Chapter 84: Selling the Mine

"First-grade black iron ore, two thousand nine hundred and twenty catties. Second-grade ore, forty-one catties, equivalent to eighty-two catties of first-grade. A total of three thousand and two catties!"
The overseer loudly announced the tally.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, you really are precise—only two catties over!"
The young cultivator was momentarily stunned, casting Ye Mo a curious glance.
"Every stone I mine costs me strength, so I must be meticulous. Since I was two catties over, if I get another chance to mine, I'll be even more exact."
Ye Mo gave a self-mocking laugh. He had known the scales were off. After estimating the error, he had deliberately gone just two catties over.
The young cultivator couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth. This fellow was so shrewd, even petty details like this were calculated—what kind of person was he?
"Fellow Daoist, isn't it time to pay out the spirit stone?"
Ye Mo placed his mining shovel on the wooden table and asked.
The young cultivator recovered his composure and nodded. "Forgive my rudeness, I must first check with my spiritual sense. No smuggling ore out!"
Without waiting for Ye Mo to reply, he released his spiritual sense, scanning Ye Mo thoroughly—there were no spirit stones hidden on him.
Ye Mo's expression was calm.
The spiritual tools and swords he carried were his personal belongings, not storage pouches, and so could not be searched. The young cultivator found nothing amiss.
"Here is your wage—a single spirit stone. Please keep it safe, Fellow Daoist Ye."
After recording the transaction, the young cultivator handed Ye Mo a spirit stone, then watched him leave the mining valley with a peculiar look.
"Supervisor, is there something suspicious about this man?"
A worker asked cautiously.
"He rushed off after earning a single spirit stone—who knows what his intentions are! Probably can't bear the stench of the mines, desperate to escape, I'd wager."
The young cultivator shook his head, speaking slowly.
...
"A horse grows not fat without night grass, a man grows not rich without windfall! How true these words are!"
Ye Mo strode quickly along the stone-paved road, calculating in his heart.
With five or six thousand catties of second- and third-grade black iron ore, he could amass his initial capital, saving a great amount of time.
Beneath the scorching midday sun, the wide stone road seemed rather deserted. Apart from the occasional cargo beast-cart, there were only a few passersby.
Once out of the mining district and onto the island's plains, more and more spirit fields appeared along the roadside—vast swathes of spirit grain and spirit beans swaying in the breeze.
A cultivator was casting a spell near one of the fields. Over an acre of land, a cloud several yards wide floated, releasing a gentle rain.
"So that's the Spirit Rain Spell? The magic of cultivating spirit fields is truly wondrous."
Ye Mo murmured in awe. Though he had become a cultivator, aside from the Water Arrow Spell, he had never learned other arts.
The cultivator before him, wielding the Spirit Rain Spell, must have quite some skill to summon a cloud so large.
He paused to watch until the cloud and mist dissipated, then resumed his journey eastward toward Immortal Village. His determination to cultivate only grew stronger.
He couldn't help but touch the ancient scroll at his waist. The black iron ore within could be traded for a great number of spirit stones—at last, he could truly embark on the path of cultivation.
Though he had formed his spiritual core months ago, Ye Mo had been unable to progress further for lack of spirit stones. He had entered the gateway, but had no way forward.
Ye Mo passed through the village without stopping, heading straight for the pier on Donglai Spirit Island.
He did not immediately seek to sell the ore in the village; this required caution, given the questionable origin of his black iron.
The docks remained busy as ever.
Ships from other immortal villages docked frequently, others sailed out to sea, and stevedores bustled about, sweating profusely.
Ye Mo's ship was still moored at its original berth.
"Immortal Master, you're back?"
First Mate Chang hurried out to greet Ye Mo upon hearing of his return.
"How has everything been on the ship while I was away at the mines?"
Ye Mo asked.
"Reporting to Immortal Master, all is well on board, nothing major to report! The crew and guards spend their days focused on cultivation as you instructed, using gold and jewels left on the ship to purchase large quantities of body-tempering herbs, devoting themselves to martial training.
Over the years, Captain Feng's slave trade brought in plenty of treasure—more than enough for us warriors on board. Many among the crew and guards have made breakthroughs lately.
