177: Qixia Village and Grassland

Sun Chunchen only smiled faintly upon hearing his somewhat worried words.

"No need to worry. If he had the ability to discover the seed inside your body, I'm afraid you wouldn't have been able to return today."

Setting aside that special [human fruit] seed, the seed of the [Ancient Medicine King Tree] is a true King Rank seed. Forget Qianling Academy, there aren't many in the entire Jingyuan Dynasty.

If it were discovered, it's hard to say what kind of fate would await Chu Shengfan.

"But, I feel like my performance wasn't particularly outstanding. For that Master Yang to choose me as a Disciple, I always feel a bit uneasy."

Sun Chunchen curled his lip and slapped Chu Shengfan on the forehead. "If she takes you as a Disciple, then just accept it. The reputation of the teachers at Qianling Academy is generally quite good."

"Unlike several other academies that are full of filthy business. Besides, you have a strong aura of luck about you; perhaps your teacher wants to borrow some of that luck. In short, don't panic."

"Be a good Disciple. Only then can you use the academy's resources and platform to quickly rise with the wind."

Chu Shengfan's heart calmed down; he did indeed feel much better after Sun Chunchen's reassurance.

"Grandpa Sun, is my temporary companion's Golden Orchid King Tiger also a King Beast species?"

Sun Chunchen shook his head and told Chu Shengfan with certainty, "No. Do you really think King Beast species are that easy to come by? Although the Golden Orchid King Tiger has 'King' in its name, it merely possesses a sliver of a King Tiger's Bloodline."

"Perhaps when it attempts a Breakthrough to King Rank in the future, this sliver of Bloodline might make its shackles a bit looser. But it is definitely not a King Rank species."

"However, in the Jingyuan Dynasty, possessing such a Source Beast status is certainly extraordinary. If it grows well, reaching an Evolution Rank in the future will be relatively easy."

"If the other person's character is decent, it's quite good to try making friends."

Making friends... Chu Shengfan was slightly stunned. Thinking of the other's performance in the Secret Realm, they probably only saw him as an insignificant follower.

Little did he know, because of Chu Shengfan's disappearance, Ye Chunheng, who was still in the assessment Secret Realm, was dazed for a long time before dropping the protective shield and charging out.

He commanded the [Golden Orchid King Tiger] and [Devouring Origin Beast] to charge and kill, while carefully ensuring they didn't suffer any serious injuries. After all, he no longer had a little follower with a Medicine Beast to heal them.

...

After several days of construction, the town originally planned by the Chu Family had begun to take shape.

Although it was planned as a town, it couldn't be directly named one yet. The plaque on the central avenue still bore the three large characters: [Qixia Village].

Looking down from above, the entire village's construction area formed a square, with the residential zones divided into the four corners of the square.

On both sides near the central avenue, there were storefronts and shops.

According to Chu Qinhui's original vision, the buildings in the residential area were built in a uniform style, complete with small courtyards. Each floor was about three hundred square meters, with six stories. Even for a relatively large Family living there, the space was entirely sufficient.

Furthermore, the exterior of the buildings featured upturned eaves and corners, and even some exquisite patterns were painted on them, making them look pleasing to the eye.

Even though what had been built was already much better than most residences in town, Chu Qinhui was still slightly dissatisfied.

Because in his plan, all the villagers of Qixia Village would become Contract Masters in the future. However, besides the front yard, there wasn't much dedicated space for Source Beasts, which was still somewhat imperfect.

But if he were to expand further to create backyard space for Source Beast activities, it would be too extravagant for the current villagers.

So, the houses were ultimately built this way.

In the center of the four residential areas, a seven-story building covering about sixty thousand square meters was constructed in each, which Chu Qinhui planned as a commercial center for each residential zone.

Walking along the central avenue toward the center of the village, past the residential areas, to the north of the village center was the Medicine Hall, to the east was the Academy, to the south was the Administrative Center, and to the west was the Guard Station.

In the middle of these four distinctly styled buildings was a massive plaza capable of holding nearly ten thousand people.

On the four sides of the plaza stood four stone monuments nearly ten meters high, each carved with only the single character: [Chu].

The overall planning of the village wasn't very complex, but for the current Qixia Village, it was more than enough.

