4: Chapter 4: The Spirit Field Harvests Again

Actually, the process of farming is basically the same, whether it's planting in a spirit field or ordinary land.

After sowing, it's all about care; the only thing to consider is the level of attentiveness.

Zhao Mo carried his Iron Shovel and wandered around the spirit field every day.

If not for the occasional person flying across the sky, he would have thought he had returned to Blue Star.

"Well, this is the last meal."

No matter how much Zhao Mo scrimped, the 170 catties of spirit rice ultimately wouldn't last until the new harvest of spirit rice.

There was no other way but to go to the market to buy some ordinary rice for the emergency.

When Zhao Mo returned pulling a cart of ordinary rice, he met Luo Yan again.

"Senior Brother Zhao~"

Zhao Mo just kept his head down.

He noticed that Luo Yan's spirit field hadn't been touched at all; it still looked the same as it did after last year's harvest.

"Hmph~"

Seeing Zhao Mo's behavior, how could Luo Yan not know what he was thinking? She gave a dainty hmph, swayed her hips, and turned to leave.

Last year, Zhao Mo had already discovered through experimentation that farming for others didn't yield experience points, so he naturally wouldn't do something so taxing on his body and kidneys again.

Returning to the wooden hut, Zhao Mo unloaded the rice. This rice wasn't cheap either; a cart of five hundred catties actually cost half a purple gold coin. That was five taels of gold, which made Zhao Mo click his tongue, but when he considered the market's location, he felt relieved.

It was at the foot of Heavenly Pillar Mountain, so it being expensive was normal.

"Next time, I'll have to go somewhere further to buy things," Zhao Mo muttered.

Actually, he was just talking. For thousands of miles around, it was all within the Xuan Sect's sphere of influence. Within that sphere, things were manageable, but outside of it, demons and monsters were everywhere—he feared that no amount of money could buy anything there.

Before Zhao Mo's rice was even cooked, the sound of people chattering came from Luo Yan's direction.

They were over twenty meters apart; if those people weren't being loud on purpose, Zhao Mo wouldn't believe it.

But after all, they were just acquaintances, and he had helped Luo Yan plow her spirit field before, so neither owed the other anything.

Night.

Under the starlit sky, combined with the watery green Qi of the seedlings nearby, Zhao Mo became dazed, his thoughts drifting away, feeling a bit like he was practicing the Dao.

[You have completed watering the spirit field, Experience +10.]

[You have completed weeding the spirit field, Experience +10.]

As the days went by, the seedlings planted in the spirit field began to grow.

Zhao Mo naturally didn't forget about the hybrid spirit rice and began selecting the sturdiest rice seedlings in the field to prepare for hybridization.

Even with a full set of hybrid spirit rice techniques in his mind, Zhao Mo estimated it would take two years to fully implement them.

[You have completed watering the spirit field, Experience +10.]

As the weather gradually grew hotter, the spirit rice reached the heading stage. At this time, the spirit field could not run out of water; otherwise, the whole year's work would be for nothing.

He just didn't know if it was his imagination, but he always felt that this year's spirit rice growth was slightly worse than last year's.

Water gurgled into the spirit field.

The spirit rice also began to slowly bend its stalks.

Zhao Mo pushed away the negative thoughts in his mind.

"I'll know after the harvest."

In mid-August, Zhao Mo specifically chose a sunny day to officially start harvesting with his sickle.

Thanks to his Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation, the current Zhao Mo was truly a human harvesting machine. Wherever he went, the spirit rice fell in swathes, and in just two hours...

...Zhao Mo had already finished harvesting everything. As the last stalk of spirit rice was cut down, a pleasant sound rang in his ears.

[You have completed the spirit rice harvest, Experience +10.]

[Reward: After 160 days of meticulous care, your spirit field has yielded a harvest, Experience +40.]

When he heard the reward, Zhao Mo's heart skipped a beat. There was no special reward, and the experience points were ten less than last year.

One week after completing the threshing.

