Summer fades, autumn arrives.
The rice grains in the thirteen acres of spiritual fields on the Emerald Cliff are plump, almost touching the ground, showcasing the evenly grown spiritual grains.
Fang Xi wields a sickle and begins to harvest.
The growth of these Blood Red Spirit Rice is as he estimated, with an acre yielding three hundred catties of spirit rice.
During this time, the Decrepit Wood Daoist still had a smile on his face, wanting to introduce some of his own spirit farmers to Fang Xi, but Fang Xi directly refused.
Then Wei Yixin also came, boasting about his abundant harvest from his last trip outside and inviting Fang Xi to explore the island together.
Naturally, Fang Xi rolled his eyes and still refused.
By now, his relationship with these two families had become increasingly distant.
This was exactly what Fang Xi needed.
A granary was specially built in the courtyard. After the last bag of spirit rice was stored, Fang Xi couldn't help but let out a long breath.
Even he felt a bit tired after days of work.
After meditating for a while, Fang Xi took out the freshly harvested spirit rice of the year and cooked a pot of Blood Red Spirit Rice.
Huff!
When the rice was cooked, he lifted the lid and saw a pot of bright red spirit rice, still emitting hot steam.
However, within the steam, there was a hint of fishy smell.
Fang Xi picked up his chopsticks and tasted a bite, frowning, "Indeed, the texture is rough, and there's a bit of a fishy smell... It's better not to eat it alone, but to make it into other pastries."
However, after eating this Blood Red Spirit Rice, he felt the vitality in his body active, almost comparable to eating the flesh of a New Year Beast.
"Anyway, this spirit rice is not for me to eat, but for the New Year Beast, so be it..."
The New Year Beast needed to be continuously fed in order to produce flesh.
Fang Xi believed that the spirit rice in the cultivation world must be much stronger than ordinary grains.
"When the time comes, I will plant spirit rice, feed the New Year Beast with spirit rice, and then harvest the New Year Beast's flesh to feed the Demon Tree... a perfect self-sustaining supply chain!"
Some spirit rice could be left as seeds for planting next year.
In this way, there would be a continuous supply of New Year Beast flesh, without the need to go out for blood food anymore!
This would also reduce the risk of exposure of the Demon Tree!
"Well, I also need to return the spirit stones. I am a man of my word."
Fang Xi deliberately set aside six hundred catties of Blood Red Spirit Rice to return to the Decrepit Wood Daoist.
The old Daoist had borrowed twenty spirit stones from him to purchase the 'Flying Talisman' back then, showing good judgment and courage.
Unfortunately, too many of his descendants were incompetent, and the future of the Mu family was worrying.
Although the Decrepit Wood Daoist had promised that his family members would definitely work hard, Fang Xi still declined, simply because he didn't want to be disturbed.
This had nothing to do with repaying the debt.
"But... when I start practicing the 'Eternal Life Technique' in the future, I won't be able to go too far from the Emerald Cliff... I might really need someone to gather information from the outside world and even purchase supplies..."
"But it absolutely cannot be an adult. It's best to cultivate from a young age, loyal and dedicated..."
"It's still too troublesome. If only I could find Puppetry Techniques."
Fang Xi packed the spirit rice into a storage bag, released the Black Cloud Pouch, and immediately flew into the air towards the Mirror Moon Lake.
Today, Ruan Xingling also sent a sound transmission talisman, indicating that the flying magical tool had been successfully refined, which coincided with handling two matters at once.
...
Mirror Moon Lake.
The spiritual mist was vast, with phantom moon wheels floating and sinking within.
Fang Xi took out his own magical tool token, and the mist automatically dispersed, revealing a passage.
He controlled the Black Cloud Pouch and flew directly into the Ruan family's mansion, finding Ruan Xingling.
In the backyard.
Ruan Xingling took out a palm-sized flying boat and handed it to Fang Xi, "I have not disappointed you, take a look!"
Fang Xi nodded, took the small boat and carefully examined it.
The boat was palm-sized, showing a kind of apricot-yellow color, indicating some wood grain.
On both sides of the boat, there were black wing patterns.
"Black Feather Boat, this boat is mainly made of the wing bones of a first-grade flying bird. I also added a Cloud Cottonwood to increase stability and comfort. It can activate a windproof shield to avoid gusts during flight..."
Ruan Xingling said, "You can give it a try."
"No need, with the Island Lord's craftsmanship, I naturally trust it."
Fang Xi directly smiled and accepted the Black Feather Boat, "I wonder how much this magical tool is worth in spirit stones?"
"You can just pay for the materials of the Cloud Cottonwood. Making this kind of magical tool is also beneficial for my cultivation in crafting magical tools!"
Ruan Xingling waved his hand, "After all, I was originally going to refine the Green Grain Sword for you again, this time it's just a change of request..."
...
"There doesn't seem to be any underground fire in Mirror Moon Lake?"
Fang Xi walked out of Mirror Moon Lake, thinking about another matter.
He also had a heritage of refining tools, although he only dabbled in it and stopped when he confirmed his poor talent, he still knew some basics.
To refine a first-grade magical tool, if one couldn't use their innate true fire, they could only rely on earth fire!
And Mirror Moon Lake and even Peach Blossom Island should not have any fire veins!
"So... it must be other esoteric methods of refining tools, such as... raising a demon beast that can swallow and spit out demon fire?!"
Fang Xi stroked his chin and took out the Black Feather Boat.
After infusing mana, the boat instantly expanded into a small boat about ten feet long.
