Old Huang Makes a Promise, the Investor Raises the Stakes

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, scattering patches of gold across the ground.

Ji An finished his morning cultivation and walked out of the small courtyard with two sacks of spirit rice slung over his shoulder.

Just as he was about to take out his Talisman Bird, he heard an enthusiastic call:

"Where are you headed, Junior Brother Ji?"

He looked toward the voice and saw a slightly plump figure flying over on a Talisman Bird.

Ji An set the sacks at his feet and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Senior Brother Wei!"

The newcomer was none other than Wei Songnian. After the Talisman Bird landed, he swung down with surprising agility.

"I happened to have nothing to do today, so I came to invite Junior Brother for a drink. How was the Spirit Grain harvest?"

"Thanks to your blessing, the two mu of Spirit Fields yielded 580 jin of Yellow Bud Rice. I was just about to sell some of it for Spirit Stones, then buy pills from Senior Brother."

Wei Songnian froze for a moment. He then glanced at the stuffed sacks by Ji An's feet and smiled.

"Junior Brother is impressive."

He knew a thing or two about farming. For two mu of Spirit Fields planted with Yellow Bud Rice, this yield was practically the ceiling. The other man must have cultivated some spell to mastery during the Spirit Grain's heading stage.

Stepping forward, Wei Songnian hoisted one sack of spirit rice onto his shoulder.

"Junior Brother, sell the spirit rice tomorrow. I'll go call Old Huang, and we brothers can have a proper drink. I've already bought the Spirit Food and spirit wine, so you must honor me with your presence."

"I should have been the one treating. How can I let Senior Brother spend money?"

"Hah, once Junior Brother breaks through to Mid Qi Condensation, you won't be able to avoid treating us even if you want to!"

Laughing as he spoke, Wei Songnian carried the spirit rice to the entrance of the bamboo lodge.

Ji An had no choice but to form a hand seal and open the Dharma Restriction.

Wei Songnian pushed open the door. Seeing another sack of spirit rice inside, he nodded faintly.

Mm, that more or less matched a yield of 580 jin.

Setting down the sack, Wei Songnian said, "Quick, let's go. Old Huang should have just returned from Azure Water Lake around this time. He won't stay long, so let's wait outside his home."

The two hurried out and made their way to Old Huang's door.

Sure enough, before long, they saw Old Huang returning while humming a little tune.

The three set out a table and chairs. Wei Songnian took three bottles of spirit wine and cooked Spirit Food from his Storage Bag.

Though it felt a little strange to start drinking so early in the morning, Ji An sat down obediently.

After three rounds of wine, Old Huang sighed.

"I wonder whether my grandson Fei Hu will be able to pass the Illusory Heart Formation on his own next year. If he can't, I'll have to spend a fortune."

Wei Songnian gave a hum and smiled.

"Isn't that exactly why you've worked so hard to save crystal stones? Entering a sect naturally offers far better prospects than being an independent cultivator. Heh, no matter what, your grandson's starting point is far higher than yours was back then. He has hope of Foundation Establishment."

Old Huang's face bloomed like a chrysanthemum.

"I'll borrow Senior Brother's auspicious words. But in Fei Hu's second year after entering the sect, I'll have to leave. I'll have to ask Senior Brother and Junior Brother to look after him more in the future."

Wei Songnian thumped his chest.

"Old Huang, our friendship has lasted nearly twenty years, hasn't it? Don't worry. So long as it's within my power, I'll never refuse!"

"The same goes for me," Ji An said with a smile. Old Huang had lent him his first Spirit Stone, so he had to give him this much face.

"Good. With those words from you two, I can rest easy."

Ji An asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother, if one cannot wake from the Illusory Heart Formation in time, how much must be spent to enter the sect?"

Wei Songnian held up a hand. "Fifty Spirit Stones. It's really a back door left for the children of great clans. It may seem expensive, but it isn't much to those people. There's nothing unusual about teenagers lacking a firm enough temperament. They have plenty of time to be nurtured slowly."

Old Huang took a deep breath and said, "By then, the Spirit Field numbered Guiwei should be under Junior Brother Ji's care. I want Fei Hu to continue being a Spirit Farmer."

