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

The two walked quickly toward Mingfa Peak, one in front of the other.

On the way, Shen Yao briefly explained the situation—the spirit plant grower was named Liu Quan, who had been a disciple for many years and owned a spirit field on the east side of Mingfa Peak.

A few days ago, he suddenly told someone that he had grown several excellent quality spirit rice plants, and he was quite proud of himself.

When the news reached Shen Yao's ears, she took it to heart.

"He doesn't seem afraid of people finding out," Shen Yao added.

Lu Qingchen frowned.

Stealing something and then daring to brag about it everywhere? Either they're stupid, or they're fearless.

He felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

......

Liu Quan's spiritual field is located on the east side of Mingfa Peak. It is much larger than Lu Qingchen's field, but the spiritual rice is not growing well. It is sparse and uneven, which is obviously due to insufficient fertilizer and poor management.

A man stood by the field, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall and thin, wearing a clean spiritual plant cultivation jacket, not even a few mud spots on it, as if he had just been taken out of the closet.

When he saw Shen Yao, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over to her.

"Junior Sister Shen? What brings you here?"

His gaze fell on Lu Qingchen, a strange light flashing in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal and put on a smile.

"Senior Brother Liu."

Shen Yao nodded slightly, her tone calm: "We heard that you have grown some special spirit rice plants, and we would like to come and see them."

Liu Quan's smile froze for a moment, then he smiled again: "There are a few, and they're growing quite well, but..."

He paused, looking troubled, and rubbed his hands together.

"Is it inconvenient?" Shen Yao looked at him.

"It's convenient, it's convenient." Liu Quan quickly waved his hand. "How is it inconvenient? It's just that they're almost ripe, so be careful when you look at them and don't hurt them."

Shen Yao nodded, and Liu Quan led the two of them toward the edge of the field.

Those few spirit rice plants were planted in the corner of the field, surrounded by a bamboo fence. Their leaves were glossy, their stems were thick and strong, and their ears of rice were full, with a faint spiritual light flowing through them.

Shen Yao squatted down and watched for a while, her brows furrowing slightly. She then turned to look at Lu Qingchen.

Not like.

Although it is also Jade Spirit Rice and has spiritual light, the shape of the leaves, the color of the rice ears, and some other details are quite different from the few plants in Lu Qingchen's field.

She sighed inwardly, thinking that she might have guessed wrong.

Lu Qingchen also squatted down.

His gaze swept from the leaves of the few stalks of spirit rice to the stems, and then from the stems to the ears of rice.

No one noticed that, as Lu Qingchen continued to observe, his initially puzzled gaze gradually changed...

"These few spirit rice plants are indeed quite good."

Shen Yao stood up, smiled, and said, "Senior Brother Liu is quite skilled."

Liu Quan laughed heartily: "Good luck, good luck."

Lu Qingchen suddenly spoke up: "Senior Brother Liu, did you grow these spirit rice plants yourself?"

Liu Quan's smile faded slightly: "Of course I grew them myself, where else could they have come from?"

"How long have you been planting them?"

"It was about three months ago, planted at the same time as this batch."

Liu Quan pointed to the other spirit rice plants in the field, "It's just that these few plants are growing differently, probably because their seeds have mutated."

Lu Qingchen nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Shen Yao took her leave with Lu Qingchen.

After walking quite a distance, she sighed, "It seems it's not yours. Those few spirit rice plants are good, but they don't quite resemble yours."

Lu Qingchen remained silent.

"Don't be discouraged," Shen Yao comforted him. "I'll investigate further for you; maybe there are other clues."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Lu Qingchen nodded, her voice calm.

After he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

Isn't that his sacred rice?

No, Lu Qingchen was certain, that was his spirit rice!

Although its appearance has changed, the spirit rice that has been blessed by the Dao Stele has a special aura on its body. Others cannot see it, but he can feel it as soon as he gets close.

It was precisely for this reason that, after his initial doubts, he quickly became certain that it was the spirit rice he had stolen.

As for why its appearance changed, he didn't know, but he guessed that Liu Quan had used some means to change the form of the spirit rice in a short period of time.

He hesitated for a moment and did not tell Shen Yao any of this.

How do I start the conversation?

Should I just say, "Senior, I know by feeling that it's mine"?

Without evidence, there's no point in saying anything.

Moreover, when pressed for details, he couldn't explain why he could "feel" it.

He couldn't very well say that his spirit rice had been imbued with the spirit of a mysterious ancient stele, and that it retained an aura that only he could perceive, could he?

The matter of the stele must be kept to oneself and not revealed in the slightest.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Shen Yao assumed he was unhappy because he hadn't found the spirit rice, so she offered him a few more words of comfort.

"Senior sister, I'm fine." Lu Qingchen looked up and smiled. "Thank you for your help this time."

After parting ways with Shen Yao, Lu Qingchen stood there, watching her back as she walked away, then took a deep breath and turned to walk back.

Instead of returning to his own sacred field, he followed the path he had come from and headed towards Liu Quan's sacred field.

......

Liu Quan was working in the field when he saw him return, and his expression turned cold.

"Is there anything else, Junior Brother?"

"Senior Brother Liu, I'd like to take another look at those spirit rice plants and learn more from them. Would you be so kind as to do me a favor?" Lu Qingchen said.

Liu Quan stared at him for a few seconds, then twitched his lips and said, "Fine, see."

He led Lu Qingchen to the corner of the field and stood beside the bamboo fence, staying close by.

Lu Qingchen squatted down and carefully examined the few spirit rice plants.

The more I look at it, the more certain I become—this is his.

"Senior Brother Liu, how did you grow these spirit rice plants? Could you share some of your experience with me?" He stood up and looked at Liu Quan.

Liu Quan smiled and calmly explained what kind of seeds were used, what kind of fertilizer was applied, and what kind of water was used, speaking fluently and without any sign of panic.

After listening, Lu Qingchen remained silent for a while.

The wind blowing through the fields carried the fragrance of rice blossoms, and the sunlight shone brightly on the few stalks of sacred rice, making the leaves glow faintly.

Everything seemed so calm, so normal.

Then he spoke.

"Senior Brother Liu, how does it feel to steal someone else's things?"

The air froze instantly.

Liu Quan's smile froze on his face, as if he had been slapped.

The wind is still blowing in the fields, the rice flowers are still fragrant, and the sunshine is still so nice, but the atmosphere has completely changed.

"What do you mean?" Liu Quan's voice turned cold.

Lu Qingchen looked at him and said, word by word, "These few spirit rice plants, although they have changed a bit, cannot hide them from my eyes. These are the ones I stole."

Liu Quan's expression changed.

It wasn't the panic that comes from being exposed, but a somber, threatening coldness.

He stared at Lu Qingchen, his gaze sharp as a knife.

Do you have any evidence?

He sneered, "Is your name written on this? Or can these spirit rice plants recognize their owner? Without evidence, based on what you just said, I can report you to the Spirit Plant Hall and accuse you of defamation."

"Try reporting it," Lu Qingchen said calmly, "but do you really dare?"