Sword Pellet Slays Pests, Lin An Comes Looking

Xu Changqing had originally planned to use the remaining spirit rice to brew Spirit Rice Wine.

He had not expected those Winter Awakening Bugs to ruin his plans.

He had already given Hu Bugui twenty jin of spirit rice.

Together with what he had consumed himself during this time, only sixty jin remained.

Now, he had to give away fifty jin in one go, even if it was only First-Grade Spirit Rice.

That was still no small loss to him.

After all, the spirit rice would not be ready for harvest for at least another month.

Looking at the dense mass of yellowish-brown bugs before him,

Xu Changqing did not even have the heart to cultivate.

He could only stare at them helplessly.

Just then, the spirit talisman in his hand suddenly trembled.

A faint layer of light then surfaced over it.

"It lit up!" Xu Changqing exclaimed in surprise.

He had gone to the Core Administration Office that morning to post the task.

He had not expected someone to accept the pest-killing task by noon.

He wondered what kind of Spiritual Root they had.

If it was a Water Spirit Root, they could kill the pests while nourishing the spirit rice.

As afternoon arrived, the talisman flashed with increasing frequency.

This meant that the person who had accepted the pest-killing task should be drawing near.

Xu Changqing hurried to the ridge between the fields and waited patiently.

Before long, a lean man gradually approached.

The man held a spirit talisman that flashed continuously.

He was clearly the one who had accepted the pest-killing task.

Xu Changqing narrowed his eyes and looked toward the man's chest.

The water-ripple pattern he had imagined did not appear.

Instead, there was an inverted golden sword.

That meant the newcomer was not a disciple with a Water Spirit Root, but one with a Metal Spiritual Root.

Metal Spiritual Roots specialized in slaughter and battle.

Even in the Early Qi Refining stage, they possessed considerable combat strength.

The moment this man drew close, Xu Changqing felt as though thorns were stabbing his back, making him deeply uncomfortable.

It could not be helped. Wood Spirit Roots were restrained by Metal and Fire Spiritual Roots, and instinctively produced a repulsive reaction.

Luo Zhao looked him over and asked, "Are you Fellow Daoist Xu, who posted the pest-killing task?"

Xu Changqing nodded. "Yes."

Luo Zhao shook the continuously flashing spirit talisman in his hand and teased, "Your place is really remote."

"I like peace and quiet," Xu Changqing explained with a smile.

Luo Zhao continued, "Before I kill the pests, take out the spirit rice and let me have a look."

"Why?" Xu Changqing's smile faded, and his expression turned puzzled.

Luo Zhao gave a bitter smile. "I've been stiffed too many times, so I'm a little... helpless."

"I see." Xu Changqing suddenly understood.

Without hesitation, he immediately took out the spirit rice from his small storage pouch.

Only after confirming that everything was in order did Luo Zhao sigh in relief. A friendly smile appeared on his face. "My name is Luo Zhao. I'm a Metal Spiritual Root disciple from Foundry Peak."

Xu Changqing asked with slight surprise, "Foundry Peak, the place that forges spirit artifacts and magic artifacts?"

"That's right," Luo Zhao confirmed.

Xu Changqing could not help asking, "Aren't you people quite busy?"

"I'm only an apprentice." Luo Zhao spread his hands and shrugged.

Xu Changqing blinked. "Then can I buy spirit artifacts from you?"

Ever since he had started planting in Grade-Two Spirit Fields, he had discovered that ordinary farming tools no longer worked.

If he had not lacked spirit rice and spirit stones, he would have bought a set of spirit artifacts long ago.

"I'm not qualified to sell them, but I can introduce you to someone." Luo Zhao waved a hand.

"Let's talk about that later." Xu Changqing stopped wasting time after hearing this.

"Fine." Seeing that, Luo Zhao did not waste words either.

With a flick of his hand, a white sphere flew out from his sleeve.

Spiritual power from within his body continuously poured into it.

At once, Xu Changqing saw the sphere light up.

It gave off a white halo.

At the same time, an incomparably sharp aura spread through the air.

Luo Zhao seized the moment and flung it fiercely toward the spirit field ahead.

