3: Initial value and clan noise

Days quietly slipped by in peace.

Mo Chu settled into the small room next to General Manager Liu Yuan's. Liu Zhi, as per the Old Ancestor's instructions, delivered fresh Spirit Fruits and clear water every day, sometimes even bringing small insects with faint Spiritual Qi that he had caught.

Mo Chu accepted all these foods without rejection. On his System panel, his vital signs steadily improved, quickly reaching 90%. His body also grew a little longer than when he first arrived, his scales became even more lustrous black, and his movements gained a few more points of swiftness.

These past few days, Mo Chu had observed the Liu Family's situation quite a bit.

This Family was indeed sparsely populated; including General Manager Liu Yuan, there were only twelve people in total. The oldest, General Manager Liu Yuan, was already in his seventies, while the youngest was a child who had just learned to walk.

Aside from General Manager Liu Yuan, who had a Qi Refining Third Level Cultivation, most of the others hovered around Qi Refining First Level. Some young people had not even stepped into the Qi Refinement Stage and could only be considered Mortals.

The courtyard they lived in was not large, and Cultivation resources were pitifully scarce. Mo Chu had seen more than once several young people awkwardly practicing basic sword techniques with rusty iron swords in the courtyard. After practicing, they would carefully wipe them clean, as if they were some kind of treasure.

General Manager Liu Yuan, on the other hand, spent most of his time in his room, either meditating and regulating his breath, attempting to break through to Qi Refining Fourth Level, or tinkering with the herbs piled in the corner of the wall. Occasionally, he would let out a sigh or two.

Mo Chu knew that this Family's predicament was even more difficult than he had imagined.

This morning, Liu Zhi delivered food again. He placed a plate of Spirit Fruits on the table, looked at Mo Chu, who was coiled in the corner basking in the sun, hesitated, and then couldn't help but ask, "Mo Chu, you say... what exactly is so special about you? The Old Ancestor has high hopes for you..."

He knew it was strange to talk to a snake, but thefeel oppressed in his heart was unbearable. In half a month, it would be the annual "Spirit Plant Exchange Fair" for the various families in the Qingmang Mountain Range, where they would need to exchange Spirit Plants cultivated by their families for Cultivation resources. However, this year, the Liu Family's Spirit Field had a terrible harvest; even the most common Qi Condensation Grass barely had a few decent stalks. He was anxious.

Mo Chu lifted his eyelids, ignoring him. He couldn't possibly tell him he had a System, could he?

Liu Zhi sighed, not expecting a response, and turned to leave.

Just then, Mo Chu suddenly saw a withered yellow leaf stuck to Liu Zhi's trouser leg, with black spots along its edges.

That was...

Mo Chu's snake pupils narrowed slightly. He remembered seeing in a plant encyclopedia in his previous life that these spots were characteristic of "Withered Leaf Disease," which specifically parasitizes Spirit Plants. It's hard to detect in the Early Stage, but once it spreads, the entire Spirit Field will suffer.

Was the Liu Family's poor Spirit Plant harvest due to this?

Thinking of this, Mo Chu immediately crawled down from the corner, quickly slithered to Liu Zhi's feet, rubbed his head against his trouser leg where the withered leaf was, and then hissed twice towards the direction outside the courtyard.

"Hmm?" Liu Zhi was stunned for a moment, looking down at Mo Chu by his feet. "You want me to go out with you?"

Mo Chu nodded (if a snake's nod counted as a nod), and hissed again towards the outside.

Although Liu Zhi was puzzled, he still followed Mo Chu out of the room.

Mo Chu led the way, and soon they arrived at a small Spirit Field behind the courtyard.

The Spirit Field was not large, about half an acre, sparsely planted with some green plants, which were Qi Condensation Grass. But just as Mo Chu had thought, many of the Qi Condensation Grass leaves had those black spots, and some had already started to wither and yellow.

"This... what's going on?" Liu Zhi's face changed. He rushed over, squatted down, and examined it carefully. "It was fine a few days ago, how did it suddenly become like this?"

Mo Chu slithered to the most severely diseased Qi Condensation Grass and pointed at the black spots on the leaf with his tail.

Only then did Liu Zhi notice these spots, and his face instantly turned pale: "It's Withered Leaf Disease! How could it get this disease... It's over, it's all over now! Without Qi Condensation Grass, we won't be able to exchange for Grain Abstinence Pills at the exchange fair, and the younger brothers and sisters in the Family will run out of food this month!"

He was so anxious he was sweating profusely, pacing back and forth by the Spirit Field.

Mo Chu looked at him, pondering. Although this Withered Leaf Disease was tricky, it was not incurable. He remembered that the System Store (though not yet unlocked) seemed to have a corresponding antidote formula, requiring several common herbs to be mixed, decocted, and sprayed... Wait, they seemed to have them in the courtyard!

