This was a clear display of "striking the mountain to awe the tiger"! In front of all the Loose Cultivators at the Great Wilderness Market, it demonstrated the Five Elents Sect's stance. Anyone causing trouble on the Five Elents Sect's territory would be executed.
"Five Elents Sword, Slash!"
The Law Enforcent Elder of the Five Elents Sect raised the Ancient Bronze Sword high, and a Five-Colored Sword Light soared into the sky. The sword light multiplied, its numbers increasing. In the blink of an eye, the light screen was filled with Five-Colored Sword Light. Hundreds of these lights, without lingering, fell like raindrops upon the kneeling Cultivators.
After the sword light passed, blood flowed like rivers, and the ground was covered with minced flesh. The people from Heavenly River Square, the Pest Removal Team, and all other implicated individuals were exterminated by the sword light.
The golden light screen faded, and a dead silence fell over the city.
Cultivators were truly cruel to one another; human life was as insignificant as grass.
Jia Ren stared at where the light screen had been, his emotions in turmoil for a long ti.
When he thought about it, they had ultimately died because of him. If he hadn't alerted Yang Bingzhi, Yang Bingzhi wouldn't have reported it to the Five Elents Sect. The Sect might not have paid attention to such a trivial matter happening right under their noses. Who knew when they would have discovered the insect calamity then?
"They brought this upon themselves! What does it have to do with ?" Jia Ren shook his head to cast aside the thought. He was just a low-level Loose Cultivator, still struggling for a living with a re few asures of Spirit Rice.
"Master Jia, three hundred fifty-eight catties of Bug Corpses. Today we'll use the normal price: one Fragnted Spirit Stone for every eight catties of corpses. That's a total of four Spirit Stones and five Fragnted Spirit Stones."
Ming Wu's attitude had changed; he was all smiles and warmth. He had learned about Jia Ren through his clan mbers the previous day: a Master Exterminator who cleared pests from forty acres daily, earning twenty Spirit Stones a day.
Earning twenty Spirit Stones all by himself? Ming Wu couldn't suppress the stirring in his heart; he wanted to make a move on Jia Ren. However, his reason still held. The pest extermination business wasn't over. Killing Jia Ren now would an losing out on a lot of Spirit Stones.
Fatten the pig before the slaughter! That's the only way to maximize profits!
To prevent too harsh a price pressure and to maintain Jia Ren's willingness to sell Bug Corpses, Ming Wu purchased them at the old prices to foster a good relationship.
The most difficult to guard against are not villains who openly display their enmity. It's the "friends" who one mont share drinks and laughter with you, and the next, plunge a clean knife in and pull out a bloodied one.
"Daoist Jia, you helped the Spirit Farr Brothers get rid of their pest problem. I haven't properly thanked you for that yet," Ming Wu said, looking ashad, his apology appearing sincere. "I apologize for my past actions. I'll also compensate you for the price difference. You previously sold five hundred seven catties of Bug Corpses for a total of four Spirit Stones and nine Fragnted Spirit Stones. I'll compensate you an additional one Spirit Stone and four Fragnted Spirit Stones. That's five Spirit Stones and nine Fragnted Spirit Stones in total. Please take them, Master Jia."
Purchasing at the normal price? Making up for the previous price difference? There's no unmotivated kindness in this world. Why is he being so amicable? Are the Spirit Farrs really on such good terms with the Ming Family? Based on his understanding of cultivator families, their mbers always held themselves in high regard and looked down on low-level Loose Cultivators. They rarely deigned to associate with them.
Jia Ren's impression of Ming Wu was already colored by prejudice; he didn't believe such a rcenary fellow would willingly spit out the fat that had already reached his mouth. Either soone warned him, or he's plotting sothing even bigger. Jia Ren didn't have many friends, and those he had were all low-level Loose Cultivators, hardly influential enough to be ntioned. In that case, the answer was obvious.
"Thank you, Brother Ming. I'll continue to sell Bug Corpses to the Ming Family," Jia Ren said, his face wreathed in a warm, sincere smile, but in his heart, he had already consigned the Ming Family to the 'cold palace.'
Ming Wu had no idea he had overdone it to such an extent that Jia Ren had seen through his act, extinguishing any thought of returning. If he knew this, he would probably be angry enough to spit blood. He had paid extra Spirit Stones, only to achieve the opposite result...
