Green Fang Rice

At Madam Yin's words, the others in the drawing room turned toward the young couple from the Huang Household with varying expressions.

Most of those present had seen the two Immortal Cultivators aggressively attempting to board before departure. In Yellowstone City, cultivators who acted with such impunity were most likely members of the Huang Household.

The Huang man froze for a moment at her words, then spread his hands in sudden understanding and said:

"You've all misunderstood. Those who came before departure were indeed members of the Huang Household-my third uncle and seventh cousin, in fact. But we've always been close. How could they have come to pursue my wife and me? Still, I received no word from the family, so I don't know why they wanted to board, either."

"Fellow Daoist Huang, you were right here aboard the ship, yet the Huang Household sent you no message. It seems it couldn't have been anything important. That makes sense. If it had truly been a major matter, Elder Feng wouldn't have talked them into leaving with just a few words." Yu Bintian nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Madam Yin seemed to accept this explanation and did not press further. Wang Yu, however, who had overheard Elder Feng's conversation with the Huang men, noticed something slightly unusual in the expression of the pretty young wife beside the Huang man.

Just as Wang Yu was pondering what her expression meant, the drawing room door suddenly opened. The gaunt Gao Qi walked in, followed by several servants carrying wooden trays. Each tray held a wooden bowl and a small wooden spoon, and wafts of delicate fragrance rose from the bowls.

At Gao Qi's instructions, the servants placed the trays on the tables before everyone, one by one.

Only then did Wang Yu see that the bowls were filled with green rice. Each cooked grain was plump and translucent, and the fragrance made his mouth water and whetted his appetite.

"Spirit rice!"

"Green Fang Rice!"

As soon as they saw what was in the bowls, the mendicant monk and Madam Yin blurted out almost simultaneously.

Only then did Wang Yu realize that the rice in his bowl was the "spirit rice" mentioned in Daoist Chongyun's notes. Surprise appeared on his face as well.

"I never imagined you could get your hands on Green Fang Rice, Brother Yu, when the Huang Household never sells it to outsiders. It seems your abilities far exceed what we expected." The mendicant monk looked at Yu Bintian in astonishment.

"Acquiring this Green Fang Rice did cost me quite a bit. Since I'm hosting you all today, nothing could be more fitting to serve. Unfortunately, spirit rice is too precious, so I can only offer each of you a small bowl rather than let you eat to your hearts' content," Yu Bintian replied with a smile.

"You're too kind, Brother Yu. This Green Fang Rice is the Huang Household's unique Spirit Rice, and it's perfectly suited to Immortal Cultivators like us in the qi refining realm. If we could regularly enjoy a bowl like this, it would not only improve our cultivation but also greatly benefit our bodies, blood, and vital energy. However, since Yellowstone City lies in the Remnant Spirit Land, a crop can only be harvested when the spiritual tide arrives. The Huang Household has always treasured it as its very lifeblood and never sells it to outsiders." Madam Yin smiled as she gazed at the green rice in her bowl.

"Calling it our lifeblood is something of an exaggeration, but even our Huang Household doesn't have enough of this rice for its own use. Under ordinary circumstances, we don't sell it to outsiders." The young Huang man seemed to have already known that Yu Bintian had purchased Green Fang Rice. Though his expression was complicated, his words were casual.

"So the spirit labor in Yellowstone City is mainly for growing this Green Fang Rice? If it were sold to outsiders, how many spirit stones would it cost?" Wang Yu asked, a thought stirring in his mind as he looked at the rice in his wooden bowl.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to tell you the price of Green Fang Rice outright, Brother Wang. But comparable first-tier spirit rice sells for two spirit stones a catty in Guangyuan Market. Only disciples of the major sects can afford to eat it regularly," Yu Bintian replied with a wry smile.

"Then wouldn't this bowl of Spirit Rice alone be worth half a spirit stone? You're truly generous, Brother Yu. I won't stand on ceremony!" Unable to hold back any longer, the mendicant monk snatched up his wooden bowl and poured the rice straight into his mouth without even using his spoon.

After thanking Yu Bintian, Madam Yin and the others began eating as well.

Wang Yu scooped up a spoonful of green rice and put it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he felt saliva well up beneath his tongue as the rich fragrance of rice filled his mouth. Once he swallowed, a warm mass swiftly melted into liquid and flowed into his belly, and a cozy warmth began spreading throughout his body.

So this was spirit rice. It truly was extraordinary.

Wang Yu finished all the Green Fang Rice in his bowl in just a few mouthfuls. Still craving more, he set down his spoon and glanced at the others.

Madam Yin and the others had finished eating as well and were full of praise for its flavor.

Seeing this, the young Huang couple exchanged a smile.

"Fellow Daoists, besides getting acquainted with you, I invited everyone here today to hold a small exchange gathering so we can trade resources. After all, outside the markets, it isn't easy for rogue cultivators like us to gather in one place. And since we're aboard the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's magical ship, with Elder Feng, a cultivator in late qi refining, overseeing things, we needn't worry about anyone forcing a sale or purchase. What do you think?" Yu Bintian waved for the servants to clear away the wooden trays. Once the gaunt man had taken his place behind him, he finally revealed his true purpose for hosting everyone.

