Another Transaction

Facing the Ancestral Witches who were all glaring at him with hostile eyes, Shi Mo merely smiled calmly. "Everyone! Ancestral Witch Tian Wu wants to seize my millet. Are you here to seize my millet too?"

"Bullshit! Who's seizing your millet?" Gonggong, with a python's head, a human body, and black scales all over him, roared angrily.

Shi Mo could not help but laugh. "If you're not here to seize my millet, then why are you attacking the Earth Vein Formation around my millet fields? Were you merely trying to force me out so you could spar with me?"

"Brothers, stop wasting words with him," Tian Wu said, sounding somewhat ashamed and enraged. "Shi Mo, hand over the millet, or the Twelve Ancestral Witches will join forces. Don't even think of leaving alive."

"You must be Ancestral Witch Gonggong, right? You heard him too. Not only does he want to seize my millet, he wants to kill me as well!" Shi Mo said with a smile as he looked at Gonggong.

"Hmph!" Gonggong snorted coldly and said no more.

Shi Mo then turned to look at Houtu, who had arrived last. "Ancestral Witch Houtu, hadn't our previous transaction gone quite well? I planted so much millet throughout the Primordial World precisely to supply your Wu Clan."

"But now that I've worked so hard to grow the millet, your Wu Clan wants to seize it by force. What kind of sense does that make? Are you Wu Clan members going to be as unreasonable as the Monster Clan?" As Shi Mo spoke, his tone became cold and blunt.

Faced with Shi Mo's questioning, Houtu faltered slightly and was momentarily unable to respond.

"Houtu, you've made a transaction with him before?" Di Jiang, the Ancestral Witch with six ferocious arms like diamond claws and four wings on his back, asked.

Houtu nodded. "Yes, Brother! The acquired millet contains very pure energy. After our Wu Clan members eat it, it can greatly reduce their consumption of flesh and blood food."

"There are beasts and Monster Clan members everywhere in the Primordial World. Why eat millet?" Zhurong said dismissively.

"But as our Wu Clan population continues to grow, millet can solve the shortage of blood food supplies. After all, ordinary beasts provide too little energy, while hunting demon beasts will only further worsen the relationship between our Wu Clan and the Monster Clan. Only by eating more millet can we ensure the continued rapid growth of the Wu Clan population," Houtu hurriedly explained.

"Ahem, I'm saying, if you want to discuss this, go back and do it. Do you still want the millet or not? If not, I won't grow it anymore!" Shi Mo said after clearing his throat.

The Ancestral Witches exchanged glances, then instinctively looked toward Di Jiang.

"Fellow Daoist Shi Mo, I apologize on Tian Wu's behalf for his recklessness. Our Wu Clan does want the millet, but as for how we should trade—" Di Jiang said with a smile.

Before he could finish, Shi Mo quickly said, "Houtu and I have already discussed how to trade. I can speak with Fellow Daoist Houtu directly later."

"Fine. Then, Houtu, leave this matter to you," Di Jiang told Houtu before departing with the other Ancestral Witches.

Only after they had left did Shi Mo say to Houtu with some indignation, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, I've honestly been growing millet for your Wu Clan, yet your Wu Clan's conduct has been rather underhanded!"

"Honestly? Fellow Daoist Shi Mo, you're not honest at all," Houtu shook her head. "The millet you provide us becomes much poorer in quality when replanted. After a few generations, it turns into ordinary spirit plants. You want our Wu Clan to remain dependent on the millet you provide, don't you?"

"Each takes what they need; it's a fair trade! I never forced you to buy my millet," Shi Mo replied.

Houtu neither confirmed nor denied it. "That may be true, but our Wu Clan will need a great deal of millet in the future. Can you offer us some discounts on the price?"

"Easy enough!" Shi Mo nodded with a smile, appearing very agreeable.

Yet when it came time to negotiate the actual transaction, Shi Mo still haggled over every last detail. In the end, Houtu did not manage to lower the price by much, but Shi Mo agreed to supply various spirit fruits at discounted prices.

Thus, on top of the grain trade, Shi Mo added a fruit-selling business.

After Houtu departed with a mixture of frustration and helplessness, Shi Mo stroked his chin and smiled. "As expected, strength is what gives one confidence at the negotiating table, and a seller's market is the most profitable. It seems I should speed up the propagation and cultivation of all kinds of spirit-root fruit trees once I return. I should also begin experimenting with grafting techniques sooner."

After his clash with Ancestral Witch Tian Wu, Shi Mo could not be bothered to continue planting millet. Once he had harvested all the mature millet, he arranged with Zhen Yuanzi, Hongyun, and the others to meet at Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain.

Soon afterward, Houtu arrived at Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain with the innate spirit treasures, innate spirit materials, and enormous quantities of acquired spirit materials required for the trade.

The transaction proceeded smoothly. Although the price the Wu Clan paid pained them somewhat, the sheer amount of millet they received left Houtu pleasantly surprised and very satisfied.

The millet purchased this time was enough to sustain the entire Wu Clan for quite a while.

After Houtu left, Shi Mo began distributing the shares of the profits owed to Hongyun, Zhen Yuanzi, and the others according to their prior agreement.

"The speed at which we earn innate spirit treasures and all kinds of spirit materials is far faster than the rate at which I obtain spirit treasures and materials while traveling through the Primordial World," Hongyun said with a sigh, before asking again, "But Brother Shi Mo, what do you need so many spirit materials for? Innate spirit materials still have some use, but what use are so many acquired spirit materials?"

"They truly aren't of much use to us, so I intend to use them to refine magical treasures and divine weapons in the future, then sell them in large quantities in exchange for more things we need and find useful," Shi Mo said with a smile. "In business, one must always earn more wealth and create greater value."

"Good grief, at this rate, I'm afraid you'll slowly earn away more than half the wealth and treasures in the Primordial World," Hongyun said in amazement.

"While I'm earning wealth and treasures, I'm also meeting demand! Demand is what creates value," Shi Mo replied.

"Oh, right. I noticed that Jieyin and Zhun Ti of the Western Continent are also gathering all kinds of spirit materials and treasures. Earlier, they were even a little envious of the millet that Brother Zhen Yuan and I planted!" Hongyun quickly added. "If they learn that we earned so much by trading millet with the Wu Clan, they'll probably become even more jealous."

"Oh? They're gathering all kinds of spirit materials and treasures?" Shi Mo raised a brow slightly upon hearing this.

Hongyun nodded repeatedly. "That's right! Ordinary spirit materials are of little use to us, so I really don't know what they're gathering so many of them for. Could it be because the Western Continent is barren, and they want to imitate you, Brother Shi Mo, by earning more resources and treasures?"

"It seems their ambitions are not small. They are likely planning to establish a power in the Western Continent, which is why they are so eager to gather all kinds of spirit materials and treasures," Shi Mo said.

"Establish a power?" Hongyun frowned slightly. "How nice it is to be free and carefree alone. Why establish some power? It's such a hassle!"

"Hehe, everyone has their own pursuits. What you find troublesome may be what others enjoy. In this Primordial World, aside from cultivation, we must always find something meaningful to do. Otherwise, after enough time passes, we'll feel that life is too dull and meaningless," Shi Mo said with a light laugh and a shake of his head.

His words made Hongyun frown slightly, while Zhen Yuanzi, who had remained silent as he drank tea nearby, could not help revealing a thoughtful expression.