From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 262 A Bountiful Harvest, Making an Example of Someone Else

Centered on the sacred mountain stream, the area within a radius of forty to fifty miles was the scope of everyone's movements.

The group scattered and searched for spiritual plants and treasures in various places.

The five members of the Xu family split up: Xu Xiaohou and Zhongxu went together, while Xu Xiaoniu went with Likun and Yiqing.

"Father, let's search here. I think the terrain here is suitable for growing second-tier spiritual plants."

Zhongxu and his father hovered in the low sky for a while before choosing a cliff with steep terrain.

He possesses the spiritual roots of wood and earth, and cultivates the "Immortal Farmer's Yuan-Building Technique," making him extremely skilled at finding spiritual plants.

The two landed and began their search.

In this deep mountain forest, the lush vegetation is very dense, with flowers, grasses and trees covering the mountains and fields.

Unlike family territories where spiritual plants are neatly arranged in a spiritual plant garden, each one clearly distinguishable, here the spiritual plants are scattered among the dense ordinary plants, making them difficult to find.

However, this was simple for Chung-wook.

"A Tier 1 Spirit Plant, Heartleaf Grass, thirty years old, is too young."

"A first-tier spiritual plant, the Jade Vine Orchid, fifty years old. Harvesting this is too much trouble, so forget it."

"Is this a first-tier spirit plant companion vine?"

Zhongxu discovered a spiritual plant he had never seen before.

Although he had never seen it before, he cultivated the Immortal Farmer's Foundation Building Technique and also memorized the "Illustrated Compendium of Spiritual Plants" preserved in the family library.

Xu Fugui personally wrote and illustrated the "Illustrated Compendium of Spiritual Plants" bestowed upon him by the Guanding Spiritual Fruit, and kept it in the family library as a family resource.

"First-grade spiritual plant, Chai Xin, eighty years old, harvested."

"A first-tier spiritual plant..."

A 100-year-old first-tier spiritual plant costs around thirty spirit stones, while some rare varieties can reach fifty spirit stones.

If the product is less than 100 years old, the price will be significantly reduced.

Especially for first-tier spiritual plants that are twenty or thirty years old, the price is only two or three spirit stones.

Therefore, Xu Zhongxu only harvests first-tier spiritual plants that are over eighty years old.

Even though he was picky, he picked more than a dozen spiritual plants in no time.

Without a storage pouch, he used his spiritual power to suspend the spiritual plants around his body.

Xu Xiaohou, who was several dozen meters away from him, had only picked two spiritual plants in the same amount of time. He wasn't interested in the family's "Illustrated Compendium of Spiritual Plants" and couldn't distinguish which were spiritual plants and which were ordinary plants.

One of the two spiritual plants he picked was grown in the spiritual land of Xujia Ruan Mountain, which he often saw and therefore recognized.

Another spiritual plant exudes a faint spiritual aura.

He turned to look at Zhongxu and saw that he had already picked more than a dozen spiritual plants: "Xu'er, you picked so many spiritual plants in such a short time?"

“Father, don’t forget my spiritual roots. I have thoroughly studied the spiritual plant encyclopedia in our house. These spiritual plants are as conspicuous to me as fireflies at night.”

"Haha, as expected of my son."

Xu Xiaohou asked with pride, "By the way, can you take a look at this one? Is it a spiritual plant?"

He asked Zhongxu to help him identify the unknown spiritual plant in his hand.

"Yes, it's just that the number of years is a bit small, around fifty years."

"..."

Xu Xiaohou discovered Zhongxu's extraordinary abilities and began to inquire about them frequently, asking whenever he was unsure, "Xu'er, is this a spiritual plant?"

"No."

"This one has a touch of spiritual energy."

"Not at all."

"Then this one..."

"That plant is a first-tier spiritual plant, sixty years old."

After repeating this process more than ten times, Zhongxu found himself frequently interrupted. Although he could help his father identify spiritual plants, his own efficiency in searching for spiritual plants decreased significantly.

So he said, "Father, you rest. I can do it. The spiritual plants I find by myself are equivalent to those found by five or six other people. That's enough for both of us."

"Just help me carry the spiritual plants."

"OK."

Xu Xiaohou also noticed the problem, so he stopped bothering Zhongxu.

Half a day later, the two had searched the entire area within a three- to five-mile radius.

The two carried a large number of spiritual plants with them, including more than eighty first-tier spiritual plants and two second-tier spiritual plants.

"Xu'er, let's go back first and hand over these spoils."

Xu Xiaohou suggested that they had so much to carry that they couldn't possibly take it all with them.

"Okay, submit a batch first."

Just as Zhongxu finished speaking, a beastly roar came from not far away.

The two turned their heads to look at each other at the same time, probing with their divine senses.

In this unfamiliar place deep in the mountains and forests, the two remained on high alert. The moment the beast roared, they spotted the demon wolf peeking out from behind a rock a hundred meters away.

"A first-tier demonic beast?"

