Chapter 190: The Exchange

Nie Li thought for a moment, then said, "How about these fabrics?" He pulled several bolts of cloth from his Space Ring and placed them on the table.

Yun Ling's eyes went wide. Nie Li actually had a Space Ring — such items were extremely rare. As far as she knew, only the chief of the entire Heavenly Fortune Tribe had one. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the fabrics on the table. She let out a gasp of surprise, picked up the cloth, and ran her fingers over it. The fabric was smooth and silky, covered with elegant patterns.

The moment she touched those fabrics, Yun Ling couldn't tear her eyes away. Her tribe only had coarse hemp cloth — where would they ever find anything so refined?

"How many copper coins are you asking for these?" Yun Ling looked up at Nie Li, her cheeks flushed. She was still a bit mesmerized by the texture of the fabric, so she was somewhat flustered.

"Two hundred copper coins will do," Nie Li replied with a faint smile.

"Only two hundred copper coins? These fabrics would be worth five thousand coins, and people would still be lining up to buy them!" Yun Ling exclaimed in astonishment.

Yun Ling was the same as she had been in his past life — sincere, kind, and innocent. Nie Li smiled and said, "Two hundred coins is enough to cover my meals and lodging for a few days. Consider these fabrics a gift for Miss Yun Ling. I'd actually like to ask a favor of you."

"What kind of favor?" Yun Ling asked, puzzled. Then she suddenly looked surprised. "How do you know my name is Yun Ling?"

"I heard it from people at the market," Nie Li said with a smile. "Who around here doesn't know Miss Yun Ling?"

Yun Ling was quite well-known in the area. She was a famous beauty, and she worked hard every day — suitors came knocking so often they nearly wore down the doorstep.

"Oh." Yun Ling nodded.

"Does Sister Yun Ling know about a purple stone found around here, shaped like a rhombus?" Nie Li smiled and gestured with his hands. "It gives off a faint purple mist when held under sunlight and becomes very hot to the touch."

"Oh, you must mean Purple Smoke Stone. We have plenty of those around here. That stone is completely useless, and it's mildly toxic," Yun Ling said. "Nobody around here wants them."

What Yun Ling called Purple Smoke Stone was actually Purple Diamond Stone — an extremely precious mineral. When collected and treated with a special method, it could help Nie Li cultivate his Soul Power and rapidly advance to the Gold Three-Star level.

"Yes, I want Purple Smoke Stone. I'll take as much as you've got. For payment, I can trade grain. Ten pieces of Purple Smoke Stone for one bag of rice," Nie Li said. He had come well-prepared with plenty of supplies for this trip.

Hearing Nie Li's words, Yun Ling was stunned. Ten pieces of Purple Smoke Stone for a bag of rice?

"Is that really true?" Yun Ling asked in disbelief.

"Of course," Nie Li nodded. The reason he chose rice as a trade item was that the land around the Heavenly Fortune Tribe was extremely barren and grain was desperately scarce. In his past life, when Nie Li, Ye Ziyun, and the others had arrived here, they had received some unfair treatment, but they had also been helped by many kind-hearted people. Trading rice was his way of giving something back.

"I'll go get the Purple Smoke Stone right away!" Yun Ling said in a hurry, rushing off to gather the stones. Compared to those fine fabrics, rice was far more precious. A single bag of rice meant one fewer person starving to death. The Heavenly Fortune Tribe was truly desperate for food.

Before long, Yun Ling returned with twenty pieces of Purple Smoke Stone and two hundred copper coins. Nie Li, as promised, handed over the grain and fabric in exchange.

Could Purple Smoke Stone really be traded for grain?

After receiving two bags of rice, Yun Ling still felt as though she were in a dream. What they normally ate was wood flour — scraped from a type of tree called the Mu Yang tree. Rice was an extravagance that only a handful of nobles could afford. A single bag of rice could even buy a beautiful girl from a poor family! And she had gotten it with just ten pieces of Purple Diamond Stone.

"Nie Li, will this trade always be available?" Yun Ling asked, her voice brimming with excitement.

"Of course," Nie Li nodded. "Though I have a limited supply of rice here. Ten pieces of Purple Diamond Stone can also be exchanged for five jin of meat!" Even though Nie Li had deliberately brought multiple Space Rings packed with grain and all sorts of other goods before setting out.

"Great! I'll go tell everyone right away," Yun Ling said, standing up happily. Purple Diamond Stone could be exchanged for rice and meat — she couldn't wait to spread the word.

Anyone else would have kept this information secret and quietly profited, but such a thought never even crossed Yun Ling's mind. She wanted every family to trade for more grain so that everyone's lives could improve.

After Yun Ling left, the young man walked over to Nie Li and sat down across from him.

"Hello, my name is Xiao Yang. I heard you're willing to trade one bag of rice or five jin of meat for ten pieces of Purple Smoke Stone," Xiao Yang said, looking at Nie Li. In all his years, this was the first time he had seen an outsider, and he was full of curiosity about Nie Li.

"That's right," Nie Li nodded.

"I was wondering — what exactly is Purple Smoke Stone used for?" Xiao Yang asked, a note of probing in his voice.

Everyone else was focused on how much rice or meat they could get, but Xiao Yang had noticed the actual purpose behind the Purple Smoke Stone.