After exchanging a few more superficial pleasantries with Ming Wu, Jia Ren finally bid farewell and left. He dropped his fake smile and decisively employed the Wind Control Skill, continuing his journey toward Grand Wilderness Mountain.
He firmly decided never to set foot within the Ming Family's territory again. "Earning so many Spirit Stones from pest extermination must have attracted the attention of other Loose Cultivators. Perhaps even so of the Spirit Farrs harbor ill intentions. Just because I'm safe for now doesn't an I'll always be safe. They haven't made a move because I can still be used to earn Spirit Stones through pest extermination. The day the insect calamity ends will be the most dangerous ti for ."
After Ming Wu's 'reminder,' the fog in Jia Ren's mind dispersed, and clarity dawned.
One easily misses the bigger picture when directly involved. Earning a large amount of Spirit Stones daily, I overlooked the potential risks. This was different from collaborating with middlen in private transactions, where few would know the exact number of Spirit Stones he made. It was also unlike setting up a stall, where the location changed daily; unless soone watched him at all tis, no one would know how many Spirit Stones he earned. Pest extermination was different. Every Spirit Stone earned was visible, making it easy for Spirit Farrs and other scheming Cultivators to know exactly how much he made.
Sigh, life as a low-level Cultivator is too difficult! Never mind the constant scheming and infighting; just earning Spirit Stones requires constant vigilance. A mont's carelessness could an death. This damn world!
Jia Ren couldn't help but curse vehently. After venting his frustrations, he regained his composure.
No matter what, life had to go on. To change things at the root, strength was essential! If I had the strength of the Qi Refinent Seventh Level, how many Cultivators would dare to target a Late Stage Qi-Refining Cultivator for re pest extermination fees? It's ti to increase my strength! I'll earn one more sum of Spirit Stones, then leave early before the insect calamity ends. Once I've earned enough cultivation resources, I'll spend the next period cultivating in peace.
Jia Ren finalized his future plans and returned to his dwelling in the Northern City area of the Great Wilderness Market.
After another busy day of pest extermination, Jia Ren sold all the Bug Corpses in the Market at a price of one Fragnted Spirit Stone for twelve catties. Although the price was low, it bought him peace of mind.
"It's becoming more and more unsafe lately."
Compared to the stability of Grand Wilderness Mountain, the Great Wilderness Market was not very peaceful. The strange fog incident hadn't subsided. More and more Cultivators were falling victim to it, and the number of infected was growing. In recent days, the number of Loose Cultivators had noticeably decreased, with most choosing to remain in seclusion.
The price of Evil Warding Talismans had soared. As the strange fog incident continued to develop, prices kept rising. Now, a single talisman cost forty Spirit Stones, an amount unattainable for low-level Loose Cultivators. Jia Ren had already used the Spirit Stones he earned to buy two Evil Warding Talismans, one for fifteen and another for twenty Spirit Stones, thus avoiding the current inflated prices.
Buying an Evil Warding Talisman for forty Spirit Stones, unless it's an absolute necessity, is simply being a sucker. With six Evil Warding Talismans on hand, he could sell them at the current high price and get two hundred forty Spirit Stones.
He wouldn't sell. Spirit Stones are important, but safety is paramount. Jia Ren had no intention of selling even a single Evil Warding Talisman.
Back in his stone house, Jia Ren cooked a pot of Spirit Rice as usual and ate it with so Monster Beast at.
"These are troubling tis. I originally planned to go into seclusion for cultivation after the pest extermination ends. I should buy more Spirit Rice as reserves." The best place to buy Spirit Rice was Grand Wilderness Mountain. The quality there was good, and as a Master Exterminator, he even received a discount.
As Jia Ren ate the soft, sticky, and sweet Spirit Rice, his mood improved considerably. Before he could finish his al, a knock ca from the door of his stone house.
Who could it be? It couldn't be soone looking for a free al; Zhou Lezhi was long dead.
Jia Ren didn't hurry to open the door. Instead, he summoned the Corner Worm from his Spirit Beast Bag to guard him. He then peered outside by looking at the reflection in a small mirror he had placed near the window. Standing outside was a familiar woman—the female Cultivator who ran the 'seafood' business in the back rooms.
Has this line of work beco so competitive already? She's even making house calls now?!
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