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

"Jade Spirit Rice, 4,000 catties; Azure Origin Spirit Grass, 2,500 catties. This is the minimum amount; it will only be more."

Lu Qingchen did some mental calculations.

The normal yield of Biyu Ling rice is about 200 jin per mu. It is planted twice a year, and about 4,000 jin would require about 10 mu of land.

The yield of Qingyuanlingcao is relatively low, but it can be planted three or four times a year, which still requires about seven or eight acres of land.

"What if you can't finish it?" he asked.

Zhao Demao glanced at him: "If you don't finish, your year-end evaluation will look bad. If your evaluation looks bad, the Spirit Plant Hall will have something to say. They can explain it once or twice, but if you fail to finish it repeatedly..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "That's not a matter of evaluation. The sect won't keep idle people. A cultivator who can't grow anything is just wasting food if he stays on the estate."

He spoke calmly, but Lu Qingchen understood—failing to complete the mission would at best affect his evaluation, and at worst, he would be sent back to the sect.

At that point, let alone gaining prestige at Qingmu Manor, it will be questionable whether they can even gain a foothold in the sect in the future.

"Disciple understands," Lu Qingchen said.

Zhao Demao nodded and said nothing more.

......

Before long, four people were sitting in the main room.

Zhao Demao sat in the main seat, and beside him, besides Old Sun, there were three spirit plant growers whom Lu Qingchen did not recognize.

Lu Qingchen sat at the end of the table, his back straight and his expression calm.

Zhao Demao placed Lu Qingchen's appointment document on the table and briefly explained the situation: "This is Steward Lu, newly dispatched from Lingzhi Peak. He will be working in our manor from now on. Let's all get to know each other."

Then he pointed to Old Sun: "This is Sun Zhiyuan, an old man from the village, a first-grade high-level spiritual plant cultivator."

Sun Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and glanced at Lu Qingchen without saying a word.

Lu Qingchen's heart stirred slightly.

First-grade superior quality?

He had heard Elder Sun mention when he was in the sect that the rank of a Spirit Plant Master could not be increased simply by accumulating years of experience.

To become a first-tier low-grade spirit plant grower, one only needs to be able to grow basic spirit plants such as Jade Spirit Rice and Azure Essence Spirit Grass.

To become a mid-grade first-tier spirit plant cultivator, one must master the cultivation methods of at least three different spirit plants, one of which must be of mid-grade first-tier quality and have a stable yield.

For a first-grade superior spiritual plant, one must have the ability to independently cultivate first-grade superior spiritual plants—such as Crimson Fruit and Jade Spirit Ginseng, which are a grade higher than Jade Spirit Rice and have much more demanding requirements for soil, water, and spiritual energy.

Lu Qingchen glanced at Sun Zhiyuan a couple more times before looking away.

Zhao Demao then pointed to the round-faced man: "Zhou Ming, a mid-grade first-level spirit plant cultivator."

Zhou Ming smiled and nodded at Lu Qingchen: "Hello, Manager Lu."

The smile looked kind, but Lu Qingchen always felt that those eyes were shifting, as if they were weighing something.

"Liu Wenhua, a mid-grade first-level spiritual plant cultivator."

Liu Wenhua bowed respectfully, his face expressionless. He glanced at Lu Qingchen and then lowered his head, as if he wasn't interested in anything.

"Wang Youde, a mid-grade first-level spirit plant cultivator."

Wang Youde was younger, looking to be under thirty, and nodded to Lu Qingchen.

His gaze was cleaner than the previous ones.

After introducing the group, Zhao Demao picked up his teacup and drank some tea, then remained silent.

Zhou Ming then added, "The manor lord is a second-tier spiritual plant master; he's the only one of his kind in our manor."

Zhao Demao waved his hand but didn't reply.

......

After the introductions, Lu Qingchen had a general understanding of the situation of the group.

Zhou Ming then spoke up, smiling as he looked at Lu Qingchen: "Manager Lu, what grade of spiritual plant cultivator are you? How many years have you been in the sect? I've never heard of you before?"

Before Lu Qingchen could answer, Zhao Demao spoke up for him: "Manager Lu has only been a Spirit Plant Cultivator for less than half a year, and is currently only a first-grade low-level Spirit Plant Cultivator. He came here to participate in the Spirit Plant Hall's external assessment."

The room fell silent for a moment as soon as he finished speaking.

Zhou Ming's smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned, but the look in his eyes clearly changed.

Liu Wenhua looked up at Lu Qingchen with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, but quickly lowered her head again.

Wang Youde was blunt, blurting out, "Less than three months? How did you pass the overseas assignment assessment?"

As soon as he said it, he probably realized it was inappropriate, so he added, "I meant... isn't the requirement to have farmed for three years to be eligible to participate in the overseas assignment assessment?"

Upon hearing this, both Zhou Ming and Liu Wenhua looked at Lu Qingchen, clearly very curious about it.

Sun Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and with a slight downward smirk, finally spoke: "They have connections, that's for sure."

These words were spoken neither too lightly nor too heavily, but everyone in the main room understood the underlying meaning.

Lu Qingchen remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed the barb in those words, and said indifferently, "This disciple was lucky and passed the test by sheer chance."

"Just lucky?"

Sun Zhiyuan repeated it, his lips twitching slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

Zhao Demao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "No matter how we got here, now that we're in Qingmu Village, we should focus on farming. The abilities of a Spirit Plant Master are cultivated, not talked about."

These words seemed to be both an attempt to smooth things over and a warning to Lu Qingchen.

Lu Qingchen didn't mind, stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "What the Master says is true, this disciple will certainly do his best."

Zhao Demao nodded, put down his teacup, and glanced at the people present: "Since you're here, we need to arrange the spirit fields. What vacant fields are left on the estate?"

Sun Zhiyuan quickly replied, "All the fields in the village have been claimed. There are only a few vacant plots now—the ones on the east side of the village and the one at the end."

Zhao Demao frowned: "Is that all? What about the fields left behind after the last spiritual plant grower left?"

Sun Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Master, the last spiritual plant grower has been gone for almost two months. It's not a good idea for his fields to remain empty."

"So a few days ago I had people plant those fields. Now that the seedlings are planted, it's not good to pull them out again."

Zhao Demao's tone was displeased: "Didn't I tell you to keep it for now? In case a newcomer from a sect comes..."

"I didn't expect the sect to send a new spirit plant donor so quickly."

Sun Zhiyuan's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

"Besides, didn't we say that the village was going to expand the cultivation of Jade Spirit Rice? I figured the plant expert wouldn't be here anytime soon, and the fields were just sitting empty anyway, so I planted a crop first. Who knew that the new recruits would arrive right after we planted them?"

He shrugged and looked at Zhao Demao: "If the master really wants to divide those fields among Steward Lu, that's fine too. Just pull up the seedlings. As for the loss..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

If the seedlings are pulled up, who should bear the loss? The village's? His? Or the new manager, Manager Lu?

Zhao Demao frowned even more deeply, but did not speak immediately.

Lu Qingchen sat at the end of the table, mentally reviewing these words, and had already figured out most of the person's thoughts.