Spirit Rice and Gossip

Two hours later.

Rosy Cloud Pier.

Wang Mengde moored the small spirit skiff and dropped anchor.

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

Liu Haiwen covered three steps in two, peering into the cabin. "Brother, did you catch any Golden-Thread Spirit Trout today? The buyers have raised their prices. For ones over five pounds, I'll give you one hundred and fifty Blood Copper Coins per pound."

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

The bit of expectation on Liu Haiwen's face immediately drained away by half.

He sighed, then casually swept his gaze through Wang Mengde's cabin and paused slightly.

"Oh... quite the bumper harvest today, huh?"

Wang Mengde smiled faintly. "Luck."

Liu Haiwen straightened and looked at Wang Mengde again.

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

Wang Mengde set the fish basket down 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, fine." Liu Haiwen nodded, carried the fish basket over to his handcart, and began weighing them.

"Silver-Scaled Red-Gilled Fish, thirteen fish, sixty-eight pounds total. Eighteen Blood Copper Coins per pound, one thousand two hundred and twenty-four altogether."

"Silver-Needle Carp, eleven fish, forty-three pounds. Thirteen Blood Copper Coins per pound, five hundred and fifty-nine altogether."

"Gray-Finned Pompano, seventeen fish, sixty-nine pounds. Twelve Blood Copper Coins per pound, eight hundred and twenty-eight altogether."

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

Liu Haiwen looked up at Wang Mengde. "Breaking through to the Second Layer of Qi Refinement is a happy occasion. I'll round it up for you—thirty-five Spirit Sand. Consider it my congratulations on your breakthrough, little brother."

As he spoke, he took out thirty-five pieces of Spirit Sand from a cloth pouch and pushed them toward Wang Mengde.

"You're a righteous 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 cheerful smile, carrying the sea fish away.

Wang Mengde touched the Spirit Sand against his chest, and his heart settled considerably.

Thirty-five pieces of Spirit Sand a day. At this rate, he would save up five Spirit Stones in a little 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 protective talismans to improve his ability to stay alive. If the previous owner of this body had possessed talismans, he would never have been gravely wounded by a first-grade demon fish.

In this world, even with the Fate Panel, he still had no sense of security.

Only by protecting himself could he steadily earn Spirit Sand.

The moment he entered Huang Xiaoyan Talisman Shop, a thick medicinal smell rushed at his face.

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

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

One dab.

One hiss.

His mouth continued muttering curses.

"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 approached him as if they were old friends. "Uncle Zhang, how did Aunt Xiaoxia scratch you up like this?"

The man abruptly turned his head and glared at Wang Mengde.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

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

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

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

"This morning, I was moving goods. I tripped on the threshold and hit my face on the edge of a basket. That's how it happened."

With Third Layer of Qi Refinement cultivation, how could he 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 somewhat as he asked, "What do you want?"

"One protective talisman, one Golden Arrow Talisman, and one Lightbody Radiance Talisman. How much Spirit Sand altogether?"

"Protective talisman, eight pieces. Golden Arrow Talisman, seven. Lightbody Radiance Talisman, eleven. Twenty-six in total."

"Why did the prices go up again?"

"The wholesale prices rose." The shopkeeper paused. "Rent went up too."

Wang Mengde said, "Give me one of each. I'll pay you twenty-two Spirit Sand."

"Twenty-four. I won't sell for one piece 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 scared of you, you slick-tongued brat. I'll sell them to you at a loss." The shopkeeper quickly took out two talismans and placed them on the table.

When a merchant said he was selling at a loss, anyone who believed it had mush for brains.

Wang Mengde paid the Spirit Sand with a pained heart, then went to Ruyan Spirit Rice Shop.

Ordinary food did not contain a shred of spiritual energy and also carried impure qi. Long-term consumption did not benefit cultivation in the slightest.

Now that he was making money much faster, he would eat Spirit Rice from now on.

The Spirit Rice Shop's owner was a pretty, curvaceous female cultivator who looked around thirty, with Second Layer of Qi Refinement cultivation.

Wang Mengde stepped over the threshold and greeted her as if they were old acquaintances. "Big sister, busy?"

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

Ah, he looked rather 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 asked, "How much per pound?"

"Eight pieces of Spirit Sand."

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

The shopkeeper sighed softly. "Everything has been going up lately. Rent has risen, vegetable prices have risen, talismans and pills have risen, and the wholesale price of Spirit Rice has risen the worst of all."

"How much do you want?"

"One pound."

The female shopkeeper's smile paused.

Buying one pound of rice, and he had asked so many questions?

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

"One pound for eight Spirit Sand. No bargaining."

Wang Mengde placed eight pieces of Spirit Sand on the counter. "One pound."

The female shopkeeper took the Spirit Sand and called for a clerk to pack the rice for him, no longer sparing Wang Mengde another glance.

Wang Mengde was secretly displeased. What a snob.

Once this young master earned Spirit Stones, then... he would buy at least two pounds at a time.

Carrying the Spirit Rice and wearing his 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 bag of rice in his hand. "Today's catch sold for thirty-five Spirit Sand. We're steaming Spirit Rice tonight."

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

Her mouth opened slightly, revealing a hint of pearly teeth. She looked almost a little foolish.

Cute and beautiful.

It made people want to protect her.

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

"The Entwining Silk Technique has reached minor mastery." He said, "And my spiritual energy just broke through as well, so my fishing efficiency increased greatly. I caught quite a few sea fish, though they were all ordinary sea 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 toward the kitchen, her steps even lighter than before.

The meal was ready soon.

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

Two bowls of Spirit Rice.

Every grain of the Spirit Rice was distinct, with pale blue spiritual mist curling up from the bowls.

Wang Mengde lifted his bowl and took a small bite of Spirit Rice.

"Mmm, it really is delicious."

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 whole body stiffened.

Before he could swallow the mouthful of rice in his throat, a rush of air shot straight up through his nostrils.

"Pfft..."

The Spirit Rice in his mouth sprayed out, landing with unerring accuracy all over his sister-in-law's face.