Chapter 7

Xiao Ping didn’t realize that he had already been envied by Wang Jian. After chatting a few words with Mr. and Mrs. Liu, he returned to his room and let the Demon Subduing Pot absorb the jade. It didn’t take long for the pot to completely absorb the essence of the jade, leaving behind only a pile of gray powder.

Seeing the jade, which cost him several thousand yuan, disappear in an instant, Xiao Ping couldn’t help but shake his head and smile bitterly. Although the Demon Subduing Pot could help him make money, it seemed to be even better at spending it. It looked like expanding the planting scale was inevitable. However, this raised another issue: if he planted more vegetables, the spirit liquid would not be enough.

After absorbing all the jade, the Demon Subduing Pot underwent some subtle changes. The originally white and delicate pot body became even more lustrous, with a faint glow flowing over its surface. What surprised Xiao Ping even more was that the picture on the front of the pot had changed. Originally, there was only a small tree and a clear spring in the picture, but now there was a patch of grass around the spring! The grass, though not large in area, was lush and very lovely. If one looked closely, even each blade of grass could be distinguished.

"This... this is truly amazing!" Xiao Ping couldn’t help but exclaim as he gazed at the intricate picture. He looked at the Demon Subduing Pot several times a day, so he was sure that the picture had changed only after absorbing the jade. Although this seemed incredible, he was not surprised, considering the pot was a magical treasure.

Xiao Ping was very interested in the picture that had changed on its own, and he couldn’t help but stare at it for a while. However, he soon felt dizzy and closed his eyes involuntarily. When this feeling passed, Xiao Ping opened his eyes again and was surprised to find himself in another place.

In front of Xiao Ping was a small tree about his height, with exactly seven emerald green leaves. The green of the leaves was so pure that it gave a sense of vitality. At the base of the tree was a clear spring, trickling out. Strangely, the spring had no other outlet, yet the water level remained constant, without any sign of overflowing. Around the spring was a patch of green grass, soft and ankle-deep, like walking on the best carpet.

Xiao Ping was not unfamiliar with this environment; it was exactly the same as the picture on the Demon Subduing Pot. He immediately realized that he was inside the pot and felt very worried.

"This is the Demon Subduing Pot. It can’t have refined me, can it..." Xiao Ping looked around, feeling uneasy and murmured to himself. However, he soon found that the air inside the pot was fresh and the environment comfortable. He felt no discomfort and was instead invigorated, feeling great all over, and gradually calmed down.

After confirming his safety, Xiao Ping began to carefully examine the surroundings. What attracted him most were the small tree and the spring. Although the tree looked very ordinary, since it was growing inside the Demon Subduing Pot, it couldn’t be that simple. The spring looked very inviting. After drinking a few sips, Xiao Ping found the water to be clear and refreshing, with a faint sweetness, much better than the mineral water sold outside. More importantly, after drinking the spring water, he felt as if he had endless energy and was much more spirited. This made him realize that the spring was also extraordinary, even if its effects were not as strong as the spirit liquid produced by the pot, it was definitely not ordinary.

The only thing that Xiao Ping found unsatisfactory was that the area of the grass was very small, only about ten square meters. A mist surrounded the grass, preventing him from seeing further. Xiao Ping tried to pass through the mist but was always pushed back by a gentle force. After several attempts, he had to give up.

After understanding the environment inside the Demon Subduing Pot, Xiao Ping decided to make good use of it. The space inside the pot was so magical that it would be very effective for growing something. However, the land was too small to waste on vegetables. After much consideration, Xiao Ping realized that the most valuable plant he knew was ginseng, so he decided to try growing ginseng to see the results.

After making his decision, Xiao Ping stayed in the Demon Subduing Pot for a while, drinking his fill of the spring water, and then left this magical place with a thought. When he returned to the outside world, he found himself still sitting in the same spot, seemingly unchanged. However, the alarm clock on the table told him it was already late at night.

This surprised Xiao Ping. He felt he had only stayed in the Demon Subduing Pot for no more than ten minutes, but several hours had passed outside, reminiscent of the saying "a day in the mountains, a thousand years in the world." This made Xiao Ping more cautious, realizing he had to be careful when entering the Demon Subduing Pot, as it would be troublesome if someone discovered this secret.

After discovering this new secret of the Demon Subduing Pot, Xiao Ping had more expectations for the future. Early the next morning, he went straight to the agricultural station to buy ginseng seeds. Wild ginseng was already very rare, and most ginseng was artificially cultivated, so the agricultural station naturally sold ginseng seeds to meet the trend.

Xiao Ping quickly found what he needed and asked the middle-aged man behind the counter, "Boss, how much are the ginseng seeds?"

"Five yuan per pack, ten seeds," the middle-aged man threw a pack of seeds on the counter and looked at Xiao Ping, saying, "Young man, ginseng is not easy to grow. Do you know how to do it?"

Xiao Ping was taken aback and said, "I really don’t."

The middle-aged man was amused by Xiao Ping’s response and shook his head, saying, "Let’s not talk about that for now. Ginseng seeds must be germinated before planting. The germination process can take up to half a year, or at least a few months. I have to tell you this, don’t come back to me if you wait for half a month and the seeds don’t sprout."

"Growing ginseng is so troublesome?" Xiao Ping really didn’t expect it to be so difficult.

The middle-aged man couldn’t help but laugh, "This is ginseng, not a radish. If it were that easy to grow, ginseng would be as cheap as cabbage."

Xiao Ping thought the boss had a point. Besides, he had the Demon Subduing Pot, so he wasn’t worried about growing ginseng. He bought two packs of seeds to try. That night, Xiao Ping entered the Demon Subduing Pot and followed the boss’s instructions to germinate the ginseng seeds.

Xiao Ping originally thought that even in the Demon Subduing Pot, the ginseng seeds would take at least a few weeks to sprout. However, on the third night, he found that the ginseng seeds had already sprouted and were ready to be planted. Xiao Ping cleared a small patch of land near the spring, carefully planted the twenty ginseng seeds, and thoroughly watered them with the spring water. He believed that in this magical place, the ginseng would grow quickly and could be harvested in no time.

After planting the ginseng, Xiao Ping left the Demon Subduing Pot to collect the spirit liquid. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the amount of spirit liquid had increased, from two drops to five drops! This way, Xiao Ping could use two drops to strengthen his body and the other three to grow vegetables. Xiao Ping had been troubled by the lack of spirit liquid, which prevented him from growing more vegetables. Now, with one more drop each time, although it didn’t fully meet his needs, it was much better than before.

"Spending several thousand yuan was really worth it!" Thinking about this, Xiao Ping couldn’t help but sigh. He was very curious about how many more surprises the Demon Subduing Pot would bring him. He also knew that to uncover all the secrets of the Demon Subduing Pot, he needed to earn more money to buy more jade for it to absorb.

===分割线===

Daily support request: clicks, favorites, and recommendations are all appreciated. Thank you everyone!

{Piaotian Literature}