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The shop owner couldn’t sell it for sixty Silver Money, and if he held onto it for another ten years, he’d probably be happy to get fifty Silver Money for it.

Now that he sold it for sixty Silver Money, he felt as if he had lost twenty Silver Money instead, and it pained his heart.

Paying sixty Silver Money for a herbal compendium, even if it was written by a master like Mo Yang, to the average person, it was just so-so.

As Qin Niu said, it was merely a curiosity to most people.

Sixty Silver Money could equal the wages of an average person for twenty years. Who among the common folk would be willing to spend that much?

The value of this book also depended on who possessed it.

In the eyes of Qin Niu, its value was worth far more than a thousand gold pieces.

Even if it cost him a thousand Silver Money, he would be willing to buy it. But earning money was not easy, and he aimed to save as much as possible.

After some haggling, he managed to acquire it for sixty Silver Money, effectively earning himself the four hundred and forty Silver Money he had cut from the price.

With that money, he could purchase a large batch of cultivation materials.

He was determined to pursue longevity, and that meant he couldn’t just talk about it or fantasize in his head; he needed to take concrete actions.

Wherever he needed to be thrifty, he must be thrifty.

When he had time, he intended to thoroughly study the two volumes of the plant compendium. The Ancient Banyan Tree, the “Thousand Eyes Tree” — what kind of trees they actually were, he had long wanted to figure out.

He believed he could find the answers this time.

He also knew nothing about the Ice Lotus in his hand, what uses it had, or its specific characteristics.

Moreover, the Dogtail Grass had mutated after being nourished by the power of the Everlasting Spring Technique, sprouting purple veins, which he also did not understand.

Additionally, after feeding the Termites the Broadleaf Heavy Building plant, he had managed to cultivate Medical Ants. Understanding the mysteries of this process would be greatly beneficial to him when it came to cultivating other insects in the future.

Worried that the uncle had been waiting too long, Qin Niu didn’t continue shopping and hurried to the east gate of Mai City.

Under normal circumstances, nearly all cities would have at least four gates.

Designated as east, west, south, and north gates.

If it were a large city, there might also be gates like the North Straight Gate or the Central Gate. Designing multiple city gates might increase the difficulty of defending the city, but it also facilitated entry and exit for the people, which was more conducive to the city’s development and prosperity.

The core element for any city wishing to develop is people.

Without a significant number of citizens entering the city and without a good business environment, the city would slowly become a dead city.

The leadership of the Nine Insect Gang, with their backward and barbaric way of thinking, obviously failed to realize this.

They knew only to plunder rapaciously.

Qin Niu’s cost to enter Seven-Star City was as high as thirty wen, a shortsighted behavior that was akin to draining the pond to get the fish. Seven-Star City used to be the number one city in the region.

After being ruled by the Nine Insect Gang for two hundred years, it had begun to visibly decline.

“Hey, over here! Young brother, this way!”

The uncle had already arrived at the east gate and was waiting there.

Upon seeing Qin Niu, he immediately stood up in his cart and waved energetically.

Qin Niu smiled and walked briskly towards him.

“Uncle, thank you for waiting for me! Let me treat you to some roasted chicken and braised beef. I didn’t dare get you alcohol, afraid that you might get too drunk to find your way later.”

He had bought quite a lot of food, including a portion for the uncle.

Oh, my, how much did all this cost! You’re too polite, kid, just for a ride.”

The uncle accepted the food, his face beaming with smiles.

“You gave me a ride, I treat you to food, it’s fair! Eat it while it’s still hot. The roasted chicken tastes pretty good, but I haven’t tried the braised beef yet.” Qin Niu had bought two portions as he had a relatively large appetite.

He needed to eat meat to maintain the nourishment his body required.

“I only indulge in such good food during the New Year. Little brother, you are quite generous. Today I’ve had the good fortune to feast with you. However, it’s not my place to say, but you’re still young, and there’ll be many occasions in the future where you’ll need money, so you really should save when you can. Without money, you’ll find even simple tasks become difficult!”

The uncle had seen his share of life.

Having experienced hard times, he advised Qin Niu.

Urging him not to spend money recklessly.

“Alright, thank you for the advice, Uncle. By the way, I haven’t had the chance to ask for your esteemed name!”

“He Zhizhou! And you?”

The uncle was already wolfing down the roasted chicken, probably famished.

For ordinary people, it’s indeed a luxury to afford such expensive meat regularly.

Many families can only afford to eat meat during the New Year.

“My name is Qin Niu! Meeting Uncle must be fate.”

Qin Niu had no intention of helping this uncle change his fate or anything of the sort.

He wasn’t some kind of savior.

He also never meddled in other people’s business.

That being said, if the uncle were in trouble, he would, without a doubt, lend a hand.

The carriage left the city gates and sped along the road.

If all went well, they should reach Tian Shui before nightfall.

The speed of the carriage was much faster than walking.

This uncle managed to keep a horse, so even if his family’s finances were tight, they couldn’t be that bad.

Uncle, why would the Shennong Sect willingly start a war with the Black Tiger Gang?”

Qin Niu asked.

“Alas, these matters normally aren’t for common folk like us to discuss. This military action against the Black Tiger Gang is unwise and unusual. Ever since the Gang Leader of the Nine Insect Gang married his sister to the head of our Shennong Sect, things have been a bit off.

It is said that the woman who came over is very beautiful and has bewitched the head of our Shennong Sect.

For hundreds of years, our Shennong Sect has maintained neutrality, allowing us to prosper and maintain friendly trade relations with the neighboring factions. The grains, herbs, tea leaves, and such that we grow never lack buyers.

But ever since that woman arrived three years ago, things have changed.

The silkworms that were raised before have all been phased out, replaced by a new variety of green silkworm that produces more.

The silk made from these looks pretty, but it’s nowhere near as comfortable or durable as the old silkworm silk.

Many sericulturists realized that by raising the new silkworm, they could increase their yield by at least half, so most of them switched to green silkworms, with very few still raising white ones.

These green silkworms are a special breed that we can’t reproduce ourselves – we have to buy the eggs from the Nine Insect Gang.

This happens every year.

There are countless such changes, and I have a bad feeling about them.

This military excursion against the Black Tiger Gang, even though the higher- ups say it’s a guaranteed victory that will expand our territory by a third, war leads to death. I’m especially worried that my son might be drafted to fight.

Moreover, after declaring war, we can’t sell our goods to the Black Tiger Gang anymore, and our trade with other factions has noticeably decreased.

I’ve never had trouble selling my crops in previous years, but this time I had to haul them dozens of miles to Mai City to sell them.

And the price isn’t even as high as last year.”

The uncle shook his head and sighed repeatedly at the impact of the war.

Political marriages are common among sects and families.

The alliance through marriage between the Nine Insect Gang and the Shennong Sect, I wonder what the Shennong Sect was thinking?

I fear they’re inviting the wolf into the house and might eventually try to negotiate with the tiger for its skin.

It feels like the Shennong Sect might get burned, potentially falling right into the Nine Insect Gang’s trap.