Chapter 27: Inquiry

Qingyang Marketplace.

Inside the private room of Juxuan Pavilion.

Qin Ming ordered a full table of fine wine and dishes, and together with Cai Laojiu, they devoured it all with great relish.

Liao the Shopkeeper sat beside them, smiling, drinking with the two.

He naturally knew the two had come to the shop not merely for wine and food.

Liao the Shopkeeper had long coveted Qin Ming’s Beast Tooth Rice.

After three rounds of wine, Qin Ming and Cai Laojiu were both fully sated.

Liao the Shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and smiled: “Qin Daoist, that Beast Tooth Rice you promised…”

Qin Ming tilted his head back and drank a cup of wine, then calmly retrieved the Golden Spirit Rice and Beast Tooth Rice.

“Five hundred and some jin of Golden Spirit Rice, one hundred jin of Beast Tooth Rice—all right here.”

Liao the Shopkeeper’s eyes gleamed; he barely glanced at the Golden Spirit Rice, his gaze fixed solely on the bag of Beast Tooth Rice.

He pulled out a few grains—white with a faint red tinge—and examined them closely.

Long moments passed.

“Qin Daoist, your Beast Tooth Rice is truly excellent—top quality, nearly reaching the premium tier!”

He stared at the deepening crimson hue within the grains.

Even Liao the Shopkeeper, usually composed and steady, could not suppress a flicker of excitement on his face.

In all his years managing here, this was the first time he’d encountered Beast Tooth Spirit Rice of such exceptional quality.

If handled well, the profit margin on this batch could easily triple—or more!

The key is.

Now that he’s cultivated a good relationship with Qin Ming, he can firmly control a unique supply channel for Beast Tooth Rice.

Given Qin Ming’s expertise in spirit cultivation, he’ll likely continue growing Beast Tooth Rice for the long term.

In that case,

Liao the Shopkeeper’s name will be etched in bold letters on Juxuan Pavilion’s merit ledger! When the Pavilion Master is pleased, perhaps his long-held position might even rise a step higher.

Thinking this through,

Liao the Shopkeeper seemed to reach a decision.

“Qin Daoist, I can personally authorize purchasing this batch of Beast Tooth Rice at twenty percent above market price.”

“That’s six spirit stones per jin. What do you say?”

Qin Ming paused to consider, but did not answer immediately.

Seeing this, Liao the Shopkeeper stepped forward quickly, pulled a jade tablet from his storage pouch, and solemnly handed it to Qin Ming: “This is Juxuan Pavilion’s discount token.”

“With this token, any future purchases you make at Juxuan Pavilion or its branches will receive a twenty percent discount.”

Qin Ming took the jade tablet, examined it carefully, then nodded: “Agreed.”

Liao the Shopkeeper’s face lit up with delight.

He immediately pulled out a large measuring device to weigh the goods.

“Five hundred and ten jin of Golden Spirit Rice—valued at one hundred and seventy spirit stones.”

“One hundred and five jin of Beast Tooth Rice—valued at six hundred and thirty spirit stones.”

“Total: eight hundred lower-grade spirit stones.”

After calculating, Liao the Shopkeeper swiftly handed over the spirit stones to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming took the stones and stored them in his pouch.

A single influx of eight hundred spirit stones filled him with renewed confidence.

Beside him, Cai Laojiu, seeing so many spirit stones, nearly drooled, his face filled with envy.

Liao the Shopkeeper then smiled and asked: “Qin Daoist, do you need anything to purchase?”

“Not for now,” Qin Ming replied flatly.

“By the way, has anything happened recently?”

Qin Ming added suddenly.

Liao the Shopkeeper paused, then replied:

“Same as always—the Lingyu Sect is still busy repairing the teleportation array; it won’t be fixed anytime soon.” He spoke softly, then fell silent.

Qin Ming nodded.

This time, he sold Liao the Shopkeeper one hundred jin of Beast Tooth Rice deliberately—to subtly demonstrate his value.

Liao the Shopkeeper had powerful connections behind him and could access upper-tier information and movements.

Qin Ming would inevitably need to ask him for news from the cultivation world in the future.

