The morning sun of the si hour spilled across the bamboo house, lighting up the lush greenery of the little courtyard.
A lean cultivator with a thin face and a mustache stood at the gate, gazing at the flourishing vegetables and fruits inside. A faint smile curved his lips.
He had just come from Old Huang's place, where he was told that a junior wanted to sell spirit grain.
Having purchased yellow bud rice around Bihai Lake for many years, he knew roughly which spirit farmers produced grain of decent quality. Low-quality rice meant even thinner profit margins, hardly worth the trouble of buying.
When he first heard this, one was a new disciple; he hadn't wanted to come at all. He only agreed reluctantly, as a favor to Old Huang.
But now, seeing this vibrant and spirit-rich garden, he immediately understood why Old Huang had worn such a meaningful smile when they parted.
Before becoming his clan's steward, he too had been a capable spirit farmer. With one glance, he could tell that the techniques used here were exceptional, no worse than Old Huang's.
That realization sparked his curiosity. A new disciple with such talent in farming? He couldn't help but marvel that this was exactly why sects attracted talent far better than cultivation clans.
What a pity, he thought. The Golden Spirit Sect specializes in weapon forging and beast taming. Someone like this won't receive much special attention. If he had joined Falling Maple Valley, famed for formations and alchemy, he would have fared far better.
"Is this the residence of Daoist Ji An?"
Inside the bamboo house, Ji An was practicing the Sharp Gold Art. Since today was the appointed day with Old Huang, he obediently stayed at home.
For a cultivator, divine sense was crucial, yet techniques to temper it were exceedingly rare. He didn't possess such a method, but practicing the Sharp Gold Art, which demanded fine divine sense control, helped sharpen it little by little.
The improvement was slow, but he never tired of it.
Hearing someone call from outside, Ji An pushed open the window and glanced out. Seeing a stranger at the gate, he quickly stepped out.
"I am Ji An. May I ask, Daoist friend, who might you be?"
He noticed the man's robe bore no sect insignia, and since he addressed him as "Daoist friend" rather than "Junior Brother," Ji An guessed he must be here to purchase spirit grain.
In the Golden Spirit Sect, disciples' sleeves were embroidered with a golden thread.
"Li Changqing of the White Ape Mountain Li Clan," the man said with a smile. "Daoist Huang mentioned that you also wished to sell yellow bud rice?"
"Indeed. Please, this way."
Ji An gestured politely and led the way toward the bamboo house.
"I'm somewhat acquainted with Senior Brother Li Changfeng of your clan," Ji An remarked as they walked. "Since you and he share the same surname and generation, you must be close relatives?"
Cultivation clans all kept strict genealogies; just hearing the name, Ji An could guess their relation.
"Changfeng is my cousin," Li Changqing replied with an easy smile. "But I'm from a side branch, nowhere near as esteemed as him."
He'd heard it before. Many farmers tried to claim ties with Li Changfeng just to bargain for a few extra spirit stones.
Cousin Changfeng, however, was indeed a main-branch disciple. At just twenty-one years old, he was already at the ninth level of Qi Refining. The only reason he hadn't built his foundation yet was that he intended to perfect his base first.
If he could open more spiritual meridians and broaden them as much as possible, he would forge a superior-grade foundation, greatly enhancing his innate aptitude when he broke through.
These were secrets Li Changqing only learned after becoming a steward.
"Senior Brother Li once gave me a jade token," Ji An continued, drawing it from his robe with a smile. "He said if I ever went to the Li clan's shop in Azure Cloud Immortal City, I could receive a discount.
Unfortunately, I've never left the sect, so I've never enjoyed that privilege."
He handed the jade token over to Li Changqing.
I may not have used it to buy things at a discount, but when it comes to selling grain, don't you dare short me on the price!
Even earning a single extra spirit crystal was worth it. Save when you must, but never leave profit on the table.
Li Changqing was slightly startled. He took the jade pendant, shielding it with his hand as he examined it closely. In secret, he activated a Li family secret technique, channeling spiritual energy into the pendant.
At once, a small green character "Li" flared to life in the center of the white jade, with two tiny characters beside it: "Changfeng."
Well, now, he thought. This person really does have ties to Changfeng.
Li Changqing knew that Changfeng often worked in the Administrative Hall and that he also had the responsibility of scouting promising spirit farmers for the clan. Many aging farmers who could no longer remain in the sect would receive invitations from the White Ape Mountain Li Clan.
Such farmers could still contribute for another twenty years or so, even in their later years.
Li Changqing couldn't help but give Ji An another careful look, curious why Changfeng had favored him. So young, already at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and nowhere near the point of leaving the sect.
"It truly is Changfeng's token. Daoist Ji, keep this safe. If you ever travel to Azure Cloud Immortal City, you'll enjoy no small amount of benefits."
His tone had grown noticeably more polite.
Ji An smiled, tucked the jade pendant back into his robes with deliberate care, then pointed to the stacked sacks nearby.
"Daoist Li, please inspect the goods. I'm selling all of these."
He had left enough grain at home for food.
Li Changqing pulled out a scale and a copper sampling tube from his storage pouch, smiling as he said,
"Proper procedure must still be followed. Allow me to test the quality."
Ji An nodded. "As is right."
Li Changqing untied a bag, took a handful of rice, examined its luster, inhaled its fragrance, then chewed a few grains thoughtfully. He gave a slight nod.
Then he inserted the copper tube into the bag, triggering a small mechanism so that grain from the middle and bottom of the sack funneled into the tube. He repeated this with every sack, performing the same checks before smiling.
"Your spirit grain is of excellent quality! The standard price is one spirit crystal per hundred catties, but I'll give you 105 spirit crystals per hundred. What do you think?"
Transported to Azure Cloud Immortal City, this grain could easily be resold at a profit of ten crystals per hundred catties.
"That's acceptable."
"Good."
Li Changqing quickly weighed the grain and announced:
"Exactly 1,100 catties. Does that match your own count?"
"Not a hair's difference," Ji An replied with a smile, thinking privately that this was a far better deal than selling to the sect.
Other than the grain he was required to pay in rent, he might as well sell everything else for spirit stones and then exchange those for contribution points.
If the buyer offered fair weight and a bonus, the choice was obvious.
This made him realize there must be hidden arrangements between certain people within the sect and these outside clans. Otherwise, how would such buyers be allowed to come and collect grain within the sect's grounds?
Li Changqing handed over a pouch of stones.
"Eleven spirit stones and fifty-five spirit crystals. Please check."
Ji An carefully counted them again, then stored them away.
"The amount is correct."
He couldn't help but marvel that he had never been this wealthy before. But he also knew the stones wouldn't last long.
Buying a Spirit-Draining Formation and exchanging for spell jade slips would soon drain it all.
Li Changqing then produced a storage pouch and began packing away the rice.
Ji An's eyes gleamed as he watched.
"The Li Clan of White Ape Mountain truly spares no expense. I wonder how much grain that storage pouch holds?"
The larger the space, the more expensive the pouch. But spirit rice had low value; surely it wasn't worth wasting top-grade pouches?
"Daoist Ji, perhaps you don't know. This pouch was crafted with a special restriction. Its capacity is large, but it can only store grain. Any other item cannot be placed inside.
All bulk goods in trade must use these specially made pouches."
He paused, then added,
"Shall I continue coming on this same day every three months to purchase your grain?"
"That will be fine."