Chapter 49: No Grain Tax This Year
Chapter 49: Chapter 49: No Grain Tax This Year
"Yi Er San Grain Station?"
Lan Ling turned around, her expression revealing a trace of hesitation.
She had some impression of this grain shop. The storefront was small, and its purchase prices were very average. Even within the Ancient Dust Marketplace, it was an inconspicuous shop. She never expected that such a place would carry premium seeds.
"That’s right!" Chen Mo nodded, though he was already internally calculating how much of a cut he should take.
"Thank you!"
This time, Lan Ling didn’t pester him further. Instead, she pondered over what price she should charge to sell this information to He Zhiping. Walking and thinking, she mentally settled on a figure just as she approached him.
"How did it go?"
"He told me," Lan Ling replied calmly.
"Really?" Miao Chen stared at her in utter excitement, looking as though he wanted to pounce on her.
"Of course. However, I spent three taels of Spiritual Sand to buy the information from him."
Hearing this, He Zhiping instantly furrowed his brows. The implication of her words couldn’t be more obvious!
"You want Spiritual Sand?" Miao Chen instantly deflated. For Spirit Plant Cultivators like them, they loathed parting with even a single copper!
"Give me two taels each, and I’ll tell you which grain shop it is."
Chen Mo remained unaware of the trio’s transaction, nor did he care about their scheming. These days, he continued living an ascetic lifestyle; aside from farming, all he did was Cultivation.
During this time, Mei Hua from the Yi Er San Grain Station also came to look for him. Naturally, he arrived bearing Shopkeeper Song’s instructions. He invited Chen Mo for a trip to the Marketplace, suggesting that, if possible, they could arrange a proper reunion at Song Yunxi’s home. With the autumn harvest approaching, Mei Hua’s purpose was abundantly clear: to remind him not to forget their agreement.
Chen Mo refused. There would be plenty of opportunities to drink, but not now.
He was absolutely certain that before the autumn harvest, if he left his Spirit Fields for even an hour, his Spirit Rice would undoubtedly be pillaged by other Spirit Plant Cultivators! The loss would outweigh the gain.
During those final few days, Chen Mo remained on exceptionally high alert. Although the rules of the Ancient Dust Marketplace were in place—and the other Spirit Plant Cultivators wouldn’t dare rob his Spirit Fields in broad daylight—there was no guarantee that unexpected trouble wouldn’t occur.
It was only after harvesting and storing eight hundred catties of Spirit Rice in his wooden cabin that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Mo divided the Spirit Rice into grain sacks of five hundred and three hundred catties. For the days to follow, all he had to do was wait for the Grain Collection Officer to arrive!
One day, two days, three days... over half a month passed.
Watching his Qi Cultivation Technique experience gradually increase, he was only three or four days away from breaking past the two-hundred threshold. Yet, there was still no sign of the Grain Collection Officer!
It wasn’t until a representative of the Pavilion Master arrived from the Ancient Dust Marketplace that the mystery troubling the Spirit Plant Cultivators was finally solved. The man hadn’t come to collect grain, but he brought news!
"Due to the insect plague this year, Purple Cloud Peak will not dispatch a Grain Collection Officer. This year’s rent is waived, but next year’s grain tax will be doubled."
This announcement was like sweet rain after a long drought. It offered a glimmer of hope to the Spirit Plant Cultivators—who had felt like fish stranded in a dry rut—and allowed them to experience the warmth of Purple Cloud Peak. One after another, they praised the Peak Master for his wisdom and benevolence. Some Spirit Plant Cultivators even considered erecting a living shrine for him. However, considering that no one was willing to foot the bill, the idea was quickly dropped.
The news from the Marketplace was uplifting. But in a year of severe disaster, the vast majority of Spirit Plant Cultivators yielded absolutely nothing. The past prosperity along the official roads had vanished, and even the Tribulation Cultivators found themselves out of business.
