vstars Chapter 14 The Dao Ancestor's Harvest
Chapter 14 The Dao Ancestor's Harvest
Between the altered patterns, spiritual energy was being drawn from the earth's veins in wisps, flowing three times faster than usual.
Fang Shi's expression changed drastically: "This is a trap for my Shattered Spirit!"
He quickly performed hand seals to restore the altered patterns one by one.
The supply of spiritual energy in Qiyuan Town is under the management of Steward Zhao.
There is plenty of spiritual energy available for daily cultivation and restoring magical power.
But if you want to grow spirit rice, spirit vegetables, and spirit fruits, then it's different.
We need to pay Manager Zhao an extra "spiritual energy enhancement fee".
Fang Shi had just altered the patterns, increasing the speed of the spiritual energy flow by three points—if Steward Zhao noticed, he would surely think he was secretly farming.
If the monthly sales expenses increase then, wouldn't we be paying money for nothing?
Once the spirit-locking array on the wall returned to its original state and the flow of spiritual light returned to its normal rhythm,
Fang Shi then probed the array's core stone with his magic power to examine the data recording the loss of spiritual energy.
"what?"
He had clearly seen the spiritual energy flow speed increase by three points, but the records on the array core remained unchanged. The inner circle's record of energy loss was exactly the same as usual, without any increase whatsoever.
It was as if that spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, neither flowing through the earth's veins nor recorded in any accounts.
Fang Shi's heart skipped a beat, and a thought flashed through his mind—could the Qi-guiding pattern of the Purifying Yuan Array possibly steal spiritual energy?
It's like those shady dealings of stealing water and electricity in a past life—connecting a thin tube to the water pipe so that the water drips slowly, while the water meter remains completely still.
The few patterns he just modified were those thin tubes.
The spiritual energy was drawn in strands and gathered in his room, while the measuring scale on Steward Zhao's side continued to move as usual, not a bit more or less.
Perhaps this is not theft, but rather a kind of unspoken right that only the disciples of the Three Plates Temple can enjoy?
Fang Shi shook his head.
Does it matter if it's a right or theft?
He neither grows vegetables nor rice.
As a rogue cultivator who drew talismans, the portion allocated to him by Qiyuan Town was already enough for him.
Unless the spiritual energy is increased in purity, just in terms of concentration, the meridians are only so big, and the amount of spiritual energy that can be refined in a day is also so big. Any extra energy will just be wasted.
Or perhaps, like those cultivators who farm, they have a way to use up their excess spiritual energy.
Cultivating spiritual rice and spiritual herbs is a profession, not something that can be achieved by simply scattering seeds on the ground.
There are specific guidelines for when to sow seeds, when to fertilize, when to water, and when to remove pests.
Not to mention that these spiritual plants have different environmental requirements; some prefer shade, some prefer sun, some are afraid of waterlogging, and some are afraid of drought.
Fang Shi had never learned any of these things, so even if you gave him a field and a pile of seeds, he wouldn't be able to grow anything.
It's like drawing a talisman; it looks simple, but there are endless intricacies involved, and it can't be learned overnight.
Suppressing those unrealistic thoughts, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
The spiritual energy enters from Baihui (GV20) and slowly flows down along the Ren and Du meridians.
Inhale and exhale, come and go, in an endless cycle.
[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency +1]
[Small Water Cloud Technique (Beginner): 92/100]
……
By the time Fang finished his cultivation, the sun was already near its zenith.
He carefully collected the protective talismans he had drawn the day before, put them in his pocket, and headed to the market to sell the talismans and buy rice.
Just as he unlatched the door and was about to step out, he suddenly saw a person crouching in the corner—his neck hunched and his knees drawn up to his chest; it was Wu Tong.
Fang Shi asked, "What are you doing here?"
Wu Tong hurriedly stood up, stammering, "Brother Fang... I... I was just passing by..."
He could only speak halfway through when he could no longer continue; his voice was so low it was like a mosquito's buzz.
Fang Shi said, "If you needed to find me, why didn't you knock?"
