Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Chapter 167: Chapter 164: The Auspicious Hour Has Arrived

“Junior Brother, you have a great means, I can agree to your trading method, but I must see the Tier Two Red Cloud Pine first.”

Li Yuangong said, feeling he must visit the other party’s grotto mansion and see the spirit wood with his own eyes before he could be assured, as it was their first interaction and trust could not be established yet.

Ji An clasped his hands once again, his smile warm and refreshing:

“I was just thinking of inviting Senior Brother to Red Flame Peak. Shall we go today or tomorrow?”

In his plan, the Tier Two Middle Grade Nine Bends Yellow Earth was the most elusive to obtain, and now that there was a chance for a deal, his heart was filled with joy.

He directly mentioned the dates to make it easier for the other party to choose, thus reducing the possibility of them changing their mind.

Li Yuangong pondered:

“I still have other matters to attend to these two days, but I will arrive at Red Flame Peak three days from now, before 1:00 PM.”

He still had to commission an Artifact Refiner to forge spiritual artifacts, and besides, he knew nothing about the other party, not even the location of Red Flame Peak.

It seems necessary to inquire at the Diligence Hall, where they have data on all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Ji An smiled warmly and said:

“You will be warmly received, and Senior Brother, do not go back on your word.”

“I, Li Yuangong, never break my promise once made.”

“Good! But arriving at 1:00 PM is too late; why not come before noon, Senior Brother?

I’ve taken over a few thousand mu of spirit fields from the sect to cultivate various spirit woods, with some unique products, and there’s plenty of wine and meat.”

Li Yuangong agreed straightforwardly:

“I cannot decline such generous hospitality from Junior Brother.”

He enjoys fine wine, but he cannot drink while on missions outside, and can only indulge during his leisure time.

After they agreed, Ji An continued:

“Is there any Senior Brother willing to part with Profound Yellow Soil?”

His gaze turned to those cultivators who seemed to be Artifact Refiners, as they were most likely to have Profound Yellow Soil.

After a moment without anyone responding, Ji An decided to add another incentive, saying:

“I have significant experience in cultivating spirit wood. In just two years of planting Jade Leaf Mulberry and Copper Patterned Mulberry at Red Flame Peak, I’ve already yielded top-grade spirit wood.

I exchanged a few Profound Leaf Sword Bamboos in the sect, and now one has reached top-grade level.

I won’t boast about achieving Tier Two Spirit Bamboo, but cultivating top-grade spirit bamboo is still feasible, and I could supply top-grade bamboo leaves in the future.”

Though he noticed interest flashing across some faces, no cultivator ultimately stepped forward to make a deal.

Ji An shook his head lightly and descended the platform.

…

The crowd began to exchange cultivation insights, and after half an hour, the trade gathering concluded.

Ji An and his companions walked out of the grotto mansion, when the cultivator selling Blast Flame Beads stopped them, smiling:

“Junior Brother, how many top-grade Copper Patterned Mulberries do you have, and can you supply them steadily?”

This cultivator had a preference for nurturing a Gold Element Demon Beast, which liked to devour all kinds of ores and required Copper Patterned Mulberry leaves.

However, most top-grade mulberry leaves were snatched by beast tamers to feed spiritual silkworms, and he hadn’t found a stable supply channel, leading to slow beast nurturing.

Ji An gave an awkward smile and said:

“Currently, there are only a few top-grade Copper Patterned Mulberries, not enough for a stable supply of leaves, as they’ve only been planted for two years.

How about this, let’s leave a Magical Mark; when I have more top-grade Spirit Mulberry, I’ll inform Senior Brother.”

“Alright, I’m Mo Mountain and I cultivate in a grotto mansion on Red Copper Mountain.”

The two exchanged Magical Marks and went their separate ways.

Ji An returned to Red Flame Peak and dispatched a Communication Talisman Sword.

…

The next day, late morning.

Jiang Wanrong arrived at the Cold Pool by Red Flame Peak and said:

“Yesterday, Senior Brother Ji sent a talisman sword inviting me here without explaining his mysterious intentions.

Yu Lian, where is Junior Martial Uncle Ji?”

“Please sit and wait for a moment. Junior Martial Uncle Ji is making talismans and should finish soon.”

Xia Yu Lian hospitably greeted her, taking out pine nuts, dried meat, and pickled bamboo shoots to entertain the guest.

While chatting and eating, Jiang Wanrong was thoroughly enjoying herself, inwardly marveling at how she never tires of the various foods here.

Seeing Ji An step out of the stone house, Xia Yu Lian stood and said:

“Junior Martial Uncle is out. I will assist Senior Brother Liang in preparing lunch.”

Ji An strode to the stone table and sat down with a smile:

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Junior Sister. I discovered a few top-grade Jade Leaf Mulberries in the spirit field and thought of you immediately.”

Jiang Wanrong swallowed the dried meat with force, then ate a pickled bamboo shoot to ease her throat, exclaiming in delight:

“How many are there?”

“Currently, there are about seven or eight, and in a month or two, the supply will be stable.”

“Senior Brother, you are truly my lucky star!

The spiritual silkworms I nurture have just broken through, and they need top-grade mulberry leaves for feeding.”

Jiaang Wanrong’s eyes curved like crescents, intending to observe the scale of top-grade Jade Leaf Mulberries here.

If this year brings two to three hundred, she’ll start cultivating higher-tier spiritual silkworms.

“Come, I’ll take you to pick some shoots. The leaves picked today won’t cost you Spirit Stones.

However, you can only pick thirty to forty percent of the leaves, as we need to prepare to harvest mulberries for wine this year.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Jiang Wanrong stood joyfully and urged:

“Hurry, hurry!”

