Qingyang Marketplace.
Inside a private room at Juxuan Pavilion.
Qin Ming ordered a full table of fine food and wine, devouring the feast like a whirlwind alongside Old Nine Cai.
Shopkeeper Liao sat by their side with a smile plastered across his face, accompanying the two as they drank.
He naturally understood that the duo hadn’t come to his shop merely to eat and drink.
Shopkeeper Liao had been salivating over Qin Ming’s Beast-Tooth Rice for a very long time already.
After three rounds of drinks, both Qin Ming and Old Nine Cai were thoroughly stuffed and satisfied.
Only then did Shopkeeper Liao rub his hands together, speaking with a gentle smile: “Fellow Cultivator Qin…
that Beast-Tooth Rice you promised…” Qin Ming tilted his head back, downed a glass of wine, and unhurriedly produced the Gold Spirit Rice and Beast-Tooth Rice.
“Over 250 kg of Gold Spirit Rice and 50 kg of Beast-Tooth Rice—it’s all right here.” Shopkeeper Liao’s eyes shone brightly.
Completely ignoring the Gold Spirit Rice, his eyes locked onto that single sack of Beast-Tooth Rice.
He reached out, pulled out a few white grains tinged with red, and examined them meticulously.
After a long while: “Fellow Cultivator Qin, you grew this Beast-Tooth Rice extraordinarily well!
The quality is top-tier; it has almost reached the Fine Grade level!” As he looked into the interior of the Beast-Tooth Rice, that streak of blood red grew increasingly brilliant.
Even though Shopkeeper Liao was normally capable and composed, a trace of excitement couldn’t help but surface on his face at this moment.
Having operated here for so many years, this was his very first time coming across Beast-Tooth Spirit Rice of such high quality.
With proper handling, the price of this batch of Beast-Tooth Rice could easily be flipped several times over, yielding a remarkably impressive profit margin!
Crucially: Now that he had established good relations with Qin Ming, he could firmly hold an exclusive supply channel for Beast-Tooth Rice right in his own hands.
Given Qin Ming’s attainments in spirit planting, long-term cultivation of Beast-Tooth Rice would likely be a breeze for him going forward.
Should that happen: A brilliant, standout stroke of achievement would be added to his record book at Juxuan Pavilion!
When the Pavilion Master was pleased by then, perhaps this position he had occupied for so many years might even move upward.
At this thought: Shopkeeper Liao seemed to figure something out, arriving at a certain resolution.
“Fellow Cultivator Qin, I can take the authority to acquire this batch of Beast-Tooth Rice at a price 20% higher than the market rate.” “That is to say, 6 spirit stones per kg of Beast-Tooth Rice.
What do you think?” Qin Ming pondered for a moment without answering right away.
Seeing him like this, Shopkeeper Liao hurriedly stepped forward, pulled out a jade token from his storage bag, and solemnly handed it to Qin Ming, saying: “This is a discount token for Juxuan Pavilion.” “Holding this token, Fellow Cultivator Qin can enjoy a flat 20% discount on all future purchases, whether at Juxuan Pavilion or any of our other branch shops.” Qin Ming took the jade token, inspected it carefully, and only then nodded in agreement: “Deal.” Seeing the deal struck, joy washed over Shopkeeper Liao’s face.
He immediately brought out a large measuring bucket artifact to begin weighing.
“255 kg of Gold Spirit Rice, priced at 170 spirit stones.” “52.5 kg of Beast-Tooth Rice, priced at 630 spirit stones.” “The grand total comes to 800 Low-Grade spirit stones.” Having finished calculating the weight, Shopkeeper Liao nimbly pulled out the spirit stones and handed them to Qin Ming.
Qin Ming took the spirit stones and stowed them into his storage bag.
With a single influx of 800 spirit stones, his confidence swelled considerably.
Beside him, Old Nine Cai practically drooled seeing such a vast quantity of spirit stones, an expression of envy uncontrollable across his face.
Shopkeeper Liao then asked with a beaming smile: “Does Fellow Cultivator Qin have anything you need to purchase?” “Nothing for now,” Qin Ming replied expressionlessly.
“By the way, nothing major has happened recently, right?” Qin Ming suddenly asked another question.
Shopkeeper Liao was taken aback for a moment before replying: “Same as before.
The Spirit Feather Sect is still busy rushing repairs on the teleportation array; it probably won’t be fixed anytime soon,” Shopkeeper Liao whispered softly, refraining from saying more.
Qin Ming nodded.
This time, his selling 50 kg of Beast-Tooth Rice to Shopkeeper Liao in one go was an intentional move to display a bit of his own value.
Shopkeeper Liao had a significant background behind him and could gain access to higher-level news and developments.
In the future, Qin Ming would inevitably need to inquire with him about information regarding the cultivation world.
