Chapter 12

To be honest, this weekend was indeed very interesting for Luo Yi and his friends; after all, they were just ordinary office workers, and it was quite difficult for them to enjoy the pleasures of a forest resort. Although it seemed a bit dull, it depended on one's personality.

It looked boring, but it wasn't entirely so; it was very quiet, and after getting used to the hustle and bustle of the big city, enjoying such tranquility was quite nice. Moreover, there were some good games here, like the four-wheel off-road vehicles, which became everyone's favorite.

So, in general, the trip was worth it.

"Conditions at the forest resort are still quite basic, but I believe it will be much more interesting next time you come. Trust me, although I will focus on running the forest resort, I will not neglect myself. You are welcome to visit anytime; you all know I am a very hospitable person, and I enjoy spending good times with friends," Qi Ping said with a smile as he bid farewell to the group. This wasn't just polite talk; Chris and Douglas were both great people, and they were worth befriending.

"Buddy, I think we'll come here often. This place is great, and it's worth looking forward to; we had a wonderful weekend, and everything here is worth remembering. We will definitely visit often, God can bear witness," Douglas said with a smile, bumping fists with Qi Ping. It was indeed a great place.

Qi Ping briefly spoke with Luo Yi, and there was no need for formalities between them. Otherwise, Qi Ping wouldn't have stayed at Luo Yi's house for a whole week when he first came to the U.S., and Luo Yi wouldn't have brought his friends to visit Qi Ping's forest resort.

With the friends gone, Qi Ping's life seemed to be slowly returning to normal. Indeed, he now needed to focus more on running the forest resort rather than just eating, drinking, and having fun. It was simple; Qi Ping didn't have the capital for such luxuries yet, and he needed to think about long-term development.

People from the Ministry of Agriculture came to inspect the environment and operating qualifications of the forest resort. There was no problem, as Qi Ping's procedures were complete. However, what was approved now was just the operating rights; for organic vegetable certification, the approval process would start during the planting phase and would only be confirmed after the quality of the vegetables was verified.

But for Qi Ping, this was enough; his forest resort now had operating rights, and he could start planting vegetables without worrying about them not being able to go to market.

"Uncle Zhao, I've brought back the seeds for the organic vegetables, and they are all of good quality. You and Uncle Huang and Auntie should keep an eye on them; it's about time to plant. Generally, lettuce can grow in about a month. I'm looking forward to earning some money once the lettuce is on the market, which will make things a bit easier for me," Qi Ping said cheerfully. For now, he was only planting a small amount of lettuce, partly as an experiment and partly because he had only managed to clear about ten acres of land in a rush.

"Don't worry, Xiao Qi. Uncle Zhao won't slack off. You pay a fair wage, and I can't take this money in bad conscience!" Uncle Zhao patted his chest, assuring him. He believed he had the skills to manage the farm and tend to the vegetables.

Qi Ping felt relieved. The seeds needed to be planted, and he also needed to start getting busy.

The required jade was delivered, and the survey team provided the numbers. Qi Ping felt that his current preparations were quite thorough, even though it was his first time setting up an array. He didn't feel completely unprepared. With more detailed numbers, even though it was his first time, he still had some confidence.

He kept looking for the most suitable location and started burying the jade. When Qi Ping buried the precious piece of jade, which was the focal point of the array, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. This marked the completion of the spirit-gathering array, and now it was time to wait for it to start operating. This was the moment to witness a miracle.

Of course, Qi Ping was also a bit nervous.

Although he hadn't stopped learning about array formations, it was his first time putting it into practice, and he was bound to be a bit rusty. If it weren't for the more accurate numbers, he might not have had the courage to proceed. Even so, he encountered several challenges during the process.

The array was indeed completed, but there were definitely some flaws. There was nothing he could do about it; after all, he was a beginner with no experience and lacked confidence. However, it didn't matter; even with some flaws, there was room for improvement. The most important thing was that Qi Ping learned a lot during the process, and he now felt more confident. This was the most crucial part.

Qi Ping didn't dare to be complacent; everything was just beginning, and he needed to work even harder. Setting up the array was one thing, but it also needed continuous improvement. Qi Ping found many shortcomings, and although he believed he had set it up quite well, it still needed refinement.

"The jade here is being consumed faster, indicating that the energy is not balanced, and the position is slightly off," Qi Ping muttered to himself, holding a shovel. From the results of the past two days' inspections, it seemed that his first attempt at setting up the array wasn't as good as he had hoped, and there were many flaws.

Qi Ping kept inspecting and improving, and finally, he achieved some decent results. The spiritual energy was becoming more abundant, and the consumption of jade was relatively minimized. Clearly, the array was becoming more refined, which was the right direction. Qi Ping felt he had made a big gain; the spiritual energy in the vegetable patch was sufficient, and he had basically mastered the array formation, which was the most important thing.

This was a small test, and although there were some shortcomings, it gave Qi Ping more confidence because he had achieved some small successes. Although the spiritual energy in the entire forest resort might not have increased significantly, the results in the vegetable patch were quite good, which would help his vegetables grow faster.

Qi Ping's small ambitions were growing. Since he had achieved some success, it was clear that he would build on it. It wasn't just about the vegetable patch; he needed to improve more areas, such as around his house, which could also benefit from increased spiritual energy. For now, he couldn't build a mansion by the lake, but he could enjoy his current life.

Each array covered about fifty acres, or about 300 acres in total. This was based on the energy limits of the jade he had and his current inability to handle more complex arrays. If he gained more experience and had more high-quality jade, he might try setting up larger arrays.

The three pieces of jade he had were all in use; two were in the vegetable patch, and one was near his house. When he earned more money, he could set up more arrays. Although it seemed that Qi Ping was just trying to make the most of his current resources and focusing on short-term plans, in his overall plan, these were all interconnected. These small arrays were actually small parts of more complex large arrays, which was the most important thing.

So now, he needed to make the most of his current resources to create more wealth and seize more opportunities. Clearly, Qi Ping needed to grow stronger, which was the most important thing for him to do.

Qi Ping felt he was doing quite well. At least, he was working hard to create more wealth and striving for more development space. This guy was very serious and had indeed achieved a lot. He was accumulating more experience and continuously strengthening his abilities, which was the most important thing for him to do.

As the arrays were continuously refined, Qi Ping became even stronger. When all three pieces of precious jade became the focal points of the arrays, Qi Ping felt even more satisfied. For example, when he completed the array around his house, there were no mistakes, indicating that he had basically mastered the basic small arrays, which was a significant achievement!