Chapter 39: Rune Hoe, Big Flower’s Advancement

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Rune Hoe, Big Flower’s Advancement

While riding on Feng Hui’s runic artifact, Li Changsheng had carefully observed the surroundings of his Spirit Field.

His Spirit Field was at the very bottom of the mountain, and not far from it, a small river flowed, fed by mountain streams.

Li Changsheng guided Xiaohua through weeds that were half a meter deep. As its massive body passed, it pressed a small path into the grass.

After walking for more than an hour, the faint sound of flowing water reached his ears.

"CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK..."

Li Changsheng turned Xiaohua’s head, directing it toward the sound.

GRUNT, GRUNT...

Though reluctant, Xiaohua obediently headed in the direction Li Changsheng indicated.

Before long, a winding river came into view.

A cool mist wafted from the river as they approached.

The river was about ten meters wide with a swift current, its spray glistening in the light.

Li Changsheng dismounted, wooden buckets in hand. After cautiously scanning the area, he filled both buckets to the brim.

Back on the bank, he gazed into the distance.

Peaks rolled across the horizon, and the forests were lush and dense. Faintly, he could hear the roars of large beasts.

After a moment, Li Changsheng mounted Xiaohua again.

"Let’s head back."

On the way back, Li Changsheng didn’t need to give any directions. Xiaohua simply followed the path they had made, ambling back to the wooden cabin.

"Great job!"

Li Changsheng chuckled, patting Xiaohua’s head.

’If only Xiaohua were a bit smarter, it’d be the perfect mount.’

’So sturdy and strong! And so gentle, too!’

Li Changsheng carried the water buckets into the kitchen. He then gathered some mud, sand, and gravel and began building a new stove.

Mixing mud, adding sand...

「Two hours later.」

A brand-new stove stood in its place.

Once it had dried a little, he set the large pot on top, poured in water, and lit the firewood beneath it.

CRACKLE...

Blue smoke curled upwards as the crisp sound of chopping filled the kitchen.

He added Stinking Fern, Blood Bamboo Vine, and Blood Essence Grass to the large pot in precise ratios and began to cook them.

As he watched the flames in the firebox, a thought struck Li Changsheng, and he remembered the hoe Steward Ye had given him.

With a mere thought, a sudden weight appeared in his hand.

The hoe was about thirty centimeters long. Its flat head was a bright, metallic white and looked incredibly sharp.

"Hm?"

Li Changsheng’s expression flickered. He picked up the hoe and brought it closer to his eyes.

Engraved on the hoe’s dark metal shaft was a thumb-sized character, a strange script that looked both chaotic and harmonious.

After staring at the strange character for a while, his vision began to blur, and he found it hard to focus.

Li Changsheng’s expression was strange as he murmured, "Could this be... a rune?"

’According to the *Records of the Cyan Yang Sect*, runes carry Spiritual Qi. Staring at them for too long can cause hallucinations.’

"Only one way to find out."

Li Changsheng channeled his Spiritual Power into the hoe. He felt no resistance; it flowed in as smoothly as water joining a stream.

HUMMM...

As his Spiritual Power flowed in, the rune on the hoe began to glow, and a one-inch aura of sharpness extended from its flat blade.

Li Changsheng gripped the hoe and swung it at a piece of firewood by his feet.

CRACK...

With a soft crack, the firewood split cleanly in two.

He tried a few more times.

Li Changsheng withdrew his Spiritual Power, and the hoe’s glow faded, returning it to its normal state.

"Steward Ye is so generous..."

Li Changsheng’s face lit up with joy. He had been worrying about how to clear the weeds from his Spirit Field, and now Steward Ye had given him a pleasant surprise.

He had already tried cutting the weeds in the Spirit Field with his Bone-Chopping Knife. As expected of plants grown in a Spirit Field, they were as tough as leather. He could barely cut a few stalks without using his full strength.

The hoe from Steward Ye only had a single rune, so it didn’t quite qualify as a true runic artifact. Still, with its incredible sharpness, clearing weeds would be a simple task.

’He’d already thought of how to use it. He could fashion it into a plow, use Xiaohua as an ox, and till the soil while weeding at the same time.’

