Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 9 - 9 9 - Harvest! The third level of the Strong Body Sutra!_1
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
Chapter 9: The Harvest! Strong Body Sutra Level 3!
Upon returning to the villa, Wang Ba didn't rush to the West Garden market with his Spirit Chicken.
He waited patiently for several days, choosing to visit Lu’s Grain Shop with a male Spirit Chicken only when the market was nearing its daily close.
His appearance remained the same as before, but Shopkeeper Lu, who was busy sipping tea, identified him instantly.
"Please, sir, come inside."
Abandoning his usual spot behind the counter, Shopkeeper Lu greeted him personally with a welcoming grin.
Wang Ba felt a flicker of pleasant surprise, though he quickly regained his composure.
He presented the rooster he was carrying.
Shopkeeper Lu recognized it at once: "This is a lower-grade Class I Spirit Chicken!"
Despite his exclamation, he still produced a slip of yellow paper. Wang Ba noticed the faint, mystical patterns etched onto the surface, which seemed incredibly profound.
As Shopkeeper Lu brought the yellow paper toward the thrashing Spirit Chicken, the talisman ignited spontaneously without any wind, emitting a dull grey glow.
"Just as I thought. This grey hue confirms it is indeed of lower quality."
Wang Ba nodded, having already anticipated this result.
Seeing that Wang Ba had no objections, Shopkeeper Lu smiled and said, "It’s a shame it isn't a hen. Based on today's rates, I can offer you three blocks and four pennies of lower-grade Spirit Stones."
Spirit Stones are a rare commodity, seldom seen even in the West Garden market. According to standard value, a single lower-grade Spirit Stone is worth ten pennies.
The offer of three blocks and four pennies was slightly higher than what Wang Ba had heard from other families the day before.
Naturally, Wang Ba favored this shop.
However, he had a different goal in mind and immediately cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"Shopkeeper Lu, I am not looking for Spirit Stones. Could we do a barter instead?"
"Oh? You don't want Spirit Stones?"
Shopkeeper Lu was momentarily stunned before he laughed. "That would be for the best! To be honest, I am always running low on Spirit Stones. It actually gives me a headache whenever a customer insists on them!"
The two men shared a smile, and their rapport grew noticeably closer in that moment.
After their laughter subsided, Shopkeeper Lu asked, "What is it that you desire, sir?"
Without pausing, Wang Ba stated the request he had been weighing for some time: "I want to trade for a batch of Precious Chickens."
"A trade for Precious Chickens?"
Stroking his beard, Shopkeeper Lu’s eyes flashed with curiosity. "I do have them in stock. Do you wish to exchange the full value of those three blocks and four pennies for them?"
"Uhm... let's keep four pennies worth of Spirit Stones back. We can trade the rest for chickens. How many can that get me?"
After a brief hesitation, Wang Ba decided to keep a small amount of currency for emergencies.
"Three Spirit Stones... tell you what, I will calculate the trade based on my own purchasing price for Precious Chickens."
Shopkeeper Lu grabbed his abacus, his fingers moving the beads with rapid precision.
"A hen is three pennies, plus two for every Spirit Stone. A rooster is roughly one penny and five."
"For a pair, the total comes to four pennies and seven parts of a Spirit Stone."
"I’ll take a bit of a loss here—how about six hens and seven roosters?"
Wang Ba performed his own silent calculations.
For the villa's production, hens were superior. They produced eggs and possessed richer spiritual energy.
However, for his current needs, roosters were more practical.
His plan was to help these roosters break through their limits and then harvest a massive amount of Lifespan from them.
He would then convert that Lifespan into the vital energy required for his Strong Body Sutra.
It was the only way to gain even a small sense of security.
Once he obtained the chicken-rearing manual promised by Deacon Li, he could begin a legitimate expansion of his operations.
That path would avoid unwanted attention while allowing him to grow stronger. It was slow, but it was safe.
Reaching a decision, he laid out his final terms.
