Chapter 248: New Lottery Draw, Bai Ze Spiritual Talisman, Zouwu Hand Beads

Ning Fei arrived at the nongjiale, and when Liu Laicai saw him approach, he came out to welcome him personally.

Not counting Ning Fei, Liu Laicai was the wealthiest man in Qinshan Village, as well as its largest fruit supplier.

"Boss Liu, give me two large red pomelos, two jin of pears, and one jin of hawthorn."

Ning Fei said.

"Sure thing, no problem," Liu Laicai replied with a smile before adding, "I heard you contracted Nanhu Reservoir?"

"Yeah. You're well-informed."

"The village is only so big, and I saw the truck hauling fish fry a few days ago."

"I wanted to ask, how big can the fish in your reservoir get during the winter? If they grow large enough, I'd like to buy some from you. Would that be alright?" Liu Laicai asked politely.

Liu Laicai was a businessman; everything he considered revolved around business.

Ning Fei's reservoir was closest to him. Buying fish from there meant they would be fresh, and he could save a fortune on transportation, maximizing his profits.

Ning Fei calculated mentally. The maturation periods of the fish fry varied, but the fish in South Lake would roughly be ready for harvest in another three to four months. Factoring in the feed he provided and the aquatic plants in South Lake, that time could potentially be shortened to two months.

Liu Laicai's nongjiale couldn't consume that many fish anyway. Given the neighborly relations within the village, Ning Fei naturally agreed to the deal.

"No problem, though it'll have to be two months from now," Ning Fei said.

"That's wonderful! I won't be able to buy too many, though. Nongjiale business is tough to run in the winter." Liu Laicai was delighted.

"Boss Liu, your business will be tough to run? You must have some plans for the winter."

"Not really, I just plan to open a winter-themed nongjiale. Kind of like those urban party rooms—equip the rooms with mahjong tables and playing cards, then fire up the stoves so people can come and have fun."

Hearing Liu Laicai's words, Ning Fei secretly praised him.

Every profession had its specialists. Liu Laicai's ability to run such a successful nongjiale really came down to his own capability, building his reputation bit by bit.

Otherwise, the neighboring Zhujia Village also had a nongjiale, and it was closer to the county town, yet people down there still preferred to come to Liu Laicai's place.

The online viewers, having heard Liu Laicai, chimed in:

"This Boss Liu really knows how to do business. Just hearing about it makes me want to go."

"It'd definitely be fun for a class reunion or a weekend outing."

"It's not cold driving there anyway. Meeting up for a meal at the nongjiale, playing mahjong next to a warm stove—that's the good life."

Liu Laicai packed up all the fruit for Ning Fei, who then asked, "How much?"

"For this little bit of fruit? No charge. I'll still need to buy fish from Boss Ning later," Liu Laicai said with a chuckle.

Hearing this, Ning Fei smiled. This Liu Laicai certainly knew how to do business.

He didn't stand on ceremony. After chatting with Liu Laicai for a few more moments, he left with Little Dog and Little Fei.

Returning to Qingfeng Temple, Ning Fei's thoughts turned back to the System.

During his last live broadcast restoring cultural relics on Huaxia TV Channel 3, his Popularity Points had skyrocketed.

His current total Popularity Points stood at 52 million, with 17 million available to use.

From the relic restoration broadcast alone, his favorability among Chinese netizens had multiplied. Coupled with the recent doorstep challenge incident, his popularity had only climbed higher, breaking past the 50 million mark.

"System, Diamond Draw Ten-Pull!"

Ning Fei was much calmer when facing lottery draws now. They felt more like minor spices in his life, bringing him occasional, unexpected surprises.

"Ding! Host has selected the Diamond Draw Ten-Pull. Drawing..."

"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the following items:"

"Body Strengthening Pill (Top-grade) x5. Greatly increases physical attributes. Limit: 100."

"Avian Feed (Top-grade) x5. Greatly increases the physical constitution of birds and slightly elevates their intelligence."

"Beast Feed (Top-grade) x5. Greatly increases the physical constitution of beasts and slightly elevates their intelligence."

"Fertile Soil x5. The absolute highest grade of Fertile Soil. Increases crop yields by 100%. When mixed with lower-grade fertile soil, it will transform the entire batch into top-grade Fertile Soil."

"Snow Chime Flower seeds x20. Blue flowers that can bloom in the freezing winter, holding high ornamental value."

"Bai Ze Spiritual Talisman. A spiritual talisman formed by the auspicious beast, Bai Ze. Skill: Bai Ze Protection. When affixed to a residence, it wards off evil, alters feng shui, and gathers auspicious energy and luck."

"Ginseng Fruit x1. A sweet-tasting fruit from an unknown world. Consumption grants longevity, beauty enhancement, and a slight increase in physical constitution."