Mo Chu immediately turned and slithered towards the pile of herbs in the corner of General Manager Liu Yuan's room.

Seeing this, Liu Zhi quickly followed.

Arriving in front of General Manager Liu Yuan's room, Mo Chu used his tail to pick out three herbs from the pile: one was Green Leaf Grass with serrated leaves, one was Earth Vein Root with a yellowish stem, and another was Starry Grass with small white flowers.

These three herbs, mixed together, could effectively combat Withered Leaf Disease.

"You want me to take these?" Liu Zhi looked at these three ordinary herbs, utterly confused. "Can this stuff cure Withered Leaf Disease? Impossible, the Family's ancient texts never mentioned it."

Mo Chu persistently pushed the herbs towards him with his tail and hissed towards the Spirit Field.

Liu Zhi hesitated. On one side was the Family's hope, on the other was a snake's guidance... This seemed utterly unreliable.

But looking at Mo Chu's snake eyes, which seemed to hold certainty, and then thinking of the miserable state of the Spirit Field, Liu Zhi gritted his teeth: "It's a desperate measure! There's no other way anyway!"

He picked up the three herbs and ran towards the kitchen: "I'll go decoct the medicine right now!"

Not long after, General Manager Liu Yuan also arrived upon hearing the news. He frowned as he looked at the situation in the Spirit Field. After listening to Liu Zhi's explanation, his gaze fell on Mo Chu, filled with surprise and inquiry.

"You mean, Mo Chu discovered the Withered Leaf Disease and even found the herbs to cure it?"

"Yes, Old Ancestor," Liu Zhi nodded while pouring the decocted medicine into a spray bottle. "Although it sounds incredible, but... I really had no other choice."

General Manager Liu Yuan was silent for a moment, then looked at Mo Chu: "Mo Chu, are you sure these herbs are useful?"

Mo Chu nodded at him.

General Manager Liu Yuan took a deep breath: "Alright, then let's try it. Zhi'er, go ahead."

Liu Zhi held the spray bottle and carefully sprayed the medicinal liquid onto each Qi Condensation Grass.

As the liquid fell, the originally wilted Qi Condensation Grass seemed to shiver.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the Spirit Field.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a miracle occurred.

The black spots on the leaves began to slowly fade, the withered yellow parts showed a hint of green, and the originally listless plants gradually straightened up.

"It's working! It's really working!" Liu Zhi shouted excitedly, his voice trembling.

Other Family members who had rushed over upon hearing the news also gathered around. Seeing the changes in the Spirit Field, their faces all showed expressions of pleasant surprise.

"This is great! The Qi Condensation Grass is saved!"

"Now there's hope for the exchange fair!"

A long-lost smile also appeared on General Manager Liu Yuan's face. He looked at Mo Chu with gratitude and relief: "Mo Chu, you truly are the lucky star of my Liu Family!"

Mo Chu simply lay calmly on the ground. He knew this was just the beginning.

Ding! The Host has resolved the Spirit Field crisis for the Liu Family, gaining 10 Family Contribution Points. Unlocking System Store (Elementary).

Family members' favorability towards the Host has increased, and the temporary contract's stability has improved.

The System's prompt sounded, and Mo Chu felt a slight joy in his heart. Contribution Points, the Store—these were what he wanted.

However, not everyone thought so.

In the crowd, a slightly plump middle-aged woman, who was Liu Zhi's mother, Wang Lan, looked at Mo Chu with a somewhat complex expression and whispered to the person next to her: "It's just a Mortal snake, maybe it just got lucky. It's not that miraculous..."

Her voice was not loud, but in the quiet crowd, it was clearly heard.

Liu Zhi immediately frowned: "Mother! What are you saying!"

Wang Lan pouted and said nothing more, but her gaze towards Mo Chu still held suspicion.

General Manager Liu Yuan's face darkened. He glanced at Wang Lan and said in a deep voice: "Mo Chu is my Liu Family's enshrined Spirit Beast. Whether this was a coincidence or intentional, he has greatly helped the Family. From today onwards, whoever dares to disrespect him again, do not blame this Old Man for being impolite!"

Wang Lan shrank her neck, daring not to speak again.

The others also quickly lowered their heads, no one daring to say more.

Only then did General Manager Liu Yuan nod with satisfaction. He looked at Mo Chu again, his tone much gentler: "Mo Chu, you've worked hard. When you go back, I'll have Zhi'er prepare more good things for you."

Mo Chu let out a soft hiss, as if in response.

He knew that there was still a long way to go to truly gain the approval of everyone in this Family. But he was not in a hurry.

As long as this Family developed, and as long as he could continuously gain Contribution Points, he would become stronger.