3: Chapter 3 Spirit Sand

"I'll cut from this side, you come from that side, and we'll meet in the middle." Qin Changsheng established the division of labor, then circled to the other side of the Spirit Rice field, picked up his sickle, and continued harvesting.

He deliberately slowed his Speed. Every time he cut a stalk, he would seize the moment when turning around or binding the sheaves to mix five stalks into the normal Spirit Rice that Chen Erniu had harvested.

This maneuver not only guaranteed the total yield but also made the increase in growth appear reasonable, as if the Spirit Rice itself had simply grown exceptionally well, rather than exhibiting any abnormal phenomena.

Chen Erniu worked efficiently and reliably. As his sickle rose and fell, the golden stalks fell neatly to the ground, and he bundled them tidily.

He occasionally looked up at Qin Changsheng, feeling that although Qin Changsheng's harvesting Speed wasn't fast, he always managed to accumulate quite a bit of Spirit Rice. He simply assumed that because Qin Changsheng had taken good care of the crop, the Spirit Rice had grown densely, naturally leading to a larger harvest, and never thought anything more of it.

After more than half an hour, Chen Erniu and Qin Changsheng had finished collecting all the Spirit Rice.

"Changsheng, you have at least two hundred and sixty jin here, right!" Chen Erniu remarked, eyeing the Spirit Rice on the ground.

"I might have watered it more diligently this year!" Qin Changsheng explained vaguely.

At the same time, he handed two Spirit Sand to Chen Erniu.

"Erniu, thank you so much. If you hadn't helped me harvest, I reckon I wouldn't have finished even by tomorrow!" Qin Changsheng said gratefully.

"Don't be so polite, Changsheng. If you have work like this in the future, just call me!" Chen Erniu took the two Spirit Sand without asking any questions and hurried off toward his own Spirit Rice field.

More than half an hour later, a small skiff suddenly flew in from the sky.

A moment later, a middle-aged man dressed in a manager's uniform with a solemn expression stepped off the skiff.

This middle-aged man was none other than Manager Liu Cheng of Servant Peak.

Liu Cheng brought several subordinates to count the Spirit Rice one by one, then stored it into a Storage Pouch.

After more than an hour, Liu Cheng arrived in front of Qin Changsheng.

"Weigh it and see how many jin there are!" Liu Cheng ordered.

The subordinates behind him quickly took out a steelyard balance and weighed the Spirit Rice in batches, loading it into bamboo baskets.

"A total of two hundred and sixty-two jin," the subordinate reported shortly after.

"Two hundred and sixty-two jin?" Liu Cheng repeated. His gaze turned sharp as he looked at Qin Changsheng, his tone carrying scrutiny, "You only had a little over a hundred jin in the past two years. How did it suddenly increase by more than double this year?"

He had sat in the position of Servant Peak manager for decades and knew the production capacity of every grade of Spirit Rice field like the back of his hand; Qin Changsheng's harvest was truly abnormal.

Qin Changsheng maintained a respectful expression, lowered his hands, and replied, "Reporting to the Manager, this Disciple's Spirit Rice grew better this year. Perhaps it was because I tended to it more diligently, hence the slightly bountiful harvest."

Liu Cheng fixed his gaze on Qin Changsheng and suddenly asked, "Did you get these Spirit Rice seeds from Overseer Hu Yuanfu?"

Upon hearing Liu Cheng's words, a realization dawned on Qin Changsheng.

He finally understood why his Spirit Rice yield had always been around a hundred jin for the past two years.

It turned out that Overseer Hu Yuanfu had tampered with the seeds.

Qin Changsheng spoke up, "Reporting to the Manager, this Disciple purchased this year's seeds at the market!"

Liu Cheng frowned but did not pursue the matter further.

He took a small cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Qin Changsheng, "According to Sect rules, an annual harvest of two hundred jin rewards one Spirit Stone, which is also one hundred Spirit Sand. This is one hundred Spirit Sand; keep it safe."

Qin Changsheng quickly received the bag with both hands, but the amount inside was not one hundred; there were only about fifty.

Qin Changsheng was very clear in his heart that although the Sect regulation specified one hundred Spirit Sand, after layers of exploitation, only fifty remained by the time it reached his hands.

Elders and deacons needed their share, and Liu Cheng, as manager, would naturally embezzle a portion as well.

"Thank you, Manager Liu!" Qin Changsheng bowed respectfully and carefully put the bag away.

