Chapter 204: Spirit Wine

In the morning, when Wang Hong left his residence, the city was abuzz with discussions about who had good luck in finding Spirit Stones and how much they had unearthed. There was also a peculiar incident that caught everyone's attention. All the Demonic Beast corpses piled outside the city had mysteriously disappeared overnight.

Given the sheer number of corpses, even consolidating all the Storage Bags in the city wouldn't be enough to contain them. Moreover, these Demonic Beast corpses didn't hold much value and were not worth stealing.

This event led to various speculations among the Cultivators in the city. Some believed it was the work of a necrophiliac madman, while others thought the Demonic Beasts from outside the city had quietly returned and moved the corpses. However, if the Demonic Beasts had such capability, they could have attacked the city walls instead.

There were also theories that a powerful Nascent Soul expert passing by might have done it, among other speculations. In short, there were numerous guesses, but none stood out as plausible.

Wang Hong actively participated in the discussions, vehemently opposing the necrophiliac theory and favoring the idea that a passing senior expert was responsible.

However, with the ongoing threat of the Demonic Beast Tide, people couldn't afford to waste too much energy on such matters. The Beast Tide had temporarily receded but remained about two hundred miles away from Boundary City.

Some Cultivators from the city were dispatched to keep a close eye on the Beast Tide. Any unusual movement had to be reported immediately.

Although the Beast Tide showed no signs of activity at the moment, there was a continuous influx of Demonic Beasts toward it. The number of Cultivators in the city had dwindled to less than ten thousand after yesterday's battle, and many were injured and unable to participate.

Wang Hong had little time for idle chatter. His Space was now filled with Demonic Beast corpses, some massive and reaching several yards in height, while others were only fist-sized, all collected within.

The area designated for planting demon-hunting trees had turned into a mountain of monster corpses, burying the demon-hunting tree under a massive pile, rendering it invisible.

He absorbed all the Spirit Stones on him into the Space, but it only expanded by two acres. Unable to accommodate everything, he temporarily removed three acres of Spiritual Herb fields to make room for the Demonic Beast corpses. He planned to replant them once space became available.

Additionally, he selected some meat from second-tier Demonic Beasts and stored it separately. This meat was of high quality and served as excellent ingredients.

The powerful bodies of second-tier Demonic Beasts contained rich essence, far superior to the first-tier ones he usually obtained. Except for a few with unpleasant tastes, no one would discard the bodies of second-tier Demonic Beasts.

Due to the overwhelming quantity this time, it was impossible to handle everything, and there weren't enough Storage Bags to contain it all. Some Cultivators had already packed their bags with spoils from the battle, reluctantly discarding the bodies of second-tier Demonic Beasts.

Wang Hong seized the opportunity and collected them all. Now, he needed to acquire more Spirit Stones to increase the Space's capacity.

He had various items that could be exchanged for Spirit StonesSpiritual Herbs, spirit fruits, Pills, and, notably, Spirit Wine. Any of these items could fetch him a substantial amount of Spirit Stones.

Entering a crowded inn, he changed his appearance before leaving. He believed in keeping the business within his circle, so his first choice of a shop was Qingxu Tower.

Choosing Qingxu Tower had an additional advantagehe was already affiliated with it, knowing the ins and outs of the place, including its capabilities.

Upon entering Qingxu Tower, a familiar waiter approached him. "Esteemed guest, may I inquire about your needs?"

"Help me find your shopkeeper; I have a significant deal for him," Wang Hong said with a satisfied expression.

"Of course, please follow me," the waiter led him to a private room.

Wang Hong had received many Alchemy-related commissions in this room in the past, never expecting he would be a customer here himself one day.

After a while, the waiter returned with Wu Dayong.

"Fellow Daoist, I am the shopkeeper of this establishment, Wu Dayong. May I know what brings you to our humble shop with such a grand business proposition?" Wu Dayong asked with a friendly smile.

"I have some Spirit Wine. I wonder if your shop would be interested?" Wang Hong inquired with a smile.

"Of course! Of course! How much do you have, and we'll take as much as you have!" Wu Dayong eagerly replied.

Spirit Wine was currently in high demand as a strategic resource during the war. It could be a life-saving elixir in critical moments, and no one would consider it too much.

"I have fifty pounds of second-tier Spirit Wine and five hundred pounds of top-grade first-tier Spirit Wine. We can trade for Spirit Stones. Would your esteemed shop be interested, and what price could you offer?" Wang Hong asked.

In ordinary times, and outside of wartime, such items couldn't be easily obtained with Spirit Stones. With the ongoing war against the Demon Clan, the prices of various strategic resources were skyrocketing, and it was challenging to transport goods from other cities to this location.

Items like Spirit Wine, which could restore spiritual energy at any time, were held onto tightly by everyone, reluctant to exchange them for Spirit Stones.

"Thirty thousand Spirit Stones per pound for second-tier Spirit Wine, and one thousand Spirit Stones per pound for top-grade first-tier Spirit Wine. How about that?" Wu Dayong quoted a price significantly higher than the market value.

