Collective Procurement, Big Business!

Someone really did owe him money!

At least, Ge Changyuan felt that he owed Su Qing.

Ever since Su Qing had fitted Ge Ling with her Spirit Lotus Leg, the little girl had not had a single problem over the past half month. Having endured such a great upheaval, she had even become more diligent in her cultivation.

She had now broken through to the Second Layer of Qi Refining. At her age, saying she had Foundation Establishment Hope would not be an exaggeration.

The better Ge Ling did, the more Ge Changyuan remembered Su Qing's kindness.

Today, the moment he found a little free time amid his work, he Came to the Door to visit.

When Ge Changyuan arrived, Su Qing had just successfully refined a Lizard Warrior and was in an excellent mood.

Seeing an old friend come calling naturally made him even happier.

"You've come all this way, and you even hauled over an entire cart of fruits and vegetables. That's far too much trouble. Don't do this again next time!"

Su Qing welcomed Ge Changyuan into the small courtyard. Looking at the Wood Ox Puppet piled high with goods, he said with a smile.

Ge Changyuan rubbed his hands together and, somewhat awkwardly, held the Spirit Tea Su Qing had offered him. With a simple, honest grin, he said, "They're just worthless country things. This year, everyone's harvest was ruined by demonic beasts for the most part. We figured the Market might be short on fruits and vegetables, so the wife gathered up a cartful and had me bring it to you, Fellow Daoist."

Su Qing nodded at this and asked with concern, "With the demonic beasts coming down from the mountains, the Spirit Planters in the Spirit Field District have truly suffered a great disaster. If your family is facing any hardship, just tell me directly. I can still spare a few Spirit Crystals."

"I wouldn't dare ask you for that. To be honest, this old man has been doing fairly well lately."

Seeing that Su Qing's concern was sincere, Ge Changyuan could not help feeling moved. He quickly rose to his feet and answered.

This made Su Qing rather curious. After all, with demonic beasts and Rogue Cultivators alike ravaging the spirit fields, he had expected Ge Changyuan to be having a very hard time.

Only after asking did he learn why.

It turned out that Ge Changyuan had wanted to repay his kindness, so he had harvested his spirit rice slightly earlier than the other Spirit Planters. By the time the demonic beasts came down from the mountains in full force, he had already harvested most of it.

Thus, disaster had become a blessing. After the other Spirit Planters suffered heavy losses and the Market's supply of Spirit Rice tightened, his harvest actually sold better than in previous years.

Besides that, Old Man Ge had a craft for weaving Beast Binding Ropes. In the past, only Monster Hunters had much use for such things.

Most Monster Hunters chose to weave them themselves, so they could not fetch much of a price. At best, they earned a bit of hard money to supplement the household income during the slack farming season.

But now, because of the tide of demonic beasts coming down the mountains, the hundreds of thousands of Rogue Cultivators hunting monsters were all half-baked amateurs. They did not know the first thing about a Monster Hunter's craft. Forget weaving Demon Binding Ropes—even using them took half a day of practice. Thus, not only had the price of Ge Changyuan's binding ropes risen, demand also far exceeded supply.

"This old man isn't greedy. I only make a little over thirty Spirit Crystals on each rope. The wife and I can weave two in three days, so life is still manageable for now. I just don't know when these demonic beasts will retreat, or whether the spirit fields can still be planted next year!"

As a Spirit Planter, even though he had made a little money because the demonic beasts had come down from the mountains, Ge Changyuan still worried about his family's land outside the Market. The Demon Binding Rope business could not last forever; working the fields year after year was what he could truly rely on.

"No matter how many Tier 1 demonic beasts there are in Hundred Beasts Mountain, with over a hundred thousand Rogue Cultivators killing them for two or three months, they should be able to drive them back. Don't worry too much, brother. It won't delay next spring's planting."

Su Qing had never been to the Hunting Grounds and did not know what things were like there. But by common sense, the disturbance of demonic beasts coming down from the mountains should be settled within two or three months at most.

Old Man Ge nodded. He and the villagers comforted themselves with the same words.

As they spoke, he handed over another bag of Spirit Crystals. Su Qing untied the bag and glanced inside. There were roughly three to four hundred Spirit Crystals lying within.

He understood what Ge Changyuan meant, but he was not planning to accept these Spirit Crystals.

The reward Ge Changyuan had given him last time had actually been enough. The first payment, together with the Spirit Crystals earned from selling the Mighty Ox, had totaled two to three thousand Spirit Crystals.

That money was enough to cover the Spirit Lotus Leg and the Demoness Puppet he had paid to hire Tang Wanqing, while still leaving him a profit of five or six hundred Spirit Crystals.

"What are you doing, brother? I told you there was no need to pay any more. Take these Spirit Crystals back. Ge Ling is talented—buy her some Pills. Once she grows up, you two won't have to work so hard anymore!"

"How could that be? I saw Fellow Daoist Tang in the village again recently. Fellow Daoist Tang is incredibly capable!

The child's mother said you must have spent who knew how many Spirit Crystals hiring her before. How could we possibly let you pay for it!"

Ge Changyuan stubbornly tried to press the money bag Su Qing had returned back into his hands.