Seeing that Qin Changsheng was so sensible, Liu Cheng nodded with satisfaction, "Take good care of the Spirit Rice field. If you can have a harvest like this next year, your rewards will not be lacking."

"In light of how hard you've worked, I have something to remind you of!"

"There are no planting tasks for these two months, so just focus on your Cultivate!"

"Do not go to the Spirit Stone Mine to dig, and do not go to Qingyun Lake to catch Spirit Fish!"

After saying this, he took his subordinates and left with the Spirit Rice.

Qin Changsheng instantly understood what Liu Cheng meant.

Spirit Rice is planted in January and harvested at the end of October; in November and December, there is no need to tend to the Spirit Rice fields.

Therefore, many Utility Disciples working in the fields would go to the Sect to do two months of short-term labor to earn some Spirit Sand.

Among these, the most frequent destinations were mining at the Spirit Stone Mine and catching Spirit Fish at Qingyun Lake.

Those who were lucky could earn over a dozen Spirit Sand in two months.

However, some people remained in the Spirit Stone Mine or Qingyun Lake forever.

Qin Changsheng had also heard from Chen Erniu that a fish demon had appeared in Qingyun Lake last year.

Many Utility Disciples had died in the mouth of the fish demon.

The Spirit Sand of those dead Utility Disciples had all been taken by the managers of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Qin Changsheng did not intend to go to the Spirit Stone Mine or Qingyun Lake.

He only wanted to lie low and survive within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Cultivate well, and then obtain a new Golden Trait.

As long as he had enough Golden Traits, he would also be able to become a powerful figure.

Early the next morning, Qin Changsheng washed up and headed toward the market.

He was heading to the market to purchase some essential daily supplies that were in short supply.

Secondly, he also wanted to inquire about major events occurring within the Sect.

Although the market was not particularly prosperous, it was lined with shops, and the sounds of hawking rose one after another.

Qin Changsheng navigated the streets with familiarity. He first went to a stall at the corner of the street to buy some healing medicine, then went to a rice shop to buy over ten jin of ordinary rice and half a jin of Spirit Rice.

Qin Changsheng was cautious with his spending, using only a small amount of his monthly allowance in silver to pay, never revealing any Spirit Sand throughout the process, and deliberately avoiding shops that sold cultivation resources.

With his status as a Utility Disciple, suddenly purchasing cultivation resources would inevitably draw unwanted attention.

After finishing his purchases, Qin Changsheng divided the items into two cloth bundles, slung them over his shoulders, and turned to walk toward the market exit, intending to return to the Sect as soon as possible to focus on his Cultivate.

However, just as Qin Changsheng had taken two steps, a low voice came from behind him: "This Junior Brother, please stay a moment."

Qin Changsheng's heart tightened; he subconsciously stopped and slowly turned around.

He saw three men standing not far away.

These three were also wearing the attire of Heavenly Sword Sect Utility Disciples.

The leader was a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a burly physique, and a rusted fishing trident tucked into his waist.

The other two stood behind the middle-aged man, silent and reserved, but their gazes remained locked on Qin Changsheng, revealing a hint of malice.

"What do you gentlemen need?" Qin Changsheng asked calmly.

The middle-aged man grinned: "This Junior Brother is a Spirit Farmer, right?"

"The three of us brothers are fishermen of the Heavenly Sword Sect. We discovered a large school of Spirit Fish, but unfortunately, we lack manpower. Seeing that you have a sturdy build, we would like to invite you to lend a hand."

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, warning bells rang loudly in Qin Changsheng's heart.

He had heard some Utility Disciples talk about this.

After these Spirit Farmers harvested Spirit Rice and received their payment, they would become targets for some Heavenly Sword Sect Utility Disciples.

They would take the Spirit Farmer to a remote place, kill them, and then rob the Utility Disciple of their Spirit Sand.

Qin Changsheng had not expected that he would become someone else's prey today.

Seeming to see through Qin Changsheng's concerns, the middle-aged man added, "Don't worry, little friend; we only work in the shallow water area by the lake and will never go deep."

"The pay is negotiable. As long as you are willing to help, we will give you ten Spirit Sand afterward, and also give you two jin of fresh lake Spirit Fish. How about it?"

Ten Spirit Sand was already a significant amount for an ordinary Utility Disciple, enough for him to exchange for quite a few cultivation resources.