Wu Dayong knew that, at this time, spending Spirit Stones to secure such a deal was more than worthwhile. As long as he could obtain this batch of Spirit Wine, the safety of Cultivators from Qingxu Sect in this region would be greatly assureda significant achievement for him.

"Wu Manager is indeed generous. Deal!" Wang Hong agreed without negotiating further.

He immediately presented several sealed wine jars for Wu Dayong to inspect. Wu Dayong opened each jar to examine the Spirit Wine. He found the quality to be exceptional, especially considering the storage duration, which exceeded the norm by a considerable margin.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. The Spirit Stones will be delivered shortly." Wu Dayong resealed the wine jars and sent a Transmission Talisman.

After a while, a Foundation Building Cultivator entered the room, bowed to Wang Hong without uttering a word, and handed a Storage Bag to Wu Dayong before standing silently, like a piece of wood.

Wang Hong recognized this Foundation Building Cultivator, responsible for the warehouse at Qingxu Tower and known for his taciturn nature.

Wu Dayong scanned the Spirit Stones in the Storage Bag with Divine Sense, then handed it to Wang Hong, saying, "Two million Spirit Stones. Please verify, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Hong took the bag and scanned it with his Divine Sense, finding exactly two million Spirit Stones.

"Exactly two million. Since the deal is concluded, I'll take my leave," Wang Hong stated.

After the successful transaction, Wang Hong didn't linger. Wu Dayong hastily stood to see him off.

Wang Hong was escorted all the way to the entrance of the shop, and Wu Dayong expressed hope for future collaborations.

After leaving, Wang Hong returned to the inn, changed his identity once again, and then left the inn. He entered another inn, resuming his original identity.

Back at his residence, he scattered the newly acquired Spirit Stones into the Space. The original area was 105 acres, increased by two acres earlier, totaling 107 acres. After replenishing the spent Spiritual Energy in the recent Space expansion, he allowed the Space to absorb 1.8 million Spirit Stones, increasing its area by eighteen acres.

Now, his Space had a total area of 125 acres, and the time flow had reached 154 times the normal rate.

With the additional eighteen acres, he replanted the three acres of Spiritual Herb fields he had removed earlier. He also cleared the Demonic Beast corpses piled in the demon-hunting tree forest, allowing the tree to absorb them normally and produce golden seeds.

He had accumulated a considerable number of these golden seeds, a valuable resource he didn't mind having more of. Here, he had the opportunity to gather them in abundance, something he couldn't achieve elsewhere without spending Spirit Stones.

He reserved over ten acres of empty land to store Demonic Beast corpses.

Throughout the day until evening, the Beast Tide didn't attack the city. However, this didn't ease the tension among the Cultivators; if anything, it heightened the sense of urgency. The Beast Tide's numbers continued to increase, while the number of Cultivators remained stagnant.

In the evening, Wu Dayong sought out Wang Hong, mysteriously gifting him a pound of second-tier Spirit Wine.

Without guessing, Wang Hong knew it was the Spirit Wine he had sold. Wu Dayong was thoughtful enough to remember him for such a good deal.

Shortly after, he received a message from Shen Jian, a senior from Qingxu Sect, summoning everyone for a gathering.

When Wang Hong arrived, a dozen Foundation Building Cultivators had already gathered in a hall.

"Wang Senior Brother!" Tian Qing greeted Wang Hong with a smile.

"Tian Junior Sister!"

After exchanging pleasantries with Tian Qing, Wang Hong chatted for a while. Zhang Chunfeng walked in and stood beside Wang Hong.

After a while, Shen Jian arrived, greeted everyone, and stood at the forefront, declaring, "Fellow senior brothers, today's gathering is for a good cause. We're here to share some benefits, so everyone can gain a bit of light."

"Shen Senior Brother! What good news do you have?" an eager junior brother asked.

"It's like this. I currently have a batch of second-tier Spirit Wine, but it doesn't belong to me personally; it belongs to the Sect. With Elder Song's approval, each Foundation Building Cultivator present is entitled to half a pound. However, to obtain this Spirit Wine, the Sect paid a hefty price. Considering the ongoing war and the safety of everyone, we're distributing it to you at the cost of twenty thousand  Spirit Stones per half a pound."

Wang Hong understood the situation. Sects indeed knew how to make money. In less than half a day, the price had risen from thirty thousand Spirit Stones per pound to forty thousand.

Although he felt the Sect was being opportunistic, it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the fellow Cultivators.

Items like second-tier Spirit Wine, Spiritual Objects, were usually traded through barter. Success rates for transactions using Spirit Stones were typically low. As many high-tier Cultivators would say, if it could be resolved with Spirit Stones, it wasn't a big deal.

Now, with everyone willing to spend Spirit Stones to buy Spirit Wine, Wang Hong naturally couldn't be an exception.

At the price of forty thousand Spirit Stones per pound, he purchased back half a pound of the Spirit Wine he had sold.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay