This time, not only Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian, but also Liu Neng and Zhang Quan, who were not good academically, were stunned.
"This is… blood-red rice?" Liang Shixian spoke hesitantly.
In the conventional sense, this was already a low-level heaven and earth treasure, but its level was significantly low.
Its primary function was to strengthen one's blood, and there were no restrictions on its use. Any martial artist of any rank could consume it.
In particular, it was very effective for Martial Apprentices like Ji Ruo. It could be considered an experience potion for Martial Apprentices.
Typically, there would be blood-red rice in secret realms because it needed to absorb the vitality of strong creatures to grow. Their roots would extract the essence of flesh and blood to nourish themselves, producing blood-red rice with a blood-strengthening effect.
There were deaths in the secret realm every day, so it was reasonable to encounter one or two stalks of blood-red rice occasionally.
However, the problem was that there were not just one or two stalks of blood rice in front of them but an entire field.
Not only that, but the surroundings of the blood-red rice field were exceptionally tidy. It was a square rice field with a length and width of about fifty meters. Clearly, someone was growing the blood-red rice.
How could there be such a thing in the secret realm of Myriad Beast Mountain?
It would have been fine if it was grown naturally, but this was not the case.
As they were hesitating, piercing chatter could be heard from the other end of the blood-red rice field.
"Take cover!"
Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian reacted very quickly and pressed Liu Neng and Zhang Quan to the ground.
The lush grass hid the four men's figures, and they did not even dare to breathe. They held their breath and lay in the grass under great concentration.
The conversation on the other side was clearly not human.
"Sigh, the leader is really #@￥@. I don't understand why he wants us to bring meat@#@#￥. We clearly didn't even have the chance to eat this."
"Alas, the chief is really #@￥@. I can't figure out why he wants us to bring meat@#@#￥. We obviously have no chance to eat this."
"How can you say that about the chief? When do we not have the chance to eat this?"
"Just drink some blood-red rice soup, and it'll count #@$ as eating!"
"Let's not talk about this for now. We should go back. Recently, the great demons on the mountain top seem to be #%@#. It's not peaceful."
Ji Ruo and the other three were quietly lying in the grass, listening to the conversation between the two creatures.
They could understand most of the conversation, but there was still a part that they could understand. It was not in a language that humans could understand.
One of the creatures was complaining while the other was trying to persuade him. It was followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.
The two creatures did not seem to have any intention of staying, and their voices gradually faded.
Ji Ruo lifted his head to the same height as the blood-red rice carefully and quietly observed.
"Goblins?!"
Ji Ruo was a little confused when looking at the two green figures that were not particularly tall.
How could such low-level demons speak human language?
After the two goblins were far away, Ji Ruo informed the others of what he had seen.
Liang Shixian's brows were tightly furrowed, while the other two were bewildered.
"Is it strange that goblins can talk?" Zhang Quan asked, confused.
Liang Shixian explained, "Goblins are a kind of low-level group-dwelling magical creature. Although they have their own language, it is just some roaring with emotions. Normally, their intelligence level is very low, and our language is too complicated for them. In theory, it is impossible for us to understand their speech, and they can't speak our language either."
Ji Ruo added, "Moreover, this field of blood-red rice seems to have been planted by goblins. No matter their intelligence or civilization level, my teacher said that goblins are just barely equivalent to the level of humans in the early Stone Age. They may be able to fix sharp-edged stones on a wooden stick, but they would never think of planting crops. This is too high-end for them."
"What should we do now?" Liu Neng asked, stunned.
At this moment, the two goblins had already left. Ji Ruo stood up and took out the stick from his waist. "What else? Let's eat! Are you guys not hungry?"
"Huh?"
Ji Ruo swung the wooden stick using the basic sword techniques taught in school, swinging a beautiful pattern.
The young man holding the wooden stick suddenly said, "To be honest, I was a famous farmer helper when I was a child. The villagers would find me every autumn harvest before they start harvesting."
Liang Shixian froze for a moment. "Why?"
"Because…"
Ji Ruo looked at the prey the goblins had thrown into the rice field. He recorded it with the wristwatch specially issued by the school at the time of the martial arts examination. The wristwatch could not only help him ask for help, but it also had the function of recording information. The prey that the goblins had brought added to Ji Ruo's score.
After doing all this, Ji Ruo stood in the middle of the paddy field, pointing at the paddy field scornfully. With a small wooden stick, he practiced his unexplainable swordsmanship. In fact, Ji Ruo was just waving it randomly.
"If they don't find me, they might not be able to harvest in peace."
Following Ji Ruo's movements, the blood-red rice was knocked down by him. A special sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart.
Liang Shixian was speechless and mused, "Isn't he behaving childishly? What's there to be so proud about?"
The joy on the young man's face grew more and more prominent. Just then, he received a system prompt.
[Congratulations for unlocking sword achievements: If a young man were to hold this stick, all vegetables in ten miles would be blown.]
[Acquired buff: Sword appreciation (beginner)]
[Sword appreciation: Increase comprehension related to the sword to the maximum level (Novice-level sword appreciation can increase the comprehension of all sword-related methods to the maximum value of the novice level. If the upper limit is exceeded, the comprehension will return to normal.)]
[Note: This ability can be raised by unlocking achievements.]
[Remark: Wasting food isn't what good children should do.]
Ji Ruo was pleasantly surprised and waved the wooden stick harder and harder. Soon, he destroyed the entire blood-red rice field.
"Come, come. Take as much as you can. Let's have a good meal today!"
Ji Ruo did not have any psychological burden doing this at all. Although it was shameful to waste food, it was not like he did not want to eat.
Moreover, the field was planted by goblins. These monsters had a deep hatred for humans, so it was perfect for making them feel unsettled.
Of course, it would be best if they could be killed.
They looked at each other and were also famished. The group picked up the blood-red rice that was cut by Ji Ruo. Each of them held a large bundle.
"Wait. We don't seem to be able to take much like this." Ji Ruo touched his chin and pulled out a standard sword from his back. He cut off the ear of rice and wrapped it in his school uniform, leaving the stem in place.
"Don't take the rice stalks away." Ji Ruo said seriously, "Let them rot here to increase the fertility of the land so that we can continue to plant them in the future. The goblins will be moved to tears if they knew that we are so considerate."
The few people were rendered speechless again.
There were too many things to address that they did not know where to start.
However, the group also knew the current situation. It was indeed much more convenient to take away the ears of rice than the stalks.
Hence, the few of them followed suit and took off their school uniforms to carry the ears of rice.
The tense atmosphere of the martial arts examination seemed to have disappeared. Everyone, including Liang Shixian, was happily experiencing the joy of their harvest.
After all, they were still teenagers. The happiness of teenagers was actually straightforward.
Furthermore, they were famished. The blood-red rice was known as an experience potion for Martial Apprentices. If they were to buy it, the price was not what ordinary families could afford in the long run. How could they not be happy now that they had gotten it for free?