Chapter 845: Hu Yun's Master

Xiezhi looked on thoughtfully. Given the sharpness of the Green Vine Sword, coupled with Ji Yuan's swordsmanship and the dynamic formations created by the word-spirits, there was no conventional fixed foundation to the array. Everything within it was alive, making it truly unpredictable.

The sword array, once formed, would possess unimaginable power even if wielded by any True Man cultivator. Who was it meant to combat? At the very least, a True Immortal, or perhaps even more formidable adversaries.

"Ji Yuan," Xiezhi remarked, "if this sword array is completed, even a True Man cultivator wielding it could seal off a whole area of heaven and earth."

Ji Yuan offered no comment, while Hu Yun, beside them, asked curiously, "Why a True Man cultivator? For instance, why not me?"

Hu Yun pointed to himself. Xiezhi looked him up and down and shook his head.

"You can't."

"Why not? Is it because I'm not an immortal? But I'm also a legitimate demon cultivator!"

Hu Yun had previously been thrilled hearing the word-spirits talk about Ji Yuan's lightning arts bringing down heavenly tribulations. Now, hearing about this sword array, and understanding from Mr. Xie's words that it could be wielded by others, he imagined himself gracefully and powerfully deploying the array at a gathering of demons, like the Ten Thousand Demon Feast.

Xiezhi leaned closer to Hu Yun, looking down at the red fox and baring a set of pale teeth.

"This isn't just throwing a rock; it's not something you can simply toss out," Xiezhi explained. "You lack the magical power. Even if the Green Vine Sword didn't reject you and allowed you to grasp it, could you even draw it yourself?"

Hu Yun sat up to argue. "The Green Vine Sword unsheathes itself! I don't need to draw it. The word-spirits are familiar with me too; they'll fly on their own. I won't have to do anything!"

Xiezhi felt he was talking to a brick wall.

"It requires the magical power of the array's wielder," Xiezhi patiently explained. "Do you truly believe a mere command is enough? Unless you could also set up a spirit-gathering method compatible with the sword array, you'd only be able to use a third of its power."

Hu Yun suddenly understood. "Then I'll have to cultivate even harder. Using only a third of its power isn't good enough; I need to use all of it."

Xiezhi straightened up, grimacing. "Even if your cultivation reached that level, you'd only be able to use at most half its power. Even with Ji Yuan's guidance, you wouldn't gain an extra half. Only in Ji Yuan's hands can it unleash its full power, or even twelve tenths."

Hu Yun instinctively glanced at Ji Yuan, who was already tidying up his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone at the table, offering no rebuttal to Xiezhi's words. Hu Yun immediately felt a little disheartened.

However, just then, Ji Yuan unexpectedly spoke. "Hu Yun, actually, you should let Mr. Xie guide you. He's far more familiar with demon cultivation than I am."

Hu Yun looked at Xiezhi with a hint of suspicion, sensing the faint magical power emanating from him. "Him?"

Hearing the suspicious tone, Xiezhi wasn't annoyed; he merely chuckled. "You don't believe me, but can you disbelieve Ji Yuan's words? For demons like Ox Ba Tian or Lu Shan Jun, who have already clarified their own paths, my guidance would be superfluous. But for a little one like you, hmmph... what do I get for helping you?"

In truth, though Hu Yun had not yet fully transformed, his cultivation wasn't poor, and his demonic energy was exceptionally pure, which was commendable. However, from Xiezhi's elevated perspective, it was indeed easy to dismiss him.

Hu Yun was far from foolish; he was quite straightforward. He had kept all the things the word-spirits had previously mentioned in mind. Hearing Xiezhi speak like this, he didn't argue or retort. Instead, he directly pulled several gold nuggets from his large tail behind him.

"I have money," he said. "This way, you won't always have to mooch off Mr. Ji's food; you can buy your own."

"You..." Xiezhi pointed a finger at Hu Yun, his expression a sight to behold. He uttered a single word, then opened his mouth and remained silent for a long time, utterly speechless.

After a moment, Xiezhi leaned closer to Hu Yun again, narrowed his eyes, and asked the red fox, "Just these few gold ingots?"

Hu Yun patted his tail and pulled out a small handful of gold dust. "There's still lots more!"

Xiezhi snatched the gold ingots and dust from Hu Yun's paws. A little effort with his words was all it took; why not? "Deal!"

Ji Yuan, who was still putting away his writing tools, paused for a moment. He had expected to have to mediate, but Hu Yun truly was a clever little fellow, managing to bribe Xiezhi with just a bit of gold.

Xiezhi chuckled and walked to the table. Seeing Ji Yuan looking at him, he generously placed two fairly large gold ingots on it, weighing an estimated ten taels. "Ji Yuan, here's the money I owe you. The extra can be considered interest."

Evidently, Xiezhi hadn't carefully calculated the exchange rate for gold and silver, but even if he was overly generous, Ji Yuan said nothing and simply took the gold.

Over this period, millions of new settlers from Da Zhen had gradually spread across its territory, mostly establishing villages, but also populating several cities.

