Chapter 37: Spirit Rice

Li Tongya felt his heart skip a beat, his vision swimming slightly. He hurriedly turned his head to look down at the pale green, swaying spiritual rice in the fields and whispered

"You... should wait until you have achieved the Profound Landscape Wheel before discussing anything else."

Liu Ruxuan gave a giggle and leaned close to Li Tongya's face. Her beautiful brows relaxed slightly as she whispered in his ear

"Then, Brother Tongya, don't go running off with someone else first..."

Li Tongya's face instantly flushed crimson. Rising with a mix of embarrassment and indignation, he blurted out

"You had better focus on your cultivation!"

With that, he fled the courtyard as if running away, heading toward the distance.

Li Tongya walked along the stone path for a while and washed his face with river water before slowly calming down. He couldn't help but smile bitterly

"I fear I've fallen into this girl's hands."

"Second Brother truly has feelings for that Liu Ruxuan! Father was truly one step ahead!"

He saw Li Xiangping sitting by the riverbank with a beaming smile, looking at Li Tongya and laughing

"Father arranged for you to take Liu Ruxuan back then. Second Brother, you only saw the external strategy of relocating her to prevent her from growing too powerful, but you were too close to the situation to see the internal strategy aimed specifically at you, Li Tongya."

"Third Brother, stop making fun of me!"

Li Tongya gave a bitter laugh, shook his head helplessly, and replied

"The more I observe Father, the more I feel there is always something to be learned from the old man."

"Of course!"

Li Xiangping nodded and said seriously

"Regarding those three Snake Essence Pills left by Xiao Yuansi, I intend to use them for our breakthrough when you and I advance to the Jade Capital Wheel."

"The Mist Array has already cost Father and Ye Sheng their blood, and I will personally bring that Dharma Mirror up to the mountain courtyard. As for the Mysterious Water Sword Manual... I fear I lack the talent for it. Second Brother, you should look into it more."

Li Tongya scooped up a handful of river water to wash his hands and replied

"It has been nearly three years since Chijing went to the Immortal Sect. The first batch of spiritual rice planted will be ripe soon. The coming days will not be easy for us."

————

The snow in Lijing Village was thicker than in previous years. The spiritual rice in the fields had already matured; the pale green ears of rice encased grains like white jade, standing upright in the fields, unable to be bent even by the heavy snow.

This spiritual rice was unlike ordinary grain; its leaves were as sharp as knives, requiring axes for harvesting. Li Tongya and the others had applied the Golden Light Technique to their sickles before they could finish harvesting these few plots of spiritual fields.

Looking at the spiritual rice piled into small green mounds, Li Qiuyang stepped through the snow and clapped his hands, smiling

"Brother Xiangping, this spiritual rice looks quite pleasing."

Li Qiuyang had achieved the Profound Landscape Wheel last month, having made a Profound Landscape Spiritual Oath in the clan ancestral hall and learned several spells. The child was now ten years old, and as his features matured, he had become quite handsome, looking somewhat like an adult.

He had originally accumulated eighty-one strands of spiritual power a year ago, but unfortunately, he fell short at the critical moment of condensing the Profound Landscape Wheel. He had to spend another year regulating his breath to recover his spiritual power, and he was nearly being caught up to by Liu Ruxuan.

"Not bad."

Li Xiangping was also full of smiles, his magical power circulating endlessly, having already achieved the Circulating Wheel stage.

Tian Yun was pregnant with twins, set to give the Li family a son and a daughter, which made him beam with joy. The old man looked at the children repeatedly; following the clan's generational naming convention, the boy was named Li Xuanfeng and the girl Li Jingtian.

"The White Essence Fruit is not yet ripe, but the spiritual rice harvest is finished. Let's take it back first."

The village laborers behind them had already used knives to trim the leaves of the rice one by one and tied them with coarse rope before daring to carry them in pairs. The leaves of this spiritual rice were as sharp as blades, and the men had suffered quite a bit.

