Deacon Li waddled away, his large belly swaying with every step. It was clear the man was very satisfied with his “gift.”

Wang Ba, on the other hand, was miserable.

He was penniless.

Burying his frustration, he focused on finishing the day’s chores. As dusk began to settle, he tucked a few Rare Fowl eggs he had hidden away into his robes and slipped out of the manor. He was heading for the West Garden Market to barter for grain.

Fortunately, the Rare Fowl had been exceptionally productive over the last few days. Not only had he met the Sect’s quota, but he had also managed to skim a small surplus off the top.

If not for that, he really would have gone hungry.

“What? One Rare Fowl egg is only worth five taels of silver?”

In front of Chen’s Grain Store, Wang Ba’s voice cracked in disbelief, drawing looks from several passersby.

Five taels of silver. In the mortal world, that sum could buy hundreds, perhaps thousands of chicken eggs. It was a small fortune. But here? It depended entirely on the currency you compared it to.

In this market, a single Rare Fowl egg sold for over ten taels.

Conversely, ordinary rice here was exorbitantly expensive, costing one or two taels of silver per jin. In the mortal world, a few copper coins would suffice.

There was no way around it. The Immortal Sect was a closed economy. Wealthy mortals brought mountains of silver into the Sect to support their children, but very little silver ever flowed back out. The result was hyperinflation.

Silver was trash here. Spirit Stones were the only real hard currency.

But Spirit Stones weren’t something a mortal laborer like him could easily touch.

“That’s the price,” Shopkeeper Chen said, reclining lazily in his chair. He looked at Wang Ba with drooping eyelids, radiating a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. “You decide.”

Chen’s store was technically a “Grain Store,” but it functioned more like a general grocer. He sold anything edible—chicken, duck, fish, meat. He had Rare Fowl, Precious Pigs, Colorful Ducks, and more.

It reminded Wang Ba of the community wet markets from his previous life, though the variety here was far more exotic.

Wang Ba gritted his teeth. His stomach growled, making the decision for him.

“Fine.”

He traded four Rare Fowl eggs for ten jin of rice.

It was a painful exchange, but Chen’s Grain Store was actually considered fair compared to the other sharks in the market.

Just as Wang Ba was hefting his sack of rice, a middle-aged man wearing the standard gray Daoist robe of a servant disciple approached the store. He looked nervous, his eyes darting around as he clutched a covered black basket.

Wang Ba’s nose twitched.

He smelled an extremely familiar odor.

The man shot a wary glance at Wang Ba. Reading the room, Wang Ba tactfully stepped away.

However, he didn’t go far. He lingered in the shadow of a nearby stall, pricking up his ears.

Faint snatches of conversation drifted over.

“…Spirit Poultry… twenty…”

“…No… at most this many…”

Spirit Poultry?!

Wang Ba jolted as if electrocuted.

That man was selling a Spirit Poultry!

Wang Ba was absolutely certain. The smell clinging to the man’s robes was unmistakable—it was the pungent, earthy stench of concentrated chicken manure from a high-energy coop.

Spirit Poultry can actually be sold on the open market?

Wang Ba was stunned.

He had assumed that since the Sect placed such high value on them for tribute, they were controlled resources—illegal to trade privately.

But this transaction… it blew his mind wide open.

A plan formed instantly.

He watched from the shadows until the middle-aged man left, clutching a bulging pouch that clinked with the sound of stones, not silver.

Wang Ba didn’t waste a second. He sprinted back to the mountain manor.

Once inside, he dug out Old Man Sun’s tattered, patch-covered Daoist robe. He hadn’t thrown it away, thinking it would make good nesting material for the hens.

Now, it was the perfect disguise.

Old Man Sun’s build was similar to his own. Wang Ba donned the filthy robe and deliberately smeared soot and grime across his face. Unless someone knew him intimately, they would never recognize the young Wang Ba under the guise of this weathered, dirty old farmer.

“Ahem… kkhh…”

He practiced coughing, roughing up his voice until it sounded raspy and aged.

Satisfied, he returned to the West Garden Market.

He bypassed Chen’s store and circled around to a different shop: Lu’s Grain Depot.

He entered silently, keeping his head low, looking around like a nervous peasant.