Feeling no obstruction when infusing mana, Fang Xi nodded in satisfaction.
He jumped onto the boat and found several slots on the base where spirit stones could be placed to replace the consumption of a cultivator's mana.
Generally speaking, for long-distance flights, most spirit boats could not be completely powered by a cultivator's mana and still needed to consume spirit stones!
However, for flying on Peach Blossom Island, Fang Xi's own mana was sufficient.
"Let's go!"
He formed hand seals, and the Black Feather Boat immediately flew into the air like a black stream of light!
"This speed is much faster than the Black Cloud Pouch, almost comparable to the 'Flying Talisman'!"
After flying for a while in the sky to confirm its performance, Fang Xi couldn't help but fall into silence.
A spirit boat like this was probably close to the level of a top-grade magical tool.
"This favor is not small..."
Unfortunately, the more so, the more Fang Xi dared not ask Ruan Xingling to refine the Snake Dragon Armor.
"After returning, during the farming off-season, I must quickly set up the Little Cloud Rain Array to block all prying eyes..."
After all, after the underground cave was developed, everything was on track.
By next year, he would probably be able to plant trees.
Feeling good, Fang Xi arrived at the Twin Peaks of the East.
"Ancestor!"
At this moment, from the continuous buildings, there came heart-wrenching cries.
"What's going on?"
Fang Xi landed the flying boat and asked a Mu family cultivator who was about fifty years old.
"Old Ancestor Mu... has passed away!"
The cultivator's eyes were red, his voice filled with sorrow, "It's good that you've come, I was just about to inform everyone..."
"Decrepit Wood, actually..."
Thinking back to the appearance of the Decrepit Wood Daoist from before, Fang Xi couldn't help but feel that the old Daoist's end was near. He fell silent.
Life was sometimes so fragile.
Compared to those wandering cultivators who were like floating duckweed, the fact that the Decrepit Wood Daoist could pass away at home, be buried in the family's spiritual land after death, and be recorded in the family genealogy for his great achievements, could already be considered a complete life...
"This is really..."
Fang Xi quickly said some comforting words, but he thought of the death aura he had sensed from the Decrepit Wood Daoist months ago, and realized that the other party had probably made arrangements for his affairs long ago, leaving nothing more to say.
He took a few steps and arrived at the Mu family's main hall, which had been temporarily arranged as a memorial hall, with a group of filial sons and grandsons wearing mourning clothes and weeping.
"I was also a friend of Mu Decrepit, so I came to pay my respects!"
Fang Xi lit three sticks of incense, solemnly bowed, and then turned to the Mu family members.
"Thank you..."
Mu Wen, dressed in mourning clothes, wiped away his tears, seeming to have lost some of his previous arrogance in his interactions.
"Young people grow up quickly... I hope they can change in the future and not disappoint Decrepit Wood's hard work..."
Fang Xi sighed inwardly and said, "I borrowed twenty spirit stones from Daoist Mu Decrepit before. Today, with a bountiful harvest of spirit rice, I intended to return them, but unexpectedly, he has passed away... I hope Daoist Mu Decrepit will have a good reincarnation and continue on the path of cultivation!"
This was just a formality, after all, there was no underworld in the cultivation world.
The so-called reincarnation was just a good wish.
When Mu Wen heard this, he was a little stunned, "Before the old ancestor's soul departed, he did not mention this..."
This was twenty spirit stones! Could it be that the old ancestor was confused at the time?
But why didn't he leave a promissory note or proof?
Fortunately, this person came to return the money, but he didn't know if he had deducted the interest!
Mu Wen's mind was in turmoil.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Fang Xi didn't say much, handing over a storage bag containing six hundred catties of spirit rice to Mu Wen, "This is six hundred catties of spirit rice. The storage bag is my gift, no need to return it..."
"How can this be?" Although Mu Wen spoke politely, he held onto the storage bag tightly.
Fang Xi comforted him a few more times, then turned and left, sighing inwardly, "Still just a thin layer of skin... People's nature is truly hard to change."
...
Emerald Cliff.
Fang Xi did not attend the funeral of the Decrepit Wood Daoist.
He had paid his respects once, expressed his condolences, and that was enough.
After all, he only had some acquaintance with the Decrepit Wood Daoist.
As for the old Daoist hoping that he would transfer his friendship to his descendants? That was a bit naive...
Fang Xi took out the geospatial jade slip he had measured before, arrived at a certain location, grabbed a flag, and fiercely inserted it into the ground!
This flag was pure white, embroidered with many mysterious runes that glowed.
"The Little Cloud Rain Array has eighteen flags, along with other auxiliary components... plus the core array plate, it's much more expensive than ordinary magical tools..."
"If there are some errors in the formation, the array cannot be connected..."
Fang Xi couldn't help but feel that it was no wonder that mastering array formations was best achieved with divine consciousness.
Without divine consciousness, unable to project it externally, many measurements and calculations were troublesome, even observing the flow of spiritual energy after setting up the flags was far from being as clear as with divine consciousness.
Fortunately, he had a jade slip to copy the answers from, so Fang Xi could still manage.
After a busy day, he arrived at the cultivation room and solemnly embedded low-grade spirit stones into the array plate.
"The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are correct..."
"It's time!"
After calculating the time and distance, Fang Xi buried the array plate in the prepared array eye.
Hum!
The array plate instantly activated, and pure white spiritual lines appeared, spreading outwards.
Fang Xi held the control command token and continued to adjust...
(End of this chapter)