Chapter 554 - 456: Gu Mingyuan
Wey Xianglin gave a light cough and reminded:
"Boss, it’s almost noon. Should I go to the Drunken Immortal Inn to book a private room?"
The Drunken Immortal Inn is the most prestigious restaurant in Red Rock Immortal City, the first choice for hosting banquets.
Wey Chengqian waved his hand, "No need, we will go to the restaurant right now, Fellow Daoist, please!"
Ji An scratched his head and said:
"Shall we go after I trade the talismans in my hand, alright?"
The reason he’s here today is that it’s the scheduled delivery day; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to the shop voluntarily.
"Haha, of course, you can. Xianglin, quickly settle the accounts with Fellow Daoist Ji."
Watching Ji An hand over the talismans, Wey Chengqian couldn’t help but turn his head. The number of talismans was truly staggering!
He knew the other party traded with the shop once a month. Such a huge volume of transactions indicated the other party’s success rate in talisman making was very high; otherwise, it would be impossible to amass so many talismans.
Wey Xianglin quickly counted the numbers and said:
"One hundred top-grade Fire Dragon Talismans, each for 320 Spirit Stones; forty top-grade Xuan Armor Talismans, each for 350 Spirit Stones; top-grade Bursting Talismans... a total of 66,000 Spirit Stones.
Senior, how many top-grade Spirit Stones would you like to exchange this time?"
"Just three," Ji An answered. Later, when entering the internal parts of the mine to comprehend the Gold Element Spirit Tide, middle-grade Spirit Stones could be used, so there’s no need to waste too much on ’transaction fees’.
Wey Chengqian quickly calculated the profit the other could earn, it must not be a small figure.
Wey Xianglin stored the talismans into the Storage Bag, "Senior, please wait a moment, I’ll be right back."
Moments later, Ji An received the Spirit Stones and left the store together with Wey Chengqian.
...
Five days later, Celestial Character No. 1 Room on the third floor of the Drunken Immortal Inn.
The room was rectangular, very spacious. Gu Mingyuan took a sip of Spirit Tea and smiled:
"It’s rare for Brother Wey not to stay at the clan territory for arduous cultivation these days, and even rarer for you to invite me for a drink, although not inviting me alone."
The Wey Clan operates pill medicine shops, puppet shops, artifact refining shops, etc., in Red Rock Immortal City. The family owns tens of thousands of acres of Tier Two Spirit Fields and has two Golden Core cultivators stationed, making it a clan that has stood for thousands of years, with its influence spreading across all aspects of the Immortal City.
In comparison, the Gu Clan’s foundation was much more shallow, with only one Golden Core Daoist Master in the family, and their business range limited to the mines and artifact refining shops.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table, "I’m curious, what kind of cultivator could catch the eye of Brother Shi?"
The other party’s letter said they were introducing a client to lease a spiritual land in the mines and personally organized a drinking session. Such a level of attention was rare.
In fact, the other party just needed to greet them, and they could arrange it.
Wey Chengqian displayed a friendly smile, "A few days ago, I encountered a cultivator from the Western Continent. After chatting, I felt they were not a fish in a pond."
If a cultivator comprehends the Five Elements Mutual Generation, they will always reveal some minor phenomena. I discovered that Fellow Daoist Ji had already understood Fire Generates Earth.
And although I didn’t ask the other party’s age, I could sense our ages aren’t too different."
"I see, that makes sense then."
Gu Mingyuan nodded. Dragons mingle with dragons, and phoenixes mingle with phoenixes—the level at which someone befriends others is never low.
It’s known that his cultivation in the Northern Land is among the top scope below Golden Core, so a friend he regards highly must have extraordinary qualities.
Moments later, Ji An entered the room under the guidance of a maid. Seeing the two already seated, he cupped his hands and said:
"Sorry to keep you two waiting, my apologies."
Wey Chengqian stood up to welcome him with a smile:
"I just informed you last minute, Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to apologize.
"Let me introduce you, this is Gu Mingyuan, a family friend of mine."
"And this is Ji An, Fellow Daoist from Golden Spirit Sect in the Western Continent."
"Nice to meet you, Fellow Daoist Gu," Ji An did not say anything like ’I’ve heard so much about you,’ as he wasn’t too familiar with the influence of Red Rock Immortal City.
Some circles are hard to enter without a guide, and information from the general public outside is mostly misleading.
"Brother Wey has spoken highly of Fellow Daoist Ji, and meeting you today, you’re indeed majestic."
After a round of mutual compliments, Gu Mingyuan said:
"Three months from now, we can arrange it for Fellow Daoist Ji.
However, the eruption of the Gold Element Spirit Mechanism has a certain randomness, and the timing will be notified last-minute. Fellow Daoist Ji, please inform us of your Grotto Mansion’s location."
Ji An’s eyes lit up, immediately telling them the location of his Grotto Mansion.
He didn’t expect a turn of events so soon, and now had a more direct understanding of the power of Wey Chengqian and the Wey Clan.
The main issue was easily settled, and Wey Chengqian ordered the dishes to be served, also inviting a few Sound Cultivators.
Indeed, the sound of the zither and flute from Sound Cultivators could purify the mind, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it lingered for three days.
In high spirits, Ji An couldn’t help but drink a few more cups. By the time the music ended and people had left, it was already sunset.
...
A month later, in the Gourd World.
Ji An stood beside the Spirit Field, where the Pearl Blood Rice plants had turned bright red and already withered.
After two years, the Spirit Rice had finally matured, taking longer than he expected. He initially thought it would take about a year to mature, probably because of the lower tier of the Spirit Field.
He reached out to pinch off a rice spike, rubbing it hard manually to shell it, then blew it lightly near his mouth.
Comparing the Spirit Rice he grew to the one he purchased, he found no significant difference in grain size.
Tasting both kinds of Spirit Rice, Ji An noted that, in terms of texture and the amount of Spiritual Qi contained, both types showed no noticeable difference.
"Not bad, now I just need to see what the yield is per pound."
A smile spread across his face as he swiftly harvested and shelled this acre field, finally weighing the yield.
"The yield is 640 pounds per acre. Is that much or little?"
Ji An was uncertain about the yield of this type of Spirit Rice, so he planned to inquire about it outside.