"Three Spirit Stones for twenty male Precious Chickens."
He was asking for two additional birds.
Shopkeeper Lu feigned a look of unease. "Well... two males are worth three parts of a Spirit Stone..."
In reality, he was delighted. Female Precious Chickens were highly sought after because of their spiritual energy and egg-laying capabilities, yielding much higher profits than the roosters.
If he wasn't trying to build a long-term relationship with this customer, he wouldn't have let so many go at cost.
Despite his internal joy, he maintained a pained expression on his face.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and relented. "Very well! I feel a certain kinship with you, so I’ll take the liberty of calling you my younger brother. Younger brother, I don't mind suffering a small loss for you! Just remember your elder brother the next time you have spirit chickens to sell!"
"If my luck holds out, I will certainly come to Brother Lu first."
The two continued their friendly conversation as Shopkeeper Lu led him into the back of the shop.
Only then did Wang Ba realize the store was much larger than it appeared, featuring a hidden area with a small pigsty and chicken coops.
After carefully picking out the birds with the longest remaining lifespans, he shouldered a massive bamboo basket and departed the market.
Before he left, Shopkeeper Lu handed him a small bag, telling him to check it once he reached home.
Wang Ba accepted the gift without objection.
As Wang Ba disappeared into the distance, Shopkeeper Lu stood at his door, sipping tea. He turned to his young servant and gave an order.
"Spirit Chickens are rare. Go find out if there are any new faces at the Ding Villa."
The servant, trying to be clever, suggested: "Sir, should I have someone follow him?"
Shopkeeper Lu immediately slapped him. "Have you lost your mind? I told you to investigate so we can secure future supply lines, not to stir up trouble! If that young man has a powerful backer, ten of you wouldn't be enough to pay for the consequences!"
"Go! Just ask around. Do not get involved in things that don't concern you!"
"Yes! Of course!" the servant stammered, clutching his face and not daring to say another word.
Wang Ba took a winding path on his return journey.
Because he had timed his trip well, he encountered almost no one on the road.
Even though the first level of the Strong Body Sutra had enhanced his physical strength, trekking across the difficult mountain terrain with twenty-two Precious Chickens left him soaked in perspiration.
Chicken waste leaked through the basket, staining his clothes and creating a foul stench.
In his past life, he would have been disgusted. Now, he felt nothing but joy.
To Wang Ba, these Precious Chickens were far more valuable than gold or silver—they were walking batteries of lifespan!
The moment he returned to the manor, he acted without delay.
One by one, he placed the new roosters into the 0.1-year lifespan storage. After marking each bird, he released them into the grounds.
He also gave instructions for the feed delivery person to bring several extra buckets of grain each day.
Eight days passed.
The lifespans of the roosters had finally peaked.
"Time to harvest."
Wang Ba took a deep breath and began catching the Precious roosters to drain their lifespan.
From the twenty-two birds, he gathered a total of 55 years of raw life energy. After the conversion process, this yielded 5.5 years for himself, totaling 121 years!
[Current remaining lifespan: 179.1 years]
[Available for upgrade: Strong Body Sutra Level 2, Comprehensive Talent, Root Bone. Total cost: 18 years]
A strange sensation washed over him, as if he had returned to the peak of his youth, his limbs brimming with power.
Seeing the numbers on his status panel, a deep sense of satisfaction filled his heart.
However, he quickly shook off the feeling.
"This longevity is just a facade! Only by truly walking the path of Cultivation can I hope for genuine eternal life!"
He didn't hesitate.
[Lifespan -18 years!]
Strong Body Sutra Level 2: Complete!
[Lifespan -36 years!]
Strong Body Sutra Level 3: Complete!
[Current remaining lifespan: 125.1 years]
[Available for upgrade: Strong Body Sutra Level 4, Comprehensive Talent, Root Bone. Total cost: 72 years]
Just as he was about to invest in the fourth level, Wang Ba paused.