Since emerging from the secret realm, Jiang Lin and the others had been extremely busy, and the mountain was becoming increasingly crowded. Bai Zhizhi sat by the lakeside using a self-made fishing rod, waiting like Jiang Taigong for a fish willing to be caught. By his side sat fresh, sweet wild fruits that Xu Mo had ordered people to harvest from the mountains, creating a stark contrast with the people bustling to and fro.

Perhaps because the unstable secret realm allowed some spiritual energy to leak out, the wild fruits born and raised by nature here were mostly sweet, unlike typical wild fruits that were sour and astringent. However, Bai Zhizhi lost interest after eating just one or two. Compared to genuine spiritual fruits, these fell short by a mile; they were merely good for a quick taste of something fresh.

Just as a fish popped its head out of the creek, before it could even bite the hook, an excited voice startled it away.

“Zhizhi! I’m here!”

There was no need to look back to know it was Lin Xiaoyang. This guy was truly bursting with energy, always looking as if he had an endless supply of strength.

Lin Xiaoyang set down his luggage and ran to Bai Zhizhi’s side: “Where is Jiang Ge?”

Bai Zhizhi yawned: “Are you not weaned yet? Why are you looking for Jiang Ge every single day?”

Lin Xiaoyang picked up a stone and tossed it into the water: “Jiang Ge called me here. Since I’m here, of course I have to report to him! Let me tell you, this time Jiang Ge called me over to take me into the energy field. This is my very first time entering one.”

His cultivation was average—neither terrible nor particularly high—at the third level of Qi Refining, but his advantage was his youth. At only twenty-five years old, his future was highly promising.

However, precisely because his cultivation was not high, he had never been allowed into any energy fields before. This was his first time entering such a legendary secret realm. From the moment he received the call until now, he had been so excited that he hadn’t slept for three days.

Bai Zhizhi replied: “I don’t know where he is. He is very busy every day.”

Lin Xiaoyang let out an “oh”: “He must be busy making deployments. Every time they enter an energy field, they carry filming equipment with them. Although they can’t always bring all the equipment back intact, whatever they do bring back becomes precious footage. They have to review and analyze it repeatedly to minimize casualties as much as possible.”

Lin Xiaoyang repeatedly questioned Bai Zhizhi about their previous experience inside, wanting to gather more experience. Before Bai Zhizhi could dismiss him in annoyance, Jiang Lin walked out of the large tent: “I could hear you chattering from far away.”

Lin Xiaoyang, who was squatting beside Bai Zhizhi, sprang up instantly: “Jiang Ge!”

Jiang Lin said: “Go inside for the meeting.”

Lin Xiaoyang hurriedly responded: “Right away!”

Once Lin Xiaoyang trotted eagerly into the tent, Jiang Lin walked over to Bai Zhizhi’s side: “After some discussion, we plan to organize a team to go in and search once before the foreign awakened individuals arrive. Zhizhi, how much longer can the spiritual energy in the key hold out?”

Bai Zhizhi looked up at the array gate hovering in midair that had not yet closed: “About ten more times should be fine. Are you guys going in to collect the water spirit crystals?”

Jiang Lin said: “If possible, we want to try and see if we can retrieve the water spirit crystals without disturbing the envy fish, keeping casualties to an absolute minimum.”

Bai Zhizhi replied: “That is going to be very hard. The envy fish feed on the water spiritual energy inside the water spirit crystals. If you take away their food, it would be a miracle if they didn’t mind.”

Jiang Lin said: “Then we will just have to fight them. We won’t take too many, and we hope it won’t cause too much damage to the ecology of the secret realm.”

Bai Zhizhi raised his hand and gave Jiang Lin two items—a small jade gourd and a bracelet embedded with black stones: “There is beast-repelling liquid inside here. Smearing it on your body will make the envy fish dislike the smell and avoid you. This other one is a storage bracelet. Make sure to pack plenty when you go in.”

Jiang Lin took them and asked: “You’re not going in with me?”

Bai Zhizhi said: “No. The place is only so big. I saw almost everything after flying around last time, so going again is boring.”

