Farming In The Eastern Cultivation World-Chapter 45: Reed Bay and Blackie

Im Beomhyeon’s home was near the village’s outskirts, while Heo Taehyeon’s house was at the front.

Heo Taehyeon’s home was directly connected to his smithy.

Normally, Heo Taehyeon would forge tools for the villagers free of charge.

However, when people from neighboring villages came asking for his work, he charged a fee—and at a rate higher than most blacksmiths.

Even so, people still sought him out.

His strength, paired with his family’s inherited smithing techniques, ensured that the quality of his ironwork was top-notch.

After passing the village entrance, Bok Taejin and Secon Uncle walked past a grove of green bamboo, skirted a small patch of shrubs, and arrived at a shallow river where the women in th village often did their washing.

The river was clear, its surface rippling gently in the breeze.

Several women were squatting by the water, spreading clothes over large, smooth stones and pounding them rhythmically with sturdy wooden rods.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound echoed in a steady, familiar rhythm.

Not far from the river, a vast field of reeds swayed with the wind, their feathery plumes dancing elegantly.

The sight was stunning.

But upon closer inspection, something felt slightly off—the reed field wasn’t as expansive as it initially seemed.

Bok Taejin noticed this but assumed it was simply due to land distribution.

After all, with so much farmland dedicated to crops, it made sense for wetlands to be limited.

Still, he wasn’t sure why the old man had brought him here.

Im Beomhyeon had already taken him to this spot before, and they had spent quite some time here.

At that time, Bok Taejin suspected Im Beomhyeon had lingered by the river not for the scenery, but for a different reason—there were many young women here doing laundry.

The girls of Hwayang Village were all accustomed to hard work.

While exposure to the elements had inevitably weathered their skin, their figures were lean and well-proportioned.

When dressed in fitted sleeves and snug garments, their bodies radiated a natural, untamed vitality.

Even through their clothes, one could sense the toned muscles beneath—a testament to their strength and energy.

There was a raw, wild beauty to them that made them all the more captivating.

"Second Uncle, I’ve been here before," Bok Taejin finally said.

"Patience, patience." The old man chuckled. "You young folks are always in such a rush. Haven’t you heard? You can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry!"

Bok Taejin’s eyes immediately lit up.

Since arriving here, he hadn’t seen any legume crops.

He had even wondered if soybeans existed in this world.

But now, hearing Second Uncle mentioned about tofu, his worries vanished.

Tofu? Wouldn’t a fish head tofu soup be perfect?

The village’s pickled vegetables were delicious too—making a sour fish stew with them sounded amazing.

Too bad there were no chili peppers.

Otherwise, a spicy boiled fish dish would be even better.

After various delicious dishes flashed through Bok Taejin’s mind, Second Uncle had already led him closer to the reed marsh, following a narrow path that led deeper inside.

At that moment, Bok Taejin finally understood what Second Uncle wanted to show him!

A large flock of ducks floated on the wetland waters.

Some of them dipped their heads into the water, pecking at something beneath the surface, others preened their feathers with their beaks, while a few stretched their necks high, displaying various postures.

Despite their arrival, the ducks remained undisturbed, continuing to play in the water as if no one was watching.

Seeing only the ducks, Second Uncle let out a sigh of relief, though he seemed slightly disappointed. "That flock of big white geese must have gone deeper into the reed bay to forage. It’s a good thing they’re not here—otherwise, we’d have to turn around and run for it."

Bok Taejin had heard about the notorious aggression of big white geese in his past life and had even been chased and bitten by them during visits to some villages.

He still remembered their formidable combat abilities all too well.

In a cultivation world, geese were probably even stronger.

The geese had an extremely strong sense of territoriality, and the reed bay was their domain.

"This is just the outer area of the reed bay. Both ducks and geese come here to forage, but most of the time, it’s the geese that occupy this space. They’re much fiercer in a fight than the ducks," Second Uncle explained while pointing deeper into the reeds. "Inside, they’ve divided their own territories, and there’s no mixing. These ducks wouldn’t dare to fight the geese for land."

Just then, the flock of ducks became alarmed, scattering in all directions and quickly disappearing into the reeds, making it difficult to spot them.

Bok Taejin saw three strikingly elegant geese swimming out from the depths of the reed bay.

At first, they moved swiftly, but once the ducks had fled, they slowed down considerably.

The lead goose was noticeably larger than the other two, with an especially prominent knob on its forehead.

It seemed to be looking in their direction.

Bok Taejin tensed up, remembering what Second Uncle had just said about running.

He hesitated, unsure whether to back away, when Second Uncle suddenly beamed with delight.

"What a lucky day! You even get to see Blackie!"

"Blackie?" Bok Taejin repeated.

"That’s right!" Second Uncle pointed at the leading goose. "Look at the black feathers on both sides of its head—aren’t they darker than the others’?"

Bok Taejin took a closer look, and since the three geese were approaching, he finally saw it clearly.

"So that’s why it’s called Blackie?" he asked.

Second Uncle clapped his hands in excitement. "Exactly!"

The three geese honked loudly, as if expressing their dissatisfaction with Second Uncle’s noise.

He chuckled a few times and lowered his voice slightly.

"You don’t know this, but Blackie is the smartest of them all. It’s the leader of the reed bay’s goose flock and one of the oldest geese that was still alive."