Free Web NovelChapter 258: The Disciples First Adventures
This is so annoying. It’s like watching a caterpillar hanging on a tree.
’A caterpillar that can only crawl will one day become a butterfly and fly away.’
The only way for you to become a butterfly is to hand over your body to the King of Essence.
’That’s not a butterfly. It’s a poisoned moth. Stop daydreaming.’
Raon shook his hand and bent his arms once again. For push-ups, the number wasn’t the important part. He slowly bent and stretched his arms in a way that would stimulate his muscles the most.
He felt like his chest muscles were going to snap, but he welcomed that pain. It would become his stats and stamina.
After push-ups, he started to exercise his abdominal muscles. That was when the other children started to enter the gymnasium. frёeωebɳovel.com
After throwing him a glance, they separated to start their own training.
Runaan and Burren also entered and checked out the different equipment.
Runaan isolated herself and got herself a tool, and Burren walked out after glaring at Raon for a bit.
Burren went to where the wooden swords were placed and grabbed one to start swinging it.
Woosh!
The collateral children who usually followed Burren got themselves a wooden sword as well, and began to practice the swordsmanship that they had trained in.
He grabbed a sword.
’He did.’ ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Aren’t you going to do the same?
’I don’t need it yet.’
What Raon needed wasn’t a sword, but the stamina, strength, and agility to serve as a base.
Burren and other children’s swordsmanship wasn’t even at a beginner level. For novices, training with swords without an instructor was just a waste of time.
Without caring for what the others were doing, Raon continued the boring yet difficult training, only wishing to achieve more progress the next day.
Runaan Sullion wasn’t interested in others.
That didn’t mean that she looked down on others due to her outstanding talents.
It was because she had locked the door to her heart the day she had been terribly disappointed by the one she trusted.
However, there was one person who had caught her eye recently.
It wasn’t Rimmer, the Sword of Light, nor Burren Zieghart, who everyone said was her rival.
Raon Zieghart.
Sylvia’s son, who was kicked out of the direct line to become a collateral, kept attracting her attention.
’Why do I keep paying attention to him?’
It was the first time she was interested in someone or felt familiar with someone.
’Is it because of the coldness?’
Rumors said that Raon’s mana circuit bore an extreme amount of coldness. It was possible that her frost ability was making her feel familiar with his coldness.
’That must be it.’
Since she realized the reason, she tried to stop paying attention to him.
However, no matter how much she tried she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
’He is growing quickly.’
Raon’s growth was abnormally fast.
When she had seen him a month ago in the audience room, he had been a skinny boy with no muscles. However, he had gained some muscles since then.
’Moreover...’
He was at the lowest tier the other day, but he had managed to catch up with the middle-lower tier.
Everyone said Runaan herself was born with a heavenly talent, but she thought it was impossible for her to progress that quickly. It just didn’t make any sense.
"Huff!"
Comfortably lifting a 60kg weight, she kept stealing a glance at Raon.
"It’s really strange."
With just Fenggu Farm alone offering so many fertile fields, there were a couple of hundred tenant farmers too?
Wang Shouzhe looked across the patchwork of fields, crisscrossed with large and small irrigation ditches, and felt somewhat moved internally. This was indeed the family business that had been handed down for hundreds of years.
"Our Fenggu Farm adheres to traditional winter wheat and summer fallow crop rotations. Now is exactly when the winter wheat is about to mature, and it’s a busy season for cultivating summer fallow seedlings," said Wang Shounuo, with a slight joy on his face. "This spring, ample rainfall did not flood the field, while the abundant sunshine did not scorch the plants, which is very beneficial to the growth of winter wheat. It seems that it will be a bumper harvest season."
At this, Wang Shouzhe was somewhat pleased. The difference between a good harvest and a poor one of grains was significant. More grain harvest meant the family had more funds for development.
"That’s not right," Wang Luo Jing, who was like a little tail-following insect, began to pout. "Third brother, you’re wrong. I’m afraid it will be a poor harvest for this year’s winter wheat."
