Chapter 81: Selling Grain at the Price of Gold: The Steady and Cautious Zhou Sui

At dusk.

Many Loose Cultivators returned from the city center with their heads hanging low, empty-handed and extremely dejected.

"What's going on? Don't tell me you didn't manage to buy any food either?"

Someone asked.

"Buy my ass. The shops are basically all closed now; nobody is doing business at all. Even if you have Spirit Stones, you can't buy food."

A gray-robed Cultivator cursed and grumbled, currently filled with nothing but rage.

In all his life, he had rarely experienced such a thing.

"It's just too exaggerated. How can there be no food? Could it be that we, dignified Cultivators, are really going to starve to death?"

Someone said, feeling very depressed.

"Sigh, you don't know how shocking the price of food is right now; it changes three times a day."

A white-robed Cultivator said, terrified.

In the morning, he could still barely afford the price of grain and rice, but he felt it was too expensive, so he didn't buy any.

Who could have known? By noon, the price had doubled, and he began to panic.

By the time evening arrived, even if he offered ten times the price, no one would sell to him.

"Isn't that the truth? Earlier, I wanted to trade a Low-grade Magical Tool for food, but I discovered that a single Low-grade Magical Tool could only be exchanged for thirty catties of Spirit Rice; if I asked for more, people wouldn't even pay me any mind."

"That's too ridiculous. A Low-grade Magical Tool can only be exchanged for thirty catties of Spirit Rice? Are these Spirit Rice Foundation Establishment Pills? How could they be this outrageously expensive? It's absurd."

"That's nothing. Someone tried to trade a Yellow Dragon Pill for rice, but no one would even make the trade."

"Damn it, since when is Spirit Rice more expensive than Pills? This is just too ridiculous."

"There's no helping it; things are valued for their scarcity. Who told those wicked demonic Cultivators to burn down the grain stores of our Miyun City, leaving the whole city without much Spirit Rice?"

"That's right. Pills can't be eaten as a meal, nor can they fill your stomach. Right now, Spirit Rice is worth much more than Pills."

"Heh, I don't believe all the Spirit Rice was burned. There must still be plenty stored away."

"It is true that there is still a lot of Spirit Rice kept in Storage Bags, but those people are hoarding goods and refusing to sell the Spirit Rice. Instead, they've raised the prices to sell it; it's clear they want to suck our blood and take advantage of the situation to make a fortune."

"These unscrupulous merchants deserve to die. Miyun City is on the verge of famine, yet they still raised the price of Spirit Rice. Those guys clearly want us to starve to death."

"If it really comes to that, then we'll fight the Xianxia Sect to the bitter end. I'd rather open the Array Formation of Miyun City than be starved to death inside it."

The many Loose Cultivators discussed the matter, their expressions ugly to the extreme.

They had originally thought that by going to the city center, they might have a chance to buy food.

But who could have imagined that due to the food shortage, the price of food would climb step by step, rising to an absurd level.

Many Loose Cultivators now couldn't afford Spirit Rice at all, so poor they could only eat dirt.

Basically, no Spirit Rice is circulating on the market right now; even if you have money, you might not be able to buy any.

Some Cultivators were even driven to desperation; if the Xianxia Sect really pushed them too far, they would rather fight the Xianxia Sect than starve to death within Miyun City.

But as of now, these Loose Cultivators haven't been pushed to the absolute brink yet; some still have a portion of food left in their Storage Bags, enough to barely hold on for a while.

…………

At this very moment, inside the house.

The table was filled with all kinds of dishes, fragrant and appetizing, with a complete variety and abundant supplies.

It formed a stark contrast to the Cultivators outside.

Zhou Sui, Mu Ziyan, Ji Bingyu, and Xia Jingyan also sensed the situation outside; clearly, the shortage of rice and meat was even more severe than they had imagined.

Many Loose Cultivators were in a state of hunger, their tempers quite volatile.

They were not the common folk of the secular world, but Cultivators who possessed power.

If these Cultivators were to riot, it would absolutely cause terrifying destruction.

"Husband, the Cultivators outside are lacking grain and meat, and prices are sky-high. Since we have stored so much food, why don't we take this opportunity to sell it at a high price and make a fortune?"

Mu Ziyan admitted she was a bit tempted; a few dozen catties of Spirit Rice could actually be exchanged for a Dharma Artifact or a Yellow Dragon Pill—there had never been such a good deal before.

This was equivalent to trading a bowl of rice for a piece of gold; it was simply too profitable.

It was hard not to want to sell food at a high price.

If they made a few deals, wouldn't they easily earn tens of thousands of Low-grade Spirit Stones?

"No, this kind of money cannot be earned."

Zhou Sui waved his hand: "When it comes to profitable business, is there any business more profitable than our Spirit Wine trade? Transforming ordinary wine into Spirit Wine—'a ten-thousand-fold profit' isn't enough to describe this business. We are not lacking Spirit Stones right now."

"Once we sell food on a large scale, no matter how cautious our actions are, it will inevitably be noticed by others, and other Cultivators will know we might have stored a large amount of food."

"They won't be grateful when they find out, nor will they want to trade with us; instead, they will only be left with one thought: to rob us of our food."

"Why can those family-based Cultivators do this kind of high-profit food business? It's because they have sufficient strength; even when facing a Cultivator riot, they can easily suppress it. We don't have that kind of ability."

"Of course, if those Loose Cultivators use some precious Treasures to trade with us, then we can conduct small-scale exchanges. If it's not a Treasure, then there's absolutely no need."

Although this kind of business would certainly allow him to earn a large amount of Spirit Stones and become rich overnight, he didn't have the strength to hold onto such high-profit business.

Once his whereabouts were exposed, he would inevitably be besieged by the Loose Cultivators.

To put himself in danger for just that little bit of Spirit Stones would be to lose the watermelon to pick up the sesame seeds.

It would be more trouble than it's worth.

"Husband is right. The Spirit Wine business alone is enough for us to make a fortune; there is absolutely no need to take risks. Our most important goal right now is safety—to act low-key and be invisible."

Ji Bingyu nodded, also agreeing with this point.

"Indeed, there is really no need for us to take risks."

Xia Jingyan also agreed with this; her husband's way of doing things was truly too cautious, practically moving step by step with extreme care.

Even now that he had become a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Cultivator, he hadn't changed this personality.

But this steady personality also gave her a great sense of security.

In the past, she had known some Dao Companions, and basically, the husbands were often out adventuring in the wild, hunting Monster Beasts, and as a result of one accident, the husbands would die, leaving only the female cultivators as widows.

This is the outcome of conflict; similar things are common occurrences.

"It seems you have all been well-fed and well-rested these past few days, and have a bit too much excess energy."

"To think you have actually started thinking about such miscellaneous matters."

"Go wash up later, and see how your husband educates you all."

Zhou Sui waved his large hand.

"Husband."

Hearing these words, Mu Ziyan's legs trembled; she seemed to think of something, and her pretty face flushed red.

"Alright, Husband, this concubine will come over very soon."

Ji Bingyu giggled, looking at Zhou Sui with eyes as alluring as silk.

"Hmph, little man, I want to see how you intend to educate me."

Xia Jingyan looked at Zhou Sui provocatively.

A moment later, the room was filled with spring scenery, shadows swayed, and they paid no heed to the chaos of the outside world.

(End of this chapter)