Chapter 13: The Appearance of Green Beetles

Fang Yun smiled and nodded, saying, "Elder, you've truly gone to great lengths for this!"

"As long as the clan leader is satisfied, that's all that matters. As long as it's your request, we will do our utmost to fulfill it. You just need to focus on your cultivation!"

Fang Yun glanced at Fang Lin, knowing that although these were flattering words, he couldn't help but feel touched. Without the united effort of the Fang family, accomplishing this task would have been utterly impossible for him.

He silently promised to repay this kindness in the future. After all, he was no longer the original Fang Yun and couldn't take their support for granted. However, with the assistance of his special abilities, Fang Yun firmly believed he would soon be able to provide help to the Fang family.

After putting away the silkworm net, Fang Yun didn't linger and headed straight up the mountain. Using bamboo strips, he carefully built a sturdy frame above the spiritual field. Next, all he needed to do was cover it with the silkworm net when necessary, and the job would be complete. However, given the current situation, there was no urgency.

After all, the silkworm net was not like a plastic film; once covered, it would still block some sunlight. For the spiritual rice that had just entered its maturity phase, sunlight was still crucial. Therefore, before the green beetles arrived, Fang Yun planned not to cover the silkworm net just yet.

In the following days, Fang Yun diligently cleared the weeds that kept sprouting in the spiritual field while carefully observing the condition of the spiritual rice, patiently waiting for the appearance of the pests. As for the weeds, he had no effective method for dealing with them at the moment. Before they had grown, Fang Yun had no way of knowing how many weed seeds were hidden in the spiritual field.

Fortunately, compared to the troublesome pests, the presence of the spiritual rice made it much easier to clear the weeds. One night, Fang Yun was sleeping beside the spiritual field. Since the spiritual rice had entered its maturity phase, he had been sleeping near the field, worried that something unexpected might happen to the rice.

In any case, the spiritual energy in the spiritual spring was already sparse, and a few days without absorption wouldn't have too much impact on him. However, if the spiritual rice could provide sufficient life energy, it would significantly accelerate his cultivation growth.

Just as he fell into a deep sleep, he suddenly received some uncomfortable sensations from the spiritual rice in the field. For someone who had long been on guard like Fang Yun, this instantly jolted him awake. He quickly followed the sensation and hurried to one of the spiritual rice plants in the field.

Gathering spiritual energy in his eyes and aided by the bright moonlight, the familiar silhouette of a green beetle clearly came into view.

"It's finally here!" Fang Yun murmured, feeling a sense of relief. After all, the waiting process had been quite torturous. He promptly pinched the green beetle off the spiritual rice and crushed it completely. After carefully inspecting the other spiritual rice plants and confirming there were no issues, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the previous few green beetles were just the advance party. Fang Yun swiftly laid the silkworm net over the spiritual field and secured it tightly around the edges to prevent any breaches. After setting up the net, he found it hard to sleep, so he squatted beside the field, staring intently at the spiritual rice inside.

Before long, he heard the buzzing sound of flying insects around him. Things kept crashing into the silkworm net, bouncing off and falling to the ground. Seeing the green beetles that had fallen to the ground struggling to get up, Fang Yun felt a sense of relief. It seemed that his preparations were indeed effective.

He got up and approached the silkworm net, crushing every green beetle that had fallen to the ground without leaving a single one. Since they had come here, he couldn't let them return safely. Although Fang Yun knew that the green beetles he had exterminated would not significantly deter the entire beetle population, who knew how many such insects there were in the wild? Regardless, there were definitely still many green beetles out there compared to the ones he had killed.

Nevertheless, eliminating even a few was better than nothing. Even if it had little impact, at least it would make him feel a bit better. By the time morning came, the area beside the spiritual field was already piled high with the bodies of green beetles.

As the sky brightened, it seemed that the previously incessant stream of green beetles had disappeared. Were these green beetles merely nocturnal insects? Considering the nature of such pests, it was indeed possible. As for why he had found green beetles on the spiritual rice during the day last time, it was naturally because they had begun feeding on the rice. They wouldn't leave until they had completely eaten it clean, whether it was day or night.

If these green beetles no longer appeared during the day, that would be good news for him. After patiently waiting for a while and confirming that no green beetles appeared, Fang Yun finally took the silkworm net down, exposing the spiritual rice fully to the sunlight. If given a choice, ample sunlight was undoubtedly better for the spiritual rice.

Then, Fang Yun picked up a hoe and gathered all the green beetle bodies into one pile. Using the Earth Force Technique, he condensed some energy and mixed it with the soil containing the beetle corpses. He then set it aside to let it decompose into fertilizer.

With the bodies of these green beetles, the fertilizer should be rich in nutrients. He would be able to use it when planting regular crops. After all, if the bodies of the green beetles were left untreated here, it would be extremely unpleasant. He considered it a form of waste recycling.

After that, Fang Yun began to rest, conserving his energy for the night ahead. Nighttime was peak activity for these insects, and even with the silkworm net, he didn't dare let his guard down. Who knew if the accumulated green beetles might damage the net? Even if they couldn't destroy the net, what about other insects on this island?

There are many types of insects in nature, and Fang Yun had no idea if sharp-toothed pests would appear. This made him cautious. Fortunately, aside from the spiritual energy in the spiritual spring, there was none elsewhere on the island. This meant that there wouldn't be any spirit insects that fed on spiritual energy. Otherwise, with his Qi Refinement at the first level, he really wouldn't be able to handle those spirit insects.

In the following month, Fang Yun rested during the day to recharge and exterminated green beetles with all his effort at night. After a month of relentless effort, he hadn't completely eradicated the green beetles, but the spiritual rice had finally reached full maturity. This meant that the days of torment were finally over.