Clang!
A deep tolling of a bronze bell echoed through the Yellow Bud Rice Fields.
Hidden leaf insects, twisted and shaking, fell rustling from beneath the leaves.
A thin layer of dark smoke clung to the ground and spread outwards.
Freshly sprung weeds and stunned pests that came into contact with the smoke vanished immediately.
Chen Mu strolled leisurely through the Yellow Bud Rice Fields, finishing his daily care and improvement of the Yellow Bud Rice.
…
He returned to the Low Hill Courtyard.
Chen Mu approached a well-ventilated spot under the wooden shed.
A long wooden rack stood on the north side of the shed’s floor.
Seven or eight flat bamboo baskets were arranged in order, all filled with Calming Pills.
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The Soul-Calming Stake leaned against the rack, cooling and ventilating, helping the Calming Pills to solidify and dry.
“Over a thousand pills, that should be enough to sell for three months,” Chen Mu speculated, carefully turning over the elixir pills.
“Buying materials from Hundred Herbs Pavilion is ultimately not safe.”
“Next time, I could check out the Underground Market District.”
Even though he intentionally changed his appearance and clothing when making purchases, there was still the possibility of being spied upon by those with ulterior motives.
A person capable of pharmaceutical craft and alchemy was like a money tree, and those with even slight power would not leave it be.
Shang Huan’s increasingly eager attitude made Chen Mu fully realize just how valuable the Alchemical Technique was.
“There were people who dared to cause trouble for Jie Jia over a mere Gentle Breeze Powder.”
“Now dealing with Calming Pills which can be used as sustenance for cultivation, the risk is even greater.”
“When I have the time, I’ll need to press Shang Huan again, to act more covertly for safety’s sake.”
…
After tending to the Yellow Bud Rice Fields and sorting through the Calming Pills,
Chen Mu took a seat in a rocking chair near the well, lit a Calming Pill, and quietly recited from the True Sun Scripture Scroll.
For the past two months, whenever he had the time, he would recite the Curse Words.
Belonging to the Blue-eyed Golden Ape Shape Cultivation Technique Soul Strength, it continuously penetrated the fog and merged into the center of the Divine Intent Diagram.
What was once a frosted glass-like Divine Intent Diagram became increasingly clear and bright, constantly emitting a luminescent white light. With just a faint thought, it would appear in his mind immediately.
And the shape that was maintained in constant dynamic change was also coming closer to being a circle.
“The embryo of the Jade Seed?” Chen Mu realized with a start.
There was a description in the True Sun Scripture Scroll.
The product of Spirit and Soul Unification was called the Jade Seed. It was the foundation for subsequent cultivation, a necessary measure for ordinary people to catch up to those with innate Daoist Bone.
Without the Jade Seed, it was impossible to continue further cultivation!
…
After reciting for half an hour, Chen Mu opened his eyes, picked up the cool throat-soothing tea from the low table next to him, and relieved his dry mouth.
His right hand flashed with black smoke, and the rarely-used Ebony Wood Dagger appeared.
With a thought, a matte semi-transparent black substance, akin to sandpaper, crawled up the dagger from his palm.
“After the Unification of Spirit and Soul, the Soul Strength can actually adhere to a weapon.” Before, Soul Strength could only cling to skin.
“If it fully unifies, could it even leave the body?” Chen Mu’s eyes brightened.
This would greatly enrich his attacking methods.
In comparison, the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique appeared somewhat lacking.
Apart from an increasing appetite and more visible silver threads between his eyebrows, he really didn’t see any other significant changes.
“Where exactly have you split off to?” Chen Mu scratched his head, baffled.
Shaking his head, he stopped dwelling on it. He brought up the gray wall to check his experience.
True Sun Scripture: 3578/10000/First Rank;
“Breaking through to Second Rank should take about four to five months.”
“I wonder if listening to lectures at the Scripture Transmission Institute would grant experience.”
Previously by listening to Old Hao explaining farming techniques, he was able to enhance his Planting Skill experience.
“If they could focus on explaining the True Sun Scripture, that would be great,” Chen Mu felt a bit regretful.
The True Sun Scripture was the cheapest Spirit and Soul Unification Secret Method in the Scripture Transmission Institute.
