With a wave of his hand, Ye Hao stored the Golden Spike Millet Fruits into his storage backpack.
He then turned to the manager and spoke.
"This matter is not difficult, but customer, you will need to leave a deposit."
The manager did not refuse the request.
As long as the customer left a deposit, even if Ye Hao ended up not wanting the goods when the time came, they could still be sold to someone else.
"Consider these 500 low-grade spirit stones the deposit."
Right after the words were spoken, five hundred low-grade spirit stones appeared on top of the jade counter.
"Customer, here is your deposit receipt. Once the goods arrive, as long as you present this receipt, it can be credited toward the payment."
The manager hadn't expected Ye Hao before him to be so generous. He had only intended to ask for 100 low-grade spirit stones as a deposit, yet before he could even open his mouth, the other party had directly tossed out 500 low-grade spirit stones.
He hurriedly gathered the spirit stones, wrote out the receipt, and handed it over to Ye Hao.
"Mhm, I'll leave this matter in your hands then."
After taking the receipt, Ye Hao cupped his hands and left Duobao Pavilion.
He hadn't expected that natural treasures capable of sprouting spirit roots would be so easy to find, having located one of them in the market's Duobao Pavilion alone.
But upon further thought, it made complete sense.
After all, the Golden Spike Millet Fruit could at most sprout a low-grade gold spirit root, and with only a thirty percent chance of success.
At 350 low-grade spirit stones per fruit, truly sprouting a low-grade gold spirit root would require at least four of them, amounting to 1,400 low-grade spirit stones.
Cultivators who could afford a price tag of 1,400 low-grade spirit stones would look down on a low-grade spirit root anyway.
Meanwhile, cultivators without spirit roots didn't possess that many spirit stones in the first place.
Over time, these natural treasures that could only sprout low-grade spirit roots ended up sitting collecting dust in inventory.
...
"Have you heard? Boss Zhao lost an arm."
"Supposedly, while hunting demon beasts, he ran into a peak First-Tier Red Tiger."
"Boss Zhao was actually lucky to only lose an arm. Almost half of his lackeys died, and the rest were severely injured."
Beneath a tree not far off, a group of people sat conversing.
"Is this true?"
Passing by, Ye Hao paused in his tracks and turned to look at them.
If Boss Zhao really lost an arm, it would definitely affect his standing in Old Zhao's eyes.
After all, natural treasures capable of regrowing a severed arm were at least Third-Tier.
Forget Boss Zhao—even if Old Zhao drained all his wealth, he wouldn't be able to afford one.
So if this news was true, Boss Zhao's combat power was drastically reduced, and his status would inevitably plummet.
When that happened, Area B, which had been kept stable because of Boss Zhao, would surely fall into chaos.
Unless someone similar to Boss Zhao stepped up to take his place.
"Senior Brother Ye, it's definitely true."
"I was actually the one who helped treat Boss Zhao's severed arm."
Upon hearing Ye Hao's question, someone immediately stood up and hastily responded with utmost respect.
Not only had Ye Hao's mastery of the Lesser Spirit Rain Technique helped them immensely, but his cultivation realm had even reached Third-Layer Qi Refinement.
With such defying talent, it likely wouldn't take long for him to be promoted to an outer disciple.
On top of that, a short while ago, more than a dozen disciples who tried to cause trouble for Ye Hao had vanished without a trace in a single night.
Ever since then, the disciples of Area B treated Ye Hao with deep respect, not daring to be even slightly negligent.
"Thank you for letting me know."
After confirming the truth of the matter, Ye Hao gave a slight nod.
He turned and left the area.
"You're too polite, Senior Brother Ye."
The disciple who had answered earlier hurriedly nodded.
Only after Ye Hao walked away did the remaining disciples let out a long sigh of relief.
"I wonder how Senior Brother Ye Hao cultivates. It hasn't even been a year, and he's already reached Third-Layer Qi Refinement."
Ye Hao's presence caused them to shift the topic immediately.
They turned the conversation toward Ye Hao.
"Senior Brother Ye Hao has impressive comprehension. We all tried learning the Lesser Spirit Rain Technique back then, but not one of us could reach his level."
"Back during that time, he made quite a fortune just selling the Lesser Spirit Rain Technique."
"He probably used those earnings to buy enough resources to reach Third-Layer Qi Refinement."
Someone explained, noting that the spiritual energy gains had, after all, come from the Lesser Spirit Rain Technique.
It wasn't a confidential sect heritage.
So it could be taught freely.
"Still, that's way too fast. I've been in the sect for three years already, and I'm only at Second-Layer Qi Refinement."
"Are you implying that Senior Brother Ye Hao has other secrets?"
"I wouldn't dare say that."
"True. Everyone who tried to trouble Senior Brother Ye before ended up dead."
The people beneath the tree chattered animatedly.
Although they were curious about Ye Hao's secrets, none of them were foolish enough to directly question Ye Hao or pry into his private affairs.
After all, so many had already died before them, and none of them believed they were stronger than those victims.
...
Meanwhile, Ye Hao was still wondering who Boss Zhao would ultimately choose to become the new boss of Area B.
He hadn't expected Li Cheng to already show up at his doorstep.
"Senior Brother Li, what brings you here?"
Just as Ye Hao approached his wooden hut, he noticed someone waiting in front of it. Drawing closer, he recognized Li Cheng, who served under Old Zhao.
Previously, when Old Zhao wanted to see him, he had sent Li Cheng to summon him.
"Junior Brother Ye, could we go inside to talk?"
Seeing Ye Hao return, Li Cheng hurriedly forced a smile onto his face. He didn't explain right away, instead pointing toward the wooden hut to suggest stepping inside.
"Then please come inside with me, Senior Brother."
Ye Hao had nothing to fear, considering there was a First-Tier supreme-grade array beneath the wooden hut.
Being merely at Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement, if Li Cheng truly tried to make a move against him, he likely wouldn't survive a single breath.
Ye Hao pushed open the door, walked inside, picked up a kettle, and poured tea for Li Cheng. "My place is a bit crude. Apologies for the poor hospitality, Senior Brother Li."
"When I get the chance, I'll prepare some good tea to entertain you properly."
Li Cheng picked up the cup, took a small sip, and set it back down.
Li Cheng shook his head with a mild chuckle and said, "Junior Brother Ye, there's no need to be so polite. This tea is fine enough. Besides, I came today to ask a favor of you."
"What kind of favor, Senior Brother?"
Ye Hao also sat down and looked at Li Cheng.
When he had met Li Cheng previously, the man had harbored a faint malice toward him. Now, however, that malice had completely vanished, replaced by a subtle air of ingratiation.
It left him somewhat puzzled.
"I want to ask Junior Brother Ye to give up the opportunity to become the acting steward of Area B this time."
"As compensation, I can secure two additional spirit fields for you, along with 300 low-grade spirit stones."
Li Cheng gritted his teeth, pulled out a low-grade storage bag, and placed it on the table.
Inside were the 300 low-grade spirit stones he promised.
"Old Zhao intends for me to replace Boss Zhao?"
Ye Hao froze in surprise.
He truly hadn't expected Old Zhao to do such a thing.
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