Looking at the dried spirit rice, Zhao Mo fell into deep thought. It was only a little over a thousand catties, whereas he had harvested over eleven hundred catties last year.

This year, Zhao Mo had clearly put in more effort than last year, yet the yield was actually worse.

Lying on the bags of spirit rice, Zhao Mo spent a sleepless night.

"This damn System doesn't even have a manual. So if the harvest is bad, rewards get deducted? What a rip-off!"

Zhao Mo felt his heart aching at this moment.

"No, I must find the reason for the reduced yield."

...

Early the next morning.

"Zhao Mo, are you there?"

As soon as Zhao Mo heard the voice, he knew it was Steward Liu. After all, he had appeared the day after the spirit rice was stored last year, and he was just as punctual this year.

"Steward Liu, the spirit rice is ready."

Zhao Mo wouldn't dare delay the Sect's land rent.

"Mhm."

As a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage, Steward Liu was still quite arrogant when facing a small fry like Zhao Mo in the Qi Refining Stage.

"Are you selling the spirit rice? This year's purchase price for spirit rice is ninety purple gold coins per hundred catties."

Zhao Mo was stunned for a moment before realizing that this was 0.9 purple gold coins per catty.

"It dropped?"

Zhao Mo shook his head.

"Steward Liu, I'm sorry, but I won't be selling the spirit rice this year. I'm keeping it for my own cultivation."

"Hmm?"

Steward Liu gave Zhao Mo a surprised look.

"Qi Refining Third Layer?"

Then his expression became very ugly.

"Hmph!"

"Another piece of trash who couldn't resist temptation. Cultivation exchanged for lifespan, how can it last?"

"Truly short-sighted."

Zhao Mo: "Huh? What do you mean?"

He was completely confused and was about to say something, but Steward Liu had already left on his flying boat.

"That damn baldie, just because I didn't sell the spirit rice?"

"Is that necessary?"

Zhao Mo grumbled in his heart.

It wasn't that he didn't like money, but since the spirit rice ran out, the ordinary rice he bought was completely unable to support his daily life.

Zhao Mo had to eat ten catties of ordinary rice every day just to barely feel full, whereas with spirit rice, a small bowl of porridge was enough.

The more he ate, the more he excreted, and most importantly, the True Qi in his body actually showed signs of regressing.

This terrified Zhao Mo, so in the last month, he spent money to buy spirit rice again to cook.

He didn't know until he bought it, and it gave him a shock. He sold his spirit rice to Steward Liu for only one purple gold coin per catty, but when he went to the market to buy spirit rice, it was ten purple gold coins per catty. How many times over was that?

If he sold the spirit rice again, wouldn't he be an idiot?

As for whether he would offend Steward Liu, Zhao Mo couldn't care less anymore; he'd just take it one day at a time.

The most important thing for him now was to find the reason for the reduced spirit rice yield.

...

"Is the master of the house home?"

After seeing off Steward Liu, Zhao Mo wandered around. In the year or so he'd been farming this spirit field, this was the first time he'd visited a neighbor.

To the east of Zhao Mo's place, there was a large spirit field. Looking at it, it might be over a dozen mu.

Zhao Mo figured that someone who dared to farm such a large spirit field would surely know the reason for the reduced yield.

"Who is it?"

Zhao Mo waited for a moment before a burly, thickset man walked out. Although he looked strong, he had a porcelain-like baby face and didn't look very old.

"You are?"

"Zhao Mo."

"I'm your neighbor."

Zhao Mo pointed to the wooden hut in the distance.

"I wonder how I should address you, Junior Brother?"

"My name is Ding Xin."

"Wait a moment until I finish these chores."

"Busy with what?"

Zhao Mo walked closer and saw that Ding Xin had dug a huge pit not far from the spirit field. It was filled with rice straw ash, and he was currently pouring water into it.

A flash of inspiration hit Zhao Mo, and he blurted out.

"Is this composting?"

"I know why this year's spirit rice yield decreased."