Market Prices Stabilize, Lin An's Fate

Xu Changqing felt his way home through the darkness.

The little yellow dog immediately wagged its tail excitedly.

Taiwan Novel Network was incredibly reliable, and its library was vast.

"Starving, aren't you?" Xu Changqing crouched down and rubbed the dog's head.

"Woof woof!" Who knew whether it was answering him.

"Don't rush. I'll get you something to eat right away." Xu Changqing got up and headed for the kitchen.

This time, the gains were quite good.

Points +250.

Low-Grade Spirit Stones +62.

Lifespan broke through [200 years].

The only pity was that he could no longer visit Zhang Su.

But no matter how dissatisfied Xu Changqing was with Zhang Er, he was still in no hurry.

Before he had absolute certainty, he would not make a move.

At the very least, he had to wait until his cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

If possible, it would be best to acquire another spell technique.

A movement technique would be ideal.

Defense came second.

Attack techniques did not matter much, considering he already had the High-Tier Wood Spirit Entanglement Art (Third Layer).

Before long, dinner was ready.

One man and one dog happily began eating.

After eating and drinking their fill, Xu Changqing neatly washed the dishes.

Then he took a hot bath.

Once everything was done, he finally climbed into bed.

The little yellow dog expertly lay beneath the bed.

Lying on his side, Xu Changqing gazed through the open wooden window at the star-speckled night sky.

Although this world had no phones, computers, or anything of the sort, making it seem dull and monotonous.

Still, to be fair, the scenery was quite beautiful, and countless stars could be seen at night.

The night breeze drifted gently inside, making the room increasingly tranquil.

Before long, Xu Changqing fell asleep.

Nothing happened through the night, and time came to the next day.

Since the Spirit Rice had already been harvested.

The concentration of wood spiritual energy in the Spirit Fields was extremely thin.

Therefore, Xu Changqing did not cultivate as usual.

With nothing to do, he began exploring the surroundings with his home as the center.

Come to think of it, he had been here for nearly a year, yet he barely understood the area around him.

"If I remember correctly, there should be an abandoned cave nearby?" Xu Changqing stood on high ground, sweeping his gaze over the surroundings.

On the other side of the Spirit Fields, a hundred meters away, stood a small hill.

It was not very high, at most only several dozen meters.

From top to bottom, it was entirely stone, barren and bare.

"Let's go!" Xu Changqing called out and headed over with the little yellow dog.

Before long, one man and one dog arrived.

They first climbed upward to gain a higher vantage point.

To be fair, it really was just a Stone Mountain.

It was made up entirely of stones of all sizes piled together, with nothing particularly remarkable about it.

Fortunately, the air atop the mountain was good, and he could see farther into the distance.

Xu Changqing stood atop the highest boulder and looked into the distance.

He was immediately surprised to discover something.

Far away, there seemed to be Spirit Fields.

Moreover, many spirit plants were growing within them.

One had to know that the end of spring marked the end of the first quarter's planting season.

The vast majority of spirit plants would be harvested, then left until the beginning of summer.

If they had not been harvested, there were only two possibilities.

One was that the spirit farmer managing them had forgotten.

The other was that their growth cycle was longer.

Forgetting was probably impossible.

That left only one possibility: their growth cycle was longer.

If that was truly the case, it meant the distant spirit farmer had to be at least in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

If one had not reached a certain cultivation realm.

Or if spell techniques such as the Evergreen Formula and Cultivation Nurturing Art were not at a high enough level.

Then the best choice was really only Spirit Rice.

"They live even farther off the beaten path than I do. That person is interesting." Xu Changqing fell into thought.

"Senior Brother Xu, are you there?" At that moment, someone called from the direction of his home behind him.

"Woof woof!" The little yellow dog immediately started barking.

"They're calling me. What are you responding for?" Xu Changqing rolled his eyes.

"Senior Brother Xu~~~" The person on the other side continued calling without pause.

"Let's go back." Xu Changqing had originally planned to take a look at the cave below, but since someone had come looking for him, he could only temporarily abandon the idea.

Then, he returned the way he had come with the little yellow dog.

Once they drew closer.

He discovered that the visitor was Han Su.

The Earth Spirit Root disciple who had helped till the soil.

"Junior Brother Han." Xu Changqing smiled slightly.

"Senior Brother, you're in quite the mood to be climbing mountains." Seeing him appear, Han Su finally let out the breath he had been holding.

Xu Changqing smiled and took out some Spirit Rice from his small storage pouch. "You came at the right time. This is the fifty jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice I promised you last time."

The two had made an agreement.

Each time Han Su finished tilling the soil, he would receive payment at the end of the quarter.

If it had been anyone else, especially a formal disciple with an Earth Spirit Root.

They would never help without at least a hundred jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice.

