SPMT : Chapter 53: Xiao Qingyan

Time flies like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, it’s been a month.

 

“Today marks the end of harvesting the high-grade crops in the five-acre field,” sighed Xiao Jinfeng in relief.

 

Xiao Jingting nodded, elatedly saying, “It’s a pity we have to take a break now.” Despite making extensive preparations, the ripe crops in the five-acre high-grade field still attracted many demonic beasts, and Xiao Jinfeng had to reset traps every day.

 

Xiao Jingting took out five thousand taels of silver and said, “This is the income from selling the spiritual grains this month, a total of five thousand taels.”

 

Xiao Jinfeng took the silver, his brows slightly furrowing as he remarked, “It seems like the price of spiritual grains this month is lower than last month.”

 

Xiao Jingting nodded, “Yes, recently the supply of spiritual grains in the village has increased, so the prices have decreased. However, we don’t need to worry. Our sales of spiritual wine have been stable, which can compensate for some of the losses.”

 

“By the way, have you heard any news about Xiao Qingyan recently?” Xiao Jingting suddenly asked.

 

Xiao Jinfeng shook his head, “No, it seems like he hasn’t appeared since he returned.”

 

Xiao Jingting furrowed his brows slightly, “I heard he performed quite well in the Marquis Mansion, and they have a high opinion of him.”

 

“Xiao Qingyan…” Xiao Jinfeng hesitated, reluctant to speak further. He had complicated feelings about Xiao Qingyan.

 

Seeing his hesitation, Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “I know there are some unresolved issues between you and him, but he’s still our family, and we should be proud of his achievements.”

 

Xiao Jinfeng fell silent for a moment before nodding, “Yes, you’re right.”

 

Although they had some unresolved issues with Xiao Qingyan, they were still family, and they should rejoice in his accomplishments.

 

“Alright, let’s not dwell on this anymore. Let’s continue with our tasks,” Xiao Jingting said, steering the conversation back to their work.

 

Five thousand taels can only buy a dozen or so pieces of higher quality spirit jade, and with four people sharing, each person will only get four or five pieces. The cultivation resources in the Savage Continent are extremely precious, and spirit jade can quickly enhance one’s strength. The prices have always been high. When they were in the Xiao family, each disciple would only receive one piece of spirit jade each month.

 

Xiao Qingyan, the eldest brother, had it easy. He didn’t need to do anything, and his parents would give him five or six pieces of spirit jade every month, along with a considerable amount of silver. The original owner of this body had expressed opposition to this, resenting his parents for being biased. But Xiao’s father explained that students at the academy were all wealthy, and if Xiao Qingyan didn’t have money to spend there, he would be looked down upon by classmates and mentors.

 

“You should keep this silver. Buy a flying demonic beast. That way, you won’t waste time traveling every day,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

 

Xiao Jingting had long been thinking about buying a demonic beast, but he hadn’t been able to act on it until now.

 

When Xiao Jingting mentioned buying a demonic beast, Xu Mu’an looked at him with bright eyes, finding it somewhat amusing.

 

“Brother, you should have a share of this silver too,” Xiao Jingting said. If it weren’t for Xiao Jinfeng helping to kill demonic beasts and Xu Mu’an assisting, the spiritual plants in the fields would have been destroyed long ago.

 

“After drinking so much spirit wine, Brother already feels embarrassed enough,” Xiao Jinfeng hurriedly waved his hand. Most of the silver earned from selling the bodies of demonic beasts went to him. Xiao Jinfeng’s main expenses were on alcohol, and now that he was drinking his own brew, he saved quite a bit.

 

“I don’t think we’ll attract any particularly troublesome demonic beasts while planting in the high-grade fields these days. I’ll take this opportunity to go out and sell the spirit wine in the big city,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

 

After discussing it, they decided that the purchasing power of the people in the small town was limited, and they wouldn’t get a good price for the spirit wine there. It was better to sell it in the big city, even though it would be more troublesome. Selling alcohol in the small town would attract attention, so they preferred to keep a low profile for now.

 

Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Alright, Brother, after selling the wine, see if there are any cultivation resources available in the big city that we can bring back.”

 

Xiao Jinfeng agreed, saying, “Okay.”

 

Mu Shuyu chose to accompany Xiao Jinfeng on the journey. People in the Savage Continent were much tougher than those on Earth. Many pregnant women went out to kill demonic beasts, so traveling by carriage was nothing.

 

Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu traveled for two days and finally arrived in Fengcheng. To save money, they casually found a tea stall to sit down instead of going to a tavern.

 

“Jinfeng, they said there are students from the Emerald Peak Academy doing tasks near Fengcheng,” Mu Shuyu said.

 

Jinfeng nodded and said, “Yes.”

 

Jinfeng’s feelings towards his brother, Xiao Qingyan, were quite complicated. While Jinfeng used to admire his brother, Xiao Qingyan always seemed aloof. Jinfeng’s temper wasn’t great, and Xiao Qingyan didn’t think highly of him either, so Jinfeng didn’t bother to approach him.

 

“Do you think your brother will be in Fengcheng?” Mu Shuyu asked.

 

“I don’t know.” Jinfeng had written to Xiao Qingyan for help when he felt desperate, but all his letters had gone unanswered, leaving Jinfeng disappointed. “Let’s leave it to fate,” Jinfeng said.

 

Mu Shuyu nodded and said, “Alright.”

 

…

 

“Qingyan, is that your brother down there?” Inside the Falling Moon Tavern, a young man casually playing with his folding fan asked.

 

Xiao Qingyan looked down and calmly replied, “It should just be someone who looks similar. My brother wouldn’t be here.”

 

“Well, your brother tried to take over your sister-in-law! He should be hiding in a hole somewhere now, not showing his face,” Zhao He joked.

 

Xiao Qingyan’s face darkened instantly, and he gave a cold snort without saying a word.

 

After Xiao’s parents had an accident, Xiao Qingyan’s situation worsened, and his reputation suffered further after Jinfeng’s troubles. Xiao Qingyan had received Jinfeng’s pleas for help, but feeling disgruntled towards him, why would Xiao Qingyan step in to help?

 

“Qingyan, do you know where your brother has gone?” Xiao Qingyan obviously didn’t want to discuss this topic further, but Zhao He kept pressing.

 

“He has already been expelled from the family. He doesn’t count as my brother anymore,” Xiao Qingyan said coldly.

 

Zhao He rubbed his chin and said, “Qingyan, don’t be so heartless! You are blood brothers, inseparable.”

 

“This is my family matter,” Xiao Qingyan replied coldly.

 

Zhao He shrugged and said nothing.

 

Xiao Qingyan stood by the window, watching Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu chatting below, his eyes filled with a hint of hostility.