Chapter 8

"Clatter...clatter..."

As Lingxi stepped out of the Jin family's house, she heard the intermittent sound of chains dragging on the ground. Looking up, she met the sight of Big Black, who was tilting its head and staring at her.

Dahei is a genuine four-eyed Iron-Clad Golden Pine. Its body is black, with some golden-yellow fur on its limbs, chest, and face. The most unique feature is the symmetrical golden-yellow spots above its eyes, which look like another pair of eyes, hence the name "four-eyed."

Facing the big dog that had frightened her last time, she found it adorable during their formal meeting. She smiled and said, "Big Black, it's finally time to meet you properly."

"Woof"

Big Black barked, not as a warning, but rather as a response to Ling Xi's words.

Suddenly it leaped up, pulling the chain around its neck to its furthest point. Its two hind paws stood upright, while its front paws lashed out at her. Its beauty, its alluring fur, its majestic figure, and its sharp eyes truly captivated her.

Lingxi's lips unconsciously curved into a smile, and she reached forward to stroke its head.

Big Black didn't resist and obediently offered its head, seemingly enjoying it as its two big ears drooped comfortably back. When it saw her stop moving, it even glanced at her with a puzzled look.

Hahahaha~

Lingxi laughed, but couldn't resist petting it a few more times before forcing herself to get up. She knew when to stop; it was someone else's dog, and she should go home.

Halfway there, Lingxi turned around and could still see Dahei wagging its tail at her.

At this moment, the desire to own a dog is irreversible.

Or, next time I'll ask Sister Jin if we can adopt a puppy.

And so it was happily decided.

Lingxi returned to the courtyard, but instead of going straight to her room, she ran to the backyard to observe the eight water lily trees she had planted.

The fields were still bare.

It hasn't sprouted yet, but Lingxi isn't in a hurry. It was only planted yesterday, so she can't be too hasty.

By the way, Lingxi recalled the spells that Su Yuan had passed down to her, and there seemed to be a rain control spell, which should be useful for the water lily.

Lingxi first read the chapter on the art of rain control, which stated that the summoned spiritual rain could nourish spiritual plants, causing them to flourish and, with prolonged nourishment, potentially produce extraordinary phenomena.

The way of clouds and rain is formed by the mutual generation of Yin and Yang. The cultivator's ability to control rain lies in spiritual communication, using the mind to control Qi, using Qi to control water, and using water to connect with the spirit, only then can one gain control.

Lingxi made hand seals with her left and right fingers, subconsciously gathering spiritual energy, but just as the energy was transforming into water, she was not careful and her first attempt failed perfectly.

If it doesn't work the first time, try again, and try again and again.

Having finally learned from her mistakes, she saw a two-meter-tall pale blue cloud suddenly appear before her. With a wave of her hand, the cloud enveloped the field at her command, and fine rain drifted down, landing on the water lily. About ten minutes later, the field was soaked with moisture, and she withdrew the spell.

However, the effect was indeed good.

The eight water lilies sprouted strangely, growing two slender and upright tender shoots shaped like bamboo sticks, with golden edges on the leaves.

The seeds were transparent, but when they sprouted, they were green.

Lingxi looked at them one by one.

The first time she used the rain control spell, unfortunately, the weeds along the edge of the field sprouted up everywhere. Helpless, she quickly pulled out all the weeds, and to ensure they were completely eradicated, she even cast a fireball spell to give them a quick death.

It seems I need to work on improving my spellcasting skills next time, so as to avoid creating more problems.

Lingxi wiped away non-existent sweat from her forehead. Thinking about how she had eaten steamed buns for several meals in a row, her face immediately turned ashen, and she really couldn't take it anymore.

She touched her chin. The water chestnut had successfully sprouted, which meant that the planting plan was 99% successful. No matter what happened afterward, it would grow successfully.

Then Lingxi took out the purse from her sea of ​​consciousness and planted the remaining five seeds.

Then, following the exact same procedure, it was showered with spiritual rain.

