Yang Genshuo moved his mouse over the glowing Pig Rat, and a character-card-like tooltip popped up.
Large Field Mouse
Spirit Beast
Lifespan: 5/10
Realm: Embryonic Breath Stage 1
Innate Trait: Gluttony (Mortal Grade)
Gluttony (Mortal Grade): Possesses strong digestive capacity, food intake +50%.
It's actually a spirit beast!
This was the first time Yang Genshuo had ever laid eyes on a spirit beast. Both he and Yang Shi knew very little about them, having only heard rumors that immortals rode spirit beasts whenever they traveled out.
He did know about the Embryonic Breath Stage, however. Liao Cao, the proprietor of the Treasured Goods Pavilion, had traveled far and wide in his youth and possessed quite extensive knowledge, having once told Yang Shi about mysterious cultivators.
The Embryonic Breath Stage was the starting point for entering the path of cultivation, somewhat similar to a martial cultivator's Body Tempering Realm. It was just that their cultivation was effortless, requiring only the inhalation and exhalation of heaven and earth spiritual qi for their realm to climb step by step, unlike martial cultivators who tortured their bodies desperately. Furthermore, once one practiced it to the highest level, they would break through to the Qi Refining Realm and become a lofty immortal.
Martial cultivators of the Innate Grandmaster Realm were only fit to carry shoes for Qi Refining immortals.
That was an existence ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine.
Whenever he spoke of this back then, Liao Cao would wear a look of deep reverence, saying that when he was at the headquarters of the Treasured Goods Pavilion, he had witnessed the immortal bearing of several Qi Refining immortals from up close, an experience that left a deep impression on him.
Yang Genshuo looked at this spirit beast once more. Despite its rather large size, it had already been beaten to within an inch of its life by Huzi and was tied securely with thick ropes, unable to move at all, its entire face expressing:
Oh boy, this mouse right here has really reached the end of its rope.
Huzi is at the third tier of the Body Tempering Realm, yet he was able to easily capture this thing. It looks like it belongs to the very weak end of the spirit beast spectrum. Should we keep this thing and raise it? Aren't spirit beasts often kept in captivity in cultivation novels to guard houses and watch over courtyards?
Yet Yang Genshuo glanced once more at the 100-mu manor, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
He had dumped pigs in the feed pond.
With a creature this massive, coupled with its Gluttony trait, who knew how much of the crops it would end up ravaging.
Forget it, such a weak thing is of no use keeping around anyway. We might as well feed it to Yang Shi to help build up his strength; at least it's also spirit beast meat.
He himself was not fond of eating mice.
He had just wanted to manifest a miracle for Yang Shi, but looking at these large field mice, he suddenly remembered something.
Black Ghost didn't go to work and instead chased after the large field mice. We've seen quite a few of them in the manor. Passersby in Bluestone County have never seen field mice this large, so how did they suddenly appear?
No, when things are abnormal, there's bound to be a demon.
He pressed Manifestation.
"The field mouse in the middle is a low-grade spirit beast."
"Oh? The kind of spirit beast Manager Liao talked about?"
Yang Shi was also startled.
"That's right. Ask Huzi and the Black Ghosts where they caught these field mice and find their nest."
The golden text dissipated.
"Huzi, where did you catch these field mice?"
"Right down at the foot of the northern mountain. That patch of land is uneven, with lots of grass and trees. We haven't cleared it yet."
"Good. Take a few more men and grab your weapons; we're going to go find the field mice's nest."
"Heh~ Are we catching all of them? Can we even finish eating that many?"
"Be careful. These field mice are not ordinary things."
"Understood!"
Thwack~
Huzi held a leather whip and cracked it against the ground, scaring the Black Ghosts in the surrounding large and small houses until they all came running out.
"Black Ghosts! Grab your hoes and pitchforks and come with me to catch large field mice! Anyone who moves slowly gets sent to the ten-draw pity system! Guaranteed 1 whip across the face."
With a swish, the Black Ghosts all quickly sprang into action.
Clearly, Huzi had learned a great deal of advanced management knowledge from Yang Shi.
More than fifty people searched and rummaged around the foot of the mountain, and sure enough, they found another colossal field mouse.
