I Can See Through Everything-Chapter 341

As luck would have it, Grandfather Zhang was home. Upon seeing Lu Qing arrive, he was overjoyed. "Ah Qing, what brings you here? Come in, come in!"

Since Lu Qing had returned, he had been busy with various matters and spent most of his time in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain. As a result, Grandfather Zhang had hardly seen him.

"Grandfather Zhang, I’ve come to ask for some help from everyone in the village."

Lu Qing sat down and spoke politely.

"What do you need?"

Grandfather Zhang was puzzled, unable to imagine what Lu Qing might need help with from the villagers.

"I need some high-quality rice seeds, and I was hoping everyone in the village could pitch in a little. Of course, I’ll pay for them."

Lu Qing knew that rural villagers usually kept their own rice seeds and rarely bought them from elsewhere. Just recently, the village had had a good harvest of rice, so most people likely had some seeds stored at home.

"Ah, there’s no need to be so formal! It’s just some rice seeds. Alright, I’ll go around the village and let everyone know. We’ll see who’s already stored some seeds."

Grandfather Zhang agreed without hesitation, even though he didn’t know what Lu Qing needed the seeds for.

"Grandfather Zhang, please make sure they’re of good quality. I have a big use for them," Lu Qing reminded him.

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they bring out the best seeds they have," Grandfather Zhang said, patting his chest confidently.

"Then I'll head back up the mountain. Once you’ve gathered the seeds, just let me know. I don’t need too many—about ten pounds should be enough."

"Alright, you go ahead. Once we’ve collected enough, I’ll have someone deliver them to you."

After Lu Qing left, Grandfather Zhang thought for a moment. First, he instructed his daughter-in-law to prepare the best rice seeds from their own supply. Then, he went out and started visiting the other villagers. His first stop was the home of an old friend.

"Old Wang, Old Wang, are you home?"

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"Who’s there?" A young man emerged from the house, and upon seeing Grandfather Zhang, his expression became respectful. "Oh, it’s Grandfather Zhang. My grandfather is home. Please come in."

Grandfather Zhang entered and sat down. "Where’s your grandfather?"

"He’s napping inside. I’ll go wake him."

Shortly after, a man about the same age as Grandfather Zhang came out of the house, still a bit groggy. "Old Zhang, it’s rare for you to come by. What’s the occasion?"

"What, I can’t just drop by for a visit?" Grandfather Zhang laughed.

"Nonsense. It’s the middle of a hot day, and you come all the way here? You must be up to something."

Old Wang glared, clearly not believing Grandfather Zhang’s words. After all these years, he knew his friend’s personality well.

"Hehe, alright, I won’t beat around the bush. The truth is, Ah Qing came to see me earlier."

"Ah Qing came to see you? What for?"

Old Wang's expression immediately grew serious. It wasn’t unusual for Lu Qing to visit Grandfather Zhang, who lived next door, but if his friend was making a big deal out of it, it must be something important.

"Ah Qing said he’s gathering some high-quality rice seeds for a special purpose. He wants to know which families in the village have good seeds stored away, and he’s willing to buy some. I remember that your family’s rice was among the best this year. Did you keep any seeds?"

"Of course I did! I saved plenty. A few families have already asked to trade seeds with me, including my in-laws. I set aside two bags just for that."

Hearing Grandfather Zhang praise his family’s rice, Old Wang beamed with pride. But soon, a look of confusion crossed his face. "But what does Ah Qing need rice seeds for? Is he planning to plant them?"

"I don’t know either, but Ah Qing is a man with big plans. If he needs rice seeds, I’m sure it’s for something important. Since it’s rare for him to ask for our help, we should do our best not to hold him back."

"Of course. If Ah Qing needs help, there’s no question about it. I’ll have Aqiu take both bags of seeds over to your place."

"Aren’t you going to save any for yourself? What about your in-laws?"

Grandfather Zhang widened his eyes in surprise.

"When it comes to Ah Qing, this is nothing. I can always save some from our eating rice for planting next year. As for my in-laws, I’ll explain the situation to them. It’ll be fine."

Old Wang waved it off as if it were no big deal.

As for the other villagers, he was sure that once they knew the seeds were for Ah Qing, they wouldn’t object either.

"Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. Have Aqiu bring the seeds over to my place, and I’ll visit the rest of the villagers. We’ll send everything to the mountain in one trip."

For the rest of the day, Grandfather Zhang visited every household that had grown rice that year.

Upon hearing that the rice seeds were for Lu Qing, none of the villagers hesitated. They immediately brought out their best seeds and gathered them at Grandfather Zhang’s house, ready to be delivered to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain.

"Old Zhang, Old Zhang!"

Just as they were preparing to head up the mountain, an elderly man about the same age as Grandfather Zhang came running in from outside.