What?
Wang Shounuo’s smile became a bit rigid instantly, and he sternly said, "Luo Jing, you little girl can’t talk nonsense. Even Grandpa and some of the old experienced tenant farmers say that there is an eighty to ninety percent chance of a bumper harvest this year. You’re so young, what do you understand? If Grandpa hears you predicting a poor harvest, I’m afraid he will scold you again."
Frightened by his words, Wang Luo Jing instantly hid behind Wang Shouzhe.
"Third brother, our fifth sister is still young, children are innocent. Why are you fussing over her?" Wang Shouzhe comforted her by rubbing her head a couple of times with a smile.
"Fourth brother, there’s something you don’t know," Wang Shounuo reluctantly chuckled, "What you don’t know is that though our fifth sister is young, she is quite eccentric. She loves to play with all kinds of insects all day. When she was two or three years old, she could sit in the yard and watch ants for days. Some time ago, she even begged me to catch a ’grass something king of the insects’ for her. She cried and threw tantrums when I wouldn’t, forcing me to wander all over the mountains for four or five days to catch just two~ I was bitten all over by mosquitos."
"It’s the king of the grass-bug, as recorded in the ancient Insect Scripture." Wang Luo Jing stuck out half of her head from behind Wang Shouzhe and corrected Wang Shounuo seriously, "Brother, it’s shame you are so handsome but empty-headed. Even though the Profound Martial prominent family establishes itself with martial force, cultural literacy and knowledge are also the foundation of a family’s heritage."
Especially the latter half, she mimicked the way Wang Shouzhe scolded them to mock Wang Shounuo.
No doubt, Wang Shounuo’s face turned dark and he grumbled, "Yes, yes, yes, I’m not knowledgeable. Next time you beg me, I won’t help you catch bugs anymore."
"I’ll ask fourth brother for help. Fourth brother is ten thousand times more capable than you," Wang Luo Jing said, hugging Wang Shouzhe’s clothes tightly, seemingly having found her backbone, and her tone was full of confidence.
Wang Shouzhe couldn’t help but laugh seeing this. It seemed she was indeed quite peculiar, just a little reserved in front of him, so much so that she almost made Wang Shounuo faint due to frustration.
"Alright, alright, Luo Jing, tell me, how is it going to be a poor harvest this year with such favorable weather?" Wang Shouzhe casually asked, "Don’t be afraid, it’s okay even if you are wrong."
With the backing of Wang Shouzhe, Wang Luo Jing emboldened herself, "The winter last year was too warm, there was only a slight snowfall."
Wang Shounuo immediately rolled his eyes: "It’s true there’s a saying that ’a timely snow promises a good harvest,’ but it’s just an old saying. Do you mean that if it does not snow, there will definitely be a poor harvest this year?"
"It’s different," Wang Luo Jing said earnestly, "The winter last year was warm, and indeed the rainfall this spring was good. But, it has not rained for more than ten days now, and the weather is dry and hot."
"Luo Jing," Wang Shounuo said nonchalantly, "We have already opened the sluice gate of the Fenggu tributary for irrigation. The winter wheat won’t lack water. Besides, the good sunlight helps the wheat grains grow fuller."
"But it also helps aphids grow," Wang Luo Jing countered, rolling her eyes.
Aphids?
Wang Shounuo shivered, hesitating, "The appearance of aphids is unavoidable, they crop up every year, causing some reduction in yield... Furthermore, last winter we did spread Insecticide Powder in the fields."
However, as he spoke, he sounded somewhat unconvincing. Aphids are the natural enemy of winter wheat. A small-scale outbreak is still manageable; it may result in a reduction of grain yield at most. But a massive outbreak would be a disaster.
According to the Wang family’s records, the most severe instance was an aphid disaster 73 years ago. This disaster spread across Longzuo County causing an 80% reduction in winter wheat yield that year. The grain prices soared in a short period. The prominent families could survive on their reserves, but many poor freemen had to resort to selling off their children.
