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Chapter 44: Purchase
Upon meeting, Meng Zhang and Lao Bulu exchanged no pleasantries, and the latter dragged Meng Zhang to a restaurant, insisting on treating him to a few drinks. Meng Zhang didn't refuse and went along with it. The restaurant was run by Forest Spring Watch and offered not only top-quality spiritual food but also renowned spiritual wine called "bloody wine." As the name suggested, it had a color resembling blood and was named accordingly. It emitted a peculiar, bloody fragrance. Bloody wine's primary ingredient was the blood of special demon beasts, which was then brewed using Forest Spring Watch's secret method. Besides being rich in spiritual energy, bloody wine had the miraculous effect of nourishing one's qi and blood and nurturing the physical body. Due to its limited production, there were very few casks available in the restaurant, and it was only offered in limited quantities.
Arriving late, Lao Bulu and Meng Zhang missed the chance to purchase it. However, the restaurant owner reserved half a pot of bloody wine for Meng Zhang, thanks to Lao Bulu's influence. Despite not being fond of alcohol, Meng Zhang couldn't resist drinking a few cups when faced with the enticing aroma. After a few cups, he could clearly feel a series of scorching warm flows circulating within him, making his qi and blood more active. While feeling tipsy, Lao Bulu introduced a business opportunity to Meng Zhang. Mining the white hidden earth required a large number of ordinary people of working age as miners. It had been a crucial task for Lao Bulu's caravan to purchase these ordinary workers to replenish the workforce. The living conditions and population were better in the areas directly controlled by the Flying Swan Sect. If one put in more effort, it was possible to hire many ordinary people to work as miners. Of course, to reduce costs, caravans like Lao Bulu's actively collected displaced ordinary people. The young miners would be sent to the mine to work, while their families would stay behind to allow the miners to work in peace. However, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled without any connections were considered almost valueless.
Lao Bulu had accumulated a considerable number of such ordinary people and had been willing to sell them. As for the restrictions on selling ordinary people in the Cultivation World, he had ways to deal with it. Now, Lao Bulu wanted to inquire if Meng Zhang was interested in purchasing this batch of ordinary people. When they first interacted, Lao Bulu had helped Meng Zhang transport ordinary servants, so Lao Bulu thought Meng Zhang might be interested. Although most of the ordinary people in this batch were elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, there were quite a few children who would be valuable to Meng Zhang since child slaves were in demand in the Cultivation World. Including the children in this batch among the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled made the latter more valuable. Meng Zhang wanted to purchase more ordinary people not only to increase their numbers but also to break the current social structure of Sweetwater Oasis. The small number of people in Sweetwater Oasis all had personal relationships with each other, which had annoyed Meng Zhang, especially after the recent incident with Fang Yong.
Introducing more outsiders would be the beginning of breaking these personal relationships. After a brief discussion, Meng Zhang and Lao Bulu finalized the deal. As for the price, Lao Bulu didn't take advantage of Meng Zhang. Following that, Meng Zhang waited for a day in Singing Sand City before setting off with Lao Bulu's caravan. This time, Meng Zhang purchased over five hundred ordinary people, including fewer than thirty children under the age of eighteen. Lao Bulu specially took care of Meng Zhang in this regard, as ordinary people under the age of eighteen were the most valuable in the Cultivation World. The chances of awakening spiritual roots were higher for ordinary people under eighteen, and the younger they were when they awakened, the better. After the age of eighteen, it was challenging for them to awaken spiritual roots. Although there were a few exceptions who awakened spiritual roots after eighteen, their prospects were limited due to their late awakening.
Meng Zhang used his own spirit stones for this transaction, as it was his idea to change Sweetwater Oasis's population structure. In addition to purchasing the ordinary people, he also bought a large amount of food and daily necessities, which significantly depleted his own spirit stones. After leaving Singing Sand City, Meng Zhang spent some time talking and bonding with Lao Bulu. Soon after Meng Zhang left Singing Sand City, a black dot appeared in the high sky, following from a distance. After walking for a while, Lao Bulu looked puzzled and glanced at the sky. These merchants traveling all over the place were not simple; they had some means up their sleeves. Meng Zhang thought to himself.
"Brother, there's no need to worry; it's a trick from a neighboring faction near my sect." "They're just monitoring us and won't have other intentions." Meng Zhang honestly confessed.
"Don't worry about it, Brother; if you need anything, just say the word," Lao Bulu said generously.
Although their relationship seemed to be growing closer, and they called each other "brother," Meng Zhang didn't take Lao Bulu's polite words to heart. Merchants like Lao Bulu wouldn't rashly get involved in disputes between two forces. Of course, Twin Success Valley's affiliated forces wouldn't dare to provoke him either.
"It's just a small matter; I'll handle it myself. If I need Brother's help in the future, I'll ask," Meng Zhang replied politely.
After this little incident, they didn't discuss the topic further. The journey was smooth and uneventful. When they arrived near Sweetwater Oasis, after completing the transaction, Lao Bulu bid farewell and left. Meng Zhang called the people of Sweetwater Oasis and had them transport the purchased ordinary people and goods back. After dealing with everything, Meng Zhang finally returned to Taiyi Sect. When there were no outsiders around, Tian Zhen privately reminded Meng Zhang that Sweetwater Oasis had limited space and might not be able to accommodate more people. Meng Zhang was well aware of this, but expanding the oasis or creating new ones wasn't an easy task. It seemed that the purchase of ordinary people would have to be postponed. Tian Zhen didn't tell Meng Zhang that the new arrivals and the original residents of the oasis were not getting along well and had caused numerous disputes. Tian Zhen had handled these matters with the Taiyi Sect disciples of Sweetwater Oasis, so as not to distract Meng Zhang.
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