This taste of sitting around and making money was intoxicating. Recently, Yang Kai had been treating the Great General like a god of wealth, and Old Fang had been treating Yang Kai like a god of wealth, grinning from ear to ear every day, unreservedly sharing the fine food and wine stashed in his Space Ring with Yang Kai.
In the blink of an eye, another month passed.
On their day off, the trio headed straight for the market.
When they reached the usual spot, they found the two women already waiting there — Yu Xueping from the Water Spiritual Land and the girl called Xiao Mo. Seeing Yang Kai arrive as promised, Yu Xueping's beautiful eyes lit up.
Yang Kai waved at her but didn't step forward. Instead, he turned and walked off, leaving Old Fang and Die You behind.
Yu Xueping and Xiao Mo exchanged a glance and hurried after them.
Only when they reached a secluded spot did Yang Kai stop, turning to smile at the pair.
"Senior Brother!" Yu Xueping called out.
Yang Kai nodded. He swept his Divine Sense outward, confirming that no one was paying attention to this place, then lowered his voice. "Junior Sister, how did your hauls turn out?"
"See for yourself, Senior Brother." As she spoke, Yu Xueping handed over three Spirit Wooden Boxes.
Yang Kai took them and swept his Divine Sense through, arriving at a precise count almost instantly. "A total of one thousand one hundred and thirty-eight Azure Water Silkworms, valued at two hundred and eighty-five Opening Heaven Pills. Factoring in the initial deposit of thirty pills, that leaves two hundred and fifty-five Spirit Pills. Count them yourself, Junior Sister."
"No need. I trust Senior Brother." Yu Xueping suppressed the excitement welling in her chest and accepted the Spirit Pills Yang Kai handed over. She exchanged a glance with Xiao Mo, and both of them were beaming.
Honestly, only now did the stone in her heart finally drop. Although Yang Kai had paid a deposit before, she also had collateral in his possession. To acquire all these Azure Water Silkworms, she had fronted a considerable sum of Spirit Pills. If Yang Kai hadn't shown up today, she would have been wiped out.
Now that the Spirit Pills were in hand, there was nothing left to worry about. Accounting for what she had fronted, she had turned a tidy profit.
Yang Kai then returned the sword she had left as collateral. Yu Xueping asked, "Senior Brother, will you still be collecting these Azure Water Silkworms?"
"Of course I will. Come here every month from now on. Same as before — however many you bring, I'll take them all!"
"Alright, then I'll collect more for Senior Brother back at the Water Spiritual Land."
Xiao Mo asked curiously from the side, "Senior Brother, what do you want these Azure Water Silkworms for?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Yu Xueping gave her a sharp elbow nudge. "Xiao Mo is an ignorant girl — please don't take offense, Senior Brother." She knew that Yang Kai certainly wouldn't be collecting these seemingly useless insects without reason. What was useless to her might not be useless to him. Yang Kai had brought her to this desolate place to conduct their transaction, making it look like some clandestine spy meeting — obviously because he didn't want this matter known to everyone. Xiao Mo's question had been rather tactless.
"It's fine," Yang Kai said with a laugh.
Having completed their first deal, Yu Xueping was clearly in high spirits. She chatted with Yang Kai for a while and arranged the time for their next transaction. Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone approaching. Turning to look, she spotted one of Yang Kai's companions leading someone over. Taking the hint, she said, "Senior Brother, then it's settled. I'll come find you again next month."
"Very well, I'll be right here waiting for you." Yang Kai nodded.
Yu Xueping and Xiao Mo had barely departed when Old Fang arrived with the elder from the Earth Spiritual Land. The elder had witnessed Yu Xueping's departure with his own eyes, confirming that last month's agreed-upon deal had indeed been completed. His expectations surging, he was exceptionally courteous toward Yang Kai.
The price had long been agreed upon, and a straightforward exchange of goods for payment left little to discuss. However, the elder from the Earth Spiritual Land hadn't brought many insects — just over three hundred.
He was likely still harboring doubts, afraid Yang Kai might cheat him, so he hadn't dared to bring too many. Otherwise, there was no way a Spiritual Land would only manage to collect so few in an entire month. In this regard, he didn't have nearly as much nerve as Yu Xueping.
Once the transaction with the Earth Spiritual Land was finished, Die You brought the next party forward.
For a full two hours, Yang Kai greeted and saw off a total of six groups. But aside from Yu Xueping, the people from the other five Spiritual Lands had brought at most six hundred insects each, with most — like the elder from the Earth Spiritual Land — bringing only three or four hundred.
That was hardly their fault. They didn't know each other well yet, and it was their first time cooperating. A measure of caution was only natural. After all, not everyone had the nerve to go all in the way Yu Xueping did.
The insects from all six Spiritual Lands combined, however, still made for a very considerable sum.
With the collection complete, there was no reason to linger at the market. The trio immediately headed back, summoned the Rooster General, and retired indoors to divide the spoils!
When the final tally was done, the number of Opening Heaven Pills earned this month came to a full three thousand. As per their prior agreement, Old Fang and Die You each took a ten-percent cut, leaving the remaining two thousand-plus pills entirely in Yang Kai's possession.