…

Li Yuangong landed from the Flying Shuttle, channeling magical power into the Spirit Pine, which lit up with brilliant orange-red spirit light on its needles.

He felt the rush of fire spirit power within the Spirit Pine’s trunk, nodded in satisfaction, and said with a smile:

“Excellent, let’s sign an agreement for the transaction, and in a few months, I’ll come to collect this year’s share of eight hundred jin.”

Yesterday, he went to the Diligence Hall to inquire about Ji An, and after Ye Changqing learned the details, he praised Ji An, suggesting there was nothing to worry about.

Hearing the specifics from Ye Changqing, he felt reassured about their transaction.

After strolling around Red Flame Peak today, I felt even more at ease.

Ji An summoned the Flying Shuttle and said with a smile:

“Let’s return to the Cold Pool to finalize the transaction; lunch will be ready soon.”

The two flew to the edge of the Cold Pool. Ji An handed over the prepared Red Flame Iron and, in return, received the Nine Bends Yellow Earth from the other party.

This spiritual object glistened like golden metal powder, very fine and smooth.

After weighing it, Ji An used the Water Control Technique to draw some clear water from the Cold Pool and dropped it onto the yellow earth.

The clear water immediately seeped in, and the Nine Bends Yellow Earth transformed into a clay-like substance, ready to be molded at will.

He cast the Flame Fire Spell, and the moisture in the spiritual object quickly evaporated, turning it back into fine powder.

Ji An carefully collected the Nine Bends Yellow Earth, then marked the agreement with his Magical Mark and handed the Jade Slip to the other side, saying:

“Senior Brother, is there any issue?”

Li Yuangong probed it with his Divine Sense, read it word by word, and left his Magical Mark.

“No issue.”

Ji An raised his wine cup with a smile, saying:

“Business is done, it’s time to drink, Senior Brother, please!”

“Junior Brother, please.”

After three rounds of wine, Li Yuangong said:

“Junior Brother, if you can cultivate Tier Two Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo, you must let me know, as it’s essential for refining Gold Element Spiritual Artifacts.

Many senior brothers in the Law Enforcement Hall run into delays with insufficient Spiritual Liquid from the Sword Bamboo, having to use a massive amount of Metal Element Essence instead, wasting time and Spirit Stones.”

“I will!”

“Let me know if the number of Tier Two Red Cloud Pines increases here.”

Ji An nodded slightly and said:

“No problem, but Senior Brother, you’re already in the Late-stage Foundation Establishment. What do you need these Pine Nuts for?”

Pine Nuts are usually used by Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators to refine and comprehend techniques, serving little purpose to Late-stage cultivators. He didn’t think the other was just eating them.

Li Yuangong sighed lightly, put down his chopsticks, and said:

“The sect’s secret vault materials for improving cultivation are quickly exchanged upon entry, never enough to last until the next batch.

You’ll understand this more once you breakthrough to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.”

Ji An scratched his head, saying:

“Can I exchange Spiritual Objects for Cultivation at the secret vault now?”

Might as well stock up now to avoid shortages later.

Li Yuangong grinned, saying:

“Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators can exchange for Spiritual Artifacts and High-Tier Artifact Refining Materials, but not for anything related to Cultivation Techniques, nor can they cross-realm exchange for pills. You might need a familiar High-Tier Cultivator to help.”

After a satisfying drink, Li Yuangong departed.

Ji An activated the Communication Talisman Sword to consult his master about exchanging cultivation-boosting spiritual objects.

The next day, he received his master’s reply:

’Don’t worry, with our records of trading Tier Two Top-Grade resources, the sect will prioritize reserving a sufficient share for us.’

Ji An felt relieved.

…

Half a month later.

During this period, Ji An accompanied Wei Songnian to three trade fairs, exchanging for two pounds of Profound Yellow Soil, still short of one pound.

In the morning, Ji An finished his cultivation, eyes gleaming with spiritual light, feeling at ease, with some progress in his merit.

He noticed that casting the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell before cultivating, using Wood Element Essence Qi from nearby Spiritual Mulberry, had a more vigorous aura.

Ji An summoned the Flying Shuttle for an inspection of the experimental field, counting carefully and finding a total of sixty-seven Top-grade Jade Leaf Mulberries.

“Senior Brother, looks like I’m sure to win, haha.”

He whispered to himself, laughing heartily in the depths of the Mulberry Field.

The bet had one month and three days left to go, and at this pace, he was bound to win.

He crouched down, scooped up a handful of soil, and squinted his eyes.

The soil color, once slightly reddish, was now tending towards black.

The Great Perfection Level of the Thick Earth Returning Origin Spell had begun to improve the soil, not just increasing spiritual Qi concentration.

Ji An felt hopeful. If all of Red Flame Peak’s soil transformed to better black soil, it would be a sight to behold.

…

A month later.

Du Huaiyuan piloted the Spirit Ship down, laughing heartily:

“Junior Brother, the auspicious time has arrived! How many Top-grade Jade Leaf Mulberries do you have now?”

He leapt off the ship and said:

“You guys, help move these spirit wine-making spiritual medicines down.”

He carried three storage bags, the thirty-foot-long ship piled with various spirit medicines and spirit fruits.

Ji An pretended to look mournful, saying:

“Senior Brother, let’s go to the Mulberry Field and count the Top-grade Spirit Mulberries.”

Du Huaiyuan laughed generously, saying:

“No need, just tell me the number. Why make me count them!

Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at you.”

He estimated there were at most fifty or sixty plants, enough for a dozen or so vats of spirit wine.

Ji An said nothing, gesturing with his hand.

“Twenty-five plants, so few?”

Ji An gestured again, saying:

“It’s two hundred fifty-six plants.”

Du Huaiyuan’s expression froze:

“Let’s go, we must count them together!”