Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life-Chapter 249: Making Money, Making Money

As the eighteen formation flags fell, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The red and blue spiritual energies that had been violently colliding in the center of the cold pool did not vanish. Instead, like a dredged river channel, they began to flow along the path guided by the formation flags.

The heat from the earth fire was led to bypass the snake eggs, flowing out along the left side; the yin energy from the cold pool circulated along the right side.

The two formed a Tai Chi-like ring around the periphery of the snake eggs.

The heat warmed the surrounding air, preventing the excessive cold from freezing the eggs; the cold energy cooled the core's intense heat, preventing the eggs from being cooked.

The once chaotic battlefield instantly transformed into a precisely temperature-controlled incubation chamber.

"This..." Lei Hu's eyes, wide as copper bells, stared as the luster on the surface of the three snake eggs visibly regained its moist sheen. "It's... fixed already?"

He hadn't witnessed any earth-shattering spell clashes or dazzlingly radiant formation effects.

That kid just stuck a few flags in, like casually untangling a messy ball of yarn, and everything just... fell into place.

Su Ming brushed the dirt off his hands, his complexion slightly pale.

The previous deductions and formation deployment had consumed a massive amount of his divine sense.

He turned around, looking at the dumbfounded Lei Hu, and extended his hand. "Payment due: one hundred spirit stones, plus the Beast Spirit Milk. Also, consider these formation flags a gift; they'll last three days. If the earth fire vein is still unstable after three days, it'll cost extra."

Lei Hu looked at this kid a full head shorter than himself, his Adam's apple bobbing. The ferocious glint in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by a look one might give a monster.

"You kid... you've got some skills."

Lei Hu readily pulled out a heavy pouch and slapped it into Su Ming's hand, then fished out a jade bottle and passed it over. The tough muscles on his face contorted into a smile uglier than a grimace. "Su Ming, right? From now on, my formations are yours to fix! Anyone who dares to snatch this business, I'll have words with them!"

Su Ming hefted the spirit stone pouch in his hand, feeling its substantial weight. A genuine smile finally touched the corner of his mouth.

First bucket of gold, acquired.

And, it seemed he had inadvertently opened up a new business line as well.

"Easy enough," Su Ming said, stashing the spirit stones away, his tone reverting to its usual humility. "As long as the spirit stones are in place, there's nothing that can't be fixed."

...

By the time he left Spirit Beast Peak, the sun had already passed its zenith.

Carrying the heavy one hundred spirit stones and that bottle of Beast Spirit Milk, Su Ming didn't head directly back to Clear Stream Valley. Instead, he changed course and returned to the Administration Hall.

The clamor within the great hall remained, the glowing characters on the mission board flowing endlessly.

Having tasted the sweetness of "monetizing his skills," Su Ming's gaze upon that board had completely changed. Before, looking at these tasks meant seeing trouble; now, he saw uncut spirit stones waiting to be polished.

"Master, wading into these muddy waters to fish has actually revealed some methods," Su Ming stood in a corner of the board, his eyes scanning over the "skill-based" tasks most disciples ignored, speaking quietly in his mind to Lin Yu.

"What muddy waters? This is 'technology diffusion,' it's a 'Dimensional Reduction Strike.'"

Lin Yu's voice sounded in the Consciousness Sea, carrying a hint of just-woken-up laziness. "A roughneck like Lei Hu, aside from fighting and killing, knows nothing about formations. You're earning money from the Information Gap and a technology premium. However, such easy marks aren't easy to find. Next, we need to find some steady, long-term work."

Su Ming gave a slight nod, his gaze finally settling on two tasks.

First: Issued by the Spiritual Plant Garden. "Assist in optimizing the irrigation minor formation for three acres of 'Jade Marrow Mushrooms.' Requires proficiency in water-attribute spiritual energy regulation." Reward: thirty spirit stones.

Second: Private commission. "Long-term purchase of 'refined Red Copper ore,' purity requirement above ninety-five percent." Price negotiable.

"Refining Red Copper ore is grueling labor. Even with your 'Water Refining Method,' a purity requirement above ninety-five percent is extremely high. It's time-consuming, effort-intensive, and easily draws attention," Lin Yu analyzed. "But that Spiritual Plant Garden task fits your current approach quite well."

"The 'Like Water Art' specializes in controlling water; Jade Marrow Mushrooms thrive in shade and moisture," Su Ming calculated internally. "And while thirty spirit stones isn't a lot, the advantages are safety and discretion. A place like the Spiritual Plant Garden has ample resources. If I can establish a connection there..."

"Then I'll take this one," Su Ming decided, reaching out and plucking the pale green jade slip.

...

The Spiritual Plant Garden was located in the southeastern corner of the sect, in low-lying terrain with abundant moisture.

Even before stepping through the garden gate, a rich, complex aroma of vegetation assailed his senses.

Within this fragrance was the clear bitterness of spirit herbs, the earthy scent of humus soil, and the strange odor of various spirit fertilizers in fermentation.

Su Ming stood at the entrance, surveying the scene before him.

The spiritual energy was indeed vibrant, but the chaos was equally real.

As far as the eye could see, plots of spiritual fields interlocked like dog's teeth. The glowing lights of defensive formations flashed red and green in a jumbled mess, utterly lacking order.

Several menial disciples in drab, short work clothes were sprinting along the field ridges with spirit hoes on their shoulders, being chased by a few irritable guardian spirit beasts in a scene of utter pandemonium.

"Quite a 'lively' place," Lin Yu scoffed.

Su Ming straightened his robes and stepped inside.

The steward responsible for receiving him was surnamed Wu.

This man appeared to be around forty, with Qi Refining ninth layer cultivation. He was lean and wiry, with a pair of downturned mustaches that gave him a somewhat troubled look.

He was squatting on a field ridge, sighing heavily over a few wilted, drooping spirit herbs. He held a smoking pipe in his hand, puffing away fiercely.

"Steward Wu," Su Ming stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting and presenting the task jade slip. "Outer sect disciple Su Ming, here regarding the task to optimize your irrigation formation."

Steward Wu lifted his eyelids. His murky gaze swept over Su Ming's overly youthful face. He didn't reach for the jade slip, merely exhaling two streams of blue smoke from his nostrils.

"Another outer sect one?" Steward Wu's brows furrowed into a deep frown, his tone dripping with impatience. "One came just a couple days ago, Qi Refining eighth layer, claimed to be proficient in water techniques. Went up there and messed around with the formation, ended up watering my Jade Marrow Mushroom seedlings so much their roots rotted. Kid, are you even old enough? If you're here just to pad your experience, go somewhere else. My place can't take any more disturbances." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Clearly, he'd been burned before.

Su Ming wasn't angered. He withdrew the jade slip, his tone calm. "Since you posted the bounty, Steward, it must be that those Jade Marrow Mushrooms have truly reached a point where they must be treated. Root rot is caused by water flow that's too rapid, with accumulated water unable to drain. If I'm not mistaken, the edges of those seedlings' leaves are yellowing, and there are black spots near the root stems. These are signs of 'water toxicity' accumulation."

Steward Wu's hand, about to knock out his pipe, paused. He finally gave Su Ming a proper look.

"Got a bit of an eye," he said, standing up and brushing the dirt off his backside. "Fine, since you're here, go take a look. Let's be clear upfront: if you can't fix it, even if you're an outer sect disciple, I'll go to the Administration Hall and file a complaint against you, deducting your contribution points!"

Su Ming offered a faint smile. "Please lead the way."