Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1869: 1403: Pending Repairs 2
Previously on Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan...
“Sigh!”
The elderly village head felt a touch of worry before, scared that Li Zhirui would probe into hidden matters, yet he never anticipated it would turn out to be something so minor, so he replied right away, “Folks here in the village manage on their own, and with some leftover funds from earlier times, our days pass quite comfortably.”
“As for why this spirit rice and those spiritual items won't sell, it all boils down to our own excessive desire!”
Letting out another heavy sigh, the old village chief shared a tale with Li Zhirui.
A few years back, their settlement stumbled upon a fresh variety of spirit rice that boosted qi-blood, drawing fierce bidding from all sorts of sects and driving up its value sky-high.
Spurred by that success, they abandoned other types of spirit rice and spiritual plants, shifting the entire village's efforts to growing this Red Blood Spirit Rice, which only ripens every three years.
Within a short span, villagers pocketed surplus cash and started upgrading their homes while elevating their daily comforts.
With the Red Blood Spirit Rice's cost climbing ever higher, it fueled their avarice, leading them to hike prices relentlessly—back then, no rival spirit rice existed on the market, forcing buyers to swallow their frustration and pay up.
Yet such lavish earnings couldn't endure forever; those huge gains inevitably sparked envy, and once the Red Blood Spirit Rice seeds got pilfered, rivals began producing a knockoff version with nearly identical benefits.
What's more, after perfecting their copy, those competitors kept it under wraps instead of revealing it, secretly expanding their fields on a massive scale.
By the time the village's Red Blood Spirit Rice harvest was ripe and set for sale, the knockoffs flooded the market at bargain rates!
Offered cheap with effects barely inferior, these alternatives swiftly stole away all demand, rendering the genuine Red Blood Spirit Rice from their village utterly unsellable.
Thus, the harvest that had taken three full years to grow sat rotting away in the storage bins.
Right up until Li Zhirui's arrival that day.
Recalling those events, regret etched deeply across the old village chief's features. Had greed not clouded their judgment then, they wouldn't be burdened with this mountain of unsold Red Blood Spirit Rice now.
At first, they refused to drop prices, but when they finally relented and offered it dirt cheap, buyers still turned away.
Even with top-notch storage keeping it fresh, merchants dismissed it as outdated stock from years past, unfit for sale, and haggled to snatch it up for the rate of damaged grains.
Li Zhirui heard the whole account in silence. He held back from suggesting they form their own merchant group to haul the spirit rice across to distant regions for trade.
For these simple farmers, bound to their village their entire lives and venturing no farther than the local county seat, the very idea was foreign—and beyond their means besides.
“Village chief, just state your figure; I'll purchase every bit of this spirit rice.”
From his earlier inspection, he'd noted the spirit rice's energy was exceptionally gentle, suitable even for little ones to absorb without issue—perfect for his clan's young ones as they tempered their bodies to build a solid base.
“We've got thirty-five thousand two hundred dan of it in total; at five taels per jin, that comes to seventeen million six hundred thousand taels.”
The old village chief did the math in a flash and declared without pause, “You can simply hand over fifteen million taels of silver, honored guest.”
“That's unnecessary.” Li Zhirui declined with a shake of his head, then proposed, “I lack sufficient silver right now—would Human Immortal Rank Healing Pills work as payment instead?”
“This truly favors us greatly; our thanks.”
True to form, crafting Human Immortal Rank Pills posed no challenge for him and held little value in his eyes. He promptly handed over eighteen vials of them before pulling the entire granary's worth of spirit rice into his storage artifact.
The old village chief stowed the pills with utmost caution. After all, this haul equated to tens of millions in silver—he dared not risk any slip-up.
“I'm thinking of heading back to the sect to grow this Red Blood Spirit Rice. Might the village chief share some tips on how to cultivate it?” Li Zhirui inquired.
These over thirty thousand dan would sustain the Li family for years aplenty, yet stocks would dwindle in time, so learning the growing techniques now would spare future shortages.
“Of course, of course.” The old village chief at once summoned his son, urging him to dash home and fetch that manual.
Once the spirit rice deal was sealed, Li Zhirui inspected the assortment of spiritual objects in the adjacent storage shed. Unlike before, he didn't claim them all, selecting just around a dozen while abandoning the surplus.
These were novel additions to his inventory, albeit mere Loose Immortal Grade; still, they bolstered his catalog of specimens.
In the same vein, he requested the seeds for those chosen spiritual objects from the village chief.
It wasn't long before Li Zhirui obtained the cultivation guide and seeds he sought.
“Village chief, are you aware the Farmer School has lately bred a Human Immortal Rank variety of spirit rice?”
A puzzled expression crossed the old village chief's face; he clearly had no clue about it.
Noting that reaction, Li Zhirui realized the man likely knew nothing of it. With nothing more to glean, he prepared to depart the village.
“Sunset approaches—why not spend the night here in the village before you go?” the old village chief suggested hospitably, eager to host such a generous patron.
“I appreciate the offer, village chief, but pressing duties call me away, so I'll pass.”
With those words, he took his leave.
Behind him, the leftover villagers erupted in jubilant cheers.
…
A few days on, Li Zhirui at last reached Nongcheng, the capital of Jiangzhou State.
——