Chapter 54

......

Actually, Wang Shouzhe was also operating this matter with a try-it-out attitude.

Being obsessed with gambling on stones is certainly not right, but if Wang Lici really possesses some inexplicable talent, then using that talent to find bargains is not necessarily a bad way to supplement the family's resources.

It's quite similar to those novels about golden eyes I read in my previous life.

The Wang family is too poor, so poor that Longyan the Ancestor had to sell his personal spirit weapon, the Turtle Scale Treasure Shield, to gather a sum of resources. Especially the third-grade spirit pill, the Creation Pill, which is really too expensive, costing a thousand units of dry gold each.

It seems that alchemists are the most profitable profession in this world.

However, if an alchemist wants to achieve something, they require very high talent. Moreover, the initial investment to cultivate an alchemist is astronomical, and a single mistake could lead to bankruptcy.

But if a family wants to develop significantly, cultivating alchemists is inevitable.

Let's leave the side talk for now.

Wang Shouzhe and Longyan the Ancestor entered their cultivation mode again.

By evening, when Wang Shouzhe came out of his meditation, Wang Lici and the family guards had already returned. This time, they didn't bring back three gambling stones but a single football-sized stone.

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, there's nothing good in the other small stones, only this big one has something good." Wang Lici handed over the large stone as if claiming credit.

What a mess of words.

"Lord of the family." Wang Zhong explained beside him, "We accompanied Miss Lici for half a day, and she only picked this one. After haggling, we spent 45 units of dry gold, with Wang Yong and I contributing 15 units."

"Thank you all for your hard work." Wang Shouzhe returned the dry gold to the family guards and asked Wang Zhong to cut the stone open.

This time, Wang Zhong used a file, carefully filing along the surface to avoid wasting any part of the spirit stone.

Wang Shouzhe watched from the side, feeling increasingly nervous. This unremarkable broken stone cost 45 units of dry gold. If it turns out to be a dud, it would all be a waste.

Soon, Wang Zhong had filed off a few centimeters of the surface, revealing a material like white crystal jade inside. He was immediately overjoyed: "Congratulations, Lord of the family, congratulations, it's a win, a big win."

It's actually true...

Even with Wang Shouzhe's composure, he couldn't help but feel excited, feeling light and buoyant. He had to admit that gambling is very stimulating, no wonder it's hard to quit once you get addicted.

It seems that after returning this time, he must increase the family rules to prevent the younger generation from getting involved in gambling.

But this girl's talent is terrifying. She has completely transcended the concept of "gambling," purely relying on her foodie's mysterious talent to determine that this stone contains a spirit stone.

This is completely different from gambling; it's like picking up money.

Even Wang Shouzhe had to admit... it's really fragrant.

After half an hour.

Wang Zhong had filed off all the stone's surface, revealing a large spirit stone. If cut properly, it would likely yield about ten standard spirit stones.

Everyone was stunned, and even Longyan the Ancestor was surprised.

Through the family guards' explanation, Wang Lici understood that although spirit stones can't be eaten, they are valuable and can be exchanged for a lot of delicious food. She was overjoyed and looked at Wang Shouzhe with eager eyes, as if expecting some reward from her fourth uncle.

At this moment, Wang Shouzhe was also taken aback, and his gaze towards Wang Lici became strange.

He found it very strange that his carefree and food-loving niece could achieve this. Could it be that forcing her to study stimulated some unique potential in her?

This possibility cannot be completely ruled out.

For the sake of the family's development, Wang Shouzhe's gaze towards Wang Lici became even more gentle.

Familiar gaze, familiar smile.

Wang Lici felt as if she had been struck by lightning, sensing the end of the world. What's the point of living like this?

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Alright, alright, I was just teasing you." Wang Shouzhe pinched her chubby cheeks with a smile, "You've done a great job for the family this time. What do you want to eat? Fourth Uncle will treat you."

Really!?

Wang Lici immediately came back to life, her eyes shining with excitement: "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, I want to eat steamed lobster, a ten-pound one. And abalone, the size of a large bowl, I want to eat five at once. And shark fin..."

"Is that so? Let's talk about studying first." Wang Shouzhe smiled even more warmly.

"No, Fourth Uncle, a small lobster will do, a five-pound one, or even a two-pound one. Abalone, just the size of a fist..."

Of course, in the end, Wang Shouzhe still took her to a delicious meal, all according to her expectations.

In this world, many animals and plants grow much larger, and non-spiritual species are not expensive. The Hundred Islands Garrison has plenty of seafood, which is still within the budget.

Wang Lici was naturally very satisfied, leaning against the wall all the way back to her room, filled with gratitude towards Wang Shouzhe.

Hehe~ So innocent and naive.

