Harvest

It took Li Qianyin three months to arrive at Changle Mountain, which showed that Li Lilong had a great deal to do with it.

Normally, Li Qianyin should have arrived in about half a month.

Unlike when he had come, arriving at Changle Mountain alone, Li Qianyin had come accompanied by her father, Li Lilong.

Li Qianqing nodded at Li Qianyin as she ran toward him, then greeted Li Lilong and Li Ditu behind her.

"Second Grandfather, Fourth Uncle."

"Qianqing-ge, what are you doing?"

"What else could I be doing? Pulling weeds, of course. Want to join me?" Li Qianqing asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes." Li Qianyin nodded repeatedly.

Li Qianqing gave Li Qianyin a surprised look. He had not expected her to agree so readily. In his eyes, she should have shaken her head and refused.

"Qianqing-ge, let me tell you." Li Qianyin gestured for Li Qianqing to bend down a little, then whispered into his ear, "I could have come much earlier, but who knew Father would suddenly raise the difficulty? Originally, I only needed to cultivate the Rain Transformation Art and Geng Metal Art to the beginner level, but later it became the Lesser Mastery Realm. Do you know? These past three months were so hard for me. If I wasn't cultivating my cultivation technique, I was practicing spells. I didn't have any time to play at all..."

Li Qianqing flicked her forehead.

"Still thinking about playing? Fourth Uncle did it for your own good. Once you've cultivated those two spells to the Lesser Mastery Realm, taking care of Spiritual Fields will be much easier for you."

Yet Li Qianyin could not take any of Li Qianqing's words in.

Rubbing her little head, she huffed at Li Qianqing. "Pull the weeds yourself. I'm not helping you."

Li Qianqing chuckled and shook his head. This was the normal behavior someone Li Qianyin's age should have.

Becoming obedient after just three months? How could that be possible?

"Mm." Li Ditu roughly surveyed the three mu of White Corn plants and nodded in satisfaction. "Qianqing, you've taken good care of the White Corn. By next March, the yield per mu will likely exceed one thousand jin."

Li Ditu was one of the Li Family's only two Alchemists, and he had considerable knowledge of planting as well.

After more than two months, he had come here again. He could clearly sense that the three mu of White Corn were growing exceptionally well. It seemed Li Qianqing had been very meticulous in his usual care.

"Second Grandfather, you flatter me." Li Qianqing smiled honestly.

"I didn't expect you to have talent in planting as well, Qianqing." Li Lilong also gave the three mu of Spiritual Fields a cursory look. Without anything to compare them against, he did not know the difference between before and after, but Li Ditu's words were certainly trustworthy. "In the future, you must look after this girl more."

As he spoke, Li Lilong turned his gaze to Li Qianyin.

As her father, he could more or less guess what Li Qianyin had just whispered into Li Qianqing's ear.

But that was nothing.

After coming to Changle Mountain, he could not look after her as her father, while his Second Uncle Li Ditu was also very busy. Thus, this task had to fall on Li Qianqing's shoulders. After all, the girl had come here because of him.

"Fourth Uncle, even without you saying so, I would do it." Li Qianqing nodded.

His task was to tend three mu of Spiritual Fields, while Li Qianyin's task was a little easier. She only needed to tend two mu of Spiritual Fields, yet she could earn one hundred more Contribution Points than him every year.

Up to now, the Li Family had never produced a cultivator with a Single Spiritual Root.

If one did appear, they would generally be taken away by Clear Wind Valley, the Upper Sect. If they remained in the family, they definitely would not need to do anything other than cultivate.

Li Ditu and Li Lilong left with Li Qianyin, while Li Qianqing continued pulling weeds.

Li Qianyin's plot was not far from his. This had also been specially arranged by Li Ditu at Li Lilong's request, though at its root, it was surely Li Qianyin's own wish.

Li Qianyin's arrival basically did not affect Li Qianqing's daily life. At most, when the two chatted together, Li Qianqing would deliberately guide Li Qianyin toward an interest in Artifact Refining.

When Li Qianyin said that she had thoughts about Artifact Refining, his guidance had succeeded.

The bright spring of March arrived.

Normally, White Corn was planted every March. Naturally, White Corn, which ripened once a year, was also harvested in March.

The White Corn plants under Li Qianqing's care were basically unaffected by insects in the latter half of their growth. As long as insects dared to appear, they would basically end up in his stomach, becoming nourishment for his cultivation.

There was nothing much to say about weeding. As for watering, his timing in using the Rain Transformation Art was excellent, enough to rival ordinary Spirit Planters.

Today was the day to harvest the White Corn.

It was hard labor. Once the harvest was complete, he had to immediately begin a new round of White Corn planting.

This was when a sickle was needed.

The sickle he used was not a magical artifact, but of course it was not an ordinary sickle used by mortals either. This sickle lay somewhere between a magical artifact and a mundane tool. Spiritual power could be infused into it to enhance its sharpness.

It took Li Qianqing more than half a day to harvest all three thousand White Corn plants. But the work was not over yet. Next came turning the soil and planting.

Moreover, the White Corn plants had yet to be separated from the White Corn.

The flames produced by burning White Corn plants burned at very high temperatures and could be used to refine most First Order Low-Grade pills. Among them, they were most suited for refining Fasting Pills.

Li Qianqing also had to seize this opportunity to have Li Ditu guide him onto the path of Alchemy.

At noon the next day, he took the White Corn separated from the plants and went to find his Second Grandfather, Li Ditu.

Li Ditu lived halfway up Changle Mountain. As Li Qianqing approached his residence, he could smell a faint Medicinal Fragrance permeating the air.

The door was open now.

Li Qianqing still lightly knocked twice on the door panel.

"Second Grandfather, the White Corn from the three mu of Spiritual Fields I manage has all been harvested."

"Very good. Come in."

"Yes."

Li Ditu was very satisfied with Li Qianqing's efficiency.

By time alone, Li Qianqing's harvesting efficiency per mu was the highest.

From the time Li Qianqing had arrived at Changle Mountain until now, Li Ditu had become increasingly satisfied with him. There had been reasons Li Lilong praised him before, and now Li Ditu could add a few more.

After entering the room, Li Qianqing took out the White Corn he had harvested from the low-grade Storage Bag issued to him by the Li Family.

The lowest-grade Storage Bag measured six chi in length, width, and height, and could hold roughly five thousand jin of White Corn.

Li Ditu estimated that the White Corn Li Qianqing took from the Storage Bag weighed at least three thousand two hundred jin, roughly matching what he had said at the end of last year.

After weighing it, the actual amount was even a little more than Li Ditu had expected.

"A total of three thousand three hundred seventeen jin and two liang." Li Ditu recorded the figure and nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, Qianqing. This year, you can earn at least five hundred Contribution Points."

"You only tended White Corn for five months, yet you harvested over three thousand three hundred jin. Next year, earning three hundred more Contribution Points should generally be no problem."

"Second Grandfather, you flatter me." Seizing the opportunity, Li Qianqing said, "White Corn can be used to refine the most ordinary Fasting Pills. Every cultivator in Xiangshui Prefecture knows that your Alchemy is unmatched, Second Grandfather..."