Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 13 - 13 13 Sale_1

13 Chapter 13 Sale_1 Translator: 549690339 Time waits for no one.

Wang Ba was left with a very narrow window of time, as Deacon Li was scheduled to arrive the following day.

Despite the pressure, he remained thorough, blending the feed, tending to the chickens, and performing his cleaning duties with precision.

By the time he finished his chores, the sun was already setting, even though he had worked as fast as possible.

The market's closing hour was fast approaching.

Nevertheless, Wang Ba maintained his composure.

This timing was a deliberate choice on his part.

Transporting such a large number of Spirit Chickens during the daylight hours would inevitably attract unwanted curiosity.

If a Cultivator happened to cross his path, there was a significant danger of his secrets being revealed.

Wang Ba did not place absolute confidence in the Power of the Yin God's ability to remain undetected.

Heading to the market just as it was shutting down presented a much lower risk profile.

Furthermore, the Power of the Yin God had its own set of constraints.

The energy drain increased based on the number of people being deceived. For instance, hiding from Old Hou and Niu Yong had only depleted his reserves by about one-twentieth.

However, it was clear that a single drop of the Power of the Yin God lacked the potency to cloak an entire crowded marketplace.

Avoiding the masses was his only viable strategy.

After a brief moment of doubt, he finally departed, carrying thirteen Spirit Chickens with him.

He decided to keep the unique male Spirit Chicken for breeding purposes, using it to fill the gap left by Jia 2, which had been sold.

This meant four Spirit Chickens remained concealed within his residence.

These were Jia 1 and Jia 2, the two roosters, and Jia 3 and Jia 4, the two hens.

Instead of visiting the nearby West Garden market, he traveled in a different direction toward South Lake Market.

Located in a valley beside a lake, South Lake Market was surrounded by breathtaking views.

Even though it was situated on the outer edges of the Sect, it represented the furthest boundary one could reach while staying within the Sect's territory.

Traveling just a few miles further south would mean crossing the border of the East Saint Sect.

Outer disciples were constantly patrolling that perimeter, and a simple laborer like him would surely be caught.

Yet, Wang Ba had no intention of deserting the Sect.

Even with the many rules, this location was his personal land of opportunity.

Where else beyond the Sect could he find a place to raise Spirit Chickens while simultaneously increasing his own longevity?

The availability of free chicken feed, which seemed ordinary to others, was actually a major advantage he couldn't ignore.

Most importantly, he required the local market to trade for Precious Chickens.

Perhaps because he was empowered by Stage III of the Strong Body Sutra, the weight of thirteen Spirit Chickens did not hinder his speed.

He made every effort to avoid direct encounters on his journey.

He was unwilling to waste the Power of the Yin God on random people he passed.

Fortunately, his timing was excellent, and he met very few individuals along the way.

This was largely because South Lake Market was remote, with few Cultivators living in the vicinity.

Consequently, he reached South Lake Market successfully with the Spirit Chickens strapped to his back.

South Lake Market was far less crowded than the West Garden Market and possessed significantly fewer storefronts.

In fact, the entire market only contained two grocery outlets.

A few figures hurried along the narrow path made of bluestone slabs.

Some threw a passing glance at Wang Ba but quickly looked away, uninterested.

To them, he appeared to be nothing more than a middle-aged laborer in coarse clothing, carrying a large bamboo basket.

The basket was silent, suggesting it held herbs or other mundane goods.

Sensing the drop of the Power of the Yin God inside him depleting rapidly, Wang Ba quickened his pace.

Because he had scouted the area before and knew the market's layout well, he arrived at his target without delay.

Randao Grocery Store.

Wang Ba felt a sense of relief seeing the shop was empty of customers; only the shopkeeper, who was busy with accounts and cleaning, and a young servant boy were present.

The drain on the Power of the Yin God slowed down significantly.

He was grateful to find that nearly seventy percent of the Power of the Yin God remained.

"Please, look around. However, we are preparing to close," the shopkeeper said.

The shopkeeper was a chubby, middle-aged man with a small moustache. He gave Wang Ba a casual look as he entered, offered a distracted greeting, and went back to directing the servant boy's cleaning.

In his estimation, the visitor was just a common laborer in simple clothes.

Despite the large bamboo basket, the man looked destitute.

Wang Ba recognized the dismissal in the shopkeeper's eyes immediately.