"Don't catch it! Follow it!"
A crowd of people surrounded the field mouse as it moved forward, and it scampered in a panic straight toward its nest.
Right in front of everyone, it slipped into the grass with a swish and vanished without a trace.
"Rip up all the grass and trees around this spot!"
With a loud clatter, the fifty-plus people tore away the turf in a matter of moments, exposing a gloomy cave where several more field mice were squeaking away.
Huzi led several dark-skinned, brawny men inside to drag out all the field mice from within, binding them securely with ropes.
Only then did Yang Shi probe his own upper body into the cave.
The cave entrance wasn't large, but the space inside suddenly opened up wide, allowing even Yang Shi to press forward while hunched over.
Many mushrooms grew within the cavern, all exceptionally thick and large, just like that field mouse.
Could there be something wondrous about this place? Yang Shi touched the ground and muttered to himself.
Well, talk about a surprise meeting a pleasant encounter--it couldn't be more perfect! I knew there had to be something a bit special here!
On Yang Genshuo's screen, this excavated cave was currently emitting a faint glow, and the plants inside were likewise radiating specks of light.
Spirit Field
Land naturally endowed with spiritual energy, suitable for cultivation.
Spiritual Qi Concentration: 1
Things with spiritual energy will be marked with a glow in the game.
This spirit field is the reason those field mice grew abnormally large. They ate the mushrooms inside it.
As for that large field mouse with the Gluttony trait, it became a spirit beast simply because it ate too much and absorbed a massive amount of spiritual energy.
It's just lacking in intelligence and combat power, that's all.
Next, Yang Genshuo used Manifestation to tell Yang Shi that this was a spirit field, instructing him to harvest all the remaining mushrooms here, bring them back, and stew them together with that Pig Rat.
Yang Shi arranged for Huzi and the others to handle it, while he himself climbed the mountain, arrived at the Yang family ancestral tombs, and brought up matters Yang Genshuo knew nothing about.
"Old Ancestor, a few days ago, I was drinking tea together with Manager Liao of the Treasured Goods Pavilion, and he once mentioned this matter of spirit fields to me."
Oh?
Yang Genshuo had originally been pondering how this spirit field ought to be used, never expecting that Yang Shi actually possessed knowledge in this area.
That's true, while I was sleeping, half a year passed for Yang Shi by himself. I never participated in the knowledge he absorbed.
Inside the screen, Yang Shi continued speaking.
"He said that in Jade Dragon Commandery, there is a long-standing spirit-planting family—the Ge Family, who excel in the Spirit Planting Art. By sowing different spirit seeds across spirit fields, they can produce spirit rice, spirit fruits, and spirit materials. Immortals eat spirit rice and spirit fruits, and use spirit materials to forge magical treasures."
"Ordinary people who eat spirit rice can strengthen their bodies, ward off illness, and prolong their years."
"Yet this Spirit Planting Art is said to be something only cultivators can learn."
"Old Ancestor, how should we tend to this spirit field of ours?"
Yang Shi looked somewhat troubled, feeling the frustration of possessing a precious land yet being unable to use it.
Yang Genshuo, however, held a somewhat different view.
The Spirit Planting Art? Isn't it just farming, except using some methods to make the crops yield more?
Even the mushrooms growing naturally in this spirit field can possess spiritual energy. If we plant more suitable spirit seeds and tend to them meticulously, we're bound to produce some spirit objects no matter what, right?
Planting is better than not planting; let's give it a try first.
Anyway, in terms of his time, one day was one year. If nothing grew by this time next year, at worst he would just pull everything up and let it keep growing mushrooms.
This spirit field was about one mu in size, but if anything at all could be grown out of it, it would be enough for Yang Shi and him to eat.
Manifestation
"Find a way to acquire spirit rice with a short maturation time and plant it in the spirit field. Additionally, keep this matter strictly confidential; it must never be leaked!"
What was planted on this spirit field were the food provisions of cultivators. Once discovered, it might draw trouble to themselves.
Yang Shi also understood the stakes involved.
"Understood!"
After seeing the matters arranged properly, Yang Genshuo pressed the fast-forward button, and time within the game flowed rapidly.
Before you continue