Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 104

Upon entering Qing Stone Market this time, Qi Ping found it had undergone a massive change.

When Qi Ping appeared inside the market in his middle-aged man guise, the desolation was downright chilling.

He had expected it to be quieter, but never this dead!
The vast majority of shops were shut, with only a handful still open.

All the hawkers who used to shout their wares from stalls had completely vanished.

He didn’t even see the usual patrol teams that were always present on the streets.

“How could it be this deserted?”

The scene was genuinely unsettling. If not for the fact that his [Natural Perception] gave no danger warning, Qi Ping would have turned and run immediately.

“Could it be that soon all the shops will close completely?”

“This won’t do… I must secure channels for selling and buying goods. Otherwise, where will I get my supplies or sell my items?”

Qi Ping never imagined things would get to the point where there was nowhere left to trade. The situation must truly be becoming severe.

“I hope I can establish a stable cooperation method with Boss Gao and Meng Yan this time…”

He lacked too many things: cultivation techniques, Foundation Establishment methods, high-grade spirit herbs – all required a reliable channel to obtain.

Right now, the most likely connection Qi Ping had was through Meng Yan. With anyone else, it would be hard for Qi Ping to grant sufficient trust.

The idea of leaving Qing Stone had crossed Qi Ping’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Currently, it was likely that neither the Qing Tian Region nor the nearest Tian Huo Region were particularly peaceful. Traveling to those places held unknown risks, not to mention that crossing between regions was the most dangerous part.

Besides the risks, he would lose all his connections, and bringing Old Man Zhou along would be even more inconvenient.

So, in this situation, the best option was to reach a cooperative agreement with someone trustworthy and well-connected within the Qing Yuan Sect. This could solve many problems and might even offer better chances of obtaining truly powerful cultivation techniques and high-level resources than Qing Stone Market itself.

Furthermore, Qi Ping considered using this opportunity to claim more land in the Cloud Mist Mountains to accelerate his own development – an advantage that would be hard to find elsewhere.

“Anyway, as long as I can secure a trading channel, that’s what matters!”

Arriving at Boss Gao’s Ambition Trading Company, Qi Ping saw the door was half-closed, and his heart sank.

Fortunately, after discreetly sending a bee inside, he found Boss Gao was just sleeping there, which allowed him to relax a little.

Knock knock knock

Knock knock knock

After Qi Ping knocked for a while, Boss Gao opened the door, dragging his sleepy eyes.

Upon seeing Qi Ping’s unfamiliar face, he looked puzzled.

It wasn’t until Qi Ping softly mentioned the words “Disguise Bone Shrinking Art” that Boss Gao suddenly understood and hurriedly invited him in.

“Brother Qi, it’s you! I was wondering who it was!” Boss Gao said while making tea for Qi Ping.

“For safety’s sake. So, what happened in the last two months? Why has the outside become like this?”

“Ah, don’t even ask! Another large swarm of demonic insects appeared from somewhere two months ago, killed a lot of people! Then I heard the Qing Yuan Sect disciples, the Tian Huo Pavilion, some robber cultivators… several factions got into a fight over something, and even more people died… Anyway, business is just impossible now!”

“It’s that serious? And I was just about to do some business with you!”

“That depends on what it is now. Common goods are hard to move, and it’s difficult to buy suitable things too!”

“How about this? Is it easy to sell? How many spirit stones can it fetch now?”

As he spoke, Qi Ping took a portion of Nectar Qi from his storage bag and handed it to Boss Gao.

Boss Gao took the Nectar Qi, smelled it first, then enveloped a part of it with his spiritual power and swallowed it, closing his eyes to carefully feel its effects.

A moment later, Boss Gao abruptly opened his bright eyes.

“Top-notch stuff, Brother Qi! Pure spiritual energy, has the effect of nourishing one’s qi, slightly improves physical strength… it’s among the best of the low-grade Tier 1 spiritual materials. One portion like this could probably sell for around eight or nine spirit stones now…”

“So high?”

Qi Ping was stunned by the price; he thought it would be six or seven stones at most!

“Heh, Brother Qi, these are special times. Spiritual materials that can boost cultivation are in high demand. It’s normal for prices to be 10-20% higher than before. Things like spirit beast young, on the other hand, won’t fetch a good price. If you were to buy a spirit beast now, it would definitely be cheap, because not only does it consume resources after you buy it, it doesn’t really help much right now…”

After hearing Boss Gao’s explanation, Qi Ping suddenly understood.

This was great! Nectar Qi prices were up, spirit beast young prices were down – it couldn’t be more perfect for him!

“Is this stuff easy to sell now?”

“Brother Qi, let me put it this way: this is suitable for both early and mid Qi Refining stage cultivators. Basically, we can sell as much as we have! I could easily sell out tens of thousands of spirit stones worth of this stuff spotless!”

Hearing this, Qi Ping felt relieved. This meant the sales channel for Nectar Qi was no longer a problem!

Now all that remained was securing a supply channel.

“Good!”

As he spoke, Qi Ping took out all the Nectar Qi from his storage bag and placed it in front of Boss Gao.

Boss Gao’s expression froze for a moment when he saw so much Nectar Qi – another significant business deal!

But Qi Ping’s next sentence made him freeze even more.

“From now on, I’ll have about three thousand spirit stones worth of goods like this every month. Boss Gao should be able to handle that, right?”

Every month. Three thousand spirit stones!
Good heavens!
This means profit!

So he hurriedly said:

“Don’t worry! I can definitely handle that much! How about eight hundred spirit stones for this batch, Brother Qi?”

“No problem!”

Soon, Qi Ping and Boss Gao reached an agreement on the details of future Nectar Qi transactions.

Including where Qi Ping could find Boss Gao if he wasn’t here in the future, etc.

Looking at the smile on Boss Gao’s face, Qi Ping knew he stood to make a good profit too.

However, Qi Ping wasn’t upset about this. The price for the Nectar Qi had already exceeded his expectations. The fact that Boss Gao had the channels to sell all this was his own skill.

It was the result of a lifetime of building connections. If it were Qi Ping, not only would getting a fair price be difficult, the risks involved would be an even bigger problem.

Moreover, Qi Ping firmly believed that only a win-win situation could ensure stable, long-term business. He wasn’t overly concerned with small, immediate profits; he cared more about sustainability and stability.

However, when Qi Ping expressed his desire to buy spirit beasts, advanced spells, and spirit herbs, Boss Gao shook his head.

“Brother Qi, regarding that, I’m truly powerless right now. Given the current situation in Qing Stone County, I hardly have any channels left for those things either… However…”

Boss Gao’s tone then shifted, and he added:

“…However, Brother Qi, you could try contacting Meng Yan. His connections within the Qing Yuan Sect are extensive. Getting those things for you shouldn’t be a problem at all. The Qing Yuan Sect has its own trading market as well.”

“He actually asked me about you recently, because of the matter with the Blaze Crow. With the Blaze Crow involved, Lord Meng Yan will probably agree to help you. But we should also be prepared to offer appropriate spirit stones; the essence of a lasting relationship is mutual benefit,” Boss Gao stated bluntly.

As he spoke, Boss Gao also took out a copy of [Alchemy Notes] and a [Compendium of Spirit Herb Properties] from his storage ring and handed them to Qi Ping.

“I transcribed these while doing business over the years. Consider them a small gesture of goodwill, a gift to celebrate our new cooperation!”