Chapter 52: Shen Nong Planting Technique
The accommodation conditions at the Medicine Farm were naturally not very good, with only large dormitories built. While it was easy to arrange for the male laborers, Mao Yong found himself in a difficult situation when it came to Hua Changxi.
He wanted to make things difficult for Hua Changxi, but the moment he thought about how this girl was someone even the one-armed man Guo Yu was wary of, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
There had to be a reason to deal with Hua Changxi, otherwise, a Grandmaster wouldn’t be invited.
Mao Yong thought for a moment, and finally brought Hua Changxi to the Livestock Yard, pointing to the thatched hut next to the courtyard gate and said, “You can live in this room!”
Sancha Medicine Farm managed thousands of acres of medicine fields and connected to the mountain, overseeing the Medicine Valley at the foot of the mountain. It was difficult to manage so much land with human labor alone, so they kept dozens of cattle and more than ten hunting dogs.
Additionally, the Medicine Farm needed to frequently transport medicinal herbs to the Medical Affairs Department, which required horses, so they also kept dozens of horses.
In the Livestock Yard, there was the smell of cow dung and horse dung everywhere, and one had to be careful not to be bitten by the hunting dogs. Mao Yong felt quite pleased with himself for arranging for Hua Changxi to live here.
Seeing Hua Changxi surveying the Livestock Yard without saying a word, Mao Yong smiled, “What, you don’t want to live here? If you really don’t want to live here, I won’t force you. You can go live in the dormitory, if you dare.”
Hua Changxi glanced at him, “A private courtyard, I’m very satisfied. Thank you, Steward Mao.”
Upon hearing this, Mao Yong’s smile vanished, “As long as you’re satisfied.” With that, he left, swinging his arms.
The smell in the courtyard was too strong. After Mao Yong left, Hua Changxi covered her nose and walked into the thatched hut.
The inside was even worse than the outside, dirty and messy. A large portion of the space was used to store miscellaneous items, with only a bed made of several wooden planks in the corner.
The bed was covered with straw, and on top of the straw was a dirty, tattered bedding whose original color was indistinguishable.
Hua Changxi looked at the room where she couldn’t even find a place to step, walked out, and circled the courtyard. Seeing no one, she went and closed the courtyard gate.
Returning to the front of the thatched hut, Hua Changxi stood by the window and cast a Disintegration Technique, turning the straw and tattered bedding on the wooden plank bed into dust.
Then, she activated the Pure Body Technique, and in an instant, a whirlwind swept through the room.
Dust flew at the entrance of the room, and soon, the dust was blown far away.
When Hua Changxi stepped into the thatched hut again, although it was still messy inside, it was finally clean and free of odor.
After tidying up the miscellaneous items a bit and clearing out some space to move around, Hua Changxi sat on the wooden plank bed, took out the steamed buns and pickles from her bag, and began to eat slowly.
After eating, she leaned down, closed her eyes, and began practicing the Little Bird Breathing and Exhalation Method.
Soon, Hua Changxi opened her eyes in surprise.
The Spiritual Energy here at the Medicine Farm was even more abundant than at the Medical Affairs Department.
Indeed, this was where Spirit Grass grew. Without sufficient Spiritual Energy, how could Spirit Grass appear?
She had to seize the time to understand the situation here, find the Spirit Grass as soon as possible, and then refine the Spirit Origin Pill. This way, she could quickly improve her Realm.
Immersing herself wholeheartedly in cultivation was even more effective for restoring physical strength and energy than sleeping.
After traveling for a day and a night, Hua Changxi wasn’t extremely tired, but she had still expended a considerable amount of energy. In a short while, she was immersed in cultivation.
“Bang bang bang~”
“Open the door, hurry and open the door.”
“Woof woof woof~”
Immersed in cultivation, Hua Changxi was unaware of the passage of time. When she was awakened by the knocking, she opened her eyes to find that it was already dark.
“Is the person inside dead? Someone, break down the door!”
Mao Wei was shouting for someone to break down the door when it creaked open.
Seeing Hua Changxi emerge from inside, Mao Wei was stunned, took a few steps back in fear, and pointed at her, “You, why are you here?”
Hua Changxi glanced at Mao Wei, then at the more than ten people behind him.
Each of them was holding a majestic hunting dog on a leash.
“I’m here to help pick medicinal herbs.”
Female laborers coming to the Medicine Farm were mostly for punishment. Even though Mao Wei knew this, he didn’t dare to say anything at this moment. He couldn’t help it; he couldn’t win. He could only signal his subordinates to quickly lead the hunting dogs into the courtyard.
“Woof woof woof~”
Seeing a newcomer, the hunting dogs barked incessantly.
Most young women would be frightened by so many hunting dogs. Seeing Hua Changxi, whose expression hadn’t changed at all, Mao Wei inwardly grumbled that she wasn’t a woman.
Noticing his subordinates staring at Hua Changxi with starry eyes, he didn’t speak up to warn them. After leading the hunting dogs back to the doghouse, he quickly left.
The others were also rushing to eat. After glancing at Hua Changxi meaningfully for a moment, they also left.