Shopkeeper Lu, the proprietor, didn’t shoo him away. In the Sect, you never knew who a servant might be related to. It was better to be polite than to accidentally offend the cousin of an Inner Sect disciple.

Lu sat calmly behind the counter, his demeanor professional. “Feel free to look around, customer.”

Wang Ba waited until the shop was empty of other patrons. He shuffled up to the counter, leaning in close.

“Shopkeeper Lu,” he rasped, keeping his voice low. “I have something good. Do you take high-end goods?”

“Good stuff?”

Shopkeeper Lu looked up, his sharp eyes scanning the disheveled figure before him. He tried to match the face to his memory banks but came up empty.

“Customer,” Lu said slowly, his tone flat but confident. “Everyone in the West Garden Market knows that if ‘Lu’s Grain Depot’ won’t buy it, no one will. Speak freely.”

Wang Ba wasn’t surprised. He had learned the lay of the land over the last two months. Lu’s Grain Depot was backed by the family of the Outer Sect’s Senior Disciple. They had the capital and the reputation.

Of course, they also suppressed their buying prices, but they were safe.

“I have a Spirit Poultry,” Wang Ba whispered.

Shopkeeper Lu, who had been leaning back with indifference, snapped to attention. His face turned serious.

“What grade? Male or female?”

Wang Ba froze.

Grade?

Male or female was easy. But Spirit Poultry had grades?

Seeing the blank look on Wang Ba’s grimy face, Shopkeeper Lu realized he was dealing with a novice.

“It seems you aren’t familiar with the market,” Lu said, his tone shifting to that of a teacher. “Spirit Poultry are Spirit Beasts. Naturally, they are graded.”

“First Rank corresponds to a cultivator’s Qi Refining realm. It is generally divided into four grades: Lower, Middle, Upper, and Supreme.”

Lu leaned forward. “If you trust my shop, bring the bird here. I will appraise it for you.”

Wang Ba hesitated. Bringing the bird here meant handing over all leverage.

Shopkeeper Lu, a veteran of commerce, read the hesitation instantly. He laughed softly.

“Fine. If you don’t trust my eye, go to the talisman shop down the street. Buy a ‘Low-Grade Spirit Light Talisman.’ It’s not expensive—twenty taels of silver. It will reveal the grade of any First Rank Spirit Beast.”

The man spoke with authority. Wang Ba believed him about seventy percent.

He didn’t leave immediately. “And the prices?”

Lu didn’t answer directly. “Is the origin legitimate?”

“Absolutely clean,” Wang Ba declared resolutely.

Shopkeeper Lu stroked his beard, calculating.

“If the origin is clean… a First Rank Lower-Grade female is worth six low-grade Spirit Stones.”

“Middle-Grade? Fourteen.”

“Upper-Grade? Thirty.”

“Supreme-Grade? A hundred stones wouldn’t even cover it.”

Lu paused. “If it’s a rooster, cut those prices by at least half.”

Wang Ba’s heart hammered against his ribs.

These prices were wildly different from what he had imagined. Old Man Sun had estimated seventeen or eighteen stones, but that must have been for a specific grade.

“Why are roosters so cheap?” Wang Ba asked.

“Simple economics,” Lu explained bluntly. “Roosters contain less spiritual energy than hens. Furthermore, they are notoriously incompetent at mounting and mating—they are useless for breeding. Hens, however, lay eggs. Spirit Poultry eggs are highly beneficial for cultivators in the Qi Refining realm.”

Ah. That explains it.

Wang Ba cupped his hands. “Thank you for the lesson, Shopkeeper. I don’t have the bird with me. I will return later.”

“No harm done.”

Shopkeeper Lu knew the game. He didn’t push. “Rest assured, customer. Our buying price is the highest in the market. If you decide to sell, come to us.”

Wang Ba nodded and shuffled out.

He visited a few other grain shops to cross-reference the prices, then stopped by the talisman shop to verify the existence and price of the Spirit Light Talisman.

Everything checked out.

He left the market, winding through alleyways and doubling back to ensure he wasn’t being followed. He walked a mile in the opposite direction of the manor before circling back.

Only when he was absolutely sure he was alone did he let out a long, shaky breath.

“I might be paranoid,” he muttered, wiping the soot from his face. “But caution keeps you alive.”

He looked toward the mountain.

He knew exactly what to do with the four Spirit Poultry in his coop.