ALL NOVEL Chapter 94: Departure
Summer gave way to autumn.
At Jade Cliff, the thirteen acres of spirit fields bore full and heavy rice panicles, nearly touching the ground, revealing evenly distributed spirit grains within.
Fang Xi, wielding a sickle, began harvesting.
The growth of these Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice plants matched his estimations closely, yielding approximately three hundred pounds of spirit rice per acre.
During this time, Old Daoist Xiu Mu persistently visited with a shameless grin, attempting to introduce Fang Xi to some of his own spirit farmers. However, Fang Xi consistently declined his offers.
Then Wei Yixin arrived, boasting about her recent bountiful expedition outside, and even invited Fang Xi to join her on future island adventures.
Naturally, Fang Xi rolled his eyes and once again refused.
By now, his relationships with both families had significantly grown distant, precisely as he desired.
Within the four-sided courtyard house, Fang Xi had specifically constructed a granary. After storing the last sack of spirit rice, he let out a long sigh.
Even for him, the continuous labor over days left him feeling somewhat weary.After sitting down to meditate and regulate his breath, Fang Xi retrieved the newly harvested spirit rice and cooked a pot of Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice.
Whish! Whish!
Once the rice was fully cooked, Fang Xi lifted the pot lid to reveal a vibrant red cauldron of Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice, still steaming hot.
However, amidst the steam, there was a faintly bloody odor.
Fang Xi picked up his chopsticks and took just one bite before frowning. “Indeed, it’s quite coarse with a slight metallic taste… It’s best not eaten alone but incorporated into other pastries or dishes.”
Despite this, after consuming the Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice, he felt a surge in his internal blood circulation, similar to the effect of eating Beefwood meat.
‘Well, this spirit rice isn’t for me anyway, but for Tai Sui. This should suffice…’
For Tai Sui to produce more meat, continuous feeding would be necessary.
Fang Xi believed that cultivation world’s spirit rice must significantly outperform ordinary grain.
“When the time comes, I’ll grow spirit rice, feed it to Tai Sui, then use the resulting Beefwood meat to nourish the Demon Tree… A perfect self-sustaining supply chain!”
He could save some spirit rice as seeds for planting again next year.
This way, it would essentially create an endless supply of Beefwood meat, eliminating the need to venture out for blood meals!
It also reduces the risk of exposing the Demon Tree!
“Hmm, I must return the borrowed spirit stones; I always keep my promises.”
Fang Xi deliberately set aside six hundred pounds of Scarlet Blood Spirit Rice to return to Old Daoist Xiu Mu. The old Daoist had shown commendable foresight and decisiveness when lending Fang Xi twenty spirit stones for the ‘flight talisman’.
Unfortunately, with so many underachieving descendants, the future of the Mu Family seemed worrisome.
Previously, despite Old Daoist Xiu Mu’s assurances that his family would work tirelessly, Fang Xi declined the offer entirely, not wanting any disruptions. This refusal wasn’t related to repaying the debt.
‘However… once I start cultivating the “Longevity Technique” in the future, I won’t be able to venture far from Jade Cliff… It might actually be necessary to have someone gather information about the outside world and even purchase supplies on my behalf…’
‘But it can’t be an adult; ideally, they should be raised from a young age for utmost loyalty…’
‘Still too troublesome. If only I could find some puppetry techniques instead.’
Fang Xi packed the spirit rice into his bag of holding, released the Black Cloud Pocket, and instantly soared into the sky, heading towards Mirror Moon Lake.
Earlier that day, Ruan Xingling sent a voice-transmission talisman informing him that the flying magical artifact was ready, making this a convenient time to handle both matters at once.
At Mirror Moon Lake.
A shimmering spiritual mist enveloped the area, with an illusionary crescent moon appearing to float amidst it.
Fang Xi produced his magical artifact token, causing the fog to part automatically and reveal a pathway.
He steered the Black Cloud Pocket directly into the Ruan Family’s estate, seeking out Ruan Xingling.