Upon reaching the foot of Lijing Mountain, a thin mist began to spread. Li Yesheng said solemnly to the group behind him

"Stay close! If you fall into this array, watch your lives!"

The laborers hurriedly complied. The group stepped onto the stone path to reach the mountain peak. After placing the bundles of spiritual rice in the courtyard, Li Xiangping waved his hand

"Take them down."

Removing the spiritual rice from the stalks required the use of magical power, followed by specific hand seals to husk the grain to ensure the spiritual energy of the rice was not lost.

In the process of harvesting spiritual rice, mortals could only perform the cutting with Golden Light-infused sickles and the transport; the truly vital stages required cultivators.

"Third Uncle! Cousin!"

Li Xuanxuan walked out from the courtyard and cupped his hands toward Li Qiuyang and Li Xiangping. He was now over seven years old, his frame gradually filling out, and his face bore a striking resemblance to the late Li Changhu.

"Xuanxuan, come here."

Seeing Li Xuanxuan walking toward Li Qiuyang, Li Xiangping's expression changed, and he quickly called him over. Once Li Xuanxuan was seated beside him, he smiled and said

"This child's spiritual apertures were detected before the New Year. He is cultivating at great speed; I estimate he will be able to refine the Profound Landscape Wheel in a few months."

Listening from the side, Li Xuanxuan was stunned. Doubts arose in his heart as he thought secretly

"The family clearly did not measure my bone structure nor pass down any techniques. Third Uncle's words..."

However, his face remained smiling as he nodded toward a wide-eyed, envious Li Qiuyang.

"Xuan'er is truly amazing!"

Li Qiuyang couldn't help but praise him, feeling a sense of shame when thinking about how it had taken him two years to condense his Profound Landscape Wheel.

After a few moments of small talk, once Li Tongya arrived up the mountain, Li Xuanxuan withdrew. The group spent several hours removing the rice from the stalks and dehulling them. Li Mutian packed them into bags, lifted them lightly, and said

"One hundred and twenty catties of spiritual rice, and forty catties of spiritual bran."

"We can harvest another crop in two years. This should be enough for the offerings."

Li Xiangping saw off Li Qiuyang and placed the two bags of rice and bran on the table to inspect them. Seeing the grains as bright and beautiful as white jade, he let out a sigh of admiration before placing the rice inside the house. He whispered to Li Tongya

"Xuanxuan's physique has stabilized at seven years old; it is time for him to begin cultivation."

Li Tongya froze for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully, following Li Xiangping into the house.

A charcoal fire burned in the house. The elderly tended to sleep a lot in winter, and Li Mutian had already retired early. Only Li Xuanxuan remained in the hall, leaning against the stove to warm himself.

Inside the house, Li Xuanxuan watched the snowflakes falling in the mountains, staring blankly at the silver-clad Lijing Mountain. Seeing the two men, he quickly stood up and asked

"Third Uncle, why did you tell Cousin that I am almost able to refine the Profound Landscape Wheel? If I do not actually possess those spiritual apertures, wouldn't that be an embarrassment..."

Li Xiangping carefully closed the doors and windows, made a shushing gesture toward Li Xuanxuan, and said deeply

"Follow me."

Li Xuanxuan immediately fell silent and obediently followed behind Li Xiangping to a blue-brick house at the deepest part of the courtyard.

Li Xiangping took out a key, removed the lock from the door, pushed it open gently, and whispered to Li Xuanxuan

"Come in."

Seeing Li Xiangping's solemn expression, Li Xuanxuan felt uneasy. He saw that the room was quite spacious, with only a blue stone platform in the center, upon which sat a greyish-blue mirror.

Incense burned in the room, smelling calming and soothing. Li Xuanxuan glanced at Li Xiangping and saw him staring quietly at the mirror, so he did not dare to speak.

(End of Chapter)