Longzang

Chapter 582 Modern Agriculture

Upon returning to Qingming, Wei Yuan felt uneasy, so he rushed to the herb garden to check on Xu Wenwu, lest he do something outrageous again.

Upon entering the herb garden's protective array, Wei Yuan immediately sensed something was amiss; the array's strength seemed significantly weakened today. Either the herb garden's area had expanded considerably, or it had just been attacked or sabotaged, causing damage to the array.

Wei Yuan scanned the entire herb garden with his divine sense, but he couldn't even see it all? Wei Yuan was taken aback. The area of ​​the herb garden had doubled in size. What was going on?

With another sweep of his divine sense, he located the position of the True Man of the Rice Planting and then teleported there.

There sat the Taoist priest and Xu Wenwu under the shade of an ancient tree. The ground was covered with soft, woven golden grass, and the tables and chairs were made of spirit wood that was at least five hundred years old. On the table was a red copper hot pot. Steam rose from the pot, and the old Taoist priest and Xu Wenwu sat around the table, enjoying their meal.

Upon closer inspection, Wei Yuan realized that there were not only two people on the table, but also Xu Shiba, a mink, and a snake. The three people and three beasts were enjoying their meal immensely.

At this moment, the sky was shimmering with colorful light, a special array protecting the entire medicine garden. This kind of array was extremely expensive, and Master Chuhe could not afford it. He had tricked the Jianmu Hall out of this million-dollar array under some pretext and placed it in Qingming.

After that, True Lord Huangyun passed away here, and the seniors in charge of Jianmu Hall stopped mentioning the magic array. Instead, they sent a batch of spirit wood saplings.

At this time, the position of Zhenjun in Jianmu Hall was vacant. There were more than twenty Zhenren below him, and three or four of them had perfected Dharma appearances, but no one mentioned the position of Hall Master, so it was left vacant.

Many disciples in the hall already knew that the True People were waiting for a rare and precious immortal tree to inherit the position of Hall Master.

The old Taoist priest, being in a prime position, was taking advantage of the situation. At that moment, the hot pot was filled with spiritual spring water and used to cook medicinal pills, and everyone, including the beasts, was enjoying themselves immensely.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan arrive, Master Chuhe immediately invited him to sit down, while the flying sable jumped directly onto Wei Yuan's shoulder, gesturing with its little paws. Through its gestures and calls, Wei Yuan finally understood what it meant:
The meat of those creatures working in the fields is delicious. If you like, I'll go and get one to serve later.

Wei Yuan looked in the direction Fei Diao was pointing and saw a large expanse of newly cleared land, almost twice the size of the original herb garden. However, the sudden expansion to such a size exceeded the area of ​​Qingming's own spiritual fields. The spiritual energy was thin at the edges of the newly cleared land, making it difficult for spiritual herbs to survive. He wondered why Master Chuhe would create such a large piece of land.

The old Taoist priest seemed to know what Wei Yuan was thinking. He chuckled, mysteriously took out a small wooden box, and placed it in front of Wei Yuan. When Wei Yuan opened it, he saw six palm-sized, crystal-clear saplings inside.

Wei Yuan was greatly shocked!
These saplings are called Spirit Cage Jade Trees. Once they grow up, they can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on their own, transforming the area around them into a spiritual field. This type of jade tree is the highest-grade configuration for medicine gardens, and all the medicine gardens on the main mountain of the Taichu Palace are planted with this type of tree.

The Spirit Cage Jade Tree was impossible to purchase; it was only through the innate divine powers of the True Lord of Jianmu Palace that it was able to propagate. With the passing of True Lord Huangyun, the Jianmu Palace temporarily severed the lineage of the Spirit Cage Jade Tree. The six trees in the hands of True Man Chuhe might very well be the last remaining stock of the Jianmu Palace.

This item is far too valuable. Wei Yuan asked seriously, "How did you get this?"

Master Chuhe knew this was no time for jokes, and said, "Before my master passed away, he specially gave me this small wooden box, telling me to take it out and use it when I felt the time was right. Today, I had a particularly congenial conversation with Brother Wenwu, and on a whim, I knew it was time to use this treasure box."

