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Fortunately, both master and servant had a certain level of cultivation, which allowed them to travel much faster than the average person.

Especially Qin Niu, who had already reached the first layer of the Acquired Realm, trod as lightly as if he were flying. If he were to run at full speed, he reckoned he wouldn’t be much slower than an ordinary horse.

This time entering the city, he was only planning on selling one insect, namely the Green Demon giant bee he had cultivated.

Given his current limited strength, revealing too many special insects at once could easily draw unwanted attention.

He had learned multiple ways to make money from Xiao Qing last time.

For instance, helping others heal their sickly herbs.

If the opportunity arose, Qin Niu wouldn’t mind taking on a job to earn some extra money.

With that Ancient Banyan Tree, he could enjoy a cultivation speed more than twenty times faster than normal and had virtually no need for elixirs at present. As for weapons, the Treasured Sword had been preliminarily nurtured by him and was sufficient to handle most dangers.

In terms of armor, the King Pig Leather he brought with him would be made into two sets of armor which would be adequate for his use.

At least, with his current strength, hiding in a place like Shuangfeng Village, nestled in the mountains, one set of King Pig Leather Armor was completely sufficient.

The Yan Family was the largest in Jade Stream Town.

For now, his relationship with the Yan Family was quite good. As long as he continued to keep a low profile, they probably wouldn’t make a move against him.

About having offended the brothers Wang Yue and Wang Haikun, he had no fear whatsoever.

With his current level of cultivation, he could crush Wang Yue with one hand.

So, he had almost no demands concerning cultivation resources for now.

The only thing he wanted to buy for the time being was books related to cultivation. During his conversation with Xiao Qing, he had clearly felt that his knowledge of cultivation was shallow, almost equivalent to that of an unlearned man.

That certainly wouldn’t do.

He must read more books and enrich himself.

He also planned to make some purchases in the aspects of insect control, beast taming, and planting.

Tang Yan had given him a box of Insect Control Books, so he could save money in that area.

The rest would be books on beast taming and planting.

If there were suitable ones, he would buy some to take back.

For beast taming, he only planned to get some books on basic knowledge. Such books weren’t expensive.

If he found any specific books on taming turtles and water buffalos that were reasonably priced, he might consider acquiring them as well.

Books on specific types of beast taming were usually expensive, but they were filled with useful practical knowledge.

Like the book on Green Demon beekeeping he had bought which contained a lot of valuable insights.

When the master and servant were about to arrive at Black Tiger City, Xiao Qing frequently glanced in one direction. There lay her grandfather’s grave.

However, seeing Qin Niu not slowing down, she kept silent and followed behind him.

All along the way, locusts could be seen in swarms.

They were crazily gnawing at anything that could fill their bellies.

The market outside Black Tiger City was noticeably quieter than usual.

Qin Niu noticed that many of the vegetables sold by the farmers bore wormholes.

“Auntie, how much for this cabbage?”

“Wen Money for two catties.”

“To sell it so expensively after it’s been bitten by insects?”

Qin Niu couldn’t help but internally comment on the price the farmer had quoted.

It had increased at least five-fold.

In the past, Wen Money could get you ten catties.

The least valuable were cabbages and radishes because they had high yields, short growth periods, and required minimal planting techniques—almost every household could grow them.

“Young man, this one is relatively good! Look at what the others’ cabbages look like after being nibbled! If you like eating it, best to buy some more now to take back home because in a few days, the price will rise even further. Those damn locusts are swarming everywhere, unending like a dark cloud, and we just can’t drive them away. We can’t even plant crops anymore. If it keeps on like this, let alone Wen Money for two catties, even a tael of silver won’t buy you any.”

The auntie cursed the despicable locusts.

“If that’s really the case, we’re in for a worry. I can live without cabbage but not without grains. In two or three days we’d starve. I’ll look elsewhere, your price is too expensive.”

Qin Niu continued walking with Xiao Qing.

