Blessing or Curse

"One-fifth?"

Meng Luohai was greatly excited upon hearing this. "One-fifth is already an extremely good yield. You must know that this Six-Pattern Wheat is all Second-Tier Spirit Plant material. Normally, even if our Meng Family wanted to buy the seeds of such Second-Tier Spirit Plants, there would be nowhere to buy them."

Now, as the Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families tightened their control over cultivation resources of the second tier and above, the Meng Family had no channels whatsoever if they wanted to seek development and acquire things that could bolster the Lineage's foundation.

A few years ago, members of the Meng Family could still purchase some second-tier items unavailable on the open market from the Black Market within Qingyang County.

But after Qingyang County's new county magistrate took office, in order to fulfill his political achievements, he had no choice but to reach a certain compromise with those seven Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families.

Afterward, he ordered the county office to harshly crack down on those operating the Black Market behind the scenes, nearly cutting off the Meng Family's channels for obtaining second-tier goods over the past few years.

If the Meng Family continued developing the Lineage with only first-tier cultivation resources, then no matter how large they grew, without sufficient cultivation resources to support the emergence of Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Meng Family would forever be restrained by others, their road to development forever choked off by those Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families in Qingyang County Town.

Furthermore, the Meng Family now relied heavily on this Meng Family Spirit Plant Field. If they suffered another drought or flood this year and lost most of their source of income, the Lineage's inheritance might very well be severed.

"Then, Clan Uncle Luohai, how should we handle this matter?" Meng Haoran asked.

As a junior of the Meng Family, although Meng Haoran's cultivation ranked among the best of his generation, he was still somewhat green when facing such a major matter concerning the Lineage.

"Haoran, you haven't told anyone else about this Six-Pattern Wheat, have you?" Meng Luohai asked.

"I haven't told anyone. When I discovered this Six-Pattern Wheat, I deliberately kept watch. There was no one else nearby," Meng Haoran replied.

"Well done. This matter concerns the development of our Meng Family. We absolutely cannot tell anyone."

Meng Luohai pondered. "If the Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families, or the Meng Family's hostile forces, discover it, they will certainly rack their brains to suppress us."

Meng Haoran suggested, "In that case, Clan Uncle Luohai, why don't we quickly inform the elders?"

"Mm, that was exactly my intention."

Meng Luohai rose to his feet. "Haoran, your cultivation is now sufficient for you to stand on your own. I'll leave the task of guarding the Meng Family Spirit Plant Field to you!"

Meng Haoran nodded. "Clan Uncle Luohai, I understand. Go without worry!"

There were plenty of clan members in Xinghua Meng Pavilion whose cultivation surpassed Meng Haoran's, but Meng Haoran was the one who had discovered this matter. Having him guard the place was the best choice.

If the pillars of the Meng Family were sent to guard the Meng Family Spirit Plant Field, and someone with ulterior motives noticed and drew connections, they might very well uncover the secret hidden within the field!

With that said, Meng Luohai no longer lingered. He tucked that stalk of Six-Pattern Wheat into his robes, mounted the Spirit Beast Flying Star Horse, and sped toward Xinghua Village.

Meng Haoran also rose, briefly said a few words to the clan members in the pavilion, then mounted the Spirit Beast Twin-Horned Moon Sheep once more.

Half an hour after Meng Haoran arrived at the Meng Family Spirit Plant Field, several figures suddenly appeared in the distance. The man at their head was Meng Luohai.

Neigh!

Meng Luohai halted his Flying Star Horse and came before Meng Haoran.

Meng Haoran lowered his head and cupped his fists. "Junior Meng Haoran pays respects to all Clan Uncles!"

Aside from Meng Luohai, whose cultivation had reached the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, several of those who had come this time were clan members at Qi Refining Perfection.

Eighth-layer Qi Refining Realm, Meng Fanghai.

Ninth-layer Qi Refining Realm, Meng Xuanhai.

Tenth-layer Qi Refining Realm, Meng Bohai.

Although the Meng Family was the dominant cultivation Lineage in Xinghua Village, it was utterly insignificant in Qingyang County Town because the Meng Family did not possess a single cultivator who had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Only when a Foundation Establishment cultivator emerged within the Lineage would the county magistrate value them and seek an opportunity to bestow upon the Lineage the title of "Ninth Rank"!

Ten years ago, the Meng Family's rise to become a Ninth-Rank Cultivation Family had been as certain as a nail driven into a board. Yet of the Lineage's only three Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, two had died miserably in the deep mountains and old forests while following the county office's orders to suppress the Black Mountain Bandits, all for the sake of obtaining Foundation Establishment Level cultivation resources.

And one of those two Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who had died miserably was Meng Haoran's father, Meng Liuhai!

Meng Luohai first led everyone to the front of the Meng Family Spirit Plant Field. After looking around and confirming that no one was present, he finally craned his neck to inspect the situation within the field.

"It truly is a Second-Tier Spirit Plant, Six-Pattern Wheat!" Meng Luohai exclaimed.

The other members of the same Hai generation also nodded slightly, their eyes all revealing a trace of delight.

The three of them were all cultivators at Qi Refining Perfection. When they established their Dao Foundations in the future, they would certainly need Foundation Establishment Level cultivation resources. Now that the Second-Tier Spirit Plant Six-Pattern Wheat had appeared in the Meng Family Spirit Plant Field, how could they not be delighted?

