Chapter 19 – The Smell of Success (Patreon)

Having been a medicinal farmer for so long, Lynn Naya had a rough idea of the different grades of fields.

The one she was in charge of was a low-grade medicinal field, where the herbs were typically grown for one to ten years and were harvested when the time was right.

The intermediate medicinal field that Supervisor Zhang mentioned, however, was for herbs that grew for ten to fifty years. Taking care of them was a much more delicate process, though Lynn Naya didn’t know the exact details since she had never touched them.

Above the intermediate fields were the high-grade fields and the spiritual herb fields, but those were reportedly for DaoPalace disciples, and mortals couldn’t get their hands on them.

The fact that Supervisor Zhang was recommending her for the intermediate medicinal field was a good thing.

If he had offered this opportunity a year or even six months ago, Lynn Naya would have found a way to refuse. But things were different now. In the past six months, she had leveled up her Breath-Concealing Technique to the third stage: Initiated.

When she was at the second stage, she was in the medicinal field when a Qi Condensation late-stage disciple rushed past her without noticing her.

Based on that, a Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn’t be able to notice her at all. As for the higher-level Core Formation cultivators, who knew if the Dao Palace even had any? But even if they did, they probably wouldn’t be able to distinguish her from any other mortal.

Since that was the case, why wouldn’t she choose a better position?

But when Lynn Naya arrived at Supervisor Zhang’s house, she found that she wasn’t the only one he had recommended. There were many people there, eleven in total, including Qian Baolin.

When Lynn Naya came in, Qian Baolin subtly glanced at her before casually coming over and taking her arm. She greeted her warmly, and Supervisor Zhang looked at her and then the crowd. After he confirmed everyone was there, he didn’t waste any time and explained the situation with the intermediate medicinal field.

In short, the intermediate medicinal field needed a reliable medicinal farmer, and Supervisor Zhang and two other supervisors of low-grade medicinal fields had recommended them. This meant that the eleven of them would be competing for one spot.

“If you have any questions, you can ask them now,” he said. Maybe because one of them was about to be promoted, Supervisor Zhang was very polite. “I’ll tell you everything I can in advance.”

Everyone in the courtyard looked at each other, and finally, someone timidly asked, “The medicinal field is on the mountainside. What if we bump into an immortal on the mountain?”

“Do you think we can just see an immortal whenever we want?” Before Supervisor Zhang could answer, Qian Baolin rolled hers eyes. “As far as I know, the immortals on the mountain don’t come down unless it’s for a very important reason. If you’re trying to get close to them, I suggest you give up now. Don’t get us all in trouble while you’re trying to suck up to them.”

Qian Baolin’s words were sharp, but Supervisor Zhang didn’t stop her. When she was done, he agreed. “Baolin is right. That’s what I was going to tell you. The mountain is not like the foot of the mountain. The immortals all have different personalities, but they are all people we can’t afford to offend. Just do your job, and don’t get any crazy ideas.”

“But… isn’t the field on the mountainside? What if we get lost and accidentally walk up the mountain?” another person asked.

“You can’t. There’s a restriction on the mountainside. Without a special token, even an immortal can’t enter or leave as they please, let alone us mortals.” Qian Baolin answered again.

A restriction?

This was the first time Lynn Naya had heard of this. It made sense, though. The youngest of the disciples who were sent up last year were only five or six years old, and they lived at the foot of the mountain, so they must have been homesick. But she had never heard of any of them coming down to visit. It seemed like it wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but that they couldn’t.

“Right, you don’t have to worry about that. The mountainside where the intermediate medicinal field is located is still considered part of the mortal world. If you just do your job, nothing will go wrong.” Supervisor Zhang said.

“What if a lot of the herbs wither? Will we be sent back?”

“You’ll be sent to the mines to pay off your debt.”

“How many contribution points do we get each month?”

“Fifty a month.”

“When is the test?”

“This afternoon.”

“That soon?!”

That last question silenced the crowd. Everyone was a little flustered. Lynn Naya was also a little surprised. She thought she would have a day or two to prepare.

“The higher-ups need someone urgently. There’s no time to waste,” Supervisor Zhang said. “Don’t go home for lunch. You can have a simple meal here, and then I’ll take you over this afternoon.”

Everyone was a little embarrassed and refused, but they sounded like someone refusing a red envelope during the New Year—they said no, but their hands were already reaching for it.

Maybe it was just a rule that managers always lived more comfortably than ordinary people. When noon came, Lynn Naya had her first steamed bun since she transmigrated.

