Before long, Wu Xi'er arrived in front of Zhang Su.
"Did you take good care of Junior Brother Xu for me?"
"Of course."
"That's good. I think highly of him."
"Your junior brother is quite impressive."
"What do you mean?"
"See for yourself!"
Wu Xi'er then took the "Four-Leaf Clover" from her storage pouch.
Zhang Su gave it a casual glance. "These are all three-leafed and two-leafed. Nothing special..."
He had originally been dismissive, even intending to mock it.
But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly realized something.
He hurriedly looked up at his Dao companion with a questioning gaze.
Wu Xi'er nodded. "Your Junior Brother Xu grew all of these."
Zhang Su finally put away his contempt and narrowed his eyes. "Though not a single one has four leaves, he actually managed to cultivate them at that level of cultivation and with a technique of that grade.
It seems I still underestimated Junior Brother Xu."
During their last transaction, he had deliberately avoided mentioning how to plant them.
He had wanted to see whether Xu Changqing could truly succeed.
Who would have thought that, though the quantity was small, he had indeed done it?
It seemed this Junior Brother Xu possessed a certain talent, whether in harvesting or planting and cultivation.
Wu Xi'er agreed wholeheartedly. "Not only does this junior brother have a good attitude, he also has great talent."
Zhang Su asked in surprise, "Why did you bring them over?"
Wu Xi'er shrugged and guessed, "Because they're all three-leafed and two-leafed, so he was afraid you'd be disappointed?"
"Hahaha!" Zhang Su burst out laughing, clearly delighted.
The herbs in Xu Changqing's second mu of Spirit Fields resembled green vegetables.
One plant after another stood packed tightly together.
The entire Spirit Fields were almost completely covered.
Xu Changqing activated the Evergreen Formula once more.
[Mature] [Undamaged] [Spiritual energy abundant] [Premium quality today] [Supreme quality at night]
In other words, if he harvested this stuff at night, its quality would rise by one grade.
From premium quality to supreme quality.
But clearly, Zhang Su had no intention of waiting.
And Xu Changqing had no intention of informing him.
Thus, he swung his sickle and began harvesting from the roots.
[Harvested 1 "Premium Green Grass," lifespan +4 days] [Harvested 1 "Premium Green Grass," lifespan +4 days] [Harvested 1 "Premium Green Grass," lifespan +4 days]
Each harvested plant still gave him four days of lifespan.
Just like the Insect-Ear Grass in the first mu.
Time flew by.
This time, because there were more plants, it took longer.
Only after everyone nearby had left did Xu Changqing finally finish.
He hurriedly put away the Green Grass before returning aboveground to rest.
At the same time, he focused his attention on the attribute panel.
[Remaining lifespan: 61,318 days]
His lifespan had previously been 55,345 days.
After harvesting this mu of Green Grass, he had gained 5,972 days of lifespan.
Xu Changqing's lifespan had now reached 167 years.
Two hundred years was no longer far away; he might even reach it soon.
After all, there was still a third mu of Spirit Fields left unharvested. Perhaps it would bring another surprise.
"Brother Su!" A call came from the entrance.
Xu Changqing looked over instinctively, and his entire body froze.
Because he knew the visitor extremely well, and even bore a deep grudge against him.
Who was it?
Zhang Er!
He was the one who had tried to seize Xu Changqing's Spirit Fields in the Outer Spirit Fields.
Come to think of it, ever since joining the Spirit Field Core,
the two had not seen each other for more than half a year.
Who would have thought they would run into each other here?
Could Zhang Er be related to Zhang Su somehow? Xu Changqing wondered.
"Isn't that... Xu Changqing?" Zhang Er recognized him at once.
At that moment, Wu Xi'er walked out of the house.
There was some distance between them, so Xu Changqing could not hear clearly.
But judging by how the two chatted and laughed, they were obviously very familiar with each other.
Soon, led by Wu Xi'er, Zhang Er arrived at the entrance.
But before going inside, he glanced at Xu Changqing again.
That gaze was laden with meaning.
I need to harvest the third mu of Spirit Fields immediately. A sense of danger rose within Xu Changqing.
Though he had only just rested, he rushed back to the Spirit Fields without stopping.
The herbs in the third mu of Spirit Fields looked extraordinarily strange.
Each had only one leaf, roughly the size of a palm.
It stood upright.
The whole plant was orange-red.
When the wind blew, the herbs immediately swayed.
At first glance, they looked like sheets of burning flame.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the temperature in the Spirit Fields seemed to have risen considerably.
[Mature] [Undamaged] [Spiritual energy abundant] [Supreme quality today]
As he activated the Evergreen Formula and looked at the information that appeared,
Xu Changqing's eyes immediately lit up.
Sure enough, this third mu of Spirit Fields had indeed brought him a surprise.
He picked up his sickle and began harvesting with all his strength.
