Chapter 99: Two Thousand Spirit Stones

The market price of spirit rice is one spirit stone per ten jin. Selling it to rogue cultivators setting up stalls for spirit rice would naturally mean offering some discount below that price. When He Song was at Bamboo Mountain Immortal Pavilion, he had inquired about it. The typical discount was around five percent. In other words, if He Song were to sell ten thousand jin of spirit rice at the original market price of one thousand spirit stones, selling to a rogue cultivator after granting a five percent discount would leave him with only nine hundred fifty spirit stones. The remaining fifty naturally belonged to the seller. There was no way to quickly offload large quantities of spirit rice without making the other party spend time on their own sales, so offering profit was unavoidable. This approach would save considerable time and allow him to collect the spirit stones quickly, reducing the risk of being watched while setting up a stall. Of course, if he were to sell heavily under the watchful eyes of many in the stall area, he would likely be targeted immediately. When he eventually left the immortal pavilion, there would almost certainly be some unwanted followers trailing behind. This was precisely what He Song wished to avoid. Therefore, the idea of trading in the stall area with rogue cultivators had been dismissed by him early on.

Directly selling to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion would mean a somewhat lower price than what rogue cultivators offered, but he would not have to worry about being targeted. Moreover, transactions at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion were strictly one-on-one, eliminating any risk to his personal safety. As a department under the Earth Thick Sect, the Spirit Medicine Pavilions of the major immortal pavilions still carried some credibility. Even if He Song were only disposing of twenty thousand two thousand jin of spirit rice, or even precious spirit medicines, rogue cultivators would generally come to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion to handle such matters. The prices offered would not be too low, for a simple reason: if they were, most rogue cultivators would prefer private deals over selling to the pavilion. The Spirit Medicine Pavilion, as the Earth Thick Sect's specialized department for purchasing and selling spirit medicines, naturally could not allow such a situation to develop. Only by building a solid reputation and providing a safe environment would rogue cultivators, driven by profit, sell their precious spirit medicines to the pavilion without lingering worries. This allowed them to keep their treasures hidden on their persons, letting them spoil rather than waste them. Acquiring precious spirit medicines within the pavilion's influence and supplying them to the sect's disciples was both the pavilion's duty and its primary reason for existence.

Spirit rice, however, traded at a market price of one spirit stone per ten jin. Selling to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion would require offering a ten percent discount.

Selling ten thousand jin of spirit rice to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion would allow He Song to pocket nine hundred spirit stones himself. While this was slightly less than what rogue cultivators at the stalls might offer, the pavilion was also far safer than dealing with outsiders. For the sake of security, He Song's optimal choice was therefore to head straight to the local Spirit Medicine Pavilion and dispose of his spirit rice. Whether anyone would later investigate the source of these spirit rice was none of his concern. The person appearing in the Spirit Rabbit Immortal Pavilion was Han Feiyu; what did that have to do with him, He Song?

"I am a rogue cultivator named Han Feiyu. I have some spirit rice to sell. May I trouble you, Dao friend, to discuss the matter in detail?"

Entering the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, He Song saw that someone was already waiting to greet him. He immediately cupped his hands, altered his voice, and spoke in a muffled tone.

At this time, He Song's cultivation level was Qi Refining sixth layer. Although he had employed the Breath Concealment Technique to hide his true cultivation, he could still release a trace of sixth-layer spiritual pressure under his own control. This trace not only made people reluctant to underestimate him but carried no detectable aura, preventing others from identifying him by it. Within the immortal pavilions, sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivators were already figures to be reckoned with. Breaking through to late-stage Qi Refining would make one a notable presence even here. Although this was the Spirit Rabbit Immortal Pavilion, which had more cultivators than Bamboo Mountain Immortal Pavilion, the situation remained similar. Most late-stage Qi Refining cultivators gathered in Azure Wall Immortal City, while those in the pavilions were few and far between. He Song's cultivation at sixth-layer Qi Refining was already respectable.

Naturally, the person before him dared not be careless.

"So it's Senior Han. Please follow me to the noble parlor; management will discuss details with you."

This was a young man whose cultivation was only at Qi Refining first layer. Hearing He Song's words, he immediately returned the gesture and led him toward the noble parlor.

Once He Song was seated in the noble parlor, the youth first poured him a pot of tea before taking his leave.

Soon, the door opened again, and a handsome young man entered the noble parlor with calm composure.

"I am Jiang Jun, the manager responsible for purchasing spirit medicines and spirit rice in the Spirit Medicine Pavilion. It is an honor to meet you, Dao friend Han."

Upon just entering, Jiang Jun bowed slightly and smiled at He Song. He Song returned the courtesy in kind.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat facing each other. Jiang Jun took a sip of tea and began preparing to conduct the transaction.

"Dao friend Han, the spirit rice you wish to sell, may I take a look?"

Jiang Jun's cultivation matched He Song's at sixth-layer Qi Refining. He had no reason to doubt the man's earlier claim of being a pavilion manager.

After hearing this, He Song swiftly withdrew a small cargo storage bag from his black robe, placing it on the table with a thud and gesturing for Jiang Jun to examine it freely.

The bag contained exactly twenty thousand two thousand jin of spirit rice. The remaining few hundred jin had been left behind at his residence in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Pavilion for his own consumption.

Jiang Jun, upon receiving the signal, quickly picked up the storage bag. As his spiritual sense probed inside, his brows rose, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"A total of twenty thousand two thousand jin of spirit rice, with full color and round grains. It must be superior spirit rice from a place with abundant spiritual energy."

His gaze then turned to He Song, noting the latter's calm expression as if he had long anticipated the offer. Jiang Jun meditated for a moment before speaking again.

"Dao friend Han, are you selling these spirit rice? They are all excellent quality. I am willing to purchase them all at two thousand spirit stones. How does that sound?"

Twenty thousand two thousand jin of superior spirit rice would normally fetch two thousand two hundred spirit stones at market price. However, the pavilion required a ten percent markup. That would leave He Song with one thousand nine hundred eighty spirit stones. Yet the price Jiang Jun quoted was a full two thousand spirit stones, only twenty more than the original. These unexpected extra twenty spirit stones puzzled He Song. Why was someone offering to pay more?

"Jiang Dao friend, shouldn't it be one thousand nine hundred eighty? Why two thousand?"

(This chapter ends)