Chapter 38 (Two chapters in one)
Everyone in the village is celebrating the upcoming harvest, but to be honest, this year cannot be considered a good year with good weather and good harvest.
Starting in June, the temperature climbed faster than usual. By July, we experienced the scorching heat typically found in the south. In other brigades, even members suffered from heatstroke. By mid-August, the weather had gradually cooled, and the weather felt much more comfortable.
In Selangor, rising summer temperatures aren't necessarily a bad thing for crops, but the accompanying torrential rain, strong winds, and heavy rain are a different story. Sweet potatoes and cotton are particularly vulnerable to waterlogging, while corn and soybeans are most vulnerable to lodging. Even rice can't withstand the influx of pests like fire midges and caterpillars that migrate in large numbers during rainy days.
As the Buxianshan Songjiu shop's sales expanded, it gathered more and more stories and news from various regions. Lin Xinghuo, based on the information she gathered, frequently found time to explore outside the village. Although she hadn't yet found the hidden location of the Jin family's ancestral tomb, she saw that the situation elsewhere was indeed not good.
Especially now, in an environment where members work for the collective, slacking off and going through the motions are ubiquitous, especially in the poorer areas, where there's almost no enthusiasm or hope for production. Some brigade leaders, along with their lazy members, are now just waiting to receive the relief grain allocated from above after the autumn harvest.
The fields were flooded, the fallen seedlings unsupported, and the fields were dotted with bald spots left by the heavy rains that washed away the crops. Only when the sun came out did the members of the commune, sheltering from the rain, start to work in groups of two or three. They complained about the sun in the morning and felt sleepy in the afternoon. By around ten o'clock, the shade of the trees at the edge of the fields was already filled with men resting. The women had gone home early to prepare their meals, sending their children to the fields. The men, after lunch, took a break, reluctantly returning to work at three or four in the afternoon. During this time, the entire village was eerily quiet.
Lin Xinghuo was surprised when he first encountered them, thinking something had happened in the village. A closer look revealed the situation. The members of this lazy village were in poor physical and mental condition; even the children were frail, thin, and weak. Once, three fox cubs were playing around and accidentally revealed their tracks. Seeing such a fat fox, the people there didn't even chase. Lin Xinghuo could clearly hear some people's stomachs rumbling and others swallowing, but no one was willing to get up from the shade and run. The only one who moved was a teenager, who failed to catch up and was ridiculed and scolded by the adults under the tree.
The place was so hopeless and dead that Lin Xinghuo didn't dare to stay. He observed the terrain on a nearby hill and quickly escaped after finding something wrong.
When she returned to Buxian Village, she saw her fellow villagers sweating profusely in the fields under the scorching midday sun, wearing conical hats. The gloom in her heart finally dissipated. Gazing southeast toward Lotus Peak, Lin Xinghuo finally understood her master's thoughtful intentions in placing her in Buxian Village.
The old Party branch secretary's method of mowing the corn leaves saved the cobs, which were in the earing and grain filling stages. It was discovered that the five acres of corn seedlings that had been mowed recovered quickly after the heavy rain. Lin Xinghuo helped review all the books on corn cultivation at the county library and consulted the head of the county agricultural technology station who had been part of the spring sowing group.
The team leader of the agricultural technology station provided a lot of help. He taught everyone to use bamboo poles and ropes to promote pollination, and guided Lin Xinghuo to test the effect of cutting leaves on different parts of the body. If someone else had done the experiment, they would basically have missed the opportunity to apply it to this year's corn crop. But for Lin Xinghuo, it was easy to ripen corn and compare the final fruit directly. She soon discovered that the best effect was achieved by properly cutting off the stems and leaves above the middle cob, which should be related to the enhanced light that promotes ripening.
Originally, He Qing had assigned Buxiantun's production work to the direct management of the county production department. Amidst widespread corn problems like lodging, empty cobs, and missing kernels and bare tips, the early maturity of Buxiantun's corn fields was a breath of fresh air that boosted morale. All members of the spring sowing team, except Qu Xiangjin, returned to Buxiantun, this time not to provide guidance or inspection, but to visit and learn.
