Wei Yuan looked over the hundred-odd Cui family disciples. Every one of them was carrying a backpack of uniform design; it seemed the Cui family had put some thought into this trip after all.
Their ages varied widely—some were fifteen or sixteen, while others were nearly forty—and most possessed cultivation at the perfection of Body Casting. Although they wore uniform robes, their speech and demeanor differed. Some were visibly arrogant, while others were cautious and circumspect; most, however, looked completely bewildered, tinged with a hint of grief and indignation.
Right then, someone complained, "Why dump us in this godforsaken place? Hey, you over there, why haven't you come over to greet me? This young master's uncle is—"
Cui Yu asked coldly, "Who is your uncle? Let's hear it."
The dandy shuddered instantly, only then getting a clear look at Cui Yu, and hurriedly bowed and scraped with an ingratiating smile.
These were people who could not even cast a Dao Foundation. Even if they were of direct lineage, their standing in the Cui family was mediocre at best; only outside the clan did they ever get a chance to throw their weight around. With Cui Yu present, they could not even bring up their clan elders—after all, tracing Cui Yu's branch upward led directly to the clan head, and higher still to the Immortal Ancestor.
Cui Yu was already in a foul mood. He stepped forward and slapped the dandy across the face, knocking him to the ground, and barked, "Putting on airs in front of Realm Lord Wei? Have you gone blind, you dog? You useless trash can't even form a Dao Foundation and won't live to see a hundred, yet you have the cheek to bear the Cui name?"
The more Cui Yu scolded, the angrier he grew, promptly raining punches and kicks upon him. Even Wei Yuan could barely watch, hurriedly pulling him back. Ever since Cui Yu had begun leading troops, his everyday manner had grown increasingly blunt and crude; if he could use his fists, he never wasted breath arguing.
Still, with the elder having departed in haste, Wei Yuan had forgotten to ask an important question, so he quickly told Cui Yu, "Write a letter to your family and ask what the casualty quota is."
Casualty quota? The Cui family members all pricked up their ears; that phrase sounded far from pleasant.
Cui Yu slapped his thigh. "Right! How could I forget about that! How can you forge a Dao Foundation without shedding blood? I'll write the letter immediately—we have to secure at least ten quota spots."
The more the Cui members listened, the more alarmed they felt. Why did cultivating the Dao have to involve dying?!
Cui Yu swept his gaze across the crowd and added, "Any of you who think your status is special and you absolutely cannot die, I can keep you off the battlefield. But you'll have to discuss it with me in private."
After handing the Cui family members over to Cui Yu to lead away, Wei Yuan opened the small box the elder had given him, only to freeze in surprise. Inside were three finger-sized, pearl-shaped black grains of rice, gleaming like colored glass beads.
Were these three original seeds of pearl rice?
Pearl rice was a type of spiritual food, similar to millet rice, but it was a mid-grade spiritual plant. Many aristocratic families cultivated this kind of spirit rice, and Black Pearl was a specialty of both the Cui and Xu families. Within the strictly hierarchical aristocratic clans, pearl rice was reserved exclusively for those at the Dharma Idol realm; ordinary folk could not consume it even if they had the money.
The pearl rice cultivated by aristocratic families differed from what was commonly found on the market. Every planting season, the clans distributed seeds, but the pearl rice grown from these seeds could not propagate further, so one had to purchase seeds from the clans every year.
Now, the Cui family had directly given him three original seeds—a reward far more precious than three Dao Foundations. Moreover, giving nothing else and specifically granting the seed of a spiritual plant carried rather profound implications.
Wei Yuan went to the medicinal garden, intending to find a plot to sow the three original seeds. There he saw Perfected Chuhe directing several disciples in laying an array around the perimeter. Seeing Wei Yuan arrive, Perfected Chuhe said with a chuckle, "I saw that your original array was far too crude, so I set up a new one for you. Its general efficacy should be double or triple your old one."
"Thank you, Perfected Person!"
Perfected Chuhe laughed. "It was mere child's play, no need for thanks. This old Daoist has plenty more good things; you'll learn in time. Oh, I smell the scent of a spiritual plant seed. What is it this time?"
