The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 96: A Seventy Percent Cut and a Plan for Dragon Carp

Everyone had seen Spirit Stones before, but never a pile this large. Both Jin Fugui and Mo Yu stared, mesmerized by the glittering mound.

“I can finally upgrade my fishing gear!” Mo Yu exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.

Jin Fugui rolled his eyes. “Old Mo, you’re thinking too small.”

“Oh yeah?” Mo Yu shot back, unconvinced. “And what grand plans do you have?”

A smug grin spread across Jin Fugui’s face. “I’m going to raise my own Spirit Beasts. I’ll feed them the best food, give them the best drink, and in return, I’ll get a steady, daily supply of high-quality feces.”

The words hung in the air. A muscle in Jiang Chen’s jaw twitched. Mo Yu looked physically ill. While it was, in a twisted way, a solid business plan, it was also… disgusting.

Ignoring their reactions, Jin Fugui happily swept the Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag. “Since we made so much today, we should set up a stall at Fire Peak every day!”

Jiang Chen shook his head. “Today was a fluke. The duel between Long Ao and Shui Wuhen brought in a massive crowd. We can’t expect that kind of traffic on a normal day.”

Jin Fugui blinked. “But profit is profit, right?”

“And that’s not all,” Jiang Chen continued, his tone serious. “The moment our competitors see how much we’re making, they’ll start copying us. They’ll undercut our prices, and we’ll be in a race to the bottom.”

Mo Yu nodded slowly. “Old Jiang is right. That’s a serious problem.”

“So what do we do?” Jin Fugui frowned.

Jiang Chen scanned their faces, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Simple. We stop being the vendors. We start collecting franchise fees.”

“Franchise fees?” The term hung in the air, completely foreign to them.

Jiang Chen leaned in, his voice low and persuasive. “Think about it. We have a suite of proven products: Top-Grade Watermelons, Top-quality Spirit Wine, our proprietary barbecue seasoning, and a source for cheaper Spirit Beast meat. These are all market-tested and customer-approved.”

He paused for effect. “So, we use our seasoning and exclusive resources as bait. We attract others to open their own stalls under our brand. We’ll hook every last one of our competitors and reel them in as franchisees.”

The idea was so novel that Mo Yu and Jin Fugui were left speechless, their minds struggling to process it. Their own plans had been simple: keep selling and making money, even if it was a little less each day. But Jiang Chen was already looking past such meager earnings. According to his model, every new franchisee was a new stream of income. The more people who joined, the more they would earn. The profits would snowball, growing larger and larger with almost no effort on their part.

Mo Yu found his voice, though it was hesitant. “But… what if they just take our methods and run? What if they go back on their word?”

Jiang Chen had already anticipated this. “Easy. Anyone who joins has to sign a binding Spirit Talisman contract with us. Problem solved.”

*Hiss!* Jin Fugui sucked in a sharp breath.

It was as if they’d been playing a simple board game while Jiang Chen was operating on a completely different plane of existence. Selling grilled meat, Spirit Wine, and watermelons was profitable, but they had to admit, it was grueling work. And there was no guarantee of another windfall like today. But with Jiang Chen’s “franchise theory,” they could generate a continuous flow of Spirit Stones without ever having to leave home.

“Brilliant!” Mo Yu gave a thumbs-up, thoroughly impressed. He felt as if every book he’d ever read was useless in the face of true business acumen.

Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed as his own thoughts raced ahead. *Once word of this gets out, I can expand. I’ll sell my wine in the Loose Cultivator market, open a proper restaurant, maybe even partner with the Fragrance Pavilion.*

Work for someone else?

Not a chance. Not in this lifetime.

The three of them spent the next hour hashing out the details, discussing the plan for the future and, more importantly, the division of profits.

Jin Fugui’s expression was dead serious. “Old Jiang, you have to take the lion’s share this time. If you don’t, I… I’m out.”

“That’s right!” Mo Yu chimed in.

