CHAPTER 177 - WHAT DID THE BANANA SAY TO THE DOCTOR? I'M NOT PEELING WELL.

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“You see? The crops are all flourishing!” I waved a hand at the nearby tea field and the rice paddies in the distance.

I was with Fengying and the kids, showing Shuye all the changes to the farm.

Right after the Descent of the Demon Monarch event, we received advice from Prince Baiyu to stay put inside the farm since the demonic qi was everywhere except for the farm and might cause the forest animals to act up.

The staff was jumpy during the first few days, but when they saw Deming and his assistants experimenting with cooking inside and outside the farm’s “shield,” they felt reassured that everything was fine.

Meanwhile, the kids and I enjoyed the increase in qi that made the crops grow faster than ever before.

Today, the summer heat was enough to fry our brains if we walked outside without sun protection, so I had Mr. Bear walk behind me with a large patio umbrella while the others were using parasols.

Shuye had already finished viewing the apple orchard and the animal pen.

“The tea plants are growing an inch each day?” asked Shuye.

I missed the old shaggy-haired, slightly disreputable-looking Farm Guide, but I had to admit that Shuye looked quite spiffy in crisp white robes and soft deerskin boots. The [Crocus] flower I gifted him was tucked into his twisted leather belt studded with agate stones set in silver.

“Yes, we’ve been measuring it!” I stopped walking when we reached the tea field and waited for Shuye’s verdict.

Once we were under the shade canopy, umbrellas were redundant, so we put ours aside while my Farm Guide closely inspected the rows of plants, sometimes kneeling and sniffing them, sometimes poking at the soil they were growing in.

“They still seem a little dried out, but the qi in the plants is impressive,” said Shuye.

“Yeah, it’s too bad they dried out! If it wasn’t for the unreasonably hot weather, we could’ve had at least medium-quality tea.” I sighed, but there was really no helping it. “Guys, come. Let’s take the seed capsules off.”

I reached out to the nearest plant and used gardening scissors to harvest the “fruit” of the plant. It was originally green, but now it had turned brown and split open, revealing the seeds. The System only harvested the tea leaves at the end of the season, so when we manually snipped off the seed capsules, we got zero exp.

Lari, Kharli, and Mo followed my example, and in a few minutes, we filled a basket with the product that Shuye had come to receive directly from our hands as soon as possible.

Fengying took the basket and poured the seed capsules into a drawstring cloth bag which Shuye took.

“I thought the furor over the tea had died down,” I said to Shuye. “Why did it reignite?”

“Because people are desperate to get stronger.” Shuye turned his head to the south. “Because of that.”

There was so much doom and gloom in his voice that I hastily changed the topic of conversation to his child. Shuye happily told me all about how adorable his baby was, with her cute dimples and tiny, perfect fingers until we reached the area where we were growing rice and carp.

“We’ll harvest it in five days,” I said.

We silently circled the field once to allow Shuye to see how lush the plants were and how large the fish had grown. The way the plant’s stalks were bowed under the weight of the rice grains was quite pleasing to my eyes. The plants looked normal, but the changes in the fish were new.

Covering my smile with one hand, I said, “Isn’t it fascinating? The carp’s eyes turned red three days ago.”

Shuye shrugged. “They look fine to me. As long as they’re edible, the red eyes shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Yes, Deming said they were fine.” I was a little disappointed that Shuye wasn’t surprised by the newly demonic-looking carp with red eyes and glowing crimson scales. “Let’s go back to the main house so you can take a look at the [Herb Garden].”

Along the way, Shuye stopped to inspect the new clay ovens and stone grills that the kitchen staff had built on both sides of the farm border.

“They’re cooking outside the farm?” Shuye asked Fengying.

“Deming says they’re experimenting with the different types of atmospheric qi,” said Fengying.

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For the first time today, Shuye looked surprised. “What was the result?”

“The experiments are ongoing, but the current results are interesting,” said Fengying. “Water boils at a lower temperature outside the farm. Depending on the type of wood used, a few burn faster inside the farm. Sugar caramelizes faster outside. The meat of the animals slaughtered inside tends to retain more qi. Rice spoils faster outside, but not fish or meat. The differences are most pronounced during noon and midnight.”

“I wish I had time to experiment, too,” said Shuye.

“Are you very busy?” I asked him.

“Extremely.”

We chatted a bit more about Deming’s findings as we walked to the [Herb Garden], but there wasn’t much more to it. I, for one, couldn’t even tell the difference between the dishes cooked inside and outside the farm.

“Here it is! The herbs are growing normally, as far as I can tell,” I said. “Deming and his assistants say that the qi is thicker here, but it hasn’t affected the garden much.”

The [Herb Garden] was filled with a diverse array of foot-high plants neatly planted in symmetrical raised beds. I showed Shuye around, which took very little time since there were only four small areas to check.

“When will these be ready for harvest?” asked Shuye.

“Different times. The first ones should be ready right before the autumn harvest,” I said.

