Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After Jiang Lin and the others came out, they were so busy their feet never touched the ground. The number of people on the mountain also grew larger. Bai Zhizhi sat by the lake with a self-made fishing rod, waiting for a fish willing to take the bait. Beside him was a plate of fresh sweet wild fruits that Xu Mo had sent people to pick from the mountains, standing in sharp contrast with the bustling crowd coming and going.

Perhaps because the unstable secret realm was leaking some spiritual energy, these wild fruits born of heaven and earth were mostly sweet, unlike the typical sour and astringent ones. But Bai Zhizhi lost interest after eating just one or two—compared to real spiritual fruits, these were far inferior, just a novelty.

A fish was just poking its head up in the stream, before it could bite the hook, an excited shout scared it away.

"Zhizhi! I'm here!"

Without turning around, Bai Zhizhi knew it was Lin Xiaoyang. That guy was always so energetic, as if he had an inexhaustible supply of energy every day.

Lin Xiaoyang put down his luggage and ran over to Bai Zhizhi. "Where's Brother Jiang?"

Bai Zhizhi yawned. "Are you still a baby? Why are you always looking for Brother Jiang?"

Lin Xiaoyang picked up a stone and tossed it into the water. "Brother Jiang called me here. Of course I need to report to him when I arrive. Let me tell you, this time Brother Jiang brought me here to take me into the energy field. It's my first time entering one."

His cultivation level was average—not bad, but not outstanding either. He was only at the third level of Qi Refining. But his advantage was his youth; at just twenty-five, he still had great potential.

Because his cultivation wasn't high, he had never been allowed into energy fields before. This was his first time entering such a legendary secret realm. He had been so excited since receiving the call that he hadn't slept for three days.

Bai Zhizhi said, "I don't know where he is. He's busy every day."

Lin Xiaoyang responded, "He's probably busy with preparations. Every time they enter an energy field, they bring recording devices. Even if not all equipment survives, whatever they bring back becomes valuable footage. They review and analyze it repeatedly to minimize casualties."

Lin Xiaoyang kept asking Bai Zhizhi about their last experience inside, hoping to gather more tips. Before Bai Zhizhi could shoo him away in annoyance, Jiang Lin walked out of the main tent. "I could hear your yapping from a mile away."

Lin Xiaoyang, who had been squatting beside Bai Zhizhi, jumped up. "Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Lin said, "Come inside for the meeting."

Lin Xiaoyang quickly responded, "Sure thing!"

As Lin Xiaoyang scurried into the tent, Jiang Lin walked over to Bai Zhizhi. "After discussion, we decided to organize a team to go in and search once before the foreign ability users arrive. Zhizhi, how much longer can the spiritual energy in the key sustain the gate?"

Bai Zhizhi looked up at the still-open formation gate in the sky. "Probably around ten times. Are you going in for the Water Spirit Crystals?"

Jiang Lin said, "If possible, we want to try retrieving the Water Spirit Crystals without disturbing the Xian Fish and minimizing casualties."

Bai Zhizhi replied, "That's going to be pretty hard. The Xian Fish feed on the water spiritual energy in the crystals. They're not gonna be happy if you take their food."

Jiang Lin said, "Then we'll just have to fight. We won't take too much, hoping not to severely impact the secret realm's ecosystem."

Bai Zhizhi handed Jiang Lin two items: a small jade gourd and a bracelet set with a black stone. "This has beast-repelling liquid inside. Applying it to your body will make the Xian Fish hate the smell and stay away. This is a storage bracelet. Load up as much as you can inside."

Jiang Lin took them and asked, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Bai Zhizhi said, "No. It's only so big in there. I saw most of it when I flew around last time. Going again would be boring."

Though the secret realm wasn't huge, exploring and finding treasures was fun. Unfortunately, this place was small and unstable. Last time, he felt the secret realm straining under his cultivation level. If he went in a few more times, it'd probably collapse.

Forget it. He'd let the human cultivators play in there. There were plenty of places to have fun outside. No need to destroy a small realm and leave the spirit beasts in there homeless.

Jiang Lin tightened his grip on the items and smiled. "Then I'll leave the courtyard in your hands. While I'm away, take care of it for me, okay?"

No one had ever handed him any responsibility before. In his clan, he had high status and was young. His parents and relatives doted on him because he lost a tail in a great war a thousand years ago, coddling him like precious glass. No one had ever given him any task to handle.

Except for matters of training outside, the clan indulged him in almost everything. Whatever he wanted, others only agreed, though they always prepared to clean up after him.

This was the first time someone had entrusted him with a task. It felt weird but not entirely unwelcome.

But if he agreed too easily, these humans would start taking advantage. Bai Zhizhi snorted and turned away.

Jiang Lin smiled and crouched in front of him from a different direction. "This energy field isn't as dangerous as previous ones, so I want to take Lin Xiaoyang and the others in to let them see what it's like. Then the courtyard will only have the old and the young left. Pretty please, Zhizhi? Help me out?"

