A Bountiful Harvest

Plant and tree spirits had the toughest hides and were the hardest to deal with. Killing them was harder still.

But these spirits weren't without weaknesses. Once the demon soul inside them was destroyed, most of their supernatural powers vanished, leaving them almost completely at the mercy of others.

Zhou Yan's plan wasn't particularly thorough; in fact, it was somewhat crude. But it was more than enough to deal with a spirit.

Besides, the more meticulous a plan was, the less room it left for error. One mistake could ruin everything.

After the Yaksha speared the demon soul out, it gave it no chance to escape back into the tree. Its fork danced through the air, and soon the soul was torn to pieces, dissolving into specks of light that scattered across the world.

"By my command, cease!"

Seeing the demon soul torn apart, Zhou Yan hurriedly chanted a spell to stop the Corpse Controlling.

This locust tree was enormous, and it had cultivated for hundreds of years. Even its trunk was a treasure.

With a little refinement, it could be made into a great many Magic Artifacts.

What Zhou Yan prized even more was the tree's ability to gather yin energy. If he made it into a coffin, it would greatly benefit the nourishment of zombies.

Zhou Yan paced around the husk left behind by the Locust Tree Spirit, his eyes practically glowing.

He thought to himself that even if he took no payment at all, being allowed to take this locust tree would already be an incredible bargain...

Zhou Yan inspected it carefully once more. After confirming that the Locust Tree Spirit's demon soul had been completely destroyed and there was no chance of it reviving, he immediately had the two corpses under his control pull the tree up by its roots.

Only because zombies possessed immense strength, and the two of them worked together, did they manage to topple the tree with such difficulty.

Even so, the pit left behind was still crisscrossed with a dense tangle of roots.

By the time the middle-aged steward arrived, the tree had already been completely toppled.

"Steward Yue, the Locust Tree Spirit has been eliminated, but this tree had to come down as well. Otherwise, given enough time, it could easily give rise to another monster." Zhou Yan spoke with a solemn expression.

He wasn't wrong. He had his own selfish motives, but his actions weren't without reason.

The great clans and wealthy families had many inherited records, including accounts of demons and monsters.

So from the very beginning, Zhou Yan hadn't intended to keep the whole truth from them.

Steward Yue nodded slightly and smiled, cupping his hands. "Thank you, Dharma Master Zhou, for eliminating the monster."

Then he waved his hand. A maid came forward carrying a tray, on which lay ten small gold bars. Zhou Yan's eyes gleamed at the sight.

Each small gold bar was worth at least a hundred silver dollars.

Ten of them came to a thousand silver dollars.

That was the official exchange rate. On the black market, they would fetch at least twenty percent more.

In other words, these ten small gold bars could be exchanged for twelve hundred silver dollars.

With great effort, Zhou Yan tore his gaze away and turned to Steward Yue, cupping his hands. "Steward Yue, I wonder what your household plans to do with this locust tree. If possible, I'd like to buy it..."

Before Zhou Yan could finish, Steward Yue was already smiling. "Dharma Master Zhou, what are you saying? Since it's your spoils of battle, it naturally belongs to you. And you'll receive the full payment as well."

Zhou Yan was taken aback. He looked at Steward Yue in disbelief. "You mean it?"

He didn't believe Steward Yue was unaware of the value of a locust tree that had grown for hundreds of years. If he were, he would never have become a steward.

Still, Steward Yue's gesture left Zhou Yan rather enchanted.

Whatever the reason, if he could get his hands on this centuries-old tree, Zhou Yan was willing to accept it, even if it meant shamelessly taking advantage.

"Of course," Steward Yue said firmly.

At that, Zhou Yan said no more. He simply bowed deeply to Steward Yue.

"I'll remember this kindness."

Few words, but they carried all the more weight!

To avoid any further complications, Zhou Yan had the two corpses under his control carry the massive trunk away, one at each end.

After Zhou Yan had gone far away, a glint flashed in Steward Yue's eyes. He ordered the servants to close the gates.

Once he had dismissed them, he headed toward the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was brightly lit, clearly occupied by the household's master.

But from beginning to end, Zhou Yan hadn't known that there was a master living in this residence. He had assumed Steward Yue was in charge of everything.

"Third Miss, Dharma Master Zhou has left."

Steward Yue bowed before Third Miss. "As you instructed, I gave Dharma Master Zhou the trunk of the Locust Tree Spirit and also presented him with ten small gold bars as payment."

Third Miss nodded in satisfaction. "Well done."

Ruyu, standing beside her, couldn't help asking, "Miss, you discovered this locust tree long ago, and our people could have dealt with it. Why did you ask an ordinary Rogue Cultivator to handle it, then give him the entire centuries-old tree?"

She was mainly responsible for the household's finances, so the loss of a centuries-old locust tree pained her terribly.

And on top of that, there were the ten small gold bars—together worth thousands of silver dollars.

Even though Miss was fabulously wealthy, Ruyu still felt uncomfortable about it.

That much money could have outfitted an elite force of around a hundred men.

Third Miss Yue Yuna smiled faintly. "It's only a few thousand silver dollars. Think of it as an investment."

Then she turned back to Steward Yue. "Steward, what do you think of Zhou Yan?"

Steward Yue didn't answer immediately. After a moment's thought, he said, "Dharma Master Zhou doesn't have the usual shortcomings of Rogue Cultivators. He's an honest man with principles. And he's clever—not merely in small ways, but possessed of real wisdom. He's sure to make a name for himself one day."

Yue Yuna was a little surprised. "You think that highly of him?"

"It's not a matter of thinking highly of him. This man truly is exceptional," Steward Yue said gravely.

"What's more, what I value most is the arrogance and ambition hidden deep in his bones, along with a courage far beyond that of ordinary people. He's a born hero. He'll either achieve great things or suffer a crushing defeat..."

"He cannot be bound by rules. You have to win him over with kindness. Third Miss, you handled it very well..."

Ruyu was astonished. She hadn't expected Steward Yue to think so highly of that Rogue Cultivator.

Even Yue Yuna looked slightly surprised.

She valued Zhou Yan for other reasons, but she couldn't explain those to anyone.

Steward Yue, however, was a veteran of the household, and he had an exceptionally keen eye for people. Anyone he thought highly of was sure to possess extraordinary talent.

Yue Yuna had originally intended to use Steward Yue's opinion to provide cover for some possible actions later on.

But now that Steward Yue clearly thought so highly of Zhou Yan, she could make her plans even more aggressive...