4: Chapter 4 The Withering of the Spiritual Plants

Su Yang followed the guard to the scene.

The sight before him made his heart sink. The spirit field, once dense with Spiritual Qi, was now nothing but an endless expanse of scorched yellow.

The guards and farmers gathered by the field had faces as pale as paper, cold sweat rolling down their temples and soaking their collars.

Fifty acres of spirit plant! Even crushing all their bones to sell wouldn't cover this bottomless pit of a loss.

Amidst the dead silence, Su Yang squatted down, picked up a brown, withered leaf with two fingers, and examined it closely.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze sharp, and he rubbed the sticky clay on the ground.

Based on his years of experience with spirit plant, he could determine that the plants had been poisoned, causing root damage.

Fortunately, they could still be saved!

Su Yang's frown relaxed. He stood up and asked the crowd, "Have any of you seen any suspicious people these past few days?"

The guards and farmers exchanged glances, trying hard to recall anything from that period, but unfortunately, they remembered nothing.

Su Yang shook his head helplessly. "Gather everyone and report your movements."

Just as the guard was about to act, a farmer raised his hand and shouted, "Family Head, Er Gou asked for leave yesterday to go home and take care of his sick mother."

As soon as this was said, Su Yang's eyes narrowed slightly. "Was he the only one absent?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I understand. Take these Spirit Medicines and grind them into powder. Mix the powder with water to irrigate the withered spirit plant. Go and retrieve everything Er Gou used."

Su Yang waved his hand, and over a dozen spirit plant emitting a medicinal fragrance flew out of his storage ring, landing in the hands of the assembled people.

The farmer who had spoken earlier hurried to Er Gou's room and soon returned with Er Gou's used farming tools.

Su Yang raised his hand and cast a Spell, forming a ray of spiritual light that flew out of the tools and shot off in one direction.

This was the Tracing Spell, which could find the original owner through residual aura left on an object, but its range was limited.

Such a Spell was purely useless for a Cultivator, as Cultivators had various means to prevent residual auras.

However, since Er Gou was just a Mortal, many of the supposedly useless Spells of the Cultivation world were overwhelmingly powerful against him.

Su Yang moved swiftly, following the spiritual light.

A few miles outside Qingyuan County, the spiritual light suddenly extinguished in a desolate mountain forest.

Su Yang stopped abruptly. He saw a stark white corpse lying on the grass ahead, its chest caved in, bones and internal organs crushed by a single blow.

A pair of hollow eyes stared wide open, revealing terror and confusion—it was Er Gou, the person Su Yang was looking for.

"He's been dead for more than three days..."

A cold glint surged deep within Su Yang's eyes.

Er Gou had died three days ago, which meant the person staying at the Su Family these past few days was an imposter.

The perpetrator had not only killed his person but also impersonated Er Gou to cause trouble within the Su Family!

Su Yang's expression turned icy as he closed Er Gou's eyes, which could not rest in peace.

He immediately cast another Tracing Spell, landing it on Er Gou's chest.

This time, the spiritual light flew back in the direction of Qingyuan County. Su Yang already knew what to expect.

The truth was as he suspected; the spiritual light flew straight into the Li Family compound...

"A Family that has never produced a Cultivator ultimately has limited vision."

The Li Family thought they had executed their plan flawlessly, yet they didn't know that a Cultivator's Spell could easily expose them.

For the past two years, the Li Family had been continuously acquiring land and specifically hired a Cultivator to plant spirit plant, hoping to forcefully carve out a piece of Su Yang's spirit plant industry.

Unfortunately, the Cultivator hired by the Li Family had mediocre skills in cultivating spirit plant. The Spirit Medicine and Spirit Rice they planted were far inferior to Su Yang's in both quality and yield.

The final result was that Su Yang had earned a fortune over the last two years, while the Li Family, despite some harvest, saw profits far below their expectations.

"Commercial competition was one thing, but they finally couldn't hold back and resorted to despicable means."

Su Yang stood at a distance, quietly gazing at the entire Li Manor.

A moment later, the Cultivator hired by the Li Family emerged from the manor alone.

