First Transaction (Part 1)

A familiar flash of light passed, and Gao Jing returned to the Main World.

He returned to the warehouse.

It took him a few seconds to readjust to the Main World's environment.

After staying in the Great World for a full month, coming back truly felt a little unfamiliar.

It felt like he had just finished a long journey.

There was nothing wrong with his body, but the exhaustion that had built up in his mind surfaced all at once.

He desperately needed a proper rest.

But Gao Jing still had many things to do.

First, he needed to find a way to charge the Copper Anchor.

That was of vital importance.

Second, he could not stop training his battle techniques. He still wanted to ignite his bloodline as soon as possible.

Third, he needed to dispose of the dozens of cubic meters of sandalwood before him as quickly as possible, recoup the funds, and farm Faith Power.

This time, Gao Jing had stuffed the Copper Anchor's storage space to the brim.

There were more than eighty cubic meters of top-grade sandalwood alone!

Including his existing stock, selling it all at once would be rather difficult. He would have to take it slow and sell it in batches.

Besides that, he needed to improve his living conditions. Otherwise, it would not even be easy to find a place to practice martial arts.

Just thinking about it made him feel busy already!

And the first thing he needed to do right now was go home.

Before going home, Gao Jing checked all the security equipment in the warehouse.

He made sure the power supply and network were working properly.

After renting this warehouse, he had paid out of his own pocket to upgrade it with an entirely new security system.

He could monitor the warehouse in real time from home. If an intrusion alarm went off, he would know at once.

Naturally, he had also replaced the locks with better, sturdier ones.

Such caution was entirely necessary, because the sandalwood stored here was worth tens of millions!

Only after finishing the inspection did Gao Jing leave the warehouse.

He returned to the urban village.

Once home, he took off his backpack and coat, stood before the bathroom mirror, and used electric clippers to tidy up his hair.

After a month, his hair had grown quite a bit.

Although Gao Jing's skills were still rough, giving himself a crew cut was not difficult.

In the end, it actually looked rather decent.

At the very least, he felt pretty good about it himself.

Then he took a thoroughly satisfying shower and slept blissfully until evening.

When Gao Jing woke up, he was brimming with energy.

Back at full health, you know?

He changed into a Louis Vuitton shirt and jeans, then slipped on Hermès calfskin sneakers.

He went out to hunt for food.

He hailed a taxi by the roadside and headed straight for the Nine Dragons Grand Hotel!

It was still the restaurant on the third floor, still the 298-yuan-per-person buffet.

Only this time, Gao Jing ignored all the beef and lamb, his eyes fixed on the dazzling array of seafood.

For the entire past month, all three of his daily meals had consisted of medicine meat so bitter it could not possibly be any bitterer, along with marrow oil so greasy it could not possibly be any greasier.

Now, the sight of red meat made him want to vomit.

Not even the most delicious steak could stir Gao Jing's appetite at this moment.

However, when he went to get some charcoal-grilled oysters, the barbecue chef beside him actually recognized him.

The man greeted him with great enthusiasm.

Clearly, Gao Jing's astonishing appetite last time had left an incomparably deep impression on the chef.

Gao Jing was deeply moved.

Then he refused.

Right now, he wanted to sleep hugging a lobster!

After comfortably enjoying a seafood buffet feast, Gao Jing had two girls add him on WeChat without him even trying.

With his stomach greatly comforted, Gao Jing went to the coffee shop on the hotel's top floor.

Sitting in a window-side booth, he ordered a cup of rich black coffee, took out his phone, and dialed a number.

The one in his contacts whose final digits were all eights.

The call was answered after three rings, and Niu Jinxing's warm, enthusiastic voice came through the receiver.

"Hello, is that little brother Gao Jing?"

Gao Jing smiled. "Hello, Big Ox. Have you been busy lately?"

Niu Jinxing laughed loudly. "Same old me, eating, drinking, and having fun every day. What do you need from me, little brother Gao?"

"It's like this."

Gao Jing adjusted his tone before saying, "I just received a batch of top-grade material. I was wondering if you might be interested."

"Top-grade material?"

Niu Jinxing's voice immediately rose several notches. "Sandalwood? Or Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood?"

Gao Jing replied, "Sandalwood."

The sandalwood, sandalwood timber, and Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood being discussed here were actually the same thing.

Authentic red sandalwood had only this one true branch, with no other shops under the same name.

Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood was sandalwood, and sandalwood was Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood. It was simply that sandalwood with gold stars was called Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood.

