Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

Gao Xuan secretly made his way to where the huge stones were. He didn't have any particular reason to act so sneaky but he also didn't want Sen Lin to find out what he was up to.

The young farmer had been a great help to Gao Xuan, who had lost his father just a few months prior.

With the loss of their family's main breadwinner, this was supposed to be a tough winter to endure for his mother and two brothers. Thankfully, Wei Mao had recommended him to Sen Lin when the hunter had been taken away by immortals.

It was thanks to these two people that his family was doing okay. He still remembered Wei Mao's words when he had lost his father, "Don't worry little Gao. I just hunted the spirit tiger and sold its pelt for a pretty penny. I'll talk to brother Sen about you. I'm sure he'll be satisfied with you. Continue working hard."

The young hunter had stayed true to his words and after his departure, Gao Xuan had turned into Sen Lin's helper.

Having just come of age, Gao Xuan was a very hard-working young man. And though he didn't consider himself to be the brightest tool in the shed, he wanted to be someone who could pay back the kindness he received.

And that was precisely why he had sneaked up to this hill so early in the morning.

Gao Xuan looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was close. He approached a berry bush and plucked a berry. Rubbing off the snow on his jacket, he put it in his mouth and chewed on it.

His look of vigilance was instantly replaced by one of disgust.

Ptooh!

He spat the berry hurriedly, even going as far as to lick his palms to get rid of the horrible aftertaste.

Even then, the bitter taste lingered in his mouth, torturing him constantly. Gao Xuan picked up a handful of snow and shoved it in his mouth.

He could finally calm down after the acrid sensation melted away along with the powdery snow.

Phew… I can't understand why brother Sen wants to move these stones to his farm. Is the donkey really that important? Never mind. Who am I to judge. I'd be upset and try my best to win my best friend back if he suddenly forgot all about me and started hanging out with someone who just moved in next door.

Gao Xuan, who had seen Blacky snacking on these berries grew convinced that Sen Lin was trying to win back his pet's love with these berries.

But I must say, brother Sen is really ruthless. Not only does he want to secure the berry bushes but he's also making sure the little girl won't be able to pick up any more berries by taking away all the stones.

Gao Xuan was both impressed and slightly scared of Sen Lin's decisiveness. It was one thing to be serious, but to be this way even when facing a 10-year-old kid…

He suddenly felt like he could understand why even Wei Mao, who was known to be a ruthless hunter, admired Sen Lin.

A lion will use all its strength even when hunting a rabbit.

Gao Xuan made up his mind to complete the task assigned to him with all his ability. Staring down at the house where little Ying and her grandfather lived, he strengthened his resolve and walked towards the East Ridge City.

*****

It was a joyous day for Sen Lin. Just yesterday, he figured out cultivators could be hired to do tasks that were normally impossible.

He had already begun planning projects that he thought were initially impractical because of this world's technological limitations.

Now that he was aware of aliens that could be hired to work for him, he made up his mind to make the best use of them. The only problem now was spirit stones but that would be solved when he sold the winter sunflower seeds to the Green Wind Spirit Farmers Association.

That day wasn't too far off.

Today, the buds of the winter sunflower had opened up. Within a week, the flower should fully bloom and it would be two to three more weeks for the flowers to begin drooping as the plan reaches the end of its lifecycle.

Sen Lin wasn't sure how much spirit stones he'd get for the winter sunflower seeds, but judging from the introduction in the booklet, it was quite a substantial sum for beginner spirit farmers.

He had heard spirit stones were incredibly precious. Nobles and rich merchants hoarded spirit stones whenever possible as it allowed them to hire cultivators.

Until yesterday, his plan was to sell the spirit stones in the city for some ricetalons but that was now no longer the case. While still far from rich, he had enough ricetalons to last him for the upcoming months.

Using spirit stones to hire cultivators was a much better choice. Sen Lin didn't know how much of the stories passed around about cultivators were true but if they had any semblance of truth, then he should be able to bring forward his plans of building an orchard by a few years.

Just as he began imagining the things he could do with the help of overqualified magical workers, he caught a sight of a suspicious individual.

Sen Lin pretended to not have noticed and stood still. But contrary to his leisurely expression, his eyes darted back and forth continuously and his mind worked at maximum capacity.

The suspicious figure was a young man, around 16 17 years of age. His stealthy posture was already an unwelcome sight but the way he looked at the winter sunflowers made Sen Lin's blood boil.

An unknown person who had made his way up this hill with nothing on it, only one possibility came to his mind – the thugs who had moved into the empty houses down by the village.

Sen Lin had learned of their troublemaking tendencies during aunt Tong's visit. He hadn't paid it much mind, thinking it was far removed from him but now…

Sen Lin suppressed his urge to confront the intruder and continued his act of being unaware. He was suddenly reminded of his earlier days when he had to frequently deal with these hooligans just to make sure he'd survive.

I really hate dealing with thugs. I can't believe I'm being dragged into a mess even when I've already put that life behind.

Just you wait… I'll show you what a farmer's capable of if you eye his crops.