Chapter 1497: Formations and Wooden Oxen
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Chapter 1495: Formations and Wooden Oxen
Yunyi Villa.
The night was more than half gone, the sky not yet bright. Mo Hua released his Divine-Sense, sweeping it through every corner of the room, but he could no longer find any trace of the Underworld Agent.
It wasn’t until dawn, when sunlight streamed into the room, carrying the coolness of morning dew and a warm, cozy feeling, that the last vestiges of Yin Qi from the previous night completely dissipated.
Everything seemed as if nothing had ever happened, returning to the normal world.
Sensing that the Yin Qi had truly and completely dispersed, Mo Hua sighed softly in his heart, feeling a bit wistful: “I wonder when another Underworld Agent will come to capture me.”
Mo Hua felt it was a great pity. If one day a few more Underworld Agents could suddenly appear, preferably fiercer and more brutal ones, actively coming to seize his soul, that would be just perfect.
He just didn’t know if such good fortune would ever befall him.
Knowing his luck was usually not great, Mo Hua felt deeply concerned about this.
“What if the Underworld Agents don’t come looking for me?”
“Where would I go to find Underworld Agents?”
Just as Mo Hua was pondering this, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Mo Hua got out of bed and opened the door. Standing there was Zhū Mùchén, with his somewhat baby-faced appearance.
“Little Senior Brother, how did you rest last night?”
I ran into a ghost.
Mo Hua thought silently to himself, but naturally, he couldn’t voice such a blunt truth. Instead, he said: “Very well, very peaceful, and not lonely at all.”
Zhū Mùchén didn’t find anything amiss and instead happily said, “That’s good.”
After saying that, he invited Mo Hua, “Little Senior Brother, let’s go have breakfast. I had the estate manager specially prepare fruit soups and pastries with freshly picked fruits, and some Spirit Vegetables that are also very tender. In these rural places, the key is freshness.”
Mo Hua nodded. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble.”
“Little Senior Brother, you’re too polite,” Zhū Mùchén said with a happy expression. “Being able to personally host you is an honor for me.”
Mo Hua shook his head with a wry smile.
Afterwards, the two went to the villa’s dining hall for breakfast.
A large table was laden with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, pastries, and fruit soups, filling it completely.
Although not extremely luxurious, each item was exquisite and particularly fresh, clearly prepared with great care.
Seeing his Little Junior Brother Zhū Mùchén being so hospitable, Mo Hua even felt a bit embarrassed in his heart.
Not long after breakfast, a group of people escorted an elder into the room.
This elder had a mustache, shrewd eyes, and wore dark robes. Mo Hua also recognized him; it was that Dark-Robed Elder of the Zhū Clan whom he had met a few times before.
Mo Hua remembered his name was “Zhu ShouLù.” The people of Yunyi Villa respectfully addressed him as “Elder Lu.”
Zhu Shǒulù entered the room, glanced at Mo Hua, then lowered his gaze and bowed to Zhū Mùchén, speaking apologetically: “Young Master Chen, I was delayed by matters yesterday and failed to properly welcome you. It was my fault. Please forgive me.”
Zhū Mùchén waved his hand, finding it strange.
“We’re not outsiders, why be so formal? Elder Lu, if you have matters to attend to, just focus on them with peace of mind. Clan affairs are important.”
Although Zhū Mùchén was the young master of the Zhū Clan, his temperament was gentle and he didn’t put on airs.
Zhu Shǒulù then looked at Mo Hua, cupped his hands, and said, “Greetings, Young Master Mo.”
Mo Hua nodded in return. “Elder Lu.”
Zhū Mùchén thought for a moment and casually asked, “Elder Lu, how did the matter go?”
Elder Lu replied, “It’s mostly handled.”
Zhū Mùchén asked curiously, “What is it?”
Elder Lù only said, “Some trivial matters of the estate, nothing worth mentioning, lest it trouble you, young master.”
Zhū Mùchén nodded and didn’t ask further.
Whether he knew about the estate’s trivial matters or not truly made no difference.
