Spirit Rice and Gossip

Two quarter-hours later.

Rosy Cloud Pier.

Wang Mengde moored the small spirit boat and dropped anchor.

The mooring rope had barely been secured when a figure came up to greet him.

Liu Haiwen crossed the distance in three quick strides, peering into the cabin. "Brother, did you catch any Golden-Thread Spirit Trout today? The buyers have raised their prices. For anything over five jin, I'll pay one hundred and fifty Blood Copper Coins per jin."

Wang Mengde shook his head. "Didn't run into any."

The expectation on Liu Haiwen's face immediately deflated by half.

He sighed, then casually swept his gaze through Wang Mengde's cabin, only to pause slightly.

"Oh... quite the haul today, huh?"

Wang Mengde smiled faintly. "Luck."

Liu Haiwen straightened and looked at Wang Mengde again.

His gaze lingered on him for two breaths before he smiled and cupped his hands. "Congratulations on breaking through to the second level of Qi Refinement."

Wang Mengde set the fish basket on the pier's stone slabs and smiled. "Brother Liu, if you're congratulating me, give me something practical. Offer me a better price."

"Fine, fine." Liu Haiwen nodded, carried the fish basket over to his handcart, and began weighing the catch.

"Silver-Scaled Red-Gilled Fish, thirteen fish, sixty-eight jin total. Eighteen Blood Copper Coins per jin, for a total of one thousand two hundred and twenty-four."

"Silver-Needle Carp, eleven fish, forty-three jin. Thirteen Blood Copper Coins per jin, for a total of five hundred and fifty-nine."

"Gray-Finned Pompano, seventeen fish, sixty-nine jin. Twelve Blood Copper Coins per jin, for a total of eight hundred and twenty-eight."

"Three thousand four hundred and forty-seven Blood Copper Coins in total."

Liu Haiwen looked up at Wang Mengde. "Your breakthrough to the second level of Qi Refinement is a joyous occasion. I'll round it up and give you thirty-five spirit sand, as congratulations on your breakthrough."

As he spoke, he took thirty-five spirit sand from a cloth pouch and pushed them toward Wang Mengde.

"You're a loyal man, Brother Liu, so I won't stand on ceremony." Wang Mengde chuckled as he tucked the spirit sand into his clothes, keeping it close to his body.

Liu Haiwen did not forget to remind him, "If you catch any Golden-Thread Spirit Trout in the future, you have to come to me first."

"Don't worry. You'll be the first one I come to."

Only then did Liu Haiwen leave with a smile, carrying the sea fish away.

Wang Mengde touched the spirit sand against his chest, and his heart settled considerably.

Thirty-five spirit sand a day. At this rate, he would save up five spirit stones in just over ten days.

After leaving the pier, Wang Mengde did not head home. Instead, he first went to the nearby Huang Xiaoyan Talisman Shop.

Fishing near the sea meant inevitably encountering demon fish. He needed to buy talismans for self-defense and improve his chances of survival. If the previous owner of this body had possessed talismans, he would never have been gravely injured by a first-rank demon fish.

In this world, even with the Fate Panel, he did not feel safe.

Only by protecting himself could he steadily earn spirit sand.

The moment he entered Huang Xiaoyan Talisman Shop, a strong medicinal smell rushed at him.

Behind the counter sat a handsome middle-aged shopkeeper with a square face and thick brows. Three bright-red scratch marks streaked across his left cheek.

He had his head tilted back, applying ointment to his face.

One smear.

One hiss.

And he kept muttering curses under his breath.

"Shrew... she's nothing but a shrew... was it worth scratching me up like this over such a tiny matter..."

Wang Mengde walked into the shop and stepped forward with familiar ease. "Uncle Zhang, how did Aunt Xiaoxia scratch you up like this?"

The man whipped his head around and glared at Wang Mengde.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

He slammed the porcelain bottle onto the counter, raising his voice several notches.

"What Aunt Xiaoyan? What scratches? Th-this was from bumping into something."

He pointed at the three bloody marks on his face, which were plainly made by fingernails, and said stiffly,

"This morning, while moving goods, I tripped over the threshold and hit the edge of a basket. That's how it happened."

How could someone at the third level of Qi Refinement possibly lose his footing?

Wang Mengde nodded solemnly. "I saw it wrong just now. It really was from bumping into something."

The shopkeeper's expression eased a little. "What do you want?"

"One Protection Talisman, one Golden Arrow Talisman, and one Lightbody Radiance Talisman. How much spirit sand altogether?"

