Chapter 29: Phenomenon
“Big Brother Ji, you went to the market and didn’t bring me anything?”
As Ji Yuan approached his doorstep, a small head peeked out from the neighboring courtyard.
The little girl had a round face, plump cheeks, and two pigtails sticking up like antennae.
Looking at this child who seemed to have stepped out of a New Year’s painting, Ji Yuan, despite his usual aloofness, couldn’t bring himself to speak harshly.
Before he could respond, the little girl was promptly pulled back by someone grabbing her collar.
Soon, a young and beautiful woman wearing a golden hairpin stepped out of the courtyard.
She offered Ji Yuan a slight bow and an apologetic smile.
“Daoist Ji, I’m truly sorry. My daughter is being naughty.”
This family had recently moved in next door.
The man was named Wen Lin, the woman before him was Zhao Yuechan, and the little girl who had just been pulled back was Wen Ling’er.
Ji Yuan smiled and took out a small box of osmanthus cakes from his storage pouch.
“I did buy some snacks for Ling’er. If Madam Wen doesn’t mind, please accept them.”
He had purchased the osmanthus cakes last month but had forgotten to eat them. Fortunately, items stored in the pouch didn’t spoil.
Before Zhao Yuechan could decline, Wen Ling’er had already bounced out of the courtyard, stammering slightly as she exclaimed, “Thank you, Big Brother Ji!”
Zhao Yuechan could only respond with a helpless smile.
Ji Yuan handed over the box with a smile and bent down slightly.
“I told you to call me Uncle, not Big Brother.”
Wen Ling’er’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“But Big Brother Ji looks so young and handsome. Shouldn’t I call you Big Brother?”
“Such a sweet talker.”
Ji Yuan chuckled and patted her little head. “Go play now.”
Zhao Yuechan gave another bow and expressed her gratitude once more.
“Daoist, you’re too kind.”
After sending the little girl off, Ji Yuan turned and entered his own courtyard.
Times had changed.
As soon as he pushed open the door, a refreshing aura greeted him. To the left of the entrance, near the Wen family’s side, he had planted two fruit trees.
One was a peach tree, and the other was also a peach tree.
On the right side of the entrance, he had prepared a small plot of land.
The [Chicken Coop] was about to be upgraded to level two.
Once upgraded, the Green-Yellow Chickens would be able to dig up one qian of spirit soil each day.
This valuable resource wasn’t something Ji Yuan planned to sell.
Instead, he intended to save it for cultivating spiritual plants.
Upon entering the house, the level 1 [Cave Dwelling] manifested its effects, and an even fresher aura enveloped him.
Without lingering, Ji Yuan proceeded to the backyard. Compared to before, the backyard was now more spacious and no longer felt cramped.
It wasn’t that he had dismantled anything; rather, he had relocated them to the rear courtyard.
Two months ago, Ji Yuan had approached Pang Zhiyuan and, by offering two additional spirit stones per month, secured the land behind his own courtyard, including the backyards of the Lin and Wen families, as well as the adjacent wasteland.
He then hired an earth-element cultivator from Zengtou Market, paying another two spirit stones to quickly construct a new courtyard using earth-based techniques.
Thus, Ji Yuan’s original single-entry courtyard was transformed into a two-entry compound.
He moved the unsightly [Pigsty] and [Chicken Coop] to the second courtyard, while the first courtyard was excavated and converted into a [Fish Pond].
A small stone bridge spanned the center of the fish pond, allowing him to walk and observe.
Below, the Semi-Spiritual Fish swam back and forth between the two sides of the pond, creating a delightful scene.
Ji Yuan had considered renting a large courtyard in Zengtou Market.
But upon reflection, he abandoned the idea.
Firstly, renting a large courtyard in Zengtou Market would cost at least a dozen spirit stones per month.
Secondly, most residents in the core area were mid to late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, all possessing significant abilities.
If he were to raise fish, chickens, and pigs there, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
After careful consideration, he decided it was better to stay in his lakeside cottage.
