Chapter 70: Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng (Patreon)

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However, 4,000 gold sounds like a lot, but that's the total output of ten whole years. Moreover, the consumption is also extremely huge. Just that one Spirit Gathering Array alone needs to be replaced every five years, requiring five Spirit Stones each time, which means one Spirit Stone is consumed every year.

Furthermore, the fertility of the spirit field is also a massive problem. A spirit field without fertility is like a human body lacking various vitamins, making it easy for spirit medicine to wither or even die.

The best source of fertility is fermented products with spiritual properties. For example, the straw left over from harvesting Spirit Rice, the purple leaves remaining from the Purple Leaf He, and the residue from Spirit Fish's Spiritual Meat.

Of course, the main source of fertility is still the manure from raised spiritual beasts. For instance, the Huangfu Family raises many Spirit-Horned Yaks, producing a significant amount of manure every year. Apart from using it for their own spirit field, they sell the excess to reduce the cost of raising spiritual beasts.

The meat of Spirit-Horned Yaks is expensive, and it's expensive for a reason - the cost of raising them is too high. You need to use spirit fields to plant a large amount of spiritual grass, and occasionally even purchase the residue of oil-extracted spiritual beans or Spirit Rice husks, and so on!

Even a heavenly family like ours needs to be meticulous with their calculations to have a steady stream of profits.

Similarly, maintaining a spirit field is also extremely troublesome, with spirit energy gathering, Spirit Gathering Array maintenance, Spirit Spring irrigation system construction, spirit field fertility supplementation, and pest control, all of which are very costly.

However, if a spirit field is cultivated well, not only is the output value very high, but it's also a family's foundation.

Wang Shoujie put down his random thoughts and said, "These transactions of the purple leaves and He's aren't reflected in the family's accounts, right?"

He had carefully reviewed the family's account structure and found no records of the income and expenses of these two acres of spirit field.

"Don't worry about this, Uncle," Wang Xiaohan hurriedly explained. "The income and expenses of these two acres of Mid-Grade Spiritual Field are all handled by me personally. The other elders and the Patriarch can check the accounts at any time. I'll show you when we get back to the grass hut."

"Some of the output is used to offset the costs of the two acres of Mid-Grade Spiritual Field. Some are exchanged for Minor Nourishing Pills, and some spiritual beast blood and meat, which are gradually incorporated into the family's accounts and storage as a way to settle old debts with other families."

Wang Shoujie suddenly remembered that the family's accounts did show some obscure income, which were actually payments from other families that owed the Wang Clan money from decades ago.

At the time, it was all mysterious, but now it makes sense - it was the output of this secret spirit field. The goal was to make these two acres of Mid-Grade Spiritual Field even more hidden.

"I naturally believe in Sixth Grandfather," Wang Shoujie said with a smile, waving his hand. "However, Sixth Grandfather still needs to cultivate a successor for spirit field management as soon as possible. Otherwise, you'll be stuck here farming every day, which isn't a good thing."

"We do need to cultivate a successor, but..." Wang Xiaohan's eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Currently, the only one in the family who has just come of age is Zongwei!"

Wang Zongwei!

With the Wang Clan's pride and strictness towards their males, they actually produced such a guy. He was still recovering from a recent beating and seemed to have become more obedient. However, with Wang Xiaohan's personality, would he trust a gambler like that?

Even if it seemed like he had reformed, the family's spirit field was too important a foundation. What if that guy sold it off?

"That's not urgent, let's select a few from the younger generation to try out and see who has more talent," Wang Shoujie said. "Guarding courage, guarding integrity, and guarding industry can all be tried. Spirit fields like this can't be managed without at least ten to eight years of experience."

Letting Wang Zongwei manage the spirit field was out of the question, not just for Wang Xiaohan, but even Wang Shoujie wouldn't agree.

Wang Xiaohan opened his mouth, about to ask what would happen if he couldn't reach the Spirit Realm. However, he thought better of it, realizing that if he couldn't reach the Spirit Realm, the family would be in danger... At that time, they could only think of other ways to protect the family and Wang Shoujie. However, many family assets, including this spirit field, might be lost, and thinking about it now was pointless.

"Uncle, the profits from the purple leaves and He's are mostly invested in this one-acre Mid-Grade Spiritual Field," Wang Xiaohan pointed to another acre of Mid-Grade Spiritual Field.

The other acre of spirit field was also divided into multiple grids of different sizes. The smallest grid was only about 15 square meters, while the largest occupied about a third of the grid, around 200 square meters.

Only one spirit medicine was planted there, with huge leaves greedily absorbing sunlight and spirit energy from the spirit field. Wang Shoujie had recognized it as a Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng, given its massive leaf size, which indicated that this Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng was already quite old.

An ordinary Century-Old Ginseng would be worth tens of thousands of dollars. A Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng, as a top-grade spiritual material, would be worth thousands of dollars even if it were only a hundred years old, because it's a key ingredient for many third-grade spirit medicines.

The Ancestor Longyan's wound-healing sacred medicine, the Zaohua Pill, requires the use of 200-year-old Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng, making it extremely expensive. However, its effect on healing and replenishing physical energy is also extremely powerful. Even for ordinary people on the brink of death, one Zaohua Pill can bring them back to life. Only the wealthy among ordinary people can afford to buy the Zaohua Pill.

