Chapter 8: 20 Taels of Spiritual Sand Obtained
Chapter 8: Chapter 8: 20 Taels of Spiritual Sand Obtained
Chen Mo still had some impressions of the Ancient Dust Marketplace in his memory. Back then, having already set foot in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, his attempt to join an Immortal Sect proved unsuccessful. He descended the mountain dejectedly alongside the other eliminated young talents. Only under the guidance of a senior expert did he arrive at the Marketplace at the foot of Purple Cloud Peak.
It was here that he met Boss Wei, successfully acquired the Rainfall Technique and Flaming Palm, and officially became a Spirit Plant Cultivator. It seemed the Marketplace was very keen on recruiting Spirit Plant Cultivators. They couldn’t be more welcoming to people like them—those who had some aptitude for Cultivation and were willing to do the manual labor.
Pushing four hundred catties of Spirit Rice, he headed straight in from the Marketplace gates, following the bluestone path. Small-time merchants and vendors lined both sides of the street. Their stalls sold a variety of obscure Cultivation Techniques, supposedly mountain-foraged Miracle Elixirs, or dilapidated Magical Artifacts and the like.
Chen Mo pushed his cart further in, feeling as if he were strolling down an antique street. Of course, he knew that just like the antique streets of his past life, very few things here were genuine. After all, what good items could a bunch of low-level Loose Cultivators possibly possess?
"Fellow Daoist, I see you must be a Spirit Plant Cultivator. I have top-grade Spirit Rice Seeds here. Care to take a look?"
Chen Mo glanced at the man. He had thick eyebrows, a square face, long hair, and a full beard. His eyes revealed a sense of sincerity, making him look like a good person. Or rather, he only looked like one... He then swept his gaze over the burlap sack on the vendor’s stall. The contents indeed exuded rich Spiritual Qi. Each grain was crystal clear and looked exceptionally plump.
It was undoubtedly rice, but whether they were actually seeds was hard to tell with Chen Mo’s current level of knowledge. When it came to seeds, there was no room for carelessness. If one carelessly bought fake seeds, not only would they waste a month or two of labor and money, but missing the planting season would be fatal! These merchants who sold fake seeds showed absolute disregard for human life, trying everything they could to bleed people dry!
Then again, since when were scammers ever decent people? With this in mind, Chen Mo stared at the man for a second or two before leaving him with a meaningful look, walking away without looking back.
Seeing that his target didn’t take the bait, the vendor wasn’t annoyed. In his line of work, rejection was normal; he would just scam whomever he could.
The vendors along the Marketplace street did sell a few things that interested Chen Mo. For example, there was the Geng Metal Finger—a Cultivation Technique that could be used to exterminate pests in the fields while consuming very little Spiritual Qi. However, the steep price of ten taels of Spiritual Sand left him a bit strapped for cash at the moment. He had to first guarantee his food, then his Cultivation, and only lastly could he consider luxuries. It wasn’t like the Flaming Palm couldn’t kill pests; it just consumed a bit more energy.
Soon, Chen Mo arrived at a grain collection station. There were several grain stations like this throughout the Marketplace, controlled by different bosses. This was a business with a stable source of income. Any Cultivator with a bit of strength and some connection to the Pavilion Master wanted a piece of the pie.
Opening its doors to customers, the Yi Er San Grain Station had been exceptionally busy these days. With this year’s bumper harvest at Purple Cloud Peak, there was an endless stream of Spirit Plant Cultivators coming to sell grain.
Seeing a customer, the clerk greeted him with a beaming smile. "Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist, come take a look at our shop! How about I give you a quote?"
Chen Mo nodded and pushed his small cart inside. Inside the spacious storefront stood seven or eight Spirit Plant Cultivators, all haggling with the merchants.
"What’s your purchasing rate?" Chen Mo asked.
"Since the grain yield at Purple Cloud Peak is quite large this year, we can offer you a rate of twelve catties for one tael of Spiritual Sand. How does that sound?"
