CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48 CATCHING TURTLES IN A JAR_1

Is the message true or false? Elder Wu hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to flee. It’s better to believe it’s true than to risk it being false. In any case, safety comes first.

The Five Elements Sect treats Loose Cultivators who master the Four Arts of Cultivation favorably; war is a contest not only of strength but also of resources.

Although Elder Wu was a Talisman Master, his specialty, the Demon-Spottng Talisman, was of little use in the war between the two sects. His only value would be to serve as cannon fodder on the battlefield.

Elder Wu didn’t dare to attend the trade meet. He decisively packed up the few items in his underground chamber and made a run for it at the first opportunity.

He’s gone? Jia Ren watched Elder Wu hurry away, believing his warning had taken effect.

Whether I’ll be able to acquire his Demon-Spottng Talisman Technique in the future will be up to fate.

Time to go watch the show at the underground trade meet.

Jia Ren left the tunnel where Elder Wu had been and headed to the underground trade meet.

Just as the trade meet opened, a steady stream of Loose Cultivators arrived.

In a short time, nearly one hundred and forty Loose Cultivators had gathered.

Except for a few individuals like Fang Wu, the Loose Cultivators were all visibly emaciated.

"Magic Artifacts and Elixirs in exchange for Spirit Rice."

"Fellow Daoist, please, be so kind as to sell me a few pounds of Spirit Rice."

The Loose Cultivators knew the chances of exchanging for Spirit Rice were slim but still clung to a thread of hope.

The result was the same as last time: no trades were made.

Everyone was short on food. No one could expect to get even a single grain of Spirit Rice from another Loose Cultivator.

"Are there any fellow Daoists who haven’t arrived?" Fang Wu’s gaze swept through the crowd, tallying the numbers. Each arriving Loose Cultivator was an asset; the more of them, the better.

Fang Wu did not find Jia Ren among the crowd.

Since the second trade meet, Jia Ren seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.

Fang Wu had secretly informed a few Loose Cultivators to report Jia Ren’s location in exchange for a reward of ten pounds of Spirit Rice.

Quite a few had searched for days but found nothing.

If Jia Ren doesn’t show up at this trade meet, there will be no chance of capturing him in the future.

Daoist Wu didn’t come either?

Elder Wu, master of the Demon-Spottng Talisman Technique, was also a key target for Fang Wu.

He had planned to starve Elder Wu for a while. When Elder Wu was at his wit’s end, Fang Wu intended to trade Spirit Rice for the Demon-Spottng Talisman Technique.

He hoped to make one last profit before the Five Elements Sect swept them all up.

The Four Arts of Cultivation were irresistibly tempting. Even if one didn’t learn them, they could be resold for a high price.

To his surprise, Elder Wu had also disappeared.

Fang Wu felt frustrated; things had not been going well lately.

"Daoist Fang, may I ask how much Spirit Rice you plan to sell?"

"Will it be sold in the usual manner?"

Numerous eager eyes were fixed on Fang Wu.

This was the only channel through which they could acquire Spirit Rice.

Although the price of Spirit Rice was steep, at least it was available for purchase.

The more Spirit Rice that was sold, the greater their chances of survival.

"There will be a total of one thousand pounds of Spirit Rice at this auction," Fang Wu announced.

"I understand the hardship of my fellow Daoists. Each of you can buy four pounds of Spirit Rice at the cost price of six Fragmented Spirit Stones per pound."

"A thousand pounds of Spirit Rice?"

"That quantity is still too little!"

"A cost price of six Fragmented Spirit Stones per pound?"

"Four pounds of Spirit Rice per Loose Cultivator... for nearly one hundred and forty cultivators, that means the one thousand pounds of Spirit Rice is almost six hundred pounds short!"

The eyes of Loose Cultivators who had neither Spirit Rice nor Spirit Stones lit up with a glimmer of hope.

Regardless, an extra four pounds of Spirit Rice offered a glimmer of hope for survival.

"Daoist Fang Wu is benevolent!"

"Four pounds per person is too little! Could it be increased to seven pounds so everyone gets an equal share?"

"Thank you, Daoist Fang Wu. I misunderstood you before."

Compared to the previously tense atmosphere, the mood in the hall eased slightly.

"Everyone, please be quiet." Fang Wu gave a wry smile and sighed. "I, too, wish that none of my fellow Daoists had to worry about a Spirit Rice shortage."