He had more important things on his mind.
Zhū Mùchén asked, “Elder Lù, are there any arrangements for today?”
He wanted to take his Little Senior Brother around to see the Zhū Clan’s properties and fulfill his duties as a host.
Elder Lù then cupped his hands and said, “By the clan head’s order, today we will arrange for you, young master, to visit the nearby fields and villages, large and small, to question the stewards, check the accounts, and allow you, young master, to learn about the production and management of the spirit fields.”
Before Elder Lù could finish, Zhū Mùchén found it tedious and said, “Alright, alright.” Then he looked at Mo Hua and asked, “Little Senior Brother, would you like to go see?”
Mo Hua nodded.
Zhū Mùchén was delighted and said to Elder Lù, “Then it’s settled.”
Elder Lù gave Mo Hua a deep look, a flicker of wariness in his eyes, and said to Zhū Mùchén, “Yes, Young Master Chén, I will go prepare now.”
After resting a while longer and having some fruit, Elder Lù had the carriages and horses ready.
Zhū Mùchén then led Mo Hua onto the carriage, and under Elder Lù’s guidance, they began inspecting the Zhū Clan’s farmland holdings in the Great Spirit Field Realm.
This so-called inspection wasn’t complicated, it was simply observing wherever they went.
Arriving at a location, they would briefly review the operational conditions, then summon the responsible estate head or steward to ask a few questions and cross-check some accounts.
Good answers were rewarded, while poor answers or signs of negligence were met with reprimands as a warning.
Mo Hua followed beside Zhū Mùchén, silently observing the Zhū Clan’s farmland.
After watching for a while, his first impression was that the Zhū Clan was indeed a major family, with vast properties and fields stretching as far as the eye could see. Calling them great landowners was no exaggeration.
The Zhū Clan’s fields were like a sea of green, extending into the distance. Even when Mo Hua extended his Divine-Sense, he couldn’t reach the boundaries.
And this was just one prefecture boundary, a very small part.
There were over a dozen other prefecture boundaries, nearly all containing Zhū Clan farmland, and likely no smaller than what lay before them.
Yet despite the Zhū Clan’s vast land holdings and immense properties, they were only one of the four great families of Kun Province, and not even the largest landholders.
The Lu Clan, Jìn Clan, and Wú Clan held land no less extensive.
Not to mention, above the four great families, there was the Earth Sect, which occupied even more expansive territories.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
“By the way, Little Senior Brother, would you like to see the Formations in the fields?” Zhū Mùchén suddenly asked.
“Formations?” Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.
“Young Master Chén,” Elder Lù hurriedly said, “this… isn’t quite in line with the rules.”
But Zhū Mùchén was somewhat displeased and said: “Little Senior Brother’s Formation mastery is profound and unfathomable. The Formations in our Zhū Clan’s fields might not even catch his eye. Why be so secretive and hide them away?”
Elder Lù felt bitter inside.
This young master of theirs, whose side was he on anyway?
Mo Hua also felt a bit embarrassed, but since they were already here, not taking a look at the Formations would be a disservice to his identity as a Formation Master.
Mo Hua said, “Then let’s take a look.”
Zhū Mùchén: “Great!”
And so, Zhū Mùchén took it upon himself to lead his Little Senior Brother, Mo Hua, to the Formation hubs of the Zhū Clan’s fields.
Elder Lu had a very strong feeling that this was akin to ‘inviting a wolf into the house.’
But the one inviting the wolf was the young master of the Zhū Clan. As an elder, he truly had no choice but to follow closely, just in case.
As for Mo Hua, this “wolf,” he leisurely walked up to the Zhū Clan’s field formation, released his Divine-Sense, and after just a brief glance, he already had a clear understanding.
Zhū Mùchén eagerly asked, “Little Senior Brother, how is our Zhū Clan’s formation?”
Mo Hua pondered for a moment before nodding and offering his evaluation: “Not bad… It’s oriented north-south, using a Soil-Stabilizing Formation as the foundation to lock in the soil and nutrients.”
