Ch 89: Don't Rush Out of the City Yet
The bald man looked up, sizing up Chen Fan for a moment, and said, "Not bad, young man. You actually ask why when faced with something, unlike some people who only know the surface but not the deeper reasons."
After saying this, he glanced meaningfully at the few who had previously complained about the price.
Gao Yang and the others felt quite embarrassed.
To have inadvertently become a negative example—this bald man really wasn’t magnanimous. But being under someone else’s roof, they had no choice but to lower their heads.
"Because that rice has effects similar to beast meat," Gu Ze spoke up. "After the mutation, many plant-based ability users awakened. One of them could accelerate plant growth. Through various experiments, he found substitutes for wheat and rice. The flour and grains produced after maturity taste nearly identical to pre-mutation varieties.
"Actually, achieving that alone was remarkable. But he continued his research and cultivated a type of rice whose effects rival beast meat. This rice, called blood rice due to its reddish hue, becomes more potent with darker coloration."
"Is that so?" Chen Fan suddenly understood.
So the three-yuan and ten-yuan-per-jin rice was blood rice?
From the description, was it cultivated using powerful beast blood?
"You’re not bad either, young man," the bald man nodded approvingly. "Lord Bai Tian is Yan Country’s beacon. Without him, countless more would have starved. That’s why his portrait graces the one-yuan bill—the smallest denomination—yet his contributions rival even Lord Thunder Emperor’s."
Chen Fan pulled out a one-yuan note. The back depicted a field of crops, a figure bent over inspecting a plant, its face obscured by a的背影.
"He truly deserves respect," Chen Fan thought.
"Young man, want to buy blood rice?" The bald man focused on him. "Three-yuan blood rice matches low-grade beast meat. Ten-yuan is far superior, equivalent to mid-grade. Gale Martial Arts School’s members buy this regularly."
"..."
Chen Guodong and the others exchanged glances, speechless.
They knew blood rice was effective—but the price was staggering.
Chen Fan checked his pockets: less than ten yuan remained.
"Xiao Fan, you’re short on funds, right?" Chen Guodong hesitated before producing two hundred yuan. "Buy it if you need to."
He’d originally carried over 1,500 yuan but now had 1,100 left after distributions. Salt prices had risen, forcing them to prioritize essentials.
After two days of martial training, he understood their village’s survival hinged on warriors. Resources must favor them: equal weight of beast meat could trade for several times more regular rice. Elders and children could eat meat sparingly, but warriors needed full prioritization.
The others watched with envy but no resentment—Chen Fan’s strength meant safety for all.
After a brief pause, Chen Fan accepted the money. "Boss, I’ll take two hundred yuan’s worth."
"Done!" The man’s eyes crinkled into slits. He placed an empty bag on the scale, tared it, then scooped blood rice from a heavy sack with a palm-sized ladle.
Pale red grains cascaded like glittering waterfalls. Chen Fan caught a whiff of fragrance—or was it his imagination?
"Smell that?" The man grinned. "Ten-yuan blood rice’s aroma can lure beasts. Keep the bag sealed on your return, or... let’s just say you’ve been warned."
"Really?" The group gaped.
Chen Fan’s brow furrowed. If true, this could bait prey and boost hunting success.
Twenty jin of blood rice.
Gu Ze watched enviously—this would widen the gap between them. Not that he doubted his future potential...
"I’ll share some with you later," Chen Fan offered.
As an awakened, Gu Ze’s growth would ease collective burdens. Generosity now would solidify the Gu family’s loyalty.
"?" Gu Ze blinked.
"This... isn’t appropriate," Gu Jianghai protested. "Such valuable food should be yours alone."
Ten yuan per jin! Unthinkable luxury.
"It’s fine," Chen Fan smiled. "Gu Ze can repay me after his first hunt."
Gu Jianghai paused.
"I’ll return it quickly," Gu Ze said after a beat. He couldn’t refuse—not when his progress depended on it. Besides, they hadn’t even hunted together yet.
The Gu family exchanged relieved smiles. Chen Village truly treated them as kin, not just through words but actions.
Chen Guodong’s group bought regular rice and salt. Anticipating further price hikes, he gritted his teeth and purchased 100 jin of salt, exchanging the remaining funds for 600+ jin of rice.
With 150 villagers, each would receive 4-5 jin—meager but manageable with beast meat. They’d return within a month, barring poor hunting conditions.
The return trip felt lighter, both physically and mentally. Carrying rice through the streets drew fewer stares—most saw only mundane supplies, and their numbers deterred ambushes.
"Finally done. Time to go home," Gao Yang chuckled.
"Yeah. Carrying prey here was nerve-wracking—all those eyes on us. I thought they’d swarm us any second."
"Let them try!"
"Exactly! I’d shoot them one by one!"
Laughter erupted.
Chen Guodong scanned the group, then looked ahead. "It’s late. Our families await."
Smiles widened. Family bonds fueled their will to survive. Most had spent their meager earnings on gifts—some even splurging on milk candies.
"Dad, wait." Chen Fan stopped them. "Let me check for dangers first."
The manual-selling elder’s warning gnawed at him.
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(End of Chapter)
