Two Elders, the Golden Millet Pavilion

Li Yunjing took out a sickle.

"It's no different from what you did in the mortal world. Work hard."

He handed the sickle to Zhang Hanpeng.

Then Li Yunjing rolled up his sleeves and walked into the Spirit Field.

Zhang Hanpeng was stunned by Li Yunjing's actions.

This was completely different from the cultivation he had imagined!

Weren't cultivators supposed to feast on rosy clouds and drink dew, ride the wind through the void, and live free and unfettered?

Why did they have to harvest rice!?

Li Yunjing had already begun working when he saw Zhang Hanpeng still standing there in a daze.

He immediately shouted, "Hurry up and help!"

Zhang Hanpeng woke as if from a dream.

Forget it, forget it. At least I've managed to enter the cultivation world.

If I have to harvest rice, so be it.

After all, it's what I'm best at.

Eight years had passed since he turned ten.

Apart from this year, there hadn't been a single year when he hadn't helped his family harvest their rice.

Zhang Hanpeng quickly got to work.

His experience with the familiar task let him get the hang of it quickly.

Although Golden Jade Rice stalks were much tougher than those of mortal rice,

the sickle in his hand was also very sharp.

He only had to use a little more strength to cut down a whole stalk of Golden Jade Rice.

For the one mu of Golden Jade Rice,

with the two of them working together,

they worked from early morning until nearly noon

before they finally finished harvesting it.

"Unfortunately, Golden Jade Rice is too fragile to harvest with Law Techniques. Otherwise, it would be easy."

Li Yunjing wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

He would have preferred to make things simple and harvest it directly with a Law Technique.

But Golden Jade Rice couldn't withstand the impact of a Law Technique.

If he used one to harvest it, the Golden Jade Rice would be damaged.

The Spiritual Qi it contained would drop sharply, greatly reducing its value.

Beside him, Zhang Hanpeng was panting with exhaustion.

It was only because Zhang Hanpeng had possessed extraordinary stamina since childhood

that he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

Li Yunjing told Zhang Hanpeng to take a break.

Then Li Yunjing took out a palm-sized bag.

He untied the golden silk cord around its opening.

Li Yunjing put all the Golden Jade Rice scattered across the ground into the bag.

The bag was called a Spirit Rice Bag, a tool specifically used to store and retrieve spirit rice.

Just then, a few wisps of blue smoke suddenly rose from the opening of the Spirit Rice Bag.

The smoke gradually condensed into three digits.

Two, zero, three.

The Spirit Rice Bag had an automatic weighing function.

This was the weight of the Golden Jade Rice after the stalks had been removed.

Two hundred and three jin.

Not bad. It was a little more than Li Yunjing had expected.

Li Yunjing tied the bag shut and tucked the Spirit Rice Bag away close to his body.

When he returned to the front of Luozhen Hall,

Zhang Hanpeng was scooping up a bowl of water and gulping it down in a few swallows.

Li Yunjing glanced at the sky.

He decided to finish lunch before going to sell the Golden Jade Rice.

Lunch was simple:

a little spirit rice mixed with ordinary rice.

He stir-fried a plate of greens and reheated two meat dishes left over from yesterday.

Lunch was ready.

As they ate, Zhang Hanpeng repeatedly glanced at Li Yunjing.

He looked as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Seeing him like that, Li Yunjing immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks.

"If you have something to say, say it."

Zhang Hanpeng put down his bowl and chopsticks as well.

"Sect master, this disciple would like to know whether the two of us are the only people in the Luozhen Sect."

Li Yunjing shook his head, his expression calm.

"Of course not. I have a junior brother and a junior sister.

The two of them are elders of the Luozhen Sect, but they're away at the moment.

Judging by the time, they should be back in the next few days."

This was half true and half false.

Li Yunjing did indeed have a junior brother and a junior sister.

But after their master passed away, the two had gone out to seek another path.

That hadn't affected the relationship between the three of them, though.

The two of them returned every so often,

bringing Li Yunjing cultivation resources.

As for the positions of elder,

they had always belonged to the two of them, and Li Yunjing had always urged them to stay.

But they saw no hope, so they had chosen to leave.

Li Yunjing understood how they felt.

If not for his golden finger, Li Yunjing would probably have left with them.

Now that his golden finger had activated,

it was time to persuade the two of them to return.

With the two of them here, things would be much easier for Li Yunjing.

Zhang Hanpeng nodded.

Li Yunjing stood up and said,

"I'm full. We've just harvested the Golden Jade Rice, and it needs to be sold as soon as possible.

I'm going to Xunxian Town. Remember to wash the bowls when you've finished eating."