Judging from his aura, Zhongxu estimated that his strength was roughly equivalent to that of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

In front of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a first-tier demonic beast is no different from an ordinary cat or dog.

The wolf demon clearly realized that the two were not to be trifled with, and with a whimper, it tucked its tail between its legs and shrank its neck, fleeing for its life.

"Let it go, haha."

Xu Xiaohou was in a good mood and did not pursue the first-tier demon wolf.

The two of them took off into the air with the spiritual plants and flew towards the depths of the mountain stream spiritual land.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the mountain cliff, there is a spacious cave that has been newly carved out.

At the entrance of the cave, Xiang Chunying was waiting for everyone to bring back the spiritual plants they had found.

Beside her was Tuoba Luopu, who assisted her and did odd jobs.

At this moment, Xiang Chunying saw two groups of "spiritual plants" flying in from a distance.

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that two people had flown back carrying a large number of spiritual plants.

"so much?"

Xiang Chunying was surprised that the two of them had found so many spiritual plants in just half a day.

The two saluted after landing.

"Paying a visit to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief is a great achievement for us."

"good."

Xiang Chunying nodded slightly. She glanced at them and saw that these first-tier spiritual plants were generally over eighty years old, which clearly showed that these two people knew about spiritual plants.

The Xiang family of Gu Nan City is most famous for its "spiritual plants," with more than 80% of its members practicing wood-based cultivation techniques.

Xiang Chunying is also extremely familiar with spiritual plants, and can identify the type and age of a spiritual plant at a glance.

She thought to herself: Even if she went to search for spiritual plants herself, the efficiency would be just like this.

"Your names, I will register your winnings."

"Xu Xiaohou".

"Xu Zhongxu".

"You two have harvested eighty-five Tier 1 spiritual plants, most of which are over eighty years old. There are also two Tier 2 spiritual plants: a 150-year-old Morning Sunflower and a 180-year-old Gray Rock Wood."

Xiang Chunying scanned the plants with her divine sense, counted them clearly, and at the same time gave Tuoba Luopu a look, signaling him to put the spiritual plants away safely.

Tuoba Luopu started working without saying a word. He deserved to be treated like a slave after taking the Heart-Corroding Pill.

If he weren't a wicked demonic cultivator, he wouldn't have received this treatment.

Fortunately, as long as he leaves the desolate mountains alive, Xiang Liuyun promises to set him free.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chung-wook and Seo Hyo-hoo went to search for spiritual plants again.

"This half-day's harvest adds up to at least two thousand spirit stones!"

Xu Xiaohou said excitedly. Most of those first-tier spiritual plants were less than a hundred years old, but they were worth an average of more than twenty spirit stones. If we calculate it at twenty spirit stones, eighty plants would be worth a thousand six hundred spirit stones.

The price of second-tier spirit plants varies considerably, ranging from two to three hundred spirit stones per plant to five to six hundred spirit stones. This price is for plants that are two hundred years old; prices are discounted for plants younger than two hundred years old.

The two of them just now roughly calculated that they had gained a little over two thousand spirit stones.

This is a considerable sum; many Qi Refining families only have two or three thousand family spirit stones in total.

"Indeed, coming to the Wilderness Mountains was the right decision!"

Zhongxu was equally excited.

When he was in the family, he did nothing all day and could do nothing.

It's more fulfilling to earn resources for the family now.

"We can't think like that. We must not be careless; danger and opportunity go hand in hand."

Seeing him say this, Xu Xiaohou quickly advised him, worried that he might become arrogant and careless. This was only the first few days since they arrived at the Wilderness Mountains; there was still a long way to go.

No matter how much you gain, you still have to get out alive.

If one unfortunately dies later, all the gains will be in vain.

"Yes, Dad, I will be careful."

Zhongxu nodded in agreement.

The two then searched for spiritual plants in another location, and again, they reaped a bountiful harvest after half a day.

With the energy of practitioners, they can go without sleep for a short period of time without any problems.

The next day, Chung-wook and Seo Hyo-hoo discovered that most of the surrounding area had been searched.

Although many "escaped the net" and some spiritual plants were not discovered, the efficiency of searching for spiritual plants has obviously decreased.

It's worth mentioning that the nearby monsters all fled because of their search.

The demonic beasts were all quite intelligent, especially the second-tier ones, whose intelligence was similar to that of ordinary humans. They knew how to seek advantage and avoid harm. Faced with so many powerful human beings nearby, they fled without resistance.

By the third day, there were even fewer spiritual plants around, and it often took a long time to find one.

They plundered all the spiritual plant resources that had been nurtured in this second-tier spiritual land.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Outside the mountain cave.

Led by Xiang Zhiye and Xiang Chunying, the group gathered.

The numerous cultivators were all beaming with joy, their faces radiant with happiness, a far cry from the solemnity they had shown upon arrival.

They originally thought that coming to the Wilderness Mountains was a dangerous war, but they found that they were searching for spiritual plants and had a very good harvest.

