NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Finally Having a Spirit Field
Chapter 5: Finally Having a Spirit Field
Next came the most important part of Li Xi’s tenth birthday – the gift from Li Shan and Wang Xiuniang, which was also what Li Xi had been looking forward to and talking about for a long time – a spirit field.
This brings us to the surname Li. Li was a common surname in Peach Blossom Village, with 80% of the villagers bearing this name.
This was no coincidence. Peach Blossom Village was originally founded by a distant branch of a large Li clan. They came to this place, saw the mountains and waters, and a large peach grove, so they built Peach Blossom Village and settled down.
Over generations, some of the more successful clan members went to work in the town and established Peach Blossom Town.
Although much time had passed and the Li surname people gradually split into separate small families, they were still related through marriages.
It was said that long ago, the Li clan had always passed down farming and animal husbandry as their family business. Many famous breeders had emerged from their ancestors. The branch that moved to Peach Blossom Village mainly focused on farming, so even now, many people loved farming, like Li Shan and Li Xi.
The family rule of this Li clan branch was that when a child turned ten, they were considered capable of farming independently and could own their first spirit field of two mu in size.
By the age of ten, children had been cultivating for four full years since they were six. At this stage, children had made some achievements in cultivation, their bodies had been washed by spiritual energy to be like ordinary uncultivated adults, and they had at least learned the Spirit Rain Technique. They could take care of a two-mu spirit field while balancing their own cultivation.
“Xi’er, you’re ten years old now. Are you ready to welcome your own spirit field?” Li Shan asked seriously.
“Father, I’ve long been ready to farm!” Li Xi’s round little face was equally serious, her equally round eyes staring firmly at Li Shan.
“Very good. From today on, you will have your first spirit field. Remember, respect the land, care for it, and don’t exhaust its resources!” Li Shan’s words were stern, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
Most of the Li family in Peach Blossom Village loved farming, but as the clan grew, some people with different ideas inevitably appeared. And as time passed, each generation had more people who didn’t love farming.
But in Li Shan’s branch, there had never been anyone who didn’t love farming. Yet now, two mavericks were born in their family. These two were Li He and Li Jiang.
One insisted on liking talisman drawing, the other insisted on liking equipment forging.
Li Shan couldn’t think about it too much. Every time he thought about these two rascals not focusing on proper business, he felt like having a heart attack.
Fortunately, these two rascals hadn’t let down their interests and had achieved some success in talisman drawing and equipment forging.
Now that their family finally had another younger generation who loved farming, it made Li Shan, who had given birth to two rascals in a row, feel a bit emotional. Daughters were still the best!
Li Shan looked serious on the surface, but he was delighted inside.
—
Li Xi, satisfied with all her birthday gifts, returned to her own room and preciously stored all the gifts in her treasure box.
Her room was clean and tidy, but by the window, there were many empty flower pots of various sizes and styles, all carefully selected by her from the market every year.
She happily inspected her collection, “My precious pots, you’ll soon meet your destined other halves. Are you happy?”
Before the age of ten, Li family children were not allowed to plant anything themselves, supposedly to avoid depleting the younger generation’s farming talent.
It was said that if one planted anything before the age of ten, even a weed, it would affect their farming talent after ten. So even though Li Xi had always been itching to bring plants home when she saw them outside, she didn’t dare to.
Soon she could start farming! Thinking this, Li Xi excitedly rolled around on her bed, unable to stop.
Remembering that she hadn’t started her daily spell practice today, she quickly got up and walked to the courtyard.
Their family’s courtyard was the largest in Peach Blossom Village, covering two mu.
The left side of the front yard was where everyone practiced various spells. The ground was covered with a layer of flat, solid green bricks, bearing traces of everyone’s spell practice.
The right side was the vegetable garden. It was still spring, so the garden was quite open, with exposed dark brown soil visible everywhere.
In front of the vegetable garden was a well. This well was enclosed to prevent children from falling in.
Originally, the Li family’s well was an open one, but later, their neighbor’s brother Wenze suggested a new idea to Li Jiang, mentioning something about “pistons” and “pressure” that Li Xi couldn’t understand at all.
But after hearing this, Li Jiang was ecstatic, praising Wenze highly and considering him a kindred spirit.
After discussions between Li Jiang and Wenze, repeatedly revising the design, they finally designed this well.
