Chapter 30

Before long, a servant came over, already having counted out twenty bags of glutinous rice, tied them up, and carried them over.

Qifeng nodded. "Hmm, how much does this cost?"

Lu Yuanyue was a stubborn man. He stuck out his neck bravely and said, "I said 150 coins, so it's 150 coins! Twenty bags, 3,000 coins, not a single coin less!"

Qifeng laughed heartily at his attitude and shook his head. "Ten coins, take it or leave it! If you don't sell, I don't mind. Just see if you can sell it for five coins a pound in a few days! I'll come back and buy it then."

"Five coins a pound? Impossible!" Lu Yuanyue said angrily. "If it weren't for you causing trouble... hmpf!" As the saying goes, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents. Now, Qifeng was his mortal enemy. However, the few servants in his house were no help, or he would have thrown Qifeng into the river by now.

Qifeng nudged him with his elbow and lowered his voice. "Be honest, how much did you buy this rice for?"

Lu Yuanyue couldn't deal with this crazy man and adopted a non-violent, non-cooperative attitude, huffing but saying nothing.

"Fine, if you don't want to say, that's okay." Qifeng saw that this had taken up quite some time, and it was getting late. It was best to settle things quickly. "I'll give you two options: one, you keep this rice for the rest of your life; two, you sell it for ten coins. If you don't sell, I will. Let me tell you, I have plenty of glutinous rice. I could bury your house and still have some left over!"

Qifeng wasn't bluffing. Thanks to the agricultural scientists like Academician Yuan, the grain production in the modern world could support over a billion people. This amount of rice was nothing. If Qifeng's transportation capacity weren't limited, he could have flooded the zombies' lair, the General's Tomb, with a few carloads of glutinous rice, making the protagonist's job much easier.

Lu Yuanyue stared at Qifeng, not daring to disbelieve him. This man clearly didn't care about money. Who would play such a game without a deep, bottomless fortune? Lu Yuanyue thought for a long time, then sighed and bowed. "I really admire you. Are you doing this just to make me lose money? What grudge do you have against me? Or are you really feeling sorry for these people? Or is it just that you have too much money? Anyway, you're in a stronger position now, so I might as well die with my eyes open."

Qifeng shook his head and smiled. "Don't disbelieve me. I'm really trying to save you. If you listen to me, you'll only lose some wealth, not your foundation. If you don't, you'll lose everything."

Lu Yuanyue stared at Qifeng for a while, unable to tell if he was telling the truth. He bowed deeply. "Please enlighten me."

Qifeng nodded, thinking this cunning merchant was quite good at assessing the situation and not just stubborn. He was indeed a good businessman. "Alright, I'll tell you. In Heishuitown, a ghost king has appeared in the ancient General's Tomb, causing the spirits of the deceased soldiers to rise as zombies. It's not just ordinary zombies."

Lu Yuanyue was a bit confused. "If it's so urgent, shouldn't the glutinous rice be even easier to sell? Why would it be unsellable even at five coins a pound?"

Qifeng continued, "You have some insight, knowing to hoard and speculate, but you lack foresight. Do you think this big event won't spread? Let me tell you, it won't be long before the Shushan Immortal Sword Sect, Kunlun Qionghua Sect, Xiwangmu Tianyong City, Maoshan Taoists, Quanzhen Seven, Mao Xiaofang, Ma Xiaoling, and others all know. They'll come in groups to clear the General's Tomb, and the experience points won't even be enough for them to share!"

Lu Yuanyue listened with his mouth open. Although he didn't understand everything, he got the gist: all the cultivators, immortals, and Taoists would come to eliminate the evil and protect the righteous!

"This... can't be! Those great hermits would come to our small town?"

Qifeng shook his head and patted Lu Yuanyue's shoulder. "Don't think they're so aloof. They're actually quite idle. I know one, a sword immortal, who spends his days mooching free sour wine from shops and doesn't even think about reforming after being thrown into the river..."

Lu Yuanyue's worldview was clearly shaken. His voice trembled more than when Qifeng was about to hit him. "How... how is that possible?... There... there's no such thing!"

Qifeng rolled his eyes and sneered. "You just haven't seen them in their everyday lives."

Lu Yuanyue's eyes suddenly twinkled. "Could you be...?"

This man had quite an imagination. Qifeng was about to deny it but then changed his mind, laughing. "Not bad, not bad. You do have an eye. Watch my skills!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand and put the twenty small bags of glutinous rice into his inventory. (A small profit! Even saved the money for the rice!)

