Chapter 50: Bribery

Saw off Cai Laojiu.

Qin Ming closed the courtyard gate and immediately began to ponder alone.

He hadn’t expected the Lingyu Sect’s teleportation array to be repaired so quickly; under current circumstances, his position would become extremely awkward.

Qin Ming was currently living under others’ roofs, serving corvée labor within the Lingyu Sect, with no control over his own fate, constantly constrained by the sect.

The sect’s upper echelons could change decisions overnight—today they’d drag you to the front-line war camp as cannon fodder, tomorrow they’d ban you from privately selling spirit rice.

They squeezed you dry in peacetime and used your life in war! These sects didn’t treat these spirit farmers as human beings at all—purely as beasts of burden.

Besides that.

The cultivation world was unpredictable, its situation shifting by the moment; though the Lingyu Sect and Jin Yun Valley currently appeared harmonious.

Who knew what day they might turn on each other over resources and interests in the Yunze Wilds, starting a war at the slightest provocation.

When that happened, those most affected would still be these low-level cultivators.

The front-line war camps had been fighting the barbarian cultivators for years with no progress, gaining nothing but suffering heavy losses.

What did this prove? The natives deep within the Yunze Wilds probably weren’t as easy to manipulate as the Lingyu Sect and Jin Yun Valley assumed.

If those natives turned the tables, it would be disastrous.

“I must make plans early.”

Qin Ming’s gaze flickered uncertainly; his desire to escape the Lingyu Sect grew ever stronger!

“Running away directly isn’t realistic.”

“I still need to find a way to be exempted from corvée and regain my freedom.”

He pondered for a while.

To be exempted from the Lingyu Sect’s corvée, he had to meet any one of the sect’s three conditions.

The first condition was reaching Foundation Establishment—Qin Ming dismissed this outright; achieving Foundation Establishment in the short term was impossible.

The second condition was submitting any resource aiding Core Formation—also dismissed; he didn’t even possess such rare resources, let alone submit any.

After much thought.

Qin Ming felt the third condition held promise and high feasibility: mastering any one of the hundred arts of cultivation to the Second Rank.

He was already a Mid-Grade Spirit Planter; after next year, he expected to advance to High-Grade Spirit Planter.

With his Word Entries, his chances of reaching Second Rank Spirit Planter were still strong.

But he currently didn’t know what conditions were required to advance to Second Rank Spirit Planter.

He’d have to ask the Duty Hall another day.

Thinking of this.

Qin Ming’s eyes hardened; he had already decided on his future plan.

He then began to seriously consider how to handle the sale of Beast Tooth Rice next year.

Time passed swiftly—over half a month went by.

As expected, just as Cai Laojiu had said.

During this year’s spring plowing, Elder Gu led a group to the spirit fields and announced the ban on private sales of spirit rice.

This was a crushing blow to the spirit farmers.

This year, Qin Ming still planted Jin Ling Rice in his three mu of spirit fields.

He then activated the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique to summon the spirit rain.

…

After finishing his work in the spirit fields.

Qin Ming returned to his courtyard and resumed his daily, grueling cultivation.

Under the accumulation of vast quantities of Supreme Blood Locust Rice, the “Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra” forcibly pushed his body cultivation to the peak of the Sixth Layer.

The five [Faint Blood Qi] and two [Abundant Blood Qi] Word Entries in his mind palace were also consumed one after another.

Even with this level of Blood Qi accumulation, he still failed to break through to the Seventh Layer of body cultivation.

One could imagine the terrifying quantity of Blood Qi materials required for the later stages of the “Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra.”

As for his magic power cultivation.

Qin Ming could now brew his own Qi Condensation Pills; though their effect was far weaker than Spirit Gathering Pills.

Still, his internal magic power was steadily increasing.

One day.

Qin Ming was in cultivation when the protective array at his courtyard gate stirred.

He ended his practice, opened his eyes, rose, and walked to the door to peer out.

He had seen this person before.

The visitor wore a wooden hairpin, a jade belt around his waist, had pale skin, a haughty expression, slightly swollen eyes, and kept yawning.

Qi Refining Seventh Layer, slightly short in stature, dressed in the blue inner-disciple robes of the Lingyu Sect.

Though a wealthy young master, it was clear he spent too much time in brothels and entertainment quarters.