On both sides of the official road, various peddlers were hawking their wares. There were vendors selling firewood, vegetables, fish—almost anything one could think of.

“Fishing nets, fine mesh fishing nets! Half a meter for Wen Money, just Wen Money for half a meter— a magic tool against locusts, a helpful aid to protect your crops, come and buy them!”

A middle-aged man with tanned skin was energetically selling woven fishing nets.

Half a meter for Wen Money was practically daylight robbery.

But indeed, such a thing could effectively fend off locusts, so it was no surprise to see their prices skyrocket.

“Medicinal wine, distilled from a secret family recipe—particularly effective against locusts. Just a sprinkle can ward off locusts for over twelve hours. Selling for just three Wen Money per catty, and if it doesn’t work, you don’t have to pay.”

Well, that’s even more expensive.

At three Wen Money per catty for insect-repellent medicinal wine, ordinary families probably couldn’t afford it.

Landlords would do their calculations carefully and were unlikely to purchase it in bulk.

At most, they’d buy some to protect their important crops, flowers, and herbs.

The problem was, many valuable plants and herbs were particularly delicate. If sprayed with insect-repellent medicinal wine, the insects might be deterred, but the plants would likely wither swiftly.

As they walked, Qin Niu quietly observed that the prices of goods had generally increased.

Especially vegetables, fishing nets, insect-repellent medicinal wine, and flails, for which the prices had risen sharply.

The higher-ups of the Black Tiger Gang must be under tremendous pressure now.

If the locust plague can’t be stopped and the common people are ruined, the Black Tiger Gang, who would have lost their foundation, would be doomed as well.

People are like water, and officials are like boats.

Without the water, the Black Tiger Gang would be like having the firewood pulled out from under their cauldron, and it wouldn’t take long for them to fall apart.

Where did the salaries for officials and soldiers come from?

They all came from the tributes of the people under the Black Tiger Gang’s control.

Without the people, where would they levy taxes?

The Gang Leader of the Black Tiger Gang would probably have to farm the land himself to have something to eat.

Qin Niu wasn’t in a hurry to enter the city.

This time coming to Black Tiger City, whether it was status or strength, both were significantly different from before. He had also become much more composed and calm.

The change in a person’s mindset is truly wondrous.

The city was still the same, and the people were the same, but he no longer felt the nervousness and timidity he had the first time he entered the city.

A cultivation at the first level of the Acquired Realm was not considered very high, but it was enough for him to face the mighty Black Armored Soldiers with a calm and undisturbed heart.

Because, should a fight truly break out, one-on-one, he now possessed the strength to slaughter ordinary Black Armored Soldiers.

The Hundred-Tempering Black Armor on the bodies of the Black Armored Soldiers was as vulnerable as paper in front of his Ink Blade.

He looked toward the thick city walls behind the Black Armored Army, where many notices were posted.

Those with a red official seal belonged to official announcements.

They were mostly reward notices for capturing wanted criminals.

Within the territory of the Black Tiger Gang, there was a population of over a million, and incidents of murder or lethal brawls occurred from time to time.

There were also some formidable thieves who, for silver money, might steal from money exchanges or official treasury silver.

These people, if not caught on the spot, could potentially flee far and wide, or go into hiding in the countryside and such places.

Capturing them was no easy task.

Hence, the number of official notices on the city walls had increased over time.

Besides the government notices, there were also private notices posted.

They were densely packed and very numerous.

Those who had the status to post their private notices in the same area as the official announcements were either wealthy or noble.

Otherwise, tearing your notice was the least of your worries; you could be directly accused of the crime of lese-majeste, arrested, and imprisoned. That was also a possibility.

“Xiao Qing, see if there is any notice offering a reward for reviving a precious herb!”

Qin Niu called out to Xiao Qing to help him search.

Unexpectedly, there really was one.

After some effort, he found one.