Seeing this, Zhang Hanpeng hurriedly stood up to see Li Yunjing off.

Li Yunjing indicated that Zhang Hanpeng needn't do so.

Then he headed straight out of Serene Valley.

When he reached the dilapidated mountain gate, Li Yunjing took two first-grade spirit talismans from his robes.

These spirit talismans were called Breeze Talismans.

Once used, they allowed a cultivator to ride the wind for a short time.

They were excellent tools for travel.

He slapped them onto his body,

and circulated his Law Power, activating the Breeze Talismans at once.

Li Yunjing felt a gentle breeze wrap around him.

With a thought, his whole body floated forward like the wind.

He moved very quickly.

His destination this time was Xunxian Town.

It lay some three hundred li south of Serene Valley.

Xunxian Town was a very large market town.

Mortals and cultivators lived there together.

Most of the sects and lineages around Xunxian Town

had their own shops in town.

What was more, Xunxian Town had been established by the Immortal Alliance.

Thus, cultivators went to Xunxian Town to buy and sell goods.

After about two hours,

Li Yunjing arrived at the entrance to White Cloud Long Street on the north side of Xunxian Town.

Xunxian Town's layout was simple.

Two long streets crossed each other, dividing Xunxian Town into four districts.

Each of the four districts served a different purpose.

Trade, residence...

One district was reserved specifically for mortals.

Li Yunjing made his way with practiced ease to a spirit rice shop called the Golden Millet Pavilion.

The Golden Millet Pavilion had the backing of the Immortal Alliance.

It offered discounts to members of the Immortal Alliance.

Previously, the Luozhen Sect had sold most of its spirit rice here.

For one thing, it was safe; for another, the prices were fair.

As for the spirit rice shops opened by other sects or lineages,

leaving aside whether or not they were safe,

they would drive the price as low as they possibly could.

Unless he had no other choice, Li Yunjing would never go to those spirit rice shops.

As soon as he entered the Golden Millet Pavilion,

a clerk eagerly came forward to attend to him.

"Welcome, honored guest... Oh, it's Sect Master Li. This junior greets Sect Master Li."

When the clerk saw that it was Li Yunjing, he immediately subdued his smile and bowed.

"He Yan, where is your shopkeeper?" Li Yunjing smiled and nodded at the clerk.

He Yan immediately pointed toward the back of the Golden Millet Pavilion.

"The shopkeeper is in the back. This way, Sect Master Li."

He Yan personally led Li Yunjing to see the shopkeeper of the Golden Millet Pavilion.

Since Li Yunjing was the sect master of the Luozhen Sect,

his status was no ordinary one, and He Yan wasn't qualified to receive him.

Although Li Yunjing didn't mind,

this seemed to be an unwritten rule.

Li Yunjing could do nothing about it.

They arrived at the back of the Golden Millet Pavilion.

A plump middle-aged man was directing a group of clerks as they carried sacks of rice.

He hadn't noticed Li Yunjing's arrival.

Only when a clerk alerted him did the man turn around.

"I've been so busy with trivial matters that I neglected you, Sect Master Li. Please don't take offense."

The middle-aged man hurried over and spoke to Li Yunjing with a smile.

Li Yunjing smiled. "You're too courteous, Shopkeeper Jin. I'm the one who came to disturb you without warning."

Jin Wuxu laughed, then led Li Yunjing into a private room.

After pouring Li Yunjing a cup of spirit tea, Jin Wuxu asked,

"Sect Master Li, you've come to sell Golden Jade Rice this time, haven't you?"

Li Yunjing gave him a thumbs-up.

"Shopkeeper Jin, your foresight is divine. That's exactly right."

Li Yunjing took out the Spirit Rice Bag and placed it on the table.

Jin Wuxu picked up the Spirit Rice Bag and sent a wisp of Law Power into it.

Blue smoke rose and condensed into two, zero, three.

"Oh, a little more than last time. Not bad."

Jin Wuxu put down the Spirit Rice Bag and looked at Li Yunjing.

"Same as before?"

Li Yunjing nodded. "That's right."

Ever since Li Yunjing had come here, whenever he sold Golden Jade Rice,

he had kept some for his own use and sold all the rest.

Jin Wuxu naturally knew this,

but he had asked just to be safe.

What if Li Yunjing had changed his mind?

Jin Wuxu called over a shop assistant and put him in charge of the matter.

After the assistant left, Jin Wuxu first took a sip of spirit tea.

Then Jin Wuxu looked at Li Yunjing and asked,

"Have you decided on a path forward, Sect Leader Li? If not, the Golden Millet Pavilion would welcome you."