After returning in the morning, Lin Qinghen was busy in the fields all day.

He first planted the prepared seedlings, harvested a round of crops, used the system’s crafting table to make some elixirs, then started nurturing a new batch of seedlings. As he waited for his spirit power to gradually recover, he began diluting fresh growth accelerant and base ingredients.

Yu Yinyin had already informed him that lifting the effects of her spirit tool would take time, so she hadn’t appeared for the past two days. Not that it was unusual for her to go unseen, as the Garden Master rarely managed day-to-day matters personally. As long as the Bee Crystal Butterflies were working, all was well.

After two days, she emerged from her secluded cultivation, and Lin Qinghen met with her on time.

On the surface, Yu Yinyin didn’t look any different, but having spent considerable time with her, Lin Qinghen could sense subtle changes in her every gesture. Even when a Heavenly-Level Spirit Master suppresses their aura, it still feels slightly unique.

A few Bee Crystal Butterflies surrounded Yu Yinyin, noticeably smaller than the ones Lin Qinghen usually saw fluttering around the garden.

“These butterflies carry my essence; even if I hide it, they can still sense it,” Yu Yinyin explained, with her heavenly-level mastery easily commanding more than five hundred butterflies. “These ones are newly born.”

Among Spirit Masters, those with beast-taming talents don’t control lifeless spirit-qi constructs but rather living creatures. When Yu Yinyin was disguising herself as a Mysterious Level One Star, even a single butterfly would be a Yellow Level Three-Star Spirit Beast. Although they aren’t combat-type, they’ll retaliate if someone tries to capture them.

Lin Qinghen usually couldn’t touch them, except once when he helped Yu Yinyin find an injured butterfly at six years old. Without a detoxifying pill, he wouldn’t be able to handle even one.

Today, when Lin Qinghen went to see Yu Yinyin, they had barely exchanged two words before one of the newly-born butterflies landed atop his head, slowly fluttering its wings for reasons unknown.

It wasn’t the first time this kind of thing happened. Last time, a Black-Armored Elephant also seemed to take a liking to Lin Qinghen. Now that his natural affinity had increased to three points, maybe the effect had strengthened.

Yu Yinyin, however, was focused on more important matters.

“My spirit power has recovered,” she said. “I communicated with the outside world a couple of days ago, and I’ve received a response. It seems that the base I left behind and those people are still around, which is good news. But the message was oddly fragmented.”

She frowned as if deciding something. “Qinghen, I may need to go away for a few days to follow up on this.”

In over twenty years, Yu Yinyin expected her old base would have changed considerably. But analyzing the message token’s origin, it appeared that they’d relocated to a remote area in the northern state.

Since the demonic disaster that swept the northern state a decade ago, that entire region had been struggling. Moving there suggested life had likely been tough for them.

With the message being vague and the token unused for many years, Yu Yinyin was unsure what to expect. She had considered bringing Lin Qinghen with her, but the outside world could be unpredictable. Not knowing if her destination would be safe, she couldn’t guarantee his protection right away.

Besides, the Elder of the Treasure Pavilion still needed a few days to finish his own seclusion, and Yu Yinyin had unresolved business with him. Even if she left, she’d likely have to return soon.

After careful consideration, she decided Lin Qinghen would be safer staying at the Lin family for a few days.

Lin Qinghen, however, was in no rush to leave. He hadn’t completed his Task Three yet, still needing to plant more Round Wheat. Traveling with Yu Yinyin would just waste time; it wasn’t like there’d be fields for him to tend to along the way.

After listening, he made his stance clear, “Master, go on. I don’t mind waiting a few days. Don’t worry about me.”

But Yu Yinyin wasn’t at ease, sensing something ominous about leaving Lin Qinghen here at this critical moment. Other than the Treasure Pavilion’s Elder, whom she trusted, the rest of the Lin family members had their own agendas. And that Elder was in seclusion and unavailable to be entrusted with Lin Qinghen’s care.

Ultimately, she still needed to go. Before leaving, she gave Lin Qinghen something special.

It was a protective Heavenly-Level spirit tool shaped like a pendant. This kind of spirit tool worked regardless of the wearer’s spirit power, making it incredibly rare.

“This is something I kept at the bottom of my chest. Wear it, Qinghen, or I won’t feel at ease,” she said, looking at him like he was her hope for the future, guarding him as if he were her own child. “If Lin Zhongtian tries to harm you, this spirit tool can block one full-force strike from him.”

Lin Qinghen had never handled something this valuable! The moment Yu Yinyin clasped it around his neck, he stiffened like a plank.