“I have a herb that is over a hundred years old which recently contracted a mysterious illness, causing its leaves to wilt and black spots to appear on its stem. Having tried numerous methods to no avail, I am seeking a folk expert to save my precious herb. If it can be revived, a hefty reward of at least ten gold will be given. Address: 17 Longwang Alley, Western part of the city, respectfully posted by Wang Sheng.”

At first glance, the content of this notice was exhilarating.

The reward was at least ten gold pieces.

One gold piece was equivalent to ten taels of silver, so ten gold meant a hundred taels of silver money.

This was no small sum.

However, after reading it, Qin Niu appeared somewhat hesitant.

“Master, isn’t this notice quite good? Why not take it down?”

Xiao Qing asked, puzzled.

“There are some illogical points in it, and I’m worried about falling into a trap.”

Qin Niu’s Everlasting Spring Technique was extremely powerful, and curing a common herb was no problem at all.

Moreover, he had now cultivated to the first level of the Acquired Realm, with quite profound power; curing a herb should be a piece of cake for him.

The key was whether the reward could be collected after reviving the herb.

“A hundred-year-old herb, if valuable, could be worth about ten taels of silver, and that’s if it’s a high-grade herb like ginseng or Lingzhi. Think about it, after curing a hundred-year-old herb, the minimum reward is a hundred taels of silver money. Are there such herbs in this world?”

Qin Niu was analyzing the irrational parts of the notice for her.

He certainly wasn’t a fish.

Fish see the bait but not the hook, yet he was cautious and careful with every step, never losing his wits over substantial benefits.

“That does seem to make some sense. However, if the herb is extremely rare, it really could be worth more than a hundred taels of silver. Ginseng and Lingzhi can only be considered ordinary high-grade herbs. There are some that can significantly enhance cultivation, or help a beast pet advance or even herbs that can continuously produce special fruits or leaves, all of which could be worth far more than a hundred taels of silver.”

Xiao Qing thought for a moment and presented her view.

“Then look at this address: The western part of the city is home to the poor. Although I’m not familiar with Longwang Alley, it’s unlikely that any extremely wealthy or noble person lives there. Anyone who could afford to pay a hundred taels of silver as a reward would have moved to the wealthy circles in the eastern part of the city long ago.”

Qin Niu raised a second point of suspicion.

The east has always been a symbol of nobility, and since ancient times there has been the saying “auspicious qi comes from the east.”

Even with ordinary residences, the owner lives on the eastern side, and guests or servants occupy the western rooms.

This was nearly the same in Black Tiger City.

Those with any power or status in the city, or the very wealthy merchants, would find ways to buy houses in the east, crowding into the circles of the privileged.

“How about I go and make some inquiries later? If there’s a problem, we’ll look for other work then.”

Xiao Qing had lived in the city for many years; despite her young age, she possessed strong survival skills.

She was familiar with the situation inside Black Tiger City.

“That’s fine.”

Qin Niu searched around and found over a dozen notices seeking aid to cure herbs and flowers; it was this notice that offered the highest reward.

The others were only offering a few coins or one to two taels of silver.

He found them too insignificant and unappealing.

He wouldn’t be bothered unless he could earn at least ten taels from one endeavor.

After all, the fewer people who knew about this special ability, the better.

It wasn’t that there was great danger if people knew about his special ability; he just didn’t want the trouble. Today one person would find him to treat a herb, tomorrow another would come knocking.

It would become unbearably annoying over time.

To refuse would easily offend people.

If he agreed, it would interfere with his cultivation.

And if he encountered someone unreasonable, they might even force him to stay at their residence.

So, it was better for as few people as possible to know about this special ability.

He took down the illogical notice and headed into the city with Xiao Qing.

“Stop, queue up to pay the entrance fee. This road is not for you to use freely,”

A gang loafer blocked their way, berating them with a cold voice.

Qin Niu did not waste words and simply flashed his waist badge.