Afterwards, Cai Laojiu also sold Liao the Shopkeeper two hundred jin of Golden Spirit Rice.

The transaction was complete.

Qin Ming prepared to settle his bill and leave; Liao the Shopkeeper cheerfully gave him an eighty percent discount, charging only five spirit stones, and even gifted him a small flask of spirit wine.

Then, smiling, Liao the Shopkeeper escorted the two out the shop door.

Leaving the shop.

Qin Ming planned to go to the Lingyu Sect’s Office of Affairs to take the Spirit Plant Cultivation Exam and advance to First-Rank Spirit Planter.

He greeted Cai Laojiu, and the two parted ways, each to their own business.

Qin Ming arrived alone at the Office of Affairs. The exam went smoothly—he finished in just one hour.

It consisted mainly of basic knowledge of spirit plant cultivation, plus a written reflection on growing First-Rank spirit plants.

The examiner, a Spirit Planter, quickly gave his result—Pass.

He immediately stamped Qin Ming’s Spirit Planter wooden token with an official magical power seal.

On the back of the token, one leaf of the spirit plant symbol glowed brightly—marking Qin Ming’s status as a First-Rank Low-Tier Spirit Planter.

“To advance to Mid-Tier Spirit Planter, you must successfully cultivate three or more First-Rank Mid-Tier spirit plants.”

“Come back here when you’re ready to advance.”

The Lingyu Sect examiner, surprised by Qin Ming’s youth, gave him a second look and added:

“Yes, thank you, Examiner,” Qin Ming bowed respectfully and left the Office of Affairs.

…

Qin Ming walked along the marketplace street, idly playing with his Spirit Planter wooden token, then stored it in his pouch.

“Oh my!”

“What a coincidence!”

“Daoist, don’t rush off—two spirit stones a person. Wanna play?”

The path to Ruan Family Courtyard passed again by the nearby brothel.

The same green-robed seductive female cultivator flashed him flirtatious glances.

She kept calling out.

Qin Ming kept his gaze straight ahead and ignored her, walking toward Ruan Family Courtyard.

“Pfft! Boring!” The green-robed woman spat.

As soon as she spoke, two figures stepped out from behind her—the same bearded giant among them.

“Didn’t bite.”

…

Ruan Family Courtyard lay near the center of Qingyang Marketplace.

Along the way, several alleys were lined with numerous houses—each a large, standalone courtyard with ample space.

All necessary facilities were present: private cultivation chambers, workshops for various cultivation arts, and more.

Moreover, an entire courtyard-wide barrier array had been installed to prevent surveillance.

After all,

In the cultivation world, privacy and security were vital to cultivators.

Those who rented here

Were typically mid- to late-stage cultivators with deep backgrounds—even Qi Refining Realm completers.

Qin Ming casually inquired about rental conditions.

He learned that since last year, housing rents in the marketplace had skyrocketed—tripling or more compared to previous years.

“Nowadays, even the worst house in Qingyang Marketplace costs three hundred spirit stones per year.”

Qin Ming was stunned.

“But all housing here is fully rented. If any becomes vacant, you must apply for a slot at the Lingyu Sect Office of Affairs.”

“I heard over nine hundred cultivators are already queued up this year for housing applications.”

Qin Ming: “...”

He had thought

The rents here were already absurdly high—but now he realized, even at this price,

You still had to fight for a spot!

“Sigh—if it weren’t for the Second-Rank array protection here…”

“No dog would rent!”

“He～tui～”

……

At the entrance to the Ruan family compound.

Knock knock knock! Qin Ming knocked for a long time, but no one inside responded.

He immediately sent a message talisman to Brother Ruan.

A short while later.

Qin Ming’s message talisman received a reply.

“Brother Qin, I’m truly sorry, but I’m out handling some matters and won’t be able to return home anytime soon.”

“How about I give you an address? Could you make the trip? It’s not far.”

Hearing this, Qin Ming’s brows knitted into a deep “ Chuan ” shape.

He pondered for a moment.

Still cautious, he replied: “Brother Ruan, it’s not safe outside right now. I’ll wait a bit longer.”

“Just let me know when you’re back.”

(End of Chapter)