novelapdf Chapter 545 Thatched Cottage! Our family is here to sell radishes!
Chapter 545 Thatched Cottage! Our family is here to sell radishes!
Throughout the entire inn, there were no fewer than a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators.
There were as many as forty or fifty auras of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and seven or eight auras of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators at the Great Perfection stage.
These auras are all unique; some are as sharp as a blade, some as deep as an abyss, some as violent as fire, and some as cold as ice.
One particular aura stood out.
The aura emanated from the central courtyard of the inn, like a drawn sword, sharp to the extreme; even the mere presence of one's divine sense caused a cutting pain.
That was no ordinary aura of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage. This person had probably already touched the threshold of the Divine Transformation realm, and was only half a step away from entering the Divine Transformation realm.
"Youzhou, Dugu Jian." Chen Fan softly read out the name on the jade slip list.
The number one person in Youzhou, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, once single-handedly killed three cultivators of the same level.
This Dugu Jian truly lives up to his reputation.
Chen Fan withdrew his divine sense and ceased his investigation.
The national competition in ten days is the real event; right now, the most important thing is to conserve energy and build up strength.
Chen Fan sat cross-legged in the side room for a while, memorizing the atmosphere of the inn, before slowly opening his eyes.
The bamboo grove outside the window was desolate, and the sky had completely darkened.
From the courtyard in the center of the inn in the distance, the faint sounds of clinking glasses could be heard, presumably the candidates from the major prefectures were moving around and building relationships.
This remote corner of the desolate state was quite quiet; not even a patrolling guard would bother to take an extra step in this direction.
Having served as a eunuch in the palace for decades, he knew the ins and outs of such occasions best.
On the surface, the various state capitals are here to participate in the national competition, but behind the scenes, they are forming alliances and exchanging resources.
But these things are none of his concern.
The desolate prefecture ranks last among the thirty-six prefectures, so even if you actively seek it out, few people will give it a second glance.
Instead of trying to win someone over, I'd rather take advantage of these few days of free time to get things done.
Chen Fan took out a gray cloak from his storage bag and put it on. He then replaced his hair ornament with an ordinary black turban and covered his face with a human skin mask as thin as a cicada's wing.
This mask was taken from an elder of the Yin Corpse Sect when we were in the sealed land. Although it is not a high-level magic weapon, it is more than enough to cover one's appearance.
In a short while, a middle-aged cultivator with a sallow complexion and slightly protruding cheekbones appeared in the mirror, completely different from the clean-shaven face he had previously had.
He suppressed his cultivation aura to the late Foundation Establishment stage, pushed open the door of the side room, and silently slipped out of the inn.
The nights in the imperial city were many times more lively than those in the desolate city.
The lanterns hanging high on both sides of the street illuminated the bluestone pavement as bright as day.
The cultivators came and went in a constant stream, with Foundation Establishment cultivators everywhere and Core Formation cultivators not uncommon.
The shops along the street are all three stories or more, with luxurious facades and a dazzling array of goods for sale!
Elixirs, magical artifacts, talismans, spirit beasts, and cultivation manuals on jade slips—everything imaginable was available. Among them were many treasures at the Nascent Soul level, openly displayed on the counter, without any fear of being coveted.
Baicaotang had been cooperating with him for many years in the sealed land, and Old Li had sold countless amounts of spirit rice and radishes for him.
According to Lao Li, Bai Cao Tang's influence extends throughout Tian Nan Xing, and its branches in the imperial city are naturally quite large as well.
Sure enough, after walking along the main street for less than fifteen minutes, Chen Fan saw the familiar green wooden sign.
The signboard is engraved with a nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum, and below the Ganoderma lucidum are three ancient-style characters "Bai Cao Tang" (Hundred Herbs Hall), the font of which is exactly the same as that of the branch in Qingyun City.
The Baicaotang branch in the imperial city was several times larger than its branch in the desolate continent city. It occupied a five-story building, with several luxuriously decorated beast-drawn carriages parked in front of it. The cultivators who came in and out were all rich and noble.
