Both Ji Dongxu and Zhou Yu were having mixed feelings. Nonetheless, they each took a sunflower seed to munch on, and found that there was trace improvement in spirit.
The improvement was fractional, but if one sunflower seed was that good, the improvement would be sizeable after they finished a handful.
“Could you have found more purple-gold sunflowers, Mister Jiang?” Zhou Yu asked uncertainly.
Jiang He smiled but said nothing.
If he mentioned that he planted them, that would probably startle both Zhou Yu and Ji Dongxu. After all, Mu Wanqiu did mention that the Superpower Research Department had tried replanting floral spirits but never once succeeded—meaning that those stuff cannot be obtained through farming, but through the mutation and evolving within certain unique environments.
‘You guys could guess on your own for whether I’ve found purple-gold sunflowers. I am not bothered to answer, so bear with it even if your curiosity is killing you.’
Nearby, Wang Jingwu appeared flustered.
After realizing how wonderful the purple-gold sunflower seeds were, he smiled.”Still not thanking Mister Jiang?”
Wang Jingwu quickly said his thanks, and carefully grabbed a handful of the sunflower seeds from Jiang He to munch on in a corner. He could feel his spirit growing even as he munched away, and his eyes immediately went red with an impulse to cry.
To think that he would have a shot at reaching grandmaster too!
His grandfather, father, and even great-grandfather had strived for that goal for their entire lives without succeeding, and yet he could achieve it today?
Even though such an ascension was a little weird…
Wang Jingwu then looked up to sneak a peek at Jiang He, only to find him chatting with Ji Dongxu and Zhou Yu while munching on the sunflower seeds as well, and suddenly thought that it was ridiculous.
That’s…
Were those sunflower seeds real?
Still, his improved spirit was no lie. Even Ji Dongxu and Zhou Yu were baffled, let alone him.
Chatting while munching such precious stuff?
They wanted to put away the purple-gold sunflower seeds as well, but were embarrassed to do so in front of Jiang He, and so munched on it like Jiang He…
Others aside, the purple-gold sunflower seeds were really tasty. Most importantly, it had a five-spices taste to it since Jiang He had fried it.
Nonetheless, Wang Jingwu had yet to ascend even by the time they finished the sunflower seeds.
Jiang He gave him a look and said, “Your spirit is sufficient and your cultivation too, but it seems that your cultivation technique is lacking, which is why your physique and True Qi is just a little short.”
Bringing out a bottle of mineral water and passing it to Wang Jingwu, he said, “Have some.”
Wang Jingwu did a double take.
Is that mineral water… a treasure as well?
He walked up and opened the bottlecap, and a thick fragrant aroma immediately filled the room.
Both Ji Dongxu and Zhou Yu reacted at once, unable to hold back from exclaiming, “Origin Fluid?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang He said earnestly. “It’s rank-nine and was given to me by the willow tree of Mount Helan, and it improves physique and cultivation a lot… have some, Dojo Master Wang.”
O-Origin Fluid?
And rank-nine at that?
Wang Jingwu knew about the Origin Fluid, as well as the starting price of a single drop of it at rank-nine was upwards of five hundred thousand.
So… how much was that bottle worth?
He was actually reluctant to drink it.
“For grandmaster-tier!”
Gritting his teeth, Wang Jingwu picked up the bottle and chugged it, glugging and finishing the whole bottle in one go.
In the next instant.
Boom!
Rank-seven aura burst away from his body, and Wang Jingwu quickly sat down cross-legged in meditation, circulating his True Qi and conditioning his spirit to cultivate.
After half an hour, he stabilized his cultivation. Rising to his feet and walking up to Jiang He, he offered Jiang He a fist-palm salute and bow, saying reverently, “Many thanks, Mister Jiang.”
Jiang He waved him off and chuckle, “It’s a fair trade, don’t mention it.”
Wang Jingwu did not think that way, however, and bowed towards Jiang He as well.
From his perspective, even though that broken sword was once a treasure, it was not worth a dime now, and would have been thrown away if his grandfather had not kept it all those years before. On the other hand, which of the purple-gold sunflower seeds or the Origin Fluid that Jiang He brought out was not precious?
He had received the better end of the deal, and greatly so!
In truth, Jiang He had thought so too.
A pinch of sunflower seeds and some mineral water in exchange for a flying sword, it really was a bleeding profit…
After all, that rank-nine Origin Fluid was no different from mineral water to Jiang He as he was now.
Later, Wang Jingwu tried to treat Jiang He to a meal, but Jiang He turned him down, saying, “I still have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take a rain check for now. Next time, then—I’ll bother you the next time I come by, Dojo Master Wang… by the way, is there someone named Zhou Xiaolan in your dojo?”
“Zhou Xiaolan?”
There were over two hundred apprentices in the dojo, so there was no way Wang Jingwu know them all, with a handful of his personal disciples instructing most. Nonetheless, there was a roster in the dojo, and Wang Jingwu managed to get Zhou Xiaolan’s address and number from it.
Even if it was one in the morning, would Zhou Xiaolan dare to dally when Wang Jingwu called personally?
She soon arrived at the dojo, and was astonished to find Wang Jingwu waiting outside the dojo, and he even told her, “I don’t know how you made Mister Jiang’s acquaintance, Zhou Xiaolan, but you mustn’t get on his bad side when you meet him…”
Zhou Xiaolan was completely confused… Mister Jiang, who?
Nonetheless, she followed Wang Jingwu upstairs where he introduced everyone.
