Spirit Rice Harvest

As a tree, could you become so depressed you shut yourself away?

Yu An didn't know how it was for other trees.

But right now, he felt like shutting himself away.

With this Flying Flower Plucking Leaf ability, he couldn't even kill an ant, let alone protect himself.

Could it be that he really had to wait until he reached the next stage of growth before he could awaken a Divine Ability like [Bond]?

He had no idea what the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots that could establish Blessed Lands through their own power looked like in this world.

If he could see one with his own eyes, it might help with his evolution from here on.

The next morning, Yu An awoke from his "meditation."

His so-called meditation was a state of having no thoughts or desires, as though his soul had completely turned into a tree. It was clearly different from sleeping when he was human.

At the very least, he didn't dream.

And he could feel that this state was greatly beneficial to the growth of his soul.

The most obvious difference was that when he had just become an elm tree, sensing the outside world for too long left him exhausted.

But now, he could easily keep it up for most of the day.

After waking, Yu An saw Yu Xiaoshan standing in front of him, acting "sneaky."

The changes in the tree's trunk had clearly caught his attention.

After all, they lived under the same roof. Some things could be kept secret, but others couldn't be hidden no matter what.

And Yu Xiaoshan was clever and quick-witted. He'd had his eye on this tree for a long time, so how could he not pay attention?

"Little Tree, you've got to make us proud and become a Rare Species soon. Then Dad and the others will see how good my eye is."

Yu Xiaoshan muttered under his breath.

Although the elm tree had changed quite a bit, Yu Xiaoshan didn't think their little tree could become a Rare Species after just one night.

That usually took several years, or even longer.

Even though he'd asked his second brother about it earlier, he'd only been hoping for a miracle. Deep down, he didn't actually believe their little tree was a Rare Species.

After all, he'd never seen their little tree show any signs of being extraordinary.

But today, when he noticed the elm tree seemed to have grown a little, he began to feel a little more hopeful.

Maybe one day, their little tree really could become a Rare Species.

Though he'd made this discovery, Yu Xiaoshan had no intention of telling his father and the others. They'd kept things from him first, after all.

Yesterday, his second brother had told him to keep his eyes peeled in the Spirit Field and alert them if any outsiders came near.

Sure enough, an outsider showed up.

The man was clearly from beyond the Ox Ridge Settlement; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Yu Xiaoshan for directions.

Then the man gave his second brother a bundle and mentioned some Miss Xiaoxiao.

As for what happened after that, Yu Xiaoshan hadn't even made it inside the house before his second brother sent him back to the Spirit Field.

Even when he'd asked the man last night what he'd been doing and what he'd brought, his second brother had brushed him off, saying he was still young and shouldn't ask so many questions.

He was already twelve! In two more years, he could start cultivating. How was he still a kid?

But ever since the man had brought the bundle yesterday, Yu Xiaoshan had felt the atmosphere at home change.

Especially his eldest brother.

Before yesterday, his eldest brother had practically worn his worries on his face, his mouth drooping the whole time.

Yet last night, he'd deliberately kept a straight face in front of him, without noticing that the corners of his own mouth were obviously turned up.

Did he really think Yu Xiaoshan was a little kid who could be fooled?

Yu Xiaoshan just couldn't be bothered to call him out.

And he could even guess that the trouble his family had run into was already taken care of.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. His second brother had been so serious yesterday that Yu Xiaoshan understood how important it was. He wouldn't tell anyone. He'd act as if nothing had happened and as if he'd never met that man.

Still, he felt a little indignant.

So after discovering that the little tree had grown quite a bit more, he decided not to tell them what he'd guessed, either.

You're the only ones with secrets?

I've got one, too!

So, while no one was around, he hurried away from the little tree.

But Yu Xiaoshan was so caught up in his own world that it never occurred to him: the tree was growing in the courtyard. If even he could spot the difference, how could his father and the others not notice?

Three more days passed.

