You Cultivate, I Farm

In the heart of Lin Yangfang Market,

In a dimly lit room, seven or eight infants crawled about aimlessly.

These infants appeared an abnormal shade of bluish-black, exuding wisps of darkness from within. Their limbs were slender, teeth sharp, eyes protruding, giving off a sense of grimness.

Despite their mismatched appearance, they displayed an uncanny agility; on occasion, their encounters led to ferocious biting, accompanied by occasional resentful cries when bitten, causing headaches to those who heard.

In a corner of the room, two strikingly beautiful girls sat quietly, wearing faint smiles, their expressions radiating maternal warmth.

Both had noticeably swollen bellies resembling oversized balls. One of them already had a massive crack on her abdomen, and a protruding gray-white eyeball stared fixedly outward through the crevice, seemingly poised to crawl out at any moment.

"Who? Who dared to annihilate one of my beloved demonic infants?"

On a bed of ice, a cultivator sat up, surrounded by thick resentment, occasionally morphing into blurry faces emitting silent, agonizing wails.

The seven or eight infants who had previously been clamoring and biting each other suddenly quieted down, as still as cicadas in winter, seemingly afraid of this person.

In the corner, the two girls maintained their serene smiles, unmoving, while the gray-white eyeball from the cracked abdomen slowly receded into the depths.

"This way, my certainty in refining demonic infant pills diminishes once more. It's truly maddening."

Resentment continued to billow from the cultivator, akin to the rage within him.

He had reached the peak of Qi cultivation for a long time, but two attempts to break through the Foundation Establishment stage had ended in failure.

By chance, he had discovered a forbidden method in a hidden place, a method to refine demonic infant pills. Consuming these pills would slightly increase the chances of breaking through the Foundation Establishment stage.

Following the forbidden method, he collected over a hundred resentful spirits, condensed them into demonic infant fetuses, and then gathered a dozen young girls. Using a secret technique, he implanted the demonic infant fetuses into their bodies.

These girls were subsequently sold in various ways. When a target cultivator purchased one and engaged in intimacy, the demonic infant would silently meld into their body.

Since the demonic infant itself was a sinister treasure, during the fusion process, it would enhance the cultivator's spiritual energy, creating a false perception of rapid cultivation progress, especially during intimate exchanges.

Once the demonic infant completely assimilated with the cultivator, at an opportune moment, it would seize all the cultivator's spiritual power, essence, and vitality, transforming them into a demonic infant.

After draining the cultivator dry, the demonic infant would break out of their body, stealthily returning to the girl's body, concealing its malevolent aura and secretly returning to its dwelling.

The entire process was highly secretive. When the demonic infant merged with the cultivator, ordinary symbols, tools, and instruments had difficulty detecting any abnormalities. Only during the brief moment of emergence would a slight aura leak out.

However, unless one remained vigilant at all times, this slight anomaly usually went unnoticed.

Despite such careful precautions, the demise of one demonic infant meant a further decrease in his certainty of refining the demonic infant pill, making it even more challenging to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

For him, this was akin to an irreconcilable vendetta.

"It seems I must seek a few more young female cultivators for Qi cultivation, implant the demonic infant fetuses in them, and release them into the black market for purchase."

"However, if one demonic infant is discovered, it's highly probable that subsequent attempts won't be as smooth as the first."

Contemplating this, his fury escalated uncontrollably. The surrounding seven or eight demonic infants dared not make a move, petrified by his rage.

---

In the courtyard,

With Wang Shan no longer posing a threat, Lu Xuan felt considerably relieved in both body and mind, wholly devoted to nurturing the various spirit plants in his spiritual field.

After the inexplicable malevolence incident, the Hall of Enforcement intensified surveillance over his residing area, conducting frequent inspections and maintaining strict control over the entry and exit of cultivators in the region.

However, this had little impact on Lu Xuan. He mostly stayed within the courtyard, cultivating spirit plants, occasionally amusing himself with the Cloud-Stepping Lynx and the Red Whiskered Carp.

Observing the dozen or so mid-level Qi cultivators among those sent for inspection, Lu Xuan deduced that Tang Xiaodong's absence might be due to the information provided during the previous report, leading to his implication.

This realization further brightened his mood, instilling a sense of contentment while tending to his spiritual field.

On a misty morning,

A three-foot-tall grass puppet emerged from the mist, having vigilantly patrolled the spiritual field throughout the night, its dry, grassy exterior slightly dampened by the mist.

"Truly my outstanding employee..."

Lu Xuan sighed with satisfaction, carrying a slender white jade bottle, then proceeded into the spiritual field, approaching the edge of the spirit spring.

Spotting his familiar figure, the plump and vibrant Red Whiskered Carp thought it might obtain some exotic insects and wagged its tail, swimming over.

With six slender red whiskers trailing behind it like ribbons, it rippled through the spring's waters.

Lu Xuan scattered some spirit grains and paid no more attention, bottling half the spirit spring's water in the white jade container.

A black shadow darted by.

The Cloud-Stepping Lynx cub leaped, its paws resembling white clouds as it landed on the water's surface, seizing one of the Red Whiskered Carp's long whiskers and pulling it out of the water.

As the cub dashed across the surface, leaving the Red Whiskered Carp flailing in mid-air before plummeting back into the spring, creating ripples upon ripples.

The other two Red Whiskered Carps, startled, swiftly submerged into the depths of the spring, causing even more pronounced ripples.

At the center of the spirit spring, the delicate Pure Snow Lotus gently swayed amidst the water's disturbance, presenting a delicate and fragile appearance.

"You, my friend, are mischievous. Capturing fish is one thing, but disrupting my Pure Snow Lotus from growing properly? At noon, I'll deduct a piece of dried pufferfish from your ration."

Seeing this, Lu Xuan reached out and patted the cub's pointed ears, issuing a threat.

"Howl~~"

Upon hearing about the loss of its delicacy, the cub, maintaining its aloof demeanor, couldn't resist emitting a low growl.

While silence would have been preferable, as soon as the cub made this hesitant noise, Lu Xuan became even more determined to withhold the dried meat.

Subsequently, he approached the three Clear and Delicate Spirit Tea plants, concentrating his spiritual energy to channel into the tea seedlings.

After nurturing the tea seedlings, he proceeded to inspect various areas of the spiritual field.

He separated about twenty Ruthless Spirits that were entwined together.

As the Blood Jade Ginseng rapidly grew, their tendency to draw closer to each other increased substantially. If Lu Xuan hadn't intervened, around ten Blood Jade Ginseng might have entangled into a single mass.

It nearly resulted in a large-scale movement among the ginseng plants.

After separating them, he applied two strokes of the Gengjin Sword Technique to the Sword Grass, allowing it to absorb the sharpness and sword intent.

Adjusting the position of the Dark Marrow Fungus beneath the wooden shed, he ensured it could better absorb the decayed spiritual power within.

He then located the Hidden Smoke Fruit shrouded in thick white mist. Over a few days, the fog surrounding it had expanded slightly.

Finally, he approached the Crimson Cloud Pine, which was nearing maturity, and focused his consciousness on its branches.

"Oh, a pine nut has ripened?"

This sudden revelation thrilled Lu Xuan.

---------------