Chen Changming wasn't in a hurry to sell his Spirit Rice. He strolled along, asking the stallholders about various prices.
"Fellow Daoist, how much are you selling this Spirit Rice for?"
He walked up to a middle-aged man and asked calmly.
The man was also a stallholder. A few ordinary cloth bags sat at his feet, one of them open and holding forty or fifty jin of Spirit Rice.
The man's cultivation was at the second level of Qi Refining, a little higher than his own.
"Heh heh..."
The middle-aged man looked him up and down, then grinned. "You're a Lingxiao Sect outer disciple selling Spirit Rice for the first time too, aren't you?"
"Yes, fellow Daoist."
Chen Changming replied unhurriedly, "It's our first time meeting. Let's be friends."
As he spoke, he took five jin of Spirit Rice from his Storage Bag and poured it into the man's rice sack.
"Young brother, you know how to do things right."
The middle-aged man was taken aback, then burst out laughing. The trace of hostility in his heart vanished completely.
"Selling at stalls is cheaper. Usually, a hundred jin goes for one Low-grade Spirit Stone," the middle-aged man said.
"What if I sell it to a shop?"
Chen Changming turned to look at the rows of shops in the distance and asked quietly.
The middle-aged man sighed. "Selling a large quantity to a shop gets your money back fast. They only buy from three thousand jin upward, and they pay one Low-grade Spirit Stone for every hundred and fifty jin."
"That's a bit of a rip-off."
Chen Changming blinked, feeling his heart bleed.
Even three hundred jin of Spirit Rice would fetch only two Spirit Stones, while selling it at a stall would get him three.
"Which shop has a better reputation?"
Chen Changming thought for a moment, then asked.
He had a large amount of Spirit Rice to sell, so he had to find a reputable buyer.
The middle-aged man answered without hesitation, "The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is a good choice. They have branches in every city, and their reputation has always been impeccable."
"Thank you, fellow Daoist."
Chen Changming cupped his hands in thanks, then turned and left the street. After taking a few turns, he returned to the main road. He searched around and finally found the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
"Well, if it isn't a young immortal master from the Lingxiao Sect! Are you here to sell Spirit Rice?"
As soon as Chen Changming reached the entrance of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, a young attendant came over with a broad smile.
"Yes."
Chen Changming nodded.
The Lingxiao Sect allowed its outer disciples to go out and sell Spirit Rice. Over the years, plenty of them must have come to sell it at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, so it wasn't surprising that the attendant recognized him.
This time, Chen Changming planned to sell only three thousand jin of Spirit Rice.
That was out of caution. His cultivation was there for all to see, after all. For an outer disciple at the first level of Qi Refining, selling three thousand jin was already no small feat.
As for the large quantity he had left, he planned to use a different identity, conceal his appearance, and sell it in batches.
Chen Changming had no choice but to be cautious.
His ten mu of fields had yielded over twenty thousand jin. If that much Spirit Rice were exposed, it wouldn't be a good thing.
The attendant knew the ropes and quickly completed the transaction for Chen Changming.
"Thank you."
Chen Changming walked out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, carrying his Storage Bag. He still felt quite excited.
He had suddenly gained twenty Spirit Stones, a small fortune for a young man like him.
At the same time, Chen Changming learned that the silver stone he had once used to smash Zhu Fang to death was a Low-grade Spirit Stone.
Now, he had twenty-one Low-grade Spirit Stones.
After leaving the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Chen Changming entered a clothing shop and bought several outfits, along with various kinds of bamboo hats.
These were all for his next trip to Lingyun City to sell Spirit Rice.
With the Spirit Stones in his pocket, Chen Changming returned to the street of stalls. There, he spent eighteen Spirit Stones to buy two Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills.
"The sect really is fucking crooked!"
As he left Lingyun City, he glanced down at the small white porcelain bottle holding the Spirit Gathering Pills and cursed under his breath.
By now, he had figured out that the Spirit Gathering Pills he had eaten were Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. In Lingyun City, buying that grade of pill from individual cultivators only cost nine Spirit Stones apiece.
At a shop like the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, they cost ten Spirit Stones apiece.
Those prices were far cheaper than at the Lingxiao Sect's Pill Pavilion.
He had previously exchanged five thousand jin of Spirit Rice for two Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. If he had traded it for Spirit Stones in Lingyun City, it would have fetched at least a little over thirty Spirit Stones—enough to exchange for three pills.
He had lost a whole Spirit Gathering Pill in the exchange.
Chen Changming headed back toward the Lingxiao Sect. After crossing a stretch of plain, he entered a rugged mountainous region.
At that moment, he had no idea that two furtive figures were following behind him.
"Big brother, why don't we make our move here?"
A short, stout man stood behind a large tree and spoke to the tall, thin man beside him.
"No rush. The other guy is an outer disciple of the Lingxiao Sect, after all. We can't let anyone see us make a move."
The tall, thin man stared into the distance and spoke slowly. "After another half an hour, we'll reach Tiger Crouch Ridge. There are plenty of trees there, the forest is dense, and few people pass through. It'll be a good place to strike."
"Fine."
The short, stout man agreed, a cold glint flashing briefly in his eyes.
This outer disciple had gone to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, so he was bound to have something on him. That was why the two of them had followed him all this way.
Both men were at the first level of Qi Refining.
That cultivation level put them at the bottom of the heap in Lingyun City, so they could only team up to rob someone at the same level.
Chen Changming walked at a brisk pace. Without any scouting technique, he had no idea he was being followed.
He entered Tiger Crouch Ridge, where the mountains rose high and the forest grew dense. The light dimmed.
The deep forest was desolate, rarely visited by people.
A narrow path wound through the thick grass.
Once Chen Changming reached the area, he became more vigilant, wary of wild beasts.
"Stop!"
Two figures suddenly jumped down from the treetops ahead, blocking the path on either side.
Chen Changming halted and sized them up. When he saw that they were only at the first level of Qi Refining, he immediately felt more at ease.
"With cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining, I get watched just for going to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Sure enough, selling Spirit Rice alone is risky..."
Chen Changming nodded slightly.
"You two fellow Daoists, I'm a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect. You dare block my way?"
Chen Changming's expression tightened, and he asked coldly.
"What a joke. You're just an outer disciple. If you die, you die. Why would the Lingxiao Sect care?"
The short, stout man threw his head back and laughed.
Chen Changming raised his hand. Spirit Finger Flick activated in an instant.
Pfft!
A beam of light flashed past. The short, stout man's head shattered in an instant, his brains and blood scattering through the air like dazzling fireworks.
"Ah..."
The tall, thin man saw this and was scared out of his wits. He turned and ran.
He had never imagined that this outer disciple of the Lingxiao Sect could be so terrifying. The man had raised a hand and released some unknown treasure, killing his accomplice in an instant.
The treasure had attacked too quickly for him to stop it. As he fled, he could only activate the one and only Golden Light Talisman he had.
A golden barrier enveloped the man.
"Trying to run?"
Chen Changming smiled faintly and raised a hand.
A bolt of spiritual power shot out and struck the man dozens of meters away. The seemingly sturdy golden barrier shattered with a crack, and the man's head exploded right after it. He met the same end as the short, stout man.
It had taken less than two breaths from start to finish.
The two robbers were both dead.