The East-West border region of the Zi Yao Kingdom.
Here, the mountain paths were treacherous, lofty peaks crowded together, and the deep forests were dense and overgrown.
Since ancient times, this place had been known as the rampart of heaven and earth, a place where thousands of towering mountain ranges converged like a solid, impregnable fortress enclosing an entire stretch of the sky.
The brilliant sunset, like a heavenly fire, illuminated the world below.
From afar, Lin Ye suddenly spotted a wisp of cooking smoke curling upward.
Lin Ye's eyes lit up. He wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, I've found a place where people live..."
Lin Ye had been trekking through this desolate, remote wilderness for a full seven days.
Along the way, the youth had endured countless dangers and hardships, once nearly losing his life to the razor-sharp fangs of a wild beast.
Just when he was on the verge of collapse, he saw that curling wisp of cooking smoke. Though it was extremely far away, it filled Lin Ye with excitement, and his exhausted body suddenly surged with renewed energy.
Steeling his resolve, he pressed onward.
Before long, a mu of finely tilled farmland appeared in his sight, bolstering Lin Ye's hope even further.
"Since there is farmland, there must be a village nearby."
The field was filled with grain crops, nearly ready for harvest.
The stalks hung heavy with grain. As a gentle breeze swept past, the lush green crops rippled like waves of the sea, their scent mingling with the fragrance of the surrounding wild grass.
It was a sight that brought a sense of peace and comfort.
"If the crops are growing this well, they should be ready for harvest in less than ten days. Wait! Something is wrong."
Lin Ye seemed to have noticed something unusual. He leaned over the edge of the field to inspect the crops more closely.
He was certain of his intuition; although the crops appeared to be thriving, the underlying reality was far from optimistic.
Although the soil was rich, fertile, and brimming with spiritual energy,
beneath that lush exterior, Lin Ye spotted signs of decay and withering on the stalks.
This was something that would be incredibly difficult to notice without a careful, close examination.
Lin Ye reached out, plucked a stalk, and placed it in his hand. Using his fingertips, he gently peeled back the tender green outer layer and observed it intently.
Inside the stalk were numerous silvery-white insects, each only the size of a tiny pebble, wriggling incessantly as they drained the vitality from the plant.
Sha Ban Insects!!!
The entire mu of crops was being ravaged by pests.
By Lin Ye's estimation, if these Sha Ban Insects were not eliminated in time, this entire plot of nearly ripe crops would surely wither away, losing all of its spiritual energy.
Even if they managed to harvest anything, the losses would be devastating—perhaps so severe that there would be nothing left to harvest at all.
"It seems this village doesn't have a truly skilled spiritual rune master.
"Because if they did, they certainly wouldn't allow such a terrible thing to happen during the crops' growth stage," Lin Ye thought, before immediately shaking his head with a wry smile. "Then again, I doubt any spiritual rune master would be willing to bury themselves in these treacherous mountains."
After all, Lin Ye knew well that the spiritual rune masters of this world were highly esteemed and noble figures.
Just then, a sudden sigh echoed in the air.
Lin Ye turned his head to look back. He saw a tall, robust middle-aged man wrapped in a loincloth made of animal skin—a beast-skin uncle.
He was sitting on a plot of land not far away, staring blankly at the field and sighing sorrowfully.
The beast-skin uncle was frowning with worry.
His rough face, darkened by the sun and wind, was etched with deep, unending anxiety.
Moved by the sight, Lin Ye stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, are you worried about this crop of grain?"
Hearing this, the beast-skin uncle immediately began to lament, as if venting a long-repressed frustration: "Yes, alas! Heaven has no mercy. There hasn't been a single drop of rain for a whole month. If this keeps up, the three mu of fields my family planted will be completely ruined."
But when he turned his head to get a clear look at Lin Ye's face, the beast-skin uncle was suddenly startled. "Kid, where did you come from?"
Standing before the middle-aged man was a young boy wearing a clean white cloth robe. He had a thin frame, a slightly innocent and pale face, and looked weak, yet he also bore the weathered look of a long journey.
On his back, Lin Ye carried a mottled, old wooden box. It was unclear what was inside, but it was heavy enough to bend his back.
Judging by his appearance, the boy was twelve or thirteen years old at most.
It was truly strange for such a young boy to suddenly wander into the territory of Feiyun Village.
One had to know that within a thousand-mile radius, Feiyun Village was the only settlement.
Beyond this village, everywhere else was nothing but rugged, harsh mountains and passes, with no trace of human life to be found.
In the beast-skin uncle's memory, over the past ten years, not a single stranger had ever set foot in Feiyun Village.
