“Really?”
Hearing these words, Mu Jiuxiao’s face lit up with joy. He picked up his bamboo basket and sickle and rushed to the edge of the spirit field, waiting only for the bell to ring before immediately stepping into the crops.
Seeing him so enthusiastic, Ye Fan also smiled slightly. He made his own preparations, choosing not to hire any other foundation-realm experts, but instead leisurely taking out a sickle and walking to the field’s edge.
“This is?”
As soon as the sickle appeared, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. It was a Cold Ice Sickle, far more expensive than a Cold Iron Sickle, inscribed with an ice-attribute talisman by an artifact refiner. Mu Jiuxiao had seen one in the market before; such an item cost at least twenty spirit stones!
“Brother Ye Fan, aren’t you being too extravagant?”
Seeing him so well-equipped, Mu Jiuxiao couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy. “Aren’t you afraid someone will target you?”
“I am, which is why I only asked for your help.”
Ye Fan blinked at him, his tone relaxed and entirely devoid of fear. Mu Jiuxiao figured that not only was he unafraid, but he might even be hoping someone would try to rob him.
Tsk tsk, as expected of Ye Fan. Sure enough, anyone named Ye Fan is a ruthless individual!
Pushing those thoughts aside, Mu Jiuxiao said no more. When the bell rang, he concentrated wholeheartedly on harvesting the Gold Spirit Rice. When it came to gathering Gold Spirit Rice, aided by Hard Work Makes Up for Clumsiness, he was confident he could match anyone of his own realm. However, Ye Fan was in a league of his own.
With a flick of his wrist, the biting cold aura surged. The stalks of Gold Spirit Rice seemed to yield willingly to the Cold Ice Sickle, tumbling neatly into his basket as if offering themselves up.
Seeing that half the day had passed, Mu Jiuxiao dared not look further and focused on his own task. When the allotted time ended, he lived up to expectations, successfully harvesting about six fen of the spirit field.
The remaining portion of the field was likewise cleared entirely by Ye Fan.
“Brother Ye is truly extraordinary.” Mu Jiuxiao cupped his fists in salute, and Ye Fan returned the gesture. “Brother Jiu is no slouch either.”
With a wave of his hand, Ye Fan pushed a bamboo basket across the ground toward him. Mu Jiuxiao looked down at the glittering golden grain inside, his face lighting up. “Brother Ye is generous!”
This basket contained at least several dozen jin of spirit rice-far more than the initial reward Ye Fan had promised. Naturally, Mu Jiuxiao was thrilled.
After offering another salute, he cheerfully hoisted the bamboo basket and headed toward the market.
Originally, he had planned to buy only a modest portion of low-grade spirit beast meat during this trip. But with dozens of extra jin of spirit rice in hand, perhaps he could afford to be a bit bolder. Could he perhaps treat himself to a piece of yellow-grade middle-grade spirit beast meat? Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.
The mere thought of eating meat made Mu Jiuxiao’s heart race.
To be frank, over the past few years, the number of times he had tasted meat could be counted on one hand. Growing children always craved such nourishment!
Before long, Mu Jiuxiao arrived at the market.
Named Ning’an Market, it was frequented mostly by tenant farmers of the Seven Stars Sect, alongside the occasional wandering mortal expert. Though small, the market was fully equipped with everything one might need.
There was a restaurant called Zhenwei Pavilion, where the fare was extraordinary. The wine was spirit wine, the meat was spirit beast meat, and the staples were spirit rice. Naturally, the prices were steep, and ordinary tenant farmers dared not even step through the doors.
Beyond that stood the Hundred Artifacts Pavilion, where mortal-grade swords capable of slicing through iron like mud and heavy sabers weighing thousands of jun could be found everywhere, easily acquired for a few shattered spirit stones. Yet, patrons here paid far more attention to the magical artifacts that radiated faint spiritual fluctuations.
Naturally, magical artifacts were expensive and out of reach for most. Aside from those, spirit robes that could repel dust, calm the mind, and resist water and fire were immensely popular.
