After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

The number of insects is not large, and they are scattered in various places. They are not yet a significant threat.

But the more he examined it, the more something seemed wrong—the Jade Spirit Rice usually didn't attract Spirit-Eating Aphids, and other insects rarely bothered with it either.

But now these insects have not only arrived, they've also chosen a good spot.

Most of them were gathered on the dozen or so spirit rice plants that had been enchanted. There were only a few scattered on the ordinary spirit rice plants, but more than a dozen were lying on the ones that had been enchanted.

"Could it be... that the spirit rice, after being consecrated, has such vigorous vitality that it attracted insects?"

Lu Qingchen squatted by the field, scratching his hair, feeling puzzled.

But where in books would such a thing be recorded?

He tried to catch it with his hands, but the insect was too small. It burst open when he squeezed it, leaving his hands covered in sticky juice, which was disgusting.

Moreover, with thousands of seedlings on two acres of land, relying on manpower to catch them one by one, there will always be some that slip through the net.

The remaining insects will soon multiply into a large population, and if this continues, the yield of the rice will likely decrease.

The book says that the most effective way to deal with the aphids is to use "insect extermination spells"—one spell can wipe out all the insects in the entire field, leaving not a single one.

Only cultivators at the second level of Qi Refining can practice spells. He, a novice at the first level of Qi Refining, cannot cast spells at all.

We need to find someone to help us.

He squatted on the edge of the field, his mind racing with calculations.

The first person that comes to mind is Zhou Ping.

The guard of the Spirit Plant Hall, at the fifth level of Qi Refining, could easily perform an insect-removing spell with a mere wave of his hand.

But then he thought again that he and Zhou Ping weren't that close yet, and if he rashly asked for a favor, it would be hard to repay the debt.

The second person I thought of was Old Sun.

Lu Qingchen hesitated for a moment.

With Old Sun's temper, wouldn't he find him annoying?

I already owed half a day's wages for borrowing a hoe last time, and now I'm bothering them again... But then I thought, I already owe quite a lot, so one more won't make a difference.

Although Old Sun is not a man of many words, he didn't make things difficult for him when he borrowed the hoe last time, so he shouldn't refuse outright.

It can't hurt to give it a try.

Moreover—there was another thought in his mind that he didn't voice.

If Elder Sun agrees to help, he can take this opportunity to see Elder Sun's reaction to the spirit rice.

The growth of those spirit rice plants was eye-catching, and he had long wanted to test Elder Sun's attitude, but he hadn't found a suitable opportunity yet.

He gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Whatever, let's give it a try."

After making the decision, he ran up the mountain in three steps at a time. When he arrived at the No. 3 medicinal herb garden in Dingmao, Old Sun was squatting on the edge of the field smoking a pipe.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his dark face appeared remarkably relaxed.

"Old Master Sun!" Lu Qingchen ran over, panting.

Old Sun looked up at him, then slowly took the pipe out of his mouth: "Why are you running? Is the sky falling?"

No, not at all.

Lu Qingchen scratched his head. "The spirit field at the foot of the mountain... has been infested with insects, spirit-devouring aphids."

"A spirit-devouring aphid?"

Old Sun frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over Lu Qingchen. "The Jade Spirit Rice shouldn't attract this thing. Your land has been barren for years and it's never grown there. How come it's suddenly appearing?"

Lu Qingchen opened his mouth, wanting to say "I don't know either," but swallowed the words back.

He knew, of course, that it was probably caused by those dozen or so spirit rice plants that had been blessed.

But can I say that? And if I do, how can I explain it?

"This disciple doesn't know either." He could only feign ignorance. "I only discovered them today when I went to the fields; there are already quite a few."

"Then why aren't you getting rid of the pests? What are you doing here?"

"This...this disciple does not know how to use magic, and would like to seek your help, Elder Sun."

Lu Qingchen said shamelessly.

Old Sun didn't agree immediately. Instead, he stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly stood up, tucked his pipe into his belt, and said, "Let's go take a look."

Lu Qingchen quickly led the way.

After walking a few steps, Old Sun suddenly said, "I can help, but you have to work an extra day for me this month."

"Of course." Lu Qingchen nodded.

He never expected Sun Laobai to help him. Working an extra day in exchange for the safety of the spirit rice was a deal that was profitable no matter how you looked at it.

......

Upon reaching the spirit field at the foot of the mountain, Elder Sun did not look at the insects, but instead focused his gaze directly on the few spirit rice plants that stood out from the crowd.

Those dozen or so seedlings that had been blessed were a good height taller than the ones around them, with glossy leaves and thick stems, standing out conspicuously in the lush greenery.

Old Sun squatted down, picked up a leaf, examined it from all angles, and then smelled it.

Then he looked up at Lu Qingchen: "What's going on with these trees?"

Lu Qingchen's heart pounded, but he tried his best to appear nonchalant: "This disciple isn't quite sure either. It just turned out like this after it was planted. Maybe the soil in that plot of land was better?"

"Is the soil good?"

Old Sun gave a noncommittal hum, did not press the matter, and turned his gaze to the insects.

He walked around the edge of the field, squatting down from time to time to check, his brows furrowing more and more.

Lu Qingchen followed behind, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Old Master Sun must have noticed something—most of the insects were gathered on the spirit rice that had been blessed; even a fool could see that something was wrong.

Old Sun walked back to the edge of the field, stood still, and gently pressed his hand down.

A pale blue light curtain spread out from his palm, silently enveloping the entire spirit field.

Wherever the light curtain passed, the spirit-devouring aphids seemed to be frozen in place, stiffening on the leaves without moving, and then they all fell off and landed on the ground without moving.

In just a dozen or so breaths, the insects in the entire field were completely wiped out.

The light curtain vanished, as if it had never existed.

"Alright." Old Sun withdrew his hand, his tone calm. "It's resolved. These insects shouldn't appear again."

Lu Qingchen quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Elder Sun!"

Old Sun grunted in acknowledgment, his gaze lingering for a moment on those few special spirit rice plants before turning and walking up the mountain.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without turning his head, "Keep a close eye on those plants that are growing well."

"Yes!" Lu Qingchen replied quickly.

Watching Old Sun's figure disappear into the mountains, Lu Qingchen finally breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the edge of the field.

My back was soaked with sweat after that interrogation.

What exactly did Mr. Sun mean?

Judging from his initial reaction, he was clearly very concerned about those few spirit rice plants, so why didn't he ask any further questions?

Are you too lazy to ask, or are you waiting for him to speak up himself?

After thinking about it for a long time without finding a solution, Lu Qingchen simply gave up on thinking about it.

Never mind, let's apply the fertilizer first.

He stood up, picked up the fertilizer bag, and began fertilizing row by row.

When he got to the dozen or so spirit rice plants that had been blessed, he deliberately grabbed a few extra handfuls, scattered them around the roots, and silently prayed, "Give you all some good food, you'd better live up to my expectations."

......