Hua Changxi frowned, closed the courtyard gate, returned to the thatched hut, and continued cultivating with her eyes closed. Just as she circulated her Spiritual Energy a few times, the courtyard gate was knocked on again.
This time, the people who came were leading cattle. Dozens of cattle were led into the courtyard, and the smell in the air instantly became suffocating.
Like the people who led the hunting dogs, these people also looked at Hua Changxi with strange eyes for a while.
Hua Changxi’s face was grim as she patiently waited for these people to leave. After they were all gone, just as she was about to close the courtyard gate, a boy as thin as a stick walked out from the courtyard entrance.
“Do you need something?”
The boy pointed at the thatched hut, “I want to get my bedding.”
Hua Changxi was stunned for a moment, “You lived here before?”
The boy nodded.
Hua Changxi thought of the tattered bedding she had disintegrated and felt very apologetic, “Um… I’m sorry. I cleaned the room earlier and burned your bedding.”
The boy’s expression became anxious, and he wanted to say something, but finally lowered his head, turned around dejectedly, and prepared to leave.
“Wait a moment.”
Hua Changxi called out to the boy, quickly ran back into the thatched hut, took out a piece of silver from her bag, and handed it to the boy as she came out, “I’m truly sorry. I thought no one lived in this room.”
“Are there any places to buy and sell things near the Medicine Farm? Take this silver and buy a new set of bedding.”
The boy looked at the silver in Hua Changxi’s hand and shook his head, “My bedding isn’t worth much.”
Seeing this, Hua Changxi directly stuffed the silver into the boy’s hand, “I burned your bedding without your permission, so I should compensate you. I also have to trouble you to spend time buying new bedding, which delays your time. Please take the silver, otherwise, I won’t be able to rest easy.”
The boy looked at Hua Changxi, holding the silver, feeling a bit awkward.
Hua Changxi paused for a moment, “Do you need anything else? I’m quite tired. If you’re done, I’m going to rest.”
The boy shook his head, “I’m fine.”
Hua Changxi, “Then I’m closing the door.”
Watching the tightly shut gate, the boy clenched the silver in his hand, stood for a moment, and then turned to leave.
Listening to the sound of footsteps fading away, Hua Changxi breathed a sigh of relief. But when she saw the messy courtyard, she frowned again.
“Woof woof woof~”
“Moo~”
“Hiss~”
In the Livestock Yard, the north side was the stable, the east side was the cattle shed, and the west side was the doghouse. The barking of dogs, the mooing of cattle, and the neighing of horses constantly echoed in the courtyard.
The thatched hut was located to the south, next to the gate. The person living here was essentially a gatekeeper.
Hua Changxi couldn’t stand the stench in the courtyard anymore. With a wave of her hand, a gust of wind swept through, and the air instantly became fresher. Only then did she turn back into the thatched hut to continue cultivating.
When Hua Changxi began practicing the Little Bird Breathing and Exhalation Method, the hunting dogs, horses, and cattle that had been barking incessantly in the courtyard all fell silent in unison. If observed carefully, one would notice that the postures of the cattle, horses, and hunting dogs were all identical: kneeling and lying on the ground.
“Brother, do you know that Hua Changxi has come to the Medicine Farm?”
Mao Yong looked at his younger brother who rushed in shouting and felt a headache, “I was the one who picked her up, how could I not know?”
Mao Wei rubbed his cheek. Because he had lost his molars, his face had become smaller. “Brother, Hua Changxi has come to our territory. You must help me get revenge.”
Mao Yong glanced at him, “Don’t worry, brother won’t let her have an easy time. But remember, you are not allowed to provoke her.”
Mao Wei thought of Hua Changxi’s martial prowess and of course wouldn’t seek suffering for himself, “Brother, how do you plan to deal with Hua Changxi?”
Mao Yong smiled faintly, “A woman has come to the Medicine Farm, and she’s quite good-looking. Do you think the male laborers in the farm can just sit still?”
“I’ve already assigned A Niu’s job of feeding the livestock to someone else. We just need to sit back and watch the show. As long as Hua Changxi dares to hurt someone, I’ll go ask Elder You to preside over the matter.”
Mao Wei’s face lit up, “Brother, you really have a way.”
Mao Yong looked at his brother, “Bullying a young woman is beneath a man’s dignity. Fortunately, we are not plotting against Hua Changxi; we are using an open scheme. It all depends on whether she takes the bait.”
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Hua Changxi opened her eyes. There was a well in the courtyard. After fetching water to wash up, she prepared to go for breakfast. As soon as she opened the courtyard gate, she saw two male laborers with rough faces walking over.
“Oh, little sister, you’re up so early? We were just about to come and wake you up.”
“Did little sister sleep well last night? The weather is still a bit cold, aren’t you cold sleeping alone? Do you want us brothers to come and keep you company at night?”
Seeing the two men walking towards her, Hua Changxi took a few quick steps, bypassed them, put some distance between them, and didn’t reply, walking away quickly.
Seeing this, the two male laborers couldn’t openly chase after her, so they could only curse and enter the courtyard to feed the livestock.
After Hua Changxi saw the two enter the courtyard, she turned back, stood at the courtyard gate, unleashed a burst of Spiritual Power, and then quickly walked away again.
