73: Chapter 73 Agreed Procurement

Xie Family, Council Hall.

The group had only just taken their seats according to rank, and before they had even fully settled, the Patriarch, Xie Mingde, was already leaning forward impatiently.

"My good son-in-law, is that matter that Cheng'er just mentioned... really true?"

If one were to ask who in the entire Xie Family was most desperate to change the current dire situation, Xie Mingde was definitely the first.

He had served as Patriarch for over thirty years and had watched with his own eyes as the Family withered day by day under his leadership; that sense of powerlessness and guilt gnawed at his heart every single moment.

At this moment, even if there was only a sliver of hope, he was willing to pin his greatest expectations upon it.

Of course, it was not just him; every single member of the Xie Family present was deeply concerned about this issue.

Once these words were spoken, the Grand Elder, Xie Xinming, and the Fifth Elder, Xie Dezhao, who were sitting nearby, immediately held their breath, their gazes fixed squarely on Chen Qingyuan.

Chen Qingyuan did not answer directly, but instead asked cautiously,

"Father-in-law, Elders, if the Xie Family stops planting spirit rice, will the Upper Sect... blame or interfere because of it?"

"Absolutely not!"

Xie Mingde spoke decisively, even wearing a look of mockery.

"They are hoping for exactly that. Xiyun Pavilion has joined forces with several Purple Mansion powers with the goal of monopolizing the supply of spirit rice within a radius of ten thousand miles. If a Family chooses to give it up voluntarily, they would naturally be happy to see it happen, as it would make it even easier for them to control the source."

"And our Lingxi Dock Xie Family is nominally affiliated with the Purple Mansion clan, the Liu Family, and our Upper Sect is Xiyun Pavilion. As long as we do not shake the foundations of spirit rice, Spirit Beast, or mineral veins, and merely switch the type of spiritual plant, they wouldn't spare a second glance at such petty gains."

Chen Qingyuan nodded slowly.

"I see. With those words from you, Father-in-law, this matter can be done!"

"Then, Father-in-law, Elders, do you know of the 'gray spotted thistle'?"

"gray spotted thistle?"

Xie Mingde frowned slightly in thought.

"I do have some recollection of it. This item seems common in the wilderness, but its uses don't seem extensive, and very few people in the outside world cultivate it specifically..."

"Could it be that you need a large amount of this item in the Lifeng Plain?"

"No,"

"To be precise, our Chen Family has discovered a new use for this item and is currently in urgent need of a large quantity of raw materials!"

The conversation ended there; Xie Mingde and the others naturally understood the boundaries and did not probe further, lest it appear as though they were prying into another Family's secrets.

"My good son-in-law, then I wonder... what is the purchase price for this gray spotted thistle from your Chen Family?"

Chen Qingyuan tapped his fingertips rhythmically against the tabletop, beginning to calculate in his mind.

The yield of the gray spotted thistle per mu is extremely high, reaching over two thousand jin. After refining, it can yield nearly one thousand Low Grade Talisman Paper!

Although its growth cycle is long—one year for Low Grade, one and a half years for Medium Grade, and as long as four years for High Grade—it is far less frequent than the two harvests per year of spirit rice.

However, the output value per mu is definitely far superior to spirit rice.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he announced a price that was highly attractive to the Xie Family, while still allowing the Chen Family to maintain a generous profit margin!

"Father-in-law, the Chen Family can purchase by the mu. For First-Order Low Grade gray spotted thistle, the yield per mu must reach over two thousand jin, and we will price it at eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stone per mu; if the quality can reach First-Order Medium Grade, with the same yield of over two thousand jin, we will price it at one hundred and eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stone per mu; if you can cultivate First-Order High Grade and meet the yield standard, the Chen Family is willing to pay six hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stone per mu!"

Even the lowest-tier First-Order Low Grade exceeded the return of planting spirit rice by more than double!

Upon hearing this, the breathing of the people in the hall involuntarily quickened a little.

Chen Qingyuan continued.

"If the portion of the yield per mu exceeds two thousand jin, it can also be calculated proportionally and purchased with Spirit Stone, but..."

"But what?"

Xie Mingde was listening with excitement, but his heart skipped a beat upon hearing those two words.

Chen Qingyuan spoke with a hint of regret.

