Chapter 20 - Disaster (Part 1)
"Grandpa?"
Jiang Yuebai flew back home but couldn't find any trace of Tao Fengnian. The village was deserted, so she hurried towards the back valley's spirit field. On the way, she met Shi Xiaowu.
"Senior Sister Jiang, you're back! Senior Tao just instructed me to use his token to borrow a goose from the Spirit Beast Valley to pick you up."
Shi Xiaowu had stepped into the first level of Qi Refinement within the time limit after Jiang Yuebai sold him five Qi-boosting pills. As a result, he had been very friendly towards her.
"What happened? Where did everyone go?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Shi Xiaowu explained, "It's because of the heavy snow. The snow came early and abnormally this year, and it brought ice-armored insects. The winter Lingmai crops have all been frostbitten, and many precious spiritual herbs were not spared. The spirit fields may also be damaged, and we may not be able to cultivate next year."
Jiang Yuebai was surprised, "It's that serious, and the sect hasn't responded?"
"They certainly have. The elders and disciples from the Enforcement Hall have all been dispatched to investigate if there are any abnormal disturbances caused by demons. The Hall of Myriad Laws and the Hall of Divine Mechanics are busy setting up arrays to reverse the situation. I don't know who has suffered such great injustice, but the snowfall seems never-ending."
Jiang Yuebai was shaken. She had thought that only mortals would be powerless against the might of nature, but she hadn't expected that the cultivation world could also be struck by disasters due to heavy snow.
The overwhelming might of the heavens and earth made it hard for people to catch their breath, feeling greatly oppressed.
"Where is my grandpa?"
"Tao Lao is leading everyone to clear the snow and remove the insects in the spirit fields. He has been busy for a day and night without rest. By the way, he asked you to find him as soon as you return."
Jiang Yuebai's heart tightened. Her grandpa's health was not good, and now he was laboring in the spirit fields during such heavy snow. He wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
"Let's go to the spirit fields."
The snowflakes fell continuously as more than a hundred Spirit Farming farmers led their respective apprentices, scattering across the spirit fields. They used wind-clearing techniques to sweep away the thick accumulated snow on the fields.
Tao Fengnian squatted in a ten-acre spirit field rented by Song Peier. His back was hunched, and he hadn't moved for half an hour, covered in white snow like a statue.
He looked exhausted, both hands dried and protecting the roots of a precious red spirit plant. He circulated his Fire Spirit Qi and activated the Crimson Flame Technique, carefully nurturing the roots of the Crimson Flame Grass and driving away the cold.
The frostbitten leaves gradually unfurled, regaining their vitality, and Song Peier beside him let out a sigh of relief.
She had been commissioned by the Internal Affairs Hall to plant ten acres of Crimson Flame Grass as auxiliary medicine for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.
The Crimson Flame Grass was fiercely fire-attributed, and the roots should not have been frostbitten in a winter snow. However, this snow was unusually cold and heavy. If it weren't for the timely treatment last night, the ten acres of Crimson Flame Grass would have been ruined.
Song Peier's consequences would be far more than simple compensation.
"Don't let the snow cover them again. Your Crimson Flame Grass shouldn't have significant problems."
Tao Fengnian struggled to stand up, swaying his head twice, and Song Peier held him up.
"Thank you for your help today, Senior Brother Tao. If there's anything you need from me in the future, I'll never refuse."
Tao Fengnian waved his hand, "Right now, I just hope the sect can reverse the situation and stop this heavy snow. Otherwise, it's only us low-level cultivators who rely on farming that will suffer."
Song Peier's expression was mournful, "I'm afraid it will be difficult. Almost ninety percent of the cultivators in Huaxi Valley practice the Cloud and Rain Technique. Using rain during heavy snow is the most unfavorable, and the Earthquake Technique for plowing the fields is also useless."
"To deal with the ice-armored insects, you need a technique at least at the second level, and to repair the roots of the seedlings damaged by frost, you need the Crimson Flame Technique. Unfortunately, I only specialize in the Cloud and Rain Technique and the Earthquake Technique. The Grass and Wood Technique can only recover the plants after the insects are removed."
Tao Fengnian's mood was heavy, and during the break when the cultivators clearing the snow rested, all of them looked at him with pleading eyes.
The spirit fields were their basis for survival and cultivation. If the crops failed to grow, their path of cultivation would be cut off.
Tao Fengnian looked around. Most of the young seedlings in the valley were covered by a hard ice shell, and their emerald leaves were gradually disappearing inside the ice.
The ice-armored insects were a common occurrence in previous winters, but they were only scattered and could be dealt with once discovered. How could they have seen such a disaster where the entire valley was covered with ice-armored insects overnight?
The Frostbite-removing Technique was difficult to learn, and the Crimson Flame Technique was challenging to control.
Among the one thousand two hundred acres of spirit fields, there weren't many people who could help.
"Senior Brother Fang! Someone, Senior Brother Fang is injured. Hurry, someone come!"
Amidst the chaos, the old man who was removing pests in the field was carried to the side, blood staining his lips, and his breath scattered.
Tao Fengnian quickly walked over and checked his pulse, "Overexertion has injured his Sea of Consciousness; he can't work anymore."
"What?" The people's faces turned pale, and Fang Zhong struggled to sit up.
"I'm fine. The ice-armored insects in my fields haven't been removed yet. My son has just advanced to the Qi Refinement completion stage, and I'm counting on this winter's Lingmai to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills. I can't ruin his hope of building the foundation."
"Enough!" Tao Fengnian scolded, "If you die, your son's inner demons will also be affected, and there will be no hope for his foundation!"
Fang Zhong sat in a daze on the field ridge, staring at the withered seedlings in the spirit field, wailing in sorrow.
"How can this happen? How can this happen when everything was fine? Heaven wants to ruin me, Heaven wants to ruin me!"
The others were equally desolate; the spirit fields were their lifeline, and the sudden snowfall seemed to be taking their lives away.
Comments
Post a Comment