Riding their Paper Cranes, the two gradually approached the Red Leaf Valley market.

Come to think of it, this was Jiang Chen’s second time here. Compared to the first time, the foot traffic was indeed much heavier. One could frequently see flying shuttles, flying boats, and flying ships.

Of course, the most common sight was still the Paper Crane. After all, they weren’t expensive and their speed wasn’t slow either. They offered very high value for money.

After landing, Jin Fugui asked, “Should we find a stall first or…?”

Jiang Chen put away his Paper Crane and then pointed at the Harvest Alliance building not far away. “Let’s sell some of the Spirit Rice and premium vegetables I’ve stored first to exchange for some Spirit Stones.”

Jin Fugui nodded upon hearing this. “Alright, we’ll follow your pace.”

Immediately, the two headed toward the Harvest Alliance trading point.

As they got closer, they could see many, many cultivators. Various spiritual roots were coming and going. It was just a sea of bobbing heads.

After all, there was only one year left until the Formal Disciple Competition. Everyone wanted to seize this opportunity for a final push. Even if they couldn’t shine brilliantly, they could still improve their ranking.

Jiang Chen and Jin Fugui soon entered the first floor of the Harvest Alliance.

Both instinctively looked toward today’s market exchange rates.

Tier-2 Spirit Rice remained stable. There were occasional fluctuations, but no significant changes.

The price of Tier-1 Spirit Rice, however, had actually rebounded. It had now reached a ratio of 1:8.

This ratio was acceptable to many people. It wasn’t considered high, but it wasn’t low either. Therefore, those buying Tier-1 Spirit Rice now constituted the majority.

Jin Fugui said with schadenfreude, “It’s definitely because of the impact from the rogue cultivator marketplaces that even a behemoth like the Harvest Alliance has been forced to compromise.”

Jiang Chen neither agreed nor disagreed. “Perhaps.”

Then, he found a window with a short queue. He finished exchanging not long after.

Several hundred jin of premium vegetables added together barely amounted to 1 Mid-grade Spirit Stone. There was no helping it; the current market was least short of premium vegetables. Because many spirit farmers grew them, the price was particularly stable.

Fortunately, combined with previous savings, Jiang Chen now had over 20 Mid-grade Spirit Stones in hand. Inviting an array master to install a formation was absolutely no problem.

Moreover, there were still 500 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Wine that hadn’t been sold yet.

With this settled, the two immediately left the trading point.

Once outside, Jin Fugui took the lead. After all, Jiang Chen had only been here twice, and a full year had passed in between. In contrast, Jin Fugui was much more familiar due to his frequent visits.

As they walked toward the busier streets, they conversed.

“I see. Paid stalls can be placed on streets with high foot traffic.”

“Right. So just follow me. The two of us can rent a larger one!”

Under Jin Fugui’s guidance, they quickly found the Manager in charge of stall rentals.

The higher the foot traffic on a street, the higher the stall fee. It started at a minimum of 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones and could go as high as 1 Mid-grade Spirit Stone.

Before long, Jin Fugui found a suitable stall for two people. The stall fee was 30 Low-grade Spirit Stones. For one person, it would indeed be a bit high. But split between two people, it was barely acceptable.

Moreover, this stall was located on a street with very high foot traffic, right next to an intersection. People came and went in an endless stream.

Since Jiang Chen was only selling Spirit Wine, one table was enough. Jin Fugui was different; he sold spirit beasts and needed more space.

Jiang Chen picked up the prepared paper and brush and wrote down the price for the Spirit Wine.

[20 Low-grade Spirit Stones per jin. No haggling.]

This price was a bit expensive. Normal Spirit Wine cost 1 Low-grade Spirit Stone per jin. Some inferior kinds could sell for 2 or 3 jin per stone, or even 5 jin.

But Jiang Chen truly had the confidence that it would sell. After all, this wasn’t just Tier-2 Spirit Wine. It was Master-tier Tier-2 Spirit Wine.

“Yeah right! As if we haven’t drunk it before. Who would buy it at that price!”

“He’s definitely selling for the first time. Too naive.”

Passersby who glanced at it were all deterred by the price. Many were even angry, feeling the price was disrespectful.

Jiang Chen didn’t respond to this. He simply took out another piece of paper.

He poured out just a small cup. A rich aroma of wine quickly spread.

The passersby who had been disdainful, angry, or scornful suddenly froze. Many twitched their noses, sniffing as they approached the stall.

One burly-necked uncle couldn’t help but swallow his saliva. “Fellow Daoist, your Spirit Wine has a very unique aroma. Which tier of Spirit Rice was it brewed from?”

