Tian Xiaobao had achieved his goal and was still thinking about the idle Spirit Land in his small courtyard, so he did not stay long in the trading market and returned home directly.
Courtyard.
After a short rest, Tian Xiaobao took out the cloth bag containing the iron wire lotus and went to the idle Spirit Land around the courtyard.
He roughly calculated the area of the Spirit Land and arranged the approximate positions for the ten iron wire lotus plants.
Then, he circulated Spirit Qi within his body, quickly wielded his Spirit Hoe, and began to turn over the soil.
Before long, ten plots of land of similar size were turned over.
He placed the iron wire lotus Spirit Seeds, which were about the size of an egg, into the tilled Spirit Land and then used the Spirit Hoe to cover them with a thin layer of soil.
Next, he cast the Spirit Rain Technique to nourish the iron wire lotus Spirit Seeds.
"Little fellows, grow up quickly! My future depends entirely on you!"
Time passed unknowingly.
By the time Tian Xiaobao had tilled the two mu of Spirit Fields and planted the qingpu grass, three days had already passed.
"Weeds grow so fast!"
Whether brought by wind or birds, weed seeds would sprout in Tian Xiaobao's Spirit Land every night.
"It's not in vain that I cast the Spirit Rain Technique on you every day!"
Tian Xiaobao muttered to the iron wire lotus, which had just sprouted, as if the iron wire lotus could understand him.
If only there was a Formation, like the Spirit Fields, then there wouldn't be so many weeds.
However, Tian Xiaobao could actually afford the most basic defensive Formation, but Tian Xiaobao wanted to get a good one in one go, which was beyond his means.
Tian Xiaobao wielded his Spirit Hoe and, in a few swift motions, severed the weeds around an iron wire lotus.
"What happened?"
One iron wire lotus near the courtyard gate looked clearly wrong.
The iron wire lotus looked withered and its leaves were somewhat yellow.
"It was fine two days ago, why did it suddenly have a problem? Could it be a pest infestation or something else?"
Tian Xiaobao was full of doubts, feeling overwhelmed.
He had only been in contact with Spirit Plant for a short time and had never encountered such a situation.
Tian Xiaobao squatted down, carefully observing the stem and leaves of the iron wire lotus, trying to find the source of the problem.
He gently pushed aside the soil to check if the roots showed any signs of rot, and turned over the leaves to look for traces of pests, but after a thorough inspection, he found no obvious abnormalities.
"It seems this problem is a bit tricky, not something I can solve."
Tian Xiaobao sighed helplessly, deciding to ask Eighth Uncle to come and help.
After all, Eighth Uncle had been planting Spirit Rice for many years and might be able to find the root cause.
Tian Xiaobao stood up, patted the dirt off his clothes, and hurried towards Eighth Uncle's house.
Along the way, he was anxious, constantly pondering the possible reasons for the iron wire lotus's problem.
Was it a sudden change in soil fertility? Or was it caused by recent abnormal weather? But none of these seemed to explain it well.
Before long, Tian Xiaobao arrived at Eighth Uncle's house.
Eighth Uncle was sitting in the courtyard, leisurely basking in the sun, tending to a few Spirit Flowers in his hands.
Seeing Tian Xiaobao run over with an anxious expression, Eighth Uncle put down the Spirit Flowers and stood up.
"Xiaobaozi, what's the rush? Did something happen?" Eighth Uncle asked with concern.
"Eighth Uncle, the iron wire lotus in my courtyard suddenly turned yellow and withered. I've checked for a long time but can't find the reason. Can you come and take a look for me?"
Tian Xiaobao said urgently.
"Oh? Is that so?" Eighth Uncle frowned slightly, "Come, let's go take a look."
The two quickly returned to Tian Xiaobao's small courtyard. Eighth Uncle walked directly to the problematic iron wire lotus, squatted down, and observed it carefully.
He first gently sniffed the scent of the iron wire lotus, then crushed a yellowed leaf with his fingers and smelled it at his nose.
Tian Xiaobao watched Eighth Uncle's every move nervously, not daring to breathe loudly.
After a while, Eighth Uncle slowly stood up.
"Eighth Uncle, how is it? What's the problem?" Tian Xiaobao asked anxiously when he saw this.
Eighth Uncle said to Tian Xiaobao:
"It's nothing serious, just a pest infestation. I'll use the Gengjin Finger to eliminate the insects later."
Tian Xiaobao looked puzzled, scratched his head and said:
"But I also observed it, how come I didn't find any pest infestation?"
Eighth Uncle smiled slightly, squatted down, gently pushed aside the Spirit Soil at the base of the iron wire lotus, and pointed to some extremely fine white filamentous structures on a branch deep within the root, saying:
"Xiaobaozi, these insects are very special. They can blend in with the color of the Spirit Plant, and their bodies are tiny. If you don't look carefully, you won't discover them at all.
Look, these white filamentous structures are what they spit out. This is a clear sign of pest infestation."
Tian Xiaobao leaned in for a closer look and indeed saw those almost imperceptible white filamentous structures. He couldn't help but secretly admire Eighth Uncle's extensive experience.
Eighth Uncle stood up, quickly formed hand seals, and chanted incantations.
Instantly, a golden Spirit Qi condensed at his fingertips, transforming into a sharp Gengjin Finger.
Eighth Uncle gently touched the branch at the base of the iron wire lotus with his finger, and wherever the Gengjin Finger passed, a faint glow appeared.
Those tiny insects hidden among the leaves and branches, upon being touched by the Spirit Qi of the Gengjin Finger, fell out from their hiding places.
Their bodies were the size of a needle tip, completely transparent, and after being struck by the Spirit Qi of the Gengjin Finger, they instantly turned into wisps of green smoke and dissipated.
Tian Xiaobao watched intently from the side, full of admiration for Eighth Uncle's exquisite Spell.
Soon, the insects on the iron wire lotus were completely cleared. Eighth Uncle stopped his movements and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.
"Alright, Xiaobaozi, the insects have been cleared. These insects are called Spirit Devouring Insects, a common pest on Spirit Reef Islands.
Fortunately, you discovered them early. The iron wire lotus's infestation is not severe, as long as you take good care of it, it will recover its vitality in no time."
Eighth Uncle said.
Tian Xiaobao was filled with gratitude and said:
"Eighth Uncle, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."
Eighth Uncle smiled and waved his hand:
"No need to be so polite with Eighth Uncle. But Xiaobaozi, in the future, you should still buy some books about Spirit Plant to read, so you have a better understanding.
You also need to learn some offensive Spells, so you can solve pest infestations yourself when you encounter them.
After all, your small courtyard doesn't have the protection of a defensive Formation, and pest infestations can happen at any time. These infestations cannot be underestimated; once they spread, all the Spirit Plant in the entire Spirit Field could suffer."
Tian Xiaobao nodded heavily: "Eighth Uncle, I'll remember that. I'll be more careful in the future."