In the rear courtyard,
Ruan Xingling retrieved a palm-sized flying boat and handed it to Fang Xi, saying, “Mission accomplished! Take a look!”
Fang Xi nodded, carefully examining the small boat.
The vessel was mulberry-yellow, approximately the size of one’s hand, displaying subtle wood grain patterns on its surface. On each side of the boat, two black wing designs were depicted.
“Black Feathered Boat,” Ruan Xingling explained, “crafted primarily from tier-1 high-grade bird wing bones. I also incorporated a piece of Cloud Silk Wood for enhanced stability and comfort. It features a wind-resistant barrier that protects against turbulent gusts during flight… You can give it a try.”
“No need, I trust your craftsmanship as the Island Lord.” Fang Xi smiled and promptly stored the Black Feathered Boat, then asked, “May I inquire how much this endeavor is worth in spirit stones?”
“Just the cost of the Cloud Silk Wood material will suffice. Crafting such artifacts actually benefits my cultivation in artificing techniques!” Ruan Xingling waved her hand dismissively. “After all, I intended to reforge your Qinghe Sword anyway; this simply changes the arrangement…”
“By the way, there doesn’t seem to be any geothermal fire within Mirror Moon Lake?” Fang Xi pondered as he walked away from the lake.
He possessed some knowledge of artificing legacies, albeit limited. After realizing his lack of talent, he had stopped pursuing it further, but still understood the basics.
To refine a tier-1 magical artifact, without being a Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of using innate true fire, one must rely on geothermal fire!
However, neither Mirror Moon Lake nor Peach Blossom Island appeared to have such volcanic veins!
“So… perhaps they employ alternative, unconventional artificing methods? Like raising a mythical beast that can produce demonic flames?!” Fang Xi stroked his chin, then retrieved the Black Feathered Boat.
After infusing it with magical energy, the boat instantly expanded into a small vessel about three meters long.
Feeling no resistance during the infusion process, Fang Xi nodded in satisfaction.
As he stepped onto the boat, he noticed several grooves at its base designed to hold spirit stones, which could substitute for a cultivator’s expended magical energy.
Typically, long-distance flight with spirit boats cannot solely rely on a cultivator’s magical energy; instead, they require consuming spirit stones!
However, for travel within Peach Blossom Island, Fang Xi’s own magical energy would suffice.
“Let’s go!”
With a cultivation technique gesture, the Black Feathered Boat soared effortlessly into the sky, transforming into a streak of black light!
“This speed is significantly faster than the Black Cloud Pocket, nearly comparable to a flight talisman!”
After ascending and testing its performance, Fang Xi fell silent, impressed by the vessel’s capabilities.
This spirit boat likely approached the level of a high-grade magical artifact.
“What a substantial favor…”
Unfortunately, this only made Fang Xi more hesitant to ask Ruan Xingling to craft the snake-dragon armor.
“Once back, during the agricultural downtime, I must swiftly set up the Little Cloudrain Array to ensure complete privacy…”
After all, with the underground caverns developed, everything was now on track.
By next year, it should be ready for planting trees.
Feeling quite content, Fang Xi arrived at the eastern peak of Gemini Peak.
“Patriarch!”
At that moment, heart-wrenching cries emerged from amidst the continuous rows of houses.
“What happened?” Fang Xi descended from his flying boat and promptly asked a nearby Mu Family cultivator.
“Patriarch Mu Xiu…has passed away!”
The cultivator, around fifty years old, had bloodshot eyes and his voice trembled with grief. “Your timing is perfect, Daoist friend. I was just about to notify everyone… Xiu Mu, he unexpectedly…”
Fang Xi recalled their previous encounter, sensing that Old Daoist Xiu Mu appeared close to reaching his final days. He fell silent, realizing how fragile life could sometimes be.
Compared to rogue cultivators who were like drifting reeds in the wind, Old Daoist Xiu Mu’s passing at home allowed him to be buried in the family’s spiritual land, with his great deeds recorded in the clan’s genealogy. In this regard, his life could indeed be considered fulfilled…
“This truly is…” Fang Xi hastily offered some comforting words but then remembered noticing the aura of death on Xiu Mu several months ago.
