Wang Ba returned to the mountain manor, but he did not rush back to the market immediately.

Patience was key. He waited several days, letting the anticipation—and perhaps his own nerves—settle. Only when the market was nearing closing time did he strap a covered basket to his back, containing a single male Spirit Poultry, and head for Lu’s Grain Depot.

He wore the same disguise: Old Man Sun’s tattered robes, soot smeared on his face.

This time, however, Shopkeeper Lu recognized him the moment he stepped through the door.

“Please, come in, esteemed guest!”

Unlike their first encounter, Shopkeeper Lu didn’t just sit behind his high counter. He personally came out, smiling warmly as he greeted Wang Ba.

Wang Ba was both flattered and taken aback by the shift in attitude.

However, he composed himself quickly. Business was business.

He pulled the rooster from his basket.

Shopkeeper Lu’s eyes lit up. “It is indeed a First Rank, Low-Grade Spirit Poultry!”

Despite his verbal confirmation, Lu was a professional. He produced a slip of yellow paper inscribed with faint, mysterious patterns—a Spirit Light Talisman.

He brought the talisman close to the struggling bird.

Whoosh.

The paper ignited without a spark or wind, burning away to release a wisp of gray smoke that hovered in the air.

“My eyes didn’t deceive me,” Lu nodded, pointing at the smoke. “This gray light is the definitive indicator of Low-Grade.”

Wang Ba nodded. He had expected nothing less.

“It’s a shame it’s not a hen,” Lu said, a practiced look of regret crossing his face. “According to today’s market price, I can offer you three and four-tenths low-grade Spirit Stones.”

Spirit Stones were precious currency. Even in the West Garden Market, smaller denominations were often needed. By standard convention, one Low-Grade Spirit Stone was divided into ten ‘parts’ or ‘tenths’.

Three and four-tenths. It was slightly higher than the quotes Wang Ba had scouted from other shops.

Naturally, Wang Ba was inclined to sell here.

But he had a better idea.

“Shopkeeper Lu,” Wang Ba said, cupping his hands. “I don’t want Spirit Stones. Could we barter instead?”

“Oh? No stones?” Lu blinked, then laughed heartily. “That would be best! To be frank, Spirit Stones are always in short supply. If you wanted cash, it would give me a real headache!”

They exchanged warm smiles, the tension of the negotiation melting away. Their relationship grew a bit closer without them even realizing it.

“What does the guest desire?” Lu asked.

Wang Ba didn’t hesitate. “I want to exchange for a batch of Rare Fowl.”

“Rare Fowl?” Shopkeeper Lu’s eyes flickered with calculation as he stroked his beard. “We certainly have stock. Do you wish to convert the entire sum?”

“Uh… keep the four-tenths as store credit or cash. Convert the three whole stones into Rare Fowl. How many can I get?”

Wang Ba decided to keep a small amount of liquid currency for emergencies.

“Three Spirit Stones…”

Shopkeeper Lu fetched an abacus, his fingers dancing across the beads with practiced speed. Click-clack-click.

“A female Rare Fowl is valued at three-tenths and two cents. A male is barely one-tenth and five cents.”

“A breeding pair totals four-tenths and seven cents.”

Lu looked up. “I’ll take a slight loss to build a friendship. How about six hens and seven roosters?”

Wang Ba ran the numbers in his head.

For the manor, hens were objectively better. They laid eggs and contained more spiritual energy.

But for him, right now, roosters were the superior asset. They were cheap.

He needed volume. His plan was simple: force a breakthrough in the roosters, harvest their lifespan, and convert that time into cultivation progress.

Once he had strength, he would have security.

Later, after he got the farming manual from Deacon Li, he could slowly, legitimately expand the flock. Slow and steady. Safe.

“I have a counter-offer,” Wang Ba said. “Three Spirit Stones can buy twenty male Rare Fowl at market rate. I would like twenty-two.”

Shopkeeper Lu’s face twisted into a pained grimace.

“This… two extra roosters? That’s a whole three-tenths of a stone in value…”

In reality, Lu was ecstatic. Hens were his best sellers; roosters were dead stock that just ate feed. Getting rid of twenty roosters in one go was a blessing.

