The crops planted in the space grew rapidly, and Xiao Fei couldn't help but enter the space several times a day to check on them, each time finding them different.
Even the rice seedlings, which he had been worried about, were growing well.
During this period, there was no need for watering or fertilizing, and their growth was not affected in any way.
As Xiao Fei endured the anticipation for about half a month, the space finally turned golden yellow, signaling that it was time to harvest.
Xiao Fei wielded his cleaver and worked in the space for a whole day, harvesting all the grain and completing the threshing.
Being merely a phantom formed by his will in the space, he was completely exhausted after finishing the work.
He gathered all the harvested grain. Preliminary estimates suggested that after drying, it would amount to over a hundred catties.
The grain yields in this world were not high, with average yields per mu generally ranging from 100 to 300 catties.
He had only planted a catty of seeds, and even then, on less than half a mu of land. Harvesting this much grain was already quite good.
He slept in the haystack for one night to recover his energy, and now he was eager to cook a bowl of rice for himself.
The paddy rice and millet still needed to be husked, so rice was out of the question for now.
Only the wheat, after being rubbed from the ears, had most of its husk removed. Xiao Fei took some wheat in a clay pot, washed it, and then placed it over a fire to cook on low heat.
The cooked wheat porridge had a rich wheat aroma, and it was countless times more delicious than tree bark, grass roots, or shepherd's purse and fern cakes.
This body had not eaten such proper food for at least two years.
Xiao Fei hugged the clay pot and frantically shoveled the rice into his mouth with two branches, choking and pounding his chest several times.
Just as he was fully engaged in battling the pot of wheat porridge, the door of the thatched hut creaked open.
Xiao Fei dropped the clay pot in his hands and sprang to his feet, dual blades already in hand, one a cleaver and the other a black saber, exuding an air of a great general.
"No need to rush, little brother! It's me!"
The newcomer was also startled by Xiao Fei's stance, fearing that Xiao Fei might just strike him with a blade.
Killing in this refugee camp carried no responsibility; death was meaningless.
Xiao Fei focused his gaze and realized it was the old man who had sold him the black saber some time ago.
At that time, the old man was nothing but withered skin stretched over a skeletal frame, breathing in more than out.
In just over ten to twenty days, the old man could walk, and his face had even gained a little flesh, making Xiao Fei almost not recognize him.
"It's you. What do you need me for?"
Xiao Fei glanced at the black saber in his hand. This black saber, though unassuming, was very useful. He had traded six fern roots for it, a huge bargain.
However, he would never return it. In a place like this refugee camp, the black saber was a life-saving item.
The transaction was voluntary, and he had not coerced the other party in any way.
"Little brother, don't misunderstand. I wanted to ask if you have any more of that fern root. I have something to trade with you."
The old man stretched his nose and took several deep breaths of the wheat aroma in the thatched hut, as if each extra breath was a free gain.
"What do you plan to trade? I don't have that fern root at the moment."
Xiao Fei had already eaten all the fern roots he had dug up in the previous batch, leaving only a small pinch of fern root starch.
Since the growing cycle of fern roots was about a year, this batch of fern roots was not yet ready for harvesting.
The old man swallowed and then took out a thin booklet from his embrace.
Xiao Fei felt a strange sense of familiarity seeing this scene. Was he about to be taught a palm technique that fell from the sky, and then be tasked with saving the world?
"I obtained this book along with that black saber. I want to trade this book for some fern root."
"May I see it first?"
The old man hesitated for a moment before handing the book to Xiao Fei.
The written language in this world was different from that of Earth, but Xiao Fei's father, having attended a few years of private tutoring, had taught Xiao Fei to read.
It was a hand-copied thread-bound book. Xiao Fei flipped through it casually and found himself at the end.
"What about the latter part?"
The old man looked a bit embarrassed. "I tore it off to wrap things."
"Little brother, what exactly is written in this book?"
The old man had always been curious about the contents of the book.
Xiao Fei closed the book and returned it to the old man.
"This book records a health cultivation method called 'Evergreen Skill.' It can lighten the body, strengthen it, prolong life, and prevent all illnesses."
The old man became a little excited upon hearing this. He hadn't expected it to be such a good thing; he wished he hadn't torn off so many pages.
"Then how do I use this... skill?"
"This book only contains four levels of the cultivation method. The latter part was torn off by you.
You need to follow the cultivation methods in the book and meditate for at least two shichen every day, absorbing something called 'spiritual energy' from heaven and earth."
Xiao Fei did not want to hide anything and told him truthfully. Whether he traded or not was irrelevant. He had seen plenty of health cultivation methods in his previous life and had even practiced several.
In his youth, he had stumbled upon "Yi Jin Jing" and "Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts of Martial Prowess" in the library and treated them like treasures, practicing them in secret at home for an entire summer vacation.
Fortunately, school started later, and he didn't have time to venture into the martial world, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
However, upon hearing about the miraculous effects of this cultivation method, the old man's spirits immediately lifted.
"After cultivating this method, do I still need to eat?"
If cultivating the method could eliminate the need for food, then he would never have to worry about filling his stomach again.
Thinking of this, the old man's eyes gleamed.
Giving up eating, this was probably what all poor people desired most.
"Yes, the book states that cultivating 'Evergreen Skill' requires eating, and even more than normal people. One meal could consume a dou of rice."
"You also need to regularly consume nourishing items like ginseng, reishi mushrooms, and polygonatum, to successfully cultivate this skill."
The old man immediately lost all interest in the book, even feeling a bit disgusted.
If he could eat his fill every day, wouldn't he be strong and healthy, walking with the wind? Why would he need to cultivate this damn skill?
Wouldn't it be better to spend two shichen a day foraging for wild vegetables?
As for ginseng and reishi mushrooms, such expensive items were probably only affordable by the emperor.
"Little brother, this 'Evergreen Skill' is so miraculous, it grants longevity and immunity to illness after cultivation. How about I trade it with you for five fern roots?"
He had just heard Xiao Fei say he didn't have any at the moment, implying he definitely had some.
"For just this tattered book, you have the nerve to ask for five fern roots!"
Xiao Fei directly shook his head and refused.
"No! I can't even afford to eat, and I might starve to death on the roadside tomorrow. What use do I have for this 'Evergreen Skill'?"
The old man still didn't want to give up and continued to persuade him, "Little brother, since you can read, why don't you try cultivating it?"
"Perhaps... perhaps after cultivating it, you'll be more resistant to hunger. It doesn't hurt, anyway."
"How about this, I'll only need three... two fern roots."
Under the old man's persuasion, Xiao Fei finally became a little moved. He had now achieved a comfortable life and was no longer short of a little grain.
"I don't have any fern roots on hand right now. Can I trade with you using grain?"
Xiao Fei said, pointing to the wheat porridge in the clay pot.
The old man seemed tempted but ultimately shook his head firmly. He wanted fern roots; he had personally experienced their special effects.
Xiao Fei, helpless, could only reach into the haystack and grope around. He entered the space and pulled out two fern roots from the ground, handing them to the old man.
Upon receiving the fern roots, the old man carefully tucked them into his embrace, his face beaming with joy, looking as if he had won the lottery.