Calculations Backfire

The moment Chen Huaiyang inquired about Chen Jinshu's reward, the hall fell silent again.

All eyes turned to the two elders.

The already flustered men grew even more uneasy under the collective gaze.

Sensing something amiss, Chen Huaiyang frowned. "Elders, do you have reservations about this?"

"Ah! The family did prepare a reward," Chen Wenchang said, his expression relaxing into a faint smile as he smoothly masked his earlier awkwardness. His eyes gleamed with sudden shrewdness. "But Elder Wen Yang and I felt it was too meager to match Jinshu's contribution. We were just discussing what else to add."

"Indeed! Jinshu's merit deserves proper recognition," Chen Wen Yang agreed, smiling warmly at Chen Jinshu as if relieved.

"The family allotted fifty spirit stones. We've decided to supplement it with a low-grade defensive treasure—the Water Moon Pearl."

Chen Wenchang produced a lustrous white pearl from his storage pouch, its glow illuminating the hall. Meanwhile, Chen Wen Yang displayed the fifty spirit stones.

Chen Huaiyang's face paled. He sighed, his eyes shadowed with quiet dismay. At first she confused, Chen Jinshu quickly grasped the situation when she noticed her third uncle's troubled gaze.

"They're trying to cover up the family's stinginess—and pin the resentment on me!"

The farmers had received only 30% compensation. Even those with five acres got merely 50-60 spirit stones. Yet here the elders were lavishing her with 50 stones plus a pearl worth another 50-60—over a hundred stones in total.

How would the struggling farmers feel, seeing her rewarded so richly while they scraped by?

This was a blatant attempt to redirect their anger toward her, diverting attention from the family's inadequate reparations.

Her pulse quickened as she scanned the crowd. To her surprise, the farmers weren't glaring at her—their fury was directed squarely at the elders. Their eyes burned with the violence of men who'd been cheated.

Relief washed over her. These farmers might lack cultivation strength, but they weren't fools. They'd seen through the elders' ploy to scapegoat a young girl.

Chen Wen Yang and Chen Wenchang tensed under the hostile stares, baffled by their plan's failure.

"Elders," Chen Huaiyang interjected, "while Jinshu's contribution is significant, such lavish rewards seem excessive. Perhaps let her choose one of the two?"

"She deserves every stone!"

A booming voice cut through the hall. The speaker's words ignited the farmers' pent-up frustration.

"Jinshu earned that reward!"

"Without her, we'd have lost everything!"

"Why force her to choose when both were promised?"

Chen Jinshu's breath caught. Though her face remained still, her heart clenched as if gripped by invisible hands—warming under the unexpected protectiveness.

After years of neglect in Ningyu Mountain, three months on Vulture Mountain had given her more belonging than a lifetime with her clan.

"What say you, Elders?" Chen Huaiyang pressed, pleased by the farmers' support.

The two elders exchanged resigned glances. "Let her have both," Chen Wenchang conceded flatly.

Dazed, Chen Jinshu stepped forward to accept the pearl and stones, half-convinced this was a dream.

"Keep them. You've earned this," Chen Huaiyang murmured warmly.

"Thank you, Third Uncle." She bowed, stowing the treasures away.

When she turned, the farmers' smiles struck her like sunlight—proud, avuncular, fierce in their solidarity. Though cheated themselves, they'd fought to see justice done for her.

"Thank you, uncles, brothers." Her voice wavered as she fought back emotion.

"We owe you thanks," a farmer called out. "Your warning saved what little we have left!"

The chorus of gratitude that followed made her eyes sting.

"Enough," Chen Huaiyang announced, noting the elders' sour expressions. "Those needing spirit seeds for replanting, register in two days. We depart for Vermilion Market in half a month."

As the crowd dispersed, Chen Jinshu shot the elders a veiled glance. Their puzzled stares confirmed their utter failure to understand why the farmers championed her.

Behind her veil, her lips curled into a frost-edged smile.

Back at Plum Blossom Courtyard. Chen Jinshu examined the Water Moon Pearl—egg-sized, flawless, thrumming with defensive energy.

"A defensive artifact. Now I've got both offense and protection covered."

Delighted, she channeled spiritual sense into the pearl to begin refining it.

Half a month later, Third Uncle notified her: They'd leave for Vermilion Market at dawn.

She spent her final day harvesting magnolia flowers from her Vulture Mountain plot. After four months, they'd finally matured. Though inferior to her spatial crops, they'd still fetch a fine price.

"298 plants. Not bad." Two had rotted at the roots, but the rest were healthy. After casting a Rain Summoning Art to nourish the soil, she returned home.

Inside her spiritual planting space, an acre of Purple-Stamen Flowers awaited—vibrant orange petals with violet cores, the latter holding the medicinal potency.

"Sell the weaker ones, keep the robust for Qi Condensing Pills," she decided, deftly plucking blossoms.