’Doing it that way, he could finish the entire two-mu plot in half a day at most.’

’But all of this depended on one thing: he had to learn the Lesser Cloud and Rain Art first.’

’Otherwise, even if he planted the seeds, they would never sprout without Rootless Spirit Water for irrigation.’

As he was lost in thought, steam billowed from the large pot, where the dark-colored pig feed was bubbling away.

Xiaohua, who was outside, seemed to have caught the scent and was grunting restlessly by the door.

"Just a little longer! It’s almost ready."

Li Changsheng called out as he ladled the feed into a bucket.

He then put Big Flower’s portion on to cook before carrying the bucket outside.

SPLOOSH...

The steaming feed poured into a broken crock in the courtyard.

OINK, OINK...

The moment Li Changsheng finished pouring, Xiaohua impatiently began to chow down.

Li Changsheng watched with a chuckle for a moment, then grabbed his hoe. With his swarm of Red-winged Blood Bamboo in tow, he walked to the nearby forest.

He didn’t stop until he had felled more than ten ironwood trees, each as thick as a bowl.

When he returned to the courtyard, Xiaohua had finished its meal and was lying lazily on its side, grunting contentedly.

Li Changsheng went into the kitchen, dished out Big Flower’s feed, and carried it into the yard.

SPLOOSH...

The feed was once again poured into the broken crock.

With a flicker of his thoughts, Li Changsheng summoned Big Flower and her piglets, who appeared instantly in an empty patch of ground.

OINK, OINK...

Compared to last time, Big Flower seemed much more accustomed to the transition. After a quick look around, she was drawn in by the aroma of the food and began to eat heartily.

OINK, OINK...

Xiaohua got up, walked over to Big Flower, and nuzzled against her.

But before the porcine couple could have a tender moment, a certain someone ruthlessly interrupted them.

"Xiaohua, come on. We’re going to haul some wood."

Li Changsheng beckoned to Xiaohua. He left part of his insect swarm to watch over Big Flower and then led the reluctant Xiaohua back toward the forest.

「Ten minutes later.」

Li Changsheng returned, riding on Xiaohua’s back and dragging a dozen bowl-thick ironwood logs bound together with vines.

Back in the courtyard, Big Flower was nursing her piglets.

Li Changsheng unloaded the ironwood logs and got to work.

Choosing a spot, digging post holes, cutting the wood...

As time went on, a simple animal pen gradually began to take shape.

「By noon.」

Drawing on his memories, Li Changsheng fashioned a crude plow.

It was generous to call it a plow; it was really just a few pieces of wood joined in a cross shape. The only real craftmanship was where it connected to the hoe, where he had used fire to bend the ironwood.

Just as Li Changsheng was admiring his handiwork, he suddenly heard the distressed squeal of a piglet.

Li Changsheng whipped his head around to look.

Big Flower was lying on the ground, head down and eyes closed. One of the piglets had its leg pinned beneath her belly.

Li Changsheng rushed forward, pulled the piglet free, and set it aside.

He stared at Big Flower, who appeared to be sleeping.

[Advancing...]

"Just as I thought. Right on schedule."

A smile spread across Li Changsheng’s face. With a thought, dozens of his Red-winged Blood Bamboo landed on Big Flower.

He turned and ordered Xiaohua to stand guard over Big Flower, then gathered the scattered piglets and headed into the cabin.

’Everything was ready. As soon as he mastered the Lesser Cloud and Rain Art, he could begin cultivating the field.’

He went up the stairs to the attic.

The attic was even more spartan than the ground floor; it was completely empty.

Li Changsheng sat on the floor. With a flicker of his thoughts, a yellowed book and a stalk of Jade Grass appeared in his hands.

He summoned the Little White Jade Fox. Before it could throw a fit, he stuffed the Jade Grass into its paws.

The Little White Jade Fox seemed to materialize in a daze. It looked down to find the treat in its paws, its glossy black eyes betraying a hint of confusion. It subconsciously took a bite.

SQUEAK...

The delectable taste of the Jade Grass instantly won it over. It began to make soft, happy chirps, like a newborn chick.

"What a little glutton!"