Chapter 136: Gather together

“Sir, this Blood Rice is thirty Jade Coins per pound!”

Thirty Jade Coins, that was the result of the clan’s discussion.

From what Oliver Chen saw in that shop, a Bodhi Fruit that could enhance the Body Tempering progress of a Warrior cost three hundred Jade Coins.

Although a pound of the clan’s Blood Rice couldn’t compare to a single Bodhi Fruit, consuming Blood Rice daily for half a month would likely yield similar results.

By this calculation, the value of the clan’s Blood Rice wasn’t that high. However, Blood Rice wasn’t just effective for Body Tempering Warriors; it also had some effect on Blood Condensation Realm Warriors, albeit much weaker. Still, its value couldn’t be ignored.

A slight premium was reasonable.

The bystanders, upon hearing the price, reacted with exaggerated expressions and exclaimed:

“Is your bag made of Jade Coins, or is the rice made of Jade Coins?”

“Thirty Jade Coins per pound? Why don’t you just rob us!”

…

Everyone was discussing and frowning.

It was known that ordinary grain rice could be bought at ten pounds for a single Jade Coin.

Thirty Jade Coins could feed a family for a year without worrying about food.

But now, thirty Jade Coins could only buy a pound of rice, shattering their preconceived notions.

Even Shi Jian, who had asked the price, was taken aback.

Thirty Jade Coins—he was wealthy, but not to the point of wasting money like this.

The murmurs around him echoed his thoughts.

Their Shi Family had always been the ones robbing others; how could someone rob them today?

Facing the crowd’s skepticism, Elijah Chen remained calm and explained:

“This Blood Rice is not ordinary grain rice. It can aid Warriors in Body Tempering and help Blood Condensation Realm Warriors refine their Qi and Blood.”

Hearing this, the onlookers fell silent.

Shi Jian, still skeptical, asked:

“Is this true?”

Elijah smiled faintly and gestured:

“Try it and see.”

Half-believing, Shi Jian took two plump grains of Blood Rice from the bag and chewed them.

The crowd watched silently, eager to see if the Blood Rice was as effective as Elijah claimed.

The hard grains cracked in Shi Jian’s mouth, but as a Blood Condensation Realm Warrior, his teeth were extremely strong. No matter how hard, he could still bite through them.

As Shi Jian chewed, his eyes brightened.

He was at the mid-stage of the Blood Condensation Realm, and ordinary items couldn’t stir his Qi and Blood. But these two grains of Blood Rice had a unique effect.

This indeed worked for Blood Condensation Realm Warriors, though the effect was minimal. It should be more potent for Body Tempering Warriors.

Although it couldn’t compare to the clan’s Bodhi Fruits, its advantage lay in its quantity.

By this calculation, thirty Jade Coins per pound wasn’t a loss. Placing it in his Stone Warm Pavilion, he might even raise the price.

Realizing this, Shi Jian’s eyes lit up. He looked at the two bags of Blood Rice and waved his hand:

“I’ll take them all!”

Seeing Shi Jian’s straightforwardness and lack of haggling, Elijah realized that the clan’s Blood Rice might be more popular than they had imagined.

But Elijah had no intention of raising the price on the spot.

After all, the clan hadn’t brought much Blood Rice this time, and selling it was just to test the market.

Just as Elijah was about to agree, another voice interrupted:

“Hold on!”

“Brother Shi, how could you not call me over for such good stuff?”

A seductive woman with a curvaceous figure and provocative attire stepped out from the crowd.

Shi Jian’s expression changed, and he didn’t let his guard down despite the woman’s smile. Instead, he became more cautious and snorted:

“Isla Xie, how do you have time to wander around?”

“Oh, I also want this Blood Rice. Brother Shi, why not let me have it?”

Shi Jian didn’t answer. Had he known the Blood Rice was so effective, he wouldn’t have tested it publicly, revealing its value.

After all, Shi Jian had never been so generous, buying without bargaining.

Before Shi Jian could think further, familiar voices emerged from the crowd:

“Brother Shi, that’s not very fair.”

“Exactly, how can you not share good things?”

Two figures quickly stepped out from the crowd. One was a young man dressed as a scholar, and the other had an ambiguous appearance, making it hard to discern their gender.

“The Gan Family is here too. That’s Finn Gan! It’s said that despite his young age, he’s been entrusted with significant responsibilities and is about to be promoted to clan elder.”

“And that’s Arlo Shen from the Shen Family. It’s said he practiced a special technique, which is why he looks like that now.”

“I still think Isla Xie is the most formidable. It’s said she’s at the Great Perfection of the Blood Condensation Realm, about to enter the Innate Realm!”

…

The crowd’s discussions reached Elijah’s ears, making him pause.

He hadn’t expected the clan’s Blood Rice to cause such a stir, drawing out the Four Great Families of Yong’an City.

However, the crowd’s chatter provided Elijah with valuable information.

With these four stepping forward, the stall was soon surrounded by people from the Four Great Families.

At the stall, Shi Jian’s face darkened.

He hadn’t expected these people to arrive so quickly, like dogs sniffing out a bone.

No, perhaps they had been in the crowd all along, but he was too focused on the Blood Rice to notice.

It was his own carelessness after tasting the Blood Rice that led to this situation.

But now, with the other three families present, Shi Jian knew he couldn’t easily obtain the Blood Rice.

“May I taste this Blood Rice?”

Isla Xie walked gracefully to the stall, her eyes on the Blood Rice in the bag, and asked in a seductive voice.

Elijah remained expressionless:

“Go ahead.”

As Isla bent over, her perfect figure was on full display, but her eyes were on Elijah and the clan members behind him.

The clan members behind Elijah also noticed Isla’s proud figure.

“Too skinny! So ugly!”

“Can’t bear to look, too hideous, not even half as good as my wife.”

…

These were the thoughts of the clan members.

Seeing that neither Elijah nor the clan members behind him had much reaction, and even seemed disdainful, Isla’s face froze.

She, Isla Xie, a renowned beauty in Yong’an City, was being looked down upon.

After tasting the Blood Rice, Isla’s eyes also brightened. No wonder Shi Jian wanted to buy it without bargaining.

Looking up, Isla noticed the emblem on Elijah and the clan members’ sleeves, her expression becoming more serious.

These people were clearly not as simple as they appeared. However, she had never seen this unique clan totem before, nor heard of any clan with such a totem.