The maids were waiting for us with basins of water and towels at the northern shaded area of the garden. Fengying supervised the staff as they took our outer robes off and helped us wash our hands and splash water on our faces to cool off before we sat down on the comfortable sofas and chairs. The staff had drinks and snacks ready for us, too, of course.

“I’m glad to see that there have been no adverse effects on the farm,” said Shuye.

The kids sat at a table apart from us. Fengying supervised them as they read the books that Scholar Wu had sent over for them to study while she was away.

“Yes, it’s been great. Have some cookies.” I pushed a plate over to him.

This time, since the ban on eating had been lifted for all clan members because of the current emergency, Shuye did not refuse. We nibbled on cookies and ate some fruit slices while we talked.

“I came for a visit to let you know what we’ll be doing at the Ancient Hill Forest,” he said. “The Lady of the West has declared a state of emergency, and all able-bodied clan members are expected to contribute to the demon extermination campaign. This means everyone. For example, the construction crew has stopped working on my new house. I’m training them to fight.”

Forced conscription? This was alarming news. “But you have a newborn! Surely, you’re exempt?”

“I could be, but my men need me. I’ll be in command of the local team.”

I frowned. Though I didn’t think the demon boss was particularly dangerous, this was alarming news. I hadn’t realized my Farm Guide would be involved. “Will you be okay? What about your family?”

“I thought you would be worried.” Shuye smiled and sipped his tea. The porcelain teacup looked exceedingly dainty when held in his massive hand. “Every clan member receives basic martial arts training. I’m simply taking my men south to train them on how to fight together more effectively.”

In perfect unison, we both looked south where there was a darkness in the sky along the horizon.

Seeing my anxious look, Shuye shrugged and said, “We'll be fine. You know that Scholar Wu is an academic, right? But she knows her family’s martial arts. Most people are like that.”

“Okay…” I knew Prince Baiyu was a good fighter, therefore, it was logical that he would be fighting in the demon extermination, but to think that even construction crews would be drafted! This campaign was going to be larger than I expected. In Adventure Incarnate, only a dozen or so of the elite clan members appeared during the boss fight.

“It’s not just fighters. Everyone will have to contribute. The farmers, smiths, potters, weavers, herbalists, and so forth will be working to provide the army with the supplies they need,” said Shuye.

“What?! The army? How many people are going?”

Shuye laughed at my reaction. “Everyone! No one who’s anyone would miss this chance.”

“Why not?”

“You know zidan is mostly inborn?” Shuye waited for my nod before continuing his explanation. “For the Lady of the West and the clan rulers and elders, zidan is the virtue of a ruler and territorial instinct. We’re bound to the land we live in because of zidan.”

I listened carefully as Shuye spoke. “I get it. Humans can’t sense zidan but when I met the Lady, I felt… something.”

“Yes, humans can feel it like a strong force of personality and charisma. Well, for those who don’t lead, zidan is also prestige. Those who are viewed favorably by the other clan members can slowly increase their zidan throughout their life by working hard and strengthening their local community and clan.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “So are you saying this demon extermination mission is a good way to increase your prestige or zidan?”

“Exactly. That’s also why I can’t stay at home. Zidan can also decrease, you know.”

“Oh no.”

Shuye made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “This is a good opportunity for many, like how your farm is thriving under the onslaught of demonic qi.”

“It is? And, by the way, how has the demonic qi affected the forest?”

“Qi has become turbulent, but stronger. It’s very good for cultivation. A few of the animals have become aggressive, that’s all.”

“Then can I and my apprentices go out to forage again?”

“Yes, I’ll send a few guards to you soon.”

“Well, we won’t go out until after the autumn planting season.” I turned on a mist fan since It was getting hot because it was getting closer to noon.

“Anyway, as I was saying, No one likes that there’s a demon egg in the south, but now that it’s here, I’m not wasting my time lamenting the situation,” said Shuye. “I’m hoping that my zidan will be strengthened if I work hard.”

“I’m sure it will be.”

“The Lady’s composure and level-headed plans have made people admire her even more than before, and her zidan has reached unprecedented levels.”

“Good for her.”

“So don’t worry about it,” said Shuye. “You remember how the Goat clan’s zidan was in disarray? It’s fixed now, and they’re even claiming that their mountain territories were teleported because their god wanted them closer to the south to make it easier for them to participate in the demon-killing campaign.”

“Wow.”

Since it was almost time for the noon meal, I invited Shuye to join us, but he refused, saying that he was too busy and needed to return to his village. He called Fengying over and we discussed a few mundane matters like who would be coming over to collect the crops and when. The regular guards and messengers were going south, and the regular villagers, mostly the elderly and teenagers, were doing double duty as errand boys to make up for the lack of manpower.

Before he left though, Shuye gave my apprentices a mischievous grin and said, loud enough for them and the staff to hear, “Are you and Prince Baiyu planning to take advantage of the reward for pregnant women?”