Wang Shoujie was shocked as he looked at the Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng, feeling that something was off.

"This Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng was already nearly 500 years old when our ancestor discovered it in the outer realm," Wang Xiaohan explained. "So, our ancestor decided to cultivate it in the spirit field."

500 years old?

Wang Shoujie was truly shocked by the family's wealth. It was indeed a treasured family heirloom. He roughly knew that the main material for the legendary Heavenly Spirit Pill was 500-year-old Nine Leafed Spirit Ginseng.

The value of this material was likely to exceed 50,000 gold coins. Indeed, if the ancestors had a powerful elder, the family's wealth would be unmatched.

"Unfortunately, the Mid-Grade Spiritual Field is too small to benefit it," Wang Xiaohan said helplessly. "It's growing very slowly, and it's been 70 years since it was planted here, but it still hasn't transformed into a 500-year-old spirit medicine."

Ugh...

70 years ago, it was nearly 500 years old, and 70 years later, it still hadn't transformed. Wang Shoujie was also speechless. High-grade spirit medicine was invaluable, but it wasn't something an ordinary family could afford to cultivate.

Looking at how it occupied more than three plots of land, if they had used the past 70 years to plant Purple Leaf Spirit Grass, they would have earned at least tens of thousands of gold coins in pure profit. But it had only grown a little.

The age of spirit medicine wasn't simply a matter of planting it for a certain number of years. The growth of spirit medicine in a low-grade spirit field and a high-grade spirit field couldn't be compared.

So-called 100-year spirit medicine referred to the stage where the spirit medicine had undergone a transformation, with its life essence and medicinal properties making a huge leap forward.

It was similar to humans advancing from the Qi Refining Realm to the Spirit Realm.

The value would increase exponentially.

However, the higher the grade of spirit medicine, the more difficult it was to cultivate, as it required more spiritual energy and nutrients. A poor spirit field was unable to provide the necessary nourishment for its growth.

In some top-notch spirit fields, the growth speed of spirit medicine would also be much faster. However, in the cultivation of spirit medicine, it was best not to let it grow too quickly, exceeding its normal growth rate.

For example, by increasing the spiritual energy density and fertility, one could use 50 years to cultivate a 100-year-old spirit medicine.

This type of spirit medicine was called "Accelerated Spirit Medicine" on the market, and its actual medicinal value would be greatly discounted.

The growth of spirit medicine, apart from spiritual energy and fertility, also depended on the actual years of growth. Some experienced spirit medicine merchants, alchemists, and other professionals could tell at a glance whether it was a Accelerated Spirit Medicine.

"According to my estimate, 70 years of cultivation should have added around 7 years to its age. But it's growing faster, and I predict that it will transform into a 500-year-old spirit medicine in another 20 years," Wang Xiaohan said, both excited and regretful. "Unfortunately, our family doesn't have a High-Grade Spiritual Field, or it would have grown normally."

High-Grade Spiritual Field?

Wang Shoujie looked at Wang Xiaohan, thinking that the Sixth Elder was too daring.

Our family's Mid-Grade Spiritual Field was already struggling, and yet they dared to think about a High-Grade Spiritual Field?

"Originally, this was meant to be left for you as a precaution," Wang Xiaohan said with difficulty. "Moreover, our family has invested too many resources and effort into it. Selling it now, before it's matured, would be a loss. If not for the family's crisis, I would never sell it to exchange for the Heavenly Spirit Pill. This matter is ultimately a debt owed to you by the Sixth Elder."

"Selling it now would indeed be a loss," Wang Shoujie said with a smile. "But, Sixth Elder, don't use it for now. I'll think of a way to solve the Heavenly Spirit Pill problem."

"What?"

Wang Xiaohan was shocked. "Wang Shoujie, how do you plan to get so much money to buy the Heavenly Spirit Pill?"

A ninth-grade family like theirs, which had accumulated wealth over decades, would find it difficult to buy a Heavenly Spirit Pill. Families that could achieve this were mostly those that could prolong their patriarch's life indefinitely.

Cultivators without a background, unless they encountered a great opportunity, would never be able to buy a Heavenly Spirit Pill in their lifetime. Moreover, ordinary academies and sects would be cautious about accepting cultivators without a background, even if they had exceptional talent.

Without a background, it meant that one could fabricate their background, and future problems might arise. Who knew if they might be spies sent by enemy forces or carry heavy grudges?

It was also because resources were hard to come by that Wang Xiaohan was so shocked.

"Sixth Elder, you should take the Peiyuan Pill to adjust your body and quickly recover to prepare for breaking through to the Spirit Realm," Wang Shoujie said, not directly answering the question. "As for me, I'll just try my luck. If I'm lucky, haha..."

In Wang Shoujie's view, the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan's current success was all thanks to the war achievements earned by the Wang Clan's ancestors at the cost of their lives. Since he knew they had accumulated wealth over decades, he wouldn't let them easily enjoy the fruits of their labor.

With his personality, would he not try to take a gamble?

Even if he failed, Wang Shoujie wouldn't let them easily enjoy the wealth.

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 71: The Old Ancestor's Injury is Excellent