Chapter 52: Summoning

Qin Lang was indifferent; any piece of land would do.

As a young master of a Marquis's manor, Qin Lang had never farmed before. Even though his father was a county magistrate, he knew nothing about cultivation.

In terms of farming, Qin Lang was even less capable than Qin Bi.

At the very least, Qin Bi had farmed while living away from home with the third branch of the family.

Just as the two had reached an agreement, Rong Yan and Luo Xun arrived. Rong Yan said, "This area won't work. The compacted soil here is the hardest to deal with; you can't even dig into it. Those plots over there are decent; let's go there."

Rong Yan pointed toward a location adjacent to where others were reclaiming land. Qin Bi also disliked the soil here and followed Qin Lang over. Upon arrival, she saw that the soil texture was looser, though it was quite arid.

It was so dry it lacked any moisture at all; this would depend on how powerful their summoned magical artifacts were.

Everyone selected a plot and dispersed. Qin Bi went to a spot on one side. She grabbed a handful of soil; it was incredibly dry. Looking back, she saw that Rong Yan, Qin Xun, and Qin Lang had already produced their summoning artifacts.

Some artifacts were inscribed with vines, others with streams.

"Reclaiming and planting requires Wood, Water, and Earth elements," Rong Yan explained to everyone, then asked Qin Bi, "Did you bring a summoning artifact? Wood element is the easiest to summon, preferably an artifact inscribed with plants."

Qin Bi took out an artifact inscribed with small dots. "Mine is Water element."

Qin Bi had summoned rain before. Rong Yan nodded. "That works. You can summon it bit by bit. With our talent, we can't summon heavy rain all at once, and the coverage will be small."

Qin Lang and Qin Xun listened from the side. After Rong Yan gave his instructions, he went back to his own plot of reclaimed land.

It was already mid-morning. Everyone began tidying up their respective plots of reclaimed land. Qin Bi looked elsewhere; in the distance, several people dressed as scholars were summoning a rain shower that fell upon the ground.

Everyone went about their own business. There were also several women and elderly men summoning vines to reclaim the land.

Qin Bi withdrew her gaze and roughly cleared her own plot. It wasn't large—only half a *fen*. She couldn't take on more yet; she hadn't even learned to walk, so it was better to take things slow.

After working for a while, Qin Bi stood still. She glanced at the others, took a tea bowl, and began chanting. A light rain began to fall from the sky, neither too large nor too small, just barely covering her half-*fen* of land.

Qin Bi smiled. Good. It didn't suit her character to let the rain soak someone else's field.

She could not only summon water, but Qin Bi also tested her water manipulation and found it quite decent. She distributed a gentle, light rain evenly across the field, and the soil slowly became moist.

Rong Yan took a look and sighed. "The rain is a bit too light."

The area of the rain was also small; the parched soil wouldn't be fully saturated anytime soon.

Near noon, Qin Bi's light rain stopped. It wasn't that she didn't want to continue; she simply couldn't summon more. Since it wasn't raining, it wasn't raining. Qin Bi inspected her land, took her tea bowl, and decided to stop chanting spells.

"Wind," Qin Bi summoned directly.

Instantly, a gentle breeze was summoned. Qin Bi felt it; it was somewhat like a spring breeze, not particularly cold. She checked her summoning artifact; it was quite good. She stood in her field while other winds blew coldly.

Qin Lang summoned soil-loosening flowers, Qin Xun summoned grass, and Rong Yan summoned bean sprouts.

As lunchtime approached, everyone began to leave one after another. Near the teleportation array, there were offices for the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, as well as ordinary restaurants. Those with better means went to restaurants, while those with fewer resources ate the flatbreads they had brought and drank some water to make do.

Rong Yan and his group went to a restaurant, ordered two dishes, and requested over a dozen flatbreads.

Qin Bi felt full after eating just a little. She saw Lin Yao coming down from upstairs. Their eyes met, and Qin Bi averted her gaze. Lin Yao found it amusing; well, this way he saved a meal. He had originally intended to order two dishes for the Consort of the Heir.

This was fine too. There was always comparison among strategists. If the Heir's wife lacked ability, it would be embarrassing for him among his former classmates. Although Lin Yao didn't care, there was always a sense of comparison among the scholars.

After eating, everyone sat for a moment before rising to leave.

"Let's go register our reclaimed land first," Rong Yan led the way.

When they arrived at the Ministry of Works office, no one was at the tables set up outside. Rong Yan looked around, and a young official, seeing people arriving to register, put down his meal and walked over.

"How large a plot did you select?" the Scribe asked.

"Half a *fen*," Rong Yan replied.

The young Scribe took his attendants, grabbed his brush and ink, and said, "Lead the way. I will go check the locations."

Qin Bi followed the group as they went to several people's plots.

The Scribe inspected them, holding his brush and recording with sweeping, elegant strokes, exuding an air of scholarship. Rong Yan's land was recorded first, followed by Qin Lang and Qin Xun. With just a few words, the Scribe could discern the backgrounds of these individuals.

When he reached Qin Bi, the Scribe was momentarily surprised. The wife of Heir Rong—rarely did such a person know to come and reclaim land. This Consort's status was indeed somewhat low and would not be of much help to the young Heir.

The other Consort from the Marquis of Qin Yan's manor was quite good, possessing both good fortune and talent. However, the Scribe did not concern himself with such things; his only responsibility was reclamation. Being able to clear a plot of land suitable for planting was the true skill.

The Scribe glanced at the group's plots, but someone called for him. He said, "If there is business, come find me at the government office near the teleportation array."

With that, he led his men away.

Rong Yan summoned his bean sprouts again. Qin Bi stood still and summoned a light rain. The winter was dry and cold, with not a single cloud in the sky. Feeling helpless, Qin Bi could only summon a light drizzle.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qin Bi summoned the wind again, which swept the light rain down toward the ground.

Qin Bi even waved her hand to strike at it. This move was extraordinary; suddenly, the wind shifted and blew back, and the drizzling rain instantly turned into a downpour, crashing heavily against the ground.

Qin Bi: "..."

Incredible. Qin Bi waved her hand to manipulate the water; the wind carried the rain, and the rain followed the wind. This heavy downpour fell with great momentum, like the awakening of all things in spring, followed by a winter wind.

In any case, the rain would fall in bursts and then pause.

Rong Yan and the others were not far, but they weren't close either, and they were all busy, so they didn't notice.

About half an hour later, estimating that the rain had soaked through the soil, Qin Bi ran to find the Scribe, with Qin Lang following.

"Need a hoe?" The Scribe sized Qin Bi up.

Qin Bi nodded. "Yes, to turn the soil."

The Scribe nodded to his subordinate, and someone immediately brought a hoe.

Qin Lang took it, and Qin Bi followed him back. She began to turn the soil bit by bit.

There were various ways to reclaim land, and turning soil was not uncommon. However, powerful cultivators would not use physical strength to reclaim land; they would solve it with a single immortal spell. Only those without such ability had to turn the soil manually.

Fortunately, it wasn't much land. Qin Bi had planted before, so after some effort, she finished turning one *fen* of land. Her half-*fen* had become one *fen*. The rain had been unpredictable, and as the area expanded, she turned all the parts that had been rained upon.

Qin Bi was exhausted. She then summoned another light rain. Let it rain; she didn't care anymore.

The Scribe wandered over and looked at the rainwater, completely bewildered.

He grabbed a handful of soil and crushed it. The Scribe was astonished and said to Qin Bi with excitement, "This field of yours is ready for crops!"

(End of Chapter)