Money she’d given him he could consider an investment; after all, he needed startup funds and could repay her by earning even more in the future. But a Heavenly-Level spirit tool was something money couldn’t buy.

“Master, maybe you should keep this,” Lin Qinghen said, thinking she was worrying too much. “Everyone’s busy these days, so nobody’s paying attention to me. Even Lin Fei hasn’t had time to bully me; nothing’s going to happen.”

He worried that this extra Heavenly-Level spirit tool might attract unnecessary trouble.

But Yu Yinyin was firm. “Wear it. I’ve placed a restriction on it; no one can detect it. With this, I can feel at ease for a few days.”

Lin Qinghen didn’t feel he needed such a high-level spirit tool. More than anything, he wanted something else.

“Then, Master, could I borrow these butterflies?” Lin Qinghen pointed to the newly-born Bee Crystal Butterflies in the room. “I’ve been curious about them, but never had the chance to try.”

There was no harm in granting his request. These new butterflies differed from the ones in the garden and might arouse suspicion if set loose outside. But if Lin Qinghen could study them in his hidden two-acre plot, it would keep him occupied.

Yu Yinyin quickly agreed.

She lightly tapped Lin Qinghen’s brow, and a wave of coolness seeped into him, giving him a chill at the back of his head.

Then, Yu Yinyin extracted a thread of spirit energy from his wrist, twirling it until it scattered like pollen over the Bee Crystal Butterflies.

The butterflies responded immediately, each one settling obediently in his palm. Lin Qinghen felt an unusual connection to them, as if they’d accepted him.

“You don’t have the essence for beast-taming, but these butterflies are friendly with you. I’ll leave you some of my spirit qi, allowing you to control them for a few days,” she said. “Since you broke through to Yellow Level Four Stars recently, you should have no problem.”

She also left some protective measures in her courtyard, so the other Bee Crystal Butterflies would continue their work undisturbed, leaving no clues of her absence.

Once everything was in place, Yu Yinyin left quietly.

After she left, Lin Qinghen returned to his diligent, obedient farming. But during breaks from the heavy labor, he started researching the butterflies she had left him.

Though newly born, these Bee Crystal Butterflies possessed all their natural abilities. They could absorb spirit qi, process it internally, and release it into the soil, benefiting the spirit plants growing there.

In the Spirit World, Bee Crystal Butterflies were used this way, but Lin Qinghen noticed their efficiency was exceptionally high. Beyond soil enhancement, they could also act as advanced pollinators.

No one had ever thought to use them in this way before, as the butterflies typically extracted spirit qi from spirit stones. In the wild, they’d even find minerals on their own, never actually touching flowers. Yet Lin Qinghen, being a farmer, wanted to try them out on his crops.

In this strange world, the growth logic of low-star Yellow Level plants surprisingly overlapped with much of what he had learned in his past life. This gave him confidence in experimenting with these butterflies.

In his experience, bees improved crop yield and quality considerably. In this Spirit World, there were similar little bugs, but with the abundance of resources, no one had bothered to raise them systematically.

Regular bees wouldn’t work for ordinary Round Wheat, which relied on self-pollination, so Lin Qinghen had never raised any. But mutated Round Wheat was another story.

Especially since he’d altered the mutation timing to when the seedlings sprouted. The mutated Red Round Wheat had traits entirely different from regular Round Wheat. It produced vibrant, fragrant flower clusters that, upon close inspection, were clearly insect-pollinated.

Lin Qinghen observed that the mutated Red Round Wheat didn’t strictly require pollinating insects. The plants had a peculiar tendency to shake, completing crucial growth stages independently.

When he used growth accelerant, the mutated wheat would shake on its own, its flowers trembling slightly in a self-sustaining process. Using insects was pointless when the growth accelerator worked too fast for external pollination.

However, he wouldn’t rely on growth accelerants every time in the future. Standardized bee pollination could double yield and improve quality significantly.

Replacing bees with Bee Crystal Butterflies? That would be interesting.

Improving crop varieties had no end, and Lin Qinghen, ever passionate about experimentation, was determined to get some results from this venture.

He spent his day absorbed in working with the butterflies and lost track of time.

But as evening approached, even within his hidden formation, he could still hear the sudden, bell-like dong dong dong sounds echoing from the Lin family’s main hall.

Three resonant chimes. This loud bell signaled a family ceremony, indicating the Family Head’s arrival.

Lin Zhongtian had left to fetch Lin Qingshuang, and now, they’d both returned.