Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 48: Drawing Water to Make a Pond

Fang Qingyuan gazed at the endless darkness beyond the barrier, then at the new patch of land before him, his mind filling with questions.

He had originally thought the space was a fixed size, but now it seemed its area could expand as his cultivation level increased.

Perhaps the space hadn’t even been a single mu at first, and had only evolved to its current size because of his cultivation.

’If this reasoning is correct, then what magnificent sight will this space become when I reach Foundation Establishment?’

’And what is this black mist beyond the barrier? Are there living creatures within it?’

Fang Qingyuan had no answers to these questions. He decided to put them aside and focus on how to best utilize the new third-of-a-mu plot of land.

This new third-of-a-mu plot of Black Land was quite large. A mu is over six hundred square meters, making this plot nearly two hundred square meters in size.

It was two and a half times the size of the house he’d bought with a loan in his past life.

After several days of careful consideration, Fang Qingyuan finally decided what to do with such a large plot of land.

He was going to dig a small pond.

The Immortal Mansion Space had no water source aside from the Black Land. For some time now, Fang Qingyuan had been using the Rain Transformation Technique, drawing moisture from the air to water the Spirit Plants in his garden.

His previous Spiritual Bamboo had been quite hardy, so he only needed to cast the magic once a month.

But now, with five hundred Spirit Plants, the daily water demand had surged. He had to cast the magic every few days, a chore he was quickly growing tired of.

’I might as well dig a pond and let the Bee Queen handle the watering from now on. It’s not like she has anything better to do, just idling in the hive all day.’

With that thought, Fang Qingyuan immediately set to work. He focused his will, and a large hand formed of Spiritual Power began to excavate the third-of-a-mu plot.

The Black Land within the Immortal Mansion Space wasn’t very deep. Fang Qingyuan had only dug down about thirty feet before he hit the bottom.

Beneath the Black Land was the same kind of transparent barrier that enclosed the space. Peering through it, he saw the same swirling black mist.

Once he hit the bottom, he began to dig outward. After a considerable amount of time, he had transformed the plot into a pond about thirty feet deep and ten meters across.

He piled the excavated soil around the edge of the pond, forming a raised, circular embankment.

With the pond dug, all that was left was to find a water source. This, too, was simple. Fang Qingyuan exited the Immortal Mansion and found a clean mountain stream. He plunged his hand into the water, and in the next instant, a waterfall began pouring down inside the Immortal Mansion Space.

He controlled the flow, guiding it precisely into the new pond. After a while, when he sensed the water level was about seventy or eighty percent full, he stopped.

Entering the Immortal Mansion Space again, Fang Qingyuan felt a great sense of satisfaction. He went to the Purple Bamboo Forest, found the Bee Queen, and gave it an order.

"From now on, you’re in charge of watering these Spirit Plants. Command the Worker Bees to fetch water from the pond. Do a good job..."

Fang Qingyuan showered the Bee Queen with praise, talking its metaphorical ears off until it was completely dazzled. He could have just forced it with a direct command, but that would have hurt the Bee Queen’s fragile little psyche.

’This is much better.’ Watching the Bee Queen’s dazed expression, Fang Qingyuan knew it would now carry out the task with dedication.

With that matter settled, Fang Qingyuan mounted his Humpback Skate and headed toward the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace, flying into the spring rain.

Once inside the Marketplace, Fang Qingyuan went to a shop called the "Vast Collection Pavilion." Rumor had it that the true owner was a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, giving it a terrifyingly powerful background.

A shop like this was naturally powerful, and one didn’t need to worry about being cheated or robbed. They simply wouldn’t bother with a poor wretch like him.

Fang Qingyuan had come to sell the Qingfeng Silver Hao Tea he had recently acquired. The tea was of little use to him; he would only feel at ease once he had converted it into Spirit Stones.

As he entered the shop, a clerk spotted him and approached.

"Fellow Cultivator, welcome to the Vast Collection Pavilion. What might you be looking to buy today? I’ll be frank, as long as you can name the price, there’s nothing we can’t procure for you."

The clerk was actually a Mid-stage Qi Refining Cultivator, which was why he addressed Fang Qingyuan as an equal. Still, his boastful tone rubbed Fang Qingyuan the wrong way.

But that was a minor detail. When Fang Qingyuan explained his reason for coming, the clerk’s enthusiasm didn’t wane in the slightest.

"We welcome sellers, too! It just so happens that Elder Huang is in today. We can have him take a look for you."

Fang Qingyuan was then led into a private room. As the clerk lifted the curtain, he saw a thin, wiry old man sitting across from him.

The old man was at the Late-stage of Qi Cultivation. He looked at Fang Qingyuan and spoke.

"I am the Magistrate of this branch of the Vast Collection Pavilion. My surname is Huang; you may call me Magistrate Huang."

This Magistrate Huang looked like a man who had seen it all. To be a Magistrate at the Vast Collection Pavilion, he certainly had to be capable.

Fang Qingyuan didn’t dare show any disrespect. After offering a polite greeting, he took a jade box from his storage bag and presented it to Magistrate Huang.

Magistrate Huang opened the jade box, gave its contents a brief glance, and spoke directly.

"Mutated Qingfeng Tea Tree Leaves. Judging by the quality, they are undoubtedly superior grade. A Metal-attribute, Tier One Lower Grade spiritual material. Consuming it benefits the cultivation of a Golden Spirit Root Cultivator. Based on the quantity in this box, we are willing to acquire it for one thousand two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

Hearing the offer, Fang Qingyuan felt the price was slightly higher than he had expected. ’The Vast Collection Pavilion really lives up to its reputation as a major establishment; they’re quite generous.’

Since the price was right, Fang Qingyuan pushed the jade box forward.

"Since your esteemed pavilion is interested, then this box of Qingfeng Silver Hao Tea is yours."

Magistrate Huang smiled, accepted the jade box, and counted out one thousand two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, which he passed to Fang Qingyuan.

Just as Fang Qingyuan accepted the Spirit Stones and was about to leave, Magistrate Huang spoke up.

"I can tell you have a Wood Spirit Root, Fellow Cultivator. As it happens, our pavilion has just received a new shipment of Wood Element Cultivation Techniques. I wonder if you might be interested in taking a look?"

’Well, I’ll be. So this is what he was waiting for. No wonder Magistrate Huang was so generous just now—that was just to sweeten the pot.’

’My first instinct was to leave, but then again, it doesn’t hurt to look. As long as I don’t let myself get tempted, no one’s getting any Spirit Stones out of my storage bag.’

Seeing the expression on Fang Qingyuan’s face, Magistrate Huang smiled confidently. He then took out three jade slips and laid them in a row before him.

"You may briefly scan these three jade slips to get a general idea of what they contain, Fellow Cultivator. If one of them catches your eye, the price is negotiable."

Fang Qingyuan looked at Magistrate Huang’s weasel-like grin, and his heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally reached for the first jade slip.