CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: THE LINGERING SPIRIT_1

The first pound of Spirit Rice at the auction kept climbing in price, quickly surpassing one Spirit Stone.

It finally sold for the high price of two Spirit Stones and Three Fragmented Spirits.

The Loose Cultivators were all shocked by the price at which a pound of Spirit Rice was sold.

It was terrifying! When did a pound of Spirit Rice become so expensive? Who could afford Spirit Rice now?! Next time, it should be cheaper...

The price of Spirit Rice in the second auction did not come down as people expected, but instead rose by Three Fragmented Spirits.

Desperate with hunger, the Loose Cultivators spared no expense to buy Spirit Rice.

With less rice and more people, many Loose Cultivators were destined not to get any Spirit Rice.

Initially, they could still restrain themselves and watch from the sidelines. As more and more Spirit Rice was auctioned off, they could no longer hold back and joined the auction in droves.

This also caused the auction price of Spirit Rice to skyrocket, at one point reaching four Spirit Stones and seven Fragmented Spirit Stones.

Without rice and in desperation, the Loose Cultivators went mad, Fang Wu’s greed sealing their fate.

As the Spirit Rice gradually dwindled, the competing Loose Cultivators became increasingly frenzied.

As the auction neared its end, each pound of Spirit Rice sold for more than five Spirit Stones, a record high for the Great Wilderness Market.

After the auction ended and the frenzy subsided, the Loose Cultivators looked at their shriveled Storage Bags with regret. The Spirit Stones they spent yielded very little Spirit Rice.

How many days could this amount of Spirit Rice last?

Loose Cultivators who couldn’t afford to join the auction and didn’t get even a pound of Spirit Rice felt a chill creep into their hearts, their gazes towards Fang Wu filled with growing malice.

"Daoist Fang, what you have done is simply too much," one said.

"We only buy rice to survive, but the price is just too high!"

"This is outrageous! Life is hard for Loose Cultivators. Are you trying to drive us to our deaths?"

Fang Wu swept his gaze over the protesting Loose Cultivators, his tone growing colder. "This is not a charity hall. Everyone here is without Spirit Rice. I kindly offer my own rations, and yet some people maliciously slander me?"

"We must get Spirit Rice today!"

Emboldened by their numbers, the Loose Cultivators aimed to seize the opportunity to snatch some Spirit Rice.

"Dare to cause trouble here? Do you want to be captured by the Five Elements Sect?"

"Haha, if we’re caught by the Five Elements Sect, at least we’ll get a full meal. That’s better than starving to death."

A jade-colored sword light flew out, directly beheading the troublemaker.

With the death of one Loose Cultivator, the crowd descended into chaos. One by one, they activated their Spirit Shields and Defense Artifacts, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Only then did they remember this was not the Market; safety was not guaranteed.

"Troublemakers should be slain!" Fang Wu declared. "The trade fair will reopen seven days later, and new rice will be delivered."

To avoid escalating the situation, Fang Wu announced the end of the trade fair.

Five hundred pounds of Spirit Rice had sold for two thousand Spirit Stones, far exceeding expectations.

Yet some Loose Cultivators were unwilling to leave. Without rice in their pots, how could they go back and wait another seven days?

Could they survive? Would the price of Spirit Rice be cheaper next time?

The Loose Cultivators were very calm; having survived until now, they held no illusions.

"If that’s the case, let’s all become cannon fodder for the Five Elements Sect together," one of them declared.

Without the slightest fear, Fang Wu stimulated the Spiritual Power Fluctuation within him, not caring in the least that it would attract the Five Elements Sect Cultivators.

Was he trying to create a scenario where both sides perish? No, Fang Wu had backing. The only ones who would die were themselves...

The hotheads among the Loose Cultivators regained their senses. They didn’t dare to stay a moment longer, fearing that the Five Elements Sect Cultivators would come knocking, and hurriedly left.

"Selling them Spirit Rice was generous enough, yet they complain about the price."

As the Loose Cultivators left, Qi Yulong, who had been hiding behind the scenes, emerged with a laugh.

"The total number of Spirit Stones gained from auctioning the Spirit Rice is two thousand and twenty-five Spirit Stones, plus Three Fragmented Spirits," Fang Wu reported.

Fang Wu, his smile gone, respectfully handed over the Spirit Stones, still warm from the exchange.

"Not bad!" Qi Yulong exclaimed. "Five hundred pounds of Spirit Rice sold for the price of two thousand pounds of Spirit Stones! Fang Wu, you are quite talented."

"Two hundred Spirit Stones is your reward. Keep up the good performance."

Qi Yulong dined on meat; it wouldn’t do for his subordinates to not even have a sip of soup. He still had plenty of Spirit Rice and relied on Fang Wu to sell it.

