I'm a Druid at a farmhouse.

Chapter 20 Taking a Long-Term Approach

Song You placed his palm on the rough bark, and a pure natural force flowed from his palm into the trunk of the peach tree.

In his perception, the peach tree was much like a seriously ill patient, with turbid and stagnant energy lingering in its veins, like congealed blood, hindering the flow of life.

"He's quite ill."

Song You increased the output of natural power, attempting to use this life energy to flush away the lesions.

Visibly, those few leaves that had been withered and curled up had actually unfurled slightly and regained a bit of green.

It works!

Song You was overjoyed and continued to pour the liquid in.

But soon he realized something was wrong.

His natural power was like a bottomless pit, being consumed rapidly. Although the lesions inside the tree were dispersed to some extent, they quickly regrouped and became extremely stubborn.

A few minutes later, the leaves that had just regained their green color drooped down again, even more listlessly than before.

Song You abruptly pulled his hand back, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his forehead, and a strong sense of exhaustion surged up.

In the past few minutes, he had consumed nearly 30% of the natural energy within his body.

[Druid's Log: Warning, the target life form's lesion is too deep to be eradicated by natural forces alone. Physical or chemical methods are recommended as adjunctive treatment.]

"Do druids need to talk about science too?"

Song You leaned against the tree trunk, took a breath, and shook his head self-deprecatingly.

He finally understood that druids weren't omnipotent gods.

The power of nature is a catalyst, a stimulant, but not a panacea.

Perhaps we'll have the skills to treat it in the future, but right now we certainly can't directly remove the lesions.

"It seems we still need to rely on science."

He abandoned the terminally ill peach tree and turned to another plum tree that seemed to be showing slightly less severe symptoms.

The leaves of this tree were covered with aphids, and some of the tender leaves were curled up.

This time, Song You didn't rush to use his abilities. He first found a twig and patiently scraped and flicked away the visible insects little by little.

After completing this physical pest control, he reached out again and placed his hand on the tree trunk.

This time, he controlled the output of the natural force, no longer a raging flood, but a subtle, gentle energy, like spring rain nourishing all things, precisely penetrating into those curled leaves.

He could clearly feel that the damaged leaf tissues were slowly repairing themselves under the nourishment of his energy.

The leaves, which had been curled up, slowly but surely unfurled again.

[Druid Log: You have successfully healed a diseased plant, bringing it back to life (2/10).]

[Druid Log: Jungle Druid Introduction Progress +5%, Current Progress: 18%]

Become!

Song You withdrew his hand. Although he still felt tired, a sense of peace and satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Looking at the plum tree that had regained its vitality, he made up his mind.

I'll go back to the agricultural supply store in town and buy some lime sulfur and green pesticides. I'll do some basic treatment on these diseased trees first, and then use the power of nature to repair them. This two-pronged approach will definitely be more efficient.

He looked at the sky; the sun was already high in the sky.

"At this time, we should have some customers."

He tidied up his tools and turned to walk towards the courtyard.

I had just returned to the courtyard, poured myself a cup of iced tea, and hadn't even sat down properly when I heard a familiar car engine roar outside the gate.

A flashy red SUV was parked at the entrance.

The car door opened, and Deng Shen's big face popped out, grinning like a chrysanthemum.

"Brother Song! I, Deng Shen, am back again! This time I've brought you a big client!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, as if afraid others wouldn't know he had arrived.

Song You put down his teacup and chuckled.

That Deng Shen is a real character.

Deng Shen got out of the driver's seat and opened the passenger door. A man dressed in professional fishing gear, who looked even more capable than Deng Shen, got out.

The man was in his thirties, with a healthy tan complexion, and was carrying a high-end-looking fishing tackle box.

"Brother Song, let me introduce you. This is my best buddy, Zhao Qian, known in the industry as the Prince of Night Fishing!" Deng Shen put his arm around the man's shoulder, looking smug.

Zhao Qian nodded to Song You as a greeting. He didn't say much, but his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, finally settling on the shimmering reservoir not far away, his gaze revealing the scrutiny and eagerness of a professional.

