Become a monk?! Xia Chen was stunned. He wanted to learn martial arts, not shave his head and take vows. How could he find a wife then? To be single for two lifetimes—Tongban would mock him to death!

He hesitated. Mother Xia, already on the verge of tears, watched her son. Then, a sudden gust of wind ripped a panel off a side hall. It crashed down with a bang, stirring up a thick layer of dust that made her sneeze. The thought of her youngest son living in such conditions brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Xia Jinzi and Qiao Niang urgently added their voices to the pleas, afraid Xia Chen would stubbornly insist on staying.

The old Taoist priest, clearly amused, watched the scene unfold with a smile. Xia Chen glanced at the two groups, their reactions a stark contrast. Furrowing his brows, he politely addressed the old Taoist priest, “Taoist priest, can you accept me as a secular disciple?”

In ancient times, those who became full disciples of temples or Taoist monasteries were bound by strict rules. Secular disciples, however, were not. Many families would send their weak or less-favored children to be secular disciples, hoping to shape their temperament.

If the old Taoist priest would accept him and teach him a few skills, perhaps his parents would have no objections. They would, of course, repay the temple generously.

The old Taoist priest looked at Xia Chen and said with a smile, “Why does the young layman wish to take me as his master?”

Xia Chen, forcing a blush, replied with anticipation in his eyes, “Taoist priest, the day you saved me, I saw you skim the water’s surface so lightly. I want to learn such powerful skills!”

The old Taoist chuckled and shook his head. “It’s just a basic technique of using qi – nothing worthy of such praise. If that’s your only reason for taking me as a master, you should go down the mountain.”

Xia Chen was taken aback. He thought the old Taoist doubted his sincerity and hurriedly added, “I will also work hard to study the Taoist scriptures!”

The old Taoist shook his head again. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to accept you. The young layman simply has no aptitude for martial arts or scholarly pursuits. Keeping you on the mountain would just be a waste of time.”

Xia Chen felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. When Tongban said he had no aptitude, he dismissed it as a trick. But now, hearing the same from the old Taoist, it was hard to swallow. Could it be that aside from farming, he really had no other talents?

Seeing her youngest son’s dispirited appearance, Mother Xia’s heart ached. She was reluctant to see her son become a Taoist priest, but it was different if the old priest was unwilling to accept him. Changing her mind, she tried to put in a good word with the old Taoist priest. “Taoist priest, our Yuanbao is very smart. He will definitely be able to learn. Please…”

Old Taoist Xu interrupted her, his voice solemn. “The young layman has his own great opportunity. This old Taoist is a person outside the secular world and cannot interfere. Madam, it’s best to take the young layman down the mountain.”

Xia Jinzi and Qiao Niang also tried to persuade him, but Old Taoist Xu refused to relent. With no other choice, Mother Xia could only hold her disgruntled youngest son and descend the mountain.

When they returned home, Father Xia was already waiting at the door. Remembering his mother’s question to the old Taoist priest, Xia Chen put away his displeasure and hugged his father to make him happy.

Father Xia was pleasantly surprised, his smile almost reaching his ears. After lunch, Xia Chen went into the bedroom. Mother Xia stopped Father Xia and told him about what had happened at the temple that morning.

Xia Chen lay on the bed, but didn’t directly enter the space. Instead, he mentally communicated with Xia Tongban. “Am I really that useless? Not only is my talent poor, but I also don’t listen to advice. You clearly pointed out the most suitable path for me, but I stubbornly wanted to try a different one.”

Xia Tongban was silent for a moment. Its cold, mechanical voice held an unexpected touch of warmth.  [Please do not belittle yourself, Host. Even if you seriously lack self-confidence, you should believe in this system’s judgment when it selected you.]

A smile quietly appeared on Xia Chen’s face. It was the first time he had heard Xia Tongban comfort him, even in such a tsundere and awkward way.

“Last time, you clearly said you crashed on my head when landing. How did it change to you choosing me?” Xia Chen deliberately teased.

In a daze, Xia Chen seemed to hear a cold laugh. Xia Tongban’s swift and sharp counterattack followed: [Perhaps the host used up the luck of two lifetimes to have me crash on your head.]

“Wow, you’re so fierce!” Xia Chen jokingly exclaimed, a mischievous smile on his face. He had developed a strange fondness for Tongban’s sharp retorts. Even as the target, he found them oddly amusing rather than offensive.