If anything were to happen, being close to the Yunyu Marshlands would make escape easier.
Standing on the small stone bridge, Ji Yuan looked at the twenty uniquely patterned Semi-Spiritual Fish in the [Fish Pond], feeling immensely pleased.
These were all spirit stones!
Before long, he opened the door to the second courtyard.
This area was less presentable, with thirty Green-Yellow Chickens roaming freely and leaving droppings everywhere.
Ji Yuan possessed the metal, wood, water, and fire spiritual roots but lacked the earth root.
Therefore, he couldn’t turn the soil to cover the mess and had to use object manipulation techniques to clean up, followed by burning everything to ashes.
He had placed the chicken coop on the left side and the pigsty on the right.
After a thorough inspection to ensure everything was in order, Ji Yuan returned to the front courtyard and took out the century-old paulownia wood he had just purchased.
Although this wood wasn’t a spiritual plant, it had absorbed a trace of spiritual energy.
It was said that such wood formed only after being inhabited by fourth or even fifth-tier great demons for many years, which naturally increased its value.
Ji Yuan first used his talisman brush to mark it with spiritual power, then tossed it into the air and summoned his Black-Gold Dagger with a thought.
The blade moved effortlessly.
With a dozen flashes of blade light, the paulownia wood transformed into uniformly sized planks.
Ji Yuan gathered them and took them to the backyard.
After a while, he looked at the newly constructed chicken coop made from the century-old paulownia wood and glanced at the panel.
[Chicken Coop Lv2 (Upgradeable)]
[Spiritual Effect: Claws develop spiritual patterns, can dig up a small amount of spirit soil (1 qian per day), can temporarily control spiritual birds]
[Upgrade Requirements: 50 low-grade spirit stones, chicken coop made from century-old paulownia wood (fulfilled)]
With 76 spirit stones currently in his possession, the 50 required for the upgrade were no issue.
As he activated the upgrade with a thought, the panel refreshed, and the “1” above the chicken coop changed to “2.”
Moreover, the level 2 chicken coop now emitted a faint green glow, clearly indicating it was no ordinary structure.
The Green-Yellow Chickens, previously wandering around, now had their claws adorned with dark green spiritual patterns, exuding a demonic aura.
Claws developing spiritual patterns and the ability to dig up 1 qian of spirit soil daily.
However, the level 2 chicken coop’s phenomenon was so conspicuous that anyone who saw it would find it suspicious. Just as Ji Yuan was troubled by this, he suddenly realized something.
The phenomenon effect could be turned off!
The panel was quite user-friendly.
With a thought, Ji Yuan restored the chicken coop to its ordinary appearance, and the spiritual patterns on the chickens’ claws vanished.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Next, he needed to consider purchasing a spiritual bird.
While “spiritual bird” sounded elegant, it essentially referred to a chicken-like demon beast. Ji Yuan planned to keep one in the front courtyard as a guardian.
In case of another sneak attack, it could provide assistance.
The [Chicken Coop] had been upgraded to level 2.
Consequently, the level 3 spiritual effects and upgrade requirements were now displayed.
[Chicken Coop Lv3]
[Spiritual Effect: Produces one Three-Colored Spiritual Egg daily, breeds a poultry king, whose crowing can deter first-tier demon beasts; spiritual birds can be commanded]
[Upgrade Requirements: Cultivation at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, 50 mid-grade spirit stones, chicken coop made from Corrupted Firefly Yin Locust wood (not fulfilled)]
“Hmm?”
Ji Yuan’s attention was immediately drawn to the upgrade requirement of mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Level 3 buildings now had strict cultivation requirements.
He examined the spiritual effects, deducing that they were related to the poultry king.
Its crowing could deter first-tier demon beasts, suggesting that the poultry king was likely a second-tier demon beast.
Furthermore, the ability to command spiritual birds without restrictions implied long-term control, effectively making him a beast-taming cultivator.
Given this, the cultivation requirement was understandable.
However, the Three-Colored Spiritual Egg...