Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

Sen Lin woke up as the rays from the rising sun painted the insides his tiny cottage in gold. He dragged his still weary body out of the bed and into a storage shed with a few water jars to freshen up.

As the freezing water splashed against his face, all his drowsiness was chased away instantly.

Looking at the nearly empty water container, he was reminded once again of the many chores that awaited him today.

"Looks like I'll have to fetch some more water today. But first let's check up on the trees."

Sen Lin stopped in front of the plum trees and took in the sight of the hefty harvest with bright eyes. He could still remember how much effort it had taken him to dig out these four plum trees and carry it all the way up this hill when they were still young.

It had been three years since then. The first year, none of the trees bore any fruit. In the second, there were some fruits but the harvest wasn't great. Even putting all four trees together, the fruit produced didn't exceed 10 kilograms in total.

Now he could finally reap the rewards of taking care of all these trees diligently for three straight years. Even with a conservative estimate, the yield this year would be over 80 kilograms. And that wasn't counting the 10 kilograms he had sold the day prior.

"Aaahhhh. They sound so beautiful." Sen Lin commented while relishing in the clinking noise of the ricetalons he had earned while he played with his money pouch.

As he thought about how much money he had, he couldn't help but giggle happily.

48 whole ricetalons. To top it all off, he had gotten 40 of them just yesterday. In a single trip to the city.

"If I sell all these plums…. I can get more than 300 ricetalons." His breathing quickened a little bit as he pictured himself with that much money.

The most money he had ever held at once since his reincarnation didn't even come close to breaking the three-digit mark. Not just him, the number of people in the Red Rock village who had that much money could be counted in one hand. And if his plans regarding the Autumn festival played as expected, he'd be among the wealthiest individuals in the village.

Just imagining it filled him with immense happiness. But he didn't let himself get lost in the pretty picture. He knew better than to count his chickens before they hatched.

Coming back to reality, he directed his attention to what mattered most for the day.

Carrying empty jars, he headed down the hill for a few minutes before stopping by a stream to fill up on water. Making multiple trips for almost two hours, Sen Lin was finally done with fetching water.

"My back is killing me," Sen Lin complained while stretching his back to relieve the pain. "This really isn't efficient. Why was I stupid enough to build my house so far from the stream? Forget it…. It's too late to regret anyways. I should use the rest of the day to turn the giant bottle gourds I picked up last year into proper containers."

He walked to his shabby barn where he had placed giant bottle gourds he had picked up in the forest. After months of drying, the skin of the gourd had toughened and developed a wood-like texture.

Sen Lin picked up the gourd and shook it around. As the sounds of the seeds hitting the inner wall of the dried fruit sounded out, he was sure that the gourd could be made into a good container.

Satisfied with the drying process, he cut out the top of the gourd and emptied the seeds. Once the insides were clean, he rinsed it thoroughly before melting bee's wax he had saved for the occasion.

Sen Lin coated the inside of the gourd with the molten bee's wax, making the vessel waterproof and mold proof. In the end, he fashioned the top part he had cut out into a cork and left the newly made water container out to dry until the bee's wax did its job.

He repeated the process for three more giant gourds. By the time he was done, it was already evening.

'It took me whole day to make the gourds. It's all good though. At least I won't have to worry about running out of water if I fill them all up. With the container I already have and these new gourds, I should be able to store around 200 liters easily.'

Sen Lin pat the gourd lightly with a satisfied smile. Though the chore had taken up much of his day, he found it incredibly fulfilling.

After all, what could be more satisfying than working on his little farm. Every tiny bit of progress was bringing him closer to realizing his dream of growing and eating the most delicious fruit in the world.

Now, he was waiting for the autumn festival. Once the festivities start, he'd be able to sell off his plums and buy things he had been looking forward to.

Just thinking about it made him break out in a silly smile. However, unbeknownst to him, his plums had raised waves that would surely make their way to him in the future.

At the Sky Sword Sect thousands of miles away from the Red Rock village, Liang Zhi took away the plum while ignoring Zhang Xin's resentful gaze.

While he felt bad that he forcefully took away the fruit his junior sister had grown so enamored with, he had no other option. This was the last plum remaining from the batch the farmer had handed over to Wei Mao. If he didn't take it, he'd have nothing to show to his master.

"Be understanding little Xin, I must report to master and report about the abnormality regarding this plum and the farmer who grew it."

"Liar," Zhang Xin pouted while looking away. In her mind, she was sure her senior was just coveting the last plum.

Liang Zhi brushed away his persistent junior and made his way to his master.

"You're back? How was the recruitment trip?"

Listening to his kind master's words, the young cultivator replied with a respectful tone. "It was a worthwhile trip and the hunter agreed to join our sect readily."

"That's good," his master continued with a laugh. "I hope little Xin didn't cause you any trouble on the way."

"She was very well behaved. However, I did encounter something quite unusual during the trip."

At his words, his old master showed an amused expression, "Oh! Something unusual? What is it?"

Liang Zhi handed over the plum to his master and explained. "There was a farmer in the village where the hunter lived. This is one of the plums he grew. The hunter insists the farmer is an ordinary man but the faint trace of spiritual energy being exuded by the fruit tells me otherwise."

"And did you sense any spiritual energy on the farmer?"

"None, but that's what makes me unsure of the matter. While the hunter might be unable to see through the fruit because he is still an ordinary mortal, little Xin and I could both taste the rich flavors that can only be experienced by cultivators who can perceive the changes and nourishment brought forth by the spiritual energy. In my opinion, this is without a doubt a spiritual fruit but the farmer shouldn't be able to cultivate spiritual fruits if he was but a mortal."

After listening to his disciple's words, Ma Zheng, the 7th elder of Spirit Sword Sect studied the plum with great interest.

Seeing that he couldn't come to a conclusion with the information at hand, he opened his mouth and bit down on the fruit.

The purple skin was taut and glossy. It offered just the right amount of resistance before yielding to the soft, velvety flesh beneath. A gentle snap echoed, followed by the immediate flood of juice as sweet as summer paired with a tantalizing tartness.

The texture was the perfect balance of firm and tender. Each bite was succulent, almost nectar like, and the sweetness reminded him of the most prized floral honey. But that wasn't all, the flavors were deep and layered and the addition of zesty tang elevated the experience to something that couldn't be compared to a simple sugary rush.

The rich flavor lingered long after he finished. Ma Zheng was sure of it. This was no ordinary fruit. It was a symphony of contrasts – sweet and tart, firm and yielding, subtle yet powerful. Every bite was like a fleeting taste of perfection, and he found himself regretful when he realized there was no more plum.

"Master, are you alright?"

Ma Zheng was brought out of his reverie by Liang Zhi's words. He pretended to be calm and spoke. "This fruit is indeed a spirit fruit. But while it's a spirit fruit, the spiritual energy contained inside is very thin. More so than a cultivation resource, it would be apt to say that it's the kind that would be valued for its taste and not its use."

"So is the farmer a cultivator or a mortal?"

Ma Zheng shook his head to indicate he didn't know.

"It doesn't matter if he's a mortal or a cultivator. It's a good idea to build a good relationship with him regardless. Go rest for now, take up a gift for the farmer during the Autumn Festival."

Once Liang Zhi acknowledged his instructions and left, Ma Zheng's calm exterior broke instantly. He could still remember the taste and feel of the plum. Oh, how wonderful it was.

His only criticism was that it ended way too soon. But that couldn't be blamed on the fruit… if only his disciple had been more considerate and brought him more.

'I hope this stupid disciple of mine got my hint. I'll punish him with extra tasks if the brat fails to bring back more fruit after his visit during the Autumn Festival.'