It was cheap because it was flawed.
The Jade Seed cultivated from it was without issues, but the cultivation speed was too slow.
Not many people practice it, so it’s unlikely that he can gain experience by lecturing on the True Sun Scripture.
…
The Low Mountain where Chen Mu’s courtyard is located is on the edge of a basin plain.
Continuing northward, you enter a range of rising and falling mountains.
And the mountains increase in height as one goes further. At the end of the view, their peaks already pierce the clouds.
A bald, muscular man stands on a cliff about seven or eight miles north of Low Mountain.
Looking down from this vantage point, he can perfectly see Chen Mu’s courtyard on Low Mountain.
Today is the first day of the Scripture Transmission Institute’s lectures, and before dawn, the bald strong man had brought three of his subordinates to wait here.
As the sun rises, before long, they see a figure leaving the courtyard, moving away from Low Mountain.
“That turtle finally crawls out of his shell,” the bald strong man exhales in relief.
“It’s a pity the elder brother won’t let us make a move,” the bald man thinks resentfully.
This is the first time he has been lying in wait for a target for three months.
“If he obediently hands over the treasures and White Jade Coins, all is well; if not…” A cold light flashes in the strong man’s eyes.
…
A quarter of an hour later.
The bald strong man quietly leads his subordinates to Low Mountain’s courtyard.
He stands outside the wall, carefully listening to ensure that no one is inside, before approaching the Yellow Bud Rice fields at the base of the mountain.
Looking at the neat rows of lush Yellow Bud Rice, the bald strong man snickers, “He’s quite the good farmer.”
“Release the line-back earth spirits!” he commands with a sweep of his hand.
His subordinates immediately take off the bamboo baskets strapped to their backs.
They open the lids and violently dump out the contents.
A wave of fist-sized rats quickly swarm into the Yellow Bud Rice field.
The black-furred rats have three white lines on their backs and are swift as the wind with sharp teeth; they can bite through half of the main stem of a wrist-thick Yellow Bud Rice in one bite.
Watching the Yellow Bud Rice plants topple one after another, the bald strong man grins, feeling an immense relief over his pent-up frustration from the past three months.
“Haha! Let’s go!”
…
On the east side of Tongtian Square resides a three-section mansion.
Dong Cheng sits in the inner courtyard’s living room, resting with closed eyes.
Not long after, the bald strong man bursts in, flushed with excitement.
“Elder brother, it’s done!”
“I did as you said. The line-back earth spirits were starved for three days.”
“Then, starting from the south of Low Mountain, I released earth spirits along the way and scattered a lot of their droppings.”
“Even if someone investigates, they will only think the earth spirits came from the mountains north of Low Mountain.”
A smile appears on Dong Cheng’s round face, “Well done.”
“Did you release earth spirits in the nearby households as well?”
The bald strong man nods, “Yes!”
“I remembered your words, we can’t only have one household affected, else there would be flaws.”
Dong Cheng nods, “Man-made disasters might attract the Lower Courtyard’s scrutiny, but a natural disaster won’t interest anyone.”
“Elder brother, shall we wrap things up tomorrow?” the bald strong man asks eagerly, already imagining the anxious and disheartened expression on the other’s face.
“No rush,” Dong Cheng squints his eyes.
“We need to let things ferment for a couple of days.”
“It’s also a good time to see if this Chen Mu really has a large amount of White Jade Coins.”
He looks towards the bald strong man, “Keep an eye on Shang Huan, don’t let this fellow get ahead of us.”
“He probably won’t.” The strong man scratches his head.
“He’s been busy dealing with Calming Pills from the Ghost Ship lately.”
Dong Cheng’s interest piques immediately, “He dares to take such a risk with the Lower Courtyard breathing down his neck for that tiny profit?”
“Heard he got swindled and is tight on money, so he’s grasping at any profit he can.”
Dong Cheng’s eyes narrow, “With the risk being high and the profit low, that’s precisely why he shouldn’t be taking such deals!”
“He has a problem?” the bald strong man’s eyes light up.
“Keep a close watch on him,” Dong Cheng says coldly.
“Once we’re done with this Chen Mu, we’ll go find Shang Huan!”