Jiang Chen didn’t bother with false modesty. “Fine. From now on, my cut is seventy percent.”

Even sworn brothers must keep their accounts clear. Besides, hadn’t he given them such a generous cut today for this exact reason? To lure them onto his pirate ship for the long haul.

Mo Yu was the first to declare his position. “I didn’t contribute much to the core products. I’ll take ten percent.”

Jin Fugui thought for a moment. “Then… I’ll take the remaining twenty.”

It was settled. Jiang Chen provided the Spirit Wine and watermelons; Jin Fugui supplied the Spirit Beast meat. As for Mo Yu…

Jiang Chen certainly wasn’t going to let him off the hook. He smiled. “Old Mo, how’s your Minor Rain Spell coming along?”

“It’s decent,” Mo Yu replied. “I’m at the third layer.”

Jiang Chen gestured toward his second-grade Spirit Farm. “In that case, I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Before Mo Yu could respond, Jin Fugui asked, puzzled, “But don’t you have Lin Yu to help with that?”

Jiang Chen shrugged. “Ever since that incident with Feng Xiao, her older sister has her on a tight leash. She’s forbidden from coming here.” Even Wang Bing had gone silent since their last conversation. He had no choice but to find someone else to water his crops.

Coincidentally, Mo Yu was a formal disciple of the Rain Pavilion and had even reached the Foundation Establishment realm. Crucially, the man had an abundance of free time. Better to put him to work making rain than let him waste his days fishing. After all this time, he was practically one of them.

“Alright,” Mo Yu agreed without hesitation, already walking toward the Spirit Farm. The weight of the Spirit Stones in his bag felt like a debt. This was a chance to contribute something tangible, to earn his keep.

He stood on the ridge of the field and waved a hand. A mass of water vapor quickly gathered above the farm, forming a cloud that was visibly darker and richer than any Wang Bing had ever summoned.

*Pitter-patter…*

A dense Spirit Rain began to fall. Nourished by the potent moisture, the Spirit Plants seemed to stretch and unfurl before their very eyes. Even the air grew crisp and fresh.

Watching from a distance, Jiang Chen smiled in satisfaction.

Just then, Jin Fugui spoke up. “Old Jiang, with your talent for cultivation, a single acre of second-grade Spirit Farm is hardly enough. What’s your realm at now? How long until you reach Foundation Establishment?”

“I’m at the late stage of Qi Condensation,” Jiang Chen answered. “As for the breakthrough… that’s up to fate.”

Jin Fugui stroked his chin thoughtfully. “It should be soon, then. Once you break through, you can get another acre of second-grade land. The yield will at least double.” And by then, he mused, his own Spirit Beasts would be producing a stable supply of fertilizer.

A thought flickered in Jiang Chen’s mind. He asked, seemingly out of the blue, “What’s the story with the Black Dragon Pool?”

Jin Fugui snapped out of his reverie. “It’s a subterranean lake, hidden deep underground. No one knows how deep it goes, but one thing’s for sure: it’s crawling with Dragon Carp and Fish Demons.”

Jiang Chen nodded. “I recently brewed a new batch of Golden Wine. It’s a grade above the Spirit Wine. If it can really work as bait for Dragon Carp, we should give it a try.”

Jin Fugui’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Let’s do it!” He’d been obsessed with catching a Dragon Carp ever since their last trip. He’d failed, but he had seen one with his own eyes. If he could just land one, he could finally become the disciple of that Golden Core fishing master.

A few minutes later, Mo Yu finished casting the Minor Rain Spell and returned. Jin Fugui quickly filled him in on their conversation about the Black Dragon Pool.

As a die-hard fishing fanatic, the mere mention of new bait and the legendary Dragon Carp was enough to send Mo Yu into a frenzy of excitement. His eyes lit up with an angler’s fervor.

The three were in perfect agreement. Tomorrow, they would go fishing for Dragon Carp!!!