Lu Yin had a good impression of Liu Zhan, as this person wasn't bad. Were all members of the Liu family like this?
Were they dedicated to their pursuit and not scheming?
Elder He was brought back to the Humble Huaiyuan School and confessed everything in less than a day.
He wasn't of much use in the Shangling family, but there were too many spies like him in the Cosmic Tree. If anything big happened, these people would be troublesome.
Capturing Elder He went very smoothly.
The old man found Lu Yin and gave him a list of names. Lu Yin rested for a day and then went out to continue capturing people.
Five days later, another spy was brought back. This time, it was still from the Blue Moon District. Lu Yin informed Liu Zhan beforehand, but Liu Zhan only grunted and didn't respond.
Lu Yin obtained more than thirty million star essence from that family, which wasn't much. His reason for earning money was that he didn't want to announce the source of the spies. Others could find out if they wanted to, but he wouldn't publicize it. He wanted to protect the family's reputation as much as possible.
The old man gave him another list of names, one after another. In less than a month, Lu Yin had captured more than ten spies, all of them from around the Huaiyuan School. This caused a sensation in the Humble School, but no one asked Lu Yin how he knew that they were spies. Qingchen helped him keep the matter under wraps.
Qingchen also encouraged Lu Yin and told Cai Shu to stay close to him and protect him.
After capturing so many spies, Lu Yin had obtained more than four hundred million star essence, which was a pretty good result.
"I heard that you extorted money from someone?"
That night, the light shone through the water, creating a beautiful reflection of the Humble School's headquarters. The old man came to Lu Yin's residence and asked this with a strange look in his eyes.
Lu Yin remained calm. "It's not extortion. It's just mutual consent."
The old man carefully sized Lu Yin up and said in surprise, "You're the first person to use this method to extort money since the Humble School was established. Qingchen didn't say anything about it?"
"I don't think so," Lu Yin said, and then looked at the old man strangely. "How did you know?"
The old man was pleased. "Nothing in this region can hide from me. Speaking of which, are you really short on money?"
Lu Yin nodded seriously. "Very short."
"What do you need so much money for?" The old man was curious.
Lu Yin fell silent. When faced with this old man, the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make. Although the old man definitely wouldn't be able to guess that it had something to do with his innate gift, Lu Yin decided not to say anything just in case.
"It's fine if you don't want to tell me. This old man has found a big business for you. A seed orchard, a farmer's farm," the old man said.
"There's a spy in the Farmer's family?"
The old man chuckled. "More than one."
Lu Yin was excited, as this was a huge business opportunity. The Farmer's Association was a colossus that was second only to the Four Cardinal Scales, and if he could extort them, then he could even make a deal with them.
"Speak," Lu Yin said.
The old man didn't keep Lu Yin in suspense and directly told him their names. Lu Yin was speechless. "The Farmer's family has four spies?"
The old man replied, "That's normal. Don't you think the Farmer's Clan's way of doing things is a little strange?"
Lu Yin thought back to Nong Sanniang and Nong Lie's strange outfits, as well as their way of doing things. Even their battle techniques were strange, and he nodded in agreement. "They are indeed strange."
"The Astral Tree is a monster that only belongs to the Farmer's family, but no one dares to provoke them.
Even the Four Cardinal Scales have to give them face, and their strange behavior has even given birth to a Progenitor. Many people are curious about the reason behind this, and many experts have been sent to investigate, including those monsters. Four spies is considered a small number, and over the years, the Farmer's Clan has taken care of more than two spies. "
Lu Yin understood; the Farmer's Clan was like a treasure trove that attracted countless people.
"Both the Farmer's Clan and the Liu family want to take care of their own spies without the intervention of the Humble Ones. Back then, in order to complete the fourteenth gate, you exposed a member of the Liu family. Did you take him away?" the old man asked.
Lu Yin knew that the old man was talking about Liu Ke. After Liu Ke had been exposed, he had been killed on the spot by the elders of the Liu family, so there was no way he could have been taken away.
"For the sake of reputation or something else, these colossi will take care of their own spies even if they find one. If they can, they will not let outsiders know. Now you know how big this business opportunity is," the old man said proudly.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. "Nong Lie invited me to the Seed Garden, and after I exposed Yun Mubai, they invited me again. It's time to go."
The old man suddenly became serious. "Don't go to the Seed Garden for nothing. Let me remind you that there are many people who want to know the Farmer's Clan's secrets, which means that the Farmer's Clan is valuable. Be careful, you might discover its value. Haha."
Lu Yin's eyes flashed; this old man couldn't have been waiting for him to go to the Farmer's Clan, could he? No, it couldn't be that simple. Otherwise, he would have urged Lu Yin to go instead of waiting until now.
No matter what, Lu Yin had to make a trip to the Farmer's Clan.
The Seed Garden was different from the smaller organizations that he had visited before, and Lu Yin immediately contacted the Farmer's Clan the moment he decided to go. When the Farmer's Clan had invited him to the Seed Garden, they had left him Nong Lie's contact information.
They were all of the same generation, so it would be more convenient.
