Robbery and Counter-Kill

Chen Changming was in no rush to sell his spirit rice; he strolled along the way, inquiring about various prices from the street vendors.

"Fellow Daoist, how do you sell your spirit rice?"

Walking up to a middle-aged man, Chen Changming asked with a calm expression.

This man was also a vendor, with several ordinary cloth bags at his feet. One of them was open, containing forty or fifty catties of spirit rice.

The other party's cultivation was at the second level of Qi Refining, slightly higher than his own.

"Heh heh..."

The middle-aged man looked him up and down and immediately chuckled, "You must be a Lingxiao Sect chore disciple selling spirit rice for the first time, right?"

"That is correct, Fellow Daoist."

Chen Changming replied unhurriedly, "Since we are meeting for the first time, let's be friends."

As he spoke, he took five catties of spirit rice from his storage bag and poured it into the middle-aged man's sack.

"You're a classy one, little brother."

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, the trace of hostility in his heart vanishing completely.

"We vendors sell it cheap; usually, we sell one hundred catties for one low-grade spirit stone," the middle-aged man said.

"What if I sell it to a shop?"

Chen Changming turned his head to look at the rows of shops in the distance and asked in a low voice.

The middle-aged man sighed and said, "Selling in bulk to shops is a faster way to recoup costs, but they only start buying from three thousand catties, and they calculate it at one low-grade spirit stone per one hundred and fifty catties."

"That's a bit of a rip-off."

Chen Changming blinked, feeling as if his heart were bleeding.

Three hundred catties of spirit rice would only fetch two spirit stones, whereas if he sold it at a stall himself, he could get three.

"Which shop has the best reputation?"

Chen Changming thought for a moment and asked.

He had a large amount of spirit rice to sell and needed to find a reputable merchant.

The middle-aged man replied without hesitation, "Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is fine. They have branches in every city, and their reputation has always been impeccable."

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist."

Chen Changming cupped his hands in thanks, turned, and left the street. After making a few turns, he returned to the main thoroughfare, and after some searching, he finally found the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

"Oh, little immortal master from the Lingxiao Sect, are you here to sell spirit rice?"

As soon as he reached the entrance of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, a young clerk greeted him with a smile.

"Yes."

Chen Changming nodded.

The Lingxiao Sect allowed its chore disciples to sell spirit rice externally. Over the years, many chore disciples must have come to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to sell, so it was no surprise that he was recognized.

This time, Chen Changming only intended to sell three thousand catties of spirit rice.

This was a move of caution; after all, his cultivation was what it was. For a first-level Qi Refining chore disciple, selling three thousand catties was already quite an achievement.

As for the remaining large quantity of spirit rice, he planned to adopt a different identity, conceal his appearance, and sell it in batches.

Chen Changming had to be careful.

His ten mu of fields produced over twenty thousand catties; if such a massive amount of spirit rice were exposed, it would not be a good thing.

The clerk was well-versed in the process and quickly completed the transaction for Chen Changming.

"Many thanks."

Chen Changming walked out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion carrying his storage bag, feeling quite excited.

Suddenly gaining twenty spirit stones was a huge sum for a youth like him.

At the same time, Chen Changming had also figured out that the silver stone he had used to smash Zhu Fang to death back then 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 store and bought several outfits, along with various types of bamboo hats.

These were all prepared for his next trip to Lingyun City to sell spirit rice.

With the spirit stones tucked away, Chen Changming returned to the street of stalls, where he spent eighteen spirit stones to purchase two low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills.

"The sect is truly fucking greedy!"

Walking out of Lingyun City, Chen Changming looked down at the small white porcelain bottle containing the Spirit Gathering Pills and cursed under his breath.

He had now figured out that the Spirit Gathering Pills he had consumed before were low-grade ones, and this grade of pill only cost nine spirit stones each when bought individually from independent cultivators in Lingyun City.

If one went to a shop like the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, they cost ten spirit stones each.

Such a price was far more expensive than the pill pavilion of the Lingxiao Sect.

He had previously exchanged five thousand catties of spirit rice for two low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills; had he exchanged them for spirit stones in Lingyun City, he would have received at least thirty-odd, enough to trade for three Spirit Gathering Pills.

Back and forth, he had lost an entire Spirit Gathering Pill.

Chen Changming walked toward the Lingxiao Sect, passing through a flat plain before entering a rugged, mountainous region.

At this moment, he had no idea that two sneaky figures were tailing him from behind.

"Big Brother, why don't we just make our move here!"

A short, stout man stood behind a large tree and spoke to the tall, thin man beside him.

"No rush. After all, the target is a handyman disciple of the Lingxiao Sect; we must not let anyone see us when we strike."

The tall, thin man stared into the distance and said slowly, "In another half an hour, we will enter Tiger Crouch Ridge. It is dense with trees and forests, and few people pass through there—it is the perfect place to act."

"Fine."

The short, stout man agreed, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

Since this handyman disciple had been able to enter the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, he surely had goods on him, which was why the two had followed him all the way.

Both of their cultivation levels were at the first level of Qi Refining.

Such cultivation was at the very bottom of the barrel in Lingyun City, so they could only team up to rob those of equal standing.

Chen Changming walked at a steady pace; lacking any detection techniques, he had no idea he was being shadowed.

Upon entering Tiger Crouch Ridge, the mountains grew tall and the forests dense, causing the light to dim.

The deep, secluded forest was rarely visited by humans.

Only a narrow, winding path snaked through the thick grass.

Reaching this place, Chen Changming increased his vigilance, wary of wild beasts.

"Stop!"

Two figures suddenly leaped down from the treetops ahead, blocking his path from the left and right.

Chen Changming halted, sizing up the newcomers, and upon discovering they were only at the first level of Qi Refining, his heart immediately settled.

With my first-level Qi Refining cultivation, I get targeted just for visiting the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Selling spirit rice alone is indeed quite risky...

Chen Changming nodded slightly.

"Two fellow Daoists, I am a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect. Do you dare to block my path?"

With a startled expression, Chen Changming asked in a cold voice.

"What a joke! A mere handyman 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, and his Spirit Finger Flick activated instantly.

Puff!

A beam of light flashed, and the short, stout man's skull was instantly shattered; brains and blood sprayed into the air like brilliant fireworks.

"Ah..."

Seeing this, the tall, thin man was scared out of his wits and turned to run.

He had never imagined that this Lingxiao Sect handyman disciple would be so terrifying; with a mere wave of his hand, he had released some unknown treasure that instantly killed his accomplice.

The treasure's attack speed was too fast to block, so he could only activate his sole Golden Light Talisman while fleeing.

A layer of golden light enveloped the man.

"Want to run?"

Chen Changming smiled faintly and raised his hand.

A bolt of spiritual energy shot out, landing instantly on the man dozens of meters away. The seemingly sturdy golden light shield shattered upon impact, and his head exploded shortly after, following the same path as the short, stout man.

It took less than two breaths in total.

Both robbers were dead.