“It’s okay. If I can’t practice martial arts, I can still pursue academics.” Xia Chen’s self-confidence wavered but quickly returned. After all, he had received twelve years of compulsory education and had gone to university. He couldn’t be so useless that he couldn’t even study in a different era.

Xia Tongban expected him to settle down and focus on farming after this setback. It was surprised by his determination. [After the system’s calculations, farming is the most suitable path for the host.]

“You’ve said that already,” Xia Chen said nonchalantly. “A person should have the courage to do what he wants in his reckless youth. Since my life has started anew, I should have the courage to pursue my dreams.”

This time, Xia Tongban didn’t reply. Xia Chen flashed into the system space.

Overnight, his crops had matured. He immediately noticed that the three strawberry plants now bore more than a dozen red fruits. They weren’t large, but their color was bright and plump. Even from a distance, he could smell the sweet and sour strawberry aroma.

He couldn’t resist. Without washing them—he hadn’t used pesticides anyway—he picked one and stuffed it into his mouth. The sweet and sour strawberry juice instantly filled his mouth. The slightly granular texture of the strawberry melted as he ate, a burst of incredible flavor.

Xia Chen forcibly suppressed the urge to eat more. The harvest was too small. Experience told him that these repeatedly-harvestable crops wouldn’t yield fruit indefinitely; three harvests were the likely limit before the strawberry plants withered.

And he only had these three seeds. Who knew when he would obtain strawberry seeds again? After all, he had only seen them once in the mall, and the high price of five hundred copper coins had forced him to abandon the idea.

Xia Chen carefully picked all the strawberries. The three strawberry plants yielded a total of forty-two fruits. After eating one, he stored the remaining forty-one in a separate slot in the warehouse.

Then, he quickly harvested the other crops and replanted the seeds. His father’s seeds were almost used up. Sadly, his attempts to replant seeds from his own harvest had failed; they seemed to have lost their vitality and didn’t sprout.

After harvesting and replanting, Xia Chen’s experience points easily surpassed the level five threshold. He excitedly opened the main interface and claimed the level gift pack—he knew what to expect.

When the level five gift pack opened, the light flashed even brighter than the level one gift pack. Xia Chen watched with wide eyes as the small pouch transformed into three items. As before, he also gained an extra draw chance, but this time, it was for the gem reward pool.

The three items were the same as before—money, a skill book, and seeds. This time, the money was a tael of gold rather than silver.  

Xia Chen glanced at the small gold ingot but then looked away. Half would go to Xia Tongban to pay off the debt, and the rest would still just be converted into silver anyway.

The previous skill book had been useful, allowing Xia Chen to directly perceive the needs of plants. While the system space’s fertile land reduced the skill’s overall impact, it had helped him understand crop growth patterns and improve yields. This raised his expectations for the new skill book, and he wasn’t disappointed.

“Tongban, my luck seems to be changing for the better!” Xia Chen exclaimed.

This was exactly what he needed. If his previous skill was akin to scouting, this new one focused on gathering. He could use it to randomly collect seeds from mature crops – and it worked in the real world, too!

Unfortunately, the skill’s low level limited him to three uses per day, with a mere one-tenth chance of successfully gathering seeds.

Speaking of skill levels, Xia Chen had used his previous skill repeatedly without witnessing improvement. He couldn’t even locate a proficiency bar. After consulting Tongban, he discovered skills could only be upgraded with skill points, found exclusively in gift packs and gem reward pools.

At the time, Xia Chen hadn’t given it much thought; his scouting technique felt strong enough. Now, staring at his dismal gathering probability, a pang of regret shot through him.

This time, the seeds were for aloe vera; three of them. Xia Chen pondered, recalling that many girls seemed to use aloe vera juice for facial treatments, but its other uses eluded him.

After storing the seeds, Xia Chen rubbed his hands together in anticipation, claiming his novice gift pack. He eagerly opened it, the extra size promising greater rewards.

The novice gift pack opened with a flourish. A ribbon-tied box exploded, showering him with treasures. Xia Chen’s jaw dropped as he watched Xia Tongban’s extravagant display, then gleefully counted the spoils: ten gems, one tael each of gold and silver, and a hundred copper coins. He’d hit the jackpot!

A seed gift pack waited as well, but Xia Chen couldn’t bring himself to look just yet. His attention was completely captivated by two other rewards: a skill point and…

Without hesitation, the skill point was invested into his gathering technique. He could now gather four times daily, and his success rate had doubled to twenty percent!

🌻🌻🌻

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