After confirming the lease of the courtyard containing a spiritual spring, both parties quickly completed the handover.
The slightly chubby young cultivator indeed lived up to his words, taking care of all the miscellaneous details for Lu Xuan, saving him a considerable amount of time and energy.
Lu Xuan paid half a year's rent, depleting a large portion of his spirit stones, leaving him with only a little over a hundred and sixty pieces.
Fortunately, the Firefly Grass had been gradually maturing, and with the fourteen Lunar Erosion Fruits unsold previously, he wasn't overly concerned about running short of spirit stones.
For now, the new courtyard was protected by a top-tier array borrowed from a local shop, with Lu Xuan holding the crucial array disk. By adjusting the array pattern, other cultivators would find it challenging to enter the courtyard.
Breaking the array would require brute force or expertise in formations, making it quite secure for the time being.
So, Lu Xuan took advantage of this free and more effective protective array for the time being. Once he had more resources, he planned to acquire a unique array exclusively his own.
As he glanced over the courtyard of his previous residence, a tinge of reluctance swept over him.
This small courtyard had witnessed many stages of his lifecultivation, daily life, nurturing of spiritual plants, each corner holding countless vivid memories.
From the initial Firefly Grass to planting two Lunar Erosion Trees and the appearance of a white glowing mass, it now boasted a Crimson Cloud Pine of first-tier quality, a Sword Grass of second-tier, and a Dark Marrow Fungus of second-tier.
"The old gives way to the new," he reassured himself optimistically.
Moving wasn't too complex; he didn't have many belongings, and his storage bag had more than enough space for pills, talismans, and artifacts.
However, two main issues posed challenges.
Firstly, the spiritual plants in the spiritual field. These living beings couldn't be stored in the storage bag, or their vitality would quickly diminish. Lu Xuan had to dig them out along with the spirit soil and swiftly relocate them to the new courtyard, where he could promptly readjust and restore their vitality given his immediate control over their state.
In the spiritual field, the Firefly Grass had yielded four more mature plants, granting Lu Xuan a total of one year's worth of cultivation, experience in Earth Attraction Technique, and knowledge from the Geng Metal Sword Art.
Another estimated ten spiritual plants would mature in the following days, and Lu Xuan planned to directly harvest them without transferring them to the new field.
As for the Crimson Cloud Pine, Sword Grass, and Dark Marrow Funguscompact yet highly valuable plantshe intended to transplant these three spiritual plants to the new field.
However, the two Lunar Erosion Trees were too bulky, far from maturity, and due to their vast space requirements, Lu Xuan decided to gift them to Zhang Xiu Yuan, opting instead for higher-tier plants in the new spiritual field.
The second challenge was how to handle the small courtyard.
Given he just paid thirty spirit stones in rent, abandoning it seemed wasteful.
Yet, he lacked the energy to manage two courtyards, hence focusing on the new one.
Leasing it to Zhang Hong's wife risked bringing unwarranted trouble to thema mid-level Qi Cultivator dying in the yard wouldn't be easily dismissed.
"I'll have to let it go for a lesser price, renting it out to other independent cultivators."
After a few days at the independent cultivator market, he found a second-level Qi Cultivator willing to rent it for thirty broken spirits and four spirit stones per month.
"Using spirit stones like this hurts," Lu Xuan muttered, feeling like a part of him was being cut off as he accepted the rent.
After arranging the small courtyard, he bid farewell to Xu Wan and Zhang Xiu Yuan before leaving.
"What? Little Lu Uncle, you're moving?" Zhang Xiu Yuan exclaimed in shock upon hearing the news, grabbing Lu Xuan's hand tightly.
Beside him, Xu Wan also displayed surprise, then understanding dawned upon her, nodding in realization.
"Yeah, but where I'm moving isn't too far from your place. When you have time, feel free to visit," Lu Xuan reassured.
"However, our previous plan to deal with the pest issue will have to be put aside for now," he added, his enthusiasm for earning spirit stones by resolving the pest issue dampened after the recent Qin Ming incident.
He felt there were deeper complications involved and didn't wish to dive back into it.
"Sister-in-law, the courtyard and the spiritual field are already rented out. There are two Lunar Erosion Trees there which I won't be taking. Could you transplant them?" Lu Xuan asked with determination, and Xu Wan, initially reluctant, agreed upon seeing his resolve.
"Little brother Lu, you're leaving in such haste," Zhang Xiu Yuan remarked.
"It's unavoidable. You know, the outer regions of the North District are dicey. After that incident at night some time ago, I've been thinking of moving out," Lu Xuan explained.
"Indeed, if our conditions allowed, we'd also move closer to the central area. Your leaving is for the best," Xu Wan echoed, supporting Lu Xuan's decision.
Without lingering, Lu Xuan left, carrying fourteen Lunar Erosion Fruits and ten Firefly Grass plants to the Hundred Herbs Hall.
"You've finally come, Lu kid. Put down the spiritual plants you have and follow me to meet someone," a thin elderly man at the hall immediately pulled Lu Xuan along.
Inside, the room was opulently decorated, with soft beast hides covering the floor, furniture crafted from spiritual wood, and a colossal tripod cauldron emitting wisps of fragrant smoke.
A graceful young woman sat on a chair, petting a small ferret with snow-white fur on her lap.
"Miss, this is the Lu Xuan I mentioned, with remarkable talent in cultivating spiritual plants, capable of mass-producing good to top-tier quality plants," the steward bowed, displaying great respect for the young woman.
Lu Xuan also bowed respectfully.
The elegant young lady glanced at Lu Xuan, who immediately concealed his cultivation to the second level of Qi Cultivation.
"Grandpa He, it's rare for you to introduce a plant cultivator to our hall for cooperation. His skill, I presume, speaks for itself," the lady said, raising her chin slightly.
"However, he seems younger than me and his cultivation lower. I'm hesitant to entrust him with second-tier plants from the hall. So, initially, the hall will provide him with a specific quantity of Firefly Grass seeds. Additionally, he can choose a first-tier plant. If he performs well, we'll consider adding new species," she explained.
"That seems reasonable, it's more than enough for a start," the elderly steward nodded respectfully, pondering for a moment.
"The hall currently has a few first-tier plants in short supply. Given my familiarity with this young man, I took the liberty of selecting oneBlood Jade Ginseng. Miss, what do you think?" the steward inquired.
"Agreed," the lady nodded in approval.
Seeing her consent, the steward's face lit up with joy, leading the still-dazed Lu Xuan out of the room.
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