After leaving the restaurant, Li Ye wasn't in a hurry to return to the sect.
Zhang Liangfu was helping keep an eye on the spiritual farmland, and as long as they stayed alert for pest infestations or spirit beasts lurking underground to steal crops, there wouldn't be any major problems.
Besides, the conversation with Third Uncle in the private room had barely lasted a few minutes before they parted ways. There was still plenty of time left in the day.
This was also his first time going out since transmigrating into this world wouldn't it be a waste if he didn't take a little stroll?
His purse was light, so Li Ye skipped past the shops run by various sects and factions and instead wandered through the stalls lining the streets.
But it wasn't long before he smacked his forehead in frustration.
"Ugh! What a missed opportunity!"
"I should've asked that Third Uncle for a few spirit stones to spend!"
If he had the guts to ask for entire cultivation arts and heritage techniques, what was a few measly spirit stones in comparison?
With the pitiful amount of money in his pocket, he could only afford some low-grade trinkets nothing of real value. At most, he could buy one or two basic talismans for self-defense.
"Next time… I have to remember next time!"
He made a mental note to himself.
Just then, a new idea suddenly struck him.
"Now that I think about it, I still haven't figured out how to reclaim that patch of spiritual farmland that technically belongs to me…"
"It's just a few plots carved out of a low-grade spirit vein honestly, even if I wanted to farm it myself, the harvest wouldn't be as rich in experience or spiritual essence as what I could get inside the sect."
"In that case, why not just sell the land to one of the other family branches in exchange for some spirit stones?"
Li Ye's eyes lit up as he seriously considered the feasibility of this plan.
After all, trying to forcibly occupy the land would reflect badly on him. Even under the guise of "managing it on his behalf," the other clansmen wouldn't be fooled.
If tensions flared between family branches, someone might even use this against him, scolding him for hogging the land.
But if he could legally and openly transfer ownership of the land to his branch of the family, the situation would be completely different.
At the very least, if someone tried to cause trouble again in the future, they could be directly shut down. No one would be able to hold it against him anymore.
And in a family like this…
An offer like that would be hard for the others to refuse!
As for whether this counted as "selling off Grandpa's land without a care"...
Li Ye knew very well in his heart:
"If I succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment, those people in the clan will be scrambling to return everything that's rightfully mine and more just to win me over!"
"If I fail, I might already be dead in some ditch by then. So what's the point of worrying about it now?"
"No matter what, it's still better than letting that land be occupied without getting anything out of it!"
"This… is worth doing!"
With his decision made, Li Ye suddenly felt a sense of clarity, like the sky had opened up.
If he could secure this first pot of gold, his plan to study the various cultivation arts could begin ahead of schedule.
He wouldn't need to slowly scrape together resources before cautiously dabbling in one thing at a time.
As long as his experience and spiritual essence harvests kept up, it wouldn't take him more than a few years to make real progress.
By then, Foundation Establishment would no longer be out of reach!
What started as a reluctant visit to some scheming relative had now sparked a bold new plan, and Li Ye was in a great mood.
He looked around at the bustling street vendors calling out to passersby, the scene full of lively, earthly charm. His lips curled into a smile, and he strolled off with renewed enthusiasm.
....
"So much for finding hidden treasures those stories in novels are just fantasy..."
As he walked out from the end of the street, Li Ye withdrew his gaze from the many stalls and muttered with a deadpan expression.
Originally, he'd thought that with his near-high-level first-tier planting skills second only to an alchemist in identifying various spiritual herbs he might be able to spot a few valuable spiritual seeds among the random junk laid out at the stalls. It would've been a great way to add some new varieties to his future spiritual field.
But reality quickly proved otherwise those stall owners weren't amateurs either.
The goods on those stands? Way overpriced.
As for finding a hidden gem?
The moment they noticed how closely Li Ye was inspecting things, the vendors enthusiastically began recommending all sorts of mysterious and dubious items to him.
Statues, stones, weird roots, broken fragments… The sheer variety made his head spin.
And they were all priced just low enough to make a buyer hesitate but not panic.
Even if you ended up with a piece of junk, you'd just feel mildly regretful, not angry enough to come back and cause trouble.
These guys were experts at exploiting the "hidden treasure" mentality!
In the end, after carefully checking every stall, all Li Ye got was a masterclass in how to fake ancient artifacts nothing truly valuable.
"Two Golden Bell Talismans and one Frost Breath Talisman eight spirit crystals, fellow cultivator," a vendor said.
Li Ye pulled out eight spirit crystals and handed them over, taking the talismans and examining them carefully before finally turning to leave.
The talismans left by his predecessor had long since been used up.
Now that the cultivation world in the Huan Kingdom had quieted down a bit, and with some family business requiring him to occasionally leave the sect, it was time to restock his defensive measures.
He already had the Blackwood Sword for offense and had mastered the Vinesnare Technique for control.
Now, with the Golden Bell Talismans replacing the broken shield artifact as a defensive tool, and the Frost Breath Talisman as a backup in case the Vinesnare failed,
he would be well-equipped for self-defense or escape as long as he didn't run into a wealthy, overpowered cultivator.
Unfortunately… that purchase had also drained the last of his spirit crystals.
"I'll bring up the spiritual field matter when Third Uncle replies…"
"No actually, I'll send someone to deliver the message right now!"
Tucking the talismans within easy reach, Li Ye gave his now-flat storage pouch a squeeze and made a silent decision.
Li Family, Third Branch Residence.
"What?!"
"He said that?!"
A man, dressed in flashy robes and bearing a strong resemblance to Third Uncle though noticeably younger suddenly shot up from his seat, eyes wide with disbelief and barely contained fury.
Third Uncle hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
The man immediately burst into curses.
"That useless idiot who can't even grow crops properly dares demand access to all the family's heritage techniques?!"
"He's just lucky he had some minor connection to that Cai Shiwei character, and now he thinks that gives him the right to make such outrageous demands…"
As he ranted, his brow suddenly furrowed.
"Could it be… he's planning to sell the family's heritage for personal gain? Trade it for cultivation resources?"
The moment the suspicion left his lips, his anger only deepened.
"That brat dares try to cash in on generations of our family's hard-earned knowledge? What, does he think his stomach's big enough to swallow it all?!"
The others in the hall had mixed reactions to the outburst, but most of them showed signs of irritation and agreement with his take.
"Sit down, Xiao Si."
An older man at the head seat suddenly spoke.
"Yes, Father," the younger man muttered, clearly still fuming, but he bowed his head slightly and sat back down.
The elder glanced around at the others in the hall before fixing his gaze on a stern-faced, square-jawed middle-aged man seated to his left, hair streaked with gray but carrying a quiet authority.
"Eldest, Zongyin is your son… What do you think?"
The middle-aged man stood, first bowing respectfully to the old patriarch.
Even though his cultivation had already surpassed his father's and he was now head of their branch, he had never lacked respect.
After the bow, he slowly spoke:
"Father, I believe… we can agree to part of his request, but only under certain conditions…"
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
A steward appeared at the hall's entrance, bowing slightly as he handed over a letter to the middle-aged man while reporting in a low voice:
"Li Ye has sent word through an intermediary he's offering to sell the spiritual field under his name… All family branches have received the same message."
At that, even the composed middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly.
He quickly tore open the letter and read it before lifting his gaze to the old patriarch.
The old man's eyes narrowed, and after a pause, he sighed.
"So Shusen's boy did guess correctly after all… That man has gone to great lengths for that child of his…"