Twenty-one days later, at the Low Hill Courtyard.

    Chen Mu squatted in front of a small ridge under the western wall, his face full of joy as he looked at the delicate seedlings the size of his index finger.

    In his hand, he held a fist-sized wooden spoon, evenly sprinkling the special well water from the bucket beside him around the seedlings.

    "Finally succeeded," Chen Mu said, his face brimming with smiles.

    The well water was mixed with Hundred Herbs Pavilion''s fertilizer and had been left to settle next to the White Jade Plate for five half hours.

    After numerous experiments, such treated well water was found to be most conducive for the growth of the Nightshade Tubocapsicum.

    "Thirty seeds, and in total twenty-six seedlings were successfully nurtured and transplanted."

    "Those old hands in the Bingchen District couldn''t do much better, huh. Hehe..."

    Just standing at the end of the field, admiring the Nightshade Tubocapsicum seedlings, pondering how much money they would fetch once mature.

    Two familiar figures entered the Five Ghosts Yin Spirit''s line of sight.

    "For no reason at all, why are they here?"

    "And they''re carrying Exotic Beast meat..." Chen Mu couldn''t help but narrow his eyes.

    ...

    "Brother Chen, I got a piece of Black Phosphorus Snapper meat at the dock, and I didn''t know how to deal with it, so I had to trouble you," Shang Huan said with a chubby face full of smiles.

    Just eating fish?

    "Leave it to me," Chen Mu said, determined to see what trick this fatty was up to.

    He carried the piece of Black Phosphorus Snapper meat, as big as a watermelon, to the stove for processing.

    "This shell is quite hard." Chen Mu tapped the dark scales, and the sound was so solid it could almost compare with swords and knives.

    The fish meat was also tight and tough, but it smelled particularly fishy.

    "Was it just slaughtered?" It looked really fresh, but the smell was indeed a bit overpowering.

    "Black Phosphorus Snapper is very nourishing but has a strong flavor, we couldn''t deal with it, so we came to you," Shang Huan said with a chuckle.

    Chen Mu nodded and got to work on cooking.

    ...

    An hour later, at the dining table.

    "The roasted fish slices not only lack any fishy odor, but they also have a pine nut fragrance, impressive!" Shang Huan''s eyes lit up, and without chewing much, he swallowed the fish slice, then eagerly reached for another.

    Old Hao couldn''t resist either and gobbled it greedily.

    Not until he finished a whole plate of roasted meat did Shang Huan contentedly pick up some vegetables to change the flavor.

    "Brother Chen truly excels at spice blending?!" Shang Huan''s face was full of admiration.

    "I''ve taken an interest in barbecuing recently and wanted to try different flavors."

    "I don''t suppose Brother Chen could supply me with some of your special spices." Shang Huan''s face was hopeful. "I''ll pay."

    "No problem." Chen Mu glanced at Shang Huan, thinking this fatty was indeed a foodie.

    That''s right, if he wasn''t greedy, he wouldn''t have gotten fat.

    "What flavor do you want?"

    Shell Soul, Jade Seed, Spiritual Light, Illusion Breaking—these were the Jilong Road Secret Techniques Chen Mu knew of.

    The Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique also advanced step by step, gradually, and could even automatically farm experience, naturally growing stronger as if it were breathing.

    Now it seemed to be absorbing Earth Spirit Vital Energy into his body as well.

    "Indeed, it''s like a proper secret transmission, orderly in its progression."

    It was unclear what changes would occur upon the next breakthrough.

    ...

    As days and months passed by, the climate within the Lower Courtyard of Jilong Road remained as warm as spring, and Chen Mu felt as if time was standing still.

    A month hurried by.

    That day, Chen Mu handed over a whole bag of pseudo-Tube Eggplant Night Herb to a bruised and swollen Shang Huan with a smile on his face.

    And feigned concern, "Be careful when you walk, don''t fall again!"

    I don''t want to! Shang Huan''s mouth twitched.

    He had no idea what had gotten into Gongsun Sheng to send him face-first into the ground every time.

    Despite being a Shell Soul expert, how had his skin become so thin?

    Shang Huan nodded ambiguously, shifting the topic to ease the awkwardness, "Lately, you should pay more attention to the Yellow Bud Rice Fields at night."

    "The incidents of Exotic Beasts breaking in are becoming more frequent."

    "Hasn''t the Inspection Courtyard already recruited people?" Chen Mu frowned slightly.

    "They''re still recruiting," Shang Huan shrugged his shoulders. "I heard they encountered a powerful Exotic Beast in the mountains and suffered heavy losses."

    "Why can''t they let people farm in peace?" Chen Mu lamented.

    "It''s been restless for years." Shang Huan shook his head helplessly. "With constant natural disasters and beast calamities."

    "We here in the Lower Courtyard are still better off."

    "It''s said that resources are becoming scarce outside, and things are already a bit chaotic."

    "It''s unstable out there." Chen Mu sighed.

    ...

    With Shang Huan''s reminder, Chen Mu was more vigilant.

    He specially sought out Old Hao for news and learned that indeed Exotic Beasts had breached the Lower Courtyard.

    Especially the planting areas near the edge, like his, were more susceptible to Exotic Beast attacks.

    After being on alert for half a month, just as Chen Mu thought the Inspection Courtyard had stepped up and cleared the restless Exotic Beasts,

    one night, a group of fist-sized red-haired rabbits suddenly emerged from the fields.

    These rabbits, like fleas, had astonishing jumping power.

    One leap covered over ten meters, and a kick could even shatter a stone.

    And being invulnerable to blades and spears, they were quite troublesome.

    If it weren''t for the Heartless Bell that could knock out a large group with a single ring, who knows how much time it would have taken.

    Looking at the dozens of destroyed Yellow Bud Rice plants, Chen Mu''s face wasn''t very pretty.

    If there was one, there could be a second, and possibly more Exotic Beasts could break through the Inspection Courtyard''s defenses.