We've also gone to sea twice, fishing in the misty zone. With fewer people aboard, we hardly need much food, so just one trip now and then suffices."
Chang Fei gave a thorough account of ship affairs during Ye Mo's absence. As vice-captain, he had handled all matters great and small.
"Good, as long as everyone is safe. What about Wang Hu, Yang You, Mo Ling, and the Earthslave Guards?"
Ye Mo listened attentively, commended Chang Fei, and continued his inquiry.
"Wang and Yang often go to the village, but return to sleep on the ship at night. I'm not sure what keeps them busy. Miss Mo Ling frequently stays with her grandfather in the village, sometimes gone for days.
As for the Earthslave Five Guards, they've not left the ship, training behind closed doors every day, rarely seen. But as per your instructions, they have an ample supply of body-tempering herbs—however much they need, they get."
Chang Fei shook his head.
These people were Ye Mo's followers or personal slaves, their status as high as or higher than Chang Fei's. He could only manage the ordinary crew, not Wang Hu, Yang You, Mo Ling, or the Earthslave Guards.
With Ye Mo away, each arranged their own affairs.
"Very well, I'll rest for a while. We'll discuss other matters later."
Ye Mo nodded.
Having spent more than half a month in the dim, foul-smelling mines, laboring intensely, even his stamina was depleted and his spirit exhausted.
After bathing and a simple meal, Ye Mo relaxed fully in his cabin and slept deeply. When he awoke, most of the day had passed, and noise drifted in from beyond the door.
"Miss Mo, you can't go in—Master is resting!"
"He's been asleep for hours and still hasn't woken? Could he be hurt?"
"Since Master returned, we've stood guard here the whole time—no harm will come to him! His breathing is calm and steady as he sleeps, no sign of trouble."
"You... never mind, I'll wait a bit longer."
Mo Ling glared at the five obtuse Earthslave Guards.
They were truly single-minded. Since Ye Mo's return, they had stood guard like statues at the door, never leaving.
She had come several times, each time stopped by the guards. Their loyalty was unassailable, and she couldn't rightly scold them.
Creak!
The cabin door opened and Ye Mo emerged.
"Master!"
The five Earthslave Guards moved as one, dropping to one knee in greeting.
"Brother Ye, I got back yesterday and heard from Deputy Captain Chang that you’d returned, so I came to see you."
Mo Ling quickly explained.
"Good timing—I'm hungry. Let's eat together in a bit."
Ye Mo smiled at her.
"Ah, I'll have the cook prepare some good dishes!"
Mo Ling glanced at the guards, then hurried toward the ship's kitchen. The former captain Feng Xiong’s master chef was still aboard.
"You five have all advanced a level—now at the eighth layer of body refinement. Very good!"
Ye Mo was about to dismiss the guards when he noticed this with surprise.
"Thank you for the body-tempering medicine, Master! Without it, we could never have broken through so quickly."
The only woman among the five guards replied softly.
She had been at the seventh layer, but now all five were at the eighth layer—martial experts.
They had trained together since childhood, skilled in joint techniques; even a ninth-layer martial artist would find them formidable.
"Continue your training; reach the peak of the ninth layer soon! You don't need to stand guard here anymore."
"Yes, Master!"
...
In the kitchen, the meal was ready.
"Delicious! The cook’s skills have improved greatly!"
Ye Mo sat at the dining table in the ship’s cabin, devouring fragrant fish with gusto.
"You think this is good? I’m sick of fish. You eat like you’ve just been released from prison!"
Mo Ling sat opposite, not touching her chopsticks, unable to resist commenting.
"You’re not wrong. The food at the mines was like pig slop. Spending half a month there was no different from being locked up."
Ye Mo replied quickly.
"Mining is that hard? Then don’t go back. There’s plenty of work for cultivators in the village—pays less, but you don’t have to suffer in the mines."
Mo Ling frowned.
Ye Mo grinned. With several thousand catties of black iron ore from the ancient scroll, he would never go back to that drudgery—but that was not something he could reveal.
Theft from the mines had to be kept absolutely secret. Otherwise, Lord Zou Ru Hai and the Four Seas Trading Guild would surely hunt him relentlessly.