"Flat Peach x1. A sweet-tasting fruit from an unknown world. Consumption grants enhanced cognitive and agility abilities."

"Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the following props:"

"Wind Control Card x1. A card that can manipulate wind within a specified area. Duration: three minutes. Maximum wind force: Level 7."

"Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the following skills:"

"Parachuting Mastery: Grants the Host the ability to parachute, covering both skydiving parachutes and paragliding."

"Geography Mastery: Grants the Host exquisite knowledge of geography, mastering the changing patterns of landforms, crustal structures, and more."

Another series of notification chimes rang out.

Ning Fei felt the two skills he drew were decent. At the very least, Geography Mastery would be useful for his future outdoor explorations.

This time, however, his attention was far more focused on the drawn items.

"Ginseng Fruit, Flat Peach..."

Ning Fei stared at the drawn items, somewhat taken aback.

He read his stream's comments and knew that many online viewers said he was practicing cultivation, calling him an immortal and such.

Ning Fei had always assumed it was just a running joke.

Something everyone just had a good laugh about.

But drawing these things now made Ning Fei feel, for a fleeting moment, like he really was practicing cultivation.

'Good heavens, just what kind of existence is the System?'

'During my very first lottery draw, I even pulled Immortal beans.'

'Though it seems they all have certain usage limits. It's likely because this world is a mundane reality, completely devoid of those profoundly mystical elements.'

Ning Fei decided not to dwell on it anymore.

He checked the Bai Ze Spiritual Talisman in the System interface.

Daoism had four benevolent beasts: the Phoenix, the Qilin, the Bai Ze, and the Zouwu.

The Phoenix would only roost in wutong trees and only drink from sweet springs; it possessed a noble character and a pure disposition. The Qilin could not bear to trample on flowers or grass and had always represented auspiciousness; in ancient times, people with both virtue and talent were praised as having the talent of a Qilin.

The Bai Ze's unique trait was its ability to speak the human tongue and understand the nature of all things. It was also the bane of all demons. Legend had it that the Bai Ze once gifted the Yellow Emperor a Bai Ze Chart, which recorded the true names, weaknesses, and natural enemies of over ten thousand demons. It was a well-deserved beast of benevolence.

'A Phoenix jade pendant, a Qilin pendant, a Bai Ze Spiritual Talisman...'

'I've gathered three of the four benevolent beasts.'

'They're all benevolent beasts of Daoism. Could this System be related to my Daoist ancestors?'

'Forget it, I won't overthink it. It's a good thing I drew them anyway.'

Ning Fei dismissed the stray thoughts.

Let nature take its course.

In life, the most important thing was to be happy.

Having just finished the lottery draws, Ning Fei was in high spirits and prepared to head back into his room to taste the Ginseng Fruit.

Right at that moment, another notification chime came from the System.

"Ding! Detected that the Host has acquired the skill Parachuting Mastery. Initiating companion quest: Parachuting Live Stream."

"Quest Requirements: Reach 20 million popularity in the live stream room within half an hour of streaming a parachute jump."

"Quest Reward: Zouwu Hand Beads."

"Zouwu Hand Beads: A string of white prayer beads worn on the wrist. Rumored to be formed by the benevolent beast Zouwu. Carries the skill: Zouwu Benevolent Heart, which can accelerate the healing speed of animal injuries."

Another sudden quest from the System.

When he first heard the quest requirements, Ning Fei didn't plan to pay it any mind.

The reason was simple: he liked pursuing nature and enjoyed outdoor exploration because he loved admiring the wondrous scenery of the natural world and wanted to witness all kinds of rare flora and fauna.

Ning Fei had little interest in extreme sports.

Things like bungee jumping, skydiving, wingsuit flying, extreme wakeboarding, or extreme BMX.

What he sought was a leisurely existence that conformed to the Great Dao and nature, not the thrill of challenging human limits.

However, upon hearing the System's reward, Ning Fei was genuinely tempted.

Because the reward was the very last of the four benevolent beasts: the Zouwu.

The Zouwu looked like a tiger, but it possessed a heart of bodhi. It never ate live animals, nor did it ever hunt living creatures. Since it only consumed beasts that had died naturally, it was revered as a benevolent beast.

Ning Fei harbored an inexplicable fascination for these ancient mythical beasts.

Collecting all four benevolent beasts had also become a quiet hope in his heart.

'Looks like I have to do this quest.'

'Stream a parachute jump and break 20 million popularity.'

'Just parachuting alone might not reach that high.'

'I'll have to pull off a little stunt to make it possible.'

Ning Fei thought to himself.

He remembered his Peach-wood Sword, glanced down at the Taichi Sun and Moon robe he was wearing, and smiled.

'Since I'm going to stream a parachute jump, I might as well make it thrilling.'

'People online are always saying I'm practicing cultivation.'

'As a cultivator, flying on a sword shouldn't be too much of a stretch, right?'