Wu Tong lowered his head and said sullenly, "Brother Fang, I heard about what happened yesterday... about the assessment... I... I was just thinking, what if you don't want to see anyone... what if you want to be alone... I didn't dare knock on the door, afraid you'd find me annoying. But then I also felt that it wouldn't be good for you to be alone... so I..."
Fang Shi said, "So you wanted to talk about Chen Santai's matter."
Wu Tong was taken aback and looked up at him.
Fang Shi stepped forward and patted Wu Tong on the shoulder: "It's just a little bit of hardship. Come on, let's set up a stall to sell talismans."
Wu Tong paused for a moment, then grinned and said, "Yes! Brother Fang!"
……
Fang Shi has been selling talismans in Qiyuan Town for many years and has accumulated a lot of regular customers.
When the appointed time came, he only needed to deliver the protective talismans to his regular customers; he didn't even need to set up a stall.
Wu Tong followed behind him without saying a word, only occasionally stealing a glance at Fang Shi's expression. Seeing that Fang Shi's face was normal, his tense gaze relaxed.
After delivering the talisman, Fang Shi headed towards Wang Pangzi's grain stall in Panshi.
The price of Biling Rice has not increased again, but it has not returned to the original price of one jin of Biling Rice.
The monthly cost is still thirty-seven and a half Soul Shards.
Fang Shi then handed over five grains of broken spirit and asked for the four catties of Jade Spirit Rice.
While weighing the rice, Fatty Wang said, "I have an interesting story to tell you."
Fang, having nothing else to do, said, "Listen."
Fatty Wang said, "Do you know about the Jade Spirit Wine from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion? It's become a specialty of Qiyuan Town! The other day, several immortals from Sanpan Temple went to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion specifically to drink. Immortal Zhou Yan was among them, and he even brought a little fairy with him."
Fang Shi asked, "And then?"
Fatty Wang chuckled and said, "Those immortals, half-drunk, somehow started a drinking contest. Immortal Zhou Yan downed three jugs without batting an eye, earning everyone's praise for his incredible capacity. But then that little fairy suddenly stood up, slammed her hand on the table, and said, 'You're all bullying my honest senior brother, I'll drink for him!' With that, she snatched the jug, tilted her head back, and chugged it down. Guess what happened?"
Fang Shi asked, "What's wrong?"
Fatty Wang's eyes narrowed into slits as he laughed, saying, "That little fairy drank pot after pot, five pots in a row, without batting an eye. At first, the immortal masters laughed at her, saying, 'Junior Sister, don't be so stubborn.' But when she drank the sixth pot, those immortal masters started to sway. By the eighth pot, two of them were already slumped over the table. By the tenth pot, the remaining ones all admitted defeat and begged for mercy. Guess what the little fairy said?"
Fang Shi asked, "What do you mean?"
Fatty Wang handed over the rice bag and said, "She slammed the empty wine jug on the table, wiped her mouth, and said, 'That's it? I haven't had my fill yet!' Then she called for the innkeeper to bring more wine. The immortals were so frightened that they waved their hands repeatedly, saying, 'No more, no more, junior sister, spare us!' Immortal Zhou Yan sat to the side, smiling without saying a word, just shaking his head. Later we learned that the little fairy was born with the ability to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and no one in the Three Plates Temple dared to challenge her to a drinking contest. Those immortals came from the depths of the Great Wilderness, unaware of her true strength, and deserved to suffer a setback."
Fang Shi took the rice bag, weighed it in his hand, and casually handed it to Wu Tong, laughing, "You really are a top disciple of the Three Plates Temple; even your drinking is more enjoyable than ours, the wandering cultivators."
After saying that, the two turned back the way they came.
After walking a short distance, Fang Shi suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on a small stall on the side of the street.
The stall wasn't big; it was just an old cloth spread on the ground with several rows of small ceramic pots on it. Wooden signs were stuck in the pots, with words like "Azure Spirit Seed," "Green Sprout Seed," and "Jade Mushroom Seed" written on them.
The stall owner was a thin man in his forties, wearing a faded gray cloth shirt, and smiling as he greeted customers.
Fang Shi was not usually one to enjoy watching a spectacle, but perhaps because of the Purifying Yuan Formation, he took an extra look today.