Jiang He studied Zhou Xiaolan then—she was around twenty and looked quite cute, although she was on the short side at one point six meters… that said, her figure was not bad at all, and even felt a little childish.
She’s huge…
The smacking sounds Jiang He heard from across the phone yesterday must have been completely natural.
Shelving those thoughts, Jiang He smiled. “We’ve spoken to each other over the phone yesterday, Miss Zhou.”
“Oh…”
Zhou Xiaolan came to a realization, and exclaimed as he pointed at Jiang He, “You were the one asking about the mushrooms?”
Jiang He nodded and said, “Let’s not dally, Miss Zhou. Take me to the mushrooms, and I’ll reward you after we get it.”
Zhou Xiaolan appeared rather worried at that, and glanced at Wang Jingwu. It was only after a subtle glance from the dojo owner that she said, “Mister Jiang, it’s late and my old home was over seventy kilometers away from Xi’an City. It’s in front of a mountain prowling with Ferals, and it’s very dangerous…”
“It’s fine, just point the way.”
Jiang He rose to his feet and headed downstairs.
Ji Dongxu and Zhou Yu followed.
Zhou Xiaolan appeared apprehensive and quietly said, “Dojo master…. Who is that person? Could he hold a grudge against me, taking me out in the middle of the night?”
Wang Jingwu gave her a chop on the head and barked through gritted teeth, “What are you thinking in that young brain of yours? It’s a good fortune your ancestors accrued if Mister Jiang has a grudge against you.”
Zhou Xiaolan was rather upset at that.
Why was Master Wang scolding her?
Nonetheless, Wang Jingwu continued, “I was graced by Mister Jiang to reach rank-seven. Weren’t you always dreaming about awakening? Mister Jiang could help you out.”
“Go on and help Mister Jiang find his stuff, and I’ll take you as a personal disciple when you get back.”
Delighted, Zhou Xiaolan quickly caught up with the others.
Arriving outside, Jiang He told Ji Dongxu and Zhou Yu, “Deputy Zhou, Grandmaster Ji, please wait for a moment. I’ll get my stuff right away.”
He reached out with a grabbing motion, and True Qi gusted around Zhou Xiaolan, levitating her.
Zhou Xiaolan was at once baffled.
They…
They were flying?
Her eyes widened at Jiang He as she exclaimed, “Mister Jiang… are you a legendary divine-tier?”
Jiang He could not help laughing and said, “Divine-tier is divine-tier. What does it have to do with legends? Alright, point me in the direction and we’ll get there as soon as possible. I still have stuff to do later.”
Composing herself, Zhou Xiaolan pointed the way.
Even as Jiang He turned into a thunderbolt that streaked through the sky, Zhou Xioalan quickly said, “Please fly slower and lower, Mister Jiang, or I can’t find my old house…”
After all, it was dark.
Being not even a martial artist, how could Zhou Xiaolan vision be as good as his?
Even so, Jiang He laughed. “No need. I’ve already found your house.”
He had already found the village she was talking about with a scan of his spirit.
Descending from the skies above, he landed at the entrance to a dilapidated village.
From the looks of some of the still undamaged houses, the villagers must have lived in fine conditions. In fact, there were even some small mansions aside from the usual tile houses.
The farmyard in Zhou Xiaolan’s house was rather well-preserved too.
In fact, Jiang He was shocked…
The farmyard was larger than the one in his house. It was four whole Mus, and aside from the five large red-tiled houses, there was even a garage with a yard behind it, with six mushroom greenhouses built behind it.
Zhou Xiaolan appeared rather sad as she smiled. “This is where I grew up, like my father and grandfather did. I remembered that we had been poor when I was a child, but my father went overseas later to learn mushroom farming, and started a mushroom farm with the government’s support. Life got better for us, and it started a mushroom planting trend in many other farmhouses too
“We even started a mushroom processing plant behind the village, although it’s now abandoned.”
“Your family was a landowning household too, it seems.”
Jiang He teased as he walked towards one of the greenhouses.
He had already picked up the Doom Shroom that Zhou Xiaolan spoke off, which was jampacked with it.
As for the other three greenhouses…
One was already blown up, and there was nothing special in the other two.
In fact, the Doom Shroom was only found that one greenhouse across the entire village, and over a thousand them.
Jiang He walked towards the greenhouse when Zhou Xiaolan quickly exclaimed, “Be careful, Mister Jiang! The mushroom blows up if you get too close.”
“It’s fine.”
Extending his hand with a grabbing motion, Jiang He lifted one of the Doom Shrooms with True Qi just ten meters away from the greenhouse.
Its pitch-black appearance really looked similar to the Doom Shroom in Plant Vs Zombies. Two fiery eyes abruptly appeared on it when it landed in Jiang He’s hand, and it expanded as a horrifying aura brewed within it.
After closer sensing, he noticed strange energy inside the mushroom, rapidly colliding and shifting, before…
Boom!
It blew up on Jiang He’s hand.
Zhou Xiaolan was shocked, but Jiang He was completely fine, and even said, “It is much more powerful than what you’ve said. It seems that the mushrooms did not stop evolving over time.”
The force of the explosion was not that huge, but that was because Jiang He had suppressed it with True Qi and spirit.
Jiang He estimated that the explosive yield of the Doom Shroom was equal to three mung bean bullets. If he took it home, planted and strengthened it with Mysterious Soil…
“Incidentally, the pea bombs are starting to get a little weak for me and not that useful… this fits right in.”
Jiang He had wanted to ask the military for stuff like nuclear bombs to plant, but gave up on the idea considering the excessive radiation, although he did not have to worry about it now that he had the Doom Shrooms.
