Chapter 87: Wheat Fields, the Strange Village

The next morning, the Old Village Chief led you to the Wheat Field.

“Good morning, Village Chief!”

“Village Chief, where are you headed?”

“Oh, you’re still alive?”

“How many years has it been? I never imagined the village could still get newcomers.”

In the village, the chicken farmer, the cowherd, the blacksmith, the tofu seller… upon seeing you and the Old Village Chief, they all came forward one by one to greet you.

You smiled and responded to each of them. According to what the Old Village Chief had said, it was the villagers who had joined hands to carry you back to the village.

Otherwise, you would still be lying out in the wilderness right now.

Arriving at the Wheat Field, you saw that some villagers were already there, harvesting the wheat.

The Village Chief smiled and handed you a sickle, saying to you, “As long as you can cut it down, it’s all yours!”

With that, the Old Village Chief stepped aside, making way for you.

You looked at the sickle in your hand, then looked at the boundless Wheat Field, thinking, How hard could this be?

Your spiritual power surged through your body. You prepared to rely on your cultivation to harvest the entire Wheat Field in one go!

“Hey, hey, hey! You can’t use spiritual power! The wheat will die!” The Old Village Chief hurried forward and stopped you.

“Our wheat here, it’s afraid of spiritual qi! You can only cut it stalk by stalk with a sickle.” The Old Village Chief explained to you, while also pointing at a few women not far away who were cutting wheat.

“That special?” You scratched your head. It was the first time you’d heard of wheat that feared spiritual power. By all logic, wasn’t it supposed to be the more spiritual power, the better the wheat?

Seeing that you didn’t believe him, the Old Village Chief could only demonstrate himself. A trace of spiritual power emerged in his hand. The moment it touched a stalk of wheat, the wheat ear rapidly withered, dying of old age on the spot.

You drew a deep breath and said to the Old Village Chief in a deep voice, “Many thanks for the Senior’s guidance. This junior understands.”

You stepped into the Wheat Field, grabbed a handful of wheat with your left hand, and swung the sickle with your right, intending to cut the wheat clean through at the waist.

But unexpectedly, the wheat that on ordinary days was fragile beyond compare — no matter how much strength you exerted, you could not cut it.

The wheat seemed to have a soft force, directly dissolving all the strength on your sickle.

“Pfft! This outsider’s pretty good-looking, but he can’t even cut wheat.”

“Exactly. Not a bit of strength on him. Looks good but useless.”

Hearing the teasing voices of the two women not far away, the veins on your forehead bulged, and ten thousand horses galloped through your mind.

Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. They’re just ordinary people. I won’t stoop to their level. You comforted yourself inwardly.

“Take it slow. No rush.” The Old Village Chief reminded you from behind.

“Since you can’t cut it in one go, why not try one stalk at a time.”

You pinched a single stalk of wheat and gently cut with the sickle. No reaction.

You frowned, added a bit of strength, and still couldn’t cut it. Instead, you felt a force on the wheat that blocked your attack.

Some doubt rose in your heart. You turned back and glanced at the Old Village Chief.

The Old Village Chief smiled and looked at you without speaking, only waving his hand for you to continue.

You gritted your teeth and exerted the strength of your physical body. The hand gripping the sickle swung fiercely, and a stalk of wheat was cut clean through at the waist!

There was no joy in your heart, because the strength you’d just used was enough to blow up a Golden Core cultivator!

A blow that could kill a Golden Core cultivator had only cut down a single stalk of wheat!

If you hadn’t experienced it yourself, you truly wouldn’t have believed it.

You pinched two stalks of wheat. The sickle swung fiercely. Two stalks of wheat were cut clean through at the waist.

You increased the number again. This time you directly gripped five stalks of wheat. One swing of the sickle. Not cut!

You were somewhat angered. You began to doubt your own strength. Am I really a Nascent Soul cultivator?

Gritting your teeth, under the precondition of not aggravating your body’s injuries, your physical body’s strength erupted in full!

One sickle strike down. Five stalks of wheat were cut clean through at the waist.

“Not bad. Work hard. Remember to come back before the sun sets.” The Old Village Chief handed you a basket and left.

You watched the Old Village Chief’s departing back, many questions in your heart, but in the end you didn’t voice them.

A mysterious Old Village Chief, a strange village, an eerie Wheat Field…

You had already discovered that something was wrong here, but you still pretended not to know, and continued harvesting wheat.

The sun sank in the west. You were cutting wheat with single-minded focus, not noticing the passage of time.

“Young man! The sun’s about to set. We should head back!” The woman not far away called out to you.

“You go on ahead. I want to cut a while longer.” You replied without even raising your head.

“Oh my, that won’t do! It gets dangerous here at night!” Hearing this, the woman panicked and hurried to your side, stopping your wheat-cutting motion.

“Come with Auntie, quickly. Let’s go back to the village.” The woman grabbed your arm and forcefully dragged you back to the village.

You looked at her in shock, monstrous waves surging in your heart. I actually had no power to resist at all!!!

This woman, or perhaps everyone in the village — are they really ordinary people??? You couldn’t help but become suspicious.

“You’re back? How was today’s harvest?” The Old Village Chief stood at the village entrance, watching you return, and asked.

“Not bad.” You scratched your head, somewhat embarrassed. Currently, without aggravating your body’s injuries, you could only cut five stalks of wheat with one sickle.

“Mm. Go back and eat.” The Old Village Chief didn’t ask more, and led you home.

“Blacksmith, come over for a few drinks tonight.” Passing by the blacksmith’s shop, the Old Village Chief invited.

The blacksmith, a burly man, eyes wide as bull’s balls, said in a muffled voice, “Really? I’m coming right now!”

“Chicken farmer, kill a chicken tonight and stew it.” Passing by the chicken farmer’s house, the Old Village Chief continued inviting.

“What? Such a sin! My poor chickens!” The chicken farmer was a middle-aged woman. Looking at her chickens, she said in a tearful voice.

“Slurp. I haven’t eaten your chickens in so long. Tonight, pick the fattest one to kill!” The blacksmith, following behind, spoke up.

Hearing this, the chicken farmer woman cried even louder.

You observed silently the whole way, not making a sound throughout.

Looking at the villagers who seemed no different from ordinary people, you truly found it hard to imagine that they could be big shots?

“Grandpa Village Chief, you’re back!” Arriving at the Village Chief’s doorstep, Little Nannan had been waiting there a long while. As soon as she saw the Old Village Chief, she hurriedly pounced on him.

“Nannan’s a good girl. Tonight Grandfather will make you something delicious.” The Old Village Chief said with a chuckle.

Back in the courtyard, the Old Village Chief poured all the wheat you’d cut today onto the ground, and picked out the wheat grains one by one with his hands.

“This wheat, you see, has to be picked out one grain at a time by hand. Not the slightest shortcut can be taken, otherwise it loses its effect.” The Old Village Chief sat to one side and said to you.