It all started with one person becoming a shaman, but the Stand user...

The shopkeeper glanced at him a couple more times, hesitated for a moment, and then kicked a bulging woven bag:

"That's all we have then, cornmeal, ground. It's the cheapest and filling, but it causes heartburn if you eat it for too long, so you have to eat something else with it."

Qinghe Miao scanned the store and confirmed that there were no grains priced lower.

"never mind."

He sighed and pointed to the bag of early-ripening rice:

"Boss, please give me the loose millet, not those thin plastic bags."

He pointed to some empty sacks piled up in the corner:

"Do you still have any of those old burlap sacks? I can use one of those to pack the food. By the way, if these burlap sacks are tied tightly and buried in the ground for a while, won't the food inside spoil?"

Although corn flour is cheap, it still needs additional processing to be made into food that can be eaten directly.

That world may not have those conditions, so let's not consider it for now.

Moreover, even corn flour is still too expensive in the long run when the population is large.

Despite being from a working-class family for two lifetimes, she still lacked experience.

Next time I'll have to go to the grocery store and look for whole grains like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

"Look at what you're saying. Of course, it's fine to put it in the cellar. Just remember to tie the bag tightly."

The boss was taken aback by his question, paused for a moment, and then calculated:

"You want five bags, right? Here's what we'll do: add a little bit of 'bum' and I'll deliver it to your door so you don't have to carry it yourself."

This town is the only one in several surrounding villages, and everyone in the shops and villages knows the roads there.

“Okay, then take it to Miaotaizi Village. You know there’s a small temple behind the mountain in the village, right? Just take it down the mountain and put it on the ground. But I’m asking if it’s okay to bury it in the ground.”

Considering that carrying five large sacks all the way back from town would be too conspicuous, he still chose to pay more.

Qinghe Miao reluctantly counted out the banknotes to pay the bill.

Fortunately, money was really valuable in that era, but rice was relatively cheap compared to later times.

Especially in the food stores of that era, most of the food was promoted to solve the problem of food and clothing, so the prices were even cheaper.

But the little money he has is definitely not enough to sustain him.

He would never rely solely on his own efforts and let others drag him down.

We need to find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.

Qinghe Miao had considered buying some bran or something.

That thing is really cheap.

However, with the development of the times, while there may still be food stores from the last era, they have gradually stopped selling food in recent years.

It will only become widespread again later, when healthy eating takes off.

If I want to buy one now, I'll probably have to go to the pet store next door.

More importantly, this is outside the Great Wall, and bran is relatively uncommon here.

Rice bran is a possibility.

But this stuff will only get more and more expensive in the future, and at times it will be comparable to real rice.

Let's not bother with that.

"What is this...?"

The shopkeeper took the money, counted it, and showed obvious hesitation on his face.

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a delivery address in all his years in this business.

Qinghe Miao had already prepared his explanation, and deliberately spoke mysteriously:

"Oh, it's nothing, boss. I'm a shamanic disciple. This food is for my spirit master; it has a special purpose."

After saying that, he didn't explain in detail, letting the other person use their imagination.

Sure enough, the boss was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with sudden realization:

"Oh my! You must be that 'Qing Banxian' from Miaotaizi Village, right? I've heard of you! Look at my eyes! Alright, alright, don't worry, I guarantee I'll deliver it to your destination and put it away perfectly!"

People in the countryside are naturally skeptical of these supernatural things, yet they also hold them in high esteem.

The boss suddenly felt that the strange request was reasonable, and his attitude became even more polite.

Seeing that the explanation was clear, Qinghe Miao did not linger and turned to leave the oil and grain shop.

Instead of going straight home, they went to a supermarket on another street in town.

After browsing around inside, I finally bought a whole box of the cheapest bagged pickled vegetables.

After paying, he carried the box and got into the somewhat dilapidated tricycle that the oil and grain store usually used for delivery.

Accompanied by the "putt-putt-putt" engine noise and a bumpy ride, I embarked on the road back to the village.

Even with his cultivation, the daytime wind still felt like a knife scraping his face.

The tricycle, billowing black smoke, drove through the sparse streets of the town and onto the country dirt road.

"Let's get off here, Master. Thank you for your help."

Qinghe Miao jumped out of the car and said to the driver.

Instead of heading directly towards his home, he directed the driver to turn onto another road from the village entrance.

After passing through another small hill, one hill after another, the road wound its way around the area where his home was located, and finally arrived at a slope on the back of the hill.

This place is on the other side of the mountain from the village. It is usually deserted, with only shepherds or wood gatherers coming occasionally.

Chapter 32 Huangjiabao

Although the driver had doubts, as a store employee, he only focused on delivering and unloading goods and didn't ask any further questions.

They quickly unloaded the five bags of rice from the truck and piled them on the open ground.

It was freezing cold, so the driver started the tricycle and drove off along the same route.

