Xu Changqing felt his way home through the darkness.
Little Yellow Dog immediately wagged his tail excitedly.
"Starving, huh?" Xu Changqing crouched down and rubbed the dog's head.
"Woof woof!" Who knew whether he was answering.
"Don't rush. I'll get you something to eat right away." Xu Changqing rose and headed for the kitchen.
This harvest had been pretty good.
Points +250. Low-Grade Spirit Stones +62. Lifespan exceeded [200 years].
The only pity was that he could no longer go to Zhang Su's place.
But no matter how dissatisfied Xu Changqing was with Zhang Er, he still was not in a hurry.
Before he had absolute confidence, he would not make a move.
At the very least, he had to wait until his cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.
If possible, it would be best to obtain another spell technique.
A movement technique would be ideal.
Defense came second.
Attack techniques did not matter much, considering he already had the High-Tier Wood Spirit Entanglement Art (third layer).
Before long, dinner was ready.
Man and dog happily dug in.
After eating and drinking their fill, Xu Changqing neatly washed the dishes.
Then he took a hot bath.
Only after everything was settled did he climb into bed.
Little Yellow Dog skillfully lay down beneath the bed.
Lying on his side, Xu Changqing looked through the open wooden window at the night sky dotted with stars.
Although this world had no phones, computers, or anything of the sort, making it seem dull and monotonous.
Still, to be fair, the scenery was quite good, and countless stars could be seen at night.
The night breeze drifted gently indoors, and the atmosphere in the room grew ever quieter.
Before long, Xu Changqing fell asleep.
The night passed without incident, and dawn came the next day.
Since the Spirit Rice had already been harvested.
The Wood Qi content in the Spirit Fields was now extremely sparse.
Thus, Xu Changqing did not cultivate as he usually did.
With nothing better to do, he began exploring the surroundings with his home as the center.
Come to think of it, he had been here for nearly a year, yet knew little about the area.
"If I remember correctly, there should be an abandoned cave nearby?" Xu Changqing stood on high ground, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.
On the other side of the Spirit Fields, over a hundred meters away, stood a small hill.
It was not very tall, at most several dozen meters.
From top to bottom, it was all stone, looking utterly bare.
"Let's go!" Xu Changqing called out and headed over with Little Yellow Dog.
Before long, man and dog arrived.
They first climbed upward to gain a lofty view of the distance.
To be fair, it really was just a Stone Mountain.
It was nothing but stones of various sizes piled together, with nothing particularly special about it.
Fortunately, the air at the summit was good, and one could see farther into the distance.
Xu Changqing stood atop the highest boulder and gazed into the distance.
He immediately made a startling discovery.
Far, far away, there seemed to be Spirit Fields.
Moreover, many spirit plants were growing within them.
One had to know that the end of spring marked the end of the first quarter's planting season.
The vast majority of spirit plants would be harvested, then left to await the beginning of summer.
If they had not been harvested, there were only two possibilities.
One was that the Spirit Farmer managing them had forgotten.
The other was that their growth cycle was longer.
Forgetting was probably impossible.
That left only one possibility: their growth cycle was longer.
If that was truly the case, it meant the distant Spirit Farmer was at least in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
If one had not reached a certain cultivation realm.
Or did not possess high-level techniques like the Evergreen Formula and Cultivation Nurturing Art.
Then the best choice was, in truth, only Spirit Rice.
"He lives even farther off the beaten path than I do. Interesting." Xu Changqing fell into thought.
"Senior Brother Xu, are you there?" At that moment, someone called from the direction of his home behind him.
"Woof woof!" Little Yellow Dog immediately started barking.
"They called for me. Why are you answering?" Xu Changqing rolled his eyes.
"Senior Brother Xu~~~" The person kept calling.
"Let's go back." Xu Changqing had originally planned to take a look at the cave below, but since someone had come looking for him, he could only temporarily abandon the idea.
Then, he returned the way he had come with Little Yellow Dog.
Once they drew closer.
He discovered that the visitor was Han Su.
The Earth Spirit Root disciple who had helped loosen the soil.
"Junior Brother Han." Xu Changqing smiled faintly.
"Senior Brother, you're in quite the mood. You actually went mountain climbing." Seeing him appear, Han Su finally let out the breath he had been holding.
Smiling, Xu Changqing took out Spirit Rice from his Small Storage Bag and said, "You came at just the right time. These are the fifty jin of Grade-Two Spirit Rice I promised you last time."
The two of them had made an agreement.
Each time Han Su finished loosening the soil, he would receive payment at the end of the quarter.
If it were anyone else, especially an Earth Spirit Root Formal Disciple.
They would never help without at least a hundred jin of Grade-Two Spirit Rice.
But Han Su's price was low, and the two had known each other back when they were on the outskirts.
"Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice?"
Feeling the dense spiritual energy within the rice, Han Su's eyes widened. He accepted it with considerable excitement, his voice even trembling. "Senior Brother Xu!!!"
Fifty jin of Grade-Two Spirit Rice might not seem like much.
But if exchanged for First-Grade Spirit Rice, it would amount to two hundred jin.
For one person, that would absolutely be enough to last half a year.
More importantly, this was Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice with the highest spiritual energy concentration.
Its value was even more astonishing.
Its exchange rate was higher as well.
Xu Changqing then asked, "How is Lin An doing?"
The smile on Han Su's face stiffened. Shaking his head, he said, "Because he failed to fulfill the contract, he was taken away by the Punishment Department. I don't know whether he can return."
"Taken away?" Xu Changqing was rather shocked.
Han Su hurriedly explained, "With Senior Brother Xu helping me, I wasn't in too much of a hurry. But that Water Spirit Root female disciple refused to let it go and even reported it to the Punishment Department."
Xu Changqing frowned. "If not for the [Formal Disciple Grand Competition], Fellow Daoist Lin probably would not have suffered this. What a pity."
But that Water Spirit Root female disciple had done nothing wrong.
When one's own interests were at stake, one had to fight for them.
After all, Lin An did not owe merely one or two hundred jin, but several hundred.
Especially given his arrangement with the Water Spirit Root female disciple—she took forty percent.
Han Su was helpless about this. "I don't even know whether I should hold him accountable."
Xu Changqing nodded. "Of course you should. That is your right."
"But..." Han Su looked at the person before him, wanting to speak but holding back.
How could Xu Changqing not understand? He immediately waved a hand. "My relationship with Lin An may be decent, but it has not reached the point of being especially close."
In truth, his relationship with Lin An had only improved because of Zhang Su.
Back on the outskirts, they had barely interacted at all.
What was more, Lin An was the one at fault in this matter.
Han Su had wanted to hear exactly that, so he no longer hesitated.
After returning, he planned to hold Lin An accountable and obtain compensation.
Xu Changqing suddenly recalled Red Maple Valley Market and asked, "How is the market doing now?"
Around the New Year period.
The exchange rate for First-Grade Spirit Rice had been 1:7.
The exchange rate for Grade-Two Spirit Rice had been 1:1.5.
Han Su answered, "The price of Grade-Two Spirit Rice is stabilizing. It remains at 1:1.5. Though it occasionally drops to 1.4, it rises again within a few days.
"As for First-Grade Spirit Rice, the ratio has become 1:8.
"Of course, Senior Brother's Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice is different. Its ratio is lower, and it is more expensive."
Xu Changqing raised a brow after hearing this. "Why did it rise instead?"
Han Su glanced around. Seeing that there were only the two of them and a dog, he lowered his voice. "Because prices within the Immortal Sect are too high, many people have gone to the outside Rogue Cultivator Market to buy."
Xu Changqing immediately said with an amused expression, "Looks like the Farmer's Heart Society has felt pressure from outside, which is why they are maintaining this ratio."
Han Su deeply agreed. "Exactly. Prices at the Rogue Cultivator Market are cheaper. I went there once before and bought quite a bit of Spirit Rice. That was how I managed to hold on."
"Wait." Xu Changqing could not help being surprised. "Since cheaper Spirit Rice can be bought at the outside Rogue Cultivator Market, why didn't Lin An go?"
Han Su twitched his lips. "He tried. The moment he reached the Teleportation Array, he was caught by people from the Punishment Department."
Xu Changqing was speechless.
Han Su glanced at the Spirit Fields beside them, then tentatively asked, "Senior Brother, should I come again next time it is time to loosen the soil?"
He did not want to miss the chance to obtain Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice, even if it was only fifty jin.
But Xu Changqing beckoned, signaling for him to come closer.
Han Su was confused, but he still stepped forward.
Xu Changqing took another fifty jin of Grade-Two Spirit Rice from his Small Storage Bag and handed it over. "Help me look in the Rogue Cultivator Market for spell techniques suitable for Wood Spirit Root cultivation.
"Movement and defense techniques would be best.
"Attack techniques are fine too.
"This is the deposit. We'll settle any difference afterward."
"Alright." Though Han Su was puzzled, he did not hesitate. He was even afraid Xu Changqing might change his mind.
As for why Xu Changqing needed spell techniques.
Though Han Su was curious, he did not dare ask.
After all, the more one knew about certain things, the worse one's ending would be.
As long as he could steadily obtain Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice, what did it matter if he had to toil like an ox and work like a horse?
And after giving away another fifty jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice produced from Grade-Two Spirit Fields, Xu Changqing still had [2400 jin] left in hand!
Before you continue