In fact, calling it "gold-star sandalwood" would have been more accurate.

People were simply used to the name.

As for so-called large-leaf sandalwood, blood sandalwood, African sandalwood, cat's-eye sandalwood, and the like, anything flying the sandalwood banner was either rubbing shoulders with fame like a shameless impostor or fooling clueless beginners.

The difference in value was enormous.

Those so-called sandalwood bracelets sold for forty or fifty yuan at open-air stalls, with prices that could still be cut in half—did anyone really dare believe they were genuine?

Most of what Gao Jing had brought back from the Great World was real sandalwood.

The even more expensive top-grade Little-Leaf Red Sandalwood was comparatively scarce instead.

He had his own considerations regarding that.

"Interested?"

Niu Jinxing answered without a moment's hesitation, "I'm extremely interested!"

In the current market, high-quality sandalwood was in such short supply that demand far exceeded supply.

Gao Jing was not surprised by his answer at all. "Then I'll send you a few photos for you to look at first."

After ending the call with Niu Jinxing, Gao Jing sent him more than ten photos through WeChat.

The photos had all been taken in the warehouse, mainly showing the details of the lumber.

Its dimensions, grain, and so on.

The instant the photos finished sending, Niu Jinxing replied, "!!!!!"

Even through the phone screen, Gao Jing could feel the other man's shock.

Right after that, Niu Jinxing called back directly. "Little brother Gao, how much stock do you have?"

"Um..."

After thinking for a moment, Gao Jing still answered, "I only have a little over sixty cubic meters at the moment. Can you take it all?"

Originally, Gao Jing had planned to sell a smaller amount first, putting twenty or thirty cubic meters on the market to test the waters.

But when he considered the other man's identity and way of doing things, he changed the words that had reached his lips.

"Over sixty cubic meters..."

Niu Jinxing sucked at his teeth, his voice carrying a faint note of pained reluctance. "It's all large material like this?"

"Yes."

Gao Jing smiled. "That's all I have for now. I don't know when the next batch will arrive."

"Fine!"

Niu Jinxing seemed to have made up his mind. "Little brother Gao, don't contact anyone else yet. Give me one day."

"The morning after tomorrow, I'll bring people to Cloud City. We'll meet and discuss the details!"

"Alright."

Gao Jing said, "Call me when you arrive."

"OK!"

"Then goodbye."

Gao Jing put down his phone and took a sip of the black coffee on the table.

The coffee had gone a little cold.

But he did not care. His mind kept replaying his conversation with Niu Jinxing.

More than sixty cubic meters of sandalwood weighed over seventy tons. Given the size and quality of the batch Gao Jing had brought back, selling it for one million per ton would not be a problem.

That would be a seventy-million-yuan transaction!

In a private-to-private deal, Gao Jing did not dare guarantee that Niu Jinxing would not harbor crooked thoughts.

As the saying went, a man's heart was separated by a belly. Although Big Ox appeared generous and loyal, Gao Jing's understanding of Niu Jinxing only skimmed the surface. How could he possibly place complete trust in him?

One should not harbor the intent to harm others, but one must never lack the vigilance to guard against them. Gao Jing had suffered losses in this regard before.

He had nearly been unable to turn things around for good.

After thinking it over from every angle, Gao Jing felt that this transaction should not pose much of a problem.

First, Jiangnan Fuli Group, where Niu Jinxing worked, did not have much of a reputation in the provincial capital.

But its strength was quite formidable.

They were true local tycoons.

Second, through his dealings with him, Gao Jing felt that Big Ox's character was quite solid.

Otherwise, Gao Jing would not have made him his first trading partner.

Then, Gao Jing had placed the location of the deal in the provincial capital, which guaranteed his safety to a certain extent.

Finally, and most importantly—Gao Jing already possessed considerable ability to protect himself!

The power that could erupt at the Bone Tempering level, combined with the might of the Great Wilderness Battle Technique, meant that as long as his opponents did not have firearms, even if twenty or thirty people surrounded and attacked him, he was confident he could beat them until their formation collapsed like a mountain crumbling into dust.

If he truly encountered a situation he could not resist, Gao Jing still had the protective talisman given to him by the old wizard!

After considering everything from beginning to end, he drained the coffee in one gulp.

Then he paid the bill and left.

The next day, Gao Jing did not leave his rented apartment and spent the day in peace.

On the morning of his third day back in the Main World, just after breakfast, he received a call from Niu Jinxing.

The other man had already set out for Cloud City.