Chapter 9

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The proceed from the sale of the Mountain Drum alleviated the pressure of debt that the Chi family faced. At the moment, they were debt-free and felt relaxed, and they had 500 dollars in savings.

Mrs. Chi could barely conceal her smiles every day.

Mr. Chi no longer needed to get up before dawn just to scrape a little more crop from the fields.

However, the old couple was not accustomed to staying idle. Before May, they had managed to plant all the lentils in the land reclaimed from the back mountains. However, these lentils that were planted did not sprout in three days.

In a flash, it was already the month of May.

The sky was cloudy overhead as if to forecast the rainy season that was about to arrive.

Mr. Chi, carrying a hoe, stood quietly next to the bamboo fence. He stared at the lentil seedlings already crawling all over the trellises in the field, and he was more puzzled than ever.

It had only been half a month since planting the lentils in the field.

They had already climbed all over the trellises, ready to bloom and bear fruits; their growth rate had increased by more than four or five times.

“Dad.”

Chi Qiaosong returned from the mountain with a package of herbal medicine in his hands.

After the nine hundred dollars landed in his pocket, he was refreshed. Often, he strolled into town to buy something delicious to eat and drink. But more often than not, he made purchases of herbal medicines, which were used to temper his physique.

However, he did not spend much of the 900 dollars.

This was because he was able to hunt some game in the surrounding ridges and nearby hills, which he took into the town in exchange for money. It was enough to purchase the medicines for himself. However, he never encountered spirit beasts like the Mountain Drum, so he could not make a fortune.

“Why is this land of yours so rich this year? There was hardly anything last year,” Mr. Chi asked, somewhat puzzled.

“There is something in this field.” Chi Qiaosong couldn’t exactly explain it to his dad because things such as the Golden Finger could not be disclosed to anyone, or else trouble might ensue.

“Then, take good care of it.”

“Well, when the lentils are ripe, you can sell them in the city, Dad. Maybe we can get a good price for them.”

“True, the quality of the lentils growing in this field is definitely top rate. Look at these lentils’ seedlings, so green just like emeralds… I’ll take off some of these dry leaves.”

“Why are you picking off the old leaves?” Chi Qiaosong wondered.

“These can be dried and used as tea. It has cooling properties and can detoxify the body. In the olden days, when people went into the mountains and were bitten by snakes or suffered from boils, we boiled these dried lentil leaves to drink as tea.”

Mr. Chi immediately put down the hoe and began picking the leaves.

It was enough to fill a large basket to rid of all the old leaves from the lentil seedlings in an acre of field.

Chi Qiaosong didn’t feel one way or the other about this. He only cared about the experience of the lentils after harvesting, as well as the fertilizer reward. But, he was not very interested in the lentils themselves. Right now, he really just wanted to upgrade the acre of the field quickly.

After the upgrade, he would be able to grow an extra acre and cultivate a spirit root transformed from the foundation of internal strength.

The day before yesterday, the Right Bank Morning Post reported that even though Commander Zhu failed to take over a city in the Ou enclave, he was able to seize three counties. Once he finished cleaning up the residual resistance, he would return triumphant.

The military academy would resume its session in the near future.

…

…

…

Soon, another week passed; a drizzle had brought new life to the ridge. When the rain stopped, the lentils in the field were blooming with purple blossoms.

Diligent little bees kept busy at these flowers.

Ring-a-ling-ling.

The second uncle arrived on a second-hand bicycle and came to the farmhouse. He shouted loudly, “Qiaosong, Qiaosong, good news! The date for the resuming classes at the military academy has been set!”

“When is it scheduled for?”

“The fifteenth. A notice was posted at the entrance of the military academy, saying that classes will resume on the fifteenth of this month.”

Chi Qiaosong frowned. “That means we have to wait another week…Uncle, come in for a drink of water.”

“I don’t have time right now; I have some cold water in my basket.” After the second uncle informed him of the news, he was ready to leave. “I must go to the villages below to collect the dry goods. I’ll get some home brew tonight, and we will drink and catch up.”

Second uncle and his wife finally decided on selling dry goods as their new business.

In Ink Ridge County, each household was accustomed to drying some typical food items like wooden ears, shiitake mushrooms, peanuts, peppercorns, and things like that. The second uncle would buy these dry goods from these households and distribute them to restaurants and taverns within the county.

They had spent 70 dollars to purchase a second-hand bicycle trolley just for transporting these goods.