The old man had worked the fields all year round and was far stronger than Su Qing. Su Qing could not push him away, so he could only put on a cold expression and pretend to be angry. Only then did Ge Changyuan give up.

Only then did Su Qing curiously ask about Tang Wanqing's situation.

Ge Changyuan had not seen Tang Wanqing many times. He only occasionally saw the sisters under her command come to the village to replenish daily supplies, and heard the discussions of other Rogue Cultivators. That gave him a rough understanding.

According to Ge Changyuan's description, the four most prominent monster-hunting forces in the Hunting Grounds were led by:

Wolf King Hunter—Pang Zhizhong.

Bear King Hunter—Tang Wanqing.

Eagle King Hunter—Yang Jiren.

Rat King Hunter—Niu Ya.

All four had led teams that accomplished the feat of killing Tier 1 extreme demonic beasts.

Thus, their names had resounded throughout the Hunting Grounds, and they had countless followers.

Rogue Cultivators were a pragmatic bunch. Whoever could lead them to hunt more demonic beasts and earn them more Spirit Crystals was the one they were willing to follow, and they would voluntarily spread that person's reputation far and wide.

"She's even got a title now. Looks like she's really doing well!"

Having learned of Tang Wanqing's circumstances, Su Qing was relieved. With her own abilities, the sisters like Sun Yan who were fiercely loyal to her, and so many Rogue Cultivator followers now at her side, she should be safe in the Hunting Grounds.

The two chatted for a few more moments. Then Ge Changyuan's expression suddenly turned solemn, and he cupped his hands. "This old man has another matter to ask of you this time, Fellow Daoist."

"Just say what you have to say. Between you and me, why be so polite?"

Su Qing waved his hand. The only thing Ge Changyuan could ask of him was Refining Puppets. If he could help, he naturally would.

"When I came here, our village and several neighboring villages asked this old man to inquire whether you are still making Iron Horses and Wood Oxes. Everyone is planning to purchase a batch together.

"Also, the Spirit Field District is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes now, and it isn't very peaceful. Everyone would also like to ask you to refine some Lizard Warriors."

Su Qing was overjoyed when he heard this. "Brother, how is this asking me for a favor? You're helping me!

"Of course I'll do it. The Wood Oxes and Iron Horses are for helping the Rogue Cultivators transport demonic beasts and haul supplies back and forth, right? That's a good thing too. With this livelihood, the villagers can make up some of their losses from the spirit fields!"

Seeing Su Qing's delight, Ge Changyuan was also secretly pleased.

Before Su Qing had left last time, he had asked Ge Changyuan to help spread the word in several nearby villages.

Ge Changyuan had not forgotten about it these past days.

It was only that Spirit Planters earned too few Spirit Crystals. Even if they truly lost an arm or a leg, no one was willing to spend more than two thousand Spirit Crystals to install a Spirit Lotus Leg.

Moreover, after losing a leg, it could not be more than a day and a night before the Spirit Lotus Leg was installed. That made suitable customers even harder to find.

These past days, whenever he had nothing to do, Ge Changyuan had gone mingling among the monster-hunting teams, hoping to spot a few freshly severed legs and bring Su Qing some business.

But so far, he had Achieved Nothing.

While the Spirit Lotus Leg business could not get off the ground, Su Qing's good reputation from Ge Family Village had allowed him to secure all the Iron Horse and Wood Ox business from the surrounding villages.

Furthermore, a large number of Rogue Cultivators had recently poured into the Spirit Field District. They hunted monsters by day and stayed in villagers' homes at night. With so many outsiders around, all sorts of filthy affairs—chicken thieves and dog robbers—began to multiply.

Some Robber Cultivators had also mixed into the Spirit Field District. Once they set their sights on someone, it could mean a ruined home and dead family at any moment.

Therefore, when they learned that Ge Changyuan had connections to a High-grade Tier 1 Puppet Master, Ge Family Village took the lead. Together with several nearby villages, they pooled a sum of Spirit Crystals, hoping to form a Puppet Enforcement Team.

"It's good that you've agreed, Fellow Daoist. When this old man returns, I'll have an answer for everyone. As for the price, just charge the usual rate. This old man is only here to run errands and deliver a message, so there's no need to take me into consideration!"

Ge Changyuan said with a smile. This trip had both brought Su Qing business and solved everyone's puppet problem. When he returned, he would probably walk through the village with more swagger than before.

"I can't let you make this trip for nothing, brother. Once this order is completed, I'll surely reward you generously."

Thirty Iron Horses, fifty Wood Oxes, plus twelve Lizard Warriors.

That was a major deal worth over thirty thousand Spirit Crystals. The deposit Ge Changyuan had handed him alone amounted to ten thousand Spirit Crystals.

With his success rate, the profit would be at least eighty percent. He was going to make a killing, so naturally he could not shortchange Ge Changyuan.

Su Qing planned to refine a Lizard Warrior for Ge Changyuan's family when he delivered the goods as well, so that Ge Changyuan would keep up the good work and try to bring him more orders.

In the end, affection would fade, but a mutually beneficial relationship of shared interests was what could endure for the long haul.