Free Web NovelChapter 18: Chapter 18: Getting a Storage Bag
"Our monthly stipends as Outer Disciples were cut, so naturally, we have to make up for it somewhere else." Xu Hongfeng finally explained the reason for collecting the extra ten-catty tribute.
The true motive was revealed.
The cause and effect were clear.
’After this whole roundabout affair, the true culprit turned out to be me, Jiang Xu!’
If Jiang Xu hadn’t suggested that Shen Ji report to the General Affairs Hall, he probably wouldn’t have to be handing over this extra ten catties of Spirit Rice right now.
’I’ve well and truly dug my own grave.’
Jiang Xu had always heard of the butterfly effect, but he had never truly appreciated what it meant.
’Who would have thought I’d get to experience it firsthand today...’
Seeing Jiang Xu remain silent, Xu Hongfeng seemed to think he still had an issue with them collecting extra Spirit Rice, so he said,
"Do you think these thirty catties of routine dues are paid for nothing? That it all goes straight into the pockets of us Outer Disciples?
How could that be possible! We Outer Disciples aren’t that greedy!
In truth, a large part of your dues is used to solve problems on your behalf.
If anything happens in your Spirit Fields, the General Affairs Hall issues Sect missions for disciples to resolve it. The Spirit Stones spent on those missions come from the dues you pay.
As for the two thousand four hundred catties of Spirit Rice you hand over every year, that belongs to the Sect. The General Affairs Hall wouldn’t dare hold back a single grain."
After he finished speaking, he didn’t linger and began heading to the next servant’s residence.
Watching him walk away, Jiang Xu finally carried the remaining twenty catties of Spirit Rice into his house.
"It seems no one has it easy, huh!"
Jiang Xu first shook his head, but then his heart blossomed with joy as he looked at the Spirit Rice he had left in the room.
"I still have five hundred and twenty catties of Spirit Rice left. I’ll keep a month’s worth of rations for myself and sell all the rest."
...
「The Marketplace of the servant district.」
With his face still concealed by a bamboo hat and Face Cloth, Jiang Xu had fifty-two Spirit Stones tucked away. The weight of the stones made him feel confident, yet also paranoid, as if everyone who looked his way had ill intentions.
He hadn’t expected the price of Spirit Rice to increase because of the insect plague. Even the buy-back price had risen to one Lower Grade Spirit Stone for 9.5 catties. He had sold 494 catties of Spirit Rice, earning 52 Spirit Stones.
In the bustling Marketplace, Jiang Xu silently searched for what he came for.
During this harvest season, even though the insect plague had damaged the Spirit Rice, the Sect’s timely intervention meant the Spirit Plant Cultivators still had some to spare.
With their five-year terms approaching their end, most of them exchanged their Spirit Rice for Spirit Stones to advance their Cultivation Realm.
Therefore, at times like this, the people visiting the Marketplace were generally wealthier than usual, and naturally, more vendors set up stalls to trade.
’Sigh, I thought I was a little well-off, but it looks like I’m still just a poor wretch...’
Jiang Xu’s eyes landed on the stall of a burly, bearded man, and he felt a pang of envy. The man’s powerful aura and fluctuations of Magical Power clearly marked him as someone beyond the Qi Cultivation Early Stage.
Several Magical Artifacts were displayed on the man’s stall, all Tier One Lower Grade and clearly priced. The cheapest one, a hammer-shaped offensive Magical Artifact, cost a hefty twenty-five Spirit Stones.
There were also other items, such as Defensive Spiritual Artifacts and support-type Magical Artifacts, but they were even more expensive.
It wasn’t that Jiang Xu couldn’t afford it; his fifty-odd Spirit Stones were in fact enough to buy one of the Magical Artifacts.
But Jiang Xu didn’t think it was necessary.
He believed that as long as he could raise his Magic to a High-Level, no Magical Artifact of the same tier could ever compare. Using a Magical Artifact would simply be redundant.
’Unless... I could use a Magical Artifact to conceal the uniqueness of my Magic, to hide my trump card. I could use the artifact for ordinary spars, and then, at a critical moment, cast it aside and unleash Magic that’s several times stronger, catching my opponent completely off guard.’
’Huh? Wait, are those Storage Bags for sale?’
Just as Jiang Xu was about to look away from the bearded man’s stall, he spotted four or five small, gray cloth bags tucked away in a corner.
The small bags were a drab gray and looked completely unremarkable next to the other glittering Magical Artifacts. Jiang Xu had almost overlooked them.
Jiang Xu had coveted a Storage Bag for a long time. Now that he saw them, he had to ask the price, even if he didn’t end up buying one.
So, Jiang Xu stepped forward and asked the man,
"Fellow cultivator, how much are these Storage Bags?"
The big man answered without looking up:
"These Storage Bags have two cubic meters of space. Twelve Spirit Stones each."
Jiang Xu gulped.
’Holy hell, that’s expensive!’
"How about ten Spirit Stones? That’s really steep."
The big man looked up, his eyes as wide as bronze bells. He shot Jiang Xu a glare, his aura condensing, which gave Jiang Xu a fright.
"Ten Spirit Stones? Are you kidding me? Take it or leave it, that’s the price!" ƒrēewebnovel.com
Jiang Xu quickly explained,
"Fellow cultivator, please don’t be angry. I am sincere about buying and not trying to jest with you. It’s just that with the insect plague, my pockets are a bit light, so I have no choice but to bargain. I hope you can be understanding."
Hearing this, the bearded man’s anger subsided.
"Oh, so you’re a Servant Disciple. I won’t hold it against you, seeing as you’re just an ignorant Servant Disciple.
You should know, in the Cultivation Marketplaces outside the Sect, a Storage Bag like this costs fifteen Spirit Stones.
It’s only because of the Artifact Refiners in our Artifact Dao Pavilion that the price is twelve Spirit Stones within the Sect. All our Tier One Magical Artifacts are cheaper than in the marketplaces outside.
If you try to haggle any further, you’ll be insulting the Artifact Dao Pavilion itself."
’So he’s an Outer Disciple from the Artifact Dao Pavilion. No wonder he’s got such a fiery temper; it must be from all that smithing.’
Jiang Xu grumbled internally but obediently paid the twelve Spirit Stones for a Storage Bag.
There was no helping it; this was an expense he had to make. Jiang Xu had wanted one for a long time.
For one, it was a necessity that he’d have to buy sooner or later, as the Sect wouldn’t provide one.
For another, once he entered the Outer Sect, he would accumulate more and more valuables. Leaving them all in his residence would be far too insecure.
And third, Jiang Xu had already planned for his first Sect mission after entering the Outer Sect to be one that required him to leave the Sect grounds. Not having a Storage Bag then would be a major hassle.
The Storage Bag looked like a small pouch stitched together from a piece of drab, worn-out cloth, but it felt like some kind of animal leather to the touch.
When he bought it, the man, realizing that a mere servant wouldn’t know much, had also explained how to use the Storage Bag.
Jiang Xu channeled his Magical Power into it. Since the Storage Bag was brand new, it didn’t have anyone else’s brand on it.
Thus, Jiang Xu easily refined the Storage Bag, carving his own brand into it at the same time. This was equivalent to putting a lock on it.
Even if someone else were to get his Storage Bag, they would have to break his brand before they could use it. free𝑤ebnovel.com
After the refining process, when Jiang Xu injected a wisp of Magical Power into the Storage Bag, a hazy, gray space of about two cubic meters vaguely materialized in his mind.