Lacking the time for pleasantries, he went straight to the point: "Do you purchase Spirit Chickens here?"

"My apologies, this shop doesn't buy Precious Chickens—Spirit Chickens?!"

The middle-aged shopkeeper whipped his head around, re-evaluating Wang Ba with a look of genuine astonishment.

He quickly regained his composure, cleared his throat, and asked:

"You are looking to sell Spirit Chickens?"

"That is correct. I wish to know if your establishment buys them, and at what rate?"

Wang Ba asked while bowing his hands respectfully.

A smile spread across the shopkeeper's face as he gestured for Wang Ba to enter.

"Erhu, prepare some tea. Come, honored guest, please have a seat."

Even with his internal urgency, Wang Ba kept his expression neutral and sat down.

The shopkeeper took another quiet look at Wang Ba and his battered bamboo cage. His smile grew wider, and his voice took on a slow, casual tone:

"We certainly buy Spirit Chickens. For a moment, I truly thought you were offering a Precious Chicken."

"You might not be aware, but Precious Chickens aren't worth much these days. Only Spirit Chickens hold real value. How many have you brought?"

Wang Ba was momentarily confused.

Spirit Chickens were only "marginally" valuable?

When had the price of Spirit Chickens crashed so low?

Was it possible his own perspective was wrong?

Could what he considered a treasure be viewed as junk by others?

After a brief hesitation, Wang Ba spoke: "One. A male Spirit Chicken, Class I, lower grade."

"Ah, a Class I lower-grade, and a male at that..."

The shopkeeper drew out his words slowly, stroking his goatee with a chuckle:

"You may not realize this, but among Spirit Chickens, males aren't particularly prized. They usually fetch only half the price of a female."

"Furthermore, the market for Spirit Chickens has been weak lately, so the price..."

Wang Ba nodded, acknowledging the point; he was already aware of that distinction.

However, since these chickens cost him nothing to produce, he was willing to accept a slightly lower price to close the deal quickly.

"Shopkeeper, please just state your offer," Wang Ba urged.

"Very well! I like your directness. To be honest, for this Spirit Chicken, I can offer you this much—"

The shopkeeper held up five fingers.

"Five Spirit Stones?!"

Wang Ba was genuinely shocked this time.

Had the shops at the West Garden market been conspiring to scam him with lower prices before?

They truly were a pack of greedy merchants!

"Spirit Stones? Nonsense!"

The shopkeeper snapped irritably, "Five thousand taels of silver!"

Hearing that figure, Wang Ba stood frozen, unable to believe what he was hearing:

"What? Five thousand taels of silver?"

"Exactly. These Spirit Chickens used to be expensive, worth at least seven or eight thousand taels! But because Ding Villa has flooded the market with Spirit Chickens recently, the value has plummeted—"

The shopkeeper continued to ramble on.

But Wang Ba had stopped listening to his excuses.

"Since you aren't being sincere, I will take my leave."

After hearing that pitch, Wang Ba knew exactly what was happening: the man was treating him like a helpless victim to be swindled.

At the current exchange rate, ten thousand taels of silver was only enough for one lower-grade Spirit Stone.

Refusing to waste another second, he grabbed his bamboo cage and turned to walk out.

"Wait, guest! What price were you expecting?" the shopkeeper shouted after him.

"Three Spirit Stones!"

Wang Ba stopped for a second to name his price.

Lu's Grain Shop had previously offered him three and four-tenths Spirit Stones. Because he was in a hurry, he was willing to take a small loss.

The shopkeeper, however, just shook his head dismissively:

"Three? That's outrageous! I'll give you eight-tenths of a Spirit Stone at most!"

Although he hated draining the Power of the Yin God, Wang Ba refused to waste his time haggling. He gripped his bamboo cage and walked out the door.

"Hey, don't go! If you think that's too low, we can talk! Hey!"

The shopkeeper stood on his toes, shouting toward the back of the departing man.

He watched as Wang Ba carried the cage toward the other grocery store in the market.

The shopkeeper let out a cold sneer:

"Hmph!"

"A lucky peasant who thinks he's struck gold, actually dreaming of Spirit Stones!"

"He'll be crawling back here soon enough!"

"Does he really think the owner of Liu's Shop would dare to buy from him after he leaves me?"

"Demanding eight-tenths of a Spirit Stone, what a joke!"