"Protection Talismans are eight spirit sand, Golden Arrow Talismans are seven, and Lightbody Radiance Talismans are eleven. Twenty-six spirit sand total."

"Why did the prices go up again?"

"The wholesale price went up." The shopkeeper paused. "So did the rent."

Wang Mengde said, "Give me one of each. I'll pay twenty-two spirit sand."

"Twenty-four. Not one grain less."

Wang Mengde said, "Uncle Zhang, the most handsome man on Rosy Cloud Island, hurry up and get me the goods."

"Fine, fine. I'm afraid of you smooth-talking brat. I'll sell them to you at a loss." The shopkeeper swiftly took out three talismans and placed them on the table.

Whenever a merchant claimed they were selling at a loss, anyone who believed it had to be brain-dead.

With a pained heart, Wang Mengde paid the spirit sand, then went to Ruyan Spirit Rice Shop.

Ordinary food did not contain a trace of spiritual power and carried turbid qi. Eating it long-term brought no benefits whatsoever to cultivation.

Now that he was earning much faster, he would eat spirit rice from now on.

The spirit rice shop's owner was a pretty, voluptuous female cultivator who looked around thirty, at the second level of Qi Refinement.

Wang Mengde stepped over the threshold and greeted her with familiar ease. "Big sister, keeping busy?"

The female cultivator froze slightly and looked at Wang Mengde in puzzlement. Whose child was this again?

Ah, he looked quite familiar, but she could not recall him for the moment.

Her lips curved into a gentle smile. "Little brother, what would you like to buy?"

"Spirit rice," Wang Mengde said. "How much per jin?"

"Eight spirit sand."

"...It's gone up that much?"

The female shopkeeper sighed softly. "Everything has been getting more expensive lately. Rent has gone up, vegetable prices have gone up, talismans and pills have gone up, and the wholesale price of spirit rice has risen the most fiercely."

"How much do you want?"

"One jin."

The female shopkeeper's smile faltered.

Buying one jin of rice, and you asked so many questions?

She had thought he was some child from a wealthy relative's family. So he was from a poor family. The smile on her face immediately cooled by several degrees.

"Eight spirit sand per jin. No bargaining."

Wang Mengde placed eight spirit sand on the counter. "Give me one jin."

The female shopkeeper took the spirit sand and called for a servant to bag the rice for him, not sparing Wang Mengde another glance.

Wang Mengde was secretly annoyed. What a snob.

Once this young master earned spirit stones, then... at the very least, he would start with two jin.

Carrying the spirit rice and wearing the basket on his back, he returned to the small courtyard.

When Shen Qingyue saw Wang Mengde, bright light rippled through her almond eyes, and she hurried over. "Brother-in-law, you're back."

As she spoke, she reached out and took the basket from him.

Wang Mengde lifted the rice sack in his hand. "Today's catch sold for thirty-five spirit sand. We're having steamed spirit rice tonight."

Shen Qingyue hugged the basket and blinked once, then again.

Her mouth opened slightly, revealing a little of her pearly teeth. She looked somewhat dazed.

Both adorable and beautiful.

She stirred a powerful urge to protect her.

"Brother-in-law, did you catch a Golden-Thread Spirit Trout?"

"The Entwining Silk Technique reached minor mastery," he said. "Combined with my recent breakthrough in spiritual power, my fishing efficiency has greatly improved. I caught quite a few sea fish, though they were all ordinary fish. I didn't catch any Golden-Thread Spirit Trout."

"Brother-in-law, you're amazing."

Shen Qingyue's almond eyes suddenly lit up. Hugging the basket, she spoke softly, yet every word brimmed with joy.

"I'll go cook right away."

She turned and headed for the kitchen, her steps even brisker than before.

The meal was soon ready.

A plate of stir-fried jingjie, and a dish of steamed Gauze-Thread Fish.

Two bowls of spirit rice.

The spirit rice had been steamed until every grain stood distinct, pale green spiritual mist curling up from the bowls.

Wang Mengde lifted his bowl and took a small mouthful of spirit rice.

"Mmm, smells wonderful."

Just then.

A furious roar came from the neighboring courtyard.

"You can't even satisfy me, yet you're out there finding wild women? You shameless bastard!"

Wang Mengde's entire body stiffened.

The mouthful of rice in his throat had not even gone down when a rush of air shot up through his nostrils.

"Pfft..."

The spirit rice in his mouth sprayed out, hitting his sister-in-law squarely in the face.