The next moment, barking erupted from the courtyard, and soon after, screams could be heard.
Hua Changxi entered the courtyard where meals were served. Ignoring the stares of those around her, she went to the kitchen to get her food. Seeing that all the tables in the courtyard were occupied, she sat directly on the stone steps under the eaves and began to eat.
Seeing her like this, Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow. Mao Yong and Mao Wei exchanged a silent glance, while others began to gossip.
Just then, someone rushed into the courtyard.
“Steward Mao, something’s wrong! The hunting dogs in the Livestock Yard have gone mad and are chasing and biting A Guang and A Bing.”
Upon hearing this, Mao Yong and Mao Wei both looked at Hua Changxi. Even Zhu Yu looked over.
Hua Changxi remained unmoved, continuing to eat her meal.
Mao Yong glanced at Hua Changxi and went to the Livestock Yard with Mao Wei and the others.
When they learned that the two laborers’ subordinates had been bitten by hunting dogs, and it was uncertain if they could still be used in the future, Mao Yong and Mao Wei both squeezed their legs together.
Mao Yong questioned the two, but couldn’t find any evidence that Hua Changxi had caused the hunting dogs to go berserk. He could only treat this as an accident.
After breakfast, it was time to assign tasks.
Hua Changxi was assigned to the medicine fields near the foot of the mountain. These medicine fields were relatively dry and hard, making it difficult to plant medicinal herbs. Watering and fertilizing required long trips, making them the fields that people at the Medicine Farm least wanted to manage.
Knowing that Mao Yong was deliberately making things difficult for her, Hua Changxi didn’t make a sound. She took the farm tools and medicine seedlings and went to work.
『Shen Nong Planting Technique（Beginner）: Planting Mortal Plants 1/10』
When Hua Changxi planted a medicine seedling into the medicine field, familiar data appeared in her sight.
After planting ten plants, her mind was filled with knowledge about planting Mortal Plants, which included not only medicinal herbs but also grains and other foods.
“This…”
Hua Changxi thought of Shen Nong, who was both the ancestor of medicine and agriculture, and felt relieved.
She had originally come here just to find Spirit Grass, but she hadn’t expected an additional reward. This made Hua Changxi very happy, and she worked even harder to upgrade her data.
Mao Wei was patrolling the medicine fields with the hunting dogs, intending to see if Hua Changxi was slacking off. To his surprise, when he reached the foot of the mountain, he found that Hua Changxi was the most diligent worker.
If he wanted to criticize her for not working seriously, the medicine seedlings she planted were completely up to standard, and even better than those planted by many elders at the Medicine Farm.
Unable to find fault, Mao Wei could only leave in frustration.
『Shen Nong Planting Technique（Minor Accomplishment）: Planting Mortal Plants 100/100』
After planting one hundred medicine seedlings, Hua Changxi received knowledge and related techniques for planting Spiritual Plants and spiritual grains.
The techniques included: Soil Turning Technique, Pest Control Technique, Insect Repelling Technique, Fertilizing Technique, Spirit Rain Technique, Temperature and Humidity Control Technique, as well as how to set up a Spirit Gathering Array and a Spiritual Energy Shield.
Having learned so many spells, Hua Changxi was truly overjoyed.
『Shen Nong Planting Technique（Great Accomplishment）: Planting Mortal Plants 1000/1000』
After planting one thousand medicine seedlings, Hua Changxi received knowledge on how to plant Divine Plants.
Although she wanted to learn the Shen Nong Planting Technique completely as soon as possible, Hua Changxi intentionally slowed down her pace. She hadn’t forgotten that she came to Sancha Medicine Farm to find Spirit Grass and didn’t want to finish her work too early and be sent back to the Labor Department.
Knowing that she would be closely watched by Mao Yong and Mao Wei for the first few days, Hua Changxi’s goal was to give them no reason to find fault and no opportunity to find a Grandmaster.
Unless absolutely necessary, she did not want to make an enemy of a Grandmaster.
Even if she wasn’t afraid of a Grandmaster, being noticed by one would make it much harder for her to find Spirit Grass.
Based on this principle, Hua Changxi endured the various harassments from the male laborers, only retaliating secretly.
A female laborer had come to the Medicine Farm, and the male laborers all wanted to take advantage of her.
However, this female laborer was somewhat strange.
On the second day of her arrival, two male laborers went to take advantage of her under the guise of feeding the livestock and had their private parts bitten by hunting dogs.
On the third day of her arrival, two more male laborers went to take advantage of her while feeding the livestock, but accidentally fell into steaming cow dung, eating a large mouthful of it.
On the fourth day of her arrival, four male laborers went to the Livestock Yard simultaneously but encountered a stampede of horses, and all of them had their legs broken.
On the fifth day of her arrival, the male laborers dared not go deep into the Livestock Yard, so they tried to block Hua Changxi at the foot of the mountain and drag her into the forest. However, in the forest, they encountered a wild boar, and while fleeing, they fell into a trap set for hunting beasts, resulting in two deaths on the spot.
After this, even those with lustful intentions dared not approach Hua Changxi anymore.