Since he was begging like that, Bai Zhizhi reluctantly agreed. "Fine. I'll look after it for a bit. But don't take too long. I don't have that much time to spare."

Jiang Lin laughed. His features were sharp, but when he laughed, his eyes were so gentle. "Thank you, Zhizhi."

Bai Zhizhi's ears felt a little hot. He snorted again and looked away.

This time, the entire Dongcheng Brigade, including Wu Yue, went into the energy field. Besides cultivators, the authorities also tried arranging a military squad to go in.

Cultivators could best guarantee personnel safety, while the military had discipline and organization, able to quickly complete the mining and transfer work.

Bai Zhizhi didn't bother with how those humans arranged things. Once the time for their next entry was set, Jiang Lin took him back to the courtyard.

Watching Jiang Lin drive off with people and come back with an empty car, Xiao Yu couldn't help but ask, "Are you really that comfortable leaving him? Now, only Yue Yanting's sister is left at your place."

Jiang Lin said, "Uncle Gao and Uncle Bi are also there."

Xiao Yu said, "Those two together couldn't even stand one swipe from Bai Zhizhi."

He still hadn't forgotten how savagely Bai Zhizhi beat Hull last time.

Jiang Lin smiled. "Before, I wasn't comfortable leaving Zhizhi alone in the courtyard because I didn't know his temperament, not because he was a spirit. After nearly a month together, I trust my judgment of people. He's good. I believe he won't harm others recklessly."

Since he believed, he dared to entrust. He wouldn't say he trusted but then act defensively. He hoped Bai Zhizhi would be willing to accept and fit into human society. First, he himself had to be accepted and fit in with humans.

Xiao Yu said no more, just felt that Jiang Lin was as bold as ever. On the surface, he seemed steady and reliable, but deep down, he seemed born with a daring edge. If this were any other team leader, they wouldn't dare leave a spirit they'd known for less than a month in a defenseless base. But Jiang Lin dared.

No wonder he was the first of their generation to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage—he'd dared to enter an energy field way back when he was only at the early Qi Refining stage.

If it weren't for that fierce determination, Jiang Lin probably wouldn't have broken through repeatedly in just ten short years and become the first of their generation to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Even though there weren't many people in the courtyard, after they all left, the small place felt strangely empty.

Bai Zhizhi dutifully stayed in the courtyard for a day before he got restless. He watched Yue Zhihuan lay out transparent leaves that had been soaked in medicinal liquid, drying them one by one. Nearby were several sealed packages ready to be mailed.

Bai Zhizhi lay on a rattan lounger under the eaves. "Is your team so broke you have to make stuff by hand to earn money?"

Yue Zhihuan turned and smiled at him, then picked up her phone to type: "I'm happy to bring in a little extra for the family."

Bai Zhizhi asked, "How much do you sell each one for?"

Yue Zhihuan held up five fingers.

Bai Zhizhi asked, "Fifty yuan?"

Yue Zhihuan laughed and typed on her phone: "Five yuan!"

Bai Zhizhi couldn't help but laugh. He picked up a fan and fanned himself lightly. "If you want to make money, why not grow spiritual fruits?"

Yue Zhihuan turned to look at him. Bai Zhizhi continued, "Plant grapes. The arbor here is perfect. Let the vines climb over the arbor, hang clusters of purple grapes. Reach out and pick one whenever you want. If there are too many to eat, you can sell them to the Wangting Club next door."

Yue Zhihuan just picked up her phone to tell him grapes were hard to grow and might not be as sweet as store-bought ones, and if he wanted grapes, she'd go buy some for him.

Before she could type, Bai Zhizhi got up from the chair, walked to the stone table, and sat down. He took out two cloth bags from his storage item. He emptied one bag, and a pile of things that looked like seeds rolled out—all different sizes and shapes. He picked out a few round black seeds and set them aside. Then he called over the two men who were playing chess and enjoying the shade in the yard. "Uncle Bi, Uncle Gao, come here! Let me see where to plant them. This area along the corridor—dig up these weeds here. I'll sow the seeds."

Uncle Bi snorted and tapped Bai Zhizhi on the head with his palm fan. "What weeds? Those are mosquito-repellent plants I planted!"

Bai Zhizhi said, "Dig them up and move all this dirt away."

The three exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly, deciding to go along with the little fox. Before leaving, Jiang Lin had told them to accommodate him as much as possible as long as he didn't tear the place apart. Planting a few grapevines wasn't a big deal.

They dropped what they were doing, rolled up their sleeves, and started digging. Old Bi glanced at the seeds Bai Zhizhi had taken out. "These don’t look like grape seeds. Besides, seeds need to be soaked to germinate. These are hard as rocks—probably won't work, right? How about I buy some ready-grown grapevines tomorrow and transplant them?"