Subsequent events went smoothly. Zhong Zhi, the steward, delivered the resources on the list, totaling 31,300 units of dry gold. Due to the large quantity, Zhong Zhi used his authority to waive the 300 units of dry gold, so Wang Shouzhe's total expenditure was 31,000 units of dry gold.

The largest expense was the 20 Creation Pills, which cost 24,000 units of dry gold. This shows that the consumption of a family's Spirit Platform Realm cultivators is much greater than that of the Qi Condensation Realm. For poorer families, a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator can't even afford to get injured.

However, for a Black Tortoise family, if there is no Spirit Platform Realm cultivator to sit in, they are just a dish in others' eyes.

To express gratitude to Zhong Xingwang, the steward, Wang Shouzhe specially invited him to a meal. However, Longyan the Ancestor didn't come, which disappointed Zhong Zhi somewhat. But he was used to the aloofness of his senior, and soon he was enthusiastically chatting with Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Shouzhe, true to his name as a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "穿越者" or "穿越者"), with his broad horizons and unique mindset, often made Zhong Zhi exclaim in admiration. After a few cups of spirit wine, he began to call Wang Shouzhe brother.

This made Wang Shouzhe break out in a cold sweat. This Zhong Zhi really lacks the dignity and demeanor of a Spirit Platform Realm ancestor. Not to mention comparing him to Zouxuan the Ancestor or Longyan the Ancestor, he even falls short of Mingsheng the Ancestor.

But upon careful consideration, it's quite normal. Zhong Xingwang comes from a Celestial Human family, where the number of Spirit Platform Realm cultivators is certainly not small, and he doesn't need to bear the responsibility of the family's rise and fall.

Moreover, he himself is not a person of extraordinary talent and confidence, otherwise, he wouldn't have had to use backdoor methods to enter the Purple Mansion Academy.

Such a person, how could he be favored by the proud, confident, and somewhat capricious Longyan the Ancestor?

But even if he isn't favored, with the identity of being Longyan the Ancestor's junior, Wang Shouzhe still needs to try to get along well with Zhong Zhi. The Celestial Human family is too vast, with comprehensive strength far beyond what a small family like the Wangs can compare to. Having such a connection will make future matters easier.

The following days passed without incident.

After the big girl searched the entire market of wandering cultivators for gambling stones, she only brought back two, which yielded six spirit stones, and then she couldn't find any more stones that interested her.

This shows how deceptive the true gambling stone market is. Wanting to get rich from this is almost a dream.

Wang Shouzhe and his group very discreetly boarded the "Junyao" merchant ship and returned to East Harbor. At this time, Uncle Six, Wang Dinghai, was already waiting here as agreed.

Since Chen Fangjie was out on business, Wang Shouzhe briefly thanked the Chen family's patriarch, Chen Dewei, and then left.

Some personal luggage was moved to Wang Dinghai's ship, including some seafood specialties purchased from the Hundred Islands Garrison, and a bag of "Oyster Ash" that Wang Shouzhe had high hopes for. It must be said that the price of oyster ash is really high, not much cheaper than grain.

Of course, the truly loving Uncle Wang Shouzhe didn't forget to buy some unique classics and ancient books from the Hundred Islands Garrison, already envisioning Wang Lici's joyful and cute expression.

The biggest gain from this trip was the solution to Longyan the Ancestor's injuries. In recent days, Longyan the Ancestor has completely mastered the method of refining evil qi and has begun to gradually refine the evil qi in his body.

Wang Shouzhe could even see a hint of fervor and eagerness in Longyan the Ancestor's originally dull eyes. He thought, the old ancestor will surely give a huge surprise to the two old rivals, the Zhao and Liu families.

With this thought, Wang Shouzhe's mood became much different.

Returning from East Harbor to Ping'an Town requires timing the tides. There is also a large satellite hanging in the sky of this world, causing tides to rise and fall. When the tide rises, the water flow of the An River becomes much smoother.

At this time, both sails and human rowing are needed.

As the boatmen's rowing calls echoed, Wang Shouzhe was eager to return home.

However, this time, there was some unexpected turmoil.

Wang Shouzhe was meditating in the cabin, and the boat had only been sailing for a little over an hour when it suddenly "clunked" as if it had hit something, causing the entire boat to shake.

At the same time.

Outside, Uncle Six, Wang Dinghai, shouted with a mix of joy and anger: "Shouzhe, come out and help, there's a fierce beast, a second-grade aquatic fierce beast!"

A second-grade aquatic fierce beast!?

Wang Shouzhe was momentarily stunned but not alarmed; instead, he was delighted. This is a spirit food delivered right to the door. The old and young in the family are all hungry and waiting.

...