Chapter 145 Steady Fishing Platform i

Translator: 549690339 |

The scorching summer, abundant rainfall, and rising temperatures facilitated the rapid hatching of insect eggs.

Under cooler temperatures, it took over twenty days for eggs to hatch into nymphs. Now, with the high heat, the process could be shortened to twelve or thirteen days. This also meant their reproduction cycle was reduced by a whole seven or eight days.

It was bound to make the locusts plague even more ferocious.

It was known that for each day the breeding cycle was shortened, their numbers would increase exponentially.

The three thousand ducks Qin Niu held could definitely fetch more profit if sold later.

Currently, just by renting them out, he could net three hundred Wen Money a day.

This was still considering the connection he had with the Tang Family.

Otherwise, the price would surely be higher.

“Master Qin, may I ask if it’s convenient to disturb you now?”

“Is that you, Uncle Wang? Please come in!”

Qin Niu had just delivered the pork when Wang Furen arrived.

He hadn’t mentioned that it was the meat of a magical beast!

Ten pounds of wild boar meat was only worth about thirty Wen, hardly a reason for Wang Furen to rush over to express thanks.

“Oh, Master Qin, your residence is coming along nicely! Who would have thought, in just a few months’ time, you would develop your family business to this extent. If Old Man Liu knew about this from beyond, he would be smiling in his grave.”

Wang Furen admired Qin Niu’s new residence with envy.

This was a government official’s house with three rooms and seven bays, not an ordinary civilian dwelling. It looked particularly majestic.

That imposing aura was also overwhelming.

Without grandeur, there can be no profound authority.

Although seven bays were only two more than five, the impression it left was completely different.

“It’s a pity that old Father Liu passed away early; otherwise, he could have enjoyed some peace and comfort too.”

Qin Niu also felt endless regret.

If Old Man Liu were still alive, he would surely let him experience unprecedented glory.

“The dead cannot be brought back to life, but your filial piety is seen by everyone. Old Man Liu did not foster a son in vain.”

“Uncle Wang must have something important to discuss, so let’s speak inside the house!”

Qin Niu invited Wang Furen into the house.

The house was now in possession, and it was indeed a large and imposing mansion with green tiles and grey bricks, epitomizing luxury.

Only, the furniture inside the house was still the old and crude pieces from before, clashing with the new home.

Normally, high-grade furniture would serve as the perfect finishing touch, further elevating the house’s class and showcasing the owner’s status and wealth.

Now it had become a significant flaw.

It made it obvious at a glance that the house’s owner put up a facade.

Wang Furen glanced over the simple furniture and said nothing further.

“Master Qin, Steward Yan Qi from the Yan Family came to see you today, but you weren’t home. The Yan Family owns nearly seven hundred acres of farmland and this time encountered an unprecedented locust disaster. Although many methods have been tried, they were simply unable to hold off the invasion. The two Insect Masters they invited from the city could only protect a little over a hundred acres of farmland, and nearly six hundred acres are currently being ravaged by locusts.

The entire Yan Family is so distressed by this that they can neither eat nor sleep in peace.

I have already sold my two thousand ducks to the Yan Family. Steward Yan Qi would like to ask through me if your three thousand ducks could also be sold to the Yan Family?”

The Yan Family was the largest landlord, owning over a thousand acres of farmland.

They leased out four or five hundred acres, with seven hundred remaining for their use.

The current locust disaster had a significant impact on ordinary people, but because they cultivated less land, even a complete crop failure resulted in limited losses.

The Yan Family was different; like Xu Zhenchang, they had bet too much on their land.

If several hundred acres yielded no crops and were devoured by locusts, it would be a massive and crippling loss.

Great assets bring great expenses.

While the loss of a few hundred acres this year wouldn’t bankrupt the Yan Family, it would certainly hurt their vitality and might even cause turmoil.

“I have no intention of selling at the moment,” Qin Niu replied curtly.

“Won’t you ask what price the Yan Family is willing to pay?”

“If Uncle Wang is willing to speak, he will tell me even if I don’t ask at all.”

“Haha, it seems Mr. Wang is completely transparent to Master Qin! Although my ducks are still only half-grown, the Yan Family offered as high as twenty- five Wen per duck. I bought them for six Wen each, and these days, with plenty of locusts for them to feed on, there was no need to provide food. Now, after deducting the cost of transport, the profit is at least eighteen Wen per duck.

This is the easiest and most substantial profit I’ve ever made in my life.”

No wonder Wang Furen had a beaming face.

He had made such a large sum of Silver Money.

At least a profit of more than thirty-six silver ingots, a sum others might struggle for ten or eleven years in the fields to earn.

“Had I known I could make so much, I should have bought more at the start.”

Wang Furen regretted not buying more.

” What about now, Master Qin? Are you willing to sell now?”

“Let’s wait and see! I’m not in a hurry to sell my batch of ducks just yet.”

Qin Niu had his plans.

Wang Furen’s expression tensed slightly, “Does Master Qin think the price of the ducks will rise further?”

“Hard to say. Uncle Wang has sold them and the Silver Money is secured, which is good enough, so there’s no need for regrets now.”