Especially the two people from the county agricultural technology station, since they came with the team half a month ago, they have not been willing to leave. Now they work in the fields with the members every day, dig canals together, and contribute their own strength to the brigade library: after Lin Xinghuo obtained their consent and copied their experience notes in the style of published books, the two of them held two copies of "XX Agricultural Science Notes" that looked no different from printed books at first glance, and they were in tears, stroking their names on the cover and were reluctant to let go.
In early September, Bushantun held a general meeting of all members to prepare for the harvest.
"It's only now, we can still raise the fish for another ten days or half a month. Shouldn't the yield be higher?" An old farmer was reluctant to give up.
In previous years, the harvest would start in mid-September, and this year, as the harvest is about to be good, everyone can't help but be greedy: if you harvest a day later, the fruits will be heavier. Don't underestimate these few pieces, because if you put them in the whole field, they will weigh at least several hundred kilograms.
The team leader at the agricultural science station picked up the loudspeaker and said, "The weather's bad this year; it got cold too quickly! Furthermore, the corn is already at its peak harvest period. Delaying it any longer could result in a reduced yield and lower corn cob quality."
The members below were discussing the matter, and most of them thought the agricultural technician was right: "This year is not normal. It was so hot last two months, and now it seems that those who are wearing sleet can't stand it anymore. What if there is frost or rain? We will have nowhere to cry!"
Many people were crying over their landlessness, especially in areas where crops were severely damaged by lodging. Overhearing the conversation, the head of the agricultural technology station sighed: "This time, the corn crops at Hongnong Commune in Song County are facing a severe lodging crisis. After investigating the situation, the county agricultural technology station recommended that the local authorities directly harvest the silage corn and sell it to feed mills, and promptly replant greens and other fast-growing vegetables to minimize losses." Unexpectedly, Hongnong Commune, relying on its past success, not only ignored the county agricultural technology station's advice but also drove the technicians who raised it ten miles away.
The team leader felt a pang of breath choking as he recalled the inquiries he had made the previous day. If they could save the crops, which agricultural technician would be willing to destroy them? Failure to prevent losses resulted in widespread corn disease and moldy ears. Even the small amount that was promptly salvaged suffered a severe yield loss, with half the stalk remaining bare after peeling off the husk. Not only had the Red Farmer Commune's hopes of being incorporated into the city's direct administration been completely dashed, but its previous record of eight years without aid was also likely to be broken.
The old branch secretary and the agricultural technician briefly explained the overall production situation in Song County, and the members gradually fell silent as they listened. The old branch secretary reminded all the members and educated youth: "The real thing is to put the grain into the warehouse. Before the harvest, it's all fake! Don't go through 99 of the 100 miles, only to lose it at the last hurdle."
"Patrols must be stepped up until the autumn harvest is over. Patrol members will officially return to their units starting today!" said Huang Dazhuang, the brigade commander and militia leader. "The entire village is on alert. No one is allowed to leave the village to visit relatives, and we should refrain from entertaining friends and relatives as much as possible..."
Most of the members, who had been immersed in working hard and expecting a bumper harvest, were dumbfounded. Some women who had married into other places were already worried about their parents' homes. This didn't sound right. Was there going to be a famine?
Lin Xinghuo was carrying the caracal on his back, and his mood was extremely heavy. This era was really too difficult for the villagers who depended on the weather for their livelihood.
On the way back to her mountain retreat, she was still wondering: "The revival of spiritual energy can directly benefit plants and trees. Plants and trees are affected by spiritual energy to a far greater extent than animals, right?" Shouldn't farming be getting easier and the harvests be getting bigger?
The caracal licked his paw and pointed in the direction of their home: "The vegetation on the mountain is indeed more lush, the trees are thicker and the grass is denser - but the competition between the vegetation is also more intense, and the number of dead trees seen is increasing year by year." Unable to compete for the territory to take root, even the thickest and tallest trees will die quickly.