“Around the Soil-Stabilizing Formation, there’s also a Spring Rain Formation to absorb spring rainwater vapor and moisten the soil.”
“These two formations are arranged together through the Formation Pivot.”
“By coordinating individual formations, they achieve the preliminary effect of a Composite Formation while also saving costs.”
“In terms of conceptual design, although it’s a bit mediocre, it’s simple and practical. Using it to cover large areas of spiritual fields is neither particularly impressive nor a failure.”
Zhū Mùchén nodded, carefully memorizing each point.
Elder Lu, however, was taken aback.
From the moment this Young Master Mo walked up to the pivot of the field formation to when he spoke these words, only three breaths had passed.
In such a brief moment, could he really discern so much?
Was he truly so proficient in the Spiritual Plant Formations of Kun Province?
Elder Lu frowned slightly, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua felt somewhat disappointed.
His disappointment stemmed from the fact that the Spiritual Plant Formation used in the Zhū Clan’s fields was, in his eyes, ultimately too low-end.
Not only were there few types, and the conceptual flow of the Five Elements was not particularly ingenious, but even the grades were mostly First- or Second-Grade. There wasn’t a single Third-Grade formation.
This greatly surprised Mo Hua.
He had originally thought that, as a major clan, the Zhū Clan would have some advanced techniques when it came to spiritual field formations.
But now it seemed that the Zhū Clan didn’t place much emphasis on spiritual field formations.
The formations were all at the level of ‘as long as they work.’
Mo Hua even suspected that these major clans of Kun Province had no intention of using formations to develop their industries or increase the yield of their spiritual fields.
Of course, on second thought, it was also possible that his own standards were simply too high.
These crude formations might just be beneath his notice, but in the eyes of other ordinary cultivators, they might not be considered bad at all.
Especially when it came to implementing formation modifications across large areas of spiritual fields, the cost would be too high, making it somewhat impractical.
It was understandable, then, that the Zhū Clan didn’t vigorously promote the development of spiritual field formations. There might even be some underlying reasons he hadn’t yet realized.
After all, discussing things on paper is easy.
But in reality, even the most trivial matters are never easy to carry out.
Mo Hua quietly gathered his thoughts and looked into the distance. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he pointed at a row of ‘oxen’ slowly moving through the fields, seemingly made of wood and iron, asking Zhū Mùchén: “Those things… wouldn’t they be…”
“They’re Mechanical Wooden Oxen,” Zhū Mùchén said, his eyes sparkling with obvious fondness for such things.
These Mechanical Wooden Oxen were plowing the fields, with some spirit farmers guiding them from behind, controlling their direction.
Mo Hua wanted to take a closer look but didn’t wish to disturb the spirit farmers at work. He simply swept his Divine-Sense over them, feeling a sense of novelty:
They really were Mechanical Wooden Oxen.
In the Great Spirit Field Realm, there truly were people using mechanical constructs for farming.
However, it seemed their numbers were not many.
Across the vast fields, only a few shadows of Mechanical Wooden Oxen could be seen, not particularly conspicuous.
Mo Hua asked again, “Are there many of these wooden oxen?”
Zhū Mùchén replied regretfully, “Very, very few.”
Mo Hua inquired, “Why not produce more?”
Zhū Mùchén sighed, “These wooden oxen are quite expensive to make, and adapting the Formations is very difficult. Mass production isn’t easy.”
“Of course, the main reason is… the Great Spirit Field Realm is vast with many people, and spirit farmers are never in short supply. Hiring spirit farmers to tend the fields is far, far cheaper than building wooden oxen to do it.”
Zhū Mùchén was interested in Mechanical Arts and, by extension, had some research into this area. He continued to explain to Mo Hua: “Our Zhū Clan has only made about a dozen of these wooden oxen, leaving them in the fields to farm, mostly for novelty’s sake.”
“But in truth, these are all unprofitable ventures.”
“The true application of Mechanical Arts lies in other cultivation industries. When it comes to Spiritual Plants, there are many limitations, making it difficult to find practical use, and the significance isn’t great either.”
