You Cultivate, I Farm-Chapter 138

"We've reached our destination below."

From high above, Yao pointed to a vast lake below, speaking to Lu Xuan and his companion.

The lake stretched for hundreds of miles, housing around ten small islands of various sizes.

After a brief stop in the Sword Gate Town, the trio departed and, within an hour, their flying vessel arrived near their destination.

"There are several small clans on those islands, primarily raising water creatures and cultivating spirit plants for a living. We're headed to the Zhang family," Yao explained.

"The current patriarch of the Zhang family's uncle was once an outer disciple of the Sky Sword Sect and had a good relationship with my senior, who entrusted me to come here."

"However, despite attempting Foundation Establishment several times, each attempt ended in failure. Eventually, he passed away due to depleted life force."

"Due to this lingering bond, my senior asked the descendants of his fellow disciple to help cultivate spirit plants, a form of protection for them."

As the graceful woman spoke, their flying vessel landed on one of the larger islands.

More than ten cultivators awaited on the island. Upon seeing Lu Xuan and the others, they greeted them warmly.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Yao, and Senior Brothers."

The eldest among them, with silver hair but a lively spirit, around the eighth level of Qi cultivation, bowed respectfully to the three.

"Senior Brother Zhang, you're too polite. You're much older than me; calling me 'Senior Sister' is enough," Yao gently lifted the bowing elder.

The others behind the elder also showed the same respect. Lu Xuan glanced around; among the men, women, young, and old, most were at the intermediate levels of Qi cultivation. Some were even at the lower stages.

After exchanging pleasantries, the elder, Zhang Yutang, led Lu Xuan and the others into a grand hall.

"I heard Senior Sister Yao was coming to help with the pest problem, so I had the household prepare early. Now that you're here, we can dine immediately."

Zhang Yutang smiled.

"Senior Sister Yao, Senior Brothers, come and taste the freshly prepared spirit fish."

"These fish are a specialty of our Starry Lake, living deep in the waters, rarely seen. They can only be caught with special methods."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan uncovered the white jade lid on the table in front of him. Steam rose, carrying a tantalizing aroma.

He picked up a piece of nearly transparent fish meat with his chopsticks and tasted it.

The meat melted in his mouth, releasing a delicious and tender sensation.

"Excellent," he nodded in satisfaction, praising the dish.

"Indeed, it's been years since I tasted this spirit fish. I've been longing for its flavor," the graceful woman smiled.

"Senior Brother Zhang, your cultivation has progressed since our last meeting. You're close to breaking through to Foundation Establishment," she remarked.

The elder shook his head with a bitter smile.

"I know my own situation. Although it seems I'm close to Foundation Establishment, breaking through to the eighth level of Qi cultivation might be my limit. Going further is as hard as reaching the heavens."

"My focus now is managing the Zhang family, cultivating outstanding successors, and having them enter the Sky Sword Sect to revive the family's glory."

"Oh, does this generation of the Zhang family have promising young talents? If so, I can inform my senior," Yao pondered, smiling.

"We have two, Cheng Xin and Cheng Ning, among the most talented youths of the Zhang family in this generation. Thirteen or fourteen years old, both are already at the fourth level of Qi cultivation, stronger than I was at their age. They have a chance to enter the Sky Sword Sect," Zhang Yutang said, eyes filled with hope.

"That's impressive. Work hard in your cultivation and strive to enter the Sky Sword Sect together," Yao encouraged the youths.

She then presented each of them with a spiritual artifact she had used during her intermediate Qi cultivation.

The youths expressed their gratitude while Lu Xuan and his companion were occupied with the spirit fish in front of them. They were merely invited by the woman and had no connections with the Zhang family cultivators.

"Senior Brother Zhang, take us to see the spirit plants affected by the pest problem."

"The sooner it's resolved, the sooner you can rest assured," Yao addressed the elder after the meal.

"Of course, I'll take Senior Sister and the others to see the spirit plants," Zhang Yutang agreed eagerly.

The trio followed him and the Zhang family cultivators. Soon, they entered a vast garden of spirit plants.

Unlike Lu Xuan's previous spirit field, this garden wasn't structured like a field but seemed built on a marshland.

The ground was damp and decaying, with many puddles. Not far away was a shimmering lake surface.

The garden housed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of peach trees. In this environment, the leaves grew vibrant, exuding a moist sheen.

Amidst the dense foliage hung numerous crimson peaches, their surface bearing shallow, watery patterns.

"This is the Zhang family's Water Marsh Spirit Peach, a first-grade spirit plant. When ripe, these peaches can be consumed as spirit fruit or used to refine elixirs," Zhang Yutang introduced to Lu Xuan and his companions.

"Recently, a strange bug appeared among the Water Marsh Spirit Peach trees. It usually hides in the mud, extremely elusive and hard to detect."

"Superficially similar to the tree trunk, it's not very aggressive. Low-level Qi cultivators can handle it, but it causes severe damage to the spirit plants."

"The Zhang family organized several bug-clearing activities but couldn't completely eradicate them. Each time they were cleared, a new batch emerged."

"Fearing the long-term impact on the growth of the Water Marsh Spirit Peach, we had no choice but to seek help from the sect, hoping the adept spirit plant masters could assist in solving the pest problem," Zhang Yutang explained in detail.

"Have the Zhang family cultivators captured any of these strange bugs recently? Could their appearance or characteristics hint at their species?" Yan Ping, a plain-looking man, asked.

"After capturing them, our family's spirit plant masters checked the records and consulted other cultivators from the island's clans but haven't seen such bugs before."

"However, our family's resources are limited compared to the sect's. I believe Senior Sister Yao and the two senior brothers can identify the bug's species," Zhang Yutang said slowly. The trio split up, each observing a different section of the Water Marsh Spirit Peach plants attentively.

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