Lin Yi tirelessly sought the water-deprived Spirit Rice, rinsing experience from Cloud Rain Technique, however, when it reached 99, no matter how he used it and his spiritual power was almost exhausted, the number above remained unmoved.
He pondered for a moment. It seemed he had hit a bottleneck. Whether it was cultivation levels or spells, there were always bottlenecks. Once crossed, he would enter a new realm. If not, he could only pace in place.
Looking at the Geng Jin Finger that was still a few short of reaching 99 proficiency, he began to look for the bugs attached to the Spirit Rice.
Now was the middle and later stages of Spirit Rice growth, during the heading period. In more than a month, the Spirit Rice would mature, which was the time when it attracted insects the most.
There were still traces of medicinal powder on the land in the Spiritual Field, which he had researched when studying poisons. This insect repellent powder was harmless to plants and soil. However, its repellent effect was mediocre, barely better than nothing.
Spirit Rice, including Spirit Grass and other Spirit Plants, was precious and couldn't be treated like those on Earth, using heavily toxic substances. That's why weeding and pest control now depended entirely on Spirit Farmers themselves.
Soon, he found a mole cricket. It looked similar to a cricket, while other bugs ate leaves, thisone specifically gnawed on stems and roots, and in severe cases could even sever the roots.
Lin Yi's gaze condensed, gently flicked his fingers, a flash of golden light, the mole cricket gnawing crazily on the stem of the Spirit Rice was directly pierced through the head.
He quickly walked over and picked it up to see. Good fellow, it was quite fat. He put it in a small bag with a smile on his face, planning to take it home to feed the chickens.
These bugs that sucked on Spirit Rice were very nutritious. Many Spirit Farmers also treated bugs as snacks, for nutritional supplements.
However, he had no such plan, intending to use the bugs to feed the few chickens at home and raise them into spiritual chickens. At that time, these chickens would be able to catch bugs in the fields on their own, making his life much easier.
After catching more than ten bugs, Lin Yi went home tired and went to the chicken coop. He threw these bugs in. Several chickens with bright feathers smelled the food and rushed up one by one to swallow these bugs.
After lunch, he cultivated for a while, but the experience of [Newbie] was still zero. Seems like he had to complete a day's cultivation just to gain experience.
Then he looked at the pitiful three spells on the panel and felt he needed to figure out a spell that would help him survive and escape.
However, the spells of Liu Yun Sect required merit points to be exchanged. Having joined not long ago, he has no idea where to earn these merit points.
According to the information he gathered, cultivating the Spiritual Field would reward merit points. However, for each acre of land, only one point was given. Casual spells required thirty or forty points. He would have to spend another season to collect enough points.
There were indeed stores selling cultivation techniques and spells in nearby Qing Yun City, but he couldn't afford it at such a price.
The original owner had been busy cultivating and had spent almost all the Spirit Stones he had saved up for a long time when he joined the Outer Sect of Liu Yun Sect. Now he only had a dozen low-grade Spirit Stones left on him, not nearly enough to buy a spell.
Lin Yi shook his head. No matter where, there was only one sickness in the world, and that was poverty. It seemed he could only wait until the twenty acres of Spirit Rice was harvested and then make plans.
After completing the work of caring for the Spirit Field, he was pleasantly surprised to find that a pop-up window appeared in front of him. "[Little Farmer] Experience +1, [Newbie] Experience +1."
After the surprise, he pondered for a moment, thinking that this was probably not gained from cultivating techniques but from using spells.
It seems that the cultivation technique requires leveling up, as does the use of spells. Next, after the night's practice, he would see whether his experience will increase again.
By evening, Lin Yi was cooking, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. His face tightened and he held a Geng metal finger, asking, "Who is it?"
"Little Yi, it's me, Aunt Liu who lives nearby. Open the door quickly." A woman's voice came from outside.
"Aunt Liu, what can I do for you?" Lin Yi asked. He remembered that Aunt Liu was a widow who lived nearby, her real name was Liu Mei Niang, still beautiful despite her age. He wasn't interested in any scandalous rumors at this late hour.
Liu Mei Niang outside seemed somewhat upset, "I have great news for you, just open the door and let us in."
At the words 'great news,' Lin Yi instantly became alert. He went and opened the door, seeing two people standing outside, one was Aunt Liu dressed flamboyantly, and the other was a young girl, clad in coarse cloth clothing, who was holding the corner of her clothes and had her head lowered.
"Aunt Liu, what's this about…?" Lin Yi asked somewhat suspiciously.
"Come, let's go inside and talk," Liu Mei Niang, leading the girl by the side, quickly entered the yard. Seeing the aroma of spirit rice coming out from the kitchen, her face lit up with joy, "Oh, you're cooking. It smells so good, maybe we should come later."
"You can leave now, Aunt Liu." Lin Yi said without any hesitation. He hardly had enough food for himself. Face didn't matter anymore. He had an inkling of why Aunt Liu had come.
A while ago, Old Huang from the neighboring house had warned him about Aunt Liu. Using the excuse of matchmaking, she'd show up at dinner time and freeload on other people's spirit rice. Now, it was his turn.
An awkward expression appeared on Liu Mei Niang's face, but it quickly turned into a joyful one, "Well, since we're here, let me finish what I have to say. The girl didn't come all this way for nothing."
Lin Yi looked at the somewhat shy girl and reluctantly invited them inside offering them two cups of tea.
Aunt Liu took a sip from the tea cup and seeing that Lin Yi remained silent, she began to speak, "Little Yi, you are in your twenties now, right? As the saying goes, 'Establish a family before starting a career.' Having someone take care of you can make your cultivation more convenient."
"This is Chunying, her family lives nearby in Qing Yun City. They are all down-to-earth, even though she doesn't have a spiritual root. She can do all domestic chores such as cooking and cleaning, and has also practiced martial arts with her father. Not to mention her figure and looks. She can definitely take care of you comfortably. Chunying, lift your head and greet Brother Lin."
The young girl gently raised her head and shyly looked at Lin Yi, "Hello, Brother Lin." After saying that, she lowered her head again.
Lin Yi had now gotten a clear look at the girl. She was simple and pure. The shy look on her face made people inevitably feel pity for her, aiming straight at the soft underbelly of any honest man. However, he had a feeling that something was not quite right.
Seeing Lin Yi's expression, Aunt Liu showed a smile on her face, "What do you think, Little Yi? Aunt Liu didn't lie to you, did she? Cultivation is very dull, having a woman to accompany you can complement each other's Yin and Yang, enjoy the joy of love, and benefit the cultivation. The taste, you as a young man would know as soon as you try."
"Moreover, maybe the child born to you would have a higher qualification for cultivation in the future and could provide you with resources for cultivation."
As Liu Mei Niang spoke, Chunying raised her head to glance at Lin Yi, her eyes somewhat coquettish. Seeing Lin Yi looking back at her, she quickly lowered her head shyly.
While Lin Yi and Aunt Liu were talking, a familiar figure stood at a high place not far away, looking at the brightly lit house of Lin Yi. A smug smile appeared on his face, "Honest men love pure and innocent girls the most. I don't believe this kid won't be moved. Once he begins to enjoy the joys of love every day, he won't have the time to take care of his spiritual field."