He kept repeating to himself, "Grow up quickly."

I put the remaining two back into my pocket.

She took a liking to the spiritual energy within and planned to try planting other fruits and vegetables in varying proportions.

Lingxi refused to believe that she couldn't grow it even without a limit on the consumption of spiritual energy.

...

S City

"Captain Yang, Jin Jiajun's family is absolutely certain that Wang Facai murdered Jin Jiajun. When we asked them for specific details, the family didn't know anything, but they did know the general itinerary on the day of the incident, the location of the death, etc., and they didn't know the suspect, Wang Facai."

"And they also said..." the officer paused, "...that Jin Jiajun himself told me yesterday."

Captain Yang: "You believe that?"

“I don’t believe it.” The officer shook his head. “On the day of the incident, Jin Jiajun and his family member Lin Fengjuan had no communication. There are several suspicious points: 1. Where did the family member get the information from… Moreover, the family member reported that there was a cult stronghold in the suburbs.”

"Oh? Let's go, call someone, let's go first." Team Leader Yang acted swiftly and decisively, leaving as soon as he said it.

As for how the family knew so much, Captain Yang didn't believe in ghosts and suspected that the family got the information from some other, undisclosed source.

"Grandma, do you think the police will believe that? This is too far-fetched."

Jin Li accompanied Lin Fengjuan as she gave her statement. It was clear that the police officers didn't believe her. If it weren't for what happened yesterday, she wouldn't have believed it either.

"This old woman doesn't know either. I've said everything I could. My son can't just die like this."

"Why."

"Xiaoli, thank you and Yuncheng for accompanying me."

"Grandma, I'm your junior and also your neighbor. It's only right that I help you. Let's not say such polite things, it doesn't sound nice."

"Okay, I won't say."

Lin Fengjuan's voice hadn't recovered yet, and if she kept talking, Jin Li was afraid she wouldn't be able to speak at all.

Jin Li accompanied Lin Fengjuan to receive and sign the relevant documents and to collect the "Death Certificate" and "Corpse Disposal Notice".

They walked out of the criminal investigation team.

Li Yuncheng had already rented a car and was waiting outside with Jin Moli. When the two of them came out, he asked, "How did it go?"

"grandmother."

Jin Moli had been keeping a straight face, but when she saw her grandmother come out, she quickly ran over to her.

Lin Fengjuan held Jin Moli's hand tightly. From now on, the two of them, grandmother and granddaughter, would have to rely on each other for survival.

"It's alright, let's go to the funeral home." After Jin Li, Lin Fengjuan, and Jin Moli were all settled, Li Yuncheng returned to the driver's seat and drove towards the funeral home.

What followed was a series of procedures that kept the three of them busy for several days before they finally carried Jin Jiajun's ashes back to Linxi Cave.

...

"Wow, the water lily is growing really fast."

Lingxi arrived at the backyard. The land, which had been bare just two days ago, was now almost completely covered in greenery. More leaves were sprouting from the base, and their color was changing from light green to dark green, forming clusters of deep green.

She stood in the middle of the water lily, and in less than a minute, she clearly felt that the spiritual energy was much greater than in other places.

Lingxi was somewhat surprised; there were only a dozen or so plants, yet the surrounding spiritual energy was almost enough for the Qi Refining stage to use.

The water lily is without any attribute. Lingxi opened her spiritual eye, and colorful spiritual light continuously emerged from the leaves of the water lily. Instead of flying around, the spiritual light gathered half a meter above the water lily. A dozen or so plants were close together, and the various colors of spiritual light they released converged above, like a colorful spiritual energy shield, and the range even exceeded a meter above the plant.

The water lily can still grow, and I estimate that it will cover a larger area in the next few days.

She remarked on how vibrant the surrounding grass looked!

Moreover, spiritual energy only enters and doesn't leave, isn't that...

Hahahaha…

Lingxi was quite excited, as it was like having a natural spirit-gathering array.