After the tricycle disappeared around the bend in the mountain road and the sound of its engine could no longer be heard, Qing Hemiao rubbed his hands together before taking action.

It's really cold in the wilderness outside the Great Wall these days!

Even those with cultivation levels couldn't withstand it.

He first dragged the rice bags and pickled vegetable boxes to the more secluded sides of the road, making some simple concealment.

After doing all this, I looked around to make sure no one was watching, and with a thought, my figure instantly disappeared from the spot and entered the instance of "The Legend of Qin".

From the day he won the dungeon, he had already made up an excuse with his parents in order to have enough time to explore it.

He said he would take advantage of the winter break to frequently go up the mountain to practice his skills these past two days.

His parents were already used to his cultivation practices.

Moreover, in rural areas, even normal children often run all over the mountains during holidays, so they just let him be.

As the scenery changed, that more primal atmosphere returned.

Qinghe Miao composed himself, determined the direction, and then swaggered toward the settlement he remembered.

The moment he appeared on the edge of the settlement, he immediately attracted the attention of countless eyes.

Before he could even reach the long pit he left behind last time and begin his so-called "recruitment," someone approached him.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, dressed simply but neatly and cleanly, with two burly men following behind him.

He was clearly not one of those people around him who were starving.

"Please, Taoist priest."

The middle-aged man stopped about five steps away from Qing Hemiao, and politely clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute.

"My name is Huang Liu, and I am the steward of Huangjiabao. I heard that the Taoist priest recently performed a miracle and intends to build a Taoist temple here to preserve the Taoist lineage. My master heard of this and specially sent me to pay my respects. If the Taoist priest is willing, may I speak with you in private?"

Qinghe Miao's heart skipped a beat, realizing that the local forces had come knocking on his door.

He had anticipated this.

It could even be said that the commotion they deliberately created before was, to some extent, to lure out this type of person.

In order to better understand the situation.

He remained expressionless and replied indifferently:

"Since it is the local steward who has invited me, I will naturally accept. Please."

They said they wanted to "talk in private," but they didn't actually go very far. After only two or three steps, they stopped at the base of a half-collapsed earthen wall.

The two burly men that Huang Liu brought stood outside, effectively isolating the area.

With a professional, polite smile on his face, Huang Liu took the initiative to probe:

"I wonder where Changxian Township is, what school of thought it belongs to, and from which blessed land have you wandered here?"

The initial focus was still on uncovering He Miao's background and origins.

Qinghe Miao pondered the words he had prepared long ago.

But instead of telling the truth honestly, he casually made a joke:

"A man from the mountains and fields, whose master is an unknown minor sect, not worth mentioning. As for where he comes from, he comes from where he came from."

Huang Liu's smile froze slightly, clearly not expecting such a response, which was almost like a dodge and a perfunctory answer.

But he was an expert at handling this kind of thing and had anticipated it, so he quickly adjusted his mindset and his smile returned to normal.

"Master, your insight is truly remarkable. I am utterly foolish. May I ask where you intend to go?"

“Go wherever you want to go.”

Seeing that the other party had actually taken the bait, Qing Hemiao replied with a half-smile.

"Hehe, the Taoist priest is indeed no ordinary person."

Huang Liuqian chuckled twice, knowing that the other party was wary and unwilling to reveal the truth, which was quite normal.

But isn't that what he does?

So, instead of dwelling on its origins, we got to the point:

"I've heard that you intend to build a Taoist temple here to preserve the Taoist tradition, which is a virtuous act. May I ask how much land you plan to occupy for the temple? How many staff members are needed? Will you need to recruit Taoist priests, fire-making Taoists, or general laborers?"

This involves Qinghe Miao's blind spots in knowledge.

Who knows what a typical ancient Taoist temple from the Tang Dynasty would have?

How many qualified personnel are needed?

He was just a young master of a shamanic shrine, and his own shrine consisted of only three people: his master, himself, and the old shaman.

Let him set up his own business and establish his own establishment, I still don't understand!

Moreover, it's like doing the work of a Taoist priest.

At this point, you can't just answer whatever the other person asks. Qinghe Miao started asking questions in return:

"What does this matter have to do with you? Does this mountain fall under your jurisdiction? Who are you? Do you hold any official position here appointed by the imperial court?"

"You flatter me, Daoist. This place is naturally not owned by me. However, my master has some influence in this area and has long-standing relationships with the gentlemen in the county. We can exchange a few words."

Huang Liu hesitated for a moment when asked the question, then laughed and said:

"If the Taoist priest truly intends to settle down here for quiet cultivation, we will be neighbors from now on. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. If the Taoist priest needs anything regarding site selection, materials, manpower, or... official correspondence with the government, we can help each other out and do each other a favor. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As expected, he's a local tyrant.

We can't refuse to give them face.

Otherwise, people will always suspect that you came here to steal territory.

Qinghe Miao understood the other party's subtext.