Chen Fan pulled down the brim of his cloak and stepped inside.
The shop assistants had sharp eyes. Although Chen Fan only showed the cultivation level of the late Foundation Establishment stage and his clothes were ordinary, his calm and unhurried demeanor could not be hidden.
A shop assistant in blue robes quickly approached, beaming and bowing, saying, "Fellow Daoist, are you buying medicinal herbs or spiritual plants?"
"Sell." Chen Fan said succinctly.
The waiter led him to a private room on the second floor. The room was soundproofed, and a burner of incense was lit in the corner, which was quite tasteful.
A short while later, an elderly shopkeeper with gray hair and beard entered. His cultivation level was at the mid-stage of Core Formation. His gaze lingered briefly on Chen Fan before he politely cupped his hands and said:
"My surname is Sun, and I am the second manager of this branch. What do you wish to sell, fellow Daoist?"
Chen Fan didn't say much, but took out a storage bag from his sleeve and handed it over.
Manager Sun took the storage bag, probed it with his divine sense, and the smile on his face immediately froze.
He stood there stunned for a full three breaths, then probed the area again with his divine sense before raising his head, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt:
"Fellow Daoist, what...what's inside?"
"Two hundred thousand catties of spirit rice, one hundred and fifty thousand catties of radishes, and one hundred thousand catties of sweet potatoes," Chen Fan said casually, reciting the names of the dishes. "All of them are of grade two or above. Thirty percent of the spirit rice is grade three jade crystal rice, and twenty percent of the radishes are grade two white marrow radishes. Name your price."
Manager Sun gasped.
He had worked at Baicaotang for over a hundred years and handled countless large-scale transactions, but this was the first time he had ever seen a rogue cultivator who could produce more than 400,000 catties of spiritual plants at once.
Although the quantity of these spiritual plants is enormous, the Imperial City Hundred Herbs Hall is large enough to handle them all. The key is that their quality is not low, especially the third-grade jade crystal rice, which is in short supply in the Imperial City and is sought after by various aristocratic families and sects.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. This deal is too big for this old man to make the decision on his own. I need to go and invite the head manager over." Manager Sun cupped his hands and quickly left the private room.
Chen Fan wasn't in a hurry. He picked up the spiritual tea on the table and slowly took a sip.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Manager Sun led in an elderly man with white hair dressed in a brocade robe.
The old man was clearly at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He had a ruddy complexion and sharp eyes. As soon as he entered, he looked Chen Fan up and down a few times.
"I am Qian, the head manager of the Imperial City branch of Baicaotang," the white-haired elder said, bowing. "Baicaotang can handle this batch of goods, fellow Daoist. At market price, third-grade jade crystal rice costs three mid-grade spirit stones per hundred catties, second-grade spirit rice costs one mid-grade spirit stone per hundred catties, second-grade white marrow radish costs eight low-grade spirit stones per hundred catties, and ordinary sweet potatoes cost five low-grade spirit stones per hundred catties. In total, this batch of goods is worth approximately six thousand mid-grade spirit stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"
Chen Fan mentally calculated that this price was roughly the same as, or even slightly higher than, the price Old Li had given him before. He nodded: "Okay."
Manager Qian immediately took out a storage ring, put six thousand mid-grade spirit stones into it, and handed it to Chen Fan with both hands.
Chen Fan took the ring, scanned it with his divine sense to confirm the number was correct, and then transferred all the spiritual plants that had been emptied from the storage bag.
After the transaction was completed, Manager Qian did not immediately see the guest off. Instead, he poured Chen Fan another cup of spiritual tea and said with a smile:
"Fellow Daoist, you must be no ordinary person to be able to produce so many high-grade spiritual plants at once. May I ask where you obtained these spiritual plants? If their quality is consistent, Hundred Herbs Hall is willing to purchase them on a long-term basis, and we can even raise the price by another 10%."