Li Jiang believed that this type of well could reduce the possibility of children falling in while playing, and the press-to-draw-water method prevented debris from being blown into the water, making it cleaner. Wenze was credited for all of this.
So they wanted to give it a special name, like “Wenze Well,” but Wenze’s face turned bright red, and he insisted on naming it “Pressure Well,” saying things like “This is all the wisdom of our ancestors” and “I’m just standing on the shoulders of giants,” looking very embarrassed.
Li Xi still remembered how quickly the red color spread on Wenze’s delicate face, from his neck to his face and ears, all turning red.
It was as if he had been dipped in red dye.
—
Now only the three little ones were playing and laughing in the courtyard; the others were not around.
But Li Xi was already used to this. Her eldest brother was probably practicing his talisman-making skills, her second brother was likely working on his equipment forging inventions, and her sisters-in-law, although busy all day, wouldn’t slack off and were probably cultivating in their rooms. Her parents were probably preparing for spring plowing?
Li Xi guessed.
The reality was different from Li Xi’s guess.
At this time, the adults of the Li family were gathered in the main hall of the central house. Li Shan and Wang Xiuniang sat in the main seats, with Li He’s couple and Li Jiang’s couple sitting on either side.
They were continuing yesterday’s small meeting. Yesterday, they had only clarified the future development direction of the family, but Li He and Li Jiang’s issues hadn’t been discussed in detail.
“You two, one has made a low-grade first-level spatial talisman, and the other has made a semi-spiritual tool. What are your plans for the future?” Li Shan asked with concern.
“My plan is to go with the flow for now, mainly focusing on improving my current talisman-making skills,” Li He said, exchanging a glance with Li Jiang.
“That’s good. Decades have passed, and we don’t know if the Tianyan Sect’s words from back then still count. Going with the flow is good,” Li Shan said.
Being able to directly become an inner disciple of the Tianyan Sect just by having some comprehension was a dream come true for many. But Li He considered himself just an ordinary person from Peach Blossom Village, with no grand ambitions. Even if he could enter the Tianyan Sect, which would be great, he couldn’t bear to leave his parents, wife, and children. What was the point of cultivating alone?
But now, although he still didn’t pursue these things, his thoughts had changed.
Since Xi’er’s incident, he felt they couldn’t always be satisfied with a stable life. It was because they had always been content with the status quo that now Xi’er had been bullied and they didn’t even know who did it.
Although he didn’t show his emotions outwardly like his brother, he also firmly believed that this matter couldn’t be left as it was.
His “going with the flow” wasn’t about drifting aimlessly, but about having a direction for effort and achieving goals step by step.
Wu Jingwan had been anxious since learning last night that her husband had made a spatial talisman. Although she didn’t show it, she naturally believed that her husband wouldn’t abandon everything to cultivate, but living in the world of immortal cultivation, the great temptation of entering the Tianyan Sect inevitably made people waver.
Hearing Li He’s words finally eased her anxiety.
“Since He’er has his own thoughts, what about Jiang’er? Now that you can make semi-spiritual tools, you can’t waste your talent,” Wang Xiuniang looked at Li Jiang.
Hearing this, Li Jiang flashed a slightly arrogant smile, “The teacher of the equipment forging training class I’m in once said that if any apprentice in the class could successfully make a semi-spiritual tool, he would take them as a formal disciple.”
“Doesn’t that mean Brother Jiang can soon become a disciple of a third-rank equipment forger?” Liu Qiniang exclaimed happily.
The equipment forging training class Li Jiang attended was hosted by a third-rank equipment forger who had taken on a guarding mission within the Tianyan Sect’s domain.
Firstly, he wanted to spread more equipment forging knowledge to villages and towns during his term, cultivating more talented people in equipment forging. Secondly, he wanted to find disciples with equipment forging talent for himself.
This equipment forger had taken on a ten-year guarding mission and had been stationed in Peach Blossom Town for five years.
Li Jiang had also been studying in his training class for five years. For at least another five years, this equipment forger wouldn’t leave Peach Blossom Town. If Li Jiang became his disciple, he could deeply study equipment forging skills without worrying about leaving home and being far from his family for now.
As for what would happen after five years, that was the family’s goal to work towards.
In short, becoming this equipment forger’s disciple had all advantages and no disadvantages.