The Spirit Fields at Ox Ridge officially entered the harvest season.

Although Spirit Rice was troublesome to care for, harvesting it was quick.

There were only ten mu of land. Old Man Yu's whole family pitched in, and they finished harvesting it all in half a day. They'd been careful, too; otherwise, they would've finished even faster.

After all, with Yu Dashan's Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment strength, he could swing a sickle hard enough to throw sparks.

Once they'd harvested the Spirit Rice, they processed it in their own courtyard.

This was also the first time Yu An had seen Spirit Rice up close. It looked somewhat like rice from Earth, with golden ears about the length of a palm, each grain appearing plump and full.

Yu An couldn't smell anything, but from the way Old Man Yu's family seemed eager to take in as many deep breaths as they could, he knew the Spirit Rice must give off a sweet fragrance.

Yu Xiaoshan even picked up a grain that had accidentally fallen to the ground and popped it into his mouth.

The hulled Spirit Rice was considerably larger than rice from Earth, with a translucent, jade-like sheen.

If it had one flaw, it was probably the low yield.

A full ten mu of Spirit Fields had produced only two thousand jin of Spirit Rice, and that was thanks to a bountiful harvest year.

If it weren't for the price increase in the Blessed Land quota, this would've been a joyous day for the Ox Ridge Settlement.

But unfortunately... there was no "if."

"Dad, why don't you keep a little more Spirit Rice for yourself?"

Yu Ershan said to Old Man Yu.

Yu Xiaoshan, who couldn't help popping a few more grains of Spirit Rice into his mouth, perked up his ears at once, his face full of anticipation.

He knew their family had already saved enough Spirit Stones. Otherwise, his second brother wouldn't have said something like that.

And keeping more Spirit Rice meant they could eat more Spirit Rice next year.

Just thinking about it made him happy.

What he couldn't quite understand was, what did his brother mean by "keep a little more for yourself"?

Since when had his second brother split off from their father?

"No need. It makes little difference whether I eat Spirit Rice or not. Besides, once the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster arrives, I'll be hiding in the cellar and won't be able to light a fire to cook. I can just use ordinary rice, add in the husks left over from hulling the Spirit Rice, grind them together, and bake them into rice cakes."

Old Man Yu shook his head.

Even though the family was "well-off" now, they'd need Spirit Stones for even more things from here on. In particular, they had to fully support their eldest son's attempt to break through to the Qi Refining Realm over the next three years, and they'd also have to give the Rare Species in the courtyard extra meals from time to time.

The days ahead would only get harder.

There was one more thing: as long as the family stored the Spirit Rice properly, the spiritual energy inside it would dissipate very slowly. After a year, at most thirty percent would be lost.

But once cooked, the spiritual energy would dissipate much faster.

Old Man Yu had decided to save his share. Since he wouldn't be able to cook over a fire, he could either eat the rice raw or bake it into rice cakes ahead of time.

But eating it raw wouldn't let his body absorb it completely, which would be wasteful.

And baking it into cakes was no different from cooking it. Given enough time, the spiritual energy inside would fade away just as quickly.

In that case, he might as well eat ordinary rice instead.

Only in a Blessed Land was there a special Spirit Rice warehouse that could preserve spiritual energy for a long time.

That was why, after harvesting their Spirit Rice, settlements would transport it to a Blessed Land. Once they'd survived the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster, the merchant caravan the following year would bring some Spirit Rice and all kinds of supplies to sell in the settlement.

Of course, the price would be higher than what the rice had been bought for.

But sometimes, there was no other choice.

Most importantly, Spirit Rice wasn't meant to be a daily food for ordinary people in the settlement.

As for the Spirit Grain Pill, which could be made by combining Spirit Rice with Spirit Medicine and could be stored for a long time—a single pill could keep someone from needing food for several days—ordinary people might never get to eat one in their entire lives.

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoshan was completely stunned by his father's words.