Chapter 101: Deal Sealed

Faced with this sudden benefit, a hint of wariness flashed in He Song's eyes. What was this person trying to do?

Rounding up the price in reverse?

Was he trying to curry favor by offering a small kindness? But why?

He Song was merely selling some spirit rice—what was there to gain from currying favor?

The twenty-two thousand pounds of spirit rice was only the output of ten acres of spirit fields over two years.

By all accounts, it wasn't an extraordinary amount. Moreover, the two thousand spirit stones didn't come out of Jiang Jun's pocket.

Funds for purchasing spirit rice and herbs were provided by the Spirit Herb Pavilion. Jiang Jun was merely handling the transaction; these spirit stones had nothing to do with him.

So why was Jiang Jun inflating the price? What was his motive?

Just as He Song was filled with suspicion, thinking Jiang Jun must have ulterior motives, a possibility suddenly occurred to him.

Could it be that Jiang Jun was skimming off the top?

Given Jiang Jun's role in purchasing spirit herbs and rice, his position as a manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion likely offered opportunities for under-the-table gains.

By slightly inflating the price during purchases and then splitting the extra profit with the seller, both parties would benefit, creating a shared interest.

Jiang Jun's motive for raising the price suddenly became clear.

At this realization, He Song's gaze toward Jiang Jun took on a peculiar expression.

"Fellow Daoist Han, hear me out. Your spirit rice is of exceptional quality—plump grains, rich in spiritual energy, truly top-grade spirit rice.

The price I'm offering comes with a condition.

If you agree to seek me out whenever you have more spirit rice to sell in the future, I will purchase all of it at two thousand spirit stones. What do you think?"

As he spoke, Jiang Jun produced a small slip of paper.

While continuing his explanation, a thread of spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips, inscribing lines of text onto the paper.

By the time he finished speaking, Jiang Jun subtly waved the slip of paper in front of He Song.

With the keen eyesight of a cultivator, He Song immediately read the words on the paper: "Fellow Daoist Han, we'll split the extra twenty spirit stones fifty-fifty. Just place ten spirit stones into the small storage bag."

At a glance, He Song understood. His gaze toward Jiang Jun grew even more peculiar.

Indeed, it seemed that every mid-level manager in the market had their own way of earning under-the-table income.

Jiang Jun was no exception, nor was Zhao Lin, and even He Song himself had his own methods.

The only difference was the means by which they obtained their extra income.

Jiang Jun manipulated purchase prices, skimming ten spirit stones per transaction.

Zhao Lin exploited his role in recruiting new members to the market, likely earning a significant amount each time.

As for He Song, he took advantage of the "losses" in the herb garden, netting a dozen or so spirit stones annually.

He had just never realized that Jiang Jun's extra income came from this method.

Moreover, judging by Jiang Jun's ease with the process, it seemed he was quite experienced and likely earned a considerable amount regularly.

"Very well. If I have more spirit rice to sell in the future, I will certainly come to you, Brother Jiang."

Seeing that Jiang Jun harbored no ill intentions and was merely looking to make some extra profit, He Song thought it over briefly and agreed.

To further build rapport, he even addressed Jiang Jun as "Brother Jiang" without hesitation.

Taking the small storage bag, He Song willed ten spirit stones into it. Seeing He Song's action, a faint smile flickered across Jiang Jun's face.

Opportunities to skim ten spirit stones like this were rare. If not for the exceptional quality of He Song's spirit rice, Jiang Jun wouldn't have had such a chance.

"In that case, I'll await your next visit, Brother Han. If the opportunity arises, I'll treat you to three cups of fine wine!"

With the deal settled, both parties got what they wanted. Naturally, the atmosphere was cordial. They toasted with tea instead of wine, and the transaction was quickly concluded.

He Song received one thousand nine hundred and ninety spirit stones. After bidding farewell to Jiang Jun, he hurried to an inn in the Spirit Rabbit Market.

Every market had several inns where visiting cultivators could stay if they had no permanent residence and didn't wish to leave the market at night.

However, the daily cost of staying at an inn was significantly higher than renting a room.

One day's stay cost one spirit stone. Unless one was particularly wealthy or didn't plan to stay long, most cultivators avoided staying at inns.

Renting a room on the outskirts of the market cost only ten spirit stones per month, while staying at an inn for a month cost thirty spirit stones.

In short, while outer-market rooms were within reach for determined rogue cultivators, the inns were not designed for ordinary cultivators.

The inns were located in areas with dense spiritual energy, comparable to the inner market, and were equipped with formations to conceal all activity within the rooms, ensuring complete privacy.

Of course, the presence of such formations justified the higher cost of staying at an inn.

After renting a room for five days, He Song quickly entered and activated the room's concealment formation, masking all traces of his presence.

Without a second glance at the room's antique decor, He Song removed his black robe and set it ablaze, reducing it to ashes.

Next, he used the Object Control Technique to cleanse himself and his two storage bags with spiritual energy, ensuring no tracking marks remained.

Once satisfied, he donned another black robe.

Then, he sank into the ground, swiftly leaving the inn and distancing himself from the Spirit Rabbit Market.

He sped westward, heading back to the Bamboo Mountain Market.

This was the escape plan He Song had devised early on.

After selling the spirit rice, he couldn't be sure whether he had attracted any unwanted attention.

However, once he checked into the inn, anyone targeting him would undoubtedly wait outside.

Killing was prohibited within the market, especially in the inns, so safety wasn't a concern.

By activating the inn's concealment formation immediately upon entering, He Song masked his presence entirely.

This way, even if he used the Earth Escape Technique to flee underground the next moment, no one would detect him as long as he maintained the Breath Concealment Art.

(End of Chapter)