A drop of water containing the ultimate longevity inner strength smashed into a large tree.
Shen Ling looked at the poplar tree in the courtyard and silently observed the changes that were about to take place.
Soon the tree's bark began to crack and its branches began to fall apart.
When Shen Ling saw that the oldest tree in the sharecroppers' village was about to disappear in this courtyard, he quickly smashed another drop of longevity inner strength like a drop of water onto it.
Since the two balls of inner strength were entangled, the tree changed repeatedly between withering and sprouting.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
The ancient tree finally became calm after a while. Its branches were even blossoming with leaves that should not have appeared.
"What a nice fragrance!"
Shen Ling said as he sniffed the flowers. He also saw that there were dew-like drops of water on the flowers which he licked a little.
Instantly, he felt as if he had drunk a mouthful of sweet wine.
As soon as the feeling disappeared, Shen Ling used the power of longevity to examine his body thereby putting his mind at ease.
"It's harmless!"
He was dumbstruck after analyzing the results.
He had never expected that the poplar tree would undergo such a change after absorbing the power of longevity.
It could produce something like flower wine.
Shen Ling brought out the wine jars that he had drunk previously and began to collect the flower wine produced by the tree.
He had already verified that the wine was harmless. Although this wine was not very strong, it was quite delicious.
Shen Ling decided to let everyone in the village have a taste of this new discovery.
This flower wine was not like any other wine they knew.
They were both different.
Shen Ling collected a few jars and sent them to the southern square of the village. He wanted the members of the Longsword Team, who were training, to have a drink.
"This is so light."
Da Zhuang said as he tasted it.
Another young man tasted it and blushed.
"This wine is so refreshing."
The young man muttered to himself as he began to practice his sword skills not too far from where Shen Ling was.
Soon enough, this young man mastered the Mountain-splitting Saber Technique!
In the beginning, he was making a lot of mistakes; but later, he improved at a very rapid pace.
"This wine..."
Da Zhuang also narrowed his eyes.
Right in front of Shen Ling, he began to cultivate the Iron Shirt that he had never stepped into the first level.
Not long after, Da Zhuang was able to break through!
This alone shocked Shen Ling.
Da Zhuang opened his eyes slowly and said in a deep voice, "Young Master, I feel I can increase my cultivation speed after drinking this wine."
"Really?"
Shen Ling smiled as he took a big gulp.
He began cultivating the Longevity Technique. He wanted to test if it was useful.
'You have completed one successful circulation of the Longevity Technique, proficiency + 5.'
The increase in proficiency didn't speed up.
It looked just as usual.
Still, Shen Ling wasn't convinced. But after drinking so many cups, he could only admit one fact in the end.
As far as he was concerned, the flower wine produced by the poplar tree had no effect whatsoever.
It was only useful for those who had low cultivation techniques.
Just as Shen Ling was still trying to get over the feeling, a young sharecropper ran over and said, "Young Master, Miss Qin from the Chennan Trading Company is here to see you."
Shen Ling raised his head in surprise. "Oh?"
He stood up immediately.
Ever since they had taken back Qi Hua City, Chennan Trading Company returned.
Compared to the miserable state of destruction in other parts of the city, the company had suffered much less damage.
Although the Green Mountain Bandits had raised the banner of rebellion, they still had some misgivings about the Chennan Trading Company.
Of course, there was another possibility, which was that they only wanted to buy weapons from them.
Miss Qin stood at the entrance of the village with an enchanting smile. She stretched out her right hand and said softly, "Young Master Shen, please check the money."
"Okay!"
Shen Ling nodded in reply.
He opened one box after another and looked at the number of silver taels. He had a wide smile on his face when he was done. "Indeed, you are very fast."
"Well, since you're willing to sell me the things that the Green Mountain Bandits have accumulated, I will not let you suffer a loss."
"Thank goodness you're here. I also have something to discuss with you."
She raised her head. "Alright. Go on then."
They both went to Shen Ling's courtyard to discuss. Miss Qin sat by the side and perceived the tree's fragrance in front of her. "Young Master Shen, what is this adorable smell?" she asked.
With a smile, he replied, "This is all coming from the tree over there. It's also harmless to the human body. So, you don't need to worry about it."
Her eyes followed his finger as she looked at the poplar tree. "Wow, so this tree can still bloom?"
"Who knows, it's very strange. However, the leaves of this tree produce a kind of sweet wine which seems to be useful for some low-level cultivation techniques."
Immediately she heard this great news, her eyes lit up in wonder. "Do you have any plans to sell this kind of wine? I'm willing to buy it at a very high price if you don't mind."
Shen Ling shook his head. "I'm afraid the wine is not for sale at the moment!"
Indeed, that Miss Qin was willing to buy it at a high price tempted him.
However, he had too many people under him now. Using this wine to nurture the young members of the Longsword Team was going to be more beneficial to his future arrangements.
What Shen Ling lacked right now was time, not money. As it were, he already had a lot of money.
After living in the world for such a long time, he knew how difficult it was to obtain the ability to protect himself in these troubled times.
"Alright then. If you say so."
Miss Qin's eyes were filled with disappointment. "When you want to sell it, please do not forget to let me know."
Shen Ling nodded. "Don't worry, I will!"
After a short pause, she switched to a very official tone and asked, "Since it's not to sell alcohol, what business do you want to discuss with me?"
Shen Ling smiled. "I want to buy swords and armor!"
Swords and armor!
Miss Qin looked at Shen Ling and said softly, "Swords are easy to talk about, but armor would be a bit difficult."
"I'll raise the price!" Shen Ling said as he stretched out a finger.
Miss Qin shook her head. "It's not about the money, Young Master Shen. It is... !"
Shen Ling stretched out another finger. "I'll double it!"
Miss Qin quickly took the offer before he changed his mind. "Deal!"
She looked at him with a smile and said, "I don't know how many sets of armor I can get, but as for longswords, I can get as many as I want."
"That's good."
Shen Ling nodded happily.
Although Miss Qin had made a fortune, Shen Ling didn't care.
At the moment, the sharecroppers' village had witnessed steady development. In addition, the items that he had seized previously and the treasury of the Green Mountain Bandits had all been sold.
Right now, Shen Ling did not lack money!
The only thing he lacked was enough time.
Triple crossbows, longswords, armor, and flying ropes.
The military equipment of the Great Qian Army might not be able to compare to the equipment he owned.
Besides, Shen Ling did not plan to teach them any longer. After all, he had fewer people, so he had to strive for perfection.
He planned to train a part of the Longsword Team to become an existence like the special forces in his previous life.
The others could act as guards and would be responsible for protecting the village.
And during the harvest season, they could also help out as farmers.
"Alas."
Shen Ling stretched his body.
He sighed deeply. He didn't want to overwork himself, but the business was getting bigger by the day.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
It was quite difficult!
So difficult!
Difficult!