The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 381 - 226 Cultivation_2

Ning Xiaoxian did not help him up, instead she reminded him, "You forgot to say ’I will exhaust my mind and body in service, and only rest upon my death’ those eight characters." Her words carried a cold and solemn air.

Fatty Qi shivered at first upon hearing this, but then became even more overjoyed. He was now certain that Ning Xiaoxian was willing to be the great backing for the Qi Family. With an Immortal’s protection, a mortal’s business could prosper peacefully and endure.

Ever since Qi the Third was saved from the Reincarnation, he had invited Ning Xiaoxian to visit the Qi Family as a guest, demonstrating his bold yet meticulous nature, and using her prestige to grasp the power of the Qi Family showed he understood the importance of timing and opportunity—qualifying him as a competent businessman. Now, what she needed to test was his loyalty.

The chubby man was fat, but not dumb at heart. He immediately kowtowed several times with a fierce Blood Oath involving his entire lineage, vowing to be loyal to Immortal Ning with his heart and soul, and should he break the oath, his entire family would be annihilated without a chicken or dog left behind, his lineage cut off and so on. Blood Oaths in this world were extremely effective, so with him daring to swear in such a way, Ning Xiaoxian’s look towards him softened considerably.

"The method is actually quite simple." She pondered for a while before slowly saying, "This area has plenty of water and fields but not many mountains, often suffering from floods, which is why you plant the mulberry trees on the mountains, yes? In fact, mulberry trees can just as well be planted by the side of ponds, as long as you change the method." Before entering Wutuo City, she had observed the local customs along the way and had a good understanding. She then began to elaborate.

Her method, in summary, was sixteen words: dig deep fish ponds, elevate field foundations, plant mulberries on the pond borders, and raise fish in the ponds. It was essentially an ancient and highly efficient artificial ecosystem invented by the Huaxia in the Pearl River Delta area: the Mulberry Fish Pond system. That is to say, dig the low-lying land into ponds to raise freshwater fish; pile up the mud around the fish ponds as pond bases to reduce the impact of floods, achieving two goals with one action. She suggested that Fatty Qi orders the planting of mulberry trees on the pond bases because silkworm feces could be used to feed fish.

Upon hearing this, Fatty Qi confirmed repeatedly, "Can silkworm feces truly be used to feed fish?" Once he received a positive answer, his mortal eyes sparkled as brilliantly as any cultivator’s. His mind was quick, and he already realized that the method proposed by Ning Xiaoxian was a previously unthought-of innovation, promising significant profit potential.

Not just Fatty Qi, but even Changtian in the God Demon Prison and Miluo lying on the couch couldn’t help but ponder carefully, finding the more they thought about it, the more ingenious it seemed.

In reality, her idea, which was to feed fish with silkworm feces and fertilize mulberries with pond mud, was nothing but mixing silkworm farming, fish farming, and sericulture together, creating an interdependent scenario of mulberry, silkworm, fish, and mud. The more Fatty Qi thought about it, the more he considered it a superior strategy. Here, fish ponds and rice fields were dirt cheap, insignificant compared to the price of the mountains, low cost, and if he could also raise fish along with silkworms, there would be an added source of fishing income in the future. Moreover, the fish ponds were located outside the city, making harvesting and transport much easier, reducing the need for a large labor force and horses, which greatly facilitated transportation. Indeed, it was killing multiple birds with one stone.

This kind of cyclical crop farming method had not yet appeared in the world, not because the mortals here were dumber, but because most areas still prioritized heavy agriculture over subsidiary, pastoral, and commercial practices, without giving it much thought. Even in Huaxia, the Mulberry Fish Pond system didn’t emerge until the Ming Dynasty.

He was so excited that he glowed with a flush of red light and began to heap praise upon her. Ning Xiaoxian listened to a few sentences and found it nauseating; she almost kicked him out with a foot: "Get lost!"

After dealing with Fatty Qi, she moved a chair to sit beside Miluo’s couch and spoke gravely, "Speak." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He looked at her perplexedly: "Speak what?"

"Who wounded you like this, who could potentially be the pursuers...are you finally willing to speak now? Of course, if you don’t want to talk, it’s alright. I presume you have already spread the word, and soon someone will come to pick you up, right?"

She chuckled coldly: "As mere small fry, I still live in constant dread, wary of Fengtian Prefecture like a thorn in my back. But you, you are an escaped criminal whose status is a hundred, no, a thousand times more noble than mine. They will hunt for you relentless as mercury spilling across the floor, leaving no stone unturned."

Miluo glanced at her, noticing the cunning spark in her eyes devoid of any fear, and secretly admired her boldness. He was unaware that ever since Ning Xiaoxian embarked on her westward journey, encountering blockades and pursuits had become routine, and she was long accustomed to it. Back then, her strength was feeble, and no matter who pursued her, the only option was to desperately hide and evade, like an ant on the ground—whether it was an adult or a child stepping on her, it would mean death anyway, so why would she care how powerful the enemy was?

Rescuing Miluo this time, she also took quite a risk. If she were still the same mortal young lady as when she left Shallow Water Village, Changtian would have advised her not to get involved in this muddy water. But now, she had already stepped into the doorway of Divine Skills, and her Mental State had subtly shifted without her realizing it.

The path of Cultivation is inherently a rebellious gamble against Heaven; if she continued to live meekly and seek security as before, she could not elevate her Mental State. She had the assistance of Divine Power from the Demon Transformation Spring, and her Cultivation Realm was advancing rapidly, but if her Mental State failed to keep pace with her cultivation progress, it would do her more harm than good.

There were many dangers in the journey ahead, and just charging ahead on her own was already proving difficult. She needed more support. Thus, when Fatty Qi actively leaned in, she did not reject him. With Fatty Qi pledging his loyalty in her presence, she did not mind being witnessed by Miluo, for the Second Young Master of Fengtian Prefecture surely wouldn’t take mortal affairs seriously. However, she believed that money, such a thing, could never be useless. Mortal silver might be insignificant in the eyes of cultivators, but if accumulated in large amounts, it could still move Ghosts and Gods. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets, Monthly Tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)