Lin Xinghuo was silent. It was true. The old farmers in the village had also mentioned that seeds were easy to grow, but what mattered to the crops wasn't the size of the stems, but the quantity of fruit. The poor harvests in various places this year were largely due to the weather.
"You said spiritual energy is like a wave. This year just happens to be a 'small spiritual wave crest' formed by the energy accumulated over twenty years." She pondered and said slowly, "Could climate change also be affected by this wave? When spiritual energy recovers to a certain level, won't the climate thereafter be abnormal?"
This year, the concentration of spiritual energy has reached a preliminary stage. The fox cubs' transformation into spiritual beasts, and the near-breakthroughs of Da Huang, Hua Hua, and Black Sable all stem from this favorable trend. The accelerated growth of Lin Xinghuo and the caracal's cultivation is also inseparable from the subtle influence of spiritual energy fluctuations.
The caracal swept her furrowed brow with its tail: "We all have to go through this."
"The revival of spiritual energy should be generally beneficial rather than harmful." The caracal said, "The four seasons are more distinct, and the characteristics of the weather in different places are more obvious. In Buxiantun this year, it is hotter when it is hot, and the wind and rain are stronger when it is rainy. The spiritual energy nourishes and blesses all things. Putting it here will only aggravate the existing weather." For example, its hometown is drier and colder, but contrary to human expectations, the shrubs and weeds there are more numerous and more tenacious, and the food such as pika is more delicious. However, the appearance of animals and plants in the northwest is getting worse and worse.
The cat's long tail glides across its lush fur, more lustrous than the smoothest silk in the sun.
Lin Xinghuo, who was already worried about the future of her fellow villagers, couldn't help but distract herself by stroking a bit. The caracal allowed her to do what she wanted, crouching on her arm like a long slender figure. He said lazily, "It's just like that book you read called 'Evolution and Ethics'. It just intensifies the speed of 'competition for the species' and 'natural selection'."
For humans, standing at the top, able to control or manipulate nature to a certain extent, a gentle, stable climate naturally facilitates the expansion of human territory, and extreme climate change is highly undesirable. However, the benefits of a climate with more distinct characteristics and seasons to creatures other than humans are indescribable, as if an invisible hand is driving biological evolution.
"The spiritual plant is essentially two independent organisms from the original mother plant." Lin Xinghuo, who went to university in his previous life, actually understood the concepts of 'evolution' and 'biological explosion' more easily than the caracal. He just had to brush away the leaves that blocked his view.
Lin Xinghuo gasped, "The treasure gourd has borne fruit, the spirit lotus has sprouted, and the spirit rice and persimmons we've cultivated can actually be considered to be in line with 'destiny' to some extent?"
She thought about the two mink cubs Black Sable had picked up, always naive and relying on instinct to survive. Black Sable had no choice but to release them into a relatively safe forest after raising them for two months. Free from Black Sable's protection, freed from the pressure of so many spirit beasts, the mink actually thrived. Or, for example, the inner and outer golden-ringed bee colonies—it was almost impossible to tell they were from the same species: the Buxiantun colony had grown slightly larger, with a more venomous sting; but the golden-ringed bees Lin Xinghuo kept in the mountains and valley had almost completely shed their black fur. Especially after the old queen gave way to the new queen, the newly born colonies had become new bees with white backgrounds and golden rings. They were a little smaller, but beneath their furry chests protruded a separate honey sac, which, upon closer inspection, looked like a small bucket slung over their shoulders. It was quite intriguing...
A thousand flashes of inspiration flashed through her mind, and Lin Xinghuo plucked one. Whether she or the caracal, they seemed transcendent and superior, but in reality, they were just one of the countless beings swept forward by the times. The resurgence of spiritual energy would inevitably create heroes of the time, generations of trendsetters. All they should do, all they could do, was to maintain their original aspirations and steadily move forward with the times.
