The next morning, Zhenzhu woke up feeling confused. She remembered waiting for Brother Hao during his meeting, didn’t she? Then how did she end up here? Or maybe she had just dreamt that she was waiting for Brother Hao. No, she really had been waiting for Brother Hao. Oh well. Zhenzhu quickly got up, bathed, and dressed before running to Yong Saiweihao’s residence. "Lady He, why are you here so early? The Young General hasn’t come out yet," Yang Zhuang, who was standing guard at the entrance, called out when he saw her running in. What urgent matter could it be this time? "He’s not out yet? It’s fine, I’ll wait!" She sat, waiting resolutely outside the residence. "What is that urgent matter, A’Zhu?" Yong Saiweihao, hearing the loud voice outside, came out to check. "Brother Hao, I have something very urgent to discuss," Zhenzhu quickly stood up when she saw the tall figure. Yesterday, she had waited outside the meeting room but had fallen asleep without realizing it. The young general led Zhenzhu to the observation tower. As soon as they arrived, she wasted no time in recounting the events of the previous day. Yong Saiweihao grew serious as he listened. The dark inscription master had been sought across the land by him, Wenlang, and the emperor, sending people to find the person. Who would have thought he’d be so close? "Are you sure it was him?" "I’m not sure, because when I bumped into him, he seemed like an ordinary person. If it weren’t for our previous encounter in Fengfu City, I wouldn’t have suspected anything." "Hmm," Yong Saiweihao frowned. If it was true, then the inscription master might already know that she was the one who deciphered his character pattern. She might no longer be safe. After the report, Zhenzhu asked to return to the fields as usual, accompanied by two large groups of guards. Brother Hao was worried about her safety, so he had increased her security detail and added more guards around the camp. Back in the fields, the soldiers were working diligently. Zhenzhu inspected the water management system she had set up before heading to the composting facility. She used the compost to conceal the presence of her golden fish scales. The compost had various recipes, including animal manure and a liquid mixture made from decomposed leaves in which she secretly infused the golden fish scales to give it spiritual power. She distributed the compost to the soldiers to use in the fields. Since her spirit energy tier had increased, the composting process took less time. "Miss, your compost is truly remarkable. The first batch of vegetables we planted was highly praised by the soldiers. They are spirit vegetables and even reach the silver tier. If it’s not too much trouble, may I buy some to take home for my wife to use on our vegetables?" One of the commanders overseeing the soldiers today asked shyly. "Of course. I’ll share some with you to try out. No need to buy it, just consider it as helping each other out." "Thank you, Miss," the commander was overjoyed. Now that his wife could grow spirit vegetables, his son might also be able to cultivate spirit energy, right? "Don’t you sell this fertilizer, Miss? Such good fertilizer would surely sell well." "I do, but only in Fengfu City and only to members of the Fengfu City Farmers Association," she replied. How could her fertilizer not be good? However, she didn’t produce it for widespread sale. Her fertilizer remained limited to maintain the bargaining power of the Fengfu City Farmers Association’s produce. If she sold it to everyone, everyone would be able to grow spirit vegetables, thus slowly eroding the association’s trading power. Even within the association, she sold in limited quantities. Since the fertilizers were just a helping tool, they must use their own spirit energy to nurture their crops. However, for the military fields, she made special batches of fertilizer. Once the mission was complete, she would stop producing it. This wasn’t out of stinginess, but because this was her main source of income. If everyone had the same, she’d lose her livelihood. One should help others in moderation; too much could unintentionally harm oneself. The first batch of vegetables grown on the vacant land behind the kitchen was ready to harvest for cooking. However, it wasn’t enough to feed the entire army. Nevertheless, the lucky soldiers who got to eat her vegetables were thrilled. These were high-tier spirit vegetables. Low-ranking soldiers like them rarely got to eat such quality food. So, once the first batch was harvested, the soldiers eagerly grabbed their hoes and tools, rushing to the vegetable garden to prepare the next planting for Lady He to sow the seeds. They even started eagerly digging canals to provide water for the garden. After their training sessions and during their breaks, most soldiers didn’t rest but instead brought the digging tools and worked diligently on the canal until it was completed by their efforts. Zhenzhu admired their work immensely. The power of spirit vegetables was indeed potent. As she walked to the vegetable garden behind the kitchen, she overheard the soldiers talking. "When will this batch of vegetables be ready?" "Be patient. It’s already starting to grow. Lady He just planted it three days ago." "I’m impatient to eat. Come on, help me pull these weeds. These darn weeds grow so fast. I pulled them just two days ago, and they’re back again." The weeds grew just as quickly as the vegetables, so they had to pull them daily. Seeing the big, muscular soldiers tending to the small green plants amused Zhenzhu. They were starting to develop the hearts of farmers! Hehe. On the thirteenth day of the fourth month, the rice in the fields had turned a golden yellow, ready for harvest. Zhenzhu