There wasn't much to pack on Seven Stars Peak.
On the other hand, the rice growing nearby had finally ripened today.
Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan immediately walked towards the rice.
At this point, the rice could no longer truly be considered rice; its stalks resembled small trees, with countless branches from which hung numerous, plump ears of grain, each grain full and robust.
What He Xiuyuan found most incredible was that, since the rice had ripened, the husks on the rice had split open on their own, revealing the crystal-clear grains inside.
This meant the steps of drying the rice and threshing were completely eliminated.
He Xiuyuan squatted in front of the rice and gently sniffed; the faint fragrance emanating from the crystal-clear grains after the husks had split open was truly delightful.
In He Xiuyuan's opinion, this was no longer ordinary rice.
He wondered if there was such a thing as spiritual rice in this world; if so, it might be quite similar to the rice before him.
He Xiuyuan's gaze fell upon the grains, and he immediately looked around for a container to collect all of them.
The process of harvesting the rice was also extremely simple; with just a gentle shake, all the grains fell into the container.
The chickens nearby, upon seeing this scene, immediately clucked incessantly and quickly ran towards them.
These chickens seemed to have noticed a few grains of rice that had fallen to the ground, making them cluck with desire, but having been 'dealt with' by the rice before, these roosters dared not approach it.
In their simple minds, this rice was like some dirty thing that could hit them.
He Xiuyuan found it amusing to watch the roosters pacing back and forth outside, wanting to come in but not daring to approach the rice.
After a moment's thought, He Xiuyuan picked up the few grains of rice that had fallen to the ground and scattered them outside, allowing the roosters to forage for themselves.
Upon seeing the scattered spiritual rice, these roosters immediately became extremely excited, rushing to various spots and quickly pecking at the grains scattered on the ground.
"This is truly a bountiful harvest."
A moment later, He Xiuyuan had collected all the spiritual rice. He weighed it slightly, estimating it to be around twenty to thirty catties.
"Crane Brother, would you like to taste this spiritual rice?"
He Xiuyuan turned his head, glanced at the celestial crane not far away, and asked.
He Xiuyuan had not yet tasted this spiritual rice, but he guessed that its flavor should not be bad.
However, upon hearing He Xiuyuan's words, the celestial crane merely tilted its head and looked at He Xiuyuan, remaining silent.
From its reaction, it seemed the celestial crane had no interest in the spiritual rice in He Xiuyuan's hand.
Seeing this, He Xiuyuan did not insist and continued to tidy up the surroundings.
After He Xiuyuan had finished tidying up and looked at the things around Seven Stars Peak, he quietly calculated in his heart that it had been nearly a year since he returned to Mount Shi Fang. The time spent in these mountains had been quite leisurely.
By now, it was early summer, with the incessant chirping of cicadas all around.
"Crane Brother, the Six Shen Divination method I Cultivate needs to be verified. I will not be in the mountains for a while, so I will leave this place in your care."
He Xiuyuan came to the crape myrtle tree and said to the celestial crane perched on it.
The celestial crane was still preening its feathers. Upon hearing He Xiuyuan's words, it couldn't help but raise its head. After gazing at He Xiuyuan for a moment with its clear eyes, it gently nodded.
He Xiuyuan smiled at this. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the celestial crane spread its wings and descend directly. It didn't look at He Xiuyuan, but its action clearly indicated that He Xiuyuan should get on, and it would give him a ride.
He Xiuyuan immediately chuckled at this, then, without hesitation, he climbed onto the celestial crane's back.
The celestial crane let out a clear cry, and with a slight flap of its wings, it dispersed the clouds and mist on Seven Stars Peak. Then, the celestial crane immediately flew towards the outside of Mount Shi Fang.
When the celestial crane flew over Shi Fang Village, He Xiuyuan looked down at Shi Fang Village. In the rice fields outside the village, the villagers were bending over to pull weeds or clear insects from the rice plants.
The rice on Seven Stars Peak seemed out of place; the rice outside hadn't ripened yet, but theirs had.
However, it was normal when you thought about it; the rice on Seven Stars Peak had been growing since last year.
After the spiritual rice had fallen, the rice plants showed no signs of wilting, indicating they could continue to grow.
He Xiuyuan had already put the small bag of spiritual rice on his person. He planned to take it with him and taste it on the journey. After all, it was rice he had Cultivated for almost a year, so he imagined the taste wouldn't be bad.
He Xiuyuan sat on the celestial crane's back, watching the busy figures of the villagers below. After lightly patting the celestial crane's back, the celestial crane continued to fly forward.
After passing Shi Fang Village, the celestial crane finally descended. Once He Xiuyuan got off, the celestial crane flew away without the slightest hesitation.
He Xiuyuan smiled as he watched the celestial crane fly away, then he oriented himself and walked forward.
Since he was already out, and considering the time, he wondered if the Jia Residence's child had been born yet. He would pass by and check later.
And while he was at it, he would go to the capital to see the Song family's situation.
After all, he had promised that person he would look after the Song family.
As He Xiuyuan thought of this, a rough route formed in his mind.
First, he would go to Tianxin Prefecture. On the way, he could pass through Yongzhou to visit Qiyun Temple, and then proceed to the capital.
After returning, he could continue his secluded Cultivation.
He estimated that this trip should allow him to fully grasp the deeper meaning behind the divinations.
As He Xiuyuan thought this, his steps became a little lighter... "Jiangnan's First Fabric Store"?
He Xiuyuan looked at the name on the fabric store before him, a bit surprised.
The name chosen was quite grand, but whether it lived up to its reputation remained to be seen.
He Xiuyuan paused by the roadside for a moment, then strode inside.
His clothes hadn't been changed in a long time. Now that he had some silver, he could finally get a new set of clothes.
He Xiuyuan entered the fabric store, and with just a first glance, he acknowledged the title on the signboard outside.
Inside this fabric store, all kinds of precious silks and satins were on display.
In particular, the yan brocade and Lin'an cloud brocade hanging nearby were specially cut into several pieces for customers to experience.
One had to know that both yan brocade and cloud brocade were extremely expensive; He Xiuyuan had witnessed this before.
"Waiter..."
After a few glances, He Xiuyuan saw that the fabric store was vast, with countless precious silks like cloud brocade displayed.
"Customer, how may I help you?"
The waiter nearby had already noticed He Xiuyuan, but they had a rule: after a customer entered, they would first allow the customer to browse for a moment before actively approaching to inquire about their needs.