"Daoist Qi, we Loose Cultivators don’t have many Spirit Stones," Fang Wu said. "If we hold another Spirit Rice auction in seven days, there won’t be much profit to squeeze out afterward."

Qi Yulong let out a hearty laugh. "Then let’s make one last big score."

"The Five Elements Sect is short on manpower. After we make the last bit of Spirit Stones from this auction of Spirit Rice, we’ll send them to the Five Elements Sect."

The fate of the Loose Cultivators was clearly arranged: their Spirit Stones would be drained, and then they would be sent to the battlefield as cannon fodder.

Tonight’s not bad, time to slaughter a fat sheep. If he had just paid out two hundred Spirit Stones, he had to recoup it from somewhere else.

Jia Ren quietly watched the two leave, then decisively followed the underground tunnel toward Shen Xing Sanxiu’s dwelling.

He wasn’t there to warn Shen Xing Sanxiu. He wasn’t close with Shen Xing Sanxiu, and it wasn’t worth the risk of exposing the tunnels.

Using the convenience of the tunnels, Jia Ren arrived at Shen Xing Sanxiu’s place ahead of Qi Yulong and Fang Wu.

The underground chamber was empty, but voices drifted down from above.

"Shen Daoyou, please sell me a few pounds of Spirit Rice," a voice pleaded. "You can’t just stand by and watch me die," the voice added, sounding desperate.

Someone was at the door wanting to buy Spirit Rice? Jia Ren thought.

"Daoist, you jest. I have no Spirit Rice to spare; I’m truly sorry," Shen Xing Sanxiu replied with a helpless look. This was an unforeseen problem caused by the trade fair.

He was known to be closely associated with Fang Wu, and his trade in old stone houses had earned him a hefty sum of Spirit Stones. He wasn’t short on Spirit Rice, which was sure to make others envious. Even if he claimed to not have much Spirit Rice, no one would believe him.

The nameless Loose Cultivator spoke with a mournful tone, "Shen Daoyou, won’t you give me a way to live?"

"Daoist Fang, why have you come?" Shen Xing Sanxiu exclaimed in pleasant surprise; Fang Wu had helped him considerably, and gratitude filled his heart.

Before he could voice his thanks, a long spike pierced his heart, leaving a bloody hole through his body.

The killer was the trusted Fang Wu.

Until the very end, Shen Xing Sanxiu’s face held an expression of utter disbelief.

"You’ve got some nerve!" the other Loose Cultivator exclaimed in shock and anger at Fang Wu. "Shen Daoyou didn’t want to sell you Spirit Rice, but was that reason enough to murder him!" It was clearly you who murdered him, yet you’re the ones shouting ’catch the thief’!

A Magic Sword radiating a jade glow shot out from the shadows, severing his head. The words he never uttered followed him to the Underworld.

Qi Yulong emerged from a dark corner, a smirk on his face.

"Shen Daoyou! I have avenged you! May your journey be peaceful," he proclaimed, as both he and Fang Wu shed crocodile tears in a comical display.

Loose Cultivators who didn’t know the truth might think their relationship had been good, never guessing Fang Wu was the murderer.

The moment Shen Xing Sanxiu got involved, his fate had been sealed.

Qi Yulong and Fang Wu scoured Shen Xing Sanxiu’s dwelling for anything of value.

Jia Ren, well aware of the entire situation, felt a mournful empathy. Fighting back irritation, he watched as the two executioners divvied up their spoils in the secret chamber below.

"I almost forgot, didn’t Jia Ren come to the Market?" Qi Yulong suddenly remembered. "Have you found where he lives?" he inquired.

"I haven’t properly returned the favor for his help with the old stone houses," Qi Yulong remarked inwardly.

Qi Yulong hadn’t forgotten about Jia Ren. He had intended to use him for the old stone houses and nurture him as his money sack. Once the old stone house business was done, he planned to kill him for his wealth and squeeze out the last of his value. Unfortunately, Jia Ren was too cautious and left no opportunity. Jia Ren’s escape had nearly wrecked the follow-up plans. Being unforgiving by nature, Qi Yulong was determined not to let Jia Ren go.

"He’s too cautious," Fang Wu reported. "The people sent to follow him came up empty."

"Don’t worry," Fang Wu assured confidently. "He traded Spirit Rice for the Spirit Turtle, so he can’t have much grain stored up. I don’t believe he won’t come to the Market."

"When that time comes, killing him will be as easy as flipping a hand," Fang Wu added, eager for the hunt.

Qi Yulong nodded in satisfaction and quickly left.

Jia Ren, having heard their entire conversation, felt his blood boil with killing intent.

These two were like relentless ghosts. Sooner or later, I’ll slaughter you both!