Time flew by, and a few more days had passed.
After confirming that the beaver had recovered enough to share and bind the panel's effects, Li Ye gradually received a few Hungry Bones from the Spiritual Mechanism Vine.
As it turned out, although the creature could only bind to one, it cleverly introduced its tribe companions.
They would often gather together, biting and carrying lotus petals, lotus root chunks, wheat grains, while chirping away.
Though their expressions weren't as lively as its own, they seemed genuinely attentive.
It was almost like preaching and explaining the Dharma.
This intelligence astonished Li Ye, making him wonder if he was outsmarted even by a beaver.
To avoid being surpassed by his own spirit pet, he also began to cultivate diligently, inspecting his crops daily to gather spiritual energy from them.
Thus, he quickly advanced from the sixth layer of Qi Refining to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
It had only been a month since he absorbed the Peach Blossom Spiritual Qi to reach the sixth layer at the Peach Blossom gathering.
The pure spiritual energy from the spirit plants and beasts had solidified his foundation without any sign of chaos, truly miraculous.
However, he still suffered from the injuries to his meridians.
"These injuries really cling like a nagging bone disease."
He let out a deep breath.
He could distinctly feel the internal injuries caused by becoming possessed, with disordered meridians and a lingering minor scar.
No matter how he used his spiritual power to mend, the scar stubbornly remained.
It occasionally caused him some pain, and even the spirit pill given by Senior Su Ya couldn't cure it.
Ultimately, he had to enter the Four Seasons Sect to purchase a Replenishing Vein Pill for a complete cure.
Li Ye stood up, gazing at the spread of blue-purple lotus flowers in the garden, along with the lush Spirit Water Phoenix Eye Lotus nearby, and the thriving wheat not far away with the chirping beavers on the dam.
This small courtyard was full of vitality, brimming with spiritual energy.
"Senior Spiritual Mechanism Vine said it's best to have five elements' spirit beasts or spirit plants during Foundation Establishment at the tenth layer of Qi Refining. I currently have..."
He lowered his head to look at his palm.
A wisp of golden-red flame first ignited at his fingertip.
Then a mist of water gathered.
Lastly, there was a faint glimmer of peach blossom glow.
He casually dispersed the spiritual energy.
The spiritual energies of wood, water, and fire had entered his body, leaving only gold and earth.
"Seems like it's time to accept the invitation."
A few days ago, while Spiritual Mechanism Vine sent over a new batch of Hungry Bones, it also brought an invitation from Su Ya.
The letter mentioned Jingzhe was approaching, inviting him to witness the remarkable scenery at Zhou Family's Spring Thunder Wheat.
He joyfully accepted.
The next day, Taoist Friend Zhou personally visited to extend the invitation once more.
It was then that he finally learned Taoist Friend Zhou's real name.
"Zhou Qiumai."
"This name…"
Li Ye couldn't help but chuckle.
No wonder Taoist Friend Zhou hesitated to reveal his name at first — it was a bit rustic, but undeniably grounded.
He shook his head, suppressing strange thoughts inside, realizing tomorrow was Jingzhe.
Perfect time to attend the event and see if he could purchase a spirit beast or spirit plant with gold and earth attributes.
...
The following day.
When Li Ye stepped outside, he was surprised to see a young girl with an unassuming appearance waiting outside. Her plain clothes complemented her not-so-extraordinary looks, but she had a comforting presence.
Beside her was a carriage drawn by a first-class spirit beast, a Power Spirit Horse.
But the girl herself had no cultivation; she was an ordinary human.
On seeing Li Ye, the girl hurriedly approached, presenting a token.
"Immortal Li,"
"I'm a member of the Zhou Family, sent by my cousin Zhou Qiumai to escort Senior Immortal to our family."
Li Ye glanced at the token, confirming it belonged to Zhou Qiumai, then nodded nonchalantly, "Let's go."
He boarded the carriage directly, and the girl skillfully fed the spirit horse tender leaves before driving the carriage forward.
The carriage compartment was spotless, devoid of peculiar sachets, simply clean, making Li Ye feel very comfortable.
In his previous life, he recalled how car interiors often had strange odors that made him uncomfortable, and now with a more acute sense of smell, unpleasant scents would be even more intolerable.
"Pretty nice indeed."
Li Ye leaned against the window, observing the scenery rapidly retreating. With his current vision, he could see clearly; despite the speed, the carriage was smooth and steady.
"Leaving Huiya Marketplace,"
The previous "he" had come from outside.
But now, he was leaving the marketplace for the first time, with Huiya Marketplace situated within the Four Seasons Sect's realm, surrounded by families rather than sects.
These families supplied various materials and promising cultivators to the Four Seasons Sect, receiving different dharma methods and magical medicine from the sect.
Considering this, he lifted the curtain to ask the girl driving the carriage, "How long will it take?"
"Oh! We'll arrive in just half a period."
Half a period, meaning an hour. With the horse's speed... it could cover over a hundred miles in an hour itself. The Zhou Family's distance from Huiya Marketplace really was considerable.
After getting the response, he uttered an "Mm," reclined within the carriage to rest, reminiscing various spells learned during this period.
Half a period passed in the blink of an eye.
"Eh."
Li Ye felt the carriage come to a halt, opened his eyes, and looked outside. What awaited was a sky shrouded in dark clouds.
The sun that should have been high above the heavenly dome was blocked, silver snakes slithering amid the dark clouds, and a storm raging.
However, curiously enough, the farther horizon was clear; this strange phenomenon seemed exclusive to this area.
Could this be the "remarkable scenery" Senior Su Ya mentioned?
He stepped off the carriage and, unsurprisingly, saw a beaming Taoist Friend Zhou Qiumai. The latter nodded to the girl driving the carriage, and it departed.
Then Zhou Qiumai took Li Ye's arm.
"Taoist Friend, this is our Zhou Family's annual lifeblood, the Spring Thunder Wheat Field."
He pointed to the distance.
What appeared was an endless wheat field.
Tall as small trees, the wheat stalks with slightly blue hues on their surface gleamed under the dark sky, proudly standing as if awaiting the thunder's inspection.
The field covered several hundred acres at a glance.
Considering that Spring Thunder Wheat required thunder's explosion for harvest, several hundred acres simultaneously receiving the thunder might rival a celestial tribulation, right?
Most importantly, how did the Zhou Family ensure thunder would come to aid the harvest?