Chapter 52: Shennong's Planting Technique

Chapter 52: Shennong's Planting Technique

The living conditions at the Medicine Manor were naturally poor, consisting mostly of large communal dormitories. Arranging housing for the male laborers was easy, but when it came to Hua Changxi, Mao Yong faced a dilemma.

He wanted to make things difficult for Hua Changxi, but the thought that this girl was someone even the one-armed Guo Yu feared made him not dare to act recklessly.

To discipline Hua Changxi, there had to be a justifiable reason; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to retain a Grandmaster.

After thinking it over, Mao Yong finally brought Hua Changxi to the livestock yard and pointed to a thatched hut next to the gate. "You'll stay in this room!"

The Sancha Medicine Manor managed several thousand acres of medicinal fields and connected mountains, including the medicinal valley at the foot of the mountain. It was difficult to manage so much land with manpower alone, so they kept dozens of oxen and over ten hunting dogs.

Additionally, the manor frequently transported medicinal materials for the Medical Bureau and required horses, so they also raised dozens of them.

In the livestock yard, not only was the air thick with the smell of ox and horse manure, but one also had to be careful not to be bitten by the hunting dogs. Mao Yong felt quite smug about arranging Hua Changxi to live here.

Seeing Hua Changxi surveying the livestock yard without saying a word, Mao Yong laughed. "What, don't want to live here? If you truly are unwilling, I won't force you. You can sleep in the communal dormitories—if you dare."

Hua Changxi glanced at him. "A private room and courtyard; I am very satisfied. Thank you, Manager Mao."

Hearing this, the smile vanished from Mao Yong's face. "As long as you're satisfied." With that, he turned and left.

The smell in the yard was too heavy. Only after Mao Yong had left did Hua Changxi raise her hand to cover her nose and walk into the thatched hut.

The interior was even worse than the exterior—dirty and messy. More than half the space was used to pile up miscellaneous items, leaving only a bed made of several joined wooden planks in the corner.

The bed was covered in straw, and atop the straw lay a tattered quilt whose original color was indistinguishable from the grime.

Looking at the room where there was hardly space to step, Hua Changxi walked out, circled the yard, and seeing no one, went to close the gate.

Before returning to the hut, Hua Changxi stood by the window. With a single application of the Disintegration Technique, she turned the straw and the dilapidated quilt on the wooden bed into fine powder.

Then, activating the Immaculate Technique, a whirlwind instantly erupted inside the room.

At the doorway, dust flew wildly, and soon, the dust was blown far away.

When Hua Changxi stepped back into the hut, although it was still cluttered, it was finally clean and free of the foul odor.

After tidying up the clutter slightly to clear some living space, Hua Changxi sat on the wooden bed, took out the steamed buns and pickles from her bundle, and began to eat slowly.

Once finished, she leaned down, closed her eyes, and began practicing the Little Bird Breathing Method.

Soon, Hua Changxi opened her eyes in pleasant surprise.

The spiritual energy here at the Medicine Manor was even denser than at the Medical Bureau.

It made sense; this was the place where the Primordial Spirit Grass grew. Without sufficient spiritual energy, how could such a plant exist?

She had to hurry and figure out the situation here. The sooner she found the Primordial Spirit Grass and refined the Primordial Spirit Pill, the faster she could raise her cultivation realm.

Immersing herself fully in cultivation restored her physical strength and energy much faster and better than sleeping.

After traveling for a day and a night, although Hua Changxi wasn't extremely exhausted, she had still consumed a significant amount of physical strength. Before long, she was immersed in her cultivation.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

"Open the door! Open it, quickly!"

*Woof! Woof! Woof!*

Immersed in cultivation, Hua Changxi was unaware of the passage of time. When she was awakened by the knocking, she realized it was already dark.

"Is the person inside dead? Someone, ram the door open!"

Mao Wei was shouting for someone to ram the door when it opened with a creak.

Seeing Hua Changxi walking out from inside, Mao Wei was stunned. He took a few fearful steps back and pointed at her. "You... why are you here?"

Hua Changxi glanced at Mao Wei and then at the dozen or so men behind him.

Each of them held a majestic hunting dog on a leash.

"I am here to help with the planting of medicinal materials."

Female laborers usually came to the Medicine Manor as punishment. Even though Mao Wei knew this, he didn't dare say anything at this moment. There was no choice; he couldn't win a fight. He could only signal his men to quickly lead the hunting dogs into the yard.

*Woof! Woof! Woof!*

The hunting dogs barked incessantly at the newcomer.

An ordinary young lady would likely be terrified by so many hunting dogs. Seeing that Hua Changxi's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, Mao Wei thought to himself that she wasn't a woman.

Noticing his subordinates staring at Hua Changxi with glowing eyes, he didn't bother to warn them. After leading the dogs back to the kennel, he hurried away.