With a whoosh, the white sphere flew over, spinning round and round.

In a scattering motion, it released thread after thread of faint white-gold energy.

Wherever it passed, continuous pfft, pfft sounds rang out.

Xu Changqing discovered in shock that the yellowish-brown Winter Awakening Bugs on the spirit rice

had all been sliced to pieces.

Batch after batch died, without even a chance to struggle.

In no time, a third of the area had been cleared.

Yet the spirit rice had not suffered a single scratch and remained completely intact.

This showed just how powerful Luo Zhao's control was.

"What is that thing?" Xu Changqing stared so hard his eyes went wide.

Luo Zhao's voice rang out. "It's called a Sword Pellet."

"A Sword Pellet?" Xu Changqing gave him an inquiring look.

Luo Zhao immediately explained, "All formal disciples who awaken Metal Spiritual Roots receive a Black-Iron Sword Pellet. We have to nurture it every day with our own spiritual power. If I didn't come out to earn extra money, I damn well couldn't afford to keep it fed."

Xu Changqing immediately understood.

It seemed that different Spiritual Roots came with different troubles.

Though Wood Spirit Roots were not suited for battle, at least their resource requirements were manageable.

Compared to that, he instantly felt much better.

By the time everything was done, evening had arrived.

Luo Zhao had nearly exhausted all his spiritual power before finally clearing all the bugs from the spirit fields.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Luo." Xu Changqing hurriedly cupped his hands.

Luo Zhao handed over a spirit talisman and said, "Don't mention it. If you need help next time, use this Communication Talisman to find me directly."

"Alright." Xu Changqing accepted it.

"I'm off." Luo Zhao placed the fifty jin of First-Grade Spirit Rice into his small storage pouch, then turned and left.

Xu Changqing watched as the other man gradually disappeared into the distance.

He then turned his gaze back to his own Grade-Two Spirit Field.

In truth, dealing with those bugs had not been difficult at all.

If he had possessed a Metal Spiritual Root or Water Spirit Root, he would not even have needed to seek help from outsiders.

Nor would he have had to spend so much spirit rice.

At that moment, he became even more eager for the other types of Spiritual Roots.

"Fellow Daoist Xu!" A shout suddenly rang out from the distance.

"Fellow Daoist Luo... huh?" Xu Changqing thought Luo Zhao had returned, but he soon realized it was not him.

It was an acquaintance.

Who was it?

Lin An!

The person who had become a formal disciple alongside him.

The other man ran over, panting heavily, his face covered in sweat.

Lin An complained, "Fellow Daoist Xu, you really made me search hard for you."

Xu Changqing looked at him in surprise. "Did you need something from me?"

Lin An was just about to explain when the spirit rice before him caught his attention.

The entire Grade-Two Spirit Field was full, presenting a flourishing scene.

The stalks of spirit rice were exceptionally robust, their ears heavy with plump grains.

One glance was enough to show that their quality was not low, and their yield would likely be substantial as well.

Xu Changqing reminded him, "What did you come to see me about?"

"Right." Lin An came back to his senses and said, "Tomorrow, a senior brother in the Foundation Establishment Realm needs help harvesting spirit plants. I've already informed Zhao Ziyao. Do you want to come along?"

"Harvesting?!" Xu Changqing's eyes lit up at once.

The spirit plants cultivated by a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple would definitely be extraordinary.

Perhaps they could bring him an unexpected gain.

Lin An continued, "It won't be unpaid work. You'll receive ten jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice afterward."

Xu Changqing could not help pressing, "How many days of work?"

Lin An considered it for a moment. "One mu of Grade-Two Spirit Field per person. It should be finished in a day, right?"

"I'll take it." Xu Changqing agreed, then said with a chuckle, "It's not because of the reward of ten jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice. It's because you came all this way to find me—I can't let that effort go to waste."

"Ha ha ha!" Lin An's mood immediately brightened, and he could not help laughing aloud.

"Don't leave either. We'll go together tomorrow." Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Changqing pulled him toward his wooden hut.

This friend was worth having. Lin An felt somewhat moved.