Jiang He had wanted to pluck the collar and see what it actually was, but as the car with the trio of women onboard had reached his gate, he forced himself to hold back his curiosity, get out of his farm, and head to the gates.
The red off-road vehicle then braked, power-sliding two meters away.
Wang Siyu was the first to step out of the car. She walked up to Jiang He, and asked with concern, “You’ve woken up, Jiang He? Have you healed up? Were there any problems?”
It seems that Wang Siyu had come by three times back when Jiang He had slept for three days.
Incidentally, she had left for Western Xia on an errand and on returned home at three in the morning yesterday when Jiang He woke up. That was why she was heading here early in the morning, running into Mu Wanqiu and Wu Yueru on the way, and they hence came together.
“I’m fine.”
Jiang He tousled her hair, smiling. “It’s just a little exhaustion spirit and not some serious condition. I’ve fully recovered after sleeping for three days… by the way, have you finished eating the stuff I gave you previously?”
“Not yet.”
“Alright, give me a shout once you have and I’ll help you ascend to grandmaster as well as prepare another set meal for you so you could reach rank-nine as soon as you can.”
It was cultivation after all, and one must set a target in such fashion.
For example, Jiang He had already prepared several set meals for Wang Siyu that could ensure her rapidly ascension to rank nine. After that, he could consider giving her another set meal so that she reached divine-tier right away.
He had all the cultivation resources he needed anyway, most of which were now useless for him and his pets. That said, he could also consider giving some to Duan Tianhe and Cheng Dongfeng in appropriate amounts so they could pick some talented youths and groom some local elites for Lingzhou City.
Meanwhile, Mu Wanqiu was feeling sour and slight misery at the sight of Jiang He and Wang Siyu’s passionate conversation, though she kept smiling and teased, “Alright, alright, could you two lovebirds flirt when the time is right?”
“At least consider the feelings of us single ladies?”
Jiang He could not help chuckling.
He invited the three ladies into his mansion and Mu Wanqiu glanced at Wu Yueru saying, “Both Wu Yueru and I have come here today since we do have something to ask.”
Rising to her feet, Wu Yueru said, “Mister Jiang, I hope you could give a talk at the Martial Arts Academy. It’s actually an idea and request from every teacher and student, since everyone wants to meet their Guardian God.”
She appeared rather careful.
Nonsense.
How could she not be?
What status did Jiang He hold now, after all?
The First Man and the Guardian God of the Hua Nation… Jiang He was like a divine being who had descend to the mortal realm, especially for the few hundred thousand citizens of Lingzhou City.
Be that as it may, Wu Yueru was a little baffled since moments ago, when she met Jiang He again.
Jiang He was still Jiang He, after all.
Tall, dark, and handsome… as well as spouting lewd jokes and getting on others’ nerves at a moment’s notice. He was not even a martial arts grandmaster when Wu Yueru had first met him, was he not?
But in the blink of an eye, he had grown to a height she must look up upon.
Nonetheless, Jiang He mused to himself for a long while before saying, “Isn’t that a little inappropriate, Director Wu? I’m not that good with words and I might misguide the youngsters if I gave a talk.”
“You’re being humble, Mister Jiang.”
Wu Yueru smiled. “With your cultivation, just a few words is guidance enough for the students, even lasting their whole lives.”
Jiang He hesitated…
But it seemed that he did promise Wu Yueru previously that he would visit the academy. With Wu Yueru having requested to him multiple times, refusing was a little unacceptable now.
“Sure, I could speak at the academy. But let us be clear, the academy should draft the script for the talk.”
Wu Yueru appeared taken aback by Jiang He’s condition. “We will be drafting the script?”
“Of course.”
Jiang He was a little lost for words. “How could I hold a talk without a script? Or am I supposed to hold a free talk instead?”
Beside them, Mu Wanqiu snickered.
Smiling dazzling, she said, “It’s not like you’re being asked to give a philosophical talk. Just share your cultivation experience and your daily life with everyone. Why would you need to draft a script?”
“Is that so?”
Jiang He breathed a long sigh. “Well, wouldn’t that be simple?”
Delighted, Wu Yueru asked, “If that’s the case, should we set a time?”