“Tier two.” Jiang Chen held up two fingers on his right hand.

Everyone was surprised upon hearing this. It wasn’t like they hadn’t drunk Tier-2 Spirit Wine before. Most of the Spirit Wine on the market was brewed from Tier-2 Spirit Rice. But it definitely didn’t have this kind of aroma.

Finally, the burly-necked uncle couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Can I really try a cup?”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” The other man immediately grabbed the cup and brought it to his lips.

But he didn’t drink it right away. Instead, he took a deep sniff of the spreading aroma.

Gradually, his entire being became entranced. Only after a good while did he carefully take a small sip.

The moment it touched his taste buds, his eyes widened instantly.

The wine wasn’t very strong in alcohol content, but its aftertaste was endless. After sliding into his stomach, it immediately transformed into a warm current that flowed throughout his entire body. He felt comfortable from the inside out, even involuntarily letting out a soft moan.

Jiang Chen watched his reaction with a smile. “How is it?”

“I’ll buy 10… no! I’ll buy 20 jin!” The burly-necked uncle immediately took out money.

However, ignoring the doubtful looks from those around him, he gave Jiang Chen an ingratiating smile and asked, “Fellow Daoist here… could I get one of your communication talismans?”

Jiang Chen shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t like being disturbed.”

He was joking; he had too many secrets on him. If people kept coming to buy wine from him personally, it would be easy for things to be discovered.

“What a pity.” The burly-necked uncle turned away with considerable regret upon hearing this.

“Is it really that good?” The surrounding people tried it one after another.

However, everyone who tasted it reacted exactly like the burly-necked uncle from before: they took out money to buy it. Some bought 5 jin, others bought 10 jin.

In just a short while, 100 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Wine had been sold off.

Remember, the price per jin was 20 Low-grade Spirit Stones. The total earned was equivalent to 20 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

“Hiss!” Jin Fugui beside him saw this and couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.

He hadn’t even made his first sale yet, and Jiang Chen had already earned 20 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. The gap between people was simply too vast!

However, this was just the beginning. As more and more people bought, it triggered a herd mentality, leading not only to even more buyers but also starting word-of-mouth praise spreading around!

From an ordinary spirit farmer, Jiang Chen suddenly became a somewhat famous winemaker!

Fortunately, he had been cautious and hadn’t brought out all 500 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Wine at once!

Otherwise, it would have led to two outcomes:

First: Causing a frenzy where everyone rushes to buy!

Second: Attracting unwanted attention!

Of course, looking at things now, it had already caused some attention, but fortunately on a small scale and within controllable limits!

Seeing that he’d sold 200 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Wine and earned 40 Mid-grade Spirit Stones—which would suffice for both daily life expenses and hiring an array master—Jiang Chen decided to pack up his stall!

At this moment, someone squeezed through the crowd.

Wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat, with a curvaceous figure… Clearly a female cultivator by appearance! Not wearing formal disciple robes, so her spiritual root affiliation and background weren’t apparent!

Tie Xin sniffed the lingering wine scent in the air, then immediately looked up, asking, “Any left?”

Facing this rather delicate face, Jiang Chen felt like he’d seen her somewhere before!

Hearing her question, he asked back, “How much do you want?”

Tie Xin licked her lips, saying, “I’ll take however much you have!”

Jiang Chen took out five jin and handed it over. “Only this much left.”

Tie Xin directly tossed over one Mid-grade Spirit Stone, saying quite generously, “Keep the change!”

Then, under Jiang Chen’s and the surrounding people’s astonished gazes, she directly poured it into her mouth, gulping it down! Stopping only after a full ten seconds, then letting out a belch!

Beside them, Jin Fugui exclaimed admiringly, “Wow! Actually a female alcoholic!”

Jiang Chen was also surprised; he hadn’t expected the other party to love drinking so much!

“Wait…” Tie Xin carefully savored the aftertaste. Suddenly feeling the flavor was familiar, she soon remembered something. She couldn’t help examining Jiang Chen before her, then tentatively asked, “Do you know Pei Mo?”

“Do you know Chen Tian?”

Jiang Chen didn’t speak, just kept nodding!

Tie Xin finally remembered, widening her eyes and saying, “No wonder the wine tastes exactly the same as what Pei Mo gave me. It turns out you brewed it!”

Now Jiang Chen also finally remembered who this woman was, exclaiming, “I remember now! You also attended Senior Brother Chen Tian’s birthday banquet! That array master!”

Back when attending Chen Tian’s birthday banquet, five people remained behind:

Himself, Chen Bo, Pei Mo, Chen Tian…

And the fifth person was precisely the one present—a female array master who had awakened an Earth Spiritual Root!