Moreover, with the current population of Qixia Village being less than five thousand, they couldn't even fill one of the residential areas. No matter how complex the construction or how complete the facilities, they wouldn't be needed for now.

This was the current state of construction in Qixia Village. With the [Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast] participating in the entire construction process and mixing its condensed gold sand into the structures, the buildings were not only tougher and sturdier but also contained a hint of a Spirit Rank Source Beast's aura.

Even if there were wild Source Beasts nearby, they wouldn't easily dare to enter Qixia Village.

The other mountain that had been leveled was also enclosed by high walls built along the border.

Every day, villagers would go in to either till the land or evenly sow the grass seeds distributed by the Main Family.

Those who put in the most effort were naturally the youths who had contracted the [Herding Yellow Ox]. They made the soil soft and suitable for planting, and then most of the other villagers simply sowed the distributed grass seeds.

This work wasn't tiring; it mainly required spending time on this vast pasture, which was a bit boring.

Yet not a single villager complained. Not only was the work easy, but the masters also provided compensation. In all their years as villagers, they had truly never done such easy work.

However, when their gazes landed on the [Herding Yellow Ox] ahead, their eyes filled with envy. If their families could also have such a Source Beast, they could do more work for the Main Family, and the compensation they received would be Origin Rune Stones.

By earning Origin Rune Stones, they would have the chance to let more people in the Family undergo Spirit Opening and become Contract Masters. Gradually, they too could become one of those Contract Master Families.

Every time they thought of this, these villagers would unconsciously look up toward the only mountain around, Qixia Mountain, their hearts filled with such hope.

The current Main Family was a kind Noble Family that was making their lives better and better. Moreover, they had only recently become a Noble Family themselves, yet Contract Masters had already appeared in the village under their jurisdiction.

There were probably over a dozen by now, right? And this was in less than a year. If this continued, that secret hope in their hearts was not entirely without possibility, which gave them even more drive.

Every time they went down the mountain and saw the Qixia Village being built nearby, they would look from afar and feel it was even better than the houses in town.

They heard that in a while, the Main Family would have them all move over. Originally, the houses they lived in now were already sturdier, cleaner, more beautiful, and more convenient than those in the old village.

They were a bit reluctant to move, but when they saw that the newly built houses were even more exquisite than these, they couldn't believe it. Were those really for them to live in?

This was practically going to put the wealthy families in town to shame.

Now, every villager in Qixia Village practically revered the Chu Family as gods. If anyone said a single bad word, they would likely be beaten in the street.

The first batch of grass seeds sown, nourished by the [Ginseng Doll] and many [Green Leaf Insects], plus the Chu Family's willingness to sprinkle Origin Rune Stone crystal dust onto the grass,

In just a few days, this batch of Spiritual Plants had begun to sprout and quickly grew to ankle height.

[Green Leaf Insects], along with other Source Beasts like [Long-Haired Rabbits], [Leaf Wing Insects], and [Herding Yellow Ox], were placed by the Chu Family to be raised on this green pasture, adding a lot of vibrant life to the area.

These Source Beasts placed here early were all of gentle temperament, so after the initial panic, the villagers could now pass by them as usual.

Even if these Source Beasts crowded into the groups out of curiosity, the villagers wouldn't suddenly scatter. Instead, they would take out some vegetable leaves or the like from home to give these Source Beasts, who could only eat grass, a change of flavor and an extra meal.

The Chu Family's stewards had been incredibly busy lately. Although most of the town was built by solidifying earth,

Many of the building decorations, the various Spiritual Plants and flowers for greenery along the streets, the furniture in the four official buildings like the academy and Medical Clinic, as well as the teachers and weapons, all required them to negotiate or purchase.

It was fine when things weren't busy, but once they truly got moving, Chu Qinhui found that the usable manpower in the Chu Family was still too little. He now wished he could use one manager as three.

Even Chu Shenghan and Chu Shengyuan stopped copying books in the Library Courtyard and instead learned to handle some matters.

Although they were a bit clumsy at first, as they gradually became familiar, the two began to handle things quite decently.

With the future development of Qixia Village, the need for managers would only grow, so selecting or cultivating suitable talent was now very important.

