Chapter 7: Heading to the Marketplace Together
Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Heading to the Marketplace Together
The rent collection trip to the Ancient Dust Marketplace took a little over two hours in total. Niu Youliang had indeed prepared Immortal Food to treat the two Grain Collection Officers from Purple Cloud Peak. He had to prepare it; as for whether they would eat it or not, that was not for him to consider.
Seeing the two off, Niu Youliang suddenly asked in a low voice, "Elder Li, has that thief been caught yet?"
Hearing this, Li Shangxian paused the Flying Sword he had just summoned. He turned to give the other man a meaningful look and said, "Not yet. Does Master Niu have any clues?"
"No clues, really," Niu Youliang shook his head. He knew it was a joke to think a lowly Pavilion Master like him could have clues about someone wanted by the Cyan Yang Sect. Besides, even if he did have clues, he wouldn’t dare track them down! Who knew what Realm the other party was at? "However, three months ago, two Spirit Plant Cultivators did die in the Ancient Dust Marketplace."
"Really?" Si Yu, who was thoroughly bored on the side, suddenly became interested. "How did they die?"
"Their hearts were ripped out."
Li Shangxian frowned. It seemed it really was that thief! "Next time you have news like this, remember to report it immediately."
Niu Youliang nodded vigorously. "Understood, understood." How could he not have reported it? He had simply reported it to his master. As for whether it reached the Peak Master’s ears, that was beyond the level he could access.
"Let this be the last time." Li Shangxian looked somewhat displeased. He then summoned his Flying Sword and tore through the air, departing.
Watching the two disappear into the horizon, Niu Youliang’s previously fawning face instantly turned gloomy. "Two lapdogs riding on their master’s coattails! Bah!"
After seeing off the two Grain Collection Officers and practicing the Flaming Palm for half an hour continuously, Chen Mo finally returned to his room. By now, it was getting late. A trip to the Marketplace would take over two hours, making it clearly unsuitable to travel today.
Before night fell, Chen Mo, who was preparing to rest, heard a knock on his door.
"Who is it?"
"It’s me, Yin Zheng."
He was the Spirit Plant Cultivator from the south, the same person who had asked him a few days ago if Wang Lixia was nearing the end of her lifespan. Chen Mo thought for a moment before opening the door. "What is it?"
"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you planning to take a trip to the Marketplace tomorrow?" Yin Zheng got straight to the point.
"That’s right."
"Then how about we travel together?"
Chen Mo frowned slightly. He didn’t want any involvement with the people around him.
Seeing his hesitation, the other man continued, "Fellow Daoist Chen, Purple Cloud Peak has had a bumper harvest this year."
"So what?"
"You and I both know this. Do you think the other Loose Cultivators know?"
"Are you saying they might ambush and rob us halfway?" Chen Mo asked in return.
"Exactly! So if we travel together, we can look out for each other."
It was a good suggestion. It was truly hard to say whether there would be danger on the road. However, the other man was just like him—only at the Qi Refining First Layer. What kind of protection could he offer? If they really encountered highway robbers, wouldn’t they just die together?
"There’s no need," Chen Mo refused.
Seeing that he was about to close the door, Yin Zheng hurriedly blocked it with his hand. "Don’t be like that, Fellow Daoist Chen. Please, just take me with you." He had even changed his form of address to be more respectful.
"I am just like you..." Chen Mo stopped halfway through his sentence, suddenly realizing the problem. He looked down on the other man’s Qi Refining First Layer cultivation, so the other man naturally must have looked down on his as well! Then why was he acting this way? Could it be...? An old, hunched figure instantly appeared in his mind. "Fellow Daoist Yin, I’m sorry, but I can’t make decisions for her." Chen Mo clasped his hands in a salute and closed the door anyway.
Outside, Yin Zheng looked resentful. He hadn’t expected the other party to refuse so bluntly! He had also considered going directly to Wang Lixia, but the neighboring Spirit Plant Cultivator had already tried. No matter who went, they were viciously cursed out. Left with no choice, he thought of this Spirit Plant Cultivator right in front of him, who was just at the Qi Refining First Layer like himself. Normally, he wouldn’t even give him a second glance!
"Sigh!" Yin Zheng smiled bitterly and turned around.
News of robberies had already come from other Marketplaces. If he traveled alone without any backup at a time like this, his hard-earned grain from the whole year really might be snatched away.
After closing the door, Chen Mo thought for a moment and came to a realization. Yin Zheng’s visit was a real wake-up call for him. In this dog-eat-dog Cultivation Immortal Realm, one simply couldn’t survive without some strength! Yes, the Marketplace would protect them, but that was strictly limited to inside the Marketplace and the Spirit Plant Cultivators’ wooden cabins. As for the road? Who cared if they lived or died?
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Chen Mo arrived outside Wang Lixia’s cabin to wait. After waiting for roughly half an hour, the door finally opened.
Wang Lixia looked at Chen Mo, her face devoid of any Transformation in expression, and calmly said, "Bring your grain."
"Thank you, Senior!" Chen Mo was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected her to guess his intentions at a glance, and she hadn’t refused! It seemed those three months of watering had not been in vain. Of course, Chen Mo had come with seventy percent certainty anyway. He still owed her three Fasting Pills; if his grain was robbed, she would suffer a loss as well.
A moment later, Chen Mo used a small handcart to push over exactly three sacks of grain weighing four hundred catties.
Logically speaking, after paying rent, he should have 300 catties left. Even with this year’s bumper harvest, he would only have an extra 30 to 50 catties. Calculating at 100 catties per sack, three sacks should only be around 300 catties. However, Chen Mo had stuffed several dozen extra catties into each sack. Under normal circumstances, it was very difficult to notice anything amiss—unless they were weighed on a scale!
Wang Lixia glanced at his handcart and remarked, "A good harvest this year."
"The heavens were awesome," Chen Mo said with a smile.
"Awesome?" Wang Lixia froze.
"Protected by the Celestial Dao, protected by the Celestial Dao."
"Heh, protected by the Celestial Dao..." After a few breaths of silence, she continued, "Bumper years don’t come every year. I advise you to save some resources to prepare for unexpected needs next year."
"Thank you, Senior. I’ll help you load your grain as well." Chen Mo nodded. Seeing that she didn’t refuse, he stacked her remaining five sacks of grain onto the handcart and immediately set off for the Marketplace.
On the road, Wang Lixia walked very slowly with a cane. Pushing the cart, Chen Mo couldn’t speed up even if he wanted to. He had originally wanted to chat with her more to probe for some information about the Cultivation Immortal Realm, but the old woman hardly spoke. It was no wonder the people around them said she had a strange temperament; Chen Mo simply accepted it.
They walked for three hours, and the journey was peaceful. The robbery that Yin Zheng had mentioned did not occur.
When they arrived at the Marketplace, Wang Lixia, who had been silent all along, slowly turned around and said, "Tomorrow at 7:00 AM, I will wait for you here."
"This junior will remember!"
Usually, when taking a trip to the Marketplace, one would stay for the night. After all, selling grain and buying resources would take quite a while. Leaving right after would mean traveling in the dark, which was extremely unsafe on the road.
"A word of advice for you. The Marketplace is a money pit. Keep a tight grip on your pitiful resources!" Wang Lixia had seen too many Spirit Plant Cultivators with poor self-control. Not long after selling their Spirit Rice, before they could even warm their hands on their newly acquired resources, they would turn around and hand them over to brothels and gambling dens, leaving them without even enough money to buy seeds the following year.