Planting Forest Ginseng

On the second day early morning, as sunlight filtered through the thin clouds and scattered fragmented shadows, Liu Qing rose early and set out to contact the nearby herb gatherers and hunters.

His steps were firm, with not the slightest thought of failure in his heart.

After all, his family had cultivated ginseng in their fields for many years. Now, they were merely changing the planting location to the wilderness. He firmly believed that with their abundant experience and meticulous planning, they would succeed.

In his view, as long as they handled manpower allocation and protection against wild beasts, along with their past planting experience, they already had a seventy to eighty percent winning chance.

At the same time, Liu Feng and Grandpa Liu Bai were not idle either. Carrying satchels filled with tools and seeds, they headed toward the nearby forest.

Along the way, the fresh scent of grass and trees filled the air, while occasional crisp birdsong seemed to offer blessings for their plan.

After reaching the forest, the grandfather and grandson carefully surveyed the area and selected their planting sites.

They first found an open clearing where sunlight poured down without restraint. The soil was fertile and soft, making it the best possible place to grow medicinal materials.

Holding a wooden stick, Liu Bai drew a neat circle on the ground. With a somewhat satisfied expression, he said, "Xiao Feng, look. There's plenty of sunlight here, and the soil is quite good too. It couldn't be more suitable for growing Blue Silver Grass."

Liu Feng looked around and noticed that tall trees surrounded the clearing, their branches and leaves lush enough to provide just the right amount of shade when the sunlight became too strong. He nodded in agreement. "Grandpa, this place really is excellent. Blue Silver Grass will definitely grow sturdily here."

Afterward, Liu Bai led Liu Feng to a patch of wetland not far away.

The soil in the wetland was moist and soft underfoot, and several thin water currents could be seen winding through it.

Pointing at the wetland, Liu Bai said, "This place is suitable for growing wild ginseng. The moist soil and abundant water source are ideal conditions for wild ginseng to grow."

Liu Feng bent down to inspect it. Moisture seeped from the soil, while the nearby streams flowed gently. He said excitedly, "Grandpa, the water source here is so abundant. The wild ginseng will definitely grow quickly and well."

After confirming the planting sites, the grandfather and grandson began preparing the soil without pause.

Liu Bai took out the carefully prepared fertilizer from his satchel and spread it evenly over the ground. Then he picked up a shovel and skillfully loosened the soil. Every movement was steady and powerful as he explained, "Fertilizer makes the soil more fertile and provides sufficient nutrients for the medicinal materials to grow."

Not to be outdone, Liu Feng picked up a shovel and followed his example, loosening the soil as he said expectantly, "Grandpa, once we plant these seeds, we'll be able to come harvest them regularly. Our medicinal materials will definitely become more plentiful and better than ever."

Seeing his grandson's seriousness, Liu Bai revealed a relieved smile and nodded. "That's right, Xiao Feng. Your idea is very good. As long as we put our hearts into it, we'll definitely succeed."

Once the soil was ready, it was time to sow the seeds.

Liu Bai carefully took out the Blue Silver Grass Ginseng and wild ginseng seeds previously formed by his Soul Skill. The seeds were full and round, gleaming with the luster of life beneath the sunlight.

As he evenly scattered the seeds across the soil, he patiently instructed Liu Feng, "The seeds must be spread evenly, so every seed will have enough space and nutrients to grow."

After sowing the seeds, they began putting protective measures in place to prevent wild beasts from damaging the medicinal materials.

Using the wooden stakes and iron wire they had brought, Liu Bai built a simple yet sturdy fence. He then tied sharp branches all over it. Like spikes, the branches glinted coldly beneath the sun and carried considerable deterrence.

Inside the fence, they dug several deep pits and lined the bottoms with sharpened wooden stakes. They then covered the pits with a thin layer of soil and scattered Blue Silver Grass over them. The camouflage was extremely clever, and anyone unaware of the trap would struggle to notice the hidden danger below.

Liu Feng was not idle either. He scattered spiked plants around the fence, further strengthening its defenses. Full of confidence, he said, "Grandpa, with the fence made this secure, the wild beasts definitely won't dare come and ruin our medicinal materials."

Liu Bai looked at Liu Feng with a gentle yet cautious expression. "It can stop some of them, but there's no absolute guarantee. Let's try this first. If it doesn't work, we'll think of other ways to improve it later."

Besides setting up fences, they also decided to plant the medicinal materials in scattered locations to reduce the risk.

Deep within the forest, they selected several more hidden sites with suitable conditions, planting some Blue Silver Grass and wild ginseng in each one.

As Liu Feng sowed seeds, he explained, "Planting them separately can reduce our losses. Even if the medicinal materials in one place are destroyed by wild beasts, those in the other places can still be preserved."

