Wang Qiuru acted quickly.
Lin Mo had only spent half a day cultivating in his bedroom before everything at the Ghost-Crying Field was ready. The paperwork at the Sect Affairs Office had also been completed, replacing his original spirit field with the Ghost-Crying Field.
"Stay home and keep watch. Don't wander outside."
Before leaving, Lin Mo reminded Qin Sang Sang and Lin Xiaohe once again not to enter the backyard.
Having learned her lesson before, Qin Sang Sang nodded hastily. Lin Xiaohe obeyed Lin Mo in everything, so naturally, she would not wander off either.
With all his instructions given, Lin Mo set off for the Ghost-Crying Field under the guidance of a Servant Disciple.
The Ghost-Crying Field lay on Back Mountain of Spirit Plant Peak. With little sunlight year-round and no spirit plants grown there for nearly a century, the air carried a faint, damp chill. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was also slightly richer than on the front slopes.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Lin!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother Lin Mo..."
Along the path to the Ghost-Crying Field, dozens of Servant Disciples hurried back and forth over the rugged mountain trail with buckets on carrying poles, working at a feverish pace.
Everyone who saw Lin Mo stopped to greet him, their expressions quite respectful.
These Servant Disciples knew perfectly well that Wang Qiuru valued Lin Mo. Though they had looked down on him before, they no longer dared show even a hint of it.
"Is that... a reservoir?"
Upon reaching the edge of the Ghost-Crying Field, the first thing Lin Mo saw was a large pit not far away.
The soil around it was fresh, clearly showing that it had just been dug. The pit measured roughly ten zhang across and ten meters deep, and the Servant Disciples carrying water were pouring clear, icy mountain spring water into it without pause.
Their buckets were not small, but the pit was simply too large. Lin Mo estimated that filling it would keep them busy for at least four or five days.
"Coming, coming!"
An Outer Sect Disciple from the Spirit Plant Courtyard ran over from afar and released a hundred large wooden buckets from his Storage Bag all at once, telling the Servant Disciples waiting nearby to hurry and empty them.
With so much mountain spring water pouring in, the water level in the pit visibly rose a little, drawing a chorus of cheers from the Servant Disciples.
"You're here, Senior Brother Lin?"
After finishing the task at hand, the Outer Sect Disciple strode over to Lin Mo and said with a smile, "This place is too far from the mountain spring. Fetching water is rather inconvenient."
"Steward Wang specifically instructed us to get the spring water ready, to spare you the trouble, Senior Brother Lin."
Wang Qiuru really thought of everything. Now I owe her another considerable favor...
Lin Mo exchanged a few pleasantries with the Outer Sect Disciple, unable to help sighing inwardly.
The Spirit Plant Courtyard disciple who had died here over a century ago had failed to complete his spirit plant assignment on time. This had presumably been part of the reason.
Merely carrying water to irrigate the spirit field would take a great deal of time.
On top of that, the shaded mountainside lacked sunlight, making spirit plants difficult to grow in the first place. All those factors had combined to bring about that tragedy.
"And there's this."
The Outer Sect Disciple took out another Storage Bag and handed it to Lin Mo with a solemn expression. "These are spirit wheat seeds that Steward Wang carefully selected. Their survival rate is very high."
"Steward Wang said that if even these can't survive, then this Ghost-Crying Field is beyond saving!"
Lin Mo had seen spirit wheat before, but had never eaten it.
The grain it produced could be ground into flour and made into large, fragrant steamed buns, which offered some benefit in tempering the body.
This spirit plant's greatest trait was its hardiness. It needed almost no tending and would not wither easily even without enough irrigation. At worst, its yield would suffer.
Because spirit wheat was so easy to keep alive, the Outer Sect Disciples responsible for growing it could complete their annual spirit plant assignments with ease and still have plenty of time left to cultivate.
These Outer Sect Disciples were often the cultivation prodigies of the Spirit Plant Courtyard. Though they fell far short of Inner Sect Disciples, they still stood like cranes among chickens, far stronger than ordinary Outer Sect Disciples.
"How thoughtful of Steward Wang."
Lin Mo made a mental note of the favor he owed Steward Wang and said earnestly, "Sorry for the trouble, Junior Brother, but please thank Steward Wang for me when you return. I'll certainly repay this kindness someday."
As he spoke, he took a spirit stone from his own Storage Bag as a token of thanks for the Outer Sect Disciple's efforts.
The Outer Sect Disciple beamed with delight. After making a show of declining, he accepted the spirit stone, then went back to transporting water for Lin Mo with the Storage Bag Steward Wang had given him.
It really is wonderful to have someone backing you...
Lin Mo marveled inwardly, then stepped along a field bank into the plot and began carefully inspecting the Ghost-Crying Field that would be keeping him company for a long time to come.
Like the other spirit fields, the Ghost-Crying Field covered ten mu, evenly divided into twenty long, narrow planting ridges. The soil had just been turned, giving off the fresh scent of slightly damp earth.
Even more pleasing to Lin Mo was that straight planting furrows had already been dug into the freshly turned ridges. All he needed to do was scatter the spirit wheat seeds into them, cover them with soil, and irrigate them. The seeds would then grow without trouble.
With Wang Qiuru's help, sowing that would otherwise have kept him busy for at least a month could now be finished in less than a day!
They say once you're buried in debt, another debt won't worry you, but I've nearly got more favors owed to Steward Wang than I can repay...
As he thought, Lin Mo followed the field bank deeper into the plot, scattering wheat seeds as he went. With each convenient lift of his foot, he kicked up the soil piled beside the furrows, covering the seeds he had just sown.
Sowing required care, too. Lin Mo stopped every three steps to keep the spacing between seeds roughly equal, ensuring that the soil could supply enough spiritual energy for the spirit wheat to grow.
In just over four hours, Lin Mo finished sowing all ten mu of the Ghost-Crying Field. The spirit field before him was neat and orderly, with nothing unusual about it whatsoever.
The Ghost-Crying Field... doesn't seem all that special.
It was almost evening. Standing at the edge of the field, Lin Mo silently studied the Ghost-Crying Field before him, occasionally glancing toward the reservoir as he sighed inwardly.
Those Servant Disciples were nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
Without a moment's rest, they had made over a hundred trips between the front slopes and Back Mountain. Even with Storage Bags helping transport the water, they were still drenched in sweat and utterly worn out.
Fortunately, the reservoir could only hold so much. As the sun sank toward the western mountains and darkness gradually shrouded all of Back Mountain, the Servant Disciples finally completed their task and left together in twos and threes.
"It's dark..."
Lin Mo watched everyone depart, then turned his gaze back to the ten mu of spirit field before him, not daring to relax for even a moment.
During the day, yang energy was strong, driving all evil into retreat. Even if this place truly was haunted, there was no need to worry too much.
But once night fell...
"This is bad!"
Just as Lin Mo was pondering this, an almost imperceptible fluctuation of spiritual energy suddenly emerged from the planting ridge near his feet.
No, it was not a fluctuation of spiritual energy, but an eerie aura unlike anything he had ever encountered!
Wherever that aura passed, the soil of the spirit field began drying out rapidly, its nutrients seemingly draining away at alarming speed.
And the spirit wheat seeds Lin Mo had just planted would soon wither and die completely!
Before you continue