"Big Brother Bohai, has the family head said anything about this matter?" Meng Luohai turned and asked.

As one of the Meng Family's few tenth-layer Qi Refining Realm cultivators, Meng Bohai naturally held a status different from the others.

He merely said calmly, "Before we came, the family head said that we were to harvest all the Spirit Plants in this batch of fields once they matured without drawing attention, then store away the mutated Six-Pattern Wheat as seeds for large-scale planting in the future."

Meng Luohai nodded. "My thoughts coincide with the family head's. Only by planting them on a large scale in the future can our Meng Family accumulate enough capital to seek future development."

Just as Meng Luohai and Meng Bohai were speaking, Meng Haoran suddenly walked over.

"Clan Uncles, I have a question. If we harvest this batch of mutated Second-Tier Spirit Plant Six-Pattern Wheat after it matures, where will we plant it?"

Meng Bohai was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Meng Haoran continued, "Ordinary soil cannot grow these Spirit Plants. If we do not plant them in this Meng Family Spirit Plant Field, where can we plant them? Xinghua Village is basically all ordinary soil. It simply cannot grow them."

Meng Bohai pondered briefly. "Haoran is right. Whether it is this Meng Family Spirit Plant Field or Xinghua Village itself, neither can support us in planting these Second-Tier Spirit Plants, the Six-Pattern Wheat."

What set Spirit Plants apart from ordinary crops was that they required an unbroken flow of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy to grow. Such spiritual energy required not only spiritual rain falling from the heavens, but also Spirit Plant Soil that contained heaven-and-earth spiritual energy.

Meng Haoran added, "Spirit Plant Soil is divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. The Spirit Plant Field of our Meng Family is only of the lowest Yellow grade, yet it is already the limit of our Meng Family. How can we obtain additional Spirit Plant Soil elsewhere to grow Second-Tier Spirit Plant Six-Pattern Wheat?"

Meng Luohai sighed softly. "Alas, I thought these suddenly appearing Second-Tier Spirit Plants would be the stepping stone for our Meng Family to knock on the door of becoming a Ninth-Rank Cultivation Family. Who would have thought they would turn out to be a hot potato!"

The other two Meng Family members who had come with Meng Bohai also sighed one after another.

Upon hearing the words "Ninth-Rank Cultivation Family," Meng Haoran suddenly thought of something and reminded them, "Uncle Bohai, can't we buy Spirit Plant Soil?"

Meng Bohai turned to look at Meng Haoran. "Of course we can buy it. But the new county magistrate has declared that if one wishes to purchase Spirit Plant Soil, it can only be bought at the trade fairs jointly held by the seven Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families in the county town. Yet no one knows what year or month such a fair will be held, while the seeds of these Second-Tier Spirit Plant Six-Pattern Wheat in our Meng Family Spirit Plant Field naturally cannot wait that long according to their growth cycle."

"The Black Market!"

Meng Haoran asked again, "Since this Spirit Plant Soil is controlled by the Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families and difficult to purchase, why not buy it from the Black Market?"

Meng Bohai frowned slightly. After exchanging glances with the others beside him, he said, "The Black Market? It is not impossible to buy it there. However, the new county magistrate has harshly cracked down on the Black Market's existence these past years. The Black Market is no longer what it once was. Not only has its scale grown smaller and smaller, even the times it is held have become fewer and fewer. I suspect that the Black Market may not have something like Spirit Plant Soil."

"How will we know if we don't try? This matter concerns the future development of our Meng Family. Even if the Black Market does not have it, we must still give it a try."

Meng Haoran suggested, "Uncle Bohai, should we ask the family head for instructions?"

Such a major matter concerned the Meng Family's foundation of cultivation resources, and even whether Foundation Establishment cultivators could emerge in the Meng Family in the future. Naturally, Meng Haoran had to gamble on it.

As for the decision in such a matter, it could only depend on the Meng Family head's final judgment.

"You're right!"

After thinking for a moment, Meng Bohai said in a low voice, "Luohai, stay here and keep watch carefully. Do not let any outsiders approach our Meng Family Spirit Plant Field. Fang Hai and Xuan Hai, you two will replace Luohai and head directly to Xinghua Meng Pavilion to hold the fort there, lest anyone disrupt our pavilion's business. Haoran, return to Xinghua Village with me and ask for the family head's final decision."

With that, everyone nodded together and departed one after another.

Meng Haoran swung himself onto the Spirit Beast Twin-Horned Moon Sheep. On the road to Xinghua Village, he could not help feeling somewhat excited.

As long as we can buy Spirit Plant Soil from the Black Market or somewhere else, once these Second-Tier Spirit Plant Six-Pattern Wheat are planted, and with my Heavenly Cauldron added to the mix, these Second-Tier Spirit Plant Six-Pattern Wheat should surely be able to grow much faster!

While Meng Haoran followed behind Meng Bohai, his thoughts running wild, they had already arrived at Xinghua Village, the birthplace of the Meng Family.

The two passed through houses and pavilions before arriving at a Spirit Spring that gave off threads of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy. Together, they cupped their fists and said, "We pay respects to the family head!"