Although the secret realm was not large, the feeling of hunting for treasure inside was quite fun. Unfortunately, this secret realm was not only small but also lacked stability. When he went in last time, he felt a tense sensation, as if the secret realm could not withstand his cultivation level. If he went in a couple more times, the secret realm would probably collapse.

Forget it. He would leave it for these human cultivators to play in. There were plenty of places to play outside anyway; there was no need to break a small secret realm and leave all those demon beasts, who called it home, without a roof over their heads.

Gripping the items in his hand tightly, Jiang Lin smiled and said: “Then I will leave the courtyard to you. Before I return, help me take good care of the courtyard, alright?”

In the past, others had always taken care of him. Within his clan, his status was noble and his age was young. Heartbroken that he had lost a fox tail in the great war a thousand years ago, his parents and clan members had pampered and protected him like a fragile piece of glassware since childhood. No one had ever entrusted any task to him.

Aside from his travels to gain experience, the clan agreed with almost everything he did. Whatever he wanted to do, others only supported and never opposed, though after agreeing, almost everyone would quietly prepare to clean up his messes.

This was the first time someone had actually placed a responsibility in his hands. It felt a little strange, but somehow not altogether unpleasant.

However, if he agreed too easily, wouldn’t these humans take a mile if he gave them an inch? Bai Zhizhi snorted and turned his head away.

Amused, Jiang Lin moved to face him from another direction and squatted down: “This energy field is not as dangerous as the previous ones, so I want to take Lin Xiaoyang and the others in to gain some experience. By then, only the elderly and the young will be left in the courtyard. Kind Zhizhi, help me out, okay? Pretty please?”

Since he was begging so earnestly, Bai Zhizhi spoke up reluctantly: “Fine. I will look after things for you temporarily. But don’t take too long; I don’t have that much spare time.”

Hearing this, Jiang Lin smiled. Although his features were on the sharper side, his eyes were incredibly gentle when he smiled: “Thank you, Zhizhi.”

Bai Zhizhi’s ears felt slightly warm, and he snorted once more, averting his gaze.

The entire East City Brigade, including Wu Yue, entered the energy field this time. Aside from the cultivators, the higher-ups also attempted to arrange for a military squad to go in.

The cultivators could ensure the safety of the personnel to the greatest extent, while the military was organized and disciplined, capable of quickly completing the harvesting and transfer work.

Bai Zhizhi did not care how those humans arranged things. Once the time for their re-entry into the secret realm was set, Jiang Lin took him back to the courtyard.

Watching Jiang Lin drive off with a full car of people and return empty, Xiao Yu could not help but say: “Are you really that relaxed? Right now, only Yue Yanting’s sister is left at your place, right?”

Jiang Lin replied: “Uncle Gao and Uncle Bi are also there.”

Xiao Yu retorted: “The two of them combined wouldn’t survive a single swipe of Bai Zhizhi’s claws.”

He had not forgotten the ferocity with which the little fox had thrashed He’er last time.

Jiang Lin said with a smile: “The reason I was uneasy about leaving Zhizhi alone in the courtyard before was because I didn’t know his temperament, not because he is a demon. After nearly a month of living together, I trust my judgment of character. He is very good, and I believe he won’t hurt people for no reason.”

Since he trusted him, he dared to entrust things to him, rather than merely speaking of trust while taking precautions. He hoped Bai Zhizhi would be willing to accept and integrate into human society, but to do that, he first had to feel accepted and integrated by humans.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu said no more, only feeling that Jiang Lin was as bold as ever. This man looked calm and reliable on the outside, but in his bones, he seemed to possess a natural ruthlessness that loved taking risks. If this had been any other brigade captain, they would never have dared to easily leave a demon they had known for less than a month in an entirely defenseless headquarters. Yet, Jiang Lin did.

He truly was the same man who, with a mere early-stage Qi Refining cultivation, dared to enter an energy field back then. If not for this ruthlessness, Jiang Lin probably wouldn’t have broken through repeatedly in a short ten years, becoming the first of their generation to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Even though the courtyard didn’t have many people to begin with, now that those few were gone, the modest space felt somewhat empty.