Currently, only two people in the entire Chu Family could enjoy some leisure. One was Chu Jingyu of the Taici Courtyard, the current head of the Chu Family, and the other was Ancestor Chu, whom few people besides the Chu Family and a select few others knew about.

In the ancestral hall, Chu Jingyu stood in the main hall with the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle].

Additionally, on a low table, several rare Spiritual Materials were laid out. These were the evolution Materials for the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle] that the Chu Family had managed to gather with great difficulty.

Chu Mu stood beside the low table. He first checked the current information of the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle].

[Species: White-Browed Mountain Eagle (Chu Jingyu)

Rank: Intermediate Alien Tier

Aptitude: One in a Hundred

Status: Anticipation

Attribute Affinities: Wind, Metal

Skills: 1. Golden Feathers: The White-Browed Mountain Eagle condenses golden feather blades beneath its wings to perform long-distance piercing on targets.

2. Wind Mastery: Commands wind power, greatly enhancing its own speed.

3. Sharp Eyes: The White-Browed Mountain Eagle has superior vision, able to distinguish distant scenery from a very long distance.

4. Storm Golden Wings: The White-Browed Mountain Eagle spreads its wings and rotates rapidly, turning into a storm of golden blades to shred the target area.

Evolution Path: White-Browed Mountain Eagle → Azure Ridge Cloud Eagle (Unlocked, click for details.)]

Chu Mu already knew exactly how each evolution material should be refined. With a gentle wave of his hand, colored silk threads spread into the air.

Several Spiritual Materials were either crushed into powder or extracted into juice.

Then, mixed in different proportions and scorched with flames of varying temperatures and durations, an hour later, a medicinal liquid appeared in the air, glowing blue and interspersed with speckles of white crystal dust.

A pungent, cold, and unique scent evaporated from the medicine. Chu Mu raised his hand and divided the medicine into three portions. One portion was controlled by his silk threads to float in front of the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle].

The other two portions were stored in jade bottles. These two portions of medicinal liquid could trigger the evolution of two other [White-Browed Mountain Eagles].

Whether kept for future use by Family juniors, sold, or used in the future as favors or rewards, this could be considered adding new items to the Family's treasure vault.

After the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle] sipped down its portion of the medicinal liquid, Chu Jingyu stepped forward and carefully put away the other two portions.

These were treasures that increased the Family's foundation. For a Noble Family of the ninth or eighth rank like theirs, they were rare treasures. At any time, Materials or medicinal liquids related to Source Beast evolution were hot-selling items.

The manifestation of Source Beast evolution in this world is very immediate. Soon, the body of the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle] rapidly expanded within the hall. Double, triple, quadruple... until it was ten times its original size, only then did its physical transformation barely stop.

Fortunately, this ancestral hall was built large enough. Even at ten times its original size—about five meters long with a wingspan of seven meters—the main hall could still accommodate it with room to spare.

However, the doorway wasn't large enough, so it couldn't walk directly out of the hall. With Chu Jingyu there, this wasn't an issue; he could just recall it into the Source Beast Space when the time came.

The changes were more than just these. The grayish-brown feathers on its body slowly fell off, replaced by a kind of mysterious black, lustrous plumage, each feather larger than an adult's palm.

The sharp beak at the front of its head became thicker and stronger. As its dual talons casually gripped and released, they left deep gouges in the floor of the main hall.

Aside from the changes in size and feather color, to be honest, there weren't many other changes on its body, except for a triangular patch of white fur on its chest and a white mark on its back stretching from the tip of the left wing to the tip of the right.

The mountain eagle folded its wings and stood obediently. Chu Mu and Chu Jingyu had to look up to see its full appearance.

Its current size wasn't as exaggeratedly large as the [Colorful Cloud Jellyfish], yet it was at a certain limit that gave off a full sense of pressure when standing before a human.

Looking at it as a whole now, there was only one feeling: that the Source Beast before them was exceptionally fierce.

If Chu Shengyuan were to see the current appearance of the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle], he would probably clamor to contract one exactly like it.

Thinking of Chu Shengyuan, Chu Mu chuckled inwardly, then opened the [Nameless Book] to check the current information of the [White-Browed Mountain Eagle].