After communicating with Nong Lie, the next day, Lu Yin brought Shangqing, Liu Tianmu, and the white fatty to the Seed Garden under Cai Shu's escort.
The Seed Garden was even further away than Cleardust Mountain, and it took them nearly five days to reach it.
During this time, Lu Yin saw the Flying Willow duo again, but he was left speechless. He didn't know what these two wanted to ask, but they were so persistent. He ignored them, and Flying Willow naturally had misgivings about his status and didn't stop them.
It was becoming more and more difficult for Lu Yin to return. Not to mention Cai Shu, Flying Willow had their eyes on him, and there was also that strange old half-ancestor. This gave him a headache, and he felt that if he wanted to leave, he would have to rely on Mister Mu.
Before coming here, Lu Yin had made many guesses about the Seed Garden, but he naturally couldn't guess the Farmer's Clan's environment based on its name. After all, the Seed Garden sounded like a planted garden.
However, when Lu Yin actually arrived at the Seed Garden, he felt that he had been too naive. This really was a planted garden.
In the distance, an endless stretch of farmland could be seen. Many people were busy working in the farmland. These people were all cultivators.
There were even fish ponds in the distance, and with his eyesight, he could faintly see wheat fields. This really was a Farmer's Clan.
"Every time I see the Seed Garden, I feel refreshed," the white fatty sighed with a complicated tone.
"You've been here before?" Lu Yin asked.
The fatty replied, "I came here with the Junior Ancestor once before the Origin Wheel Ceremony. Third Aunt has a pretty good relationship with the Junior Ancestor, and she invited him to plant some of her plants."
"Plant some of her plants?"
Lu Yin didn't understand.
The fatty explained, "The Seed Garden's cultivators believe in the Earth Theory, and they believe that all living things are born from the earth. Thus, they cultivate, rest, and even eat and use their own plants. They say that this will allow them to get closer to the origin.
"It sounds reasonable, but aside from the Seed Garden's cultivators, no one else believes in this. However, there are still Progenitors in the Seed Garden, and they are extremely rare. Becoming a Progenitor is something that countless people pursue for their entire lives, and anyone who has the slightest chance to do so will pursue it. Although the Seed Garden's unique theory isn't recognized, anyone who has ever left the Progenitor realm can't deny it.
"Thus, as long as a guest is recognized by the Seed Garden, they can plant their own plants here. Those plants have their own auras, and it's said that they can sense the origin of the earth through them, allowing them to get closer to the Progenitor realm. My Wang family's Junior Ancestor has a plant that belongs to her, and the other Junior Ancestors seem to have one as well. Since you were invited here, you might have a chance to plant one as well."
This was the first time Lu Yin had heard of such a theory. Getting closer to the earth and taking root in it, he looked up and saw the cultivators busying themselves in the fields. Needless to say, these people all deeply believed in this theory.
In the distance, Nong Lie arrived by himself. He was sweating all over as he carried a hoe.
Normally, it would be rude to receive a guest in such a manner, but everyone knew the nature of farmers and didn't mind.
"Brother Long Qi, you're here! Haha, I knew you'd come to visit my Seed Garden," Nong Lie said warmly.
Lu Yin felt a little apologetic towards Nong Lie, as he had poisoned him on Junior Ancestor Planet. "Long time no see, Brother Nong Lie."
Nong Lie smiled. "Although we haven't met, I've heard quite a bit about you. You've captured so many spies recently, and I admire you for that. Haha."
Lu Yin exchanged a few pleasantries with Nong Lie before following him into the Seed Garden.
The Seed Garden didn't place as much emphasis on etiquette as other powers. They had their own way of doing things, and any guest who was respected was allowed to farm.
Within a field, Lu Yin received a hoe with a blank expression. Behind him, Shangqing, Liu Tianmu, and the white fatty all received hoes as well; they were all respected.
There were quite a few farmer cultivators hoeing the fields in an orderly fashion, and a flock of strange birds flew past in the sky, chirping pleasantly. The scene was quite harmonious.
"Come on, Brother Long Qi, I'll teach you," Nong Lie said as he picked up the hoe and smashed it into the ground.
Lu Yin was shocked; it was so hard that he tried it out. He didn't use too much force, but he still managed to pry open a large portion of the field.
Nong Lie was shocked. "Brother Long Qi, you're really strong. As expected of someone who absorbed the dragon saliva and broke through to the next realm. Amazing."
Lu Yin pursed his lips; he hadn't even used a fifth of his strength.
"Is my farmer's hospitality surprising you, Brother Long Qi?"
Nong Lie asked with a smile as he glanced at Shangqing and the others. He didn't underestimate them at all; Shangqing, Liu Tianmu, and the others had all entered the Master Realm, and Shangqing, in particular, was no ordinary person.
Lu Yin gripped the hoe tightly. "It's a little special."
Nong Lie smiled and said, "Cultivation is like hoeing. There's no end to it. Once you've finished cultivating this piece of land, there's still another piece of land in the distance, and even further away, there's still more. We farmers aren't as stubborn when it comes to cultivation. Hoeing allows us to get closer to the land and broaden our minds."