"Pop!" Lin Xinghuo seemed to hear the sound of spring buds breaking through the soil and spiritual lotus emerging from the water. The sea of qi was spinning and vibrating like a mist dragon, and the spiritual power was circulating rapidly, but the purple palace spiritual platform was clear and comfortable.
Even before opening her eyes, her consciousness took in the surroundings: the two halves of the peach tree, buds sprouting in the drizzling rain; the gourd vines that had moved their green leaves aside to allow the small gourds to be nourished by the raindrops; and the colorful carpet of flowers beneath her feet. Lin Xinghuo even spotted a tender yellow branch trembling from the ginkgo tree frame that the old branch secretary had dug out for her in the brigade warehouse.
"It's raining?" Lin Xinghuo came to his senses and realized that he had walked to the door of the mountain residence without knowing when. Even the half-moon had set in the west. It was so late at night?
The caracal, who had remained motionless in her arms, finally jumped down and stretched, enjoying the moment of spiritual rain comfortably: "You have an epiphany."
Sudden enlightenment is completely different from the comprehension that comes from accumulated experience; it's truly something you only encounter once in a while! The benefits of sudden enlightenment go beyond simply allowing Lin Xinghuo to break through the barrier of the fourth level of Qi Refining and officially become a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator. The lasting impact it brings to one's state of mind and foundation is the most valuable. Invisibly, Lin Xinghuo's path has become smoother.
Lin Xinghuo looked inward: "I... have reached the fifth level of Qi Refining! All the impurities on the three branches of the spiritual root have been removed..." The branches were clear and transparent like a pool of clear liquid, and the color of the spiritual root trunk was also a little clearer.
It was like a dream; upon waking, one's aptitude had risen a notch, their internal organs felt clearer, and their inner gaze was filled with a hazy aura. The impurities and dirt removed by sudden enlightenment didn't even cling to the surface of the skin; the moment they were expelled, they were annihilated and purified by the aura of the laws that lingered around the enlightened being.
The caracal wagged its head and tail with delight. Enlightenment not only brings endless benefits to the individual, but also to all living beings around it. Since the caracal was closest to Lin Xinghuo during her enlightenment, it naturally benefited the most. The aura of the Heavenly Dao that enlightenment draws forth is particularly beneficial for demon cultivators whose innate spiritual wisdom is inferior to that of humans. Enlightenment draws forth a trace of the Heavenly Dao. While this trace of the Dao is only temporary and cannot be absorbed by the enlightened, it deepens their enlightenment and plants a seed of the Dao within them. The aura it emanates is comparable to the effects of Emperor's Flowing Juice and herbs in replenishing spiritual wisdom. Hence the saying: "It can only be encountered, not sought."
Although the caracal had to protect its humans and did not dare to absorb the law wholeheartedly, Lin Xinghuo was, after all, at a lower level than it. With the caracal's talent, it was not too difficult for it to incorporate this trace of law into its own use.
"I've entered the 'body building' phase!" said the old man with great pride, and he couldn't help but jump over and rub the human's cheek.
The most stark distinction between demon cultivators and human cultivators lies in the first two stages: the first two stages of demon cultivators, "Gathering Spirit" and "Opening Wisdom," focus on developing wisdom and have little impact on improving strength. However, once a human cultivator enters the Qi Refining stage, they are completely transformed, their strength incomparable. The combined stages of the Gathering Spirit and Opening Wisdom stages correspond to the Qi Refining stage of a human cultivator.
This is why the caracal, whose realm is one level higher than Lin Xinghuo, is actually not much stronger than her.
But now the caracal has leaped into a demon cultivator in the body-building stage. At this time when the spiritual energy is not strong, it is a big monster that can occupy the mountain and become the king!
Uncle Mao was clearly overjoyed, explaining to his friends, who were puzzled by how easily he could advance, "For beast cultivators, gathering spirit and developing wisdom are the most challenging stages! You have to understand that demon beasts have powerful bodies but lack wisdom. Once their spirits and wisdom are awakened and replenished, reaching the physical forging stage becomes a piece of cake."