The second aunt stayed home to process everything, dividing the dry goods into different grades by their appearance so they could sell them for more profit.

The second uncle came and went in a few minutes.

Chi Qiaosong stood in front of the farmhouse, staring at that acre of field.

…

Grade 1 Field: One acre

Fertilizer Storage: One bag

Spirit Root Source (1): Bay tree (Crazed Bull Heavy Fist, completed)

External Spiritual Root (0): None

Spirit Plant: Lentils

…

It had been a month of farming, and the field, just by breathing the essence of heaven and earth, had added an extra bag of fertilizer in the warehouse.

Unfortunately, he had not yet acquired any new martial arts skills, so there was nowhere to use the fertilizer.

Previously when he was wandering around town, he took time to inquire about a few martial arts gyms. Many martial arts were taught in these gyms, but the tuitions were too high, often costing hundreds of dollars just to learn one kind of martial arts.

And all that was taught was beginner basics.

Authentic advanced martial arts could only be learned by going to the martial arts institutes in big cities at a cost. These martial arts institutes were similar to universities, and the full name was actually Martial Sports Institution, a place designed for advanced studies by serious martial artists.

There was a total of five martial arts institutes in Jiangyou Province.

There was a provincial martial arts institute in Chaisang City, the provincial capital, which had been established more than 200 years. Hongdu City, on the other side of the Great Striding Lake, also had a provincial martial arts institute. Besides these two, there were three more municipal martial arts institutes. Among them was the one located in Fuliang City of Ink Ridge County.

Commander Zhu had established the military academy, which clearly stated that those who excelled in the military academy and had mastered the Three Disciple Planes might enter the Fuliang Municipal Martial Arts Institute for further studies. There, they would study high-level martial arts and focus on the Three Master Planes.

Commander Zhu even gifted his own family’s Kuidou Spear Technique to the Fuliang Municipal Martial Art Institute.

Kuidou Spear Technique was a master-level martial art. After intensive cultivation, it was easy to advance to the master level. This spear technique was so powerful that striking men and steel were akin to smashing into a piece of tofu.

Shaking his head, Chi Qiaosong decided not to continue thinking about those things right now.

He looked at the clear sky and saw the sun scorching like fire. Resolutely, he fastened the spirit tusk dagger at his waist, then carried a long-handled machete to explore the depths of a ridge.

Since he hunted down that Mountain Drum, all he could think of was how to get another spirit beast, so he could take it to experiment with its effect as fertilizer for the field.

He had also experimented with common prey, chopping them up to fertilize the field. However, he discovered that they could not coagulate as fertilizer.

Therefore, he had to search for more spirit beasts.

If he could not find it in this ridge, he would go to the second and the third ridges, even to other hills and valleys that were dozens of miles away.

He remembered that the elders used to say that there were more than wild boars in the Thousand Emerald Hill. There were also gray wolves, leopards, black bears, and even tigers… However, he had not even seen another wild boar after so many days.

Five hours later, Chi Qiaosong returned to the farmhouse empty-handed.

The spirit tusk dagger, made from the Mountain Drum’s tusk, had no opportunity to be used.

Boom!

During the rainy season, the weather was often unpredictable. One moment, the red glow of sunset was shining brightly, and the next moment it was covered by nothing but dark clouds. By the time he locked up the farmhouse and rushed home for dinner, the rain was already pouring down.

“Fortunately, I came back early, or else I’d be drenched,” the second uncle mumbled while he took out the homebrew.

Mr. Chi and the second uncle enjoyed a great relationship, and the two families usually take their meals together. Mrs. Chi and the second aunt cooked and washed dishes together and help taking care of each other’s children.

The homebrew poured into glasses. The second uncle picked up the glass and raised it to Chi Qiaosong, “Come on, drink up.”

While Mr. Chi did not object to Chi Qiaosong’s drinking, Mrs. Chi, who brought the dishes to the table, warned them, “Don’t let Qiaosong drink too much. No good comes from drinking.”

The second aunt poured the seasoning on the cold cucumber on the plate and added, “I don’t understand these men, who drink all the time. What’s so good about drinking?”

But Mr. Chi and the second uncle did not seem to have heard what they said at all.

Chi Qiaowu was busy taking a chicken leg into his bowl while Chi Xiaoya sensibly fed Chi Qiaoshui, their cousin. Chi Qiaodong, who was two years old, prostrated on the floor, counting the ants.

Chi Qiaosong smiled as he relished the warmth of home.