stood watching with a face full of pride. The plump grains of rice, shining with intense silver spirit energy, were a tempting sight for the soldiers. They had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Finally, the rice they had planted was ready for harvest. Seeing the golden rice with an intense spirit energy nearly brought tears to their eyes with joy. In the past month, they had often eaten the spirit vegetables from Lady He, leading some to advance their spirit energy tiers. Most soldiers had now begun cultivating spirit energy. Seeing this, Yong Saiweihao wrote a report to the higher-ups, and His Majesty graciously sent instructors to teach basic spirit energy cultivation to the soldiers. This was to create the future strength of the Yan army. How much power would the army of the Yan Region hold if every soldier was a spirit energy cultivator? At this moment, hundreds of soldiers were already standing by with harvesting tools, ready to reap the crops. From now on, they will be eating spirit food every day. "Brothers, harvest gently. Don’t use too much force, or the rice might fall and get damaged." The soldiers began harvesting quickly. Zhenzhu nodded in satisfaction. From now on, it was the responsibility of the commanders and deputy generals to manage the storage of the harvest. Her task was now complete. She had been at the military camp for over two months; it was time to return home. Zhenzhu rode her horse to the observation tower to meet with Yong Saiweihao. When she saw him, she expressed her desire to return to Fengfu City. She had neglected her silk business for a long time and didn’t know its current state. "You can’t leave yet," he responded immediately. "Why not?" Her task was complete, the dark character was removed, and the army had enough supplies. Unless they allowed the enemy to come and burn everything again. What Zhenzhu didn’t know was that the soldiers were now diligently protecting their new supplies, not letting even a bug approach. How could the enemy possibly come and burn what they had carefully nurtured for a long time? "Have you forgotten your promise?" Yong Saiweihao reached into his dimensional stone and pulled out a small pot. In it was a small sprout beginning to grow. She noticed dried blood stains on the rim of the clay pot. "A Spirit and Soul plant!” Brother Hao even has already planted it. Zhenzhu observed excitedly. "Yes, we need to wait until it grows a bit more to ensure it won’t die. Then, I will allow you to leave," Yong Saiweihao stated. "How tall does it need to grow?" She regretted offering to help him take care of it until it grew. If she could go back, she wouldn’t have said that. "Well, at least knee-high." "Alright then." Well, she had to keep her word since she had taken his money. She decided to make some fertilizer for Brother Hao. "Hmm, once the harvest is collected and stored, I will request a reward for you," Yong Saiweihao knew what would interest this young woman the most, so he brought it up. "Really? Brother Hao, please tell me what reward you will ask for. It would make me so happy." Zhenzhu was so excited, waiting for his answer with sparkling eyes. "Hmm, I could request trade rights for certain vegetables and herbs." Yong Saiweihao was aware that she and her father had established the Fengfu City Farmers Association. These herbs were of high quality and imbued with spirit energy. He thought to secure herbs trade rights from a major region for her. This might be a suitable reward for her efforts. "Excellent! Brother Hao, you are my lucky star." The young girl beamed with delight. From now on, the Fengfu City Farmers Association would be able to export large quantities of vegetables and herbs to other regions. With increased revenue, Fengfu City would become a major city capable of collecting substantial taxes and truly flourishing. Zhenzhu was overjoyed. She needed to write a letter to inform her father and the Governor about this news and prepare in advance. With that, she turned immediately. "Brother Hao, I need to write a letter to my father to good news. I’ll be going now." With that, the young girl dashed out. However, shortly after leaving the observation tower, she noticed around four to five cooks carrying large baskets, walking in a line. Eh? Where are they going? "Auntie, where are you going?" She hurried over to ask. "Oh, the Huangdou flowers on the mountain are blooming now, so we’re going to gather some and steam them for the Young Master. He loves them," one of the cooks said. "Up the mountain? Can I come with you?" Zhenzhu asked excitedly. She had been here for a long time and had never been up the mountain. Mount Weishan was a mountain within the Yan region, making it safe from incursions by Tang soldiers. If Tang soldiers were in Mount Weishan, it would mean the Yan military camp had already been defeated. "If you don’t mind the effort, you can come along," the cook said. "I’m not afraid of a little work." Finally, Zhenzhu set off up the mountain with the cooks. Before leaving the camp, she saw Baihu lying down while soldiers massaged it. She shouted to invite it along. "Baihu, let’s go on an adventure!" Baihu stretched for a while then decided to follow her. Since Zhenzhu was a high-tier spirit energy cultivator, she climbed the mountain without tiring. However, they had to take breaks frequently because the cooks were not spirit energy cultivators and tired easily. After the fourth rest, they finally reached the Huangdou flower field. The two-petaled yellow flowers were in full bloom across the field. Zhenzhu looked on with excitement; it was beautiful. It was a distant mountain, yet there was a field of blooming Huangdou flowers, perfect for sipping liquor and enjoying