Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Market Assembly
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Chen Jianghe took out the coarse cloth pouch from his robes and meticulously counted his possessions.
Last year's salary was fifty-eight spirit sand. The daily expenses for the year amounted to ten spirit sand, and with another spirit sand spent at the year-end gathering, the remaining balance was forty-seven spirit sand.
This year's salary was eighty-one spirit sand. Adding last year's surplus, he now had a total of one hundred and twenty-eight spirit sand.
He also had fifteen taels of silver fragments.
"I can't touch the ten spirit sand needed for next year's daily expenses, which means I only have one hundred and eighteen spirit sand to use right now."
"But that's enough. A Spirit Awakening Pill for Xiao Hei costs just one spirit stone, and I'll still have eighteen spirit sand left over as a reserve."
As he thought, he planned out how to use the spirit sand he had.
He checked the time. If he could buy the Spirit Awakening Pill without any issues, he could return to his own Water Area 512 today.
Time was tight, so he didn't delay. He entered the memorial arch on the east side of the market. This was the market assembly for trade between Fishery Farmers and rogue cultivators.
The Yun Clan had three harbors, and each one had a mortal market and a cultivator market assembly.
This was his first time entering the market assembly. Behind the archway was a winding mountain path. A hundred-meter-long corridor had been built on one side, housing twenty to thirty stalls, but none of the vendors were shouting out their wares like the hawkers in the mortal market.
A piece of coarse cloth was spread out, displaying the items for sale, while the stall owner sat on the ground behind it.
Perhaps because of the Fishery Farmer Assembly, the market assembly corridor in Harbor Number One was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder.
Chen Jianghe walked in, squeezed through the crowd, and looked over the goods at the stalls.
Most were selling materials for artifact refining, talisman crafting, and alchemy. As for stalls selling magical artifacts, he didn't see a single one.
It made sense when he thought about it. The main customers at the harbor's market assembly were low-level Fishery Farmers, whose meager incomes couldn't possibly afford expensive magical artifacts.
As for the high-level Fishery Farmers and guest retainers, if they wanted to buy magical artifacts, they would choose to go to a nearby market city.
Not only were the prices clear, but the quality was also guaranteed.
After looking around, he only saw two stalls selling spirit talismans and one selling medicinal pills. The spirit talismans were all low-grade, and the pills were either substandard or barely passable low-grade pills.
Chen Jianghe walked up to the only pill stall in the market assembly. On the earth-yellow coarse cloth were seven or eight jade bottles. In front of each bottle was a small wooden board with the pill's name, price, and use written on it.
Spirit Nurturing Pill, low-grade, price: three spirit stones. Helps mortals with spirit roots to quickly sense spiritual energy and condense a Dantian Qi sea.
Antidote Pill, substandard, price: fifty spirit sand. Can cure a hundred types of worldly poisons.
Qi Nourishing Pill, low-grade, price: two spirit stones. Contains pure spiritual energy. Consuming it can enhance the cultivation of the early Qi Refining stage.
Spirit Awakening Pill, low-grade, price: one spirit stone. Helps beasts awaken their intelligence and sense spiritual energy.
...
"A Spirit Nurturing Pill actually costs three spirit stones. It seems the Yun Clan makes a hefty profit from the Great Blue Fish," Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
The owner of the pill stall was a woman. Fine wrinkles had appeared on her face, which was lightly rouged. She wore a light brown long dress and sat on a stone bench in the corridor.
Her aura was a bit more profound than Old Gao's, but not as strong as Yun Bufan's. She was likely a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator as well.
With such a cultivation level and a slightly aged face, one could deduce that the woman was over sixty years old.
"I'd like to buy one Spirit Awakening Pill." Chen Jianghe pointed to a blue jade bottle. The wooden sign in front of it had a detailed description of the Spirit Awakening Pill.
"One spirit stone."
The woman raised her eyes and glanced at Chen Jianghe, her voice gentle.
The price of a Spirit Awakening Pill was fixed, so there was no need to haggle. He directly took out a cloth pouch containing one hundred spirit sand from his robes.
"Spirit sand?"
The woman frowned. "One hundred and five spirit sand," she said coldly, "or you can go find a Yun Clan Manager to exchange it for a spirit stone and then come back."
"Alright, one hundred and five spirit sand."
