Chapter 279 - Growing Rice (II) (2/2)

Xuan Yuanchen shakes his head. “You are not master now. It doesn’t mean it cannot happen in the future. There are cultivators in my family, so I am from a cultivation family. Now we are preparing to s.h.i.+ft the family business back to the country. You are my master.”

He talks all by himself, not realizing his “Brother Mu” is staring at him. This young b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What he means is that if anyone in the Mu family is cultivator, he himself has to salute as a junior as he did? Then how can he develop a relations.h.i.+p out of it!

They chat for a while and Lin Luoran learned that the Xuan Yuan family were originally living on an island and went abroad at the end of Qing dynasty. As for Xuan Yuanchen, he is from the State of Huaxia with several other nationalities. He has the Taoist root, yet he did not believe in the cultivation system. If it was not for the appearance of cultivators in Huaxia, the Xuan Yuan family could have become an ordinary family with the unwillingness of the only child Xuan Yuanchen.

Lin Luoran feels a little bit embarra.s.sed about taking up a whole lake area of other people, so she is very polite to Xuan Yuanchen. But her att.i.tude makes Mu Tiannan very envious, thinking to himself that he is going to kick his a.s.s when they go back. On the other hand, he maintains a smiley face, but because of his psychological activity, the smile looks as if it is faked.

Lin Luoran chats with Mu Tiannan about old times. After a while, Mrs. Lin declares to start the meal and all the working people come back to eat. Mu Tiannan finally recognizes Liu Zheng in Taoist robe.

Lin Luoran feels a familiar, silent war commencing between them.

Seeing that Lin Luoran is apparently more acquainted with Liu Zheng, Mu Tiannan blames herself for having fallen behind for so long that the other man took advantage of it.

Mrs. Lin prepared loach dishes so that they can eat the fish first and then add vegetables to the pot later. Everyone is pleased with this course except for Xuan Yuanchen, who is used to bread and sausages and not accommodated to spice, and Mu Tiannan, who feels the meal tasteless because of his struggle inside. Other people are delighted to have a delicious meal after a day’s labor.

After the meal, everybody goes back to work. Mu Tiannan insists on joining in. Lin Luoran says, “Aren’t you going back downtown? The night falls early in the mountain.”

Xuan Yuanchen acts as if he was surprised. “Master Lin, don’t you know that Brother Mu purchased a house years ago in the villa? Of course, we have a place to stay.”

What? He bought a house here as well? Lin Luoran feels that the whole villa is going to be taken all by her acquaintances. Li Xi’er said a lot of cultivators tried to get in too.

Subconsciously, she overlooks a detail. If she asked, she would know that the “early years” Xuan Yuanchen said was the same year as when Liu Zheng bought his house, only in a different month.

………………

The sun goes down. Xuan Yuanchen gives the mud-ridden clothes to the butler, throws himself to the sofa, whining, “Brother, way to go! You seduced your future wife while dragging me to do all the labor. It is the first time in my life that I’ve been in the field.”

Mu Tiannan throws a chestnut he got from the Lins on his head. “What future wife? Watch it.”

Xuan Yuanchen shouts and cries, complaining that he forgets his friend when he’s in love.

“Brother, why do you want me to be a cultivator?” Xuan Yuanchen nibbles on the raw chestnut. He didn’t know this ugly chestnut can be crispy, sweet and has a long-lasting scent, which exceeds his expectation.

Mu Tiannan clenches his teeth. “Because you have the Taoist root. The heaven will punish you if you waste it.” Maybe those who do not have it feel it very precious. Xuan Yuanchen has the Taoist root yet he is not interested in cultivating. However, Mu Tiannan doesn’t have the Taoist root yet he is always dreaming that he could have it one day.

There are some other things Xuan Yuanchen wanted to say. Mu Tiannan throws him several chestnuts. “We share a bond. I’ve always considered you my blood brother.”

Xuan Yuanchen nods his head. Mu Tiannan went abroad when he was very little and the Xuan Yuan family is in New York too. He has been following Mu Tiannan since he was a child. To put it in a harsh way, even if going to the red-light district, he was led by Mu Tiannan. Therefore, although they are not families, they have more genuine affection than real brothers.

Mu Tiannan cracks a chestnut casually. “Say ‘yes’ would be fine. If I told you to train, you’d better do it. Do not ask questions.”

Xuan Yuanchen appears to understand, thrown into deep thought.

………………

The field of outside the Lins’ door has just been transplanted rice seedlings, yet in Lin Luoran’s s.p.a.ce, it is already a world of gold.

The wind riffles, the blond rice and wheat waving. The rape flower is bearing with fruits, tiny seeds hiding inside.

Others cannot enter this area, so Lin Luoran has to harvest herself. She has to work while others are sleeping.

Lin Luoran is not as extravagant as trying to exploit only a little water rice seedling by the tiny pond. The water comes from the lake she secretly using her right hand to guide. She wanted to put some fish and shrimps along with water, yet these living creatures were extremely hard to enter her s.p.a.ce. So she had to give up.

Lin Luoran put some water from the s.p.a.ce to the field inside the s.p.a.ce and the field outside in hopes of bringing the flavor and function to a higher level.

Witnessing her hard work, the fire phoenix watches the scene with the silver fish while making comments.

Lin Luoran cuts the stems of the rape first and lies them on the ground, waiting to take out the seed a few days later. When she starts to collect the wheat, she finds herself dumb using human labor in the s.p.a.ce, especially with the laugh of the fire phoenix.

One cannot cast a spell in the s.p.a.ce, but it doesn’t mean one cannot on the outside! Then, she cuts all the wheat and rice and takes it to the backyard to thresh it. The night is quiet while people are sleeping. Only Goldie who built its nest on the villa notices its master’s behavior.

After Lin Luoran used the Gold spell to thresh the wheat, she sees the white grains on the ground, feeling happiness and a sense of achievement of harvest, which makes her overnight-work worthy.

A mu of rice can yield a thousand jin, even without the sh.e.l.l. One harvest can provide for her family for a long time.

She collects rice and wheat. She is sleepless tonight anyway, so she goes back to her room, finding out Chronicle of the Nine Provinces Hui Zhu sent her, turning to the last page and staring it blankly.

Although Mount Penglai is as mysterious as a mirage, she does not want to give up.

Can Mrs. Lin wait until she finds it?

She doesn’t know. She even forgets to think: if there is no immortals or magic weapons that can rebuild the Taoist root on Mount Penglai, what would she do?