CHAPTER 380: CHAPTER 68: THE LEGACY OF THE FIVE GRAINS (PART 2)

The steamy Tian Nan Undying Volcano, its crimson lava rocks set the azure sky ablaze in a fiery red.

Lie Mountain bowed to look at that stalk of Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet, only to be astonished to find that in just a few brief moments, within a hundred yards around the millet, an identical-looking plant had fully grown.

One must know, atop the Tian Nan Undying Volcano, it’s hard for any plants other than those with a fire attribute to grow, even the fire-loving parasol trees only thrive where the water element is somewhat plentiful. Not to mention this Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet that hasn’t even rooted into the soil.

Curious, Lie Mountain plucked a stalk of the Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet to take a closer look. The plant had a five-colored hue, with nine spikes on top, covered in rice-like grains, and a refreshing aroma that lingered at the tip of the nose!

Enticed by the alluring scent, Lie Mountain couldn’t help but pick another handful and placed it in his mouth to slowly chew, only to feel that upon entering the mouth, the Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet left a lingering fragrance and kept the belly from hunger, perfectly suited for consumption.

Lie Mountain, overjoyed in his heart, secretly exclaimed: "With this, my Human Clan has no worries!"

Face filled with excitement, Lie Mountain collected all the millet spikes within that hundred-yard radius into his storage space, and then carefully picked up the Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet Spirit Root from the ground.

Lie Mountain, now carrying such a priceless treasure in his arms, was eager to return to the tribe to plant these millet spikes. But the journey here had taken him over three years; wouldn’t returning take another three?

Thinking of this, Lie Mountain shook his head helplessly and muttered to himself, "It looks like I need to further improve my cultivation!"

"Knowing that your cultivation is inadequate, you should practice diligently!" Li Qingming, in a green Taoist robe, silently appeared beside Lie Mountain.

The sudden appearance of a live person beside him gave Lie Mountain a huge shock.

Retreating a few steps in shock, when he saw that the arrival was Li Qingming, he exhaled in relief, bowed, and said, "Disciple Lie Mountain pays his respects to Master, may Master be in peace!"

"Since the Master arrived at the Undying Volcano earlier, why didn’t you directly give me the Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet? Are these your thoughts?" Li Qingming said to Lie Mountain, with a look that was both smiling and not smiling.

Taken aback, Lie Mountain then nodded and said, "I dare not deceive Master! Lie Mountain has been away for three years, with numerous affairs in the tribe. Although responsibilities were entrusted to the elderly of the tribe, ultimately, there are some matters they cannot resolve. Three years is enough time to change many things, and my heart is tied to the tribe, so I am quite perplexed. Why did Master insist on making this disciple personally undertake this journey?"

Li Qingming helped Lie Mountain up from the ground and said, "First tell your master, in these three years as you traveled through the Northern Continent and the South Zhanbu Continent, what are your thoughts regarding the Shen Zhou land?"

Lie Mountain responded without hesitation: "The Shen Zhou land is vast and rich. Compared to the Huaxia Divine Land, our Human Clan is but a drop in the ocean. And the living conditions of the Human Clan tribes on these two continents are not much different from those in Lie Mountain Tribe. Although there is no shortage of food and clothing at the moment, with the continual increase in population, eventually there will be a lack of food to eat and clothes to wear!"

Li Qingming asked, "What do you intend to do?"

Lie Mountain answered emphatically, "Starting with Spirit Fruits and plants, we will extensively cultivate wastelands, planting fruit trees and such grains. Let every member of our Human Clan be able to eat their fill and wear warm clothing!"

"If your master had not sent you on this journey, could you have understood these things? Could you have felt the suffering in the world? Could you have savored the fruits of success?" Li Qingming rebuked Lie Mountain severely, with a solemn expression and without leaving any room for discussion: "Nature thrives through strength, and a gentleman must always strive to improve himself! If one always expects things to be handed to them, how can the Human Clan talk of development?"

Those three "could you"s made Lie Mountain’s face flush with shame.

The saying "Nature thrives through strength, and a gentleman must always strive to improve himself!" made Lie Mountain wish he could crawl into a crack in the rock.

"Thump!"

With his face full of regret and his head lowered, Lie Mountain once again knelt before Li Qingming and said, "Master, your disciple admits his fault, please punish me!"

Li Qingming helplessly shrugged his shoulders, helping Lie Mountain to get up, and said, "Some things require more effort and thought from you. Don’t be completely deceived by appearances!"

"Disciple will heed Master’s teachings!" Lie Mountain bowed his head like a child who had made a mistake, not daring to raise his head to look at Li Qingming.

Shaking his head, Li Qingming tore the space open with his bare hands, revealing an abyssal corridor as dark as ink before him.

Li Qingming said, "Go on in. I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t accompany you back!"

"Disciple takes his leave!" Lie Mountain, his mind full of thoughts of the Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet, was eager to return home. Thus, he bid farewell to Li Qingming and stepped into the space rift.

A flash of light passed, and when Lie Mountain emerged from the layers of dark space back through the rift, he was beside the Wei River. In the distance, he could see the towering city walls, nearly sixty feet high.

"Phew! I’m back!" Lie Mountain exhaled and leapt up, arriving at the city gates almost instantly.

The gatekeepers were two brothers from the Hunting Team, both of whom recognized Lie Mountain.

Lie Mountain greeted the two clansmen from the Hunting Team with a smile, asking about the tribe’s situation over the past three years. The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the grand hall where discussions took place.

At that moment, the grand hall was bustling with noise, as the elders of the tribe were discussing the issue of distributing goods.

Lie Mountain listened outside the hall for a while, then strode in and said, "Elders, there is no need to discuss further. On this trip, Lie Mountain has brought back a miraculous plant called the Five-Colored Nine-Spike Millet. Its fruit is fragrant, and it can be used as sustenance, which should resolve the food crisis within the tribe!"

Jiang Han’s eyes lit up as he spoke, "Clan Leader, may we see this item?"

"Of course!" Lie Mountain said with a slight smile, pulling out a large bundle of millet from the storage space: "This is it!"

The crowd gathered around to take a look and saw that the millet spikes were full, the plants were thriving, and there was a fragrant aroma in the air.

Jiang Han smelled the thriving spikes and chewed a small handful in his mouth. The fragrance lingered on his lips, and just a few grains filled him with surging Primordial Power.

"Good, Clan Leader! This is a life-saving item for our Human Clan!" Jiang Han exclaimed with shining eyes.

"Then let’s start planting on a large scale!" Lie Mountain smiled slightly, as if he had expected this outcome.

What followed was much simpler. Lie Mountain led the clansmen to cut down trees and clear weeds around the village. According to the appropriate timing and advantages of the land, they made Wooden Hoes and Leisi as farming tools, cultivated the land, and planted the millet.

After about three months, the millet had all grown, but the grains and weeds were mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish what was edible and what was not.

So, Lie Mountain tasted each type one by one, experimenting with planting them, and finally selected the Five Grains, naming them rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, and soybeans.

Not only that, but Lie Mountain also directed water from the Wei River into the fields, helping the Five Grains to grow even more vigorously!

Just the first harvest was enough to sustain the tribe for three years.

Out of gratitude for Lie Mountain’s efforts in cultivating the Five Grains, the people all called him Shennong! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)