Bai Zhizhi could only stay behaved in the courtyard for a single day before he grew restless. He watched as Yue Zhihuan spread out leaf veins, which had been soaked in chemical solutions until they were transparent, to dry them one by one. Beside her were several packages already sealed and ready to be shipped.

Bai Zhizhi lay on a woven rattan lounger under the corridor: “Is your brigade so poor that you actually need to rely on handcrafts to make money?”

Yue Zhihuan turned to smile at him, then picked up her phone to type: [I am very happy to generate some extra income for the household.]

Bai Zhizhi asked: “How much do you sell one of these for?”

Yue Zhihuan held up five fingers.

Bai Zhizhi asked: “Fifty yuan?”

Yue Zhihuan typed with a smile: [Five yuan!]

Bai Zhizhi could not help but laugh. He picked up his fan and fanned himself gently: “If you want to generate income, why not plant some spiritual fruits?”

Yue Zhihuan turned to look at him. Bai Zhizhi continued: “Let’s plant grapes. There happens to be a pavilion here. The grapevines can climb up the pavilion, hanging cluster after cluster of purple grapes. When you want to eat them, you can just reach up and pluck one. If they grow too fast and you can’t finish them, you can sell them to the Royal Court Club next door.”

Yue Zhihuan was about to type and tell him that grapes were hard to grow, and even if they grew, they might not be as sweet as the ones bought outside. If he wanted to eat grapes, she could just go out and buy some for him.

Before she could type, Bai Zhizhi got up from his lounger, walked over to the stone table, and sat down. He fished out two cloth pouches from his storage device and emptied one of them, pouring out a pile of items that looked like seeds, all varying in size and shape.

Bai Zhizhi picked out a few round black seeds and set them aside. He then called over the two older men who were also sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air and playing chess: “Uncle Bi, Uncle Gao, come over quickly. Let’s see where is suitable. How about this patch? This strip along the corridor. Dig up all these weeds, and I will plant the seeds.”

Uncle Bi let out a huff and tapped Bai Zhizhi’s head with his cattail leaf fan: “What weeds? Those are the mosquito-repelling plants I grew myself!”

Bai Zhizhi said: “Dig them up quickly, and clear away all this dirt.”

The three exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly. They could only go along with the little fox’s wishes. Before leaving, Jiang Lin had instructed them that as long as he didn’t tear down the house, they should accommodate him as much as possible. Growing some grapes was no big deal.

The three put down their tasks, rolled up their sleeves, and began digging up the soil. Old Bi glanced at the seeds he had taken out: “These don’t look like grape seeds. Besides, seeds need to be soaked to promote sprouting. Yours are rock-hard; I doubt they will work. How about I go out tomorrow and buy some ready-made grapevines to transplant instead?”

Bai Zhizhi said: “These are no ordinary grapes. Don’t worry, I will have you eating grapes within three days.”

To decorate his treehouse back home, Bai Zhizhi had planted plenty of flowers, grasses, and spiritual fruits around it, making him highly skilled in these matters.

Once Uncle Bi carefully dug up his mosquito-repelling plants and relocated them, Uncle Gao and Yue Zhihuan dug out a trench for him along the corridor: “Is this fine?”

Bai Zhizhi took a look: “Sure. Step back a bit.”

The three stepped back, and Bai Zhizhi scattered the seeds into the soil. He then pulled out a pouch containing spiritual soil and tipped it, pouring the spiritual soil onto the ground.

The moment the spiritual soil was poured out, Uncle Bi and Uncle Gao’s expressions changed. Although they were old and had one foot in the grave, they were still cultivators. They could not possibly fail to feel such a vigorous surge of spiritual energy.

Yue Zhihuan could not feel the spiritual soil, but her eyes were filled with wonder as she stared at the pouch, her mouth hanging open. A small pouch only the size of a palm could hold so much soil; this had to be a spatial storage bag.

Uncle Gao stopped Bai Zhizhi from pouring any more: “Zhizhi, is… is this spiritual soil?”

Bai Zhizhi replied: “According to your terminology here, I suppose it is.”

