“Fifth Brother, you usually focus on cultivation and aren’t too familiar with Dingfeng Farm, so let me fill you in.” After entering the farm, Samuel Brooks led the group toward the reception hall while explaining, “Our Dingfeng Farm has over 150 tenant households, tending more than 3,000 mu of fertile land. We harvest twice a year, with an annual average yield of over 20,000 shi.”

“The ordinary grain from our fertile fields, thanks to the proximity to a spiritual vein and a touch of spiritual energy, is of much higher quality than regular grain. That’s why it’s called [Dingfeng Grain]. Besides supplying our family, the surplus is sold externally and is highly sought after by the wealthy families of Cangyi Garrison.”

“However, this mundane wealth isn’t all that important to the The Brooks Family.”

“Our farm’s core industry is still the two mu of spiritual fields we’ve developed, where we grow White Jade Spirit Rice, which is harvested once a year and yields about ten shi of spirit rice. If all of it were sold, it would fetch around 140 spirit stones!”

“O-one hundred and forty spirit stones? And that’s every year!?”

Before Jason Brooks could react, Emily Martin’s eyes were already bulging in shock.

Then, the look she gave Jason Brooks was suddenly much more flattering and ingratiating.

As far as she knew, the The Brooks Family’s holdings went far beyond just Dingfeng Farm; some vassal families under their rule also regularly paid tribute to the The Brooks Family.

“What’s with that look on your face?” Jason Brooks took a few steps back in distaste. “It’s not all pure profit, you know. Seeds aren’t free, fertilizer isn’t free, and don’t we have to pay tribute to Yunyang Sect?” “Fifth Brother is right,” Samuel Brooks said with a wry smile. “Cultivating spiritual fields is no easy task and consumes a lot. Besides the essential [Cui Family Seeds], we keep six or seven types of magical farming tools in stock—there’s the [Qu Family Spirit Plow] for tilling, the [White Jade Purity Bottle] for drawing and irrigating with spirit spring water, the [Zuo Qiu Jug] for spraying pesticides and repelling pests, and the [Liu Family Sickle] for harvesting, among others. These magical farm tools can be bought once and used for a long time, but they still require spirit stones for maintenance.”

“In addition, we have to buy large amounts of fertilizer every year—[Earthflow Gold] for fertile soil, [Bumper Harvest Spirit], and lots of spirit beast manure. Otherwise, in just a year or two, the spiritual fields would become barren.”

“Also, pest and disease prevention is absolutely crucial. [Jinyang Pestkiller Powder], [White Powder Spirit], and other pesticides are indispensable, as are various disease-prevention potions. Otherwise, you can expect a reduced harvest.”

“Even if you tend the spirit rice with great care and it grows well, there are still spirit rats, fierce sparrows, and other animal pests… I just drove away a flock of locust sparrows when I got back—they’re really troublesome.”

“Most importantly, after paying tribute to Yunyang Sect, almost all of our spirit rice harvest is kept for our own clan’s use, with nothing left to sell outside.”

These words left not only Emily Martin dumbfounded, but even Jason Brooks was a bit dazed.

He hadn’t expected that growing spirit rice would be so troublesome—far more complicated than he’d imagined.

“Being able to keep it for ourselves is pretty nice, too.” Emily Martin giggled foolishly, recalling her recent days of mooching meals at the The Brooks Family during the mourning period. She couldn’t help but smack her lips in longing—the White Jade Spirit Rice was just too delicious.

“Haha, I’ll have the kitchen prepare some food for us in a bit,” Samuel Brooks said with a laugh. “We still have some spirit rice from last year stored at the farm.”

“Really?” Emily Martin’s eyes sparkled with delight.

Before Samuel Brooks could reply, suddenly, several young tenant farmers came stumbling and running over from afar, shouting in panic, “Young Master Samuel, something terrible has happened! The locust sparrows—they’re back! And there are even more of them this time!”

“What?”

Samuel Brooks’s expression changed, and he rushed forward at once.

Although he had no spiritual root, he had trained in top-tier martial arts of the mundane world and was now considered a first-rate expert. As he sprinted at full speed, his movement technique left afterimages in his wake.

But before he’d gone more than a dozen zhang, Henry Brooks, riding his Firecloud Sword, easily caught up, grabbed his arm, and hoisted him up. “Don’t panic, Samuel, your Fourth Uncle will go with you.”

The Firecloud Sword drew a streak of red light, speeding toward the spiritual fields.

Seeing the urgency, Jason Brooks and Emily Martin also tensed up, each mounting their own flying magical tools and following close behind.

When cultivators unleash their speed without regard for consumption, they can truly move like flashes of light. In just a few dozen breaths, they arrived at the two mu of core spiritual fields at Dingfeng Farm.

Looking down—

The White Jade Spirit Rice in those two mu of spiritual fields had already grown as tall as a person. The panicles were turning green, and the spirit rice grains were clearly visible—it was obviously the critical filling stage.

But at this crucial moment—

A flock of fierce sparrows was rampaging through the fields. They were plump and round, each about a foot long, with a total number of perhaps thirty to fifty.

Among them, several were especially fierce, about two feet long, stirring up gusts of wind as they darted about.

There was even one that looked like the leader, over three feet long, with iron-black feathers, a cold beak and claws, and a tuft of red feathers on its head, looking quite imposing.

Under the command of the leader locust sparrow, the flock swarmed the White Jade Spirit Rice like locusts, repeatedly attacking and ravaging the fields. With a single peck, they’d snatch a string of rice panicles, and in the blink of an eye, all that was left was a bare stalk.