Lu Yuanyue's eyes nearly popped out. After a few deep breaths, he stepped back and bowed deeply. "Oh! I'm blind, not recognizing the arrival of a celestial being! Please forgive me, Great Immortal!"

Qifeng was very pleased. He thought, this is the beauty of the Xianxia world! I can use my abilities freely without hiding, and even show off a bit, earning a reputation as a half-immortal!

Qifeng pulled Lu Yuanyue up and laughed. "No problem, no problem. Ignorance is no sin!"

Lu Yuanyue got up, thinking this man wasn't an ordinary human, which explained the strange events of the day. "No wonder I've bought all the glutinous rice within a hundred miles, and you can produce so much in an instant..."

"Cough, it's just a transportation technique, a small trick, not worth mentioning, hahaha." Qifeng waved his finger and smiled. "So, I advise you to sell this glutinous rice as soon as possible! Otherwise, you'll be stuck with it! This rice isn't a necessity. If you exploit the villagers, they'll resent you. Once the zombie problem is solved, even if you sell at a low price, no one will buy it. Your rice will rot in your house."

Lu Yuanyue was almost convinced but still felt reluctant. Losing such a good opportunity to make a fortune and instead losing money was too hard to accept. "Will those immortals really come so quickly?"

"Cough! I'm here, so they can't be far behind." Qifeng frowned and added, "They're not just here for experience. There are plenty of demons and monsters in the world, so they don't need to come here for experience. But the Red Ghost King has somehow obtained the Earth Spirit Pearl! Heaven and earth, there are only five Spirit Pearls—Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, and Earth! It's an epic orange item! With the Red Ghost King's limited power, having this pearl is a death wish. When those people come, it's a freebie! Whoever gets there first gets it! They'll fly here as fast as they can!"

Now Lu Yuanyue realized the situation was serious, cold sweat pouring down his face. True, eliminating evil and protecting the righteous might not be everyone's top priority, but who wouldn't want to get a free treasure, whether a mortal or an immortal?

"Oh! Thank you, Great Immortal! Thank you, Great Immortal!" Lu Yuanyue bowed deeply and called over his assistants, immediately changing the price of the glutinous rice to eleven coins a pound, with no limit on the quantity!

Why eleven coins? Qifeng was selling for ten! Was he trying to compete with the "Great Immortal"? Was he tired of living? Qifeng, seeing his compliance, laughed and patted his shoulder, praising him. "You have a bright future!" Lu Yuanyue felt as if his bones had become lighter by a few ounces. Being praised by a Great Immortal, his ancestors' graves would not just emit green smoke but spew fire!

Lu Yuanyue, with a humble expression, smiled and suggested, "Since the Great Immortal has already taken the lead, why not take the Earth Spirit Pearl for yourself? These small matters are not worth the Great Immortal's effort. I will handle everything as you wish."

Cough, cough, cough. Qifeng thought, you really have the makings of a cunning advisor. But with my skills, beating up a few servants is easy, but facing the Red Ghost King would be suicide. Besides, I don't even know how to leave this shop environment; I just return to the real world when I step out. I can't go to the General's Tomb.

Of course, Qifeng couldn't say this. He had to maintain his high-minded appearance and improvised, "Such treasures are for those with the right destiny! I calculated, and I don't have that destiny, so there's no need to force it. The Earth Spirit Pearl, though a great treasure, is still an external object. To achieve the Dao, one must rely on one's own cultivation. Moreover, I cultivate virtue. Saving your clan and the people of Baihe is a great virtue, and the heavens will reward me for it. I'm making a big profit!"

Lu Yuanyue looked at him with reverence. Listen to this! This is a true great man! Qifeng's image grew even more noble. The other immortals, rushing to grab monsters and loot, suddenly seemed petty and low.

"Is there anything else the Great Immortal needs?" Lu Yuanyue, now acting like a servant, asked.

"Needs?" Qifeng thought for a moment and slapped his head. Ah! After all this trouble, he had forgotten his original "business." "Right, I need to buy some talismans, all kinds."

Lu Yuanyue felt uncomfortable. You're an immortal, asking a mortal for talismans? Isn't that backwards?

Qifeng, seeing Lu Yuanyue's confusion, covered up, "Cough, drawing them myself is too much trouble. Just give me a batch. I'll pay you the full price, no worries."

Lu Yuanyue quickly said he dared not, thinking, "The Great Immortal has his reasons. Why should I worry?" "Great Immortal, you're too formal! The shop only has about twenty talismans, all for you. If not for your guidance, I would have lost everything. I can't accept payment!"

"Uh? No payment?" Qifeng was delighted. This game shop is becoming more user-friendly! I like it!