Hearing that he could earn spirit stones, Li Xiuchang immediately became interested. "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."
Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu exchanged a glance. "Come on. We'll take you to Old Mo's courtyard for a look."
Mo Tu said nothing. He simply led the way, and Li Xiuchang hurried after him.
The three of them went straight to Eastern Geng District No. 25.
With a wave of his hand, Mo Tu opened the courtyard's protective formation, pushed open the gate, and walked inside.
Li Xiuchang followed close behind. The moment he entered the courtyard, goosebumps rose all over his body. The chill here seemed to pierce to the bone, as though he had stepped into an ice cellar.
He rubbed both arms before looking over Senior Brother Mo's small courtyard.
A path ran through the center of the courtyard straight to the entrance, while both sides were filled with a type of deep-blue plant.
Every one of those deep-blue plants stood half a person tall. Their leaves were crystal clear, as though carved from ice, making them look almost unreal.
Several flower buds dotted the branches, just waiting to bloom. The buds were completely transparent, and one could see a faint blue radiance at their cores at a glance.
The chill Li Xiuchang felt came from these deep-blue plants. It was not genuine cold, but rather a surge of yin energy.
"This is the Second-grade Spirit Plant Netherfrost Grass. Although its grade isn't high, it's extremely rare. The Netherfrost Flowers it produces are Second-grade Spirit Medicine, suitable for refining most Second-grade yin-cold attribute pills, and they have extremely high medicinal value," Zhang Wanzhi explained.
Second-grade medicinal material, Netherfrost Flower... Li Xiuchang recalled the introductions to various medicinal materials he had read in Introduction to Alchemy, and found the name Netherfrost Flower somewhat familiar.
Zhang Wanzhi smiled. "Old Mo can earn quite a few spirit stones every year just by selling Netherfrost Flowers."
Mo Tu gave the concise answer, "Three thousand."
Li Xiuchang understood, and could not help clicking his tongue. This single small courtyard could earn Senior Brother Mo three thousand spirit stones a year?
Most outer disciples worked themselves to the bone for an entire year and still could not earn that much. And this was merely one of Senior Brother Mo's sources of income.
Li Xiuchang's heart inevitably began to race.
It was true that he had recently earned a fortune from Smoked Spirit Meat, but once the Smoked Spirit Meat market became saturated, his income would inevitably plummet.
It was time to consider another way to make money.
"Do you two Senior Brothers mean that I should plant Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine in my courtyard?"
Zhang Wanzhi nodded. "That's right. The soil in each of our courtyards is good-quality Spirit Soil, perfectly suited for growing Spirit Plants."
Li Xiuchang understood that Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu had gone out of their way to bring him here for more than just a look, so he shamelessly asked,
"What sort of Spirit Plants should I grow? Do you Senior Brothers have any good suggestions?"
"Ordinary First- and Second-grade Spirit Plants won't sell for much. This Netherfrost Grass is an excellent choice, so Junior Brother, you might want to consider it."
Li Xiuchang seized the opportunity and asked delightedly, "Senior Brother Mo, are you willing to sell me Netherfrost Grass seeds and the cultivation method?"
Seeds for a rare Spirit Medicine like Netherfrost Grass were almost impossible to buy outside. Since Senior Brother Zhang Wanzhi had put it that way, his meaning was obvious.
Mo Tu glanced at Li Xiuchang. "Not to be passed on. Do not give seeds to others."
Li Xiuchang was somewhat bewildered. This Senior Brother Mo was truly stingy with his words.
Zhang Wanzhi acted as interpreter from the side. "What Old Mo means is that he can give you the Netherfrost Grass cultivation method and seeds, but you must not pass them on. In the future, even after growing Netherfrost Grass, you cannot give its seeds to anyone else.
"The most valuable part of Netherfrost Grass is its flowers, but once the flowers are picked, it cannot bear fruit. Even if you leave the flowers alone and let them wither and bear fruit, most of the seeds you collect will be inferior and have difficulty germinating.
"The reason Netherfrost Flowers can command such a high price is that the seeds are scarce. On top of that, everyone who grows Netherfrost Grass has an unspoken understanding: sell only the flowers, not the seeds. Only by drawing from a steady stream can one make money for the long term."