The prerequisite is to be able to successfully complete the first two stages, which is not easy. It is more difficult than for humans to break through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment. Caracals are born smart, and with such a high starting point, they are still stuck in the Tongzhi stage for several years.
Now? Not everyone has the good fortune of the caracal, having the profound principles of the Heavenly Dao right before their mouths! It was also the main contributor to Lin Xinghuo's sudden enlightenment. After absorbing that trace of the law, the caracal was enlightened and reached a new level.
The man and the caracal thought for a moment, and both felt that there was a small knot in the depths of their hearts that had not been healed. After thinking carefully, they both looked towards the direction of Buxian Village - the root cause of this sudden realization was that Lin Xinghuo felt that the villagers were having a hard time making a living, so she and the caracal both owed Buxian Village a cause and effect.
The cause and effect is not a big deal, but if you ignore it, it will cause endless troubles. To put an end to this case, it will not be a short time.
"Let's just farm honestly for now." Lin Xinghuo carried the caracal on his back. One day, when the villagers can live a prosperous life on their own, this cause and effect will naturally disappear.
Thinking back to his previous life, even fifty years later, most migrant workers still lived below average, and even Lin Xinghuo had to sigh, "There is still a long way to go."
Fortunately, the people of Buxiantun were upright and united, making this goal easy to achieve. Taking a deep breath of the air, freshened by the spiritual rain, Lin Xinghuo encouraged his friends, "We were planning to help Buxiantun develop anyway, to avoid dragging it down and adding to the karmic consequences later—now we're just deepening the relationship and making it even closer." This truly became his family's base, forcing Lin Xinghuo to scrap some of his previous plans and add a few new ones.
But there were also benefits. From now on, she wouldn't have to cling to the boundaries between mortal and spiritual, remaining timid. For example, when it came to farming, Lin Xinghuo could do more than just help with seed breeding and employing moose with spiritual rice stalks. She could even quietly summon spiritual rain, and the caracals could use earth dragon magic to help plow the soil—as long as it was done covertly. Lin Xinghuo didn't plan to expand the circle of people aware of the situation for now, but with the help of the old branch secretary and the Wei Chunfeng siblings, these matters would surely remain well concealed.
"But we must remember the 'degree'!" Lin Xinghuo said to herself, "We can't be too eager for quick success." Her goal was to promote the development of Bushan Village and make the best use of the people and land in the village, rather than wasting the villagers.
"If we keep it to waste, we will never be able to resolve this karma." Lin Xinghuo took out a small notebook from the storage bag and wrote it down neatly.
When both advance together, especially through the same opportunity, the bond between the caracal and the person deepens, and their mutual induction becomes more pronounced. Receiving Lin Xinghuo's solemn and cautious tone, the caracal couldn't help but put its head close to Lin Xinghuo's pen...
But Mr. Mau is illiterate.
The caracal's round ears were flattened, and it was too embarrassed to ask its humans to read it again.
This isn't just about asking your friends to read "Investiture of the Gods" or "On Evolution," it's about the strange dignity of the caracal! The caracal tucked its tail under its paws again, secretly resolving to learn to read!
The impact of the sudden enlightenment was not limited to the two of them, nor was it limited to the plants and trees inside and outside the mountain residence. The spiritual rain covered half of Nanshan Mountain, and even the spiritual lotus in the valley was stimulated to produce flower buds the size of a small fingertip.
The fox cub and the tiger, Huahua, who had been sleeping peacefully at home, and the sable, who loved to sleep in the cracks of the mountain walls, were all attracted by the pure fluctuations of wood spirit energy and caught this wave of gifts. Needless to say, the fox cub was even more spiritual. The gate that kept Huahua and the sable from the spiritual beasts was like window paper softened by rain. With just one more effort from the two beasts, a breakthrough was within reach.
Although the bee colony is still far from being a spiritual bee, the young new queen bee has achieved a spiritual body. Not only has it grown a stinger, but its two long transparent wings can actually drive its bloated body to fly, which are more flexible than the four pairs of wings of a worker bee.