“This afternoon or evening… wait, do students at the academy have self-learning sessions in the evening?”
Jiang He could not help sighing again when he saw a nod from Qu Yueru. “Students really have it tough…”
Still, it was logical when one thought about it.
After all, aside from martial knowledge, cultural classes were compulsory at the martial arts academy as well, although they occupied fewer time slots.
Soon, both Wu Yueru and Mu Wanqiu left.
It was only after they were gone that Jiang He pulled Wang Siyu into his arms and princess carried her upstairs, saying, “Come, let’s go to my bedroom. I need to check your recent cultivation.”
Flushing, Wang Siyu murmured flirtatiously, “You’re too much…”
***
Jiang He and Wang Siyu came downstairs around ten in the morning.
Boa Hancock and Sora had already prepared a simple breakfast.
There was porridge boiled from Dragontooth Rice, a dish of cucumbers, and carrots. Sora had also made steamed buns with eggplant and Golden-Winged Roc filling.
As he eat the buns and sipped the Dragontooth Rice porridge, Jiang He could not help exclaiming, “Actually, steamed buns are best with potato and beef fillings… what a shame that we can’t get that stuff now.”
Many farmers in Xibei used to plant potatoes, since they had high yield and were easily managed, not to mention that they just had to weed it once after planting. It was also easily preserved, and one could store their potatoes from October to the spring season just by digging a potato cellar on the ground and storing them in it.
Vegetables were expensive in winter, with leeks actually costing up to three bucks. That was why many farmers would store potatoes to survive through winter, though the most important part was that potatoes could go with everything: stir-fried with meat, stuffed inside dumplings or steamed buns, deep-fried, steam cooked, or even baked in a furnace. In fact, Jiang He liked potato shreds mixed with salted cabbage the most.
Jiang He remembered how his family would salt a big pot of cabbages every winter back when he was a child, and would eat potato shreds mixed with salted cabbage for breakfast. Later, he would cook yellow rice and mix in some chili oil, season the former with the latter, after of which he would add on the potato shreds mixed with salted cabbage.
It was delightful.
And now…
Jiang He suddenly found the Dragontooth Rice in his bowl not that sweet now.
He then remembered that it was already November—the season for salting cabbages.
“What a coincidence. I’m going to Lingzhou City anyway, and I could buy some napa cabbage on the way and come up with an idea on how I could grow potatoes that wouldn’t explode… if push comes to shove, I would just have to eat normal potatoes.”
After breakfast and seeing off Wang Siyu, Jiang He returned to his farm.
He headed straight to the tuft of grass beside the willow tree, and without even thinking about it, he grabbed it and dragged it out, roots and all.
Plucking off the ‘collar’ fruit dangling from it, a System Notification jingled—
[Ding!]
[+100,000 Farm Points]
Jiang He’s eyes lit up.
It should be noted that the System only awarded ten thousand Farm Points back when Jiang He had harvested various premium-grade soul items and only awarded a hundred thousand for a superior-grade sage item… did that mean this item was at that level?
As he stared at the collar in his hand, a cluster of data popped up.
[Spirit Animal Ring]
[Special-type mystic treasure that only works on daemons. Users could subjugate any daemons with weaker Yuan Spirit, taming it into their pet by force.]
Jiang He was dumbstruck.
Damn it!
I was being pleased for nothing. And here I was thinking I had just received the Vajra Bangle or the Cosmic Hoop!
The Spirit Animal Ring may sound awesome, but the function was really chickenfeed.
Why would Jiang He need that after creating Physical Beast Taming Technique?
Even if there was a certain chance of injury with that technique, he could plant the beast even if he killed it.
After complaining a little and carelessly throwing the Spirit Animal Ring in his System Backpack, Jiang He took out pen and paper, ready to create an item refinement manual. Even so, he had no idea how to go about it despite having though a long while, and so smiled begrudgingly, “I know nothing about item refinement at all. Really should have gotten myself some item refinement manuals at the Taixu Sect yesterday… eh?”
His eyes lit up then.
To put it bluntly, was item refinement not basically smithing?
If that was so, he could go to that old man at the Martial Arts Department and ask about the knowledge concerned, and the old man might just be able to offer some suggestions.