But Han Su charged cheaply, and the two had known each other back in the outer area.

"Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice?"

Feeling the dense spiritual energy within the rice, Han Su's eyes widened. He accepted it excitedly, his voice even trembling. "Senior Brother Xu!!!"

Fifty jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice might not seem like much.

But if exchanged for First-Grade Spirit Rice, it would amount to two hundred jin.

For one person, that would definitely be enough to last half a year.

The crucial point was that this was Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice, with the highest concentration of spiritual energy.

Its value was even more astonishing.

Its exchange ratio was also higher.

Xu Changqing then asked, "How is Lin An doing?"

The smile on Han Su's face froze. He shook his head and said, "Because he failed to fulfill the contract, he was taken away by the Punishment Department. I don't know whether he can return."

"Taken away?" Xu Changqing was quite shocked.

Han Su hurriedly explained, "With Senior Brother Xu helping me, I wasn't in much of a hurry. But that female disciple with the Water Spirit Root refused to let it go, even reporting it to the Punishment Department."

Xu Changqing frowned. "If not for the Formal Disciple Grand Competition, Fellow Daoist Lin probably would not have ended up like this. What a pity."

But the female disciple with the Water Spirit Root had done nothing wrong.

When one's own interests were at stake, one had to fight for them.

After all, Lin An did not owe merely one or two hundred jin, but several hundred jin.

Especially with the way he had cooperated with the female disciple with the Water Spirit Root, where she took forty percent.

Han Su was helpless about this. "I don't even know whether I should hold him accountable."

Xu Changqing nodded. "Of course you should hold him accountable. That is your right."

"But..." Han Su looked at the person before him, wanting to speak but hesitating.

How could Xu Changqing fail to understand? He immediately waved his hand. "Although my relationship with Lin An is fairly good, it has not reached the point of being especially close."

In truth, his relationship with Lin An had improved because of Zhang Su.

Back in the outer area, they had barely interacted at all.

Besides, Lin An was the one at fault in this matter.

Han Su had wanted precisely those words, so he stopped dwelling on it.

He planned to hold Lin An accountable after returning and obtain compensation.

Xu Changqing suddenly recalled the Red Maple Valley market, so he asked again, "How are market prices now?"

During the New Year period.

The ratio for First-Grade Spirit Rice had been 1:7.

The ratio for Second-Grade Spirit Rice had been 1:1.5.

Han Su answered, "The price of Second-Grade Spirit Rice has stabilized, remaining at 1:1.5. Although it occasionally drops to 1.4, it rises back up again within a few days.

As for First-Grade Spirit Rice, the ratio has already become 1:8.

Of course, Senior Brother's Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice is different. Its ratio is lower, and it is more expensive."

Xu Changqing raised an eyebrow after hearing this. "Why did it rise again?"

Han Su glanced around. Seeing that there were only the two of them and one dog, he lowered his voice. "Because the prices inside the Immortal Sect are too high, many people have gone to the Rogue Cultivator Market outside to buy."

Xu Changqing immediately said with an amused expression, "Looks like the Farmer's Heart Society has felt pressure from outside, which is why it has maintained this ratio."

Han Su deeply agreed. "Exactly. Prices at the Rogue Cultivator Market are cheaper. I went there once before and bought quite a bit of Spirit Rice. That was how I managed to endure the pressure."

"Wait." Xu Changqing could not help feeling surprised. "Since cheaper Spirit Rice can be bought at the Rogue Cultivator Market outside, why didn't Lin An go?"

Han Su's mouth twitched. "He tried. The moment he reached the teleportation array, he was caught by people from the Punishment Department."

Xu Changqing was left speechless.

Han Su glanced at the Spirit Fields beside them, then asked tentatively, "Senior Brother, should I come again the next time you need the soil tilled?"

He did not want to miss the opportunity to obtain Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice, even if it was only fifty jin.

But Xu Changqing beckoned, signaling for him to come closer.

Han Su was puzzled, but he still stepped forward.

Xu Changqing took another fifty jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice from his small storage pouch and handed it over. He said seriously, "Help me look in the Rogue Cultivator Market for spell techniques suitable for Wood Spirit Root cultivation.

Movement and defense techniques would be best.

Offensive spell techniques are fine too.

This is the deposit. We can settle the difference afterward, refunding any excess and making up any shortage."

"Alright." Though Han Su was puzzled, he did not hesitate. He even feared Xu Changqing might change his mind.

As for why Xu Changqing needed spell techniques.

Though he was curious, he did not dare ask.

After all, the more one knew about certain things, the worse one's fate would be.

So long as he could steadily obtain Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice, what did it matter if he had to toil like an ox and labor like a horse?

And after giving away another fifty jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice produced from Second-Grade Spirit Fields, Xu Changqing still had [2400 jin] left in his hands!