Chapter 46
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Chapter 46: The Harvesters
Innate experts represent the zenith of martial prowess within the Mortal Realm.
In this realm devoid of spiritual energy, the pursuit of immortality techniques is unattainable.
Yet, the martial arts flourish remarkably here.
Those martial artists who ascend to the Innate Realm, while not as scarce as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns, are far from being mere commoners.
They are, at the very least, formidable figures who command respect in their domains!
However, in the world of cultivation, the stature of an innate expert is only marginally superior to that of a quasi-immortal cultivator.
Despite their combat ability being on par with low-level Qi Training practitioners, they still show deference to Wang Chen, a mere outer sect disciple.
Wang Chen glanced at the wooden badge hanging by the man’s side: "May I see it?"
"Certainly."
The burly man, rugged in appearance yet astute in thought, immediately removed the badge and held it in his grasp.
He channeled innate true energy into it.
The dark brown badge began to emit a soft glow.
This badge, displayed by the burly man, is known as a travel permit, akin to Wang Chen’s disciple badge, serving as a proof of identity.
It is primarily distributed to loose cultivators.
This includes innate martial artists or quasi-immortal cultivators like the burly man.
Only those bearing a travel permit are permitted to legally traverse the territories governed by the Yunyang Sect and the three cities of the outer sect.
Without it, one is deemed a vagrant, subject to capture by the Wei Hall patrols and consigned to mining labor.
The travel permit also encases the holder’s soul energy, which can be activated to verify authenticity using either mana or true energy.
Upon verifying the man’s identity, Wang Chen withdrew his hand from his storage bag.
Yet, he remained poised to deploy the Spirit Light Shield.
In a close-quarters ambush, an innate expert could effortlessly dispatch a mid-level Qi Training practitioner lacking protective artifacts.
Wang Chen harbored no particular fear.
His Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method was nearing the advanced level of bronze skin, enabling him to endure a blow from an innate martial artist.
Nevertheless, caution is never amiss.
Wang Chen inquired, "What is the current rate for harvesting rice?"
The burly man’s eyes gleamed with interest as he cautiously replied, "How about five catties of spiritual grains per acre?"
Wang Chen contemplated this offer.
Five catties of spiritual grains per acre would mean fifty catties for his ten acres of spirit fields.
This equates to one spirit fragment.
However, this was the previous rate; the price of rice in Yunshan City had since doubled!
Seeing Wang Chen hesitate, the burly man grew a bit anxious: “Four catties would be fine too!”
“Forget it.”
Wang Chen said, “Five catties it is, but make sure the work is done well.”
If it were the original owner, not to mention Five catties of spiritual grains, even a single tael would have been too much to part with.
They would have preferred to do it themselves.
But for Wang Chen, spending Fifty catties of spiritual grains to solve the rice harvesting problem was truly a bargain.
Harvesting rice is back-breaking labor!
He could save that time and effort to earn skill experience points instead.
As for the small fee of four or five catties, it was just a trifle.
Wang Chen had no intention of haggling with the man.
A dignified innate expert, capable of establishing a sect and dominating a region in the Mortal Realm, was here reduced to being a mere “harvester.”
How pitiful.
Speaking of which, the original owner’s father, Wang Shaoyuan, was also an innate martial artist.
He had joined the Yunyang Sect by managing to enter the Dao through martial arts.
Some martial artists weren’t so fortunate and refused to live as servants.
So they chose “flexible employment.”
This man was likely in the same boat.
“Thank you, Immortal Master!”
The burly man was overjoyed: “I guarantee not a single grain of rice will be missed, so you can rest assured!”
He turned and said, “Sister, let’s get to work.”
“Okay.”
At that moment, Wang Chen noticed that a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old was actually following behind the burly man!
Her petite figure had been completely hidden by him before.
But as she turned, Wang Chen couldn’t help but widen his eyes at her side profile.
A cousin?
Did she also cross over?
That was certainly impossible.
But she bore at least sixty to seventy percent resemblance to a younger sister from Wang Chen’s past life.
She was the daughter of a distant relative who had lived in his home for a few years during her childhood, sweet and adorable.
Wang Chen felt a strong bond with her.
They were childhood sweethearts, sharing innocent playtime.
Others joked that she was Wang Chen’s little wife, but as they grew up and parted ways, their connection gradually faded.
Memories from the past surfaced in Wang Chen’s mind, causing him to feel a bit dazed.
The burly man keenly noticed the look in his eyes.
He calmly stepped in to block Wang Chen’s view and called his sister to unload the tools for harvesting rice from the cart by the road.
They mainly had a sickle and burlap sacks.
Wang Chen then took a pile of soil and sat under the eaves, practicing the Earth and Stone Technique while watching the siblings work.
Well, he mainly supervised, not that he was paying attention to the girl!
The sickle the burly man used was wide, with a long wooden handle, effortlessly slicing through a patch of ripe spirit rice.
The stalks of spirit rice were very tough; an ordinary person would struggle greatly to cut them, unable to handle such a task.
But the burly man made it look easy.
Once he cut a patch, he handed it to his sister, who skillfully tied it into bundles with Grass Rope.
The two worked together with remarkable harmony.
In no time, they had harvested a small half-acre!
The siblings worked from morning until noon and managed to finish ten acres of spirit fields.
Their efficiency left Wang Chen in awe.
Professional!
After finishing the rice harvest, their work was not done yet.
The burly man lifted a large bag while his sister stuffed the tied bundles into the opening.
Then he raised his sturdy hand and forcefully struck the burlap sack.
It seemed this innate expert used real strength, as if striking an ox from afar.
When his sister pulled out a bundle of rice, there wasn’t a single grain left on top!
He was like a human grain thresher.
Next, they stuffed in the second and third bundles…
When it felt like enough, he poured the rice from the burlap sack into another bag.
Each Grain Bag weighed about a hundred catties.
They repeated the process over and over.
When all the rice was threshed, the burly man grabbed one Grain Bag high above his head and tilted it to pour out the contents.
He placed the empty Grain Bags underneath.
His sister stood nearby, waving a large fan to blow away the falling scraps and leaves.
This method of threshing was quite primitive,
yet its efficiency was not lacking at all.
Occasionally, a few grains fell to the ground during the process, but the girl carefully picked them up.
In the end, over thirty Grain Bags filled with rice were laid before Wang Chen!
The burly man clasped his fists and said, "Immortal Master, please verify!"
"No need," Wang Chen waved his hand.
He had watched the entire process and knew that they were not cultivators. Without a storage bag, there was no possibility of them hiding any spirit rice.
Wang Chen transferred the rice from the Grain Bags into his own storage bag.
Spirit rice was different from ordinary rice; after harvesting, it did not need to be dried and could be taken directly for grain payment.
In the end, he left over half a bag, estimating it to weigh around sixty to seventy catties.
He said, "Thank you for your hard work. This is yours."
The extra would serve as a gesture to build a Good Relationship.
The burly man paused for a moment, unable to help but glance at his sister.
She shrank back and hid behind him.
Wang Chen: "…"
As it was getting dark, the burly man didn’t say much more. He bowed to Wang Chen once again and said, "Thank you, Immortal Master. Until we meet again!"
Then he hurriedly drove away with his sister in the cart.
Wang Chen watched their figures disappear at the corner and turned the stone ball in his hand into dust.
【Earth and Stone Technique · Experience +1】
【Earth and Stone Technique (Proficient): 0/200】