Wei Yuan looked at Xu Wenwu, wondering what the guy had said this time. Xu Wenwu felt a little guilty and whispered, "I chatted with Brother Chuhe about what modern agriculture is, and we got along really well. So he expanded the formation and decided to develop this area."

Wei Yuan was just about to say that such a large piece of land, nearly ten thousand acres, was difficult to cultivate with such a small number of people when a rumbling sound came from afar, and a column of smoke rose straight into the sky.

Looking around, Wei Yuan saw Xu Wenwu's toad-shaped chariot slowly approaching, its rear shimmering with light and towing a frame with eight immortal swords planted side by side on it. The chariot moved ahead, while the eight immortal swords stirred up the soil behind it.

The immortal swords continuously emitted sword energy, capable of loosening a patch of ground ten feet wide and seven feet deep in a single breath. The old Taoist's eight swords weren't very effective at killing enemies; using them for loosening the ground was indeed a waste of their potential.

Behind the sword plow followed a group of guinea pigs of unknown species, their fur gleaming with an eerie light, clearly not ordinary beasts. This group numbered in the hundreds, the larger ones the size of foals, the smaller ones only the size of a fist. They burrowed in and out of the soil plowed by the immortal sword, their movements exceptionally agile, turning the earth even finer.

The sword energy remaining in the soil from the old Taoist's immortal sword was completely consumed by the guinea pigs. Wherever they burrowed, the soil fertility increased dramatically, and the spiritual energy became much denser. It seems that these guinea pigs are born with the instinct to care for spiritual herbs and plants, and then feed on spiritual fruits and seeds.

Dozens of cultivators followed behind the guinea pigs. Several of Master Chuhe's fellow disciples walked at the forefront, constantly planting seeds or seedlings into the soil. A row of cultivators behind them watered the plants, and another row of cultivators cast spells to stimulate the growth of the spiritual herbs.

As a group of people slowly walked in, they cleared, planted, and maintained the medicinal garden in one go, and a medicinal garden eight zhang wide stretched out all the way.

While Chuhe Zhenren and Xu Wenwu appeared to be enjoying their meal, their Dao foundations were actually working. They ate with a clear conscience and without any psychological burden.

Judging by this efficiency, Wei Yuan could complete the reclamation of the entire land in about ten days. Then, with the planting of the Spirit Cage Jade Tree, it wouldn't be long before it became a top-grade medicinal herb garden, already reaching a tenth of the size of the Taichu Palace's main mountain. The Taichu Palace's main mountain had accumulated its resources over three thousand years, witnessing the passing of many Immortal Lords, before reaching its current scale. Holding the treasure box in his hands, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

He understood that Huang Yun Zhenjun was actually worried about Chu He, so he entrusted Chu He with these jade trees. With this merit, no matter how Qingming developed in the future, Chu He would always have a place.

Wei Yuan didn't reveal the truth. He sat down, tasted a few bites of the food, and then asked the two of them how they came up with this method.

Master Chuhe then said, "Didn't I just visit the loom workshop? I was deeply impressed at the time, and it reminded me of the phrase 'large-scale production' in the materials written by Brother Wenwu. It just so happens that Brother Wenwu mentioned modern agriculture, and isn't this medicinal herb garden a form of agriculture?"

The so-called modern agriculture in the outer world is essentially based on tractors. Fortunately, Brother Wenwu's Dharma form can also be used as a tractor. I, the old Daoist, will make a plow, call on my fellow disciples for help, and have a few newly promoted Daoists who need to stabilize their cultivation levels assist me. That should be about right.

"But working like this makes us hungry easily, so we have to eat every hour. Hey, cat, what are you doing? You've already caught three guinea pigs! They still need to work, we can't just eat them all!"

The cat reluctantly returned to the table, glancing occasionally at the group of guinea pigs darting in and out of the ground, having lost all appetite for its food.

"What kind of medicinal herbs would be most suitable to grow in this garden?" Wei Yuan continued to ask.

Master Chuhe said, "I have already discussed it with Xu Henshui. This herb garden is newly opened and has not been open for long enough to produce high-grade medicinal herbs. Therefore, it is advisable to use the Five Elements Spirit Ginseng for now. Once these ginsengs have been grown for more than a hundred years, they will become third-grade medicinal herbs. Water and wood spirit ginseng are particularly suitable for this environment, while earth spirit ginseng can increase the effectiveness of the soil. Both are good choices."