nature. "Auntie, let me help you gather the flowers." "Thank you, Miss," the cook said, handing her a small basket. Zhenzhu took it and immediately began picking the Huangdou flowers. Such beautiful flowers—she wondered if they tasted good. Brother Hao really likes steamed Huangdou flowers. That was great. She would gather plenty. After returning, she might even ask for some recognition from him, hoping he might reward her. The cooks spread out, diligently gathering the Huangdou flowers, while Baihu had disappeared somewhere, likely off to forage since it hadn’t been in the forest for a while. Zhenzhu cheerfully picked the flowers while singing, until she heard a sound. When she listened closely, she realized it was the cry of an infant. Huh, is there a baby here? Why would there be a baby crying in such a remote forest? Despite her doubts, Zhenzhu listened carefully again. It was indeed the cry of a baby. She placed her basket under a tree’s shade and walked from the open field into the dense forest, following the sound in puzzlement. "Miss, please don’t go that way, it’s very dangerous," a Shadow Guard appointed by Yong Saiweihao to watch over her quickly stepped in to block her path. That part of the forest was extremely dangerous, teeming with wild animals and even beasts. "Brother, didn’t you hear the baby crying?" "I did, but it’s too dangerous to investigate." "But if we don’t go, that baby might die." Hearing such a clear cry, if she didn’t go and the baby died in the forest, she would feel guilty. However, the cry was indeed suspicious. How could a baby be on this mountain? Or had some hunter parents abandoned it here? "I’ll go check instead, Miss," the guard offered. "Thank you. Please be careful, Brother." She thanked him, waiting anxiously. After about one ke, the guard still hadn’t returned. Zhenzhu grew worried. Why was it taking so long? The sound seemed so close. Her intuition screamed at her, and when she looked back at the Huangdou flower field, the cooks that used to gather the flowers were gone. "Shadow Guards, appear immediately!" Zhenzhu called out as the situation seemed increasingly abnormal. The guards materialized instantly, and soon Baihu came leaping back. "A’Zhu, something’s wrong," Baihu said. "What happened?!" Zhenzhu asked, alarmed. "We’ve wandered into someone else’s formation trap," Baihu answered gravely. The formation was so perfectly blended with nature that it was unnoticeable. If it weren’t a semi-divine creature itself, it wouldn’t have realized they were in a formation. "Protect the Lady!" one of the guards shouted. They surrounded her, drawing their swords, ready for an enemy’s attack. "Not bad, not bad," a man’s voice echoed from the forest. He had skillfully lured them to the center of the formation, but this girl was quite sharp. Still, it made no difference—they were still within the formation’s range. The moment she heard the man’s voice, Zhenzhu got goosebumps. That unfamiliar accent—could it be the dark inscription master? She prayed to the deities and immortals that it wasn’t him. "Who are you?!" Zhenzhu shouted. "The one who will take your life.” "I won’t give you!" She had been given life twice by the celestial beings, so how could she let them take it away so easily? As she looked toward the source of the echoing voice, a middle-aged man appeared, someone she recognized and knew all too well. Luan Chun glared at the girl surrounded by her guards with murderous intent. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared. The man in front of her had spirit energy at the white tier, two tiers above her. Among all her guards, the highest spirit energy was only at the golden tier. How could she possibly survive this? She needed to send for help from Brother Hao, but how could she do that when everyone was trapped in this formation? ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵 "I can send a message," Baihu said. "I can split off a fragment of my soul." Although it was a semi-divine beast, it wasn’t confident it could defeat a white-tier spirit energy cultivator, as it was only at the silver tier. "Excellent. I’ll buy us some time," Zhenzhu said. If she and all the guards worked together, could they not at least attack him? "Why do you want to kill me?" Zhenzhu initiated the conversation. Despite her fear, she needed to keep him talking as long as possible to give Brother Hao time to come to their aid. "Because you ruined my plans." "Because you were intent on harming others. If you hadn’t been trying to hurt others, would it have come to this?" Zhenzhu shot back immediately. "Tang Region will never defeat my Yan Region!" Zhenzhu baited, guessing that he was a Tang Region person. "You’re well-informed. But no matter, you’ll be dead soon," Luan Chun stared at the girl in front of him. It was a pity that such a capable girl was his enemy. If she were an ally, how powerful would the Tang Region become if they worked together? However, he still had doubts. This girl was only a silver-tier spirit energy cultivator. How had she managed to decipher and remove his character? His characters were nearly impossible for anyone below a white-tier inscription master to break. Luan Chun hesitated. Could it be that this girl wasn’t the one who deciphered his characters? But how could that be, when the power of the character emanating from her matched that person? Could there be someone else working with her? "Who helped you remove the character?" "I did it myself," Zhenzhu replied instantly. "Lies. Tell me now!" The oppressive force of his spirit energy surged, pressing down on the surroundings. The guards and Zhenzhu could feel the spirit energy of high tier bearing down on them. 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