“Dear customer, this Blood Rice is thirty jade coins per cattie!”
Thirty jade coins—that’s the price set by the clan. From what Chen Qingyu saw at the shop, a single Bodhi Fruit (which accelerates a Body Tempering Realm warrior’s progress) costs three hundred jade coins.
Though one cattie of Blood Rice can’t match the effect of a Bodhi Fruit, consuming it every day for half a month should yield similar results.
By that measure, the value of the clan's Blood Rice isn’t exorbitant; however, it isn’t merely effective for Body Tempering warriors. It also offers benefits—albeit weaker—to Blood Coagulation Realm warriors, so a slight premium is justified.
Yet when bystanders heard the price, their faces twisted in exaggerated disbelief.
“Is your bag made of jade coins, or is the rice itself made of jade?” one murmured.
“Thirty jade coins per cattie? Why don’t you just rob us!” another exclaimed.
Ordinary grain costs roughly one jade coin for over ten catties—thirty jade coins could feed a clan for a year—so thirty jade coins per cattie utterly shattered their preconceived notions of value.
Even Shi Jian, who had inquired about the price, looked dark-faced; he was wealthy, but not so foolish as to waste money like that. His murmurs echoed the unspoken sentiment among his peers—after all, his Shi clan had always been the ones taking from others. Since when did someone dare to take from them?
Chen Tianjing, however, remained calm.
“This Blood Rice isn’t ordinary grain,” he explained. “Eating it enhances a warrior’s body tempering and helps those in the Blood Coagulation Realm refine their qi and blood.”
His clear, confident tone silenced many onlookers, though Shi Jian still asked, “Is that true?”
With a smile and a subtle gesture, Chen Tianjing replied, “Try it and see.”
Skeptical yet intrigued, Shi Jian plucked two plump grains from the bag and chewed them; a crisp crunch filled the air as the hard grains shattered between his teeth. For a mid-stage Blood Coagulation Realm warrior, his body was already tempered well enough that his strong teeth easily bit through even the toughest substances. Gradually, his eyes brightened—a quiet affirmation of the rice’s effectiveness.
Noticing the two bags of Blood Rice, one young man couldn’t contain his excitement. Without hesitation, he declared, “I’ll take them all!”
Chen Tianjing was momentarily surprised; the young man’s unhesitating purchase hinted that the Blood Rice might be even more valuable than they had estimated.
Just then, a sultry voice interrupted the bustle.
“Hold on! Brother Shi, how could you not include me when there’s something good to be had?”
A curvaceous woman with revealing attire stepped gracefully into the circle.
Shi Jian’s expression darkened as he replied sharply, “Xie Hongyuan, what are you doing here?”
In a playful tone, she retorted, “Oh, Brother Shi, I want the Blood Rice too—why don’t you let me have it instead?”
Her interjection was quickly joined by murmurs from the surrounding crowd.
“Brother Shi, that isn’t fair.”
“How can you keep such a good thing to yourself?”
Soon, two more figures emerged—one a scholarly young man and the other an androgynous figure with ambiguous features—adding to the debate.
“The Gan clan’s here too,” someone noted. “This is Gan Di! I hear he’s been entrusted with great responsibilities and is on the brink of promotion to elder.”
Another added, “And that’s Shen Li from the Shen clan—rumor has it she’s mastered a special technique, which explains her unique look.”
The murmurs provided Chen Tianjing with valuable information about the powerful clans of Yong’an City.
As these four great clans began to surround the stall, Shi Jian’s expression turned even darker. They had appeared so quickly—as if they’d been watching all along, unnoticed by him while he was fixated on the Blood Rice. His own carelessness in revealing the rice’s value had now escalated the situation.
At that moment, a curious voice cut in.
“May I have a taste?”
Xie Hongyuan stepped forward again, her enchanting gaze fixed on the bag, and Chen Tianjing, maintaining his impassive demeanor, permitted her with a simple, “Go ahead.”
She leaned in seductively, though her eyes also assessed Chen Tianjing and the clan members behind him.
A few men in the Chen clan, however, looked away in disgust—comments like, “She’s too skinny! Unattractive!” and “I can’t stand her; she’s not even half as good as my wife!” circulated quietly among them.
Noticing such dismissive attitudes, Xie Hongyuan’s smile faltered. For someone of her stature in Yong’an City, being dismissed so lightly was intolerable.
Tasting the Blood Rice, she quickly understood why Shi Jian had been willing to buy without bargaining. Glancing up, she scrutinized the unique insignia on Chen Tianjing’s sleeves; her expression turned serious. She had never seen such a clan emblem before, and its presence suggested that the Chen clan was far from ordinary.