They plundered all the spiritual plant resources in a second-tier spiritual land, and each of them reaped a considerable harvest.

In the outside world, especially for those independent cultivators, it is very difficult to earn even a little bit of spirit stones.

Here, you can easily find a first-tier spiritual plant and earn twenty or thirty spirit stones.

You should know that the salary of Foundation Establishment Immortal Officials is only a dozen or twenty spirit stones a month.

The group whispered among themselves, sharing their findings.

Zhongxu and Xu Xiaohou harvested 5,000 spirit stones worth of spiritual plants on the first day. They harvested less in the next two days, totaling less than 3,000 spirit stones over the two days.

In three days, I have gained a total of eight thousand spirit stones!
Xu Xiaoniu, Li Kun, and Yi Qing had fewer gains. Li Kun had also looked at the family's plant encyclopedia, but he wasn't as knowledgeable as Zhong Xu.

The three of them collected a total of three thousand spirit stones in three days.

The five of them met on the way. Zhongxu knew that he could easily find spiritual plants and had a lot of harvests, so when he handed over the spiritual plants, he registered the harvest under the names of the five of them as the harvest of the Xu family.

Xu Xiaoniu and the other two did the same, registering all their harvest under the names of the five people.

The Xu family members divided the spoils equally.

"Hey, Da Niu, how much are the spiritual plants you've searched for over these three days worth?"

Bailiwei came to inquire out of curiosity.

Xu Xiaoniu laughed and said, "I didn't find many spiritual plants, but my husband Zhongxu practices wood-based techniques and often deals with spiritual plants at home, so he has found a lot of them."

And you? "

Bai Liwei shook his head with a wry smile: "I know that those who cultivate wood-based techniques have an advantage, as do those who understand spiritual plants. Unfortunately, I only know how to refine weapons and know nothing about spiritual plants."

In three days, my uncle and I found spiritual plants worth two thousand spirit stones.

"That's quite a lot, considering it's a resource that was given away for free."

"That's true……"

While everyone was chatting, the group finally gathered.

He shouted to Shino, "Silence!"

The scene fell silent.

He continued, "In three days, you have searched out all the spiritual plant resources in this second-tier spiritual land."

Judging from your joyful expressions and good mood, you must have had a very fruitful experience.

Your storage pouches will be returned shortly, and your spoils will be distributed according to your individual gains.

But before that…

At this point, Xiang Zhiye paused, his gaze fixed on a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator in the crowd.

"You, come forward and speak!"

The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, who was being stared at, stepped forward with a look of surprise on his face.

"Commander Peach Blossom, Xiao Xiu is here."

He kept his head down, not knowing why Shino wanted to see him.

"What's your name? What's your background?"

"Xiao Xiu's name is Li Dan, and he is a rogue cultivator from Qingping County..."

The Qi Refining cultivator replied.

"I told you before that hiding anything is tantamount to disobeying orders, do you remember?"

He questioned Shino sternly.

The Qi Refining cultivator hurriedly replied, "I remember, I wouldn't dare keep it to myself, please, Commander, understand."

"Hmph, do you dare come with me! Do you remember where that second-tier spirit plant you buried in the pit is?"

As a Golden Core cultivator, Xiang Zhiye possessed a very broad range of spiritual consciousness.

If he wanted to investigate, an area within a radius of dozens of miles could be under his surveillance.

Upon arriving at the desolate mountains, and given that the mission was not dangerous, he knew that some of his subordinates would likely hoard supplies.

So he would occasionally use his divine sense to investigate and observe everyone's actions.

Among the discoveries was that Li Dan had placed a second-tier spiritual plant in a self-made wooden box and buried it in a hidden pit.

If it were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they might be able to notice Xiang Zhiye's divine sense.

But Li Dan was only a Qi Refining cultivator and was completely unaware.

As a Qi Refining cultivator, Li Dan's gains over these three days were far less than those of Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, that second-tier spiritual plant was clearly extraordinary, containing a rich spiritual energy.

He became greedy and wanted to hide the second-tier spiritual plant, thinking he would retrieve it when he had the chance.

I didn't expect to be discovered.

After being exposed, he begged for mercy repeatedly: "Commander, I was greedy for a moment, and I know I was wrong. I am willing to hand over the second-tier spiritual plant and give up this harvest."

I don't want any more of the next harvest or the one after that.

No, in the Wilderness Mountains, I am willing to risk my life for the Commander. All spoils will be handed over as punishment, and I, Xiao Xiu, will not take a single penny…”

"shut up!"

Xiang Zhiye interrupted him, the pressure from the Golden Core cultivator preventing him from uttering any words of begging for mercy.

"I warned you beforehand that hoarding is tantamount to disobeying military orders. This man is to be executed immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Zhiye made no move, and a divine sense rushed straight to Li Dan's crown.

"Boom~~"

An invisible ripple spread out.

Li Dan's soul died out, and his body went limp as he fell from the sky.

(End of this chapter)