Twelve catties for one tael? Chen Mo instantly frowned. In his memory, ten catties for a tael had become the generally accepted exchange rate. This was suddenly twenty percent cheaper! Didn’t that mean his Increased Production was completely in vain?!
Chen Mo turned around to leave. But barely two steps after pushing his cart, the clerk hurriedly stopped him. "Fellow Daoist, don’t be in such a rush to leave! How about you name a price?"
Sure enough, they were starting absurdly high just to let him haggle them down. "Nine catties for a tael," Chen Mo said.
"Impossible! We can’t do that!"
Chen Mo pushed his cart again. Unexpectedly, this time, the clerk directly pressed down on the cart. "Eleven catties! Eleven catties! That’s the price this year. If you refuse to sell, we won’t force you to stay."
Without any hesitation, Chen Mo pushed the cart toward the exit. However, just as he reached the door, the clerk chased after him again. "Fellow Daoist, wait!"
"Eleven catties a tael. I can’t sell it." Chen Mo shook his head.
"How many catties do you have here?"
"Four hundred catties."
The clerk pondered for a moment. "Wait for me a bit."
Four hundred catties, excluding land rent, was equivalent to the yield of four acres of Spirit Fields. Generally, one had to reach the Qi Refining Second Layer to lease four acres of Spirit Fields. Seeing that the other party was barely in his early twenties yet had already reached the Qi Refining Second Layer, even if he was only a Spirit Plant Cultivator right now, his future shouldn’t be underestimated. Consequently, the clerk ran to report to his boss.
After about half a cup of tea’s time, he ran back out. "How may I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"My surname is Chen, given name Mo."
"Is it convenient to reveal your Realm..."
"It’s not."
Chen Mo refused very flatly.
The clerk smiled awkwardly, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Here’s the deal. I just reported to the boss, and we’ll buy your four hundred catties of grain at the previous years’ rate of ten catties. However, you’ll need to make a verbal agreement with us."
Chen Mo frowned again.
"Don’t worry, it’s just a verbal agreement. It’s very simple: from now on, you will prioritize selling your annual grain to our Yi Er San Grain Station!"
If it was just a verbal agreement, their request really wasn’t excessive. Prioritizing didn’t mean it was mandatory; there was still room for maneuvering. This was also merely a common tactic used by the various grain stations. After pondering for a long time, Chen Mo nodded and said, "Fine, but I can only sell you two hundred catties this time."
"Why?" The clerk’s face instantly displayed displeasure. He had talked for ages and even applied to the boss just to get this price, yet this guy was only selling half? Wasn’t this messing with him?!
"I have to pay the remaining two hundred catties to Niu’s Shop as a referral fee."
"The Niu family..." The clerk swallowed his words mid-sentence. "How many catties did you harvest in total?"
"Around eight hundred."
"A referral fee takes two hundred catties?"
Chen Mo nodded.
The clerk hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, two hundred catties it is! Wait a moment, I’ll weigh the grain for you!"
It took the time of an incense stick burning for the two parties to conclude the transaction. At this moment, Chen Mo had an extra twenty taels of Spiritual Sand in his pocket. Spiritual Sand was hard currency in the Marketplace; one hundred taels of Spiritual Sand was equivalent to one Low Grade Spirit Stone. Of course, because Spirit Stones were too precious, rarely anyone could use them directly for trade.
With the money in hand, Chen Mo pushed the remaining Spirit Rice and left the Yi Er San Grain Station. Watching his retreating figure, the clerk spat and muttered, "Damn, those guys are truly ruthless! A Spirit Plant Cultivator works their ass off farming for a whole year, only to keep less than thirty percent of the grain! Oh, right, they still have to pay for the seeds!"
Following the main road further into the Marketplace, more shops appeared along both sides of the street. These past few days were the time when Spirit Plant Cultivators sold their grain, so the women from the brothels had also come out in full force. Right now, they were using every trick in the book to seduce the inexperienced farmers one by one.
Chen Mo took an extra glance. It was quite the spectacle! However, he made up his mind that before he had money and power, it was best to avoid such places.