"Are you heading up the mountain to deliver rice seeds?"

"Yes. Why? Old Lin, do you want to come too? I don’t recall you planting any rice this year."

Grandfather Zhang was puzzled.

"My family didn’t plant rice, but we planted wheat last year. You should ask Ah Qing if he needs wheat seeds."

"Wheat seeds?" Grandfather Zhang hesitated. "Ah Qing only mentioned rice seeds."

"How would you know unless you ask him? Maybe Ah Qing also wants wheat seeds," Old Lin said earnestly.

Someone nearby couldn’t resist teasing him, "Old Lin, you’re usually so stingy you’d pluck feathers from a passing rooster. What’s made you so generous today, offering your wheat seeds?"

"Ha! Old Chen, you’re even stingier than I am. Don’t think we didn’t notice you stealing chicken manure from your neighbor’s farm to fertilize your field!"

Old Lin jumped up and angrily jabbed a finger at the man who had mocked him.

"And besides, this is about Ah Qing! He’s got big plans. If he needs seeds, I’ll gladly empty my whole stock for him!"

Old Chen, embarrassed by Old Lin’s retort, was about to respond when Grandfather Zhang interrupted with a cough.

"Alright, enough of this bickering. Old Lin, why don’t you come with us? You can ask Ah Qing yourself whether he needs wheat seeds."

"Fine by me. I’ll ask him myself. I’ve got a feeling he’ll want them too."

After this brief exchange, the group finally set off. Each family brought their rice seeds up to the small courtyard on the mountainside. Some, afraid they wouldn’t have enough, even brought two full sacks of rice along.

During the trek up the mountain, someone quietly spoke to Old Chen, "Why did you provoke Old Lin? You know he’s sharp-tongued. You were just asking for trouble."

"Hmph! Do you think I’m afraid of him?" Old Chen stubbornly replied.

"I know you and Old Lin don’t get along, but remember, it was Ah Qing who cured his leg problem not long ago. If you mock him now, of course, he’ll get upset."

Old Chen said nothing. In truth, he regretted his words. His decades-long rivalry with Old Lin had prompted him to tease, but he hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

By the time they reached the small courtyard, there was quite a crowd. Nearly every household that had stored rice seeds had brought some to the mountain. When Lu Qing saw the villagers arriving with large and small sacks of rice seeds, he was taken aback.

"Ah Qing, everyone brought their seeds. Take a look and choose the ones you want!"

Grandfather Zhang was the first to place his rice seeds in front of Lu Qing.

Lu Qing snapped out of his surprise, glancing at the nearly thousand pounds of rice seeds laid out before him. He couldn’t help but smile wryly.

"Grandfather Zhang, didn’t you tell them? I only need about ten pounds of rice seeds. There’s no way I can use this much."

The problem was that his cultivation was limited, and he couldn’t activate that many seeds all at once.

"I did tell them, but everyone figured that since you were selecting the best rice seeds, they didn’t know exactly what you needed. So they brought everything to give you plenty of options," Grandfather Zhang explained.

Lu Qing smiled helplessly but, seeing the villagers’ earnest expressions, he couldn’t help but feel a warm sense of gratitude.

"Thank you, everyone," he said, smiling.

"No need to thank us. It’s nothing," one villager replied.

"Yes, without your help, Ah Qing, the village wouldn’t be where it is today," another chimed in.

"It’s just some rice seeds. They’re not worth much."

The villagers all spoke up.

"Alright, Ah Qing. Take a look and see if there are any seeds here that meet your needs," Grandfather Zhang urged.

"Okay."

Knowing it would dampen their spirits if he declined, Lu Qing decided not to refuse. He began opening the bags and carefully inspecting the rice seeds.

However, his method of selecting seeds wasn’t simply based on appearance. He concentrated, gathering a strand of green energy in his hand, and lightly brushed it over the rice seeds. This green energy was a manifestation of the Spirit Activation Technique.

While Grandfather Zhang was busy gathering rice seeds in the village, Lu Qing had been using the time to cultivate and comprehend the Spirit Activation Technique. Surprisingly, it hadn’t taken him long to fully master the method. "Yan" had been stunned by his rapid progress. While the Spirit Activation Technique wasn’t particularly advanced, it was still a fundamental spell for any cultivator of wood-element spiritual power. Yet Lu Qing had grasped it perfectly in such a short time, demonstrating an extraordinary level of understanding and talent that "Yan" had never seen before.

As the green glow from Lu Qing’s hand covered the seeds in the bag, he effortlessly discerned which seeds contained the strongest life force and the most abundant vital energy. With a simple thought, the plumpest seeds slowly rose from the bag and gently landed in the finely woven bamboo basket he had prepared.

The sight of this miraculous process left the villagers utterly speechless.

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