Mo Hua nodded slightly, but his gaze lingered, revealing a thoughtful expression.
“Formations, Mechanical Arts, Spiritual Plants…”
Afterward, the group walked another round through the fields.
Mo Hua mainly focused silently on observing the wooden oxen. Under the powerful See-Through Vision of his Divine-Sense, he could see almost every joint with perfect clarity.
After watching for a while, as the sky grew late, the group prepared to leave.
Out of the corner of his eye, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something. He walked to the edge of the field, bent down, pulled up a handful of grass, and examined it carefully in front of his eyes.
Zhū Mùchén didn’t understand why but crouched beside Mo Hua, staring at the grass in his hand.
After looking for a moment and truly seeing nothing unusual, he asked, “Little Senior Brother, is there… something wrong with this grass?”
Mo Hua frowned and sighed, “No, there’s no problem.”
The grass was too normal, just ordinary wild grass, yet not ordinary enough, it wasn’t the type of grass Mo Hua was looking for.
Mo Hua felt somewhat disappointed. Later along the way, he pulled up several handfuls of different varieties of wild grass, but none met his expectations.
“Still not right,” Mo Hua murmured, his gaze growing slightly thoughtful.
Thus, a day in the Great Spirit Field Realm passed.
Under Elder Lù’s guidance, Mo Hua and Zhū Mùchén saw many fields, estates, and account books.
They also observed Formations, wooden oxen, and encountered many spirit farmers.
Mo Hua gained a preliminary understanding of the Great Spirit Field Realm.
By evening, everyone returned to the Yunyi Villa to welcome Zhū Mùchén with a feast to wash away the dust of travel.
The banquet, much like the previous day’s, was filled with local delicacies and wild game.
Everyone ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves in a harmonious atmosphere.
Only Mo Hua silently sipped the fruit wine in his cup, reflecting on everything he had seen and heard, his face thoughtful.
His Little Junior Brother, Zhū Mùchén, was the young master of the Zhū Clan.
This time, he was here to inspect the family’s industries, essentially taking a cursory “flower-viewing from horseback” tour, and nothing particularly unusual seemed to be happening.
Zhū Mùchén had food, drink, and his Little Senior Brother, living happily and not sensing any problems.
Even Mo Hua, for a moment, felt everything seemed quite normal.
The Great Spirit Field Realm didn’t resemble what he had initially imagined at all; instead, it appeared relatively stable.
Although the Spiritual Plant Formations seemed somewhat backward, they were large in scale and operating smoothly.
Even if wooden oxen weren’t used, the spirit farmers still had fields to tend.
The spirit farmers of the Zhū Clan’s estates, though they toiled hard, also reaped the rewards of their labor.
As long as one tilled the fields for a day, there would still be a mouthful of food to eat, though life was not particularly affluent.
The overseer of the estate lived a slightly better life—not only could he eat his fill, but he could also gather some fruits, melons, and wild game to offer to the stewards, seeking a bit of favor.
In the Great Spirit Field Realm before him, there was indeed hardship, but it was entirely different from the state of cause and effect Mo Hua had previously heard about, including what he had sensed from the Heavenly Secret.
“Something’s not right.”
Mo Hua’s heart stirred slightly, and he couldn’t help but recall last night’s experience of nearly having his soul seized by an Underworld Agent. His gaze sharpened as he surveyed his surroundings.
In the hall, Elder Lu was guarding Zhū Mùchén, drinking wine, eating meat, and watching the dance performance.
Mo Hua glanced at him and suddenly said, “Elder Lu.”
Elder Lu set down his wine cup and looked at Mo Hua, asking, “Young Master Mo, is there something you require?”
Mo Hua paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and slowly asked: “Did someone in this estate… die just a few days ago?”
The question came abruptly. Elder Lu’s pupils contracted for an instant, and his lips turned pale, but he forced a smile and replied: “Young Master Mo, you jest… How could anyone have died in this estate?”