Two days later, news about the agricultural spirit energy cultivator spread throughout the town. Over the next few days, carriages from the city continuously visited Dongshan Village to meet the spirit energy cultivator, He Lei. People from all walks of life intended to forge a connection with Master He. Unfortunately, no one was granted permission to meet the He family, who kept to themselves, refusing to meet with anyone. The only two sent out to greet the visitors were Baihu and Xiao She. Despite their best efforts to be hospitable, no visitor dared to approach them, leaving everyone baffled. Was this meant to welcome guests or scare them away? Frustrated by the disturbance, Zhenzhu announced the next day that Master He had agreed to partner with Master Tiao for business ventures and was too busy cultivating spirit plants, so he had no time for hosting any visitors. Following this declaration, people began flocking to Ruyi Pharmacy instead. Master Tiao truly had luck on his side. When had he managed to form such a bond with Master He? By the end of April, the weather turned intensely hot, compelling travelers to seek respite in small tea shops along the way. "Master, a cup of tea for me, please!" A merchant, laden with goods for sale, stopped at a tea shop to quench his thirst. For more chapters visıt 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕·𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎·𝚗𝚎𝚝 "Right away, sir," the master greeted the customer with a warm smile. The scorching weather was indeed a golden time for tea shops. "Have you heard about the new spirit energy cultivator specializing in agriculture in Fengfu City, shopkeeper?" a merchant from another town inquired. "Yes, sir. Master He, who was severely ill before, has recovered and can now nurture spirit plants. Sadly, he refuses all invitations." "It’s no surprise. Spirit energy cultivators are known to be aloof." "Indeed, sir. Even the governor has sent invitations in vain," "That’s too much. He even refuses the governor’s invitations?" "Sigh, it’s truly hard to associate with spirit energy cultivators,” the foreign merchant mumbled. Meanwhile, Zhenzhu was heading into town with Aunt Zhou, fed up with people trying to connect with the He family. Back when her father was still unwell, nobody except Aunt Zhou offered help. Now that they had some wealth, people were nearly dying to visit them. Fortunately, Baihu and Xiao She were somewhat useful, using their adorable faces to politely turning away guests. Some villagers even sent their sons, who were friends with He Yu, to invite him over in a friendly gesture. But He Yu found this annoying since his new friends were Xiao She and Baihu. "Zhu’er, I’m genuinely happy that your father has recovered. I wanted to visit, but your house has been too crowded," Aunt Zhou sincerely said. "Thank you, Aunt Zhou. We’ve just been staying indoors lately. Yu’er hasn’t been allowed out, fearing people might deceive him." During this period, everyone in the house was practicing spirit energy cultivation in seclusion. Even Miss Wang and He Yu had started their training. Although He Yu was young and not fully understanding, He Lei closely tutored him. Arriving in town, Zhenzhu parted ways with Aunt Zhou and entered a small tea shop to cool off. "Master, a cold tea, please, and some steamed buns," she placed her basket down and called out to the elderly man busily preparing tea. "Sure, sure, just a moment, young kid." Zhenzhu waited quietly for her tea to quench her thirst, her gaze wandering around the shop. The hot weather made the tea shop bustling with merchants from different towns passing through. Fengfu City served as a pass-through for several towns, though not a primary route for most merchants due to its longer, more circuitous path. As Zhenzhu surveyed the surroundings, her gaze landed on a bullock cart loaded with bundles of long wooden branches, each about the length of an arm and had 5-6 gnarls. They were neatly cut and tied into bundles, each containing about 15-20 branches. "Are those mulberry branches?" "Ah, the young miss knows about mulberry branches?" A nearby merchant, intrigued by her comment, engaged in conversation. "Yes, I’ve seen them before. Are those mulberry branches?" Due to the distance, she couldn’t see clearly. "Indeed, they are. I’m cutting them to sell these to a farm owner in Feirong City." Feirong City, located two cities away from Fengfu, was renowned for its textiles. These mulberry branches were destined for silk farms to feed silkworms, which in turn would produce silk for textiles. "How much are you selling them for? The master of