It wasn't that Da Zhen had built so many houses and cities in such a short time. Many of these structures had originally existed on the Land Ark. Although the ark had shattered, most of these dwellings were preserved and dispersed across Da Zhen, serving as residences for the people.

Similarly, these millions of people didn't arrive naked and empty-handed. Their households already had provisions, making the food supply much less strained than Da Zhen officials had anticipated—in fact, there was a significant surplus.

Some of the food and seeds brought by the new settlers became hot commodities. Merchants across Da Zhen were highly interested, and under official supervision, they extensively purchased these goods at relatively fair prices when delivering supplies, allowing the new settlers to accumulate their first real wealth.

"Come, come, have a look!" a vendor called out one day on the streets of Ning'an County. "Red tubers from beyond the heavens, fresh as can be! Folks passing by, come see! They're delicious, easy to grow, and versatile!" he cried with great enthusiasm.

The arrival of the new settlers had long become common knowledge throughout Da Zhen. The local populace privately referred to them as "Sky-Flying Folk," a term used for easy differentiation and remembrance, rather than any derogatory intent. To create a buzz, some merchants would label goods acquired from them as "produce from beyond the heavens"—which wasn't exactly lying, merely an exaggeration.

This was the first time such a vendor had brought goods to sell in Ning'an County, and passersby instinctively gravitated towards the sound to investigate. As people gathered, they saw piles of tubers stacked high on the vendor's cart. They were as plump as taro but lacked taro's rough skin. Their reddish skins appeared smooth, even when caked with dirt.

"Come, come, let me show you," the vendor announced. "These are called red tubers, the primary food source brought by the Sky-Flying Folk."

"Uh, are they tasty?" someone inquired.

The vendor chuckled, picked up a small one, cut off several thumbnail-sized pieces with a knife, and handed them to the questioner. "Try some, try some! You can eat these raw; they're sweet. Cooked, they taste even better! Go on, have a taste!"

People took the red tubers and chewed them. Many found the taste pleasant, and some wanted more, but the vendor stopped distributing samples.

"Don't blame me for giving out so little," he said. "These are extremely expensive! I bought them at a very high price. You can buy some to cook at home; they're absolutely delicious. But don't cook too many; save some."

"You can't eat too many?" someone asked.

The vendor immediately burst into laughter. "Of course, you can eat a lot! As long as you're not afraid of getting stuffed or choking, you can eat as much as you want. But it's best to save some of these for seeds!"

An old farmer's eyes lit up. Before he could speak, someone nearby eagerly asked for the price. "How much per catty?"

The vendor held up five fingers.

"Five cash coins?"

"What five cash coins? Fifty cash coins a catty!"

"What?!" The price made everyone's jaws drop.

"That expensive? Taro is much cheaper." "Yeah, what fruit costs fifty cash coins? This is too expensive!"

"Exactly, who's going to buy something so pricey?"

The vendor quickly explained. "I'm not being greedy. We bought these from the Sky-Flying Folk's official residence at an exorbitant price. I'm just trying to make an honest living. If I sell them cheaper, I'd lose money, wouldn't I? As I said, buy some to taste, and save the rest for seeds."

The old farmer quickly asked, "Are they easy to plant? Do they survive easily?"

"Very easy to plant, very easy to survive," the vendor assured. "These grow in the soil, and if well-cared for, they yield quite a lot. The vines above ground can even be used to feed pigs—they're better than pig feed!"

"You're not lying, are you?"

"How dare I lie?" he exclaimed. "These are registered with the authorities, and not just any merchant can sell them. If I were lying, you could report me to the government! And this is Ning'an County, the land of scholars, where many high-ranking officials and nobles originate. Who knows which of you respected elders and fellow villagers might have a relative in office? How could I possibly lie? Look, here's the official document," he added, brandishing a permit.

He patted his chest to guarantee his words. While his price might be a bit high, the goods were authentic, and his claims were based on information provided by the officials in charge of the new settlers.

"Alright, give me one... no, two catties!" "I want three catties, and you need to explain how to cultivate and plant them."

"Certainly, certainly! How could I not explain?"

After some convincing, the vendor was soon busy with sales.

"I'll just take ten catties to cook and taste," a young man said. The youth promptly handed over a string of fifty-cash coins. The vendor, beaming, took the money, packed the red tubers, and even included a complimentary burlap sack.

A short while later, Hu Yun, in his transformed youthful appearance, returned to Juyan Small Pavilion, proudly displaying his purchases.

"Mr. Ji, Master, Zaoniang, I've bought something rare!" he announced. "They're called red tubers."

Hu Yun held up the burlap sack. After closing the door, he trotted into the courtyard. Ji Yuan glanced at Xiezhi. These were sweet potatoes from his previous life, he thought, remembering seeing them in the Demon Cave Heavens. He hadn't expected them to become a hot commodity.

The fact that sweet potatoes were now being sold in Ning'an County indicated that the millions of new settlers were officially integrating into Da Zhen society.