[Harvested 1 "Supreme Fire Ear," lifespan +9 days] [Harvested 1 "Supreme Fire Ear," lifespan +9 days] [Harvested 1 "Supreme Fire Ear," lifespan +9 days]
As expected of herbs. Though they had also reached supreme quality,
the lifespan gained after harvesting was greater than that of Spirit Rice.
Meanwhile, Zhang Er had already met Zhang Su.
"Why are you here, Cousin? Why didn't you notify me beforehand with a Communication Talisman?" Zhang Su asked, somewhat surprised.
Zhang Er chuckled. "I just went to the Core Administration Office to submit my spring assignment. I wasn't in a hurry to return, so I came specially to have tea with you, Cousin."
Zhang Su instructed Wu Xi'er, "Bring tea!"
Wu Xi'er quickly turned and headed toward another room.
Then Zhang Er leaned closer and asked, "Cousin, do you know who that person outside is?"
Zhang Su introduced him with a smile. "His name is Xu Changqing. He's skilled at harvesting and has some talent for planting as well. He's helped me harvest for two seasons in a row now."
Seeing the smile on his cousin's face and the appreciation in his eyes, Zhang Er felt quite jealous. A mocking smile involuntarily appeared on his face. "He is one of the outer sect disciples who refused my recruitment last year."
The moment those words came out, the smile on Zhang Su's face vanished.
Why had Zhang Er been able to become an assessment disciple in the Outer Spirit Fields?
Because of him!
To put it bluntly, everything Zhang Er played with outside was what Zhang Su had left behind.
That was precisely why he could possess ten mu of Grade-Two Spirit Fields at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"It's already dark. I finally got it all done." Xu Changqing looked at the dim sky and let out a sigh of relief.
In a single day, he had harvested three mu of Spirit Fields.
If he had not reached Late Qi Refining,
with the spiritual power within his body supporting him,
and his stamina enduring for so long,
it would truly have been difficult to finish everything in one go.
Of course, the most important reason was Zhang Er's appearance.
That bastard had rattled Xu Changqing, so he did not dare delay.
Though he had no idea what Zhang Su and Zhang Er were discussing,
that bastard definitely wasn't holding in anything good.
"Senior Brother Zhang, I've finished harvesting everything!" Xu Changqing called out.
Only after quite a while did someone come out.
But it was not Zhang Su. It was Wu Xi'er.
She came before Xu Changqing, her expression somewhat strange.
Her eyes held a tangle of emotions, making her look deeply conflicted.
"Senior Sister!" Xu Changqing smiled.
Wu Xi'er did not speak immediately. Instead, she carefully inspected all the harvested herbs before asking expressionlessly, "Spirit Rice Grain or spirit stones?"
Noticing the coldness in her attitude, Xu Changqing's expression remained unchanged. "Spirit stones."
Wu Xi'er did not waste words and immediately took them out of her storage pouch. "Put them away. Sixty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones in total!"
Xu Changqing was surprised. "Shouldn't three mu of Spirit Fields only be forty-two?"
Wu Xi'er said flatly, "Your miscellaneous Four-Leaf Clover is worth another twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones altogether."
Xu Changqing understood, then accepted the spirit stones.
Seeing that he put them directly into his storage pouch without even counting them, trusting her completely, Wu Xi'er felt some regret in her heart. Yet her attitude remained cold. "You can leave now."
"Should I say something to Senior Brother Zhang?" Xu Changqing asked.
"No." Wu Xi'er shook her head.
Xu Changqing more or less understood, then headed toward the fence gate.
Wu Xi'er followed close behind, seeing him all the way to the entrance. Only when he had stepped outside did she say in a low voice, "You don't need to come here anymore."
"Huh?" Xu Changqing put on a bewildered expression.
Wu Xi'er could not bear it when she saw that, so she reminded him, "Zhang Su and Zhang Er are cousins."
Xu Changqing immediately understood.
Sure enough, that earlier sense of danger had not been an illusion.
After Wu Xi'er shut the fence gate, she turned and left without lingering for even a moment.
Xu Changqing watched her return to the house before heading home.
The sky had completely darkened.
Likewise, his expression had darkened somewhat.
He had finally found a place where he could harvest supreme-quality herbs.
Yet Zhang Er had ruined it.
Fortunately, the gains from this final harvest had been a pleasant surprise.
[Xu Changqing] [Male] [19 years old] [Wood Spirit Root] [Late Qi Refining] [Evergreen Formula (Level 5)] [Spirit Rice Wine (Expert) ↑] [Wood-Spirit Entanglement Art (Level 3)] [Remaining Lifespan: 78,316 days]
And an hour earlier.
His lifespan had been [61,318 days].
After harvesting the top-grade [Fire Ear], it had increased by 16,998 days.
In other words, Xu Changqing's lifespan had now surpassed two hundred years!!!
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