Just then, a five- or six-year-old boy came skipping and hopping over.
The child had his hair tied in two topknots, wore a slightly worn blue robe, and carried a small satchel on his back. He looked like he had just finished school.
His parents were nowhere to be found, leaving him alone wandering around the stall.
Seeing the child stop, the vendor pulled out a new earthenware bowl from behind him, containing a small handful of green ears of grain. He smiled and said, "Little friend, would you like to buy seeds? These are ears of grain that the Dao Ancestor once ate."
The boy blinked and said, "The Dao Ancestor?"
The vendor said, "In the beginning, when heaven and earth were first created, there was only barren land..."
……
In the beginning, there was only barren land.
The Daoist patriarch was born here.
He had no name, no companions, only the wind and a pile of stones in the world.
Soon after, he felt an emptiness in his stomach, like there was a hole that he could never fill.
He lay on the ground, gnawing on stones and chewing on mud and sand, but nothing worked.
That hole has always been there.
So he got up and went to find something to fill the hole.
He found a short grass with broad leaves, tore it off, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The leaves were bitter; as soon as he swallowed them, his stomach churned, and he vomited up everything he had eaten.
He found another long vine with green fruit on it. He bit into the fruit, and the juice was so sour that he shivered all over and shrank into a ball.
The thorny stem, once chewed, left my mouth full of blood.
The dark purple leaves were so painful to swallow that I rolled on the ground in agony.
He tried them one by one, but none of them would accept the hole.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the Dao Ancestor collapsed on a barren slope, his face pressed against the ground, and he stopped moving.
At that moment, he saw a blade of grass.
The stem is thin and straight, with a large bunch of heavy things hanging from the top, each one tightly packed together, bending the stem under the weight.
When the wind blows, it sways gently in the withered grass, as if waiting for him.
The Dao Ancestor reached out and tore off a grain.
That one was hard, with a shell on the outside.
He cracked open the shell, and a small, soft, white thing fell out. He brought it close and smelled it; it had a scent he had never smelled before.
He put it in his mouth.
The hole has been filled in a little bit.
He then named it Rice.
That plant is called He.
The grain that produces rice is called an ear of rice.
The Taoist master peeled off the grains of rice from the ear of rice and ate them one by one.
After eating his fill, he lay down next to He to sleep.
Eat after you wake up.
He's not leaving.
Where there is grain, that is his home.
A very, very long time passed.
One day, He changed.
The ears of grain are lighter.
The Taoist Ancestor reached out to pinch it, but the rice was dry and hard, like a stone, impossible to pinch or bite.
The stalks turned from green to gray, and broke when the wind blew.
The rice stalks fell over.
The hole in the Dao Ancestor's stomach returned, even larger and emptier than before.
He knelt down in front of the rice plant and touched its leaves; the leaves crumbled.
Even if you hold it up by its stem, it can't stand up.
The Taoist patriarch buried his head in the ground, not knowing what to do.
Just then, a ball of light drifted over.
The light had no hands, no feet, no face; it was just a small patch of light.
It landed beside the rice, circled the rice once, and then floated to the Dao Ancestor's eyes, flashing intermittently.
The Dao Ancestor raised his head and asked, "What are you?"
The ball of light said, "I am the Spirit Light."
What is inspiration?
"A ray of light that spontaneously arose between heaven and earth. I drifted far away and saw you lying here, so I came to see you. What troubles you?"
The Dao Ancestor pointed at the rice and said, "It won't let me eat it."
The light flew to the rice seedling, paused for a moment, landed, and said, "It's thirsty."
"What is water?"
"Something translucent and flowing. When water flows through the rice seedlings, they turn green. When the water stops flowing, the seedlings wither."
Where can we find water?
"Come with me."
Lingguang led the Dao Ancestor to a nearby valley and said, "Dig down."
The Taoist Ancestor then used his hands to dig at the soil there.
I dug very deep, my fingernail broke, and my hands were covered in blood.
In the deepest, deepest part of the earth, his fingertips touched a cool sensation.
He withdrew his hand, his fingers covered with a thin, translucent, flowing substance.
