted meat smell, and various other scents drilled into their nostrils.

Even more extreme was the big brother next to them. His stomach rumbled loudly, his right hand clutched his stomach tightly, his left hand clenched into a fist, his teeth gritted, and his face turned a deep purple. He kept exhaling deeply to relieve the pressure in his stomach. He was clearly about to have diarrhea.

The people nearby, afraid he might suddenly lose control, desperately tried to squeeze away. Unsuspecting people around were then pushed closer to the big brother who was about to defecate.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Don't step on me!"

"Don't step on me!"

"..."

Suddenly, distant screams erupted. Unfortunately, a crowd of tens of thousands was not something a few people could stop.

"Ahhhhhh!"

The screams gradually weakened.

A wave of panic spread through the crowd. If the situation got out of control and people started trampling each other, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Silence!"

"Silence!"

A voice like a great bell or a sonorous drum boomed from the high platform at the valley entrance, its sound carrying for several miles, drowning out all the noise. Everyone was momentarily stunned by the voice.

"Dad! Is this also martial arts?" a boy of thirteen or fourteen asked his father.

"Of course, it is. This is a Lion's Roar Technique. It's mainly used in battle formations to intimidate the enemy's morale. Imagine if, during a battle between two armies, dozens or hundreds of people roared at once, and then unleashed a volley of arrows, hehehe!"

"Of course, even ordinary martial artists who practice the Lion's Roar Technique wouldn't have this power. This person is a Xiantian Stage expert. He was a great general in the army and is now the chief instructor of the Martial Arts Academy."

"Ah? Our Qingyang County has such a master?"

"Alas! It's just that he was injured, otherwise, he wouldn't have come to our poor, remote village."

Wang Hong finally moved to the valley entrance with the crowd. He saw a young man in tight-fitting clothes at the entrance, waving a small red flag and shouting loudly, "Those from the Martial Arts Academy, come this way."

In another direction, a young man dressed as a scholar was also shouting, "Those from the Civil Arts Academy, come this way."

Wang Hong followed the crowd on the left to a huge training ground. In the center was a high platform where over a dozen people were seated. In front of the platform, more than a dozen tables were lined up, with one person sitting behind each table. A bamboo pole stood beside each table. Those who had entered earlier were queuing in front of the tables, so the two of them joined the line.

As he got closer, Wang Hong understood. Each person had to receive a sandbag here and stand by the bamboo pole to be measured. Those who were taller than the pole would receive a fifty-jin sandbag, while those who were not would receive a thirty-jin sandbag. He could occasionally hear people shouting.

"Stand up straight! Your back is bent like a shrimp. Are you disabled? We don't accept disabled people at our academy."

"And do you have bow legs? Stand properly."

Wang Hong had bad luck; he was just a sliver taller than the bamboo pole, so he received a fifty-jin sandbag. His younger brother received a thirty-jin one.