This man was the short cultivator who, on that street day, had joined Jiang Kun’s group to seize the old man’s treasure.

Perhaps having followed Jiang Kun too long, he had become as arrogant as his master.

Seeing this man, Qin Ming frowned.

He inwardly cursed his bad luck, but still forced himself to open the door—the man was from the Lingyu Sect.

“Oh my, you’re Master Qin, right?”

“I’m Chen Ziang of the Lingyu Sect.”

“I heard you recently advanced to Mid-Grade Spirit Planter? Congratulations!”

“Senior Brother Jiang wants you to join him for a drink at Mingzhen Pavilion—Master Qin, do me the honor?”

Chen Ziang, uncharacteristically, wore a warm smile and extended his invitation with sincere politeness.

Hearing this, Qin Ming knew he had no choice but to accept.

This visit, he couldn’t possibly dodge.

“If Senior Brother Jiang invites me, then please, Master Chen, lead the way.”

Qingyang Bazaar was under the Lingyu Sect’s direct jurisdiction; Jiang Kun and his group wouldn’t dare do anything too outrageous in public.

Moreover, the bazaar was a tangled web of factions, many of which even core Lingyu Sect members had to tread carefully around.

Jingxue Pavilion was one such faction.

…

“Master Qin, a pleasure to meet you.”

Inside the Mingzhen Pavilion’s private room, Jiang Kun, a core disciple of the Lingyu Sect in a blue robe embroidered with gold thread, his bearing noble, regarded Qin Ming with smiling, slanted eyes.

“Senior Brother Jiang invited me—may I ask why?”

“No rush, no rush—first, taste this fine spirit grain wine.”

Jiang Kun took out two white jade cups and poured wine for Qin Ming himself.

He then poured himself a cup, toasted Qin Ming, and drained it in one gulp.

Qin Ming, caught off guard by this gesture, felt almost honored.

He picked up his cup without hesitation and drank it down in one swallow.

His “Hundred Treasures Glass Sutra” rendered him immune to all poisons—he wasn’t afraid of any trickery in the wine.

The spirit grain wine slid down his throat.

Its flavor was rich, crisp, and sharp; spiritual energy lingered in his mouth and teeth—truly excellent wine.

“Master Qin is indeed a man of action.”

A flicker of subtle surprise passed through Jiang Kun’s eyes.

He then smiled slightly, “By the way, there was a bit of misunderstanding between us last time—I was hasty in tone when securing a spot for my men at the Duty Hall, and I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

“Hehe, Senior Brother Jiang, you flatter me—I’d already forgotten about it,” Qin Ming replied with a forced smile, his face smiling but his heart cold.

“Then I must have overthought it. Master Qin is so magnanimous—I’ll punish myself with another drink.” Jiang Kun said, and truly refilled his cup and drank it down.

Afterward, Jiang Kun chatted about recent events.

He praised Qin Ming extensively on spirit rice cultivation and congratulated him on his promotion to Mid-Grade Spirit Planter.

He also mentioned how he had connected with Jingxue Pavilion.

Qin Ming adapted his words to whoever he spoke to.

He spoke freely of what he could, and glossed over everything else.

Had he not witnessed Jiang Kun’s true nature just recently,

He might truly have believed the man was a humble, approachable senior brother.

After three rounds of wine.

Jiang Kun smiled, took a delicate jade box from his storage pouch, and gently pushed it toward Qin Ming.

“A small token—please accept it.”

Qin Ming was thoroughly baffled by this sudden gesture.

“Senior Brother Jiang, what’s the meaning of this?”

As Qin Ming hesitated, he reached out and opened the jade box.

Inside, the sight moved him.

Five perfectly round spirit stones, radiating dazzling brilliance, their dense spiritual energy palpable even from afar.

It was a mid-grade spirit stone!

Each one could be exchanged for a hundred low-grade spirit stones, and sometimes even more.

This was equivalent to over five hundred spirit stones.

In addition, the jade box contained a delicate porcelain vial.

Qin Ming picked up the vial, opened it, and a refreshing elixir scent filled his senses.

Inside swirled a single deep-blue spirit pill.

He was intimately familiar with this elixir—he had once watched Su Yuqing brew it himself.

“Qi Refining late-stage breakthrough elixir—Bone-Washing Pill!”

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(End of chapter)