Even though the steamed bun was yellow with a hint of black, and a little rough, the coarse grain was chewy, and when wrapped with some salty, rehydrated wild vegetables, it was unbelievably fragrant.

Lynn Naya ate four of them and felt very satisfied.

Supervisor Zhang was quite generous. Grain was not cheap these days, but no matter how much was on the table, he didn’t look pained. He didn’t ask if anyone wanted more, he just kept bringing it out.

Take Lynn Naya, for example. There were still two steamed buns in her bowl when she was full. It was no wonder he was a supervisor.

After eating, it was time to wait. Lynn Naya had some salty water on her hands, so she went to the kitchen to wash them.

When she turned around, she saw Supervisor Zhang coming in with a stack of bowls and chopsticks. He saw her and said, “I prepared six steamed buns for each of you. If you haven’t finished them, you can take them with you.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang.” Lynn Naya said, waving her hand. “But things are tough for everyone right now. It’s already an honor to have a meal with you. I couldn’t possibly take more.”

“Alright, then,” Supervisor Zhang said with a smile, not forcing her. But as he put the bowls down, Lynn Naya heard him say, “The test will be in the Purple Mother Clove field.”

Lynn Naya was momentarily stunned. Then she understood what he meant. She bowed and thanked him for the tip without saying a word.

When she left the kitchen, the others were in the room looking through Supervisor Zhang’s planting notes. Lynn Nayawalked into the crowd and instinctively looked for information on how to cultivate the Purple Mother Clove.

An hour later, Supervisor Zhang told everyone to get ready and followed him to the mountainside.

Lynn Naya had never been to the mountainside. When she got there, she realized it was more like a higher elevation of the mountain base than an actual mountainside. It was far from the middle of the mountain. But even so, the towering trees made the place feel isolated.

Of course, what really attracted Lynn Naya was not the trees or the herbs, but the denser spiritual energy floating around.

She felt it carefully. The spiritual energy here was two to three times more concentrated than at the foot of the mountain. If she could cultivate here, her speed would be much faster. Even though she had spirit stones to help her now, the stones would eventually run out, but the spiritual energy here was endless.

Lynn Naya was already happy about the promotion, but now that she knew it would speed up her cultivation, she was even more eager to get the position.

As Supervisor Zhang had tipped her, the test was in a Purple Mother Clove field. The plants seemed neglected. The vines on the old trees were withered, and some of the leaves had started to turn yellow.

The test was simple: each person had one medicinal row, and they had two hours to get it in the best shape possible. The fastest and best person would win.

The others hadn’t prepared, so they were flustered when the time started. Lynn Naya had read up on the topic before coming, and with her third-stage Farming Skills, she was more than capable of handling the Purple Mother Clove.

Two hours passed, and the test was over. As expected, Lynn Naya was chosen by the test supervisor. The others were sent home and weren’t allowed to come back until the next test.

“This piece of land will be your responsibility for the next three months. If the Purple Mother Clove survives, you can stay. If not, you’ll be sent away in three months just like the others. And you won’t get any contribution points during that time.” said Supervisor Qin, a serious-looking old woman. She turned and left after saying that.

Lynn Naya watched her leave, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Putting everything else aside, her attitude was similar to how she had tested Xue Yong. They both didn’t set any rules, and just watched how the person being tested would handle the situation.

So the real test was just starting, wasn’t it?

Lynn Naya thought about it. There were two things to being a good intermediate medicinal farmer: having the right skills and not causing any trouble.

She had already proven the first point. The second point was probably what the test was about. After all, the higher the position, the more important it was to be stable. If a person with bad intentions offended someone on the mountain, everyone would be in trouble.

After mulling it over, just to be safe, Lynn Naya took a detour to Supervisor Zhang’s house on her way down the mountain and sincerely asked for his advice.

When he saw her and her humble attitude, Supervisor Zhang’s smile became a little more genuine. When Lynn Naya asked for advice, he simply said, “Do and don’t do. Do your job with all your heart, but don’t do anything that isn’t your job. The more you do, the more mistakes you make.”

In short, just be a plant-growing robot.

“Thank you for your guidance.”

Lynn Naya had dinner at Supervisor Zhang’s house again that night. During the meal, Supervisor Zhang formally introduced his wife and three-year-old child to her, and he started calling her “Niece Lynn” instead of “Lady Lynn.”

In the social etiquette of adults, this change in address meant their relationship was getting closer.

Although she was happy to accept the good relationship, Lynn Naya was a little curious. It was just a position as an intermediate medicinal farmer, not a managerial one. Wasn’t his attitude a little too friendly?

But she soon found out the real reason.