Yet today, a thin boy of only twelve or thirteen had suddenly appeared before his field.
How could he not be astonished?
"Uncle, who I am is not important. What matters is that I can help you solve your current trouble," Lin Ye said with a smile.
He figured that if he revealed his identity, the man would inevitably ask him many more questions, which would waste a lot of time—and he was already so hungry that he could barely walk.
The beast-skin uncle stood up in bewilderment and said, "What? What did you say?"
Lin Ye smiled. "I said I can help you solve this problem and ensure a bountiful harvest for this plot of grain."
The beast-skin uncle frowned. Looking at Lin Ye's slightly innocent, thin, and pale face, he said skeptically, "Kid, you aren't bragging, are you?"
A frail boy who could barely catch his breath, yet speaking with such absolute certainty—it seemed entirely like an overestimation of his own abilities.
Lin Ye smiled, pointing at the peeled stalk of grain in his hand, and said, "Uncle, take a look. The reason your crops aren't growing isn't due to a lack of water, but because they are being ravaged by insects."
"These pests are called Saban insects, and they feed on the stalks of the grain."
"If you don't get rid of them in time, this plot of grain you've worked so hard to tend will surely be completely ruined."
The beast-skin-clad uncle shivered. Staring at the Shaban worms wriggling inside the grain stalks, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn their ancestors! No wonder watering them so much didn't do a damn thing. It turns out these wretched pests were the ones wreaking havoc."
"But...!"
His expression suddenly turned miserable, and he scratched his head in frustration. "These damn bugs are inside the grain stalks. I have no idea how to get rid of them!"
Lin Ye chuckled and said nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly, his smile as bright and clear as sunshine.
The beast-skin-clad uncle let out a deep sigh, his face filled with frustration and bitter distress. Then, his eyes suddenly widened as if realizing something, and he cried out, "Little brother, since you recognized these pests, you must have a way to get rid of them, right?"
Lin Ye nodded, a calm and composed demeanor reflecting in his clear eyes.
"That's wonderful!" The beast-skin-clad uncle was so excited his face flushed red, and much of the suspicion he had held toward Lin Ye instantly vanished.
Seeing that the beast-skin-clad uncle was swayed, Lin Ye seized the opportunity and said, "Uncle, if I help you with this, can you promise me one condition?"
Without the slightest hesitation, the beast-skin-clad uncle replied, "As long as you can help me, Tie Shan, deal with these damn pests, forget about one condition—I'll agree to ten!"
Having said that, he suddenly realized he might have spoken too hastily. He muttered, "Of course, they have to be things that I, Tie Shan, am actually capable of doing.
But if it's beyond my power, my hands are tied."
Lin Ye smiled and said, "My condition is very simple. I just want you to help me find a place to stay in the village."
Tie Shan said in surprise, "You want to live in Feiyun Village?"
Lin Ye nodded, his eyes clear and his expression devoid of any playfulness. When it was time to be serious, he never behaved flippantly.
This was a habit he had cultivated since childhood.
Tie Shan hesitated slightly, scratching his head. "Wait here for a moment.
I'll go into the village to ask the village chief.
I can't make this decision on my own, but I don't think it should be too difficult."
With that, he spun around and dashed off toward the village, his movements surprisingly agile, vigorous, and decisive.
Lin Ye watched blankly for a moment before suddenly remembering something. He shouted, "Uncle, remember to bring me some food when you come back!
If I don't get a full meal, I won't have the strength to help you solve this!"
"I know!" Tie Shan's gruff voice echoed from afar.
"This uncle is quite a simple and honest man," Lin Ye smiled. He set down the old wooden box from his back, rubbed his aching shoulders, and then turned to step into the field to examine it closely.
Spirit grain was an indispensable spiritual herb for cultivation, containing potent spiritual energy, but this kind of plant was extremely difficult to nurture.
From the moment the seeds were sown, one had to constantly guard against pests and natural disasters, as well as regularly weed and tend to them.
If any mistake was made, the quality of the grain would decline, and it might even lose its spiritual energy entirely.
Take the field before him, for example. It was currently infested with pests; if they weren't thoroughly eradicated, it would lead to devastating losses.
But for Lin Ye, this was no difficult task at all.
Before long, Tie Shan returned. However, he did not come back alone; a crowd of villagers followed close behind him.
The brilliant sunset glow bathed the entirety of Cang Mountain in crimson.
At the same time, the crowd of villagers, along with Tie Shan, were rushing over in a clamor, drawing closer by the second.
Lin Ye was stunned. He shrugged anxiously; perhaps some unforeseen trouble was about to unfold...