Lingguang said, "This is water. Pour it on the roots of the rice plants."
The Taoist Ancestor scooped up a handful of water and ran back to pour it on the roots of the rice plants.
The water seeped into the soil as soon as it touched it. Kehe didn't move.
He scooped it up and then poured water on it.
He still didn't move.
No matter how much water you scoop up or how many times you water it, the rice just won't budge.
The Dao Ancestor ran back and forth, until he was exhausted.
He collapsed next to He, panting heavily.
Sweat rolled down his forehead, trickled down his cheeks, and dripped onto the soil beneath the rice plants.
He was so tired that he was sweating profusely, and his whole body was soaked.
The sweat beads immediately seeped into the roots of the rice plants as soon as they touched them.
The rice stalks moved slightly.
The Dao Ancestor was stunned.
He wiped the sweat from his face, flicked it forcefully, and the sweat droplets landed on the roots of the rice plants, then disappeared into them.
The rice stalks straightened a bit more.
Lingguang said, "You finally understand. Water drawn from the soil can only quench the soil's thirst, but only the sweat you shed can save your crops."
Upon hearing this, the Daoist Ancestor got up and continued running.
He ran faster and sweated more.
Sweat dripped into the soil, and the rice stalks straightened up inch by inch.
But by the end, he couldn't sweat anymore, and his whole body was as dry as a sun-dried stone.
The rice seedlings were still one section short of standing upright.
The Dao Ancestor picked up a sharp stone and made a cut on his finger.
Blood gushed from the wound, dripping down and falling into the soil beneath the roots of the rice plants.
The last stalk of rice straightened up.
Green shoots emerge from the roots, travel upwards along the stem, and spread out section by section.
The shriveled ears of grain swelled up again, drooping heavily, with each grain tightly packed together.
The Dao Ancestor reached out and plucked a seed, then cracked open the shell.
The white rice fell out.
He put the rice in his mouth.
The hole was then filled in again.
……
After the vendor finished speaking, he said with a grin, "These are the ears of grain that can satisfy the Daoist Master's hunger. Young friend, why don't you buy a few to plant at home? Plant them in a flowerpot, sprinkle some sweat, and in a few months they will grow into rice."
The boy's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak when he suddenly heard an angry shout from behind: "You bastard Li Laosan, trying to fool my son again!"
A woman in her thirties pushed through the crowd, pulled the boy behind her, and pointed at the vendor's nose, yelling, "The Daoist Master's rice? Who are you trying to fool? These seeds are just wild rice picked up from the wilderness, hard to germinate and hard to bear fruit—do you think I don't know what I'm talking about?"
Vendor Li Laosan said sheepishly, "Sister Liu, you can't say that... This rice seed has a high germination rate and is easy to grow. It doesn't need watering or fertilizing; it just grows on its own in the soil. Isn't that convenient?"
The woman sneered, "Easy to raise? If you don't water it or fertilize it, will it live on air? It absorbs spiritual energy! Do you know how expensive spiritual energy is? A month's rent is only a few dollars, but how much does it cost to replenish spiritual energy? Planting this worthless seed of yours, the rice it grows won't even cover the cost of the spiritual energy!"
Li Laosan, embarrassed, muttered, "What do you mean by 'useless seed'? This is a proper rice seed... Although it consumes spiritual energy, it can still produce ears of grain..."
His voice grew softer and softer, his confidence clearly waning.
The woman snorted, "Consume spiritual energy? Consume your head! You pay for the broken spiritual energy! If my son is tricked into farming by you and his studies are neglected, can you afford to compensate him?"
After saying that, she grabbed the boy's hand, turned around and left, scolding him as she went, "How many times have I told you not to talk to people who sell counterfeit goods? You just won't listen..."
The boy was being pulled along by his mother, his head down, silent, the excitement on his face completely gone.
Seeing that the person had left, Li Laosan was not embarrassed at all. He simply pulled the basin back and continued to set up his stall, looking completely at ease.
Fang Shi stood not far away, watching the whole scene unfold, and a thought suddenly struck him.
Rice seeds that can grow simply by absorbing spiritual energy.
No need to water or fertilize, it grows on its own when placed in the soil?