Chen Jianghe crisply took out another five spirit sand and handed them over.
It was only then that he remembered what Old Gao had told him about the exchange rate between spirit sand and spirit stones. One spirit stone could be exchanged for one hundred spirit sand, but one hundred spirit sand could not be exchanged for one spirit stone.
This was because the spiritual energy contained in spirit stones was pure and dense, and could be directly absorbed and refined by cultivators.
The spiritual energy in spirit sand was thin and contained impurities, so it couldn't be directly absorbed and refined.
Therefore, exchanging spirit sand for one spirit stone required an additional five spirit sand.
The woman accepted the one hundred and five spirit sand, poured out a Spirit Awakening Pill from the blue jade bottle, placed it in a small wooden box, and handed it to Chen Jianghe.
"You're buying a Spirit Awakening Pill, likely to raise a spirit pet. I suggest you also buy a Spirit Nurturing Pill. It can help your pet directly advance in rank and become a spirit beast." The woman's expression softened as she offered her advice.
"Thank you."
Chen Jianghe responded with a faint smile and turned to leave.
After leaving the market assembly, he entered the market to buy half a month's worth of daily necessities.
When he returned to the harbor and was about to board his boat, someone blocked his path.
It was a lean, middle-aged man with deep-set eyes and a high-bridged nose, giving him a cold and sinister appearance.
He was also dressed in the short brown clothes of a Fishery Farmer, a low-level one at that.
Chen Jianghe recognized this person. The water area to his west belonged to Yu Daniu, and further west was the man before him.
His name was Wang Kui, a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator. He had been with the Yun Clan for over twenty years and was an old-timer among the Fishery Farmers.
"Little Brother Chen, heading back already?"
Wang Kui wore a smile, his gaunt face crinkling into a mass of wrinkles, making his eye sockets appear even deeper.
"Yes." Chen Jianghe nodded. He had no dealings with Wang Kui; they had never even spoken a word to each other before.
"Hehe, why go back so soon? How about I take you out to have some fun?" Wang Kui waggled his eyebrows, grinning at Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe felt that Wang Kui was just trying to make small talk.
The Fishery Farmer Assembly was over. What was he supposed to do at the harbor if not return?
Spend money? He was still so young.
"Is there something you need, Brother Wang?" Chen Jianghe asked indifferently.
"Hehe~"
Wang Kui gave a dry laugh and said with some awkwardness, "Actually, I do have a favor to ask of you, Little Brother Chen. You see, I'm about to have a breakthrough, and I need some spirit stones to buy pills. I was hoping to borrow a little from you. Not much, just fifty spirit sand will do."
"I'm sorry, I've just started as a Fishery Farmer for the Yun Clan. I have no savings."
Chen Jianghe refused him outright.
"Then forty spirit sand will also do," Wang Kui said with a forced smile.
Chen Jianghe shook his head. "I don't have any."
"Thirty spirit sand. Don't worry, Little Brother Chen, I'll definitely pay you back at next year's assembly," Wang Kui swore.
"Not even one."
Chen Jianghe's words were decisive.
He knew about Wang Kui's reputation. Ever since he came to the Yun Clan as a Fishery Farmer, he had been borrowing spirit sand from everyone but had never paid anyone back. He had only been at the second level of Qi Refining when he arrived, and the fact that he had managed to cultivate to the fifth level in over twenty years was mostly thanks to borrowed resources.
"Little Brother Chen, you're being too unreasonable. I, Wang Kui, am a man of my word; it's not like I won't pay you back. Besides, Little Brother Yu lent me sixty spirit sand just yesterday."
Wang Kui's face darkened. Feigning anger, he tried to belittle Chen Jianghe.
"Farewell."
Chen Jianghe turned to board his boat and leave.
A sharp glint flashed in Wang Kui's eyes. He hadn't expected Chen Jianghe to be so difficult. Usually, when he borrowed money, people would lend it to him once he lowered the amount.
He never even had to resort to the tactic of praising one person to put down another.
Yet Chen Jianghe still wouldn't yield.
Seeing that Chen Jianghe was about to board the boat and leave, Wang Kui had no choice but to play his trump card.
"It's just thirty spirit sand. Are you afraid I can't pay you back, Little Brother Chen? Are you trying to slap my, Wang Kui's, face?!"