After looking left and right to ensure no one was watching, he walked directly towards Su Yang and bowed respectfully.

"Fellow Daoist, you tracked the trace to the Li Family. Could you inform me of the reason?"

This person was only at the Qi Refining First Layer. His path to immortality was much rougher than Su Yang's. He was employed by the Li Family merely to earn a living and did not wish to be entangled in Family feuds.

The Li Family didn't understand the connections and methods of Cultivators, but as a fellow Cultivator, he understood perfectly.

Therefore, upon discovering the Tracing Spell flying into the Li Family, he didn't make a scene but came out to investigate the situation.

Su Yang said faintly, "The Li Family acts without adhering to the rules. I have come to advise you to leave today, Fellow Daoist."

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know, Fellow Daoist."

The hired Cultivator clasped his fists gratefully and immediately returned to pack his things and flee.

He who understands the times is a wise man.

Su Yang was quite satisfied with this person.

He first returned to the Su Family and instructed someone to retrieve Er Gou's body from the mountains. Then, he traversed the bustling streets and arrived at the Martial Artist Family in Qingyuan County—the Zhu Family.

The gatekeeper recognized Su Yang immediately, cupped his fists, and bowed low. The heavy wooden doors swung open in response.

Su Yang walked through the courtyard as if it were his own and stepped into the main hall.

The elder on the main seat had white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and shrewdness shining in his eyes. He was holding a white porcelain teacup, gazing down, lightly sniffing the tea's aroma, and letting out a contented sigh.

"The spirit plant haven't reached maturity yet today. Little Friend Su, what brings you here? Are you seeking a favor?"

The elder said with a half-smile.

Su Yang cupped his fists in a salute and casually found a chair to sit down. "Senior Fu has eyes and ears in the Zhu Family; you should already know my purpose. Since you allowed me in, you must have some inclination."

Fu Yuan chuckled heartily, his aged face wrinkling up like a chrysanthemum.

"To venture into the cultivation industry without a Cultivator guarding you, and then foolishly attempting to punish a Cultivator with Mortal means—the Li Family is getting dumber generation by generation."

Fu Yuan scoffed and shook his head. "However, destroying the entire Li Family just because they ruined your fifty acres of spirit plant, Little Friend, aren't you afraid of being labeled?"

That was right. Su Yang came to the Zhu Family precisely to join forces with them to wipe out the entire Li Family.

Fu Yuan, this old fox, knew everything but particularly enjoyed pretending ignorance.

"In this operation, Senior and the Zhu Family will take the lion's share. My Su Family only needs to copy one set of the Li Family's martial arts."

Su Yang said calmly, "Therefore, the one openly destroying the Li Family will not be Su Yang, but your Zhu Family."

If the Su Family had already developed, no one would dare to attach such a label.

But the current Su Family generation consisted of only two young children.

To ensure stable development in Qingyuan County, Su Yang decided to cooperate with the Zhu Family, letting them bear the infamy.

Besides needing a copy of their martial arts, all other benefits could be given away. After all, the current Su Family couldn't consume that many resources, which might instead attract the covetous eyes of others.

Fu Yuan was a retainer of the Zhu Family, an Alchemist at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, holding a pivotal position in the Zhu Family. If he spoke up, the Zhu Family would most likely agree.

"The Zhu Family takes the infamy, and Little Friend not only gets all the Li Family's martial arts but also eliminates an enemy. What a clever scheme..."

Fu Yuan slowly sipped his tea and pondered for a long time.

Seeing this, Su Yang couldn't help but roll his eyes.

This old fellow was truly putting on an act. He had clearly made up his mind but insisted on feigning hesitation.

The hall was silent for a long time. After finishing two cups of tea, Fu Yuan finally deigned to speak again. "Fine, I agree with what Little Friend suggested. When shall we act?"

"Tonight."

Su Yang disliked delaying. The Li Family's Cultivator had already fled secretly; the Li Family members would realize it sooner or later.

Therefore, the sooner the Li Family was annihilated, the better, to avoid any unforeseen complications.