Chapter Thirty-Eight: Monopoly

Qingyang Market.

Qin Ming wandered distractedly along the bustling street, his thoughts still lingering on what Manager Liao had just told him.

Once the price of spiritual rice dropped, his income would suffer a severe blow.

This directly affected the speed at which he could accumulate spirit stones.

He couldn't stop mulling it over in his mind, growing increasingly anxious and unsettled.

Just then—

Up ahead, by the notice wall, a large crowd of cultivators had gathered, pointing and discussing something with animated excitement.

Although some cultivators often stopped to read notices here, he had never seen so many congregate at once.

“Has something happened again?” Qin Ming’s curiosity was piqued, so he made his way over to join the onlookers.

Atop the wall was a striking red wanted poster, at least twice the size of the others.

There was no portrait, only a description: a group of five bandit cultivators, their appearances unknown.

This gang had acted with brazen audacity, kidnapping the beloved son of an elder from Golden Cloud Valley in broad daylight, then extorting a staggering ransom.

Yet, even after acquiring the money, they had ruthlessly murdered their captive.

And that was not the end of it.

What was even more astonishing was that the bandits had managed to escape the pursuit of a Foundation Establishment elder from Golden Cloud Valley unscathed…

Their crime was no longer just a matter of kidnapping and murder.

It was a blatant challenge to the authority of the entire sect of Golden Cloud Valley!

A truly heinous act!

Golden Cloud Valley, now utterly humiliated, was issuing a massive reward and launching an all-out manhunt for the perpetrators, vowing to search every corner of Cloud Marsh Wilderness, sparing no expense, until they were found.

The notice declared: anyone who captured or killed any one of the five would be rewarded with a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Anyone providing concrete information on the criminals would receive the chance to enter the inner sect of Golden Cloud Valley, along with a Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Anyone found to be withholding information would be treated as an accomplice and executed without mercy!

“Damn, absolute beasts,” someone cursed.

“They even dared to kill a sect elder’s son!”

Qin Ming stared at the notice, dumbfounded.

Many of the cultivators in the crowd, enticed by the generous rewards, were already itching to take action.

“A Foundation Establishment Pill is great and all, but you need to be alive to enjoy it!”

“If they escaped from a Foundation Establishment elder, they’re no ordinary villains.”

Qin Ming shook his head soberly and quietly walked away.

“Could this gang be the same ones who killed Fellow Daoist Long?” he wondered.

“To defy an entire sect so brazenly, and with such ruthless methods—their style seems very similar.”

The thought struck him as he walked.

He returned to his “Serene Abode”.

He couldn’t help but be grateful for his decision to move into the market itself—it had truly been a wise choice.

Though the cost was steep, it was far safer than living outside.

The area around Qingyang Market was in chaos now; even the son of a sect elder could be killed without hesitation. What wouldn’t these bandit cultivators dare to do?

The next morning.

Knock, knock, knock!

Qin Ming was in the middle of performing the Advanced Spirit Rain Technique on his Withered Blood Poison Vine.

Someone knocked at his courtyard gate.

He put away his spell, walked over, and peeked through the spy hole.

To his surprise, it was Old Cai.

He lifted the warding spell and welcomed Old Cai inside.

“Old Cai, what brings you to my place today?”

“What’s this? Sold your spiritual rice and planning to treat me to a meal at Gathered Fragrance Pavilion?”

“Come, have a cup of tea first.”

Qin Ming greeted him with a cheerful smile.

“Tea… I’ll pass on the tea.”

“Xiao Qin, um… could you… lend me a hundred spirit stones?” Old Cai mumbled, head hanging low, not daring to meet Qin Ming’s eyes.

Qin Ming was stunned.

They had worked as spirit farmers together here for years, but this was the first time Old Cai had ever asked to borrow spirit stones.

Something was definitely wrong…

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday to sell off all your spiritual rice in secret?”

“So what happened…”

Qin Ming’s confusion grew as he noticed Old Cai’s head drooping the whole time. He frowned and said, “Come on, look me in the eye when you speak!”

At his words, Old Cai finally raised his head.

His face was a mess of bruises, pitifully battered.

Qin Ming was momentarily speechless.

“What happened to you, Old Cai?”

At last, Old Cai sighed and explained, “Well, after I got your message yesterday, I went to Manager Liao’s to sell all my spiritual rice.”

“But halfway there, I was ambushed by Jiang Kun and his gang from Feathered Plume Sect.”

“They accused me of privately selling the sect’s spiritual rice to outsiders. Not only did they beat me up, but they also confiscated all my rice.”

“Now they’re fining me double the amount—two hundred spirit stones…”

“If I don’t pay up in three days, they’ll… send me to the war camp…”

Qin Ming’s brow furrowed deeply. Jiang Kun again! The last time in the steward’s hall, he had nearly caused trouble for Qin Ming as well.

“What do they mean by ‘private sale’?”

“After paying the rice tax, the remaining spiritual rice is ours. Feathered Plume Sect has no claim to it!”

“What right do they have to fine you?!”

Old Cai stammered, “They… said that Jiang Kun and the other inner sect disciples also opened some kind of ‘Delicacy Pavilion’ in the market.”

“Their main competition is the ‘Gathered Fragrance Pavilion’ in town.”

“They never expected that running a restaurant here would rake in such huge profits, and a portion of the spirit stones earned by Delicacy Pavilion is funneled back into the sect.”

“So even the sect leadership has tacitly approved it.”

“They say that in a few days, when the fields are opened for the season, Steward Gu will officially announce this.”

“From now on, all spirit farmers within Feathered Plume Sect’s jurisdiction will be strictly forbidden from selling spiritual rice to any merchant except Delicacy Pavilion.”

“Violators will be severely punished.”

“Some other spirit farmers tried selling rice in the market stalls yesterday too—one of them even had his leg broken by Jiang Kun’s gang.”

Old Cai’s voice grew hoarse as he spoke.

Qin Ming felt a sudden ringing in his ears.

“They’re creating a monopoly!”

That wasn’t even the worst of it.

He himself had a signed contract with Gathered Fragrance Pavilion!

If he violated the sect’s new ban, he’d be in big trouble.

But if he broke his contract with Gathered Fragrance Pavilion, he’d face a ruinous penalty in spirit stones.

Spirit stones aside—

If he angered Gu Qingzhao, even Mirror Snow Pavilion wouldn’t let him off lightly.

He was all too aware of the consequences of breaking faith.

“Damn that Jiang Kun!”

“Of all things to meddle with, why open a Delicacy Pavilion?!”

“Those bandit cultivators should have kidnapped and killed him too!”

Qin Ming gnashed his teeth in fury.

This development had left him utterly trapped.

He mulled it over for a while.

Then, without hesitation, he took out a hundred and fifty spirit stones and two healing pills from his storage pouch and handed them to Old Cai.

“Take these for now and get yourself patched up.”

“We’ll deal with everything else later.”

Old Cai clutched the spirit stones and pills, eyes brimming with tears.

He was choked speechless.

In this harsh world of cultivation, there were few who would lend out spirit stones so freely.

PS: Heartfelt thanks to every reader for your generous votes and support—there have been so many, I can only offer my gratitude to all of you here!