My Portable Spirit Farm: Rise of the Humble Servant

Chapter 257: Spirit Field Planning

Zhao Yuanqi muttered under his breath, his face a mask of profound skepticism. “That old monster suddenly grew a conscience? It’s notorious for refusing to lift a root without squeezing out a profit first. Expecting it to revitalize the Sect for free? This…”

He clearly didn’t buy a single word of the story.

Li Lingfeng raised a hand, gently cutting off the Elder’s grumbling. He fixed Chen Ping with a deep, unreadable stare. It felt as though the Headmaster saw right through the lie, but he chose not to pierce the veil.

“Since Lord Gu has agreed to intervene, it is a blessing for the Sect and the disciples of the Spirit Plant Hall,” Li Lingfeng said slowly. “Junior Brother Chen, you have rendered a great service.”

His tone then darkened, carrying a heavy, solemn weight. “However… Lord Gu has existed for an unfathomable amount of time. Its mind is a labyrinth of profound calculations, far beyond what we can divine. When dealing with it, you must exercise extreme caution. Ponder every word it speaks. Never make a promise based purely on its assurances, lest you step into a… snare.”

The Headmaster’s eyes clouded with the ghosts of unpleasant memories. “To be frank, during the Sect’s golden age, we foolishly placed too much faith in Lord Gu’s counsel. We poured oceans of resources into ventures that promised the heavens but delivered nothing but ash. It bled us dry. That blind trust is one of the core reasons the Qingyun Sect plummeted from its third-rate status. The price of that lesson was catastrophic.”

A chill ran down Chen Ping’s spine. He immediately cupped his hands, his expression turning serious. “Thank you for the warning, Headmaster. This disciple will engrave it on his heart.”

The older the ginger, the hotter the bite, Chen Ping thought. The Headmaster and Elder Zhao already knew exactly what that old tree was made of. His recent transaction was riskier than he’d anticipated; he would need to be far more vigilant in the future.

Taking his leave of the two men, Chen Ping didn’t immediately return to his cave dwelling. Instead, he headed straight back to the Spirit Plant Hall.

Inside the dimly lit main hall, Liu Xiaoyun was slumped over a battered wooden desk, scowling at a thick ledger.

He was agonizing over how to stretch this month’s pitiful harvest, desperate to allocate the meager resources so the disciples could barely sustain their Cultivation while still leaving a tiny surplus for the Hall. He dreamed of saving enough Spirit Stones or Contribution Points to eventually purchase cultivation manuals for high-grade Spirit Medicines. It was the only way he could see to break this cycle of poverty.

At the sound of footsteps, Liu Xiaoyun snapped his head up. Seeing Chen Ping standing in the doorway, he scrambled to his feet.

“Hall Master! Do you have further instructions?”

He didn’t dare ask about the state of the Spirit Fields. As a bottom-rung cultivator, he knew the golden rule of survival: It takes three years to learn how to speak, and a lifetime to learn how to shut up.

Chen Ping strode up to the desk, skipping the pleasantries. “Xiaoyun. The Spirit Field problem is solved.”

“Ah?” Liu Xiaoyun froze, his brain stalling. “S-Solved? Hall Master, you mean…”

“The baleful energy poisoning the earth will begin to dissipate immediately. Give it a week, and you’ll see a drastic change,” Chen Ping said, his voice carrying an undeniable certainty. “Do not ask how it was done, and do not spread word of the method. Just know the rot is gone.”

He continued, “However, the soil has been suffocating under that energy for decades. Its vitality is crippled. Even with the poison gone, it will take about a year of natural resting to fully restore its optimal fertility. Prepare the disciples. For the immediate future, only sow seeds with growth cycles longer than a year. By the time they mature, the earth will be ready to support them.”

Liu Xiaoyun’s eyes bulged. His breathing hitched, and a flush of feverish excitement crept up his neck.

He had truly never imagined a day where the Sect’s land would breathe again. The Supreme Elders had battered themselves against this problem for a century and walked away defeated. Yet Chen Ping had merely taken a stroll to the Elder Hall, and the impossible was suddenly achieved! The sheer depth of their new Hall Master’s capabilities terrified and awed him.

Chen Ping ignored the man’s starry-eyed stupor and outlined his strategy.

“In a year, once the soil is primed, the Spirit Plant Hall will pivot to high-value crops. We’ll do mass plantings of Spirit Gathering Grass, the primary ingredient for Qi Gathering Pills, alongside the core herbs for Peiyuan Pills.”

“We’ll also section off an experimental plot for second-grade True Essence Grass. If any of your Spirit Plant Masters are feeling ambitious, they can requisition seeds for rarer third-grade Spirit Grass. Success or failure will rest entirely on their own skills.”

“R-Really? Hall Master! Is… is this true?!” Liu Xiaoyun stammered, feeling lightheaded.

It felt like a cruel hallucination brought on by decades of despair. He raised a trembling hand and viciously slapped his own cheek. Smack! The sharp sting grounded him. It wasn’t a dream. His Hall Master truly possessed the power to reshape their reality.

Tears welled in Liu Xiaoyun’s eyes, spilling hot down his cheeks. His legs gave out. Overcome with raw emotion, he dropped toward the floor, fully intending to kowtow. “Hall Master! You are the second father to everyone in this Hall—!”

“Get up!”

Chen Ping’s hand shot out with lightning speed, catching Liu Xiaoyun by the arm and hauling him back upright. He frowned in clear distaste. “What kind of behavior is this? A man’s knees are lined with gold; they do not bend so easily. From today onward, the Spirit Plant Hall will walk with a straight spine. Stop dropping to the floor at the slightest provocation.”

Supported by Chen Ping’s iron grip, Liu Xiaoyun babbled incoherently through his tears. “Yes! Yes, Hall Master! I… I’m just so happy! I’m going to tell the others the good news right now! They’ll go mad with joy!”

Chen Ping gave him a few final, strict warnings regarding operational secrecy and the upcoming planting schedules. Then, leaving Liu Xiaoyun to his fanatic hero-worship, Chen Ping stepped out of the hall and finally began the trek back to his quiet cave dwelling on Green Mountain.