"Father-in-law, there is no need to be nervous. It is just that currently, our Chen Family's digestion capacity is still limited. At this stage, we can only commit to purchasing the yield of fifteen mu of First-Order Low Grade gray spotted thistle, ten mu of First-Order Medium Grade, and ten mu of First-Order High Grade."

"I am afraid... we cannot completely digest all of the Xie Family's existing spirit fields at once."

Upon hearing this, although Xie Mingde felt a slight sense of regret, he felt even more excitement.

Thirty-five mu, calculated by annual output, would yield three thousand six hundred Spirit Stone, whereas planting spirit rice only brought in one thousand four hundred Spirit Stone a year!

Such a huge increase was enough to allow the Xie Family to temporarily emerge from their predicament.

Thus, he waved his hand and said loudly,

"It's fine! It's fine! One must eat rice one mouthful at a time, and walk the path one step at a time! Having this beginning is already a blessing from heaven for our Xie Family!"

"Rest assured, my good son-in-law. I will immediately arrange for manpower—no, I will go to the market myself to purchase the gray spotted thistle spirit seeds!"

"It would naturally be best if you went yourself, Father-in-law."

Chen Qingyuan nodded in agreement, then, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes lit up, and he said,

"Oh, by the way, since you are going to the market, Father-in-law, if it is convenient, could you help your son-in-law purchase a few items?"

"Haha, such a trivial matter, it's not even worth mentioning!"

Xie Mingde was in a great mood and patted his chest, agreeing readily.

"Whatever you need, just say the word, and I will definitely purchase everything for you!"

Chen Qingyuan immediately took out a blank Jade Slip, inscribed the required items into it with his Divine Sense, and took out a Storage Pouch containing Spirit Stone, handing them both to Xie Mingde.

"Father-in-law, there are three hundred Spirit Stone in this Storage Pouch; it is the deposit for this purchase of gray spotted thistle. Please accept it."

"Oh my, my good son-in-law, what are you doing!"

"Since you and I are Family, I naturally trust you; why would I need a deposit?"

"Father-in-law, rules cannot be broken. Besides, purchasing spirit seeds for the clan also requires expenses, so please, I insist you accept it."

Chen Qingyuan knew that although Xie Mingde spoke politely, he might not be very confident deep down; after all, this was a huge decision affecting the Family. If he didn't do this, how could he put them at ease?

Therefore, his attitude was exceptionally firm.

Seeing this, Xie Mingde was even more satisfied with his son-in-law's prudence and thoughtfulness!

"Good, good, good. You are very thoughtful, my good son-in-law; then I will do as you say."

He took the Jade Slip and the Storage Pouch, and subconsciously probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Sense, wanting to see what little trinkets his son-in-law needed.

However, the next moment, the smile on his face instantly froze, his expression became extremely strange, and he looked up at Chen Qingyuan, who was sipping tea in a leisurely manner. His heart skipped a beat!

"It's over, I agreed too quickly! There's actually a ghost creature?"

Chen Qingyuan naturally felt his father-in-law's complex gaze, but remained calm and composed!

The opening of the Secret Realm was imminent, and within a short three months, it was almost impossible to make a huge Breakthrough in his cultivation or the Splitting Light and Transforming Shadow Sword.

If he wanted to clear more levels of the Trial Tower and obtain more benefits, he had to start from aspects where he could improve rapidly.

In this way, there were only two aspects.

First, it was to patch his shortcomings. He did not lack offensive means; whether it was the yin bone needle, the peach blossom mirror, or the Qingwei Lightning Induction Talisman, they were all sufficient to deal with most situations.

His current shortcoming was precisely his own protection. In that Storage Pouch, besides the three hundred deposit, there were four or five hundred Spirit Stone and the Magical Artifacts previously seized from Boss Ding and others. With enough Spirit Stone, he entrusted Xie Mingde to find a high-quality defensive Magical Artifact.

Second, it was to improve the strength of the Yin Armor!

The Yin Armor was not restricted by the Bottleneck of cultivation; as long as there were sufficient yin-attribute spiritual objects to nourish it, it was entirely possible to stack it up to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining in the short term!

By then, he would be equivalent to carrying a Ninth Level of Qi Refining thug with him!

And the Trial Tower adjusted the difficulty based on the tester's own Realm. If he entered with the cultivation of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer but brought a Ninth Level of Qi Refining Yin Armor... the thought of that scene was something to look forward to.