Dragon Canon

Zhang Sheng rolled the history book in his hand into a stick and smacked Wei Yuan on the head with a loud thud.

Wei Yuan’s mind cleared instantly as if a bucket of ice water had been poured down his head. When he thought back to his earlier thoughts, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Zhang Sheng’s face clouded slightly as he said, “There are too many miscellaneous things in your Dao Foundation. It has gotten to the point where your Dao heart is affected, and your mind is slightly wandering and unfocused. Although heaven and earth can naturally accommodate all things, yin and yang have recently joined your sea of consciousness. Yin and yang are nearly the Great Dao, they alone can influence your Great Realm, which is why you were in a daze just now. From now on, you must practice caution and cultivate with even greater vigor and diligence. Only by gradually strengthening the Great Realm can you balance out the influence of yin and yang.”

“This disciple has received his lesson.” Hearing Zhang Sheng’s words, Wei Yuan broke out in another cold sweat. Thankfully, his master didn’t seem to have noticed what he had been thinking during his moment of distraction. Even he himself found that thought to be a bit....

Zhang Sheng looked at Wei Yuan’s upright figure and said calmly, “Channeling is easier than damming[1]. Since ancient times, those who achieved great deeds are not bound by trivialities. One might say that your current mental restlessness is not unrelated to those girls. They are meat delivered right to your mouth, so you may eat them if you wish—just remember that this meat has a price. You must not give too little or too much.”

Wei Yuan repeated himself, “This disciple has received his lesson.”

“You may go.”

After Wei Yuan had left, Zhang Sheng put down his book and looked at his hands. There was nothing particularly remarkable about them. They were simply perfect and equally suited to hold a book or a sword.

However, these hands seemed somewhat out of place on Zhang Sheng. If someone wasn’t looking closely, they would instinctively overlook the incongruity.

Zhang Sheng suddenly recalled something, and his expression darkened.

Wei Yuan is a grown-up now. It was only natural for him to be attracted to beauty and young women. Moreover, he himself was exceptionally attractive and an accomplished individual who had taken charge of an entire region at such a young age. He was bound to have a host of beauties around him.

The sudden emergence of yin and yang within Wei Yuan’s Dao Foundation had surely compromised his Dao heart; the gaps could only be gradually repaired over time. Deliberately suppressing it would very likely result in the opposite effect, which was why it was best to let nature take its course. Wei Yuan himself was unaware of it, but Zhang Sheng had a broader perspective. That was why he didn’t reprimand Wei Yuan for his momentary lapse of focus at the time.

But after Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng reflected on the matter carefully and realized he had overlooked something. That brat’s mind had wandered, yes, but instead of going to Xu Wan’er or Yun Feifei, the obvious options; Hsu Yi or the young ladies of the noble clans, which would be a bit disappointing but still understandable; or even—if he had a death wish or wanted to know how it felt to be reborn—Ji Liuli, he had chosen... his master’s hands. What?

Zhang Sheng decided it was time to dig out the Palace of Absolute Beginning's Disciplinary Code For Disciples and give it a read; he needed to find a few clauses to use as excuses to give that brat a good scolding.

That said....

Zhang Sheng glanced at his own hands again and thought that, as much of a scoundrel the brat was, he could not fault his eye for beauty.

Back in his quarters, Wei Yuan practiced the methods of the Supreme Yin Lunar Essence Myriad Manifestations Chapter to calm his mind and clear his thoughts. Once he had become unflustered, unhurried, and unafraid, he began pondering on Zhang Sheng’s words, specifically on how he should “eat the meat”.

The meat had a price. He must not pay a single coin more, nor a single coin less. This was easy to understand—as the saying goes, “Too much is as bad as too little.”

But should he eat it or not? Should he take his master’s words at face value, or read between the lines?

Wei Yuan reviewed every military treatise and strategy he had ever studied. There was a quote that stated: “When you are weak, you should appear to be strong. When you are strong, you should appear to be weak.” There was another quote that stated: “What the enemy throws at you does not matter. How you handle them is all that matters.” If the two quotes were read together, it would be as if he hadn’t read anything.

In short, Wei Yuan had no idea what Zhang Sheng was trying to say; whether it was okay to eat or not. However, his intuition told him it would be best not to ask his master for clarification.

In truth, Wei Yuan couldn’t figure out why his mind had chosen that moment to suddenly wander off himself. But upon closer reflection, he realized that his Master’s hands did not seem to share any connection with his body. If it wasn’t for the fact that they actually were part of the same body, Wei Yuan would never have believed that they belonged to the same person.

Wei Yuan cleared his mind of these rambling thoughts, left the room, and headed for the spirit fields. It was time to harvest the Liang rice. This was the first ever batch of spirit food produced by the realm of Qingming; it deserved his solemn attention.

At the edge of the spirit fields, two hundred cultivators had already gathered and were waiting for Wei Yuan’s arrival. The stalks of the rice plants proved extremely tough; only Body-tempering cultivators could cut them. Their roots were deep and long, sometimes reaching as deep as one zhang. After the harvest, the roots would have to be dug up, chopped into pieces, and scattered back into the fields as well. This was no task for ordinary mortals.

Trueman Chu He had all four of his disciples go out into the fields to demonstrate to the cultivators how to harvest the grains, cut the stalks, and finally dig up the roots. He also taught them how to loosen the soil while doing so.

Cui Yu had originally intended for Wei Yuan to give a short speech, but seeing the looks of eager anticipation on everyone’s faces, he said only one word: “Begin!”

The cultivators immediately took to the fields. Surprisingly, over half of them were at the Dao Foundation stage. A good number of them had only recently advanced to that level as well.

The reason they came to work at the fields was to make contact with the spirit plants at close range, thereby gaining insight into the Dao of heaven and earth and solidifying their foundation[2].

While this was going on, Trueman Chu He stood next to Wei Yuan, stroking his beard with a smile. “This one mu alone can yield two hundred catties of rice. Normally, a Body-tempering cultivator needs to eat one catty of Liang rice per day to sustain their cultivation, but the Liang rice from your field is of superior quality. Liang rice normally doesn’t even qualify for grading, but yours are good enough to qualify as low-grade spirit plants. Therefore, one catty per two days will enable a Body-tempering cultivator to maintain their cultivation progress.”

This plot of land spanned five hundred mu and could yield a whopping one hundred thousand catties of Liang rice. It sounded like a lot, but there were over ten thousand Body-tempering stage cultivators in the realm of Qingming. Thus, the amount per person was actually quite meager. However, the proportions Trueman Chu He mentioned was based on the standards of a typical small or medium-sized clan—an impossible standard to follow for most of the humans living in the western regions. Here, an ordinary Body-tempering cultivator would be lucky to eat a single meal of Liang rice per five or six days.

Cui Yu asked, “How should the Liang rice be distributed?”

The scions were all looking at Wei Yuan expectantly. They had arrived earlier than most, and it had been quite some time since they had had much spirit food. They had exhausted their pill supply within a few days after arriving at the realm. These days, they relied solely on meditation to sustain their cultivation.

In the world of cultivation, spirit food and pills were indispensable. Meditating was free, but it was also far too slow compared to constantly chugging cultivation pills. If the Skyblue Hall hadn’t sold off nearly everything they owned to buy the pills he needed for his cultivation, Wei Yuan would still be consuming lunar essence. He would have had to consume lunar essence for decades to come.

The dozen or so young masters and ladies all felt that, be it in terms of cultivation level, background, natural talent, achievements, or even seniority, they should be entitled to a substantial share of Liang rice—at the very least, they should have enough to eat their fill.

In the past, they wouldn’t have given the Liang rice a second glance. Untiered spirit food such as this was fit only for servants and attendants. But here in Qingming, simply having something to eat was already a blessing.

Wei Yuan had long given the distribution issue careful thought. He declared, “Every Body-tempering cultivator is entitled to a share of this batch of rice. Regardless of cultivation level, it will be divided equally among everyone.”

This decision caught Cui Yu off guard. Frowning, he asked, “This... is a little unorthodox, isn’t it?”

Wei Yuan replied, “Don’t forget about Life is a Flash. Everyone will be fighting on the frontlines, and a lot more people will survive if they could even get an extra meal or two.”

Cui Yu gave Wei Yuan a deep look before saying slowly, “Very well, but give me some time to sort things out with my fellow scions. I’ll convince them.”

“Thank you.”

Cui Yu waved his hand and motioned for the young masters and ladies of the noble clans to follow him. He led them to a quiet, secluded spot for a private chat[3].

Just then, Trueman Chu He said, “If you have some free time, why not drop by my place for a cup of tea?”

There was no reason for Wei Yuan to refuse an invitation extended by Trueman Chu He himself. So, he followed the old Daoist to his newly built residence. At the moment, the residence consisted only of a pavilion, furnished with wooden tables and chairs. Piles of still unpacked luggage were stacked nearby.

Once everyone was seated, Trueman Chu He picked up the teapot and poured a cup for both himself and Wei Yuan. The teapot was no larger than a palm, shaped like a knot on an ancient tree. The tea it poured was clear and transparent, with a hint of fresh green constantly swirling within like a school of fish—a truly mystical sight.