our manor is interested in the textile business and is looking for ways to cultivate mulberry for silkworms," Zhenzhu posed as a servant from a notable household, Master He’s manor. "Oh, I see. That explains your interest in the branches. I sell them in bundles, each containing 20 branches, for one tael per bundle. How many does your master wish to purchase? Unfortunately, these on the cart are already reserved, but I can bring more next time. I reside in Xinjiang City, just beyond here." "My master wanted to buy a large number. How can we contact you, uncle?" "Hmm, visit the blacksmith’s shop on the second street in town. It’s the only one there. The shop manager is my younger relative. You can reach me through him. Here’s my name," he hastily wrote down his contact details with charcoal and handed it to her. "Thank you, uncle. I’ll consult with my master and contact you." “Sure.” The merchant was overjoyed at the prospect of securing a large customer. Walking away from the tea shop, Zhenzhu felt contented with her discovery of a source for mulberry branches. Now, her only concern was acquiring land for cultivation. She did not know the cost of the land in these days. The two pills she had given to Master Tiao were used wisely; one was presented as a gift to the Governor, and she told him to consider it a token for future business endeavors, agreeing to accept only half the price for it, even though Master Tiao offered to pay full price. The other pill, auctioned off for 1,000 taels, brought in a significant profit, even after deducting ten percent of the auction house’s commission. Master Tiao assured that the auction fees would come out of his share, leaving Zhenzhu with a substantial portion of the earnings, seventy percent of the share. Upon witnessing 700 taels for the first time, she was awestruck, mouth agape for what seemed like half a day. This substantial sum, combined with another half from the first pill, 350 taels, amounted to a total of 1050 taels. That two pills were crafted from spirit herbs, acquired for 20 taels.Ah... It must be mentioned she was indebted to Master Tiao by 10 taels, thus, after settling her debt with Master Tiao, she had 1030 taels remaining. This became the first significant amount of money that was truly hers. Ah... The fragrance of money was profoundly sweet. "Big Sister Zhu," Xin Xi, waiting at their arranged meeting spot, hurried towards her. “Today, I shall meet with Master Tiao personally. Lead the way.” Each time Xin Xi and Master Tiao arranged for the exchange of vegetables or herbs, they altered the location. However, the recent revelation of Master He’s identity meant she no longer had to be overly cautious about deliveries. Yet, she continued to employ Xin Xi for this task, considering him for an assistant role in future ventures. Talent was easy to find, but honesty and integrity as displayed by this young lad were rare. This time, Xin Xi expertly led her through the back entrance of Master Tiao’s manor, his presence no longer surprising the servants. He could now navigate the premises as if he were one of the household staff. "Master Tiao, I have arrived." "You’re here, come on in." Master Tiao, sitting leisurely in a pavilion behind the guest residence, sipping tea, greeted Zhenzhu with a warm smile as she followed Xin Xi. "Oh, the young lady has come too? Come, come." "Master, I need a favor." "Oh... The young lady here doesn’t even greet others anymore? Arrives and straightaway dumps her problems onto me, eh? Ha ha ha!" Master Tiao burst into laughter, amused by her direct approach. Last time, she had thrown a problem his way by announcing that Master He was engaging in business with him, filling his manor with visitors. It took him days to manage the aftermath. What could she possibly want this time? Well, he supposed he was ready to be at her beck and call. She was eager to purchase land promptly because cultivating mulberry trees would take a year before the leaves could be used to feed silkworms. However, with the application of spiritual energized water, the growth period could be reduced by nearly half. Still, it would require six months. The sooner she could plant the mulberries, the closer she’d be to achieving her goal. "I’m looking to acquire some land to expand our agricultural endeavors." "Wow! Master He is indeed formidable. Growing vegetables and herbs to such an extent without tiring, and now you wish to expand the land further, all the while allocating time for character inscription." This person was born to make others envious. Who else could wield such talents to him, he must be overly favored by Nuwa[1]. "You’re