I woke before dawn, excitement stirring quietly in my chest.
Today was the harvest.
I was very excited for today's harvest.
Not just because of the grains—but because harvest meant system rewards.
Those rewards would help me breakthrough to the late stage of Qi Refining. And as per the cultivation norms, stepping into the late stage strengthened the soul and allowed most cultivators to awaken spiritual sense.
I already possessed spiritual sense.
Which does not mean that soul enhancement would be wasted.
That boost could be used differently.
I planned to refine another sword within my mindspace.
A second soul sword.
With the aid of the soul sword, there were things I intended to complete.
As that thought surfaced, a faint killing intent flickered within my eyes.
Immediately, a cooling sensation spread through my mind.
The pendant reacted on its own, calming my heart and clearing my thoughts.
The sharpness faded.
I exhaled slowly.
A clear heart. A clear mind.
No matter how far I walked, I could not allow my heart to grow reckless.
After activating the robe's cleaning effect and refreshing myself, I stepped outside.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, the world wrapped in a quiet stillness that existed only at dawn.
I froze.
Yet, to my surprise, Grandfather was already waiting for me at the table.
So were Mo Fan and Mo Ling.
They stood together in front of my room, small figures in the pale morning light.
"…Why are you all up so early?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
The children lowered their heads, avoiding my gaze, suddenly shy.
They exchanged glances, clearly unsure who should speak.
Grandfather smiled faintly and answered for them.
"Today is harvest day," he said. "They insisted on coming with you. Asked me to wake them before you left."
I crouched down in front of them, bringing myself to their height.
"Harvesting is hard work," I said gently. "It's tiring. Even adults get exhausted. Are you sure you want to come?"
Mo Fan nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Big Brother Shen."
Mo Ling nodded too—too enthusiastically—and nearly toppled forward before steadying herself.
That earned a small chuckle from me.
"Alright," I said. "But first, we eat."
I prepared meat buns quickly, we ate some, packed enough for the three of us to eat at the fields and leaving some behind for Grandfather. When we set out, Mo Ling insisted on carrying the basket herself.
She placed it carefully on her head, hands raised to steady it, swaying slightly as she walked.
It was slow.
Clumsy.
And unbearably cute.
I let her do as she pleased.
The path to the fields was quiet, dew clinging to the grass. When we arrived, I placed the basket beneath a tree.
"You wait here," I said. "If you're hungry, eat."
Mo Ling glanced at the basket.
Steam curled faintly upward from inside the basket.
Her lips parted instinctively, then she clenched her fists and shook her head hard.
"No," she said seriously. "We'll wait."
She turned to Mo Fan, and froze.
"…Brother, what are you doing?"
I turned to Mo Fan.
He had already turned away, pretending to be very interested in the clouds while discreetly wiping his mouth.
"Yes! Yes! We'll wait!" he said hurriedly.
I smiled helplessly. "I'll be quick."
Stepping into the field, I looked at the jade spirit rice.
Every stalk stood tall. Every grain was full.
Perfect.
I summoned the system farming sickle and attached it to a spiritual thread. It swept forward, clean and precisely cutting through the stalks, while the remaining two threads gathered the cut stalks and stacked them neatly aside.
The process was terrifyingly efficient.
Almost too naturally.
In just ten minutes, the field was cleared.
In between the System notifications flickered briefly.
Five Verdant Dew (White) rewards and two Rapid Growth (Green) rewards appeared in the system panel.
If other farmers were present, they would be utterly stunned. Jade spirit rice stalks were notoriously tough. Normally, harvesting one mu took one to three hours, depending on tools and strength.
From the children's perspective beneath the tree.
I must have looked like a storm passing through the field.
I could even hear their distant exclamations.
Next came threshing.
Three spiritual threads worked in harmony, holding a stack of grains started threshing, separating grain from stalk. Half an hour later, the work was done.
The final yield of jade spirit rice stood at 430 pounds.
I packed the grains into bags and stored them along with the stalks in my spirit pouch, before returning to the shade.
The children stared at me as if they had seen a ghost.
Silent.
Wide-eyed.
"…What's wrong?" I asked.
Mo Fan hesitated, then spoke slowly.
"Big Brother… we wanted to help. But… you finished everything before we could even move."
There was no accusation in his voice.
Only quiet disappointment mixed with awe.
I froze.
Ah.
I overdid it.
I rubbed the back of my head.
"Sorry…I forgot," I admitted. "I got carried away."
"Don't worry," I added quickly. "You can help me with other things next time."
Their expressions eased immediately.
Then I smiled. "Let's eat."
At the mention of food, both of them instantly recovered
That was enough.
We sat together beneath the tree and finally ate. The buns were still warm, the filling rich and fragrant.
After a moment, I spoke again.
"What you saw today," I said casually, "don't tell anyone."
"If someone asks, say it took us four hours."
Both nodded.
Then Mo Ling frowned. "Why should we lie?"
Mo Fan opened his mouth to explain, but I spoke first.
"If others find out I can harvest this fast, they might take me away and make me work for them every day."
Mo Ling's eyes widened.
She shook her head "No! No!", and said fiercely. "I won't let anyone take Big Brother Shen! I'll bite them!"
Mo Fan nodded just as firmly. "We won't tell anyone."
"Yesh! Yesh!" Mo Ling agreed enthusiastically.
I laughed softly.
The morning breeze passed through the fields, carrying the scent of rice and earth.
Satisfied, I leaned back against the tree.
The harvest was complete.