Li Xiuchang naturally agreed wholeheartedly. This also aligned with his own interests.
Only then did Mo Tu take out a handful of sapphire-like seeds and place them in Li Xiuchang's palm.
Li Xiuchang counted them. There were ten seeds in total.
"Senior Brother Mo, how much are these ten seeds worth?" Li Xiuchang did not put the seeds away. Instead, he asked about the price.
"No spirit stones."
"Then I can't accept them." Li Xiuchang immediately tried to return the seeds.
A favor received for nothing was a debt of gratitude difficult to repay.
Zhang Wanzhi wore an expression that said I knew it, and cut in, "We caused you quite a bit of trouble tonight. As your Senior Brothers, we really feel apologetic. Consider these seeds a gift from Old Mo and me to make amends."
Li Xiuchang's gaze swept over Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu. It seemed the two had an exceptionally close relationship, close enough to share everything without distinction.
Even so, he still shook his head. "I didn't suffer any losses tonight in the first place. Besides, Senior Brother already gave me ten spirit stones as compensation. Why give me such a heavy gift?"
Zhang Wanzhi smiled. "Don't rush to refuse. In truth, there is something we do need your help with."
"Please, Senior Brother." Li Xiuchang had already made up his mind: if it involved anything dangerous, he would not agree.
"I've observed that the magical power you cultivate is extremely special. It can kindle fire and produce smoke, and has many ingenious applications. Old Mo and I would therefore like to borrow some of your magical power for research."
"That's all?" Li Xiuchang laughed. "For such a small matter, all you had to do was ask. Why be so polite?"
Zhang Wanzhi said solemnly, "This is no small matter. If our research makes progress, we may need to borrow your magical power from time to time in the future. I hope Junior Brother won't find it troublesome.
"These Netherfrost Grass seeds are only a trifling gift. Junior Brother, stop refusing and accept them."
At last, Li Xiuchang said no more and accepted the ten Netherfrost Grass seeds.
After that, Mo Tu taught Li Xiuchang how to cultivate Netherfrost Grass.
When Li Xiuchang finished listening, he scratched his head, finding it somewhat complicated!
Growing Spirit Plants was not something just anyone could do. There were many things to pay attention to.
One had to consider the soil requirements, the surrounding environment, the method of watering, the type of fertilizer...
Netherfrost Grass was a Second-grade Spirit Plant. Li Xiuchang certainly could not cultivate it successfully on his own.
"Looks like I'll have to hire a Second-grade Spirit Planter." As Li Xiuchang pondered, his gaze suddenly fell on Mo Tu.
He asked tentatively, "Senior Brother Mo, are you a Spirit Planter?"
Mo Tu nodded expressionlessly. "I'll grow them for you."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Li Xiuchang said delightedly, saving himself another considerable expense.
The planting problem was solved, but subsequent cultivation and maintenance remained a heavy burden.
Netherfrost Grass had to be watered with ice water every few days, fertilized once every few days, and shielded from sunlight each day. It could not be exposed to sunlight for more than two hours.
At different stages of growth, there were particular requirements for both the ice water used for watering and the fertilizer applied.
Li Xiuchang could manage all this as long as he mastered the methods, but if he personally handled every task, he feared he would spend most of his time on it, leaving little time for anything else.
It might even delay his cultivation.
It seemed he could only hire one or two Registered Disciples to handle these tasks.
But... how did Senior Brother Mo deal with this?
He had never seemed to see Senior Brother Mo hire anyone to care for the Netherfrost Grass filling the courtyard.
Li Xiuchang did not believe Mo Tu spent all day cooped up in the courtyard farming.
"Netherfrost Grass is rather troublesome to care for normally. I wonder, Senior Brother Mo, do you hire anyone to look after it?" Li Xiuchang asked directly.
Mo Tu did not answer. He merely took out a bell and shook it.
In an instant, yin winds howled. The few female ghosts Mo Tu had previously collected emerged from inside the bell.
The moment they landed, they busied themselves. One watered the plants, one applied fertilizer, and one loosened the soil. Each had her own duty, and everything proceeded in orderly fashion.
Li Xiuchang's eyes widened. It was as if he had been anointed, and enlightenment struck him in an instant.
"So ghosts are the true greatest productive force in the cultivation world!"
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