Wei Yuan raised the cup and drank it one gulp. Immediately, he felt a surge of spirit qi exploding within his abdomen, and his cultivation level soaring instantly. The one cup of tea was actual equal to twenty days of arduous practice! Wei Yuan’s current reserve of Dao energy was formidable to put it lightly; for a single sip of tea to cancel off twenty days of rigorous cultivation spoke volumes about its potency.

“Delicious!” Wei Yuan praised before setting the cup back in its place. He showed no intention of asking for another.

Trueman Chu He nodded internally before starting, “Young Friend Wei Yuan....”

Wei Yuan quickly stood up. “Please, I cannot accept such a title from you, Trueman.”

Trueman Chu He motioned for Wei Yuan to return to his seat with both hands. He then said, “If I can’t address you as ‘Young Friend’, then I’ll have to use ‘Realm Lord’ instead.”

Wei Yuan could only reply, “If you deem it is appropriate.”

Trueman Chu He continued, “We need not be too particular about titles and seniority, especially since this old Daoist has a favor to ask of you.”

“Please speak, Trueman. If it is within my power, then I promise to do my utmost.”

Trueman Chu He nodded and said, “I noticed that this realm possesses the power of Jia Wood Nurtures Life. Is this correct?”

“Your mystical insight is as sharp as a torch, Trueman.”

“Apart from these Liang rice, the spirit plants in the realm are all showing signs of breaking through their original grades. The Bay Laurel Dragon Tree is a prime example of it. This is honestly a bit inconceivable. Jia Wood Nurtures Life is miraculous, but not that miraculous. This is doubly true for the other Star Dragon Tree that is planted in nether soil, which is exhibiting characteristics of an immortal plant. This is even further beyond the ability of Jia Wood Nurtures Life.”

Trueman Chu He paused for a moment before continuing, “Therefore, this old Daoist has concluded that the vitality permeating this realm is not the product of Jia Wood Nurtures Life, but a higher-tier power. This is no longer just a Special Property, but a Wonder.”

Wei Yuan found himself confused by the old Daoist’s explanation because it was clearly stated in Qingming that it was Jia Wood Nurtures Life. The realm stone had been forged by an immortal of old—surely they would understand their creation better than a Trueman of today?

That said, Wei Yuan revealed none of his thoughts and nodded with a thoroughly convinced look on his face.

Trueman Chu He continued, “I have a spirit plant in my possession. Though its grade isn’t high, you may not find it even if you scour the entire world for it, and it has a chance of breaking through to the next level. I’ve never found a good place to transplant it—until I saw that plot of nether soil. I need three plots in total; you may lay them in the herb garden. Since I’m renting this nether soil from you, I’ll pay you a hundred taels of immortal silver per month for each plot. What do you say?’

Wei Yuan was surprised. Just three plots of land, a zhang on each side, and some shoddy soil mixed with a bit of nether soil—this was enough to earn him three hundred taels of immortal silver per month? Was it really okay to conduct business this way? Was the nether soil that valuable, or was there an excess supply of immortal silver that he wasn’t aware of?

Wei Yuan hesitated. Forget three, he could easily produce thousands more plots of nether soil such as this one. The only question was whether Trueman Chu He could afford it.

Seeing that Wei Yuan didn’t answer immediately, Trueman Chu He added, “Rest assured, this old Daoist will certainly not shortchange a junior like you. If the spirit plant truly achieves a breakthrough, I will pay you an extra reward at the time.”

“Can you clarify what you mean by ‘breakthrough’, Trueman?”

“It’s similar to that Bay Laurel Dragon Tree that hasn’t sprouted yet. If it can raise its grade, that would be for the best. If not, an improvement in quality or a change in properties will count too.”

Oh, I see. In the terminology of Xu Wenwu’s world, Trueman Chu He was talking about a mutation.

Now that Wei Yuan had a clear idea, he asked, “Can this junior make a small request?”

“Go ahead!”

“If you did manage to cultivate a mutated variety with enhanced qualities, I’d like some seeds to plant in my domain in the future.”

Trueman Chu He chuckled and said, “No problem. Without your nether soil, the plant would just be rotting in my hands.”

Wei Yuan was so ecstatic that he nearly failed to suppress his grin.

With his fortune and Xu Wenwu, even the straightest spirit plant ever was going to grow up crooked.

1. This usually refers to managing rivers, but can be used to mean that it is easier to vent from time to time than bottle it all up inside. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ☜

2. Just a reminder—and I know it’s very confusing—but the early stage of the Dao Foundation stage is the foundation solidifying stage. Yes, it’s so direct that most times I don’t even mention the stage lol. ☜

3. Whether this chat entails talking or “debating”... is up in the air. XD ☜