The pavilion also traded in talismans. Rows of diverse spirit talismans lined the shelves, dazzling the eye and tempting passersby to sweep them all up in one go.
Yet most people could only look from afar, not daring to act rashly.
Mu Jiuxiao stepped into the Hundred Artifacts Pavilion merely to broaden his horizons. He inspected the wares carefully but bought nothing, knowing the prices here were twenty percent higher than those at the outdoor stalls. For someone as frugal as him, street stalls were the natural choice.
Of course, the pavilion guaranteed quality, whereas buying from street vendors meant that if you lacked discernment and made a bad purchase, you had no one to pity you.
Even so, Mu Jiuxiao enjoyed the thrill of hunting for treasures among the stalls. Landing a useful item at a low price was enough to brighten one’s mood for an entire day.
It was a pity that cultivators above the third layer of Qi Condensation were rarely seen in Ning’an Market, let alone any genuine treasures.
After making a round, Mu Jiuxiao walked away with a stack of talisman paper, two boxes of spirit ink, and a spirit brush.
He had traded several jin of spirit rice for these supplies. As for spirit stones? Heh, could tenant farmers like them afford to use spirit stones? Barter was the lifeblood of Ning’an Market. Find the original chapter at g.com.
With the Gold Spirit Rice harvest now underway, every tenant farmer had a surplus of grain on hand, making this the liveliest time of year in the market. Having toiled for an entire season, everyone was glad to come out and browse.
“Selling spirit rat meat cheap! Yellow-grade low-grade spirit rat meat, five jin of spirit rice for one jin!”
A hawker’s cry cut through the noise, drawing a crowd. Normally, a jin of yellow-grade low-grade spirit beast meat cost ten jin of spirit rice, but today it was being sold at half price?
Naturally, many rushed forward, and Mu Jiuxiao joined them to see what the commotion was about.
“Give me a jin! Give me one jin!”
The vendor was a burly fellow wearing a sleeveless tunic that revealed heavily muscled arms. He appeared immensely strong, and as Mu Jiuxiao sensed the spiritual fluctuations radiating from him, he realized the man had clearly reached the peak of the second layer of Qi Condensation!
No wonder he had the capability to hunt down an earth spirit rat!
Because his prices were low, a dense crowd had already formed around his stall, with people eagerly pulling out bags of spirit grain to trade for a taste of fresh meat.
Though spirit rat meat wasn’t particularly flavorful, it was still spirit beast meat after all.
“Nephew, you’re here too?”
As Mu Jiuxiao watched from the outer edge of the crowd, an elderly man pushed his way out, clutching a piece of spirit rat meat.
“Ah, Uncle Nie. It seems your harvest was bountiful this year.”
Mu Jiuxiao offered a polite greeting. Nie Tan’s gaze, however, immediately dropped to the basket in Mu Jiuxiao’s hand, lingering on the dozen-plus jin of golden spirit rice and an unfamiliar cloth bag with a flicker of calculation in his eyes.
“Your harvest is quite impressive as well, Nephew. Word has it that thanks to your Cold Iron Sickle, you’ve made quite a reputation for yourself around Luoxia Mountain. Many people have been asking you to help with their fields.
“It’s all thanks to Uncle Nie spreading a good word.” Mu Jiuxiao gave a perfunctory reply before turning to leave.
He had tasted earth spirit rat meat once before; it was sour and truly unpalatable, so he had no intention of buying any. After lingering briefly to watch the bustle, he strolled elsewhere. Not far away, he spotted a robust man selling single-tusk boar meat. Noticing the meat’s spiritual Qi remained undipersed, he stepped over to strike up a conversation.
Because single-tusk pork was tender and delicious, it commanded a high price-the vendor initially demanded fifteen jin of spirit rice per jin. After some skillful bargaining, Mu Jiuxiao managed to secure a portion at a rate of twelve jin of spirit rice per jin.
However, after paying for the pork, little of his spirit rice remained. He used his final few jin to acquire a flask of spirit wine, then hoisted his purchases and began the journey back.