Elder Feng was a Late Qi Refining Immortal Cultivator. According to the notes, didn't that mean he was at least at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining? No wonder he had driven the Huang cultivators away with just a few words that day, Wang Yu thought upon hearing this.

"Fine by me. I have no objections. I happen to have a few things I don't need." The mendicant monk was the first to agree readily.

"A small exchange gathering? Holding one aboard this ship is indeed a good choice. I have no objections." After a brief moment's consideration, Madam Yin agreed as well.

"My wife and I brought some spirit stones along on this journey. If any of you have something worthwhile, I can buy it outright." After exchanging a few quiet words with his wife, the young Huang man voiced no objection either.

"You've put me in a difficult position, seniors. With my meager cultivation, what could I possibly have to trade?" Wang Yu looked a little embarrassed.

"Haha, you're too modest, Brother Wang. Leaving everything else aside, the Body Tempering method you practice is extraordinary. You could certainly offer it for trade," Yu Bintian said with a hearty laugh.

"If you're willing to sell your Body Tempering method, Brother Wang, I'll be the first to make an offer," the mendicant monk quickly chimed in.

The young Huang couple also looked tempted. Only Madam Yin's expression remained unchanged.

"It's not that I can't offer this Body Tempering method for trade. But perhaps I could first take a look at what you seniors have to offer?" After a brief silence, Wang Yu did not refuse.

"Good, good! I knew you weren't the sort to treasure a worn-out broom as a priceless heirloom, Brother Wang. Since I proposed this exchange, I'll cast out a brick to draw forth jade. Whether anyone takes a fancy to my items or not, we'll move on to the next person afterward, until no one wishes to trade anymore." With a touch of excitement, Yu Bintian took out a yellow wooden box, opened it, and placed it on the table before him, revealing five pale yellow packets of medicine inside.

"Five packets of low-grade Dust-Cleansing Powder. It can refine the dharma power of those below middle qi refining. Is anyone interested?"

"Dust-Cleansing Powder? That's not something you see often, and it's well suited to our cultivation levels. But if it's low-grade, I'm afraid it contains quite a bit of medicinal toxin. For me, it's something of a chicken rib-little meat to savor, yet a pity to discard." Madam Yin frowned slightly.

"There aren't many medicines that can refine dharma power in the first place. If it were Middle Grade or better, how could it ever fall into our hands? I'll take it. What do you want in exchange, Fellow Daoist Yu?" Tempted, the mendicant monk asked.

"I want medicine that improves cultivation. Anything suitable for the third or fourth level of qi refining will do, but it must be Middle Grade or better," Yu Bintian replied without hesitation.

"Medicines that improve cultivation are even rarer than those that refine dharma power. Anything Middle Grade or better has a price but no supply, no matter how weak its effects. After all, cultivation level is our foremost pursuit. Refining dharma power is important too, but it still comes second." The mendicant monk shook his head repeatedly.

Madam Yin also fell silent.

Wang Yu, meanwhile, wondered what exactly it meant for Dust-Cleansing Powder to refine dharma power, but felt it would be awkward to ask the others outright.

"To be frank, my main purpose in holding this exchange is to obtain cultivation resources for a younger member of my family. So long as they're suitable, I'll accept even a somewhat unfavorable deal. How about this? I'll exchange these five packets of low-grade Dust-Cleansing Powder for just two portions of Middle Grade medicine that improves cultivation, and I can add some spirit stones as well." After thinking it over, Yu Bintian made the others a very sincere offer.

"Spirit stones as well... Then I have three bottles of Spirit-Gathering Liquid, though they're only low-grade. Would you be willing to trade, Brother Yu?" the mendicant monk immediately replied in delight.

"Low-grade is absolutely out of the question. It would seriously affect that youngster's future cultivation," Yu Bintian refused flatly.

"Are you planning to raise this youngster all the way to late qi refining, Fellow Daoist Yu? Otherwise, low-grade medicines won't have much impact before middle qi refining." The mendicant monk sounded disappointed, but also a little doubtful.

"The youngster has fairly good aptitude. I do indeed hope he'll have a chance to go farther." The purple-robed elder did not deny the monk's words.

"Then there's nothing I can do." The mendicant monk could only spread his hands with a regretful expression.

"Brother Huang, is there really such a great difference between low-grade and Middle Grade?" Wang Yu could not help asking the Huang man nearby.

"Hehe, Brother Wang, that question makes it obvious you've taken very little cultivation medicine. Every medicine carries a measure of poison. Take medicines that improve cultivation, for example. Middle Grade medicines not only aid cultivation far more effectively than low-grade ones, but also contain far less medicinal toxin. Even if you take them continuously, you won't need to worry about toxin buildup before reaching late qi refining." The Huang man chuckled, then answered readily.

"In fact, some rogue cultivators without anyone to guide them recklessly use spirit stones for cultivation, hoping for rapid progress early on. They don't realize that although the spiritual energy in spirit stones seems pure, it still contains harmful, invisible impurities. If they keep using them over a long period, they may progress rapidly at first, but as their cultivation deepens, their meridians will begin to wither, and their ability to draw in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy will be obstructed." The young wife beside him also spoke with a smile, her voice pleasant to the ear.

"Medicines that improve cultivation also contain medicinal toxin, but the harm is much milder than that of spirit stones. There are even ways to expel or reduce those toxins," the young Huang man added in agreement.