Chapter 40 A Lucky Find

Chapter 40: A Lucky Find

Wang Hao nodded in satisfaction and placed the other egg into the spiritual liquid as well. Seeing the concentration of the spiritual liquid had decreased significantly, he refined another batch to replace it.

He didn't expect all five insect eggs to hatch. He would be quite satisfied even if only two, or even just one, Illusion Moon Butterfly emerged. After all, this was ranked 78th on the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Insect Ranking! There were millions upon millions of spiritual insects in this world; those that could make it onto the ranking were no ordinary items. A rank of 78 was not low at all!

After settling the eggs, Wang Hao decided to go out for a stroll. He had been in Qingyuan Market for quite a few days but had only gone out once to attend an exchange meeting. He hadn't really explored properly.

Today, he decided to go check out the area where rogue cultivators set up their stalls! Who knows, he might even get lucky!

Qingyuan Market was well-planned. The area for rogue cultivator stalls was concentrated in a small square, easy to find right next to the North Gate.

Wang Hao browsed casually. It wasn't much different from Qingniu Market, except here, not only Qi Refining stage rogue cultivators had stalls, but there were also many Foundation Establishment cultivators present. The variety of goods was also greater, with even Tier 2 items for sale!

"Huh? What kind of wine is this? It smells so fragrant!" Wang Hao stopped at a stall run by an old man at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, pointing at the gourd in the man's hand.

The old man's stall didn't have many items: a few animal hides, some blank talisman paper, and a few magical instruments.

Seeing a potential customer, the old man quickly introduced, "This is Crimson Blood Brew, a spiritual wine made from Crimson Blood Ginseng. It can heal injuries and restore spiritual power!" As he spoke, he took out a new gourd. "Would you like some?"

Wang Hao shook his head. "I'm not interested in your wine, but I am interested in your brewing recipe!" With his farm's output, obtaining a brewing recipe would be like adding wings to a tiger!

The old man's expression changed. "The recipe is not for sale. That's how this old man makes a living! If you're not buying anything, please leave and don't hinder my business!"

A neighboring stall owner sneered, "Old Man Zou, what business could you possibly have with that pile of junk? And your wine is more expensive than the tavern's, yet its effects aren't as good. Who would buy it? This Fellow Daoist wants to buy your recipe. I advise you to sell it before you can't even afford spirit rice in a few days and starve on the streets!"

The old man immediately started arguing with him. "Bah! Even if this old man starves to death, dies outside, he would never be such a prodigal son as to sell his ancestral recipe!"

"The Crimson Blood Brew's effects are poor because the raw materials are of lower age. This old man's skill is absolutely fine!"

"'Not for sale' means the price offered is too low?" Wang Hao muttered to himself. "The problem is I haven't even made an offer yet!"

Having finally come across this opportunity, Wang Hao decided to try again. "Fellow Daoist Zou, please reconsider. The price can be negotiated!"

"I said it's not for sale, so it's not for sale. This is my ancestral craft. If I sell it, wouldn't I become a prodigal son?" The old man was extremely firm.

"If that's the case, Fellow Daoist Zou, would you consider being employed to brew wine for me?" Wang Hao suddenly remembered the Wang family shop in Qingyuan Market. He and Wang Yanzhao would leave sooner or later. Once they did, if the shop ran out of pills, it would return to its previous half-dead state. Employing this old man to brew wine would at least provide some income.

Hearing this, the old man's eyes lit up. He was currently homeless and never knew where his next meal was coming from. If someone would employ him, at least his basic needs would be met. So he asked, "How much salary can you offer? Do you provide lodging? What about meals? Also, this old man will not leave Qingyuan Market!"

Wang Hao smiled upon hearing this; the matter was settled. "I'll give you thirty Spirit Stones per year. That's the standard salary in my Wang family. Lodging and food are naturally provided. You'll work right here in Qingyuan Market!"

"I am a member of the Wang family from Qingniu Market. If you agree, you can join my Wang family as a guest elder." He pointed at the stall before him. "If you swear by your Dao Heart not to harm my Wang family and to work for at least ten years, I will buy everything on your stall as a gift for hiring you!"

"I have a Top-Grade magical instrument here—the Sky-Overturning Seal—and all the other miscellaneous items add up to a full two hundred and forty Spirit Stones. Will you really buy them all?" The old man looked at Wang Hao suspiciously. Even among clan disciples, few had that many Spirit Stones.

The neighboring stall owner couldn't help but laugh again and said to Wang Hao, "Young man, I say don't be fooled. Old Man Zou's pile is just junk; no one would want it even for a hundred Spirit Stones. And that Sky-Overturning Seal? Look how damaged it is! How much does a new Top-Grade magical instrument cost at Qingyuan Pavilion? How dare you ask for full price!"

"Ge Er! Don't push people too far! If you keep talking nonsense, this old man will turn against you!"

"So what if you turn against me? You think I'm afraid of you? I just can't stand watching you swindle Fellow Daoists here! This person kindly offers to take you in, but what about you? Have you no shame? At your age, have you lived all these years in vain?"

Wang Hao picked up the "Sky-Overturning Seal" and examined it curiously. It was earthy yellow in color and seemed to be made from some kind of earth-attribute spiritual material. There was a small crack on its body. Buying this thing for a hundred Spirit Stones would indeed be a loss! However, many "seniors" had one of these. If Wang Hao didn't have one, it wouldn't feel very protagonist-like. For this bit of whimsy, buying it wouldn't hurt.

He coughed lightly. "I'll give you one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones for it all. If you agree, come with me."

"One hundred fifty Spirit Stones is too little..." The old man still wanted to haggle higher but didn't expect Wang Hao to turn and walk away before he finished speaking. He hurriedly changed his tune. "Fellow Daoist! This old man agrees! One hundred fifty it is!"

"Ah... overpaid!" Ge Er shook his head with a sigh.

Wang Hao smiled and cupped his hands towards him. "Thank you for the reminder."

"Not at all," Ge Er said self-deprecatingly with a smile.

Wang Hao brought the old man back to the shop and said, "This will be your workplace from now on... Oh! I forgot to ask your name first! I am Wang Hao."

Seeing how small the shop was slightly disappointed him, but at least it was somewhere stable. So he bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Master. My surname is Zou, named Zou Renhe. Others call me Old Man Zou."

"Then from now on we shall address you as Elder Zou!"

Zou Renhe hurriedly declined. "Dare not. Master’s cultivation is profound..."

Wang Hao waved his hand. "Ah, once joining our Wang family as a guest elder, we become family. Among our clan disciples, seniority matters more than cultivation. Elder Zou being older, such address isn’t inappropriate."

Zou Renhe modestly replied, "Then this humble one shall thick-skinned accept." Then he cautiously asked, "Might I ask where the brewing materials are? And the Spirit Stones..."

"After swearing the oath, they will be immediately given. Materials, Spirit Stones—none will be lacking."

Zou Renhe hurriedly swore an oath by his Dao Heart. Without further ado, Wang Hao paid him one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, then took out a hundred fifty-year-old Crimson Blood Ginseng plants plus a hundred ten-year-old ones. "Use these materials first. Additionally, the shop will procure relevant materials too. When can the spiritual wine be ready?"