The others also rushed off to eat, though they gave Hua Changxi meaningful glances before following.

Frowning, Hua Changxi closed the gate, returned to the thatched hut, and closed her eyes to continue cultivating. Just as the spiritual energy had completed a few cycles, the gate was knocked on again.

This time, the newcomers were leading oxen. As dozens of oxen were led into the yard, the air instantly became suffocating.

Just like the men with the hunting dogs, these people also studied Hua Changxi with strange eyes for a moment.

With a dark expression, Hua Changxi patiently waited for them to leave. Once they were gone, just as she was about to close the gate, a youth as thin as a bamboo pole walked out from the entrance.

"Do you need something?"

The youth pointed to the thatched hut. "I want to get my bedding."

Hua Changxi was stunned. "You lived here before?"

The youth nodded.

Thinking of the tattered quilt she had disintegrated, Hua Changxi felt quite guilty. "That... I'm sorry. I was cleaning the room earlier and accidentally burned your bedding."

The youth's expression turned anxious, as if he wanted to say something, but finally, he lowered his head and turned away dejectedly, preparing to leave.

"Wait a moment."

Hua Changxi called out to the youth, ran back into the hut, took a piece of broken silver from her bundle, and handed it to him. "I am truly sorry. I thought the room was unoccupied."

"Is there a place to buy things near the manor? Take this silver and go buy a new quilt."

Looking at the silver in Hua Changxi's hand, the youth shook his head. "My bedding wasn't worth much."

Seeing this, Hua Changxi directly pressed the silver into the youth's hand. "I burned your bedding without your permission; I ought to compensate you. Furthermore, I've made you waste your time going to buy a new one. Take the silver, otherwise, I will feel very uneasy."

The youth looked at Hua Changxi, holding the silver with some awkwardness.

Hua Changxi paused. "Is there anything else? I am quite tired. If you are finished, I need to rest."

The youth shook his head. "I'm fine now."

Hua Changxi: "Then I'm closing the gate."

Looking at the tightly closed gate, the youth gripped the silver in his hand, stood for a moment, and then turned to leave.

Hearing his footsteps fade away, Hua Changxi breathed a sigh of relief, but her brow furrowed again when she saw the messy yard.

*Woof! Woof! Woof!*

*Moo~*

*Hiss~*

In the livestock yard, the stables were to the north, the ox sheds to the east, and the dog kennels to the west. The barking of dogs, lowing of oxen, and neighing of horses drifted continuously over the yard.

The thatched hut was located to the south, right next to the gate; the person living here was essentially a gatekeeper.

Hua Changxi truly could not stand the stench in the yard. With a wave of her hand, a gust of wind swept through, instantly freshening the air. Only then did she turn back into the hut to continue her cultivation.

Once Hua Changxi began practicing the Little Bird Breathing Method, the hunting dogs, horses, and oxen that had been making noise in the yard fell silent one after another. Upon closer observation, one would find that the animals were all in the exact same posture—kneeling and prostrate on the ground.

***

"Brother, do you know? That Hua Changxi has arrived at the Medicine Manor."

Mao Yong looked at his brother, who had rushed into the room shouting, with a headache. "I'm the one who went to pick her up. How could I not know?"

Mao Wei rubbed his jaw; because he had lost a molar, his face looked slightly lopsided. "Brother, Hua Changxi has come onto our turf. You must vent my anger for me."

Mao Yong glanced at him. "Don't worry, I won't let her have an easy time. But remember, you are not allowed to provoke her."

Thinking of Hua Changxi's martial prowess, Mao Wei certainly wouldn't seek trouble for himself. "Brother, how do you plan to deal with her?"

Mao Yong smiled faintly. "A woman has come to the manor, and she's quite good-looking. Do you think the male laborers will be able to 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 harm someone, I will go to Elder You to seek justice."

Mao Wei's face lit up with joy. "Brother, you always have a way."

Mao Yong looked at his brother. "Bullying a young lady lacks the character of a man. Fortunately, we aren't being underhanded with her; we are using an open scheme. It remains to be seen if she will take the bait."

The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Hua Changxi opened her eyes. There was a well in the yard; after drawing water and washing up, she prepared to eat breakfast. Just as she opened the gate, she saw two burly male laborers walking toward her.

"Yo, sister, you're up early! We were just thinking of coming over to wake you up."

"Did you sleep well last night, sister? The weather is still a bit cold. Is it lonely sleeping alone? Do you want your brothers to come keep you company tonight?"

Seeing the two approaching, Hua Changxi quickened her pace to bypass them, creating distance. She didn't respond and simply walked away quickly.

Seeing this, the two laborers didn't dare to openly chase her, so they could only mutter curses as they entered the yard to feed the animals.

After seeing them enter, Hua Changxi turned back, stood at the gate, released a burst of spiritual energy, and then hurried away again.

