Chapter 18: The Peach Blossom Spring Upgrade

Just as Su Ze was about to enter Peach Blossom Haven, a voice called out at the door once again.

Reluctantly rising from bed, Su Ze opened the door and saw a young servant dressed in a footman’s attire. By the lantern the servant held, Su Ze recognized him as likely one of the Zhang family’s servants.

“Master Su, you are indeed safe!”

Zhang Jiasheng—the name came back to Su Ze. He recalled that this young servant was quite useful to Zhang Daocheng.

Zhang Jiasheng spoke rapidly, “Our young lady was worried sick and forced the family patriarch to go to the palace to see Zhang Xiuyuan. Hearing that you were unharmed, the patriarch sent me to check on you. Now, both the patriarch and the young lady can finally rest easy!”

Hearing how deeply Zhang Chulan had gone to such lengths for him, Su Ze felt a warmth in his heart.

“Please convey my gratitude to the patriarch and Miss Lan. I shall pay my respects soon.”

Zhang Jiasheng continued, “The young lady has been confined by the patriarch because of this matter. Master Su, it would be best to wait a few days before visiting again. Also, the patriarch asked me to deliver this message: with so much going on in Bianjing, it’s better for you to stay in and focus on your studies.”

Su Ze nodded, and Zhang Jiasheng then took his lantern and left.

After securing the courtyard door and ensuring no one was watching, Su Ze returned inside, lay down on the bed, and entered Peach Blossom Haven.

After a moment of dizziness, Su Ze opened his eyes. The mist surrounding Peach Blossom Dock had thinned somewhat. Not far off in the dry fields, a farmer was carrying buckets of water, irrigating the young crops.

Nearby, the guiding child sat by the water’s edge, watering the radish seedlings growing atop his head with the stream’s water.

Seeing Su Ze, the guiding child shook the droplets from his head and jumped before him, saying, “As expected of the master of Peach Blossom Haven, you’ve gathered so much literary aura in such a short time!”

Su Ze still had some doubts and asked, “Why did a single sheet of Wang Anshi’s letter grant 10 points of literary aura last time, but this time I only received 100 points?”

He did not dare claim his own writing was exceptional, but two famous lines that would be remembered for ages, combined with Zeng Gong’s calligraphy, he had expected to gain thousands of points. Yet, he had only received a hundred.

So, as soon as he entered Peach Blossom Haven, he eagerly inquired.

The guiding child shook his body, letting water droplets fall from the leaves, and explained, “The 10 points from last time came because it was the first time the master collected a calligraphy work by Wang Anshi. For works of calligraphy or paintings, if they are of the same style and technique, you cannot repeatedly collect literary aura from them.”

Su Ze thought it over carefully and understood the principle.

Simply put, calligraphic works only yield literary aura the first time they are collected.

His plan to have Wang Anshi and Zeng Gong write letters to generate literary aura was already doomed before it could begin.

It seemed that literary aura was harder to gather than he had thought. Relying on calligraphic works to accumulate it was a lost cause. Instead, he would need to befriend literary giants and obtain it through their writings.

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With at least a hundred points of literary aura in hand, Su Ze looked over Peach Blossom Haven, ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

He first walked to the fields, seeing the green crops and the weeds growing alongside them. On some crops, he spotted plump green caterpillars. After watering the fields, the farmer was now focused on weeding and pest control.

Feeling the breeze mixed with the scent of earth, Su Ze realized Peach Blossom Haven was not a mere virtual world; its ecology was complete.

This truly was a secluded paradise belonging solely to him.

He gazed toward the fog-shrouded area nearby, wondering what had happened there and what it might become in the future.

If he continued to gather literary aura, could he transform this place into a genuine utopia?

Pushing aside these thoughts, Su Ze returned to Peach Blossom Dock and told the guiding child, “I want to upgrade Peach Blossom Dock.”

The guiding child responded excitedly, “Wonderful! Upgrading Peach Blossom Dock will unlock more buildings. Master, are you sure you want to spend 20 points of literary aura to upgrade it?”

“Confirmed.”

The guiding child produced a pen from somewhere and handed it to Su Ze, saying, “Master, if you mark a stroke on Peach Blossom Dock with this pen, you can upgrade it!”

That simple?

Su Ze tapped the pen on the wind banner of Peach Blossom Dock. A surge of energy flew from his body and settled upon the dock.

After a flash of light, Su Ze noticed the floating bridge leading into the river had extended, its worn parts repaired as if new. A weeping willow had appeared by the shore, its branches dipping into the water, and colorful flowers bloomed along the banks.

It truly now resembled a glimpse of a secluded paradise.

Eagerly, Su Ze unfurled the scroll and found several new buildings available.

[Medium-grade Fertile Field] (Green)
Price: 10 points of literary aura per mu;
Function: Can cultivate most grains, vegetables, and fruits. Yield is higher than [Low-grade Dry Field]. Harvested once per month in the real world, requires a farming essence child to manage.

[Free-range Chicken Coop] (Green)
Price: 10 points of literary aura;
Function: Can raise 10 free-range chickens. Chicks begin laying eggs after 10 days, producing eggs daily thereafter. After a month, fully-grown chickens can be harvested. Requires a farming essence child to manage.
Needs: Feed (bran or green fodder).

[Standard Pigsty] (Green)
Price: 10 points of literary aura;
Function: Can raise 2 pigs, ready for market after two months. Requires a farming essence child to manage.
Needs: Large amounts of feed (pigs are omnivores; kitchen scraps, bran, and fruits or vegetables can be used but require ample feed for fattening).

These were basic agricultural buildings, which Su Ze definitely planned to build. Yet he continued to unfold the scroll.

[Crumpled Paper Mill] (Green)
Price: 10 points of literary aura;
Function: Produces rough paper, up to 2,000 sheets per month. Requires a craftsman essence child to operate.
Needs: Paper-making raw materials such as bamboo and thatch.

Additionally, there were [Manual Mill], [Simple Tofu Workshop], [Basic Oil Press], and [Basic Bamboo Weaving Workshop], each requiring prerequisite buildings and specific raw materials.

However, seeing that all the buildings were green-grade left Su Ze somewhat disappointed.

He asked the guiding child, “Besides green buildings, are there higher-grade ones? How can I construct those?”

“You can continue upgrading Peach Blossom Dock to obtain blueprints for higher-grade buildings,” the guiding child replied.

Seeing that the next upgrade required 100 points of literary aura, Su Ze dismissed the idea.

The guiding child then shifted tone, saying, “Also, gaining recognition from spirit essence children can grant you a chance to obtain blueprints of higher quality.”

“Moreover, you can design buildings yourself. If recognized by Peach Blossom Haven, your designs can transform into new buildings.”

“Finally, some high-level spirit essence children can raise the building’s grade. Look at the field tended by the farmer.”

Only then did Su Ze notice that the previously blank [Low-grade Farmland] on the scroll had transformed into [Medium-grade Fertile Field] (Green), thanks to the farmer’s diligent care.

Suddenly, Su Ze understood the four methods to obtain advanced buildings: spending resources, gaining favor, DIY, and leveling up.

The guiding child said, “Master, to celebrate your upgrade to Peach Blossom Dock, please accept these blueprints!”