Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 25 Trade

"Fellow, please wait!"

As Li Shiming walked toward the official vessel, a voice called out from behind, halting his steps.

Had this not been a government-managed dock crawling with soldiers and officials, he likely would have retrieved a 'white phosphorus grenade' from his personal space to blast the stranger. In the world of Cultivation, hearing such a cliché greeting made him feel incredibly wary.

He turned his head to identify the speaker.

Standing there was a round-faced man in his thirties, dressed in a blue robe.

Li Shiming’s eyes immediately darted to the man’s waist. Seeing a storage bag hanging there, he understood why the stranger had addressed him as 'fellow.' To his amazement, this round-faced man was actually a cultivator; he had always imagined that such people would never travel on a common boat.

He assumed that cultivators who couldn't fly through the heavens would at least travel as fast as the wind, rather than opting for a sluggish official boat.

"May I ask what this is about?" Li Shiming inquired. He pointedly avoided using the term 'fellow' in his reply. With Si Qin, Mo Yan, and the four guards nearby, using such a term would sound far too bizarre to mundane ears.

"I neglected to introduce myself. My name is Fan Yiyang. Since destiny has placed us on the same boat, I simply wished to offer my greetings," the round-faced man said with a grin, his eyes flickering with curiosity.

Fan Yiyang indeed found the situation peculiar. Li Shiming was openly wearing a lower-grade defensive robe, carried a lower-grade longsword magic artifact at his hip, and had the unmistakable bulge of a storage bag at his lower back.

Such an appearance practically shouted his status as a cultivator, did it not?

Furthermore, Li Shiming made no attempt to mask the spiritual power fluctuations radiating from his frame.

Fan Yiyang couldn't fathom why the youth seemed so hesitant to acknowledge his identity as a cultivator.

"Li Shiming greets Mr. Fan. Since we share this fate, would you care for some tea?" Seeing the man’s friendly demeanor, Li Shiming provided his name. Since they were sharing the journey, he decided to be polite.

This marked his first real interaction with another cultivator since finding success in Qi Refinement, and he was genuinely interested in an exchange with Fan Yiyang.

"Haha, I would be honored," Fan Yiyang replied with a hearty laugh, having intended this outcome from the start.

The pair boarded the official boat and headed to the third deck. Half of this level would serve as Li Shiming's quarters for the next ten or so days, while Fan Yiyang occupied the other half. This arrangement alone suggested that Fan Yiyang held a significant status.

Once seated, Li Shiming didn't summon Si Qin or Mo Yan to wait on them. Instead, he produced tea leaves from his storage bag and filled the kettle with rainwater he had collected using the 'Spring Breeze and Rain Skill.'

Fan Yiyang watched in silence, a look of visible appreciation crossing his face as he observed Li Shiming's movements.

Li Shiming set a cup before Fan Yiyang and invited him to drink.

"This tea is quite remarkable, even by the standards of the secular world!" Fan Yiyang praised after taking a light sip.

While traveling through the mundane realm, Fan Yiyang had long since exhausted the spirit food in his storage bag, leaving him to survive on High-level Grain Avoidance Pills. While these pills staved off hunger, they were quite a drain on the resources of an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

In the greater Cultivation World, this tea might be considered ordinary—not even reaching the level of true Spiritual Tea—but in this secular environment, a cup of tea infused with spiritual energy and brewed with spiritual water was a rare luxury.

"Mr. Li, if you'll excuse my bluntness, I detected the aroma of Spirit Rice on you. Would you be willing to sell me some?" Fan Yiyang asked directly, not bothering to hide his desire.

Li Shiming paused. He discreetly sniffed himself but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary.

"I have practiced a spell focused on scents, making me highly sensitive to smells. Please don't worry, Mr. Li; I will pay the full market price and ensure you aren't cheated," Fan Yiyang explained with a reassuring smile.

"I do possess some Spirit Rice. How much do you require?" Li Shiming’s consciousness reached into his machine room space, readying a 'white phosphorus grenade' in case of an ambush. Externally, however, he remained perfectly calm as he asked.

The cultivators he had encountered previously were never pleasant; they generally viewed mortals as ants and often resorted to murder when meeting their own kind. These experiences had made him deeply cynical about the Cultivation World.

"Could you spare a hundred catties?" Fan Yiyang’s eyes sparkled with hope.

The primary reason he had approached Li Shiming was that lingering scent of Spirit Rice. He had no intention of committing robbery, as he had already gauged the risks. Based on the spiritual power fluctuations, Li Shiming was at the Qi Refining Second Level—the same as himself. Given Li Shiming's age and his array of magic artifacts, it was obvious he had a background. Fan Yiyang had no desire to risk a life-and-death struggle over mere rice.

"I can do that, but I have a condition. You must tell me about the current affairs of the Cultivation World," Li Shiming agreed after a moment of thought.

"Haha, that works perfectly. The trip is dull anyway. Deal!" Fan Yiyang laughed and accepted immediately.

Li Shiming directed spiritual energy into his storage bag. It contained his Spirit Rice, a bit of spirit water, and his tea leaves. He had stopped consuming mundane food to avoid contaminating his body, sticking strictly to spiritual sustenance. Though he missed the variety of common flavors, he felt the trade-off was worth it for his cultivation.

A heavy bag of rice appeared on the table. Since they were alone on the third deck, there were no ordinary people around to be shocked by the sudden appearance of the item.

Fan Yiyang didn't even need to open it; the spiritual energy radiating from the bag confirmed the rice was of excellent quality.

"Mr. Li, I won't be modest. I've been traveling for quite some time and my supplies were completely gone!" Fan Yiyang smiled as he stowed the rice away.

With a flick of his wrist, a hundred glowing stones appeared on the table, followed by a manual.

"Your Spirit Rice is of such high quality that paying one Spirit Stone per catty feels like a bargain. Please, accept this 'Concealing Breath Skill' as a gift," he said warmly.

He had selected this specific gift with purpose. Because Li Shiming’s spiritual power was so obvious, it was clear he hadn't mastered a way to hide it. While most Sect disciples learned the Concealing Breath Skill as a matter of course, Fan Yiyang had acquired this version independently and used it now to build goodwill.

"You are most generous!" Li Shiming said, smiling while trying to keep his heart from racing.

He recognized those hundred stones; they were identical to the ones he had seen on the Gathering Spirit Plate, though those had been drained of energy. So these were Spirit Stones—the currency of the Cultivation World.

The Concealing Breath Skill was a massive bonus. He finally understood why he hadn't sensed any power from Fan Yiyang earlier; the man had been using this very spell.