Of course, this news was also a good thing for Chen Mo. Even if the grain tax doubled the following year, he would still have around a thousand catties left. Moreover, since his current eight hundred catties were tax-free, his Cultivation Resources for the coming year were fully secured.
Seeing that his breakthrough to the Qi Refining Third Layer was imminent, Chen Mo didn’t rush to the Marketplace. Instead, he continued his Cultivation in the fields as usual.
Meanwhile, He Zhiping, Miao Chen, Lan Ling, and other Spirit Plant Cultivators set off for the Marketplace. They planned to use their remaining Spiritual Sand to exchange for some Fasting Pills. They could forget about Cultivation next year, but they still had to sustain themselves with Fasting Pills.
Xiao Changhua also came to the Marketplace. However, he hadn’t gone on his own accord. Someone had been specifically sent to summon him to Niu’s Shop.
The courtyard of Niu’s Shop was expansive. Directly to the north lay a long corridor that led straight to the main room in the backyard. At this moment, Xiao Changhua stood respectfully outside the door, quietly waiting to be summoned by Shopkeeper Niu.
Before long, Niu Youde walked out while shrugging on his clothes. Beside him was a beautiful Female Cultivator, whose looks far surpassed those of Lan Ling, a fellow Spirit Plant Cultivator.
"Greetings, Patriarch Niu!"
In the past, Xiao Changhua would only have dared to address him as Shopkeeper Niu. Ever since he was "brought into the fold" last year, he had changed his tune to call him Patriarch. Seeing no objection, he stuck with the title.
"How were your losses this year?" Niu Youde asked with a playful smile on his fleshy face.
Sensing they were getting down to business, the Female Cultivator slipped back into the room.
"A total loss." Xiao Changhua gritted his teeth, the image of Chen Mo instantly springing into his mind.
That lowly Spirit Plant Cultivator was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, yet by relying on the Geng Metal Finger, he had actually managed to protect his two acres of Spirit Fields!
"Nature is unpredictable. No one could have foreseen the insect plague this year. Just work harder next year!" Niu Youde consoled him.
Xiao Changhua wasn’t stupid. He knew the Patriarch hadn’t summoned him all this way just to offer words of comfort. Thus, he asked, "What instructions do you have for me, Patriarch?"
"Instructions? What instructions could I have? There are no instructions." Niu Youde’s superficial smile made Xiao Changhua’s heart pound.
"Patriarch... you..."
"There are no instructions. Do you not understand?"
Xiao Changhua’s mind raced! Soon, he finally caught on. "This subordinate will keep the Patriarch’s instructions in mind. This year, I will absolutely not rob anyone—"
"What did I say?!" Niu Youde’s face instantly turned stern. "I didn’t say a thing!" He waved his large hand and added, "Go back!"
"Understood!" Not daring to show the slightest negligence or defiance, Xiao Changhua bowed deeply and quickly retreated.
Seeing him leave, the beautiful Female Cultivator who had just returned to the room sidled up again, her delicate hands constantly caressing Niu Youde’s body.
"Did he really understand?"
"I doubt he’d dare disobey me!" Niu Youde chuckled and gave her a pinch on the rear. The Female Cultivator shot him a reproachful glare through the sting.
The entirety of Purple Cloud Peak had suffered a disaster this year. If Tribulation Cultivators continued to rob people on the roads now, not only would they fail to scrape together any real profit, but they would also likely provoke unnecessary trouble!
Of course, this was from the Marketplace’s perspective. From Xiao Changhua’s point of view, having yielded nothing this year, he would inevitably be forced to make a move! What Niu Youde had just done was warn him not to act recklessly. He was confident that Xiao Changhua wouldn’t dare violate his demands, even if he had the courage of a dozen men!
On the other end, Xiao Changhua had listened, but he hadn’t completely listened. He indeed wouldn’t dare defy Niu Youde’s orders, so he had no intention of robbing the other Spirit Plant Cultivators.
But there was one person he would absolutely kill this winter!