With that, he continued pouring it onto the ground. Uncle Bi stopped Old Gao from intervening further, giving him a slight shake of his head to signal him not to worry too much. Since it was all inside the courtyard, they could discuss the details after Jiang Lin returned.

After filling the trench with soil, Bai Zhizhi pulled out a flask of water and thoroughly dampened the earth. The moment that rich, moisture-filled air arose, even Yue Zhihuan felt an incredibly pleasant and refreshing sensation.

Uncle Gao and Uncle Bi watched from the side, their hearts aching. Pouring water filled with such dense spiritual energy onto the dirt was enough to give anyone a minor heart attack if they stared at it too long.

Finally, unable to watch any longer, Uncle Gao said with heartache: “Enough, enough. That is plenty. Any more and the seeds will drown.”

Bai Zhizhi replied: “They won’t drown. I have planted these before; I have plenty of experience.”

As he spoke, he watered the ground back and forth once more before putting the flask away.

Watching him make items disappear into thin air, Yue Zhihuan could not tear her marveling gaze away. Although Jiang Ge also had a storage device, he never showed it off casually. She knew about it but had never seen it in action. Now seeing that Bai Zhizhi had one too, she was instantly consumed by curiosity.

Seeing her look so curious, Bai Zhizhi said very generously: “You like it? Wait until I… wait until I go back and rummage around. I will give you one to play with when the time comes.”

He had almost let slip that he would go back to Qingqiu, but luckily he reacted quickly.

Hearing this, Yue Zhihuan shook her head repeatedly, then pointed to the bracelet on her hand and gave him a thumbs-up, meaning that this gift Bai Zhizhi had already given her was more than enough, and she would absolutely never accept such a precious item as a storage device.

While they were talking, something in the dirt began to poke out. The two men, who had just been feeling heartache over the spiritual soil and spiritual water, looked down only to see that the seeds planted just moments ago had actually broken through the soil. They were growing upward at an unbelievable speed, climbing up the wooden railings of the corridor.

The tender green shoots gradually thickened, growing leaves and branches node by node. Within just a few minutes, the pavilion on the corridor was wrapped around and around by grapevines, some of which had even bloomed with tiny white flowers.

At this point, Yue Zhihuan’s jaw dropped completely; it was simply unbelievable.

Uncle Bi and Uncle Gao were also incredibly astonished: “It grew just like that?”

Bai Zhizhi said: “I told you, I guarantee you will be eating grapes within three days.”

Although these grapes were spiritual fruits, they were only ordinary ones. With a little stimulation from spiritual energy, they could grow rapidly. Not to mention, he possessed a wood-element spiritual root and had a natural mastery over plants, so ripening a few grapevines was child’s play.

With enough water and soil provided, there was no need to keep watching. Bai Zhizhi returned to his lounger, sat down, and pulled out his phone to play games. Meanwhile, the three people in the courtyard stood beneath the pavilion, unable to take their marveling eyes off the grapevines above.

It was not the first time the members of the courtyard had gone out on a collective mission like this. Let alone the fact that there were still two elderly cultivators left in the courtyard, even if Yue Zhihuan had been entirely alone, there would be nothing to fear. With the public security at the foot of the imperial capital, what was there to be afraid of?

Yet, tonight, the two old men dared not sleep. Spiritual soil was scattered all over the courtyard. The very spiritual soil that the United States exchanged with them by the gram was currently spread by the pound across their yard. How could they possibly sleep? Even if they did, they wouldn’t sleep peacefully, so they simply got up to keep watch.

The small lights in the courtyard were turned on, the chessboard was set up, and a pot of tea was brewed to the side. As the two played chess, a dark shadow slowly crawled in from the outside.

Bai Zhizhi, who had already drifted off to sleep, wrinkled his nose slightly and rolled over while clutching his blanket. What was that smell? Why did it smell a bit foul?

In his half-asleep state, realizing that he was in Jiang Lin’s courtyard and not back in Qingqiu, Bai Zhizhi sat up abruptly. Some filthy thing had crawled into the courtyard while he was asleep!