Hand It Over

Qingyang Market, on the main road.

The moment Qin Ming received Manager Liao's transmission talisman,

he set down his work and hurried without pause toward Juxuan Pavilion.

Recently, the market had been packed to the brim, with unfamiliar faces making up more than half the crowd.

Just as Qin Ming was about to continue forward,

a large crowd had gathered ahead on the main road, clogging the middle of the street.

It blocked his path.

The road was filled with cultivators watching the spectacle.

He frowned and looked ahead.

An elderly man and his grandson were kneeling on the ground, desperately pleading with several young cultivators before them.

"My lord, this piece of Azure Water Gold Crystal is a treasured heirloom passed down by my ancestors."

"If you only offer a hundred Spirit Stones, this old man would rather not make this deal!"

"Please return the gold crystal to this old man! I beg you!"

The grandson was crying miserably as well, his face covered in tears and snot as he begged.

At first glance, Qin Ming found one of those young cultivators extremely familiar.

The man wore a blue-and-gold Spirit Feather Sect robe, the mark of a core disciple.

He suddenly remembered.

Wasn't this one of the core disciples who had disembarked from the Spirit Feather Sect's Abyssal Crossing Ark that day?

The group seemed to regard him as their leader, yet he had barely spoken from beginning to end.

Instead, a short young cultivator beside him cursed aloud.

"Who told you this is Azure Water Gold Crystal?"

"This is ordinary cold iron. You old fool, do you take us for people who can't recognize goods?"

"A hundred Spirit Stones is already more than generous."

"Get lost, and stop blocking the road."

Having said that, the short young cultivator did not care in the slightest how many people were watching.

He kicked the old man flying a great distance, knocking him unconscious at once.

The child's cries immediately became even more shrill.

The short youth paid him no mind.

Grinning, he secretly slipped that stalk of spirit ginseng into the hands of the Spirit Feather Sect core disciple.

The surrounding people watched this scene.

Yet none dared step forward to stop them. After all, they were core disciples of the Spirit Feather Sect.

Watching this, Qin Ming could not help but muse inwardly.

Forcing a purchase and sale, huh?

After doing all that, the young cultivators left as though nothing had happened.

"Ah, how did he end up provoking that lord?"

"Who were those people just now? How could they be so arrogant and overbearing?"

"That was Jiang Kun, the son of the Great Elder of the Spirit Feather Sect's Punishment Hall, a core disciple."

"They're utterly lawless! No one can deal with them. This is already the third time this month."

"Anything they take a liking to in the market is bound to be snatched away."

"Alas, we can't afford to provoke them. Better keep far away."

Several people nearby were indignant, and hurried over to check on and help the old man up.

Qin Ming shook his head and sighed.

He did not linger any longer.

Juxuan Pavilion.

Manager Liao spotted Qin Ming from afar, his face breaking into a welcoming smile as he enthusiastically came to greet him.

He sensed the fluctuations of Qin Ming's mana.

His eyes immediately lit up. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin, on breaking through to the Qi Refining Mid Stage and taking another step forward on the immortal path."

He truly was an old hand in the business world.

Smooth words and flattering remarks rolled off his tongue with remarkable ease.

"I heard Pavilion Master Gu wanted to see me?" Qin Ming asked directly.

Manager Liao led Qin Ming upstairs as he replied, "That's right! The rental quota for the Ruan Family Estate has already been secured by the Pavilion Master."

"However, whether Fellow Daoist Qin can obtain this quota will likely depend on how your discussion with the Pavilion Master goes."

Qin Ming remained silent and nodded.

Juxuan Pavilion had nine floors in total.

Manager Liao brought him to the seventh floor.

The door to the innermost private room stood open.

Manager Liao bowed toward the room and reported, "Pavilion Master, Fellow Daoist Qin has arrived."

"Let him in," a cool voice rang out from within the private room.

Qin Ming immediately stepped inside.