Wei Yuan tried hard to recall his limited knowledge of medicinal herbs and pills. In the cultivation world, pills were the primary focus, and the grade of medicinal herbs followed the grade of the pills. First-grade pills corresponded to Body Forging, second-grade pills were Foundation Pills, third, fourth, and fifth-grade pills corresponded to Dharma Form, Realm Control, and the Manifestation of the Realm Control Mind World, respectively, and above that were Immortal Pills.

Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng provides pure spiritual energy and is an important auxiliary ingredient in many elixirs, sometimes even directly replacing the main ingredient. Twenty years of Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng is considered second-tier, and over a hundred years is third-tier. Third-tier Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng is one of the common currencies in the cultivation world, often more useful than immortal silver.

When Wei Yuan first established his medicinal garden, he planted a large quantity of Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng. A batch of Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng planted in the core area of ​​the Azure Netherworld Main Medicinal Garden, growing at a rate more than ten times faster, now possesses medicinal properties equivalent to those of sixty or seventy years old.

Wei Yuan naturally wouldn't object to planting the Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng, especially since it was Xu Henshui's suggestion. Ultimately, the decision on which medicinal herbs sell well rests with the alchemists.

Is it just one kind that amounts to 10,000 mu? Wei Yuan thought that perhaps in the future, Qingming's Five Elements Spirit Ginseng would have to be sold by the kilogram.

After listening to the old Taoist priest Chuhe explain his plan, Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Will planting these spiritual ginseng help your Dharma form?"

The old Taoist priest said, "It helps a little, but not much. However, with enough Nether Crystals, I no longer need it. Come, behold my Dharma Form!"

As the old Taoist Chuhe spoke, he manifested his Dharma form. Wei Yuan usually only saw eight immortal swords; this was the first time he had seen the complete Dharma form of the True Man Chuhe.

The old Taoist's appearance was quite peculiar. In the center was a jade platform with a sword stand, on which were eight sword racks. But at this moment, the sword racks were empty, and the magic swords were plowing the ground outside.

Around the sword seat was a vast, twisted black forest, filled with eerie energy, where vengeful spirits and vengeful ghosts frequently appeared. The blades of grass on the ground were all hideous and terrifying, constantly spewing black gas. Ordinary creatures would faint on the spot upon smelling it and then become food for the grass.

Looking at this forest filled with malevolent energy and ghostly shadows, few would believe the old Taoist wasn't a demonic cultivator. Aside from his less-than-ideal appearance, the old Taoist's dharma image possessed exceptional spiritual power. However, compared to the demonic forest, the sword throne was rather inconspicuous; the dharma image somewhat overshadowed the main subject.

Having seen the image of the farmer hoeing the fields, Wei Yuan had a better understanding of the situation and gained a little more confidence.

The six spirit cage jade trees that Patriarch Huangyun sent were not merely acts of care; he also hoped that Old Daoist Chuhe's path of cultivation could continue for another step. Wei Yuan, who always adhered to the principle of not accepting rewards without merit, naturally understood the meaning of True Monarch Huangyun.

Having a clear understanding of the situation, Wei Yuan left the herb garden to inspect the progress of the land reclamation. The previous batch of refugees who had been purchased were successfully cultivating the land, and more than 100,000 mu of the sixth phase of the million-mu land reclamation project had already been completed, with the pace gradually accelerating and the amount of human fortune they contributed to Wei Yuan increasing day by day.

Wei Yuan was very satisfied after looking around. He then toured several cities, but there was nothing left to see and no one to talk to. So he prepared to go to the Netherworld again to see if those two guys had made any unusual moves.

Just then, a cultivator reported that the caravan of the Desolate Ancestor Tribe had arrived. Wei Yuan was puzzled; he hadn't even had anyone perform the Heavenly Language ritual yet, so how could the caravan have arrived? Had someone secretly performed the ritual behind his back?
Wei Yuan flew directly to the border and saw Tian Yu slowly getting out of the magnificent carriage, supported by two beautiful witches, with two more beauties behind him holding his long tail.

(End of this chapter)