"Ever since the Spirit Rice from Grand Wilderness Mountain was burned, its price skyrocketed, and it became a prohibited item for sale."

"The Five Elements Sect Cultivators also need to earn Spirit Stones. Would they sell at cost price and take such risks? They won’t conduct business at a loss. Without profit, the next trade meet won’t have a single grain of Spirit Rice."

"Providing this much is already the limit of what I can do. I hope my fellow Daoists will understand."

"After the Spirit Rice, there will also be an auction for thirty Fasting Pills."

"First, every Daoist, please come and buy your rice."

Fang Wu was well-prepared, taking out bags of Spirit Rice weighing four pounds each, continuously exchanging them for Spirit Stones from the Loose Cultivators.

"Daoist Fang, you didn’t discuss this matter with me," Qi Yulong’s transmitted message rang in Fang Wu’s ear, his voice filled with coldness.

Six Fragmented Spirit Stones per pound of Spirit Rice was not the cost price; profits could still be doubled from that.

Last time, Spirit Rice sold for an average of four Spirit Stones per pound. Compared to that, six Fragmented Spirit Stones per pound this time represented a huge loss in potential earnings for Qi Yulong.

Failing to earn the expected amount of Spirit Stones was considered a loss, so how could Qi Yulong not be angry?

He had originally hoped to auction off one thousand pounds of Spirit Rice for four thousand Spirit Stones.

"If we still use the previous auction method, Daoist Qi, do you know what will happen?" Fang Wu transmitted in reply.

"Loose Cultivators who can’t afford Spirit Rice will riot for it. In their extreme hunger, they would dare to do anything. I don’t have the power to maintain order at the trade meet."

"Forget about auctioning Spirit Rice normally; you wouldn’t make a single Spirit Stone, and the Spirit Rice would be stolen."

"Only by taking an initial ’loss’ to stabilize them can we then proceed to auction the Spirit Rice normally."

"Those Loose Cultivators who lack the means to participate in the auction still possess Spirit Stones, just not enough to meet the auction requirements. By selling a portion at a low price, we can still extract the Spirit Stones they have."

"Rest assured, the Spirit Stones gathered from this auction won’t be much less than anticipated."

Qi Yulong stopped transmitting messages.

Compared to Qi Yulong, Fang Wu was the more competent businessman, possessing a better grasp of the overall situation.

Every Loose Cultivator had received some Spirit Rice. Although the amount was not large, it could at least sustain them for a few more days.

"We’ll use the same method as last time for the auction, selling the Spirit Rice by the pound," Fang Wu declared.

Having reaped rewards from the last Spirit Rice auction, how could he abandon the method that maximized profits?

Taking out half the Spirit Rice was merely for stabilization; the remaining Spirit Rice would still be sold using the method that yielded the most Spirit Stones.

The amount of Spirit Rice up for auction was less than last time, but the Loose Cultivators were far hungrier.

Loose Cultivators with larger reserves of Spirit Rice found them dwindling after such prolonged consumption, leaving them with very little.

Four pounds of Spirit Rice was not enough to alleviate their concerns about their dwindling supplies.

The competition was bound to be fiercer than last time.

"One Fragmented Spirit Stone per pound to start the auction!"

The Loose Cultivators, having learned their lesson from the previous auction, bid fiercely, and the price of Spirit Rice soared rapidly.

The first auctioned pound of Spirit Rice sold for the high price of four Spirit Stones and two Fragmented Spirit Stones.

The remaining Spirit Rice, just like at the last auction, saw its price skyrocket.

Driven by hunger, the competition for Spirit Rice was intense, and auction prices surpassed the previous limits.

"Six Spirit Stones per pound!"

The remaining Spirit Rice was sold off quickly, like flowing water. The total sum surpassed the two thousand Spirit Stones from the last auction, reaching three thousand Spirit Stones.

The Loose Cultivators’ Spirit Stones had been mostly squeezed dry, so the Fasting Pills didn’t fetch a high price at auction.

The reason was simple: the Loose Cultivators’ Spirit Stones had been completely drained.

Time to close the net! Qi Yulong thought.

As the Fasting Pills were being auctioned, Qi Yulong had already informed the Five Elements Sect Cultivators.

The auction had just concluded when a potent surge of Spiritual Power Fluctuation erupted from behind them.

The Five Elements Sect Cultivators descended, blocking the sole exit of the underground trade meet, trapping them like turtles in a jar.