“It does make sense. I’ve made a good sum by selling those ducks, and I’m content. Master Qin is farsighted, possessing a vision and insight not found in ordinary people. If there are more opportunities to make a fortune in the future, I hope you can lend a hand to Wang. I’ve already reached the age of knowing my fate and I don’t know how many years I have left. When the time comes, all my possessions will go to Wan Yan. By the way, if Master Qin is free, please come to my house for tea, Wan Yan has many things she’d like to ask you.”

Wang Furen was cunning and shrewd.

He deliberately mentioned making money and that everything would go to his daughter after a hundred years.

Then he took the initiative to invite Qin Niu to his home for tea, even a fool could understand what that meant.

However, now that Wang Furen was keen on pushing for the marriage between the two, and Qin Niu and Wang Wanyan themselves had feelings for each other, there was a good chance this could happen.

Now it mainly depended on the wishes of the two young people.

“Sure, I will visit when I have time.”

Qin Niu readily agreed.

“Then I won’t bother Master Qin any longer. Thank you for bringing my family the wild boar meat. I have already instructed Wu Ma to cook it all for Yan’er. She has been diligently cultivating recently, it truly tugs at the heartstrings to watch her.”

Wasn’t all this a result of your own doing, Wang Furen?

Although Wang Wanyan had also been secretly cultivating before, she was never as diligent and hardworking as now.

Sometimes a little bit of hardship is good for people, putting them under pressure can force them to progress.

After sending off Wang Furen, Qin Niu turned his attention to Xiao Qing.

“Xiao Qing, have you not yet broken through to the Third Realm of mortals?”

“I’m just a little short.”

“Is it because we have too few medicinal herbs in the backyard?”

Qin Niu had no plans to take her to cultivate under the banyan tree for the time being.

The two had already established a fairly deep master-servant relationship, but he did not know enough about Xiao Qing yet. He would never casually reveal such vital resources related to his life and property to anyone.

“It’s not so much that the number of herbs is too small, but that their medicinal qi is too scant. I can deplete their medicinal qi in about an hour of cultivation. Only the Broadleaf Gentian you dug up has a bit richer medicinal qi.”

In the end, it all came down to the scarcity of high-grade medicinal herbs.

There were countless medicinal herbs in the mountains, but the high-grade ones with age on them had long been dug up by people.

Aside from human harvesting, the beasts, birds, and insects of the mountain knew their goods as well.

Many spiritual grasses and exotic fruits were guarded by powerful beasts.

Like the Boar King that Qin Niu had slain, it led hundreds of wild boars patrolling the mountains daily. As soon as it found any herbs of considerable age, it would immediately root them out and eat them.

It was estimated that only deep within the mountains might there be some chance of finding high-grade medicinal herbs with age.

“I’ll go into the mountains tomorrow to see if I can dig up a few more plants,” Qin Niu told her.

That night, the two of them prepared a few pounds of Boar King meat for consumption.

Xiao Qing ate more than two pounds, her appetite was quite substantial.

Qin Niu was even more exaggerated, his digestive capacity had been strengthened, allowing him to eat five pounds of meat in one go.

After the master and servant had finished eating, it wasn’t long before they felt something unusual.

“Master, this Boar King meat is powerful. I feel a warm current rising in my belly, flowing through my entire body.”

“Of course, this is the meat of a demon boar,” Qin Niu replied with a smile.

Compared to the violent demonic energy contained in the boar’s blood, the energy in the Boar King’s meat was milder and within the tolerance range of the human body.

Its nourishing effect on the body was gradual and silent, strengthening the consumer’s body without them noticing.

In terms of effects, even if it’s slightly less than a Tempering Elixir, it wouldn’t be by much.

Such a treasure was not something easily encountered.

The Boar King weighed over eight hundred pounds, yielding roughly six hundred pounds of meat. This was enough for the master and servant to enjoy for quite some time.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

Three high-grade medicinal herbs had been added to his backyard, and Xiao Qing’s cultivation had successfully broken through to the Third Realm.

Qin Niu’s new residence was finally completed thanks to the efforts of the Tang Fang brothers and numerous workers.

According to tradition, the completion of a new home required a celebration with friends and neighbors.

Qin Niu, who preferred to keep a low profile and make a fortune quietly, had no intention of doing so.

Over the past two days, he had been cultivating Golden Ring Bumblebees.

Tomorrow, he planned to enter the city and deliver a Green Giant Bumblebee using the address provided by that old man last time. After selling it for silver money, he intended to purchase a batch of furniture.

The house at least had to look presentable.

Otherwise, he would be looked down upon, and his local prestige would suffer.

The Boar King’s skin had been removed three or four days ago, so he planned to take it into the city and have two suits of leather armor made.

One for himself and one for Xiao Qing.

Such a large piece of pigskin was more than enough to make a suit of leather armor for each of them.

Qin Niu entered his bedroom and retrieved the Treasured Sword from the knife-sanctifying pool.

Clang, clang!

It actually emitted a series of clear ringing sounds.

On the blade, there were faint streaks of dark green sparks flashing.