A moment later, the yard erupted with frantic barking, followed shortly by screams of pain.

Hua Changxi entered the dining area. Ignoring the stares of those around her, she went to the kitchen to get her food. Seeing that the tables in the courtyard were already occupied, she sat directly on the stone steps under the eaves to eat.

Seeing her behavior, Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow, while Mao Yong and Mao Wei exchanged silent glances. Others began to whisper.

Just then, someone rushed into the courtyard.

"Manager Mao, something bad has happened! The hunting dogs in the livestock yard have gone mad! They are relentlessly biting A-Guang and A-Bing!"

Upon hearing this, Mao Yong and Mao Wei both looked toward Hua Changxi, and even Zhu Yu looked over.

Hua Changxi remained unmoved, continuing to eat her meal.

Mao Yong glanced at Hua Changxi and then led Mao Wei and the others to the livestock yard.

Upon learning that the two laborers' subordinates had been bitten by the dogs and it was uncertain if they would ever be fit for work again, both Mao Yong and Mao Wei felt their legs go weak.

Mao Yong questioned the two men, but since there was no evidence that Hua Changxi had caused the dogs to go mad, he could only treat the incident as an accident.

After breakfast, it was time to assign duties.

Hua Changxi was assigned to the medicinal fields near the foot of the mountain. These fields were quite hard and dry, making planting difficult, and watering and fertilizing required traveling a long distance. It was the area the manor staff least wanted to manage.

Knowing that Mao Yong was intentionally making things difficult for her, Hua Changxi didn't complain. She took her tools and seedlings and went to work.

*[Shennong's Planting Technique (Beginner): Planting Mortal Plants 1/10]*

As Hua Changxi planted a seedling into the field, the familiar data appeared in her vision.

Once she had planted ten, her mind was filled with various knowledge regarding the planting of mortal plants. These included not only medicinal herbs but also grains and other foods.

"This..."

Thinking that Shennong was both the ancestor of medicine and the ancestor of agriculture, Hua Changxi felt a sense of realization.

She had originally come here only to find the Primordial Spirit Grass, but she hadn't expected this extra harvest. This made her very happy, and to upgrade her data, she worked with exceptional diligence.

Mao Wei was patrolling the fields with a hunting dog, 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 actually the most efficient worker there.

He wanted to criticize her for not being serious, but her planting was perfectly up to standard, and even better than many of the veteran planters in the manor.

Unable to find any fault, Mao Wei could only leave in frustration.

*[Shennong's Planting Technique (Proficient): Planting Mortal Plants 100/100]*

Upon reaching one hundred seedlings, Hua Changxi received various knowledge and related techniques for harvesting spiritual plants and spiritual grains.

The techniques included: Soil Turning, Pest Removal, Pest Repelling, Fertilizing, Spiritual Rain, Temperature and Humidity Control, as well as how to set up Spirit Gathering Arrays and Spiritual Shields.

Learning so many spells made Hua Changxi extremely happy.

*[Shennong's Planting Technique (Master): Planting Mortal Plants 1000/1000]*

Upon reaching one thousand seedlings, Hua Changxi received the knowledge of how to cultivate Divine Plants.

Although she wanted to learn the entire technique as quickly as possible, Hua Changxi intentionally slowed her pace. She had not forgotten that she came to the Sancha Medicine Manor to find the Primordial Spirit Grass; she did not want to finish her work too early and be sent back to the Labor Hall.

Knowing that Mao Yong and Mao Wei would be watching her closely in the coming days, what Hua Changxi needed to do was ensure they could find no fault, giving them no opportunity to call for a Grandmaster.

Unless absolutely necessary, she did not want to make an enemy of a Grandmaster.

Even if she wasn't afraid of them, if a Grandmaster took notice of her, finding the Primordial Spirit Grass would likely become much more difficult.

Following this principle, she endured all sorts of harassment from the male laborers, only quietly retaliating in secret.

A female laborer had arrived at the manor, and the men all wanted to take advantage of her.

However, this female laborer was somewhat uncanny.

On her second day, two male laborers tried to take advantage of her while feeding the livestock; their subordinates were bitten by the hunting dogs.

On her third day, two more tried to take advantage of her while feeding the animals, but they accidentally fell into a steaming pile of ox manure and swallowed a large mouthful of it.

On her fourth day, four male laborers went to the livestock yard at the same time, only to encounter a stampeding herd of horses; all of them ended up with broken legs.

By her fifth day, the men no longer dared to go deep into the livestock yard. They tried to intercept Hua Changxi at the foot of the mountain to drag her into the woods, but instead, they encountered a wild boar in the forest. While fleeing, they fell into hunting traps, resulting in two deaths on the spot.

After that, even the most lustful men did not dare to go near Hua Changxi.