However, she glanced up at the 2-meter-high wall and realized that the animals' keen sense of smell meant that the vegetables and fruits she planned to plant might not be able to be stopped.

At this moment, seven or eight red-bellied squirrels were perched on the wall, staring at the yard like paparazzi. Even on the branches of the pine trees behind the wall, there were roughly twenty or thirty birds of varying sizes, whose species could be counted.

They weren't afraid when they saw her approaching. Occasionally, a few playful yellow-bellied tits would show off their skills by flying up and down in front of her. When they got tired, one of them would put its little claws on her shoulder and chirp merrily.

The "sizzle" was clear, crisp, and melodious.

Fortunately, she managed to get her senses back to normal; otherwise, the little guy would have driven her deaf.

She wasn't worried about the spirit grass for the time being; the spirit grass itself possessed a certain aura that prevented them from touching it.

It's time to master the spells of the Qi Refining stage.

Lingxi helplessly released a wisp of spiritual energy from her palm to guide them to gather in one place, and then released a rain control spell. When the raindrops fell, the red-bellied squirrels and birds darted around and flapped their wings to instinctively dodge, but the attraction of the spiritual rain still made them control their instincts. One by one, they began to rush down, tilting their heads back and opening their mouths to lick and sip the spiritual water.

Lingxi controlled a small amount of rain, ensuring that everyone got a sip before ending the spell.

After being bathed in the magical rain, several red-bellied squirrels kept licking the residue off each other's fur, making each one look like a hedgehog with its fur standing on end, which was quite funny.

Lingxi shook her head and used her magic to disperse the moisture... well... or rather, the saliva-covered fur. The few animals that were licking their fur enthusiastically stopped instantly, leaning against the tree trunk or watching her from afar through the branches.

The yellow-bellied tit that perched on her shoulder had a brand-new plumage, especially the already brilliant yellow feathers on its belly, which were even more vibrant and lustrous.

"Little guy, are you here to thank me?"

"Sizzle~"

It chirped merrily and flew around her again and again before scattering away with the other birds.

"Oh? Not bad."

Su Yuan suddenly woke up at this moment. After figuring out the situation, he couldn't help but praise Ling Xi in her mind.

Lingxi's eyebrows relaxed slightly, and she smiled, "Suyuan, you're awake!"

"Um."

He seemed to be silent for a moment, then asked in a very serious tone, "May I use a piece of land to put down roots?"

Su Yuan's voice is very pleasant to listen to; every time I listen to it, it's like the ultimate enjoyment for my ears.

“Of course!” Lingxi readily agreed.

Who could bear to refuse such a polite, warm-hearted, and seriously injured little tree?

Su Yuan: "..."

After agreeing, Su Yuan hadn't even moved when he sensed Ling Xi's thoughts. Strangely, he didn't feel any aversion to her presence; aside from his friend, he seemed to be getting used to her presence.

The next moment, Lingxi felt a chill between her brows, the white light dissipated, and a jade-like Cangwu tree slowly floated into the air.

He slowly circled in the air, and then, right next to the edge of the water lily, his white jade-like roots gracefully and nimbly burrowed into the ground.

The air around Yu Shu swirled and twisted, and in an instant, the radiant Yu Shu slowly disappeared before her eyes. If she hadn't sensed his presence still there, she would have almost thought something had happened.

"This is?"

Su Yuan: "It's just a common trick."

Lingxi looked closely and realized it was indeed there, perfectly blocking the view of outsiders.

Su Yuan carefully sensed it and suddenly seemed to discover something, which surprised him.

"Water chestnut has the ability to improve the soil."

Lingxi had a sudden inspiration, and her eyes crinkled into a smile as she guessed, "Could it be that it can upgrade mortal land into spirit fields?"

"You guessed right."

"Haha, life is getting better and better."

Lingxi kept rubbing her hands together, staring longingly at the water lily in the field, wishing she could plant as many as she could in the next moment.

Xinglingcao, who is working overtime while also trying to grow: ...