The moment he entered,

Gu Qingzhao, dressed in plain robes, was holding a scripture and reading. She showed no intention of standing to greet him.

A stick of spirit incense burned on the tea table beside her, its smoke curling through the air.

As the fragrance entered Qin Ming's nose, he immediately felt his spirits lift, refreshed and at ease.

"Fellow Daoist Gu." Qin Ming still greeted her first.

Only then did Gu Qingzhao set down her book and say blandly, "Please sit, Fellow Daoist Qin."

Qin Ming sat down in the chair opposite her.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, how did you come to know Alchemist Su?" Gu Qingzhao asked without looking at him, lifting the lid of her teacup and gently stirring the tea.

Qin Ming was taken aback, unable to understand what she was trying to do.

He had nothing to hide, so he immediately recounted everything about how he had come to know Su Yuqing.

Gu Qingzhao could tell that Qin Ming and Su Yuqing were merely ordinary friends.

A nearly imperceptible trace of disappointment flickered between her brows.

Only then did she say lightly, "I heard that you want the rental quota for the Ruan Family Estate?"

"That's right. I heard from Manager Liao that this quota is now in Fellow Daoist Gu's hands. What price would I need to pay in exchange for it?" Qin Ming asked bluntly.

Gu Qingzhao did not answer Qin Ming's question directly. Instead, she asked, "What price can Fellow Daoist Qin offer?"

"Let me hear it."

"You know as well that quotas are now harder to obtain than a single ticket."

Qin Ming pondered for a long while.

From the moment he had entered the room until Gu Qingzhao's reactions now,

she had originally intended to use Qin Ming's connection to win over Su Yuqing, that young high-grade alchemist.

But she had not expected Qin Ming and Su Yuqing to be only ordinary friends.

She had instantly lost interest.

Once Qin Ming's thoughts reached this point, he understood.

If he did not offer something real, this goal would likely be difficult to achieve.

"How about Premium Beast Fang Rice?"

The moment Qin Ming said this,

a flicker of surprise crossed Gu Qingzhao's face.

She set down the scripture in her hand and asked seriously, "You mean Superior Beast Fang Rice?"

"That's right. A year from now, the Beast Fang Rice in my Spirit Field will be of superior quality," Qin Ming stated without a doubt.

She sized Qin Ming up. "If that is the case, then it is not impossible."

"If Fellow Daoist Qin adds a clause to our previous agreement, increasing the amount of Beast Fang Rice sold to this pavilion by another twenty percent,"

"then I will sell this quota to you."

Qin Ming frowned upon hearing this.

He considered it for a long while.

In any case, now that he had Blood Locust Rice, this Superior Beast Fang Rice would have to be sold sooner or later.

So he did not waste words and nodded in agreement. "Deal."

The two parties then supplemented their agreement.

Gu Qingzhao took out a jade token and handed it to Qin Ming. "This is the restriction token representing this pavilion's quota."

"Take the token to the Spirit Feather Sect's Hall of Affairs to register it and pay the remaining rent."

"Besides that, you must also pay an additional three hundred Spirit Stones, which are not included in the rent."

Qin Ming: "."

The transaction concluded.

After leaving the shop,

Qin Ming examined the jade token Gu Qingzhao had given him. The character 'Mirror' was inscribed upon it.

He made his way to the Spirit Feather Sect's Hall of Affairs.

When he found someone from the Hall of Affairs and began the registration process,

a lazy voice sounded from behind him. "Hold it!"

Qin Ming turned around.

It was those Spirit Feather Sect disciples led by Jiang Kun.

Qin Ming swept his gaze over them. In an instant, their mana auras, thick and imposing as mountains,

blocked his spiritual sense outside.

Without exception, every one of them possessed Late Qi Refining cultivation.

Jiang Kun was likely at the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, on the verge of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Jiang Kun glanced at Qin Ming. "Qi Refining Stage Fourth Layer? Hand over the quota."

PS: Thanks to 'Jiu J' for the monthly ticket.