Wei Songnian pondered for a moment.

"To speak from the heart, unless one is someone like Junior Brother Ji, the ceiling for Spirit Farmers isn't high. It would be better to make arrangements for him to learn a craft with greater prospects."

Old Huang drained a mouthful of wine and let out a long breath.

"How could I not know that? But if he learns to be a Spirit Farmer, I can at least lend him some support. If he learns artifact forging, beast taming, talisman crafting, or the like, talent would be one thing, but otherwise, who knows how many crystal stones it would take to make something of himself? The family assets I've saved up can't withstand that kind of tossing about. Being a Spirit Farmer is harder, but at least it provides a guaranteed income. Even if Fei Hu's cultivation goes poorly like mine did, he can still save up more than I did. Then his descendants will have a higher starting point as well."

"Those are the words of an experienced man. I hadn't thought it through."

Wei Songnian nodded. Without powerful backing, a person's earliest accumulation was always the hardest.

Old Huang turned to Ji An and said, "Once Fei Hu enters the sect, I'll leave my First-tier Spirit Field to Little Brother An to cultivate!"

"Senior Brother, I couldn't possibly."

Old Huang waved his hand.

"Little Brother An, don't refuse. The Spirit Field in the valley is far from the Spirit Vein. If the earth vein isn't nourished regularly with the fourth layer of the Thick Earth Art, it will degrade in just a few years. Leaving it in Fei Hu's hands would be a waste."

He then faced Wei Songnian and cupped his hands.

"Senior Brother, if I leave the sect, I won't have anywhere good to go. Could I rent some Spirit Fields from the Wei Clan to cultivate?"

"I couldn't ask for more."

Wei Songnian agreed at once. Among Qi Condensation Stage disciples, Old Huang was a fairly capable Spirit Farmer, far better than most of the clan's Spirit Farmers.

He could consider renting the man a Low-grade First-tier Spiritual Field. With the Thick Earth Art at mastery to nourish it, perhaps he could even cultivate the field into a Mid-grade First-tier one.

When the wine was gone and the dishes were empty, the three chatted idly for a while before parting ways.

Wei Songnian stopped Ji An and took out three jade bottles.

"Junior Brother, take these bottles of Yellow Bud Pills first."

The investor was raising the stakes?

Ji An did not reach out to take them. "Senior Brother, I don't have the crystal stones to pay."

"Hehe." Wei Songnian smiled. "Junior Brother understands what I mean. I think highly of Junior Brother's future, so I'm making friends in advance. Consider them sold to you on credit. You can repay me after passing the new disciples' three-year assessment."

"I will remember Senior Brother's kindness in my heart." Ji An bowed slightly and accepted the pills.

That meant he could repay them two and a half years later. The time given was more than generous.

With everything laid out in the open, the two seemed even closer.

Wei Songnian raised a hand to shade his brow and looked at the sun.

"It'll soon be noon. I should be going. I still need to set up a stall at Azure Water Market."

Lowering his hand, he added, "When Junior Brother is ready to break through the bottleneck, remember to come find me. I'll prepare two Azure Jade Pills for you."

Ji An no longer refused. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

After seeing Wei Songnian off, Ji An returned to the bamboo lodge and immediately sat on his meditation cushion to refine the spiritual power in the Spirit Food and spirit wine.

Once he had refined every last trace of spiritual power from the food, his cultivation had improved again.

He took out the pills Senior Brother Wei had given him, opened each bottle, and counted them. The three bottles contained twelve pills in total.

After committing this debt to memory, Ji An shouldered a sack of spirit rice and headed out.

He was not short on pills for the moment. He planned to go to the General Affairs Hall to exchange for Contribution Points, then trade them for jade slips on making talisman paper and mixing talisman ink.

He planned to reclaim another mu of Spirit Field and plant half a mu of Talisman Grass.

That way, he could make the fullest use of his spiritual power.

He had also heard that mixing talisman ink consumed relatively little spiritual power, so he could try buying some materials to mix talisman ink.

He was still far too short of crystal stones. He had no idea when he would be able to enjoy the luxury of cultivating with a Spirit Absorption Array.