Nor would he reveal the secret of the ancient scroll to anyone.
"By the way, has Senior Mo’s injury recovered?"
Ye Mo asked as he ate.
"No. It hasn't gotten worse, but there's been no obvious improvement. Grandfather says it may take years to heal. The wound to his internal organs from the beast is beyond most healing pills. And those pills are expensive—at least dozens of spirit stones."
Mo Ling sounded worried.
"Such a severe injury? Well, as long as it’s not worsening. When you become a cultivator, you can help your grandfather earn spirit stones."
Ye Mo looked up, offering comfort.
"Earning spirit stones is no easy matter. Dozens of stones? Even if I become a Qi-Refining cultivator with a Vitality Pill and work in spirit grain fields, I’d earn one stone a month. It would take years to save enough."
Mo Ling gave a wry smile.
"Brother Ye, Chang Fei told me you’re back!"
Wang Hu’s booming voice sounded outside the dining hall, followed by hurried footsteps.
He and Yang You entered one after the other.
"You two have also advanced to the seventh layer—true high-level warriors now."
Ye Mo laughed, giving Wang Hu a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"With all the gold we spent on body-tempering herbs, if we still couldn’t reach the later stages, we’d be hopeless!"
Wang Hu laughed, scratching his head in delight.
They chatted boisterously about everything that had happened over the past half month.
Wang Hu and Yang You had been frequenting the village’s smithies, hoping to become apprentices after becoming cultivators, so they could learn the forging craft.
...
The next day.
Ye Mo went to a small smithy in Donglai Immortal Village. Several burly, bare-chested cultivators sweated by the forge, hammering away, the sound echoing far and wide.
A dark-skinned man, dripping with sweat, took a piece of Ye Mo’s black iron ore and examined it closely.
"This is a third-grade black iron stone. Good quality—refined, it could yield third-grade black iron! But it’s not quite enough for a third-grade spirit sword. If only I had a few more pieces. I can’t buy it—it’s not enough on its own."
The man shook his head, then asked suspiciously, "Where did you get this ore?"
"A friend dug it up on a wild island and asked me to sell it. Can’t you supplement it with your own stock?"
Ye Mo replied.
He wanted to say he had plenty more second- and third-grade ore, but restrained himself.
"How would I have any third-grade ore? The island’s mines rarely produce any. When they do, the big workshops buy it all. I’m just a small operation—can’t compete. I usually only work with first-grade black iron."
The man shook his head.
"Can’t you buy it from elsewhere?"
Ye Mo asked, puzzled.
"Ha! Elsewhere? You don’t understand. The village has rules: all smithies must buy black iron from the local mines.
Lord Zou runs the mining valley for profit, selling ore to the smithies at high prices. No outside shipments are allowed—only materials unavailable locally can be sourced from outside.
Strictly speaking, your ore isn’t supposed to be sold privately on the island. A small amount is fine, but if you tried to move it in bulk and the Immortal Guards found out, the consequences would be dire."
The man gave Ye Mo a searching look. "You’re not smuggling in ore from another island and trying to sell it off in small batches, are you? If so, I can’t take it."
"Of course not. I only have this one piece, bought from a friend—I just wanted to make a little profit. Looks like I got my hopes up for nothing."
Ye Mo’s heart skipped a beat, but he forced a sheepish smile.
The man glanced outside, then closed the door and lowered his voice. "Let’s be frank. I don’t know how you got this, but I’ll take the third-grade stone.
Though it’s not enough for a third-grade sword, I can add some first-grade ore and forge a second-grade blade. Name your price."
A short while later, Ye Mo left the smithy with a dozen spirit stones in hand—his feelings a mix of amusement and frustration.
A third-grade black iron stone weighing over ten catties had fetched him more than a dozen spirit stones—more than he could earn in a month of mining.
But selling off the thousands of catties of third-grade ore he possessed would be problematic. No smithy in Donglai Village dared buy such hot goods.
All the smithies sourced their ore from the island’s mines. If he tried to sell thousands of catties, it would immediately attract the attention of the workshops and even Lord Zou.
Not wishing to arouse suspicion, Ye Mo dared not try again and could only return to his ship.