Presumably, Xiu Mu himself was well aware and had already made arrangements for his afterlife affairs, leaving Fang Xi momentarily speechless.
He took a few steps forward, entering the Mu Family’s main hall, which had been temporarily set up as a mourning chamber. A group of grieving relatives clad in mourning attire wept profusely.
“Xiu Mu and I were friends, so I’ve come here specially to pay my respects!” Fang Xi lit three incense sticks, solemnly bowed, and turned towards the Mu Family members to express his sentiments.
“Many thanks…”
Mu Wen, dressed in mourning attire, wiped away his tears, seeming to have lost some of his previous arrogance when interacting with others.
‘Young people grow up so quickly… I hope this marks a positive change for them, not辜负ing Old Xiu Mu’s efforts after all…’ Fang Xi sighed inwardly and then added, “I had borrowed twenty spirit stones from Daoist Xiu Mu earlier. With today’s abundant harvest of spirit rice, I planned to repay him, only to learn it’s now a farewell forever, alas… May Daoist Xiu Mu, in his future reincarnation, continue on the Dao path!”
These were merely words spoken out of courtesy, as the cultivation world did not truly believe in concepts like the underworld or reincarnation. The mention of rebirth was simply a hopeful sentiment.
Upon hearing this, Mu Wen appeared somewhat taken aback. “The patriarch never mentioned such a debt before his soul departed to the vast expanse of the cosmos…”
Twenty spirit stones! Could it be that the patriarch was confused at the time? Yet, why didn’t he leave any written proof of the loan?
Fortunately, this person remembered to return the money, but one wonders if interest was deducted!
Mu Wen’s thoughts raced in various directions.
Seeing his perplexed expression, Fang Xi didn’t dwell on it further and handed Mu Wen a bag of holding containing six hundred pounds of spirit rice. “Here’s six hundred pounds of spirit rice, with the bag itself as my funeral offering. No need to reciprocate, dear nephew…”
“But how can I accept such generosity?” Although Mu Wen’s words were polite, his hand clung tightly to the bag of holding.
Fang Xi offered a few more comforting words before turning to leave, inwardly sighing, “Just scratching the surface of change… Indeed, altering one’s core nature is the hardest task.”
At Jade Cliff.
Fang Xi did not attend Old Daoist Xiu Mu’s funeral.
He had paid his respects once, fulfilling his obligation, and saw no need for further involvement.
After all, their relationship was solely between him and the old Daoist.
As for the expectation that Fang Xi would extend this camaraderie to his descendants? It was indeed quite naive…
Fang Xi retrieved the previously measured geographic coordinates from a jade slip, then proceeded to a specific location. Holding an array flag in both hands, he forcefully plunged it into the ground!
The formation flag was entirely white, adorned with numerous mysterious symbols emitting a shimmering glow.
“The Little Cloudrain Array requires eighteen flags in total, along with additional auxiliary components… Plus, the core formation disk makes it significantly more expensive than ordinary magical artifacts…”
“Any slight error during setup could disrupt the entire formation’s continuity…”
Fang Xi couldn’t help but marvel at why mastering divine sense is crucial for beginners studying formations.
Without divine sense, unable to project externally, measuring and calculating became cumbersome tasks. Even observing the flow of spiritual energy after placing the formation flags was far less intuitive without divine sense.
Fortunately, he had the jade slip as a guide; by following its instructions, Fang Xi managed to proceed successfully.
After a busy day, he entered the cultivation room, solemnly embedding low-grade spirit stones into the formation disk one by one.
“Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are correct… Just now!”
Having calculated the precise time and distance, Fang Xi buried the formation disk within the prepared spell eye.
Buzzzz!
Instantly, the formation disk activated, revealing strands of pure white spiritual patterns that spread outward continuously.
Holding the main control token for adjusting restrictions, Fang Xi meticulously fine-tuned the array…