Chapter 2093: Mutual Need, Yet Mutual Strife

These three are all fried foods, one is crispy on the outside and hollow inside, a sesame ball that sinks in the middle when you bite into it; another is wrapped in sweet taro paste with a salty filling inside, the filling made of winter bamboo shoots, dried tofu, green onions, and minced meat mixed together, giving a wonderful sweet-salty taste when eaten.

The last one is the cabbage pocket, which bursts with juice when Xin Yi takes the first bite.

If this were spring, it would be chive pockets.

He Lingchuan also took out two green bamboo tubes and placed them on the table.

Xin Yi asked strangely: "What is this?"

"The freshest bamboo sap and sea buckthorn juice." He Lingchuan pulled out the stopper, took a sip himself, "In today's Panlong Wasteland, it's not easy to find sea buckthorn anymore."

Sea buckthorn is a drought-resistant and poor-soil-tolerant plant, mainly growing in sand dunes, deserts, and the like; formerly, the Panlong Wasteland was full of it: these past few years, with the revival of spiritual energy, the wasteland has turned into forests and grasslands, and sea buckthorn's speed in claiming land is far behind other plants.

Drinking this in cold weather is refreshing and tart.

Fortunately, neither of us fears the cold, and drinking something sour can also relieve greasiness.

"The taste is absolutely amazing! And only three wen each." Xin Yi directly bit into a cabbage pocket, then gave a thumbs-up, "General He, have a few too."

He Lingchuan knew he especially liked fried foods; the most famous snack stall in Chengxi of Panlongcheng was Xue Si Niang's fried food shop.

"This cabbage pocket has already risen to four wen, a taro date is two wen each, and it's said prices will go up again next month." He Lingchuan also took a taro date and ate it slowly, "I've only been away for a month or two, and prices have actually risen by twenty to thirty percent. Even during wartime, Panlongcheng's prices hardly ever rose."

Since Panlongcheng opened up to the outside and began doing business with the outside world, although it has fought dozens of battles, under official efforts, prices have remained stable. Unlike other countries, where prices soar and supplies become scarce as soon as war breaks out.

"It's indeed not cheap." Xin Yi seemed not to catch the implication in his words, dipped the taro date in chili sauce, "No wonder you can still buy Xue Si Niang's fried goods now; I remember before, people would line up before dawn."

He Lingchuan smiled and simply asked more directly: "Do you know what the reason is?"

Xin Yi swallowed the food in his mouth, glanced at him, then took another sip of sea buckthorn juice, speaking vaguely: "I just knew, you wouldn't treat me to breakfast for no reason!"

"If we settle this matter first, afterward I could treat you to breakfast for a month without problem—Xue Si Niang's rival, Xiang Sao's five-spice fried vegetable balls, also taste absolutely amazing in Panlongcheng."

"You haven't been back for long, but now the best fried vegetable balls in Panlongcheng are no longer from Xiang Sao's." Xin Yi has been stationed in Panlongcheng for almost a year, now practically a half-local, and in some aspects knows this place better than He Lingchuan, "This matter is you coming to talk to me, I'm still a bit surprised."

The last time he talked with Zhong Shengguang, both sides were not too satisfied. Xin Yi even thought Zhong Shengguang would send someone else, who would be his strategist or commander, after all, this involves financial matters, water pumping, and other professional knowledge.

Unexpectedly, the one who came was the Tiger Wing General.

It seems the label he gave the Tiger Wing General—besides being vigilant, skilled in military planning and combat, and handsome—still needs one more added.

He Lingchuan also took a sip of sea buckthorn juice: "I heard that many sect powers are also supporting Ling Mountain?"

Not to mention the close ones, the Die Mountain Sect, from which Qiu Hu and others originate, also has to pay money to support Ling Mountain.

The term "support" is not derogatory for immortals and heavenly gods.

From ancient times to now, the lofty Xian Sect, seemingly detached from mortal worldly affairs, has never been able to do without humans' sincere support.

Heavenly gods need not be mentioned; nowadays, one can see their temples all over the world.

But the existence of Ling Mountain has its important significance; aside from that, how much communication, transaction, and cooperation among the myriad Daoist sects in the world must go through Ling Mountain to connect, bridge, and witness?

At critical moments, Ling Mountain can still provide powerful military support. Any power facing Bekka and the Heavenly Demons,

will feel genuinely helpless and instinctively want to find another reliance. At that moment, Ling Mountain steps forward.

Of course, this is not provided for free; Panlongcheng has gradually come to feel the pain of entanglement.

Xin Yi said casually: "Not bad, but abundance or frugality depends on people; Ling Mountain has never forced anything."

The more he spoke in a carefree manner, the more He Lingchuan knew there was a big cat hidden here, the water deeper. "Commander Zhong's proposal,

is nine hundred catties of top-grade xuan crystal per year." He Lingchuan laughed, "Although the amount is a bit small, Panlongcheng faces the threat of Bekka and must continuously maintain and train its military; moreover, in the past two years, outsiders have been continuously entering the wasteland, Panlongcheng must settle them and subsidize livelihoods, this expense is also enormous."

"Understandable, understandable." Xin Yi nodded in agreement.

But he is also an old sly fox; if Panlongcheng doesn't offer a satisfactory number to Ling Mountain, he won't nod.

These past years, the frequent appearance of imperial flow broth means obtaining xuan crystal afterward will no longer be as difficult as before. Xin Yi also received a secret report: the Panlong Wasteland actually already has several xuan crystal veins, and Panlongcheng is secretly mining them.

Therefore, a yearly quota of nine hundred catties is really not much. The Heavenly Heart Island transmission array of Lingxu City consumes at least five hundred catties of low-grade xuan crystal per day. If converted to top-grade xuan crystal, the nine hundred catties proposed by Panlongcheng is merely the other side's transportation fee for one or two months.

Know that Panlongcheng is no longer the isolated wasteland city of seven years ago; its territory has expanded more than threefold, and with imperial flow broth irrigation, the land is becoming increasingly fertile; the trade routes of the Mahe Plain are bustling, merchants and civilians thriving, truly a golden goose laying eggs.

Nine hundred catties of top-grade xuan crystal is too stingy.

In fact, both sides understand: Ling Mountain's lion-sized opening of the mouth demands not only money, but also a kind of test.

Panlongcheng has this, well, reluctance.

If the test fails, Ling Mountain will not be pleased.

And in Xin Yi's view, Panlongcheng also has the capital to be arrogant. In this world, the forces resisting Bekka are not just one, but up to now, Panlongcheng remains the place Ling Mountain looks upon most favorably, and is one of the strongholds against Bekka; its will to resist the Heavenly Demons is even firmer than Ling Mountain's, with harmonious governance and bright prospects.

If Panlongcheng comes under Ling Mountain's jurisdiction, Ling Mountain would even be willing to spend money and great effort to subsidize it.

To straighten out this relationship, Ling Mountain also cannot act as if it only takes advantages without suffering losses. Xin Yi immediately continued: "We also deeply understand Panlongcheng's difficulties. Now that heaven and earth's spiritual energy has revived, we should have deeper contact and mutual assistance afterward; at the very least, the divine arts and techniques of the ancient era can be passed to Panlongcheng for study, cultivating more capable hands in the military."

Strong military power is the foundation for Panlongcheng's foothold, the confidence to face the Bekka threat.

He Lingchuan nodded, deeply agreeing.