Chapter 95

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Chapter 95: A Twist of Favor

The March sunlight bathed Wang Chen’s face, offering a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time.

After hiding like a rat in the shadows for nearly ten days, he finally emerged openly in his own spirit fields.

With so much time having passed, it was evident that Wang Chen was now safe.

He prided himself on having meticulously covered his tracks, yet the unpredictable Heavenly Merit technique still haunted his thoughts.

After all, he had eliminated a direct descendant of a Purple Palace master!

Yet, the matter seemed to have dissipated without any further consequences.

Having remained secluded at home, he had no contact with the outside world, leaving him largely uninformed about the recent stir in Yunshan City.

Nevertheless, he reasoned that the prestigious Purple Palace family would not let such a significant loss go unanswered.

However, the exorbitant cost of employing the Heavenly Merit technique deterred anyone from taking action.

Thus, he had narrowly escaped disaster.

For some inexplicable reason, Wang Chen suddenly remembered the inexplicably vanished bit of Heavenly Merit, which now seemed to carry a hint of disdain.

How peculiar!

"Brother Wang!"

A call from his neighbors snapped Wang Chen back to reality.

He turned and waved to a middle-aged man tending the adjacent spirit fields: “Uncle Han.”

This middle-aged farmer, Han Dashih, was Wang Chen’s new neighbor.

He had taken over Old Sun’s house and all of his spirit fields.

As the saying goes, a good neighbor is better than a distant relative.

Though they didn’t interact much, their relationship was amicable.

They always exchanged greetings whenever they met.

"Tired, are you?"

Han Dashih offered warmly: "Come, take a break in the shade and have some tea to cool off."

"Alright."

Wang Chen nodded, carrying his hoe over to sit on a stone bench beneath a large tree by the roadside.

He pulled out his gourd to sip some water.

"Here."

Han Dashih produced two lotus leaf rice balls and handed one to Wang Chen: "Try my wife’s cooking."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Wang Chen politely declined: "I have my own."

He knew that Han Dashih had originally resided at Wei Hall No. 7 and had moved here after parting ways with his family.

Many families of spiritual plant farmers share the same situation.

They have been farming spirit fields in the outer sect for generations, raising children and expanding their families.

Han Dashih’s family consists of five members: two parents, two teenage boys, and a little girl with a runny nose.

As the saying goes, "Child can eat his father out of house and home."

For families like theirs, relying on thirty acres of spirit fields, it is impossible to have spiritual rice at every meal.

How could Wang Chen bring himself to eat their spiritual rice balls?

Han Dashih wasn’t being genuinely polite either; he chuckled and withdrew his hand.

At that moment, a group of several people hurried along the small path.

From their attire, it was clear they were from the Wei Hall!

Wang Chen immediately became wary.

From a distance of several steps, the leading young cultivator called out loudly, “Wang Chen? Han Dashih?”

Han Dashih quickly stood up and nodded respectfully, “Deputy Zhang, what brings you here?”

Wang Chen calmly stood up as well.

The young cultivator was the second deputy of the new local head from Wei Hall B Ten.

Wang Chen had seen him once before.

Compared to his predecessor Zheng Tu, Deputy Zhang was less arrogant and disdainful.

He probably feared sudden death in the line of duty as well.

The bounty notice for Lu Zhi Monk was still posted on the walls of Yunshan City, enduring the wind and rain!

“It’s good you’re all here; it saves me a trip,” Deputy Zhang said as he approached quickly. “This year’s pay respects to ancestors ceremony is being taken very seriously by the higher-ups, and they require us in the Wei Hall to clear paths and repair drainage systems.”

“If the True Master sees any filth or grime during the ceremony, then none of us will have a place to hide!”

Wang Chen and Han Dashih exchanged uneasy glances, both feeling the disconcerting sense that trouble was coming down on them out of nowhere.

The Yunyang Sect’s annual pay respects to ancestors ceremony typically lasts seven days.

In addition to the regular rituals, the True Master would inspect places including Yunshan, Yunhu, and Yunhai cities, deeply understanding the situation at the grassroots level.

But that was the official story.

In fact, Wang Chen—or rather, the original owner—had been farming spirit fields there for five years and had never seen the True Master’s grandeur!

How could a prestigious Golden Core true master and the head of a sect have so much free time to wander around rural areas?

He was no Lu Zhi Monk!

“What’s with those expressions?” Deputy Zhang scolded. “Are you saying I’m lying to you two?”

“Not at all, not at all!”

Han Dashih hurriedly denied, “Deputy Zhang, what do we need to do?”

Deputy Zhang snorted, “Each household must send one person, bringing a storage bag and tools. Arrive at the road repair site in two days at the hour of the snake to clean the path and repair the drainage. Also…”

He waved his hand, and a Wei Hall cultivator took out two paper packages, handing one to Wang Chen and the other to Han Dashih.

“These are the seeds of Purple Jade Orchid. Each person is responsible for planting thirty trees along the roadside, ensuring that all the flowers bloom when the True Master passes by!”

Deputy Zhang asked, “Have you both mastered the Decay and Flourish Technique?”

Han Dashih nodded vigorously, “I’ve mastered it!”

Wang Chen hesitated, “I haven’t.”

The full name of the Decay and Flourish Technique is "the Decay and Flourish Technique for Flowers, Grasses, and Trees,” a spell that sounds very much like something a spiritual plant farmer would use.

In reality, not only spiritual plant farmers learn this technique.

The Decay and Flourish Technique can quickly ripen flowers, grasses, and trees. When mastered at a high level, it can make a seed grow into a large tree bearing abundant fruit in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!

Cultivators who master this technique can carry seeds while adventuring. If they face a food shortage, they can quickly obtain food using the Decay and Flourish Technique.

However, the Decay and Flourish Technique is only for emergencies; it is not feasible for planting spirit rice, as the ripened fruits have very little spiritual energy.

They merely fill the stomach.

Thus, many spiritual plant farmers are reluctant to learn this technique.

If they don’t have enough spiritual rice, they can buy cheaper tribute rice, which even tastes better.

The original owner was one of them.

“You got a good deal!”

Deputy Zhang was not surprised. He immediately pulled out a Jade Slip, saying, “Comprehend it with five spirit fragments.”

“But you must remember, if you fail to complete the task, you’ll need to find a solution on your own; otherwise, you’ll be fined thirty spirit stones!”

Wang Chen silently took out five spirit fragments, quietly received the Jade Slip, and pressed it to his forehead to comprehend it.

He focused until a new method seed formed in his Sea of Consciousness.

For a spell, five spirit fragments were indeed very cheap.

If it weren’t for the True Master’s inspection, he wouldn’t have gained such a great benefit!

“Additionally…”

After taking back the Jade Slip, Deputy Zhang said, “On the day the True Master inspects, remember to wear new clothes and bring your family to the roadside to witness the grandeur. This is a tremendous blessing!”

Han Dashih obediently agreed, looking excited as if sharing in the honor.

Wang Chen wanted to complain but didn’t know how to start!