Liu Bai nodded in agreement and followed his grandson as they worked at different sites, scattering seeds of hope throughout the forest.

They were incredibly busy that day. Although the seeds were not planted densely, every step received their devoted effort.

After all, this was only an initial experiment. They did not dare begin large-scale planting rashly. If the experiment succeeded, expanding the scale later would be much easier.

After returning home, Liu Feng and Liu Bai did not even stop to rest before beginning to plan the work ahead.

They decided to visit the forest every few days to inspect the growth of the ginseng seedlings, regularly water them, remove weeds, and fertilize them, striving to ensure every medicinal plant grew sturdily.

Liu Bai smiled and said to Liu Feng, "Xiao Feng, if this plan succeeds, the medicinal soup you use for cultivation can be made with ginseng that has even better medicinal effect."

Liu Feng's eyes lit up as he replied excitedly, "That's right, Grandpa. And if we can plant Blue Silver Grass Ginseng on a large scale, maybe we can even sell it in Prosperous Dragon Town and earn more money. Our lives will definitely keep getting better."

Liu Bai stroked his beard, his eyes filled with approval.

From then on, every few days, Liu Bai would head to the forest planting area to inspect the medicinal materials' growth.

Holding a shovel, he diligently loosened the soil so air could better enter it and nourish the root system. Carrying a bucket, he slowly poured clear water beside every ginseng seedling. He also carefully scattered fertilizer to ensure the seedlings had enough nutrients to grow sturdily.

At the same time, Liu Qing's contact work was progressing smoothly.

As a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, he held great prestige in the eyes of ordinary people. Everyone showed him respect and eagerly expressed their willingness to participate in the planting plan.

Time quietly passed, and the Blue Silver Grass and wild ginseng they had planted gradually grew under their careful care.

Whenever he entered the forest, Liu Feng would delightedly discover new changes in the medicinal materials. Their leaves had become greener, and the plants had grown sturdier. His heart was filled with excitement and pride.

Pointing at a thriving stalk of Blue Silver Grass, Liu Feng said to his grandpa, "Grandpa, look how well these medicinal materials are growing. Our efforts have finally paid off."

Liu Bai looked at the sturdily growing medicinal materials, his face full of smiles and his heart full of relief.

Perhaps they had chosen the location well, or perhaps they were simply lucky. Apart from a very small number that had been gnawed and damaged by forest animals, most of the Forest Ginseng remained unharmed.

They continued caring for these medicinal materials meticulously, eagerly anticipating the day of harvest.

Whenever they stepped into the forest, they carried abundant hope, convinced that these medicinal materials would bring them more resources and opportunities.

A year and a half passed in the blink of an eye, and the Forest Ginseng planting plan in Liu Family Village finally welcomed its harvest season.

Although trampling and gnawing by wild beasts caused some losses in the planting areas during the expansion process, the number of successfully cultivated Forest Ginseng Seedlings far exceeded expectations.

Standing at the edge of the forest, Liu Feng gazed at the lush stretches of Forest Ginseng fields before him, and a powerful sense of accomplishment surged through his heart.

This land, which had gathered countless efforts from them, had finally borne abundant fruit.

However, as the planting area continued to expand, the problem of wild beast disturbances grew increasingly severe.

One early morning, Liu Feng and his grandpa arrived at a newly opened planting area, and the sight before them made them frown.

The ground was covered in messy wild beast footprints. Several newly sprouted Forest Ginseng seedlings had been gnawed until they were incomplete, while some had been reduced to bare roots and stems.

Liu Feng squatted down and carefully checked the damaged Forest Ginseng. He frowned, determination in his eyes. "Grandpa, these wild beasts are too rampant. We have to think of a solution. Otherwise, we simply won't be able to expand the planting scale."

Liu Bai wore a grave expression as he stroked his beard and slowly said, "That's right. If we don't solve the wild beast problem, our Forest Ginseng cultivation will always be limited in scale."

After discussing the matter, the two decided to further strengthen the defenses around the planting areas.

They added more traps around the fences, and the traps became more varied as well. There were spiked animal traps, as well as rope snares capable of trapping wild beasts.

At the edges of the planting areas, they scattered more herbs with pungent odors, such as mugwort and mint, hoping to drive away the wild beasts.

Furthermore, Liu Feng came up with a new idea. He suggested setting up warning devices around the planting areas.

They used bells and ropes to create a simple alarm system. The bells were hung from the ropes, which encircled the planting areas. Once a wild beast approached and touched a rope, the bells would ring crisply, alerting the herb gatherers and hunters standing guard.

Although these measures had some effect, the disturbances from wild beasts had still not been completely eliminated.

Liu Feng realized that relying solely on protective measures treated the symptoms but not the root cause. They had to solve the problem at its source.