Wei Yuan took out the three original seeds of pearl rice and handed them over. Perfected Chuhe raised an eyebrow and said, "The Cui family's Black Pearl? It seems their clan thinks quite highly of that junior of theirs who is here. Pity he is only Heaven Tier.
"Leave these three seeds to me. My disciples can plant them along with the rest, and if they chat with them for half an hour each day, growth can be doubled." Perfected Chuhe handed the seeds to the disciple beside him.
"This... wouldn't be imposing, would it?"
"It's fine. They'd just be idling about anyway. If you feel guilty, just get this old Daoist a bit more Nether Soil."
By now, the ground where the Nether Soil had been scattered was enclosed by an exquisite wooden fence and divided evenly into six plots. The surface of each plot was packed firm, with a small pit in the center holding a pool of water, though what had been planted there remained unknown.
Just then, Xu Wenwu entered the medicinal garden humming a little tune. Seeing Wei Yuan and Perfected Chuhe, he came over to pay his respects. Over this period, Xu Wenwu had looked more and more like a native cultivator, the traces of an otherworldly visitor on him fading considerably.
After paying his respects, Xu Wenwu loosened the soil, watered the Celestial Star Nightshade, and muttered to it. This time, Wei Yuan sensed it with exceptional clarity: the Celestial Star Nightshade, whose vitality had been on the verge of sprouting, shrank back once more. Its aura turned even deeper and more melancholic, and a fair portion of the karmic luck Wei Yuan had imbued into it vanished.
Wei Yuan waited until Xu Wenwu finished what he was doing, then led him over to Perfected Chuhe's plots and said, "Learn more from these senior brothers in the future. When you come by, help them out with half an hour of chores as well."
Perfected Chuhe chuckled. "Whatever little tricks this old Daoist has, young friend, just say the word if anything catches your eye. There's no need to steal lessons."
Wei Yuan said, "I simply think he has a bit of talent for cultivating spiritual plants, so I'm having him come help out with some chores. After all, he'd just be idling about anyway."
"That is true." Perfected Chuhe agreed wholeheartedly, assuming Xu Wenwu was just like his own disciples—labor to be used since it was free.
The two exchanged a few more thoughts on managing subordinates. Just as Wei Yuan was about to take his leave, he suddenly sensed a blazing mass of Dao power hurtling toward them!
The old Daoist Chuhe's expression changed drastically. He cast a green screen of light, firmly shielding the entire medicinal garden.
A dark-skinned cultivator came tearing through the wind, holding a delicate, shining gold mallet. With a single strike, he cracked open the old Daoist's protective light screen. Zhang Sheng followed at his side, looking completely helpless.
The cultivator flew above the medicinal garden, and at the first sight of the plots scattered with Nether Soil, his face twisted in fury. He barked, "You old thief Chuhe! Blocking my messages just so you could pocket the Nether Soil for yourself! Shameless!"
The old Daoist Chuhe chuckled. "Martial Nephew Yu, why get so worked up? This old Daoist has already planted things in these patches of Nether Soil anyway. I can hardly dig them back up for you, can I?"
The cultivator grew even angrier. "I'm not cooperating with you anymore! Return my deposit!"
Perfected Chuhe said, "Money? What money? That was an agreement witnessed by the Mission Hall. What this old Daoist took was a deposit. Is Martial Nephew trying to back out? Backing out is fine too—just pay an indemnity according to the agreement."
Flushed with rage and knowing he could not outargue the old Daoist, the cultivator whipped his sleeve around and turned to leave. Zhang Sheng signaled to Wei Yuan before following after the cultivator.
Wei Yuan bid farewell to Perfected Chuhe and returned to the main peak. A wooden main hall had already been built there, designated specifically for receiving distinguished guests and holding council with members of the Palace of Grand Beginning.
When Wei Yuan arrived, he saw five cultivators seated inside. Zhang Sheng was keeping the dark-skinned cultivator he had just seen company in conversation.
Seeing Wei Yuan enter, Zhang Sheng said, "This is Yu Zhizhuo of the Hall of Heavenly Craft. You should address him as Martial Uncle."
Wei Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly bowed. "Martial Uncle Yu."
Yu Zhizhuo waved his hand. "Dispense with the formalities! Let me ask you: where did that Nether Soil come from, and how much more do you have?"
Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "There is none left right now. The next batch won't arrive until early next month."
Chapter 229