Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 88 Golden Vegetable
Wang Ergou and Bai Chenxue's "outrageous tactics" were quickly spread to the game forums, and everyone realized that there was such a proactive way to accept quests. As a result, players began to follow suit and pester NPCs everywhere.

Fortunately, Fang Xianyu monitored the situation in time. After punishing several players with red names and a huge amount of negative favorability points, the players finally quieted down.

After a restless night, Wang Ergou, Zhao Qing, and the others finally arrived as promised and flew to Xizhuqiu.

Don't let the name Xizhuqiu fool you; it may not sound like a big place. It actually refers to a large hilly area covered with bamboo. The entire bamboo forest covers at least several tens of square kilometers, much larger than the town of Taiping.

The small bamboo grove where Jinli and Zhuxian were located was just one small grove among many others. If it weren't for the small hill next to it, it would have been difficult to find them in such a large area of ​​similar hills.

"The situation of demon cultivators is actually very difficult."

On a stone table, which looked like it had been moved there temporarily and was still damp and covered in moss, were several bamboo tubes and many exquisitely woven bamboo baskets. The bamboo tubes were filled with bamboo rice tea, which had a fragrant aroma; the bamboo baskets were piled high with all kinds of wild fruits, red, white, yellow and green, which looked very tempting.

The lush leaves at the top of the sugarcane provided just enough shade on the stone table, and sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting dappled shadows.

This time, not only Wang Ergou's close relatives and friends who have been inseparable for years, but also Zhen Junzi and his NPC apprentice were brought over by Jia Xiaoren. Even Lu Renya, who runs a milk tea shop, came along hesitantly, wanting to see the "talking sugarcane" that he considers to be a bamboo spirit.

A group of seven or eight people sat on the ground around a stone table, each holding a wild fruit of varying sizes, listening quietly to Jin Li's storytelling amidst the swaying bamboo shadows and rustling bamboo leaves.

"...Here in Xizhu Hill, there are rabbit demons and lynx demons, but the most precious one is a fellow Daoist butterfly."

Jin Li sighed and said, "That Fellow Daoist Butterfly originally had a lifespan of less than a year, but he has lived for three hundred years since he started cultivating. This is truly remarkable and admirable."

"Humans live for at least forty or fifty years, while demon cultivators live for at most a dozen years, and some can only live for a few days. How is it possible to gain wisdom, awaken the spirit, and establish a foundation in just a few days?"

As if sensing something, Zhao Qing softly recited: "How can a mayfly know the lifespan of a tortoise or crane..."

Jin Li nodded and continued, "That's right. Limited lifespan is a sword hanging over the heads of us demon cultivators. For a golden-haired bamboo fox like me, living past five years is considered a long life, but what can one do in five years? On the long road of cultivation, even for you humans who are born with intelligence, those who can establish their foundation in five years are extremely rare."

This is something that no one understands, especially Bai Chenxue and a few other players who are completely unaware of the situation. They just think of it as a game. To them, Foundation Establishment is simply about chopping down trees, fighting monsters, and leveling up—it's a natural process. Even though they felt a connection to what Jin Li was saying, they didn't have a particularly clear concept of it.

“Take our bamboo rat tribe as an example. Most bamboo rats live their entire lives in a daze, unable to develop their intelligence. All they think about every day is eating and sleeping. Even when they avoid danger, they rely on instinct. How can they cultivate themselves?”

As Jin Li spoke, she stroked a bewildered little bamboo rat in her arms and introduced it, "I can't even remember how many generations this is, maybe over five hundred, maybe over a thousand. It was born with some spiritual energy, and it would listen quietly to Gan Zhe's sermons. It is the most promising of my many descendants over the past hundred years. However, it has been listening for over a year, and it still hasn't developed any intelligence, let alone cultivated. I'm afraid it will never awaken its spirit until the end of its life, just like a wild beast, remaining in a state of chaos until death."

“Sugarcane was guided by an immortal and blessed by the gods, which enabled it to protect the land of Xizhu Hill. Every day when the crescent moon hangs high, it preaches the Dao. For the past eight hundred years since I can remember, I remember every intelligent being in Xizhu Hill, and I also remember every demon cultivator who has awakened their spirit and entered the Dao… “But in the past eight hundred years, there have only been about a hundred fellow Daoists. More than half of them have died of old age, and more than a dozen fellow Daoists have left Xizhu Hill and their whereabouts are unknown. Now, there are only twenty or thirty left, and only a dozen or so have achieved some minor cultivation and can speak human language. This is the result of Sugarcane and I often taking them to cultivate together.”

“Cultivation is difficult... In fact, over the years, there have been quite a few sentient beings who have gained wisdom. Even in my own race, there are more than a hundred. But even if they gain wisdom, what can they do? Most of them are like three-year-old children in the human race, unable to control their eating and drinking. How can we expect them to be patient and cultivate?”
“In my early years, I was unwilling to let go of any promising younger generation. But over the past hundred years, I have come to understand that the blooming and withering of flowers is predetermined. For these little brats, there is nothing wrong with living a muddled life. If they do not know life and death, then they do not care about life and death. Being able to eat and sleep is also quite good.”

At this point, Jin Li smiled, and the sorrow on his face faded considerably. He picked up the little bamboo fox in his arms. The little bamboo fox stared blankly at Bai Chenxue, who was closest to it, with its beady eyes, seemingly unaware of fear.

Jin Li said, "This little cub is actually quite intelligent. It has an extremely keen sense for rare and precious herbs and plants, and can often find high-level spiritual herbs and plants. It's a pity that it looks rather dull, and it's probably difficult for it to develop intelligence. But I can't bear to let it go back to that pack of wild bamboo foxes. If you like it, you can take it with you as livestock or a pet. You can keep it entertained and feed it. Who knows, it might even have some good fortune."

"I love it! I love it so much!"

Bai Chenxue nodded repeatedly and readily picked up the little bamboo rat, volunteering, "Since I already have Baicai, it's perfect to have another one. They can keep each other company and even listen to lectures together! Let's name it Jincai, perfect!"

Wang Ergou grumbled sourly, "Hey! You're really not being polite!"

Bai Chenxue stroked the little bamboo fox and said confidently, "Of course! Can you compete with me? You usually have to lead raids, manage the community, and build relationships with the NPCs in Shenyou Village. Where would you find the time to raise a pet? Besides, I am the chosen beast tamer! I learned how to communicate with Bai Cai a few days ago based on the beast taming techniques in the sect's library!"

Jia Xiaoren rolled his eyes: "You mean communication with cabbage?"

Bai Chenxue retorted angrily, "What do you mean by 'to bark'! It means imitating its tone of voice! To let it understand my intention!"

Jia Xiaoren shrugged: "That's still against Wang!"

"You! You! You traitor!"

"You've defied the Heavenly Gang! You traitor!"

"Then you have the guts to expel me from the sect!"

"Fine, fine! You're threatening me now, aren't you! I'm incompetent! I won't chase you away!"

(End of this chapter)