Wei Songnian froze for a moment before saying:
"Junior Brother, you're a spirit farmer, so you should know that spiritual fruit trees must be planted in graded fields to bloom and bear fruit."
Old Huang straightened his back and smiled proudly:
"Heh, Senior Brother Wei, Brother An already has a first-tier spiritual field."
His tone carried such pride, as though Ji An's accomplishment was thanks to him.
"Oh, I see."
Wei Songnian nodded calmly, then praised:
"I didn't expect you, Old Huang, to finally be so generous. I thought you were just joking that time over drinks."
So this iron rooster finally knew how to give away a big favor. Not bad, it took him his whole life to figure it out. Giving up some Jadegrain Rice, which had two harvests a year, to befriend a promising cultivator was a bargain. If Old Huang had only waited until he was leaving the sect to pass on the field, it wouldn't carry nearly as much weight.
Old Huang's face flushed bright red. Back during that drinking session, he had indeed considered giving the field away.
But once sober, he realized that each season the Jadegrain Rice field netted him seven or eight spirit stones. Losing that income felt like cutting his own flesh.
It wasn't lending spirit stones; it was giving them away, and they'd never return.
After leaving the sect, he wouldn't get another such opportunity, and he wanted to build up more savings for his grandson.
Seeing Old Huang's face turn the color of a monkey's backside, Wei Songnian immediately realized he'd misspoken.
"It wasn't Senior Brother Huang," Ji An said smoothly, taking over the topic. "I cultivated my courtyard into a first-tier lower-grade field myself. It was probably thanks to the good foundation left by the previous occupant."
He showed no dissatisfaction. The spiritual field was cultivated by others with their own sweat and effort. If Old Huang gave it to him, he'd be grateful. If not, that was his right.
Of course, the more Old Huang offered, the more he'd repay in the future.
Despite his decent income, Ji An was still painfully short on spirit stones. He had a whole Spirit-Draining Formation, but each month, he could only afford to run it for a little over thirty hours, far from enough.
"It was your skill, Junior Brother," Wei Songnian said firmly. "It has nothing to do with the previous occupant. Most spirit farmers treat their courtyards like vegetable gardens, or raise a few rabbits to stew nothing more."
Old Huang's embarrassment eased, though his cheeks were still hot. He coughed lightly to cover it and added:
"Brother An's Thick Earth Art reached perfection a few months ago. That's why he could cultivate a spiritual field so quickly."
"I knew it all along, Junior Brother's farming methods are unlike anyone else's."
Wei Songnian sighed admiringly, then asked:
"Do you have any particular requirements for the fruit trees?"
"I'm not picky. Common ones like spirit peach, spirit apricot, or spirit jujube are fine. I've also heard of a Dao-Comprehending Tea Tree, if such a sapling exists, that would be great. Or a Soul-Nurturing Wood sapling, too."
Not picky? Wei Songnian nearly bared his teeth in disbelief.
Across the entire Western Continent, only Falling Maple Valley had a single second-tier Dao-Comprehending Tea Tree, one of their greatest treasures, and no seeds or saplings had ever been released.
As for Soul-Nurturing Wood, it required extremely harsh conditions and couldn't possibly survive in a first-tier spiritual field.
Wei Songnian forced a smile.
"Forget about the Dao-Comprehending Tea Tree. An ordinary tea tree, though, I might be able to manage.
As for fruit trees, no one sells saplings, but spirit peach or spirit apricot seeds aren't hard to come by. You can buy some for ten spirit crystals.
Still, spirit fruit trees are nothing like mundane ones. They take many years to cultivate before they bear fruit. I don't know the exact details you'd have to ask an expert."
He calculated the date in his mind, then added:
"Tonight, I'll take you to a place. You might find something useful there.
Junior Brother has already broken through to the later stage of Qi Refinement, so it's time you met more fellow cultivators."
Ji An cupped his hands. "Many thanks, Senior Brother."
Just then, Huang Feihu returned with the spirit wine. Wei Songnian chuckled:
"Old Huang, this kid Feihu looks sharp and clever. With your support, his immortal path will surely go smoothly."
"Haha! Feihu will definitely surpass me one day. I'll be counting on you two to look after him."
Old Huang broke the clay seal on the spirit wine, and a rich fragrance immediately filled the air.
Liang Qiu brought out a platter of freshly prepared spirit fish, along with seasonal fruits, vegetables, and some common meats. The group began to feast heartily.
As the sun dipped toward the western horizon, two figures rode on spirit birds, gliding lazily across the evening sky.
Wei Songnian gave the bird under him a sharp pat and grumbled:
"Ugh, I'm really getting sick of how slow these spirit birds are. Once I advance to Foundation Establishment, I'm definitely buying a proper flying beast."
Ji An only smiled. The price of an ordinary flying beast wasn't terribly high, but the cost of raising and maintaining one was no small matter. Unless you used it frequently, it wasn't worth the expense when spirit stones were tight.
"This time we're heading to a free-trade market run by the sect," Wei Songnian explained. "There are several such places. They're held every three months. When we get the chance, I'll take you around to all of them.
Each venue has Foundation Establishment cultivators overseeing the trades. They can authenticate items, though you'll have to pay some spirit stones for the service."
Ji An chuckled:
"I'll trouble Senior Brother, then. By the way, do you have any pills suitable for late-stage Qi Refinement? Could I borrow a few on credit? I'll pay you back once my spirit grain harvest comes in."
Since clearing his previous debts, he hadn't asked to borrow anything for a whole year. It was time to leverage credit for cultivation again.
Wei Songnian laughed:
"Haha, perfect timing. I just got back from Azure Cloud Immortal City a few days ago. I still have two bottles of Canyuan Pills left.
But I can't give you too many, I'll spare five pills. I need to keep some for trade."
"Five is already great. How much are they worth?"
Wei Songnian raised a single finger:
"Authentic Canyuan Pill from Falling Maple Valley, two spirit stones apiece.
Late-stage Qi Refinement pills require spirit herbs with several decades of maturity. They're always in short supply. I only managed to buy some thanks to family connections in Azure Cloud Immortal City."
So expensive! Ji An thought. Jadegrain Pills are only thirty spirit crystals each!
He laughed at himself:
"I thought I was doing well, but it turns out I'm still dirt poor."
Wei Songnian sighed in agreement:
"Exactly, we're all poor cultivators.
Each month, at most, I can only afford five Canyuan Pill. I have to save the rest of my spirit stones to exchange for contribution points. One day, I'll need to queue for a Foundation Establishment Pill."
By the time the two arrived at the trading venue, night had already fallen.
Wei Songnian pulled out twenty spirit crystals and handed them to the disciple guarding the entrance, smiling:
"Brother Cui, two people."
The man accepted the crystals and said blandly:
"Bringing a newcomer again, Wei? Go on in."
The doors opened, and a wave of chatter flooded Ji An's ears. The great hall was sealed with a soundproofing formation, but inside, the noise was lively.
Ji An glanced around and counted about fifty to sixty people. Most of them exuded stronger auras than his likely senior brothers at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
A plump, round-faced cultivator waddled over with a cheerful smile:
"Old Wei! This little junior brother looks unfamiliar.
Junior Brother, allow me to introduce myself, Lin Antai."