But he kept the pained look plastered on his face. Finally, he sighed, gritting his teeth.

“Fine! I feel like I’ve known you forever, so I’ll take the liberty of calling you Little Brother. Little Brother, I’ll eat the loss this time! But if you get another Spirit Poultry, you must bring it to your Old Brother Lu first!”

“By sheer luck, by sheer luck. If fortune smiles on me again, I will definitely come to you.”

The deal struck, Lu led him into the back of the shop.

Wang Ba was surprised to find a hidden yard behind the storefront, complete with small coops and pens. It was a miniature farm.

He meticulously selected twenty-two roosters with the highest base lifespans. Satisfied, he loaded them into a massive bamboo basket that towered over his head.

Before he left, Shopkeeper Lu pressed a small pouch into his hand—the four-tenths in Spirit Stone chips.

As Wang Ba disappeared into the twilight, Shopkeeper Lu stood at the door, sipping his tea.

“Spirit Poultry are hard to come by,” he murmured to a servant boy. “Go ask around. See if anyone new has been assigned to the Ding Section.”

The servant boy, trying to be clever, whispered, “Master, should I have someone follow him?”

Smack!

Lu slapped the boy across the head.

“You’ve got the nerve of a bear and a leopard!” Lu scolded. “I told you to ask around so we can secure a supplier, not to cause trouble! If that young man has a powerful backer, ten of you wouldn’t be enough to pay for the mistake!”

“Go! Just ask! Do not pry!”

“Yes! Yes!” The boy clutched his stinging cheek and scurried off.

Wang Ba took the long way home, winding through hidden paths.

His timing was perfect; he encountered no one.

But even with the strength from the first layer of the Physique Strengthening Scripture, carrying twenty-two chickens up a mountain road was grueling work. He was drenched in sweat.

Worse, the chickens were nervous. They defecated constantly.

Liquid droppings seeped through the weave of the bamboo basket, dripping onto his back and robes.

The stench was eye-watering.

In his past life, he would have vomited.

But now? Wang Ba didn’t feel a thing.

When he looked at the filthy birds, he didn’t see livestock. He saw gold. He saw time.

These weren’t chickens. They were walking, clucking years of lifespan.

Back at the manor, he wasted no time.

He injected 0.1 years of lifespan into each of the twenty-two roosters.

He marked them, released them, and ordered extra feed.

Eight days later.

“The lifespan of this batch has stopped increasing.”

Wang Ba stood in the coop, scanning the flock.

“Time to harvest.”

He took a deep breath.

One by one, he caught the transformed roosters.

He placed his hand on them.

[Extract.]

Twenty-two birds. Each yielded roughly 55 years of stored time.

Converted at a 10:1 ratio, that was 5.5 years of personal lifespan per bird.

Total Harvest: 121 Years.

The interface flashed.

[Current Host Remaining Lifespan: 179.1 Years]

[Consumable Projects: Physique Strengthening Scripture (Layer 2), Comprehensive Aptitude, Root Bone. Conversion Cost: 18 Years]

A rush of energy flooded Wang Ba’s veins. He felt as if he had returned to his physical prime—no, better than his prime. He felt vibrant. Limitless.

As he looked at the numbers on the panel, a sense of fulfillment from the promise of longevity filled his heart.

But he quickly snapped out of the intoxication.

“This longevity is fake,” he reminded himself cold. “It’s just a battery charge. Only by truly stepping onto the Path of Immortality can I gain real eternal life.”

He didn’t hesitate.

Consume.

[Lifespan -18 Years!]

Physique Strengthening Scripture: Second Layer — COMPLETED!

He didn’t stop.

[Lifespan -36 Years!]

Physique Strengthening Scripture: Third Layer — COMPLETED!

[Current Host Remaining Lifespan: 125.1 Years]

[Consumable Projects: Physique Strengthening Scripture (Layer 4). Conversion Cost: 72 Years!]

His finger hovered over the button for the fourth layer.

Suddenly, he hesitated.