You Cultivate, I Farm

Chapter 144

Upon receiving the mission details, Lu Xuan didn't linger. He rented a spiritual crane and arrived at the Beast Taming Hall.

He inquired within the hall about the specific habitat of the spiritual cranes, traversing several mountain peaks until he found a vast water marsh.

Covering hundreds of acres, the marsh was currently home to several hundred spiritual cranes. All these cranes had pure white feathers, elegant postures; some were pecking at water plants while others gracefully spread their wings in the low sky. Lu Xuan searched for a while until he finally spotted a pair of cranes with entwined long necks, a loving gesture between them.

Seeming to sense Lu Xuan's arrival, a cultivator flew out from the depths of the marsh. Dark-skinned with a cultivation base at the ninth level of Qi refinement, he approached.

"Respectful greetings, junior brother. I'm Xu Yi, the overseer of this water marsh. May I know how to address you? Have you come to address the issue of the cranes' reproduction?" Xu Yi asked.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Xu. I'm Lu Xuan. Indeed, as Senior Brother mentioned, I received a crane reproduction task at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and came here to observe the crane habitat."

"Oh, so you're Junior Brother Lu. You've had quite a journey. Come, follow me for a moment of rest," Xu Yi said warmly, leading Lu Xuan through the marsh.

Half a moment later, they arrived at a wooden building. It wasn't large, comprising only three or four small rooms, but the environment was pleasant, surrounded by water with a good view.

"Senior Brother Xu, are all these cranes in the sect raised solely by you?" Lu Xuan asked, curious about managing such a multitude of cranes.

"Haha, not just me, but I'm mainly responsible for these cranes. The ones here in the marsh are just a small part. Most of them are scattered across various locations in the sect, used for transportation and to earn some spirit stones for the Beast Taming Hall."

"By nightfall, they usually return here, but a few still remain guarding crucial spots in the sect," Xu Yi explained.

"Are these few hundred cranes in the marsh a small number? So, there must be at least a few thousand in total, right?" Lu Xuan exclaimed, astonished at the sheer number of cranes.

"In the latest crane count, we tallied over two thousand three hundred. However, this is the lowest count in recent years. I remember when I took charge of this marsh, there were over three thousand cranes."

"The main sect has a significant demand for cranes, be it for messages or transportation. They're quite valuable."

Lu Xuan agreed, realizing the vastness of the sect and the predicament faced by many outer disciples who lacked flying artifacts, struggling with travel time.

Though Qi-refining cultivators had lightweight body techniques or speed-oriented talismans, they were relatively slow and energy-draining, not a cost-effective choice.

The cranes, on the other hand, could resolve this issue efficiently. Their speed was remarkable, almost comparable to some flying artifacts, and the cost per trip was within the range of high-level Qi-refiners' affordability.

"With so many cranes, how do they manage their daily food?" Lu Xuan asked, intrigued by the logistics of feeding a large number of cranes.

"Feeding them is quite easy. We let them find spiritual plants, roots, tender leaves, or some spiritual clams and snails in the marsh."

"Occasionally, the Beast Taming Hall provides specially bred spiritual insects for them."

Lu Xuan was speechless. With over two thousand cranes in the Beast Taming Hall, if each crane earned several spirit stones per day, the daily earnings could easily reach seven to eight thousand spirit stones. And yet, they were expected to find their own food in the marsh?

Furthermore, with so many cranes in one area, a sudden movement might lead to collisions among them, a considerable constraint for cranes accustomed to soaring in the skies.

"Working hard to earn spirit stones but not getting enough to eat and living in poor conditions, all the earnings flow into the Beast Taming Hall's pockets. No wonder they have no desire to reproduce," Lu Xuan sighed, understanding the cranes' choice.

After chatting for a while, another young cultivator arrived at the marsh. After a conversation, Lu Xuan learned his name was Zhou Zhengqing, also here for the crane reproduction issue.

Some tasks in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had restrictions on the number of participants, while others, like the crane reproduction task, didn't limit the number of cultivators.

"It seems Junior Brothers Lu and Zhou are the ones taking on this task. For the next few days, both of you will work hard to assist in solving the crane reproduction issue," Xu Yi said with a serious tone.

"The cranes in the Sky Sword Sect serve various purposes, but these cranes currently face a significant problem. The number willing to reproduce is declining, leading to a decrease in the total crane count over the years," Xu Yi explained, concern visible on his face.

"Moreover, among the cranes, the number of mothers refusing to reproduce is significantly less. Due to the long gestation period and the energy it takes to nurture the offspring, especially during pregnancy, it results in a decline in the crane population," Xu Yi detailed.

"Even during their mating season, there's a noticeable decrease in their mating desires. Many cranes would rather go out to earn spirit stones than stay in the marsh to nurture new offspring."

Lu Xuan and Zhou Zhengqing fell silent, seemingly pondering solutions.

"Senior Brother Xu, I feel the current situation isn't due to objective difficulties in crane reproduction but rather their subjective unwillingness. Therefore, it might be best to start from that aspect," Lu Xuan proposed.

With past life experiences, he empathized with the cranes' choices.

"Junior Brother Lu, that's a bit far-fetched," Zhou Zhengqing interjected, finding Lu Xuan's statement unbelievable.

"They're just animals, and their life and death are in our hands. How can they have a say in whether they reproduce or not?"

He glanced at Xu Yi, suggesting a direct approach.

"Senior Brother Xu, I suggest a straightforward method: forcefully encourage those cranes to multiply. I happen to possess a peripheral technique similar to dual cultivation, which can stimulate their mating desires. Additionally, I know a way to concoct an aphrodisiac. With both methods combined, it guarantees a significant increase in crane reproduction," Zhou Zhengqing proposed.

"Is that so? Junior Brother Zhou unexpectedly has such a good method?" Xu Yi's eyes brightened at the suggestion.

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