Afterward, Old Nine Cai also pulled out 100 kg of Gold Spirit Rice and sold it to Shopkeeper Liao.
With the transaction concluded: Qin Ming prepared to settle the bill and leave.
Shopkeeper Liao generously gave him the 20% discount, charging only 5 spirit stones while throwing in a small flask of spirit wine as a gift.
Shopkeeper Liao then escorted the two out the shop door with a warm smile.
…
Leaving the shop: Qin Ming prepared to head to the Spirit Feather Sect’s Deacon Hall to take the spirit plant knowledge assessment and complete his promotion to a Tier-One Spirit Plant Master.
He bade farewell to Old Nine Cai, and the two parted ways to tend to their own affairs.
Qin Ming arrived at the Deacon Hall alone.
The assessment process went very smoothly, taking only an hour to complete.
It mainly consisted of basic knowledge on cultivating spirit plants, plus an essay on insights into growing Tier-One spirit plants.
The spirit plant master in charge of the examination quickly handed down the results—passed.
On the spot, an official spiritual energy seal was stamped into Qin Ming’s spirit plant master identity token.
On the back of the token, one of the leaves on the spirit plant pattern was lit up, marking Qin Ming’s official status as a Tier-One Low-Grade Spirit Plant Master.
“To be promoted to a Mid-Grade Spirit Plant Master, you need to successfully cultivate three or more types of Tier-One Mid-Grade spirit plants.” “When that time comes, you may return here for your promotion,” instructed the Spirit Feather Sect deacon responsible for the exam, unable to resist glancing at Qin Ming a few extra times seeing how young he was.
“Yes, many thanks, Deacon,” Qin Ming bowed respectfully and departed from the Deacon Hall.
…
Qin Ming walked along the marketplace street, playing with the spirit plant master identity token in his hand for a moment before stowing it into his storage bag.
“Oh my goodness~” “What absolute fate!” “Fellow cultivator, don’t leave in such a hurry!
Two spirit stones per person—care for a round?” The path leading to the Ruan Family Compound passed by the nearby brothel establishment once more.
It was still that same glamorous female cultivator in green attire, winking furiously at Qin Ming while calling out relentlessly.
Qin Ming kept his eyes straight ahead, completely ignoring her as he walked toward the direction of the Ruan Family Compound.
“Ptui!
How utterly boring!” The green-clad female cultivator spat.
Just as she finished speaking, two men stepped out from the door behind her, one of whom was that same bearded brute.
“Didn’t take the bait again.” …
The Ruan Family Compound was located near the central area of Qingyang Marketplace.
Along the several alleyways in this area, numerous houses were built—all standalone large courtyards with expansive floor spaces.
The amenities inside were fully equipped, featuring dedicated meditation quiet-rooms and various craft-refining chambers.
Besides that, they were even outfitted with isolation arrays covering the entire courtyard to prevent external spying.
After all: In the cultivation world, privacy and safety were of paramount importance to cultivators.
Cultivators who could afford to rent here were typically mid-to-late stage cultivators with deep foundations, or even cultivators at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm.
Along the way, Qin Ming made inquiries about the rental situation here.
He learned that house rental prices inside the market had surged continuously since last year, shooting up several times over compared to previous years.
“Nowadays, even the worst house inside Qingyang Marketplace requires 300 spirit stones a year in rent.” Qin Ming clicked his tongue inwardly in shock.
“However, all the houses in Qingyang Marketplace are fully rented out right now.
If a courtyard opens up, one still has to go to the Spirit Feather Sect’s Deacon Hall to apply for a slot.” “I heard that this year, the cultivators applying for housing slots at the market are already queued up past number nine hundred…” Qin Ming: “…” He had originally thought: Rental prices in the market were already ridiculously expensive, but he hadn’t expected that despite being this pricey, one actually had to fight for a slot!
‘Sigh…
if it weren’t for the protection of the Tier-Two formation inside the market, not even a dog would rent here!’ ‘Heh—ptui!’ …
In front of the Ruan Family Compound.
Knock, knock, knock!
Qin Ming knocked for a long time, but no one answered from inside.
He immediately sent a transmission talisman to Fellow Cultivator Ruan.
A short moment later: Qin Ming received a reply via transmission talisman.
“Fellow Cultivator Qin, I am truly sorry.
I am handling some matters outside and won’t be able to rush back home anytime soon.” “How about I give you an address and trouble you to make a trip over?
It’s not far.” Hearing this, Qin Ming’s brows furrowed tightly into a deep knot.
After a moment’s reflection: He still replied with extreme caution: “Fellow Cultivator Ruan, it is not very peaceful outside right now.
How about I just wait a bit longer?” “Whenever you return, just send me a word.”