The only exception was the foolishly happy big bad wolf, Da Huang, who always missed the mark and was still wandering in the old forest, oblivious to everything else. Lin Xinghuo could only give him a special treat when he came back, hoping that the change in quantity would lead to a change in quality and prevent this silly wolf from falling too far behind.
On the third day after his advancement, Lin Xinghuo received spiritual honey from the queen bee.
The caracal told Lin Xinghuo that it was more difficult for scaly insects to develop intelligence than birds and beasts, but they also had a unique advantage: they were particularly easy to advance into demonic beasts. The demonic beasts in this context were those whose spiritual intelligence had not yet developed but whose bodies were spiritual and could instinctively absorb spiritual energy, like the demonic pig from before.
Scale insects are also particularly easy to recognize their masters. Whoever feeds them will recognize that person as their master, without the need for a contract. Just like the group of mutated golden-ringed bees raised by Lin Xinghuo, in the simple and crude cognition of the bee colony, Lin Xinghuo is the queen bee of the entire bee colony. The bee colony fights and collects honey for her, and the new queen bee that lays eggs is the second-level leader appointed by the queen bee.
The demon bees that recognized their master would call themselves "spiritual bees." Especially after Lin Xinghuo consumed the spiritual honey offered by the queen bee, the bee colony became even more powerful. The golden ring bees still had little intelligence, but they understood Lin Xinghuo's meaning, and her every command was carried out with impeccable smoothness. In her previous life, she had learned from books that the queen bee controlled the colony through the "queen bee pheromone" she secreted. After consuming the spiritual honey, Lin Xinghuo unexpectedly took on a faint sweet fragrance, which was both amusing and sad: this mysterious connection suddenly had a sense of "scientific" truth, and she was almost accustomed to it.
In the valley, bees bustled about in an orderly fashion. While the numerous worker bees also gathered spiritual flowers, the honey they produced, like the lotus heart water in a mirror lake, could only temporarily store spiritual energy. The longer it remained, the less spiritual energy it contained. After nine days, it was merely ordinary honey, free of impurities and of exceptional quality. Only the honey the queen bee personally brewed from the spiritual stamens of the persimmon blossoms was truly spiritual honey. The queen stopped laying eggs and began feeding a portion of her larvae with her own honey, seemingly intending to replace another batch of worker bees.
Lin Xinghuo stopped it from offering spiritual honey, and kept enough spiritual honey to feed itself and the young bees.
Just when the spiritual bees were about to change generations, the golden-ringed bees that had settled in the western mountains of Bushantun performed a great deed - they rescued Cen Lingdang who was almost dragged into the cornfield and bullied.
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The author has something to say: As expected, FLAG cannot be set lightly...
Add more and more!
At the speed of writing, I don't know when I will finish writing the extra chapters. So: the updates from tonight to tomorrow morning are the FLAG extra chapters, and tomorrow night before midnight will update tomorrow's big chapter.
Note: In 1898, Yan Fu's translation of Evolution and Ethics was officially published. This book systematically introduced Darwin's theory of evolution, summarizing its essence with the concepts of "competition and natural selection." Soon after, Darwin's original work and his life were introduced to China. At the beginning of this century, Ma Junwu's translations of Darwin's Natural Selection and Darwin's Origin of Species appeared. Later, Ma Junwu translated the entire text of The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, both of which were reprinted numerous times.
The corresponding relationship between the realms of demon cultivation (human cultivation) is: gathering spirit + communicating wisdom (Qi refining stage), strengthening the body (foundation building stage), refining bones (heart beating stage), demon pill (golden pill stage), transformation (Nascent Soul stage), spiritual wandering (divine separation stage), practicing emptiness (fusion stage), Mahayana (Mahayana stage), and overcoming tribulation (crossing tribulation stage).
After transforming, the realms of demon cultivators and human cultivators are basically the same.
The realm division in this article is based on Baidu.
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