Chapter 013: Slice the Black-Skinned Potatoes Thin

“Have you ever seen one, Little Hu?” Old Zhao asked again.

Qinghu simply shook her head. She had no intention of digging up the entire Coiling Serpent Domain, nor asking anyone else to do so. The Coiling Serpent Domain—well, that giant skeleton truly resembled the bones of a massive serpent, or perhaps an enormous eel.

“Truly never?” Old Zhao pressed.

Qing Xiao Hu continued to shake her head.

Old Zhao sighed with relief. “That’s for the best. Otherwise, we’d be in trouble.”

“Why do you say that? What kind of trouble could we possibly have?” Qingzhen asked in confusion.

“Look at how many Crimson Essence Fruits there are here, and how large they are. To grow such sizable Crimson Essence Fruits, there must be a true dragon’s bone beneath the ground, or perhaps there once was.” Old Zhao explained. “If there really were dragon bones here, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to keep such a small territory for ourselves.”

“A true dragon’s bone? Dragons? There are really dragons?” Qingzhen was stunned.

Old Zhao coughed. “Ahem, well, it’s only a possibility. It might not be a real dragon’s bone—it could also be the skeleton of some enormous sea creature.”

“But isn’t this land?” Qingzhen was puzzled.

“It’s land now, but long ago, perhaps this was the sea. The world changes—seas become fields, and fields become seas. It’s nothing unusual,” Old Zhao said.

“Then if there were dragon bones here, how come we haven’t found any?” Qingzhen looked around, only to see nothing—not even a piece of wood, let alone bones.

“Ahem… Before this place was opened up for human lords to settle, this entire region was meticulously surveyed by experts from the Dao Court. If there really had been dragon bones, they would have been excavated back then,” Old Zhao admitted.

“So what’s left are just territories that have already been stripped of treasures,” Qingzhen realized.

“In fact, if there really were dragon bones, the Dao Court might not have been the ones to take them. Originally, this area was occupied by some fearsome creatures. Who knows—maybe one of them found it and carried it away,” Old Zhao offered in defense of the Dao Court.

“That’s fine. I understand. If I were the one doing all the hard work to open up new territories, I’d want to take a few treasures home myself. Anyone would,” Qingzhen said with casual acceptance.

Old Zhao thought to himself that, should he ever see Old Shen again, he must mention this. His youngest son had certainly been raised with a crooked outlook. Children from proper families would never think, “If I’m opening new lands, I should pocket some treasures.” They’d simply do as they were told—obedient and well-behaved.

This child was clearly worlds apart from innocence and integrity.

“But if the dragon bones are gone, how do these Crimson Essence Fruits still grow so large?” Little Qinghu was the first to point out the flaw.

“There’s a chance that when the dragon bones were removed, those who took them didn’t notice the Crimson Essence Fruits and Black Tide Stones here,” Old Zhao said, surveying the area. “They’re hidden so well, it would be strange if the bone diggers had found them.”

The more Old Zhao thought about it, the more convinced he became.

“Besides, even if the dragon bones were taken, the dragon’s aura may have, over the years, completely merged with the local ley lines. That’s why, even after the bones were removed, the Crimson Essence Fruits can still grow so big.”

Qinghu thought: Well, as long as your logic holds together, that’s a relief. Better than finding a giant skeleton at the bottom of the lake, anyway!

“But now that you’re digging up so many of the large Crimson Essence Fruits, there probably won’t be any more so big in the future,” Old Zhao said, pointing at the two baskets and the small pile of black potatoes.

Qinghu nodded immediately. Indeed, she planned to come back every month or two and dig them up before they grew too large.

Small potatoes always tasted better—just roast them, peel off the skins, add some bean paste, and they’re delicious. Once they get too big, you can only slice them into potato slivers.

“It’s a pity there’s so few. This patch is five or six acres, and yet we only dug up this much,” Qinghu said with some regret. “The yield is too low.”

Old Zhao nearly popped his eyes out at that.

“Crimson Essence Fruit grows from a mixture of dragon aura and spiritual energy, not from the soil. The fact you dug up so much is already remarkable, do you understand?” Old Zhao pointed at the two baskets and the small pile—which, by his estimate, was at least forty or fifty pounds of fruit. Silently, he kept muttering to himself: way too much, honestly.

Qinzhen and Qinghu both nodded obediently, but one look at their eyes and it was clear they hadn’t taken Old Zhao’s words to heart.

Outwardly, they appeared well-behaved, but inside, they were full of their own ideas.

Such children would never admit fault unless you convinced them thoroughly. Otherwise, they were the little troublemakers of the student world.

Old Zhao thought to himself, Old Shen’s parenting really was an issue. He’d have to put in more effort from now on. Good children shouldn’t grow up so crooked.

A good child listens to their elders, walks the path their elders pave, and moves forward quickly. That’s what a good child ought to do.

If Old Shen could hear Old Zhao’s thoughts at that moment, he’d surely grab his hand, weeping in gratitude. “Brother, you’re a good man. I have no idea how my kids turned out like this. They seemed so proper when they were little, but as they grew, each one became outwardly pure but inwardly impish—it’s a heartbreak.”

Well, of course! With a heretic living next door, if your kids only turned out like this, you should count yourself lucky.

“Crimson Essence Fruit is a wonderful treasure, but it can’t be sold locally,” Old Zhao warned anxiously. “This spiritual delicacy is especially suited for water-element cultivators. Eating it, their understanding of water-based techniques and spells will advance at lightning speed.

If you are water-element cultivators, eating a few could even save you the trouble of needing Foundation-Building Pills.”

“No luck for me—I’m a wind-element cultivator,” Qingzhen said, wearing a look of pride, as if even his attribute was especially unique, far from the common five-element cultivators.

“Earth element,” Qinghu shrugged, clearly bored.

“Wood element,” Xiaobai added.

“Fire element,” said Clear Spring, though his tone was resigned.

Old Zhao hesitated for a moment. Seeing all eyes on him, he had no choice but to admit, “Fire element as well.” Old Zhao wondered why he was reporting his cultivation attribute to a group of children.

He began to question his own life choices.

“So then these can only be made into potato slivers? It’s not harmful for non-water cultivators to eat them, right?” Qinghu asked.

“They’re edible, and actually have some benefits. For fire-element cultivators, in particular, they can enhance the toughness of your meridians, reducing the damage caused by the frenetic nature of fire-based energy during breakthroughs. But don’t overeat—too much of even a good thing can be harmful,” Old Zhao advised.

“As long as they’re edible! How about we have some cold shredded potatoes and spicy potato slivers for lunch?” Qinghu turned to her fourth brother.

“And some stir-fried potatoes with green peppers,” Qingzhen immediately chimed in.

“Potatoes—Crimson Essence Fruit, Crimson Essence Fruit,” Old Zhao corrected himself.

Yet, they really were just black potatoes in his eyes.