Chapter Sixty-Two: The Five-Colored Rice and the Red-Silver Yellow Hemp

As soon as Qin Ming arrived at Gathering Pavilion, Shopkeeper Liao warmly escorted him up to a private room on the seventh floor.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, please have some tea.” Gu Qingzhao herself brewed the tea for him, her manner gentle and graceful.

Qin Ming raised the Spirit Mist Tea, taking a delicate sip; the fragrance of the tea was soothing to mind and spirit.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, I have come this time to purchase some spiritual seeds from your esteemed pavilion.”

At these words, a sparkle lit up Gu Qingzhao’s eyes.

“May I ask what kind of spiritual plants you plan to cultivate this year? Our pavilion’s collection of seeds is quite comprehensive.”

Qin Ming answered candidly, “Second-grade, lower-quality Five-Colored Rice, and second-grade, lower-quality Red-Silver Flax.”

Gu Qingzhao’s lips had been curved in a faint smile, but at the mention of these two seeds, her expression froze and the smile faded.

For a long moment, she seemed at a loss for words.

At last, Gu Qingzhao recovered, asking uncertainly, “Fellow Daoist Qin, have you truly thought this through? You’re sure these are the two second-grade spiritual plants you want?”

Qin Ming nodded in affirmation.

“But… aren’t you planting Beast Fang Rice anymore?” she asked. “To move straight to second-grade spiritual plants is quite risky, don’t you think it’s a bit too hasty?”

Gu Qingzhao had never expected that Qin Ming, having only just attained the rank of superior spiritual planter, would immediately attempt to grow second-grade spiritual plants. She knew all too well how difficult these were to cultivate. Even among the ordinary second-grade spiritual planters of the Lingyu Sect, few could manage these two species.

Both were notoriously challenging, even among second-grade, lower-quality spiritual plants.

Qin Ming nodded again, and replied earnestly, “I have already decided.”

Gu Qingzhao’s expression grew complicated at his words. Though she was deeply impressed by his talent, she was not optimistic that he could successfully grow second-grade spiritual plants.

Nonetheless, she had someone bring out the two different types of seeds. To preserve their vitality, the seeds were kept in two exquisite jade boxes.

Qin Ming opened the boxes—one held radiant, multicolored grains, while the other contained dark green seeds.

He nodded; the amount before him would be just enough to plant his five acres of spiritual farmland.

The second-grade Five-Colored Spirit Rice was said to greatly enhance the spiritual power of cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, and even provided some benefit to those in the Foundation Establishment stage. Its yield was exceedingly low, making it nearly priceless. This rice required three years to mature and demanded the most stringent growing conditions.

As for the second-grade Red-Silver Flax, its outer husk was the primary ingredient for high-grade talisman crafting. The leaves and mature fruit could be used in medicines and alchemy—truly, every part was treasure. Its maturation period was also three years.

Though Red-Silver Flax was less demanding in its growing conditions, as it matured it released a woody fragrance that easily attracted a particularly troublesome spirit insect—one even the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique could not repel. If not handled properly, this would lead to infestation or even the death of the plant.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, how many spirit stones for these seeds?” Qin Ming asked.

Gu Qingzhao smiled lightly. “Second-grade seeds are rare indeed; these two boxes are all our pavilion has left. I’d planned to send them to auction. But since you are in need, you shall have them with priority.”

“After an additional twenty percent discount, the Five-Colored Rice seeds come to one thousand five hundred spirit stones, while the Red-Silver Flax seeds are two thousand spirit stones.”

“Are you sure you want these? If you fail, not only will you lose a great sum of spirit stones, but you will also have wasted much time and effort.” Her voice was gentle, but full of honest concern.

Qin Ming smiled slightly and deftly took out the payment from his storage pouch.

Gu Qingzhao accepted the spirit stones, then suddenly asked, “If you do succeed in cultivating these two spiritual plants, might you be willing to sell a portion to our pavilion?”

“I can, but I’m only making a preliminary attempt, so you needn’t set your expectations too high,” Qin Ming replied, taking another sip of tea.

With the transaction complete, Qin Ming did not rush off to plant the seeds. Before deciding to grow these two species, he had already pored over countless books on spiritual plants, memorizing every method, step, and important detail.

Before planting, the Five-Colored Rice seeds had to be soaked in a specially prepared nurturing elixir for some time. The ingredients for this elixir were not hard to find. Qin Ming easily purchased what he needed from a few shops nearby.

Upon returning to his cool and quiet abode, he prepared the elixir and, cautiously, soaked only a few grains of Five-Colored Rice as a test—this was his first attempt, after all, and he was unsure if it would succeed. In a few days, the results would be clear.

Once all this was done, Qin Ming set out again, heading for the southern district of Qingyang Market.

After winding his way through several alleys, he arrived at a storefront.

Spirit Beast Pavilion.

Qin Ming stepped inside.

The main hall was spacious and decorated in a classical style. Business was thriving, with many cultivators already at the counter, reserving spirit beasts.

A sweet-looking young woman greeted him politely, her voice as clear as a bell. “Welcome, honored Daoist, to our store. Are you looking to purchase a particular spirit beast?”

Qin Ming cleared his throat and said, “I’m not here to buy a spirit beast. Do you by chance sell the manure of the Black-maned Dragon Chestnut Horse?”

As soon as he spoke, the cultivators in the hall all glanced his way, several breaking into amused, furtive smiles.

Who came to a Spirit Beast Pavilion not to buy beasts, but to buy horse manure?

Just then, a middle-aged cultivator in fine robes stepped out from the inner chambers. The young woman at Qin Ming’s side immediately greeted him, “Shopkeeper.”

“Well, if it isn’t Fellow Daoist Qin! Please, come inside!” the shopkeeper exclaimed warmly. “Xiao Qin, what are you standing there for? Go and brew a pot of spirit tea for our guest.”

It seemed the shopkeeper recognized Qin Ming and greeted him with great enthusiasm.

Qin Ming quickly waved his hand, “No need for tea. I was just asking about…”

The shopkeeper paused, then laughed, “Of course we have it, as much as you need! For such a small thing, there’s no need for payment—consider it a token of friendship, hahaha!”

“No, business is business. If you insist, I’ll have to find another place,” Qin Ming replied, not wanting to owe anyone a favor.

The shopkeeper chuckled awkwardly. “In that case, just a few spirit stones will do.”

Qin Ming had a clear use for the Black-maned Dragon Chestnut Horse’s manure. Before planting the second-grade Red-Silver Flax, the fields needed to be thoroughly prepared—the ashes from burning spiritual plant stalks, mixed with horse manure and several other spiritual materials, would enrich the soil and lay a strong foundation for the plants’ growth.

By now, the cultivators in the hall, seeing Qin Ming and the shopkeeper conversing, began to recognize him.

One after another, they stepped forward to greet him.

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qin!”

“Fellow Daoist Qin, a pleasure!”

“So it was Fellow Daoist Qin, I should have guessed.”

“Of course he’s buying the manure for spiritual planting—makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”

“Who was just laughing earlier?”

…