unaware, but my brother and I have also begun our spirit energy cultivation." "Is that so? Excellent, truly excellent. Soon, you’ll be able to assist your father in nurturing spirit plants." "Yes, I’m practicing diligently." "Good, good. And how much land are you considering?" "About 20 mu, close to the city. Do you know anyone willing to sell?" The travel to the city would be easy. " 20 mu of land near the city would be quite expensive. I’ll inquire with a real estate agent for you." "Sister, are you planning to buy land?" Xin Xi, who had been quietly listening, asked. "Yes, do you have any suggestions?" "A few days ago, the stable boy from the Wu Manor mentioned that he’ll soon be out of work because his master announced the sale of all his horses and the entire grazing land to relocate to another city." "I’m not interested in horses, Xin Xi, only the land." "The stable boy said the whole herd has been sold, and someone is coming to pick them up in two days. But the land is so vast and expensive that no one has bought it yet." "Do you know how many mu it is and where it’s located?" Master Tiao inquired, recognizing that buying land directly could save a lot of money. "I’m not sure, I only know what the stable boy told me: it’s very expensive, so no one has bought it." "He mentioned that Master Wu is asking for 7,000 taels." "7,000 taels!" Zhenzhu exclaimed in shock. Where would she find 7,000 taels? That’s exceedingly expensive. Master Wu must be unable to sell at that price in this lifetime. No wonder no one has bought it. How bold he was to sell land in this small city for that price. Perhaps he thinks there’s gold buried underneath. After discussing with Master Tiao, she gave him four more inscribed pills, two for healing wounds and two for detoxifying, instructing him to auction two pills per month to maintain their high value and rarity. After discussing the land matter with Master Tiao, Zhenzhu decided to consult with her family. That evening, she brought up the matter to her parents. "Father, Mother, should we consider moving?" "Move house!" Miss Wang was surprised. "Yes. Our current home in Dongshan Village is far from the city, and we only have 2 mu of land. If we want to grow more herbs, we have no space left. Besides, the villagers aren’t sincere. Wouldn’t it be better to buy land near the city, build a sturdy house with a play area for Yu’er?" Miss Wang thought it over and nodded in agreement. Truthfully, she wasn’t too attached to the village. Moving could be a good idea, but the cost? "Aren’t lands near the city very expensive?" He Lei finally spoke. Currently, they have 1,140 taels, thanks to selling vegetables and herbs. Recently, the price of Nengyan herbs skyrocketed, providing them with a comfortable income. But he wondered how much moving and buying new land would cost. "Currently, I have 1,000 taels," she said, fetching the money from under her pillow and placing it before them. "Where did you get such a large sum of money from?" Miss Wang asked in surprise. "I inscribed on pills and asked Master Tiao to auction them off. They fetched a good price. I only inscribed two pills," she proudly explained. She gets up early every morning and this is a testament to her diligent practice. "Ah, then it’s your money. Keep it," He Lei smiled. "Wow, my older sister is so skilled at making money." "Indeed, my little sister is very talented," the siblings exclaimed, eyes wide at the sight of the money. Despite their daily efforts with herbs and vegetables, it took them ages to make 1,000 taels. Yet, Zhenzhu managed to earn the same amount in no time. "It’s alright. Money can be earned again. Now, including what’s with father, we have 2,140 taels. That should be enough to buy a good piece of land. If there’s any left over, we can use it to build our house. What do you think, father?" "That sounds like a plan. Have you found a suitable place yet?" "Not yet. I wanted to discuss it with you first. Tomorrow, Master Tiao has arranged for a real estate agent to meet with us. Father, will you come to the city with me tomorrow?" She had planned to use her own money to buy land for mulberry cultivation if her family disagreed. But now that they were on board, it was appropriate to involve her father in selecting the land. "Agreed. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the city to look at the land." [2] Nuwa, or Goddess Nuwa, is a deity from Chinese mythology credited with creating humanity and repairing the sky. She is described as the sister or wife of Fuxi, the deity who created humanity and repaired the heavens. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en