Bai Zhizhi replied, "These aren’t ordinary grapes. Trust me, I'll have you eating grapes in three days."

Having extensively planted flowers, herbs, and spirit fruits around his treehouse to mess around with it, Bai Zhizhi was quite skilled at this.

After Uncle Bi carefully dug up his mosquito-repellent plants and moved them aside, Uncle Gao and Yue Zhihuan dug a trench along the corridor for him. "Is this good enough?"

Bai Zhizhi glanced at it. "Fine. Step back, everyone."

The three stepped back, and Bai Zhizhi casually sprinkled the seeds into the soil. Then he took out a cloth pouch filled with Spirit Soil and began pouring it onto the ground.

The moment the Spirit Soil was poured out, Uncle Bi and Uncle Gao’s expressions changed. Though they were elderly and halfway in the grave, they were still cultivators. Such abundant spiritual energy was impossible for them to ignore.

Yue Zhihuan couldn’t sense the spiritual energy from the soil, but she was fascinated by the pouch. Her jaw dropped, her eyes wide with "Wow!" A palm-sized cloth pouch that could hold so much soil—this must be a spatial pouch.

Uncle Gao stopped Bai Zhizhi from continuing to pour. "Zhizhi, is this... Spirit Soil?"

Bai Zhizhi said, "I suppose that’s what you’d call it around here."

He then continued to pour into the ground. Uncle Bi grabbed Old Gao, who wanted to stop him, and shook his head slightly, signaling him to hold off for now. After all, it was all within the yard. They could discuss the details once Jiang Lin returned.

After filling the trench with soil, Bai Zhizhi took out a kettle of water and drenched the entire area. When the rich moisture emerged, even Yue Zhihuan felt a refreshing comfort.

Uncle Gao and Uncle Bi watched with heartache. Water so rich in spiritual energy was being used to water the soil—just looking at it was enough to give them a heart attack.

Finally, Uncle Gao couldn't stand it anymore and said, distressed, "Enough, enough. That’s plenty. Any more and the seeds will drown."

Bai Zhizhi replied, "They won’t drown. I’ve planted these before—I have plenty of experience."

With that, he poured water back and forth over the area a few more times before putting the kettle away.

Yue Zhihuan watched in amazement as he made the items disappear. Although Brother Jiang also had a storage item, he never showed it off casually. She knew he had one but had never seen it used. Now that Bai Zhizhi had one, she was intensely curious.

Seeing her curiosity, Bai Zhizhi generously said, "Like it? Wait... let me go find one later. I'll give you one to play around with later."

He almost blurted out "return to Qingqiu" but caught himself just in time.

Yue Zhihuan shook her head vigorously at that, then pointed to the chain on her wrist and gave a thumbs-up, meaning the gift Bai Zhizhi had already given was more than enough. A storage item was far too precious—she would never accept one.

While they were chatting, something began to push up from the soil. The people who had been lamenting the Spirit Soil and Spirit Water looked down to see that the seeds they had just planted had already sprouted, growing at an inconceivable speed, climbing up the wooden railings along the corridor.

The tender green shoots gradually thickened, sprouting leaves and branches one after another. In just a few minutes, the pavilion along the corridor was covered in layer upon layer of grapevines, some even blooming with tiny white flowers.

Yue Zhihuan’s mouth was now completely agape. It was incredible.

Uncle Bi and Uncle Gao were equally astonished. "They’ve already grown?"

Bai Zhizhi said, "I told you—I guarantee you’ll be eating grapes within three days."

Although these grapes were spirit fruits, they were ordinary ones. A little spiritual energy could accelerate their growth, not to mention that Bai Zhizhi himself had a Wood spiritual root, which gave him a natural affinity for controlling plants. Hastening the ripening of a few grapevines was no big deal.

With sufficient soil and water provided, there was no need to keep an eye on them any longer. Bai Zhizhi returned to the recliner, took out his phone, and started playing games. The other three in the yard, however, stood under the pavilion, staring at the grapevines in awe, couldn't tear their eyes away.

The people in the yard weren’t new to group missions. Even if only two elderly cultivators and Yue Zhihuan remained, there was nothing to fear—in the imperial capital, security was tight.

But that night, the two old men dared not sleep. The Spirit Soil was still spread out in the yard—soil that the USA traded with them by the gram for supplies was now laid out by the kilogram. How could they sleep? They couldn’t rest easy, so they got up to keep watch.

The yard’s small light was on, a chessboard was set up, and a pot of tea was placed nearby. As the two played chess, a dark shadow slowly crept in from outside.

Bai Zhizhi, who had already fallen asleep, faintly wrinkled his nose and turned over, hugging his blanket. What’s that smell? Kinda stinky.

Half-asleep, he realized he was in Jiang Lin’s yard, not Qingqiu. He sat up abruptly. Something nasty had crawled into the yard while he was asleep!