"Boss Song, I've long admired your name," Zhao Qian said, his voice steady.

"Welcome, welcome, please come in." Song You ushered the two into the courtyard and poured them tea.

Deng Shen plopped down, picked up the bowl, took a big gulp, and let out a comfortable sigh.

"Your tea is really good! Old Zhao, you should try it; it's much more invigorating than those teas that cost thousands of dollars a pound!"

Zhao Qian also picked up the glass and took a sip, his eyes lighting up slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

He put down his teacup and got straight to the point.

"Boss Song, I watched Deng Shen's video and I'm very interested in your reservoir. I just wanted to ask, is it possible to fish here at night?"

Night fishing?

Song You paused for a moment.

This is the first time a guest has made such a request.

His first instinct was to refuse. The reservoir was dark at night, and if a safety issue arose, his small business couldn't afford the consequences.

But then he thought again, closed his eyes, and submerged his consciousness in the water.

[Nature's Whisper] is activated.

In an instant, the entire scene of the reservoir appeared in his mind through the subtle feedback of the fish.

He could sense any unusual fluctuations caused by any living creature falling into the water.

The fish will immediately relay this signal to him.

Isn't this a natural, 24/7 underwater monitoring system with no blind spots?

Song You opened his eyes, feeling reassured.

"Yes, I can." He looked at Zhao Qian and said slowly, "However, there are rules for night fishing here, and the prices are different."

"You name the rules and the price," Zhao Qian said without hesitation, displaying an air of having plenty of money.

"Night fishing, overnight stay, from now until noon the next day, 1200 per person." Song You held up one finger.

"Hiss." Deng Shen gasped. "Brother Song, you're really daring to ask for that! It's more expensive than the presidential suite in a five-star hotel!"

Zhao Qian didn't even frown, and nodded directly: "Okay."

Song You continued, "Second, you must leave your phone number or WeChat ID, and you cannot turn your phone off at any time. Third, you can only stay near your chosen fishing spot and are not allowed to wander around the reservoir."

"One last thing," he emphasized, "if there's any problem, or if anything feels wrong, shout it out immediately, and I'll be right there."

"No problem." Zhao Qian answered crisply. For a true angler, finding a perfect fishing spot that allows night fishing is nothing compared to the amount of money and the rules.

"Great!" Song You laughed. "Then it's settled."

After the two added each other on WeChat, he led them to the reservoir and pointed out a perfect fishing spot for Zhao Qian that was flat, open, and some distance from the water.

Zhao Qian opened his fishing tackle box, which was filled with all sorts of expensive equipment, making Deng Shen quite envious.

"Old Zhao, you've brought your entire fortune here!"

Zhao Qian smiled, then focused intently on assembling his fishing rod and adjusting the reel, his movements professional and focused.

Deng Shen leaned closer to Song You, lowered his voice, and winked, saying, "Brother Song, my buddy here is a real tycoon. You'd better show him what's what here today, make sure he gets a winning streak and begs to come back next time!"

"Don't worry, you know how I am." Song You brought up the previous experience.

Deng Shen chuckled, then, as if remembering something, slapped his thigh.

"By the way, Brother Song, to be honest, it's a real waste that your skills are just sitting in this remote mountain village. Isn't there some kind of Hunan cuisine culture exchange event being held in Xiangcheng recently?"

Song You paused in his movements.

Deng Shen continued his rambling, "I heard it was a huge event! All the famous chefs from Hunan Province went, setting up stalls to showcase their skills. It was packed with people—a massive food court!"

"If you go there and show off your skills, your agritainment business will become famous overnight!"

Song You listened quietly, a thought growing wildly in his mind.

Expanding brand awareness and attracting more customers—isn't that exactly what he needs right now?

He had been worrying about how to take the initiative, and now the opportunity had come knocking on his door.

He turned his head, looked at Deng Shen, and his expression became serious.

"Brother Deng, where exactly is this food festival being held, and when does it start?"