A Wager

"Hmph, you say it's a Divine Wood Seed, so it's a Divine Wood Seed? Who knows if you're just trying to trick me?" The young man gave a disdainful snort, sounding displeased.

"You haven't managed to grow it yourself, so how do you know it isn't a Divine Wood Seed?" the middle-aged man asked, displeasure in his voice.

"Hmph, I don't care. Give me back my ten Spirit Stones, or you'll regret it. And don't say I didn't warn you—I'm from the Chen Household of Plum Ridge." The young man spoke with some smugness.

"The Chen Household of Plum Ridge?" The middle-aged man furrowed his brow at that. He had heard of this Cultivation Family, but he didn't recognize its exclusive insignia.

"Hmph, I guess it's my bad luck. Here are your ten Spirit Stones." After a brief moment's thought, the middle-aged man relented. He took out ten Spirit Stones and handed them to the young man, taking the Green Wood Box from him in return.

"See? That wasn't so hard! What a lousy Divine Wood Seed. I planted it in a Spirit Field for a month, and it still hasn't sprouted." The young man sounded displeased. With that, he turned and left.

The middle-aged man was furious but didn't dare speak up. He was only a Rogue Cultivator and couldn't afford to offend someone from a Cultivation Family.

"Fellow Daoist, I'll offer you two Spirit Stones for that seed. How about it?" A gray-robed man emerged from the crowd, cupped his hands toward the middle-aged man, and asked earnestly.

"This is a Divine Wood Seed. I won't sell it for less than ten Spirit Stones," the middle-aged man said, shaking his head.

"If you can prove it's a Divine Wood Seed, ten Spirit Stones won't be a problem," the gray-robed man said softly.

"Exactly. If you say it's a Divine Wood Seed, you have to provide some evidence. You can't just say it is and expect us to believe you!" another man chimed in with a nod.

"Hmph, believe it or not, this seed was passed down from my great-grandfather. After all these years, it still has life in it—that's proof enough that it isn't an ordinary seed. Any other seed would have died long ago." The middle-aged man gave a snort and explained.

"How are we supposed to know whether you're telling the truth? Ten Spirit Stones for a single seed is way too expensive. I'll offer three. Will you sell it?" a dark-faced man asked.

"I won't sell it for less than ten." The middle-aged man shook his head and refused outright.

"Ten Spirit Stones for a seed? You must be crazy for Spirit Stones!"

"Exactly. You pick up any old seed and claim it's a Divine Wood Seed. You're obviously trying to swindle people."

"Move along, everyone! There's nothing to see. He's obviously a scammer. Only an idiot would spend ten Spirit Stones on a seed."

After a few words among themselves, the onlooking cultivators dispersed.

A few cultivators nevertheless remained in front of the stall. Shi Yue was among them.

To be honest, Shi Yue was somewhat interested in this so-called "Divine Wood Seed," but he couldn't bring himself to spend ten Spirit Stones on a seed. After all, the stall owner had no proof that it was a Divine Wood Seed.

The two women were also interested in the so-called "Divine Wood Seed." They stepped forward and spoke quietly with the middle-aged man, but he shook his head and turned them down.

Before long, Shi Yue was the only one left in front of the stall.

"What Spirit Herb are these seeds from?" Shi Yue crouched down and pointed at a leather pouch filled with seeds.

"Red Cloud Flower seeds. Ten-year-old Red Cloud Flowers can be used to make blank Talisman Paper. Ten Spirit Stones." The middle-aged man glanced at Shi Yue and answered lazily.

Shi Yue nodded, picked up a book from the stall, and leafed through it before asking, "How many Spirit Stones for this Complete Guide to the Basics of Alchemy?"

"Besides introducing some alchemy knowledge, the book also contains recipes for several pills used during the Qi Refining Stage. Fifty Spirit Stones," the middle-aged man replied flatly.

Shi Yue considered it for a moment, then said, "If you throw in the seeds as a free gift, I'll take the book and that pouch of seeds. Otherwise, never mind."

"This is a Divine Wood Seed. Add five more Spirit Stones—sixty-five altogether—and all three items are yours." The middle-aged man hesitated, then considered it briefly and made his offer.

"Sixty-two. Not a Spirit Stone more," Shi Yue bargained.

"Fine. Deal." The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then agreed.

If Shi Yue had wanted only the seeds, the middle-aged man truly wouldn't have sold them for less than ten Spirit Stones. But Shi Yue was buying two other things as well, bringing the total to sixty Spirit Stones. Not wanting to lose a customer, the middle-aged man agreed.

Shi Yue's face brightened. He immediately took sixty-two Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them over.

The middle-aged man checked the amount and nodded once he had confirmed it was correct.

Only then did Shi Yue put away the book, the pouch of seeds, and the Green Wood Box holding the seed. He got to his feet and left.

He continued browsing with the flow of people, but didn't buy anything else.

Half an hour later, Shi Yue returned to the inn.

After closing the door, Shi Yue immediately entered Palm Heaven Space.

The Spirit Field where he grew Spirit Grain lay bare and looked somewhat desolate.

Shi Yue slapped the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist, and a streak of yellow light flew out. When the light faded, a Yellow Wind Ox stood in its place.

Then he took a plowing tool out of his Storage Bag, along with a rope. He tied one end of the rope to the tool and looped the other around the Yellow Wind Ox.

He drove the tool's sharp end into the earth, rested one hand on its handle, and ordered, "Get going."

The Yellow Wind Ox gave a moo, then began walking forward on all fours.

The Yellow Wind Ox moved slowly ahead, with Shi Yue following behind. He continually poured magical power into the tool. It flowed down the handle to the part embedded in the soil, shaking the large clods into smaller pieces as it turned over the earth.

With the Yellow Wind Ox's help, they had plowed an acre of Spirit Field in less than half an hour, saving a great deal of time.

Shi Yue used half an acre of Spirit Field to grow Spirit Grain and planted Red Cloud Flowers in the other half.

As for the so-called "Divine Wood Seed," Shi Yue buried it in a small flowerpot. After watering it, he placed the pot beneath the fruit tree.

After putting the Yellow Wind Ox back in the Spirit Beast Bag, Shi Yue left Palm Heaven Space.

Early the next morning, Shi Yue left the marketplace and flew toward the sect on his magical artifact.

When Shi Yue pushed open the gate to the courtyard on Green Cloud Peak, he saw a Sound Transmission Talisman floating in midair.

Shi Yue hesitated briefly, then grabbed the Sound Transmission Talisman and crushed it in his hand. With a pop, it spontaneously burst into flames, becoming a ball of fire. A man's voice suddenly rang out: "Junior Nephew Shi, by order of Sect Leader Martial Uncle, report to the Ancestral Master Hall at once. Sect Leader Martial Uncle has something to ask you."

As soon as the voice fell silent, the flames dissipated.

"Kid Shi, want to make a wager? If your Ancestor Master asks about the urine, you give me five Spirit Stones. If he doesn't, I'll help you once for free," Xiaoyaozi's voice suddenly rang out.

(The author's mother-in-law is celebrating her sixtieth birthday these next two days. I'm planning to take my in-laws to Beijing for a few days, so I'll be posting only one chapter a day during this time. Please bear with me!)