Chapter 42: Spending Money Like Water

Hundred-Fruit Trees were actually quite rare on the Tianyuan Continent. In Jiang Feng’s memory, only a few of the major sacred lands had cultivated them. These trees weren’t considered spiritual trees, and the fruits they bore weren’t spirit fruits either. As far as he recalled, the Hundred-Fruit Trees produced small, red fruits that resembled cherries in this world—visually enticing, but extremely bitter when eaten raw. They couldn’t be consumed directly but were highly effective in healing wounds when used in alchemy.

The reason for this was that the leaves of the Hundred-Fruit Tree could emit spiritual energy. Under this nurturing aura, the fruits also became rich in spiritual energy. Jiang Feng knew that the disciples of those sacred lands often carried pills refined from ginkgo fruits when traveling outside.

The spiritual energy released by the Hundred-Fruit Tree’s leaves was extremely pure—purified even more than what was found in spiritual springs. That was also why the sacred lands planted these trees near spiritual springs; the Hundred-Fruit Trees could purify the aura from the spring, making it gentler and more suitable for human absorption.

Other vegetation that absorbed the aura emitted by Hundred-Fruit Trees would also grow wildly. This explained why the area around the tree was so overrun with weeds.

However, that only happened when the tree was large enough. The Hundred-Fruit Tree before him was simply too small. Even if it could produce a trace amount of aura, it wasn’t something Jiang Feng could absorb directly—unless he found a way to gather the scattered energy released by the tree.

‘That’s it! Maybe I can set up a small spirit-gathering formation here.’ A sudden flash of inspiration struck Jiang Feng’s mind, and he felt it was highly feasible.

Jiang Feng was the kind of person who acted as soon as he had an idea. As soon as the thought appeared, he said, “Come on, go with me to Liuli Market.”

“Young Master, why are we going to Liuli Market (Liulichang)?” Ma Lianhao asked in confusion.

“Don’t ask so much. Just follow me.” Jiang Feng walked straight outside.

With his current cultivation, he could only set up the most basic spirit-gathering formation. Fortunately, among the formations he knew, there was one extremely simple type that could gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

He hadn’t considered setting up any formation before because the spiritual energy on Earth was so thin that it was nearly negligible. Even with a spirit-gathering formation, it wouldn’t collect enough aura to be useful.

But with the Hundred-Fruit Tree now available—essentially a spiritual energy generator—he might not be able to gather enough for full cultivation, but it could certainly accelerate his training to some extent. To Jiang Feng at this moment, it was like someone offering a pillow the moment he wanted to lie down—timely and perfect.

Of course, this kind of thing was too astonishing to reveal to someone like Ma Lianhao. And the existence of the Hundred-Fruit Tree also hinted that there could be more unknown things in this world—things he hadn’t encountered yet but couldn’t assume didn’t exist.

So while this was a fortunate encounter, it also made him feel an underlying pressure. He needed to improve his strength quickly to ensure his own survival.

Setting up a formation required a large quantity of jade. Jiang Feng didn’t have any on hand, so he had no choice but to purchase it from the Liuli Market. He was also well aware that formations built with ordinary jade wouldn’t be very effective. Even spending millions to buy loads of jade would never match the effectiveness of a single spirit stone. But since spirit stones were out of the question right now, he had to settle for second-best and make do with jade.

Besides, the formation he planned to construct was a simple spirit-gathering one, not an attack formation. Ordinary jade was sufficient for his current needs.

Ma Lianhao had asked several questions along the way but got no answers. All he could do was drive Jiang Feng to the Liuli Market. Jiang Feng had visited the market not long ago and even bought a piece of scrap metal from a street stall. Recalling the path, he quickly located a shop that sold jade.

“Boss, do you have any raw jade here?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Raw jade? What do you want that for?” the shopkeeper asked, puzzled. This was a jewelry store—customers usually bought already carved jade pieces. Someone asking for raw jade was a first.

Jiang Feng didn’t explain. “Do you have it or not? If you do, I’ll take it.”

The shopkeeper had never heard of someone buying jade like this. With a wry smile, he said, “We do, but the quality isn’t great.”

Freshly mined jade typically wasn’t sold directly. It was usually processed into bangles, pendants, and the like, rarely available in jewelry shops. Only the lower-quality jade—with poor luster and condition—would be sold at low prices to hobbyists who enjoyed playing with uncut jade.

“Bring it out and let me take a look,” Jiang Feng said.

Although spirit-gathering formations didn’t have high requirements for jade, the better the quality, the more effective the formation. Ideally, raw unprocessed jade was best. But Jiang Feng knew his current funds wouldn’t afford him anything top-tier.

The shopkeeper had a few pieces of raw jade brought out. “These are all we’ve got. Take a look.”

Jiang Feng gave them a quick glance and saw no issues, so he bought them directly and took Ma Lianhao to another store.

They visited several jewelry stores in a row. Watching Jiang Feng swipe his card again and again without haggling—buying whatever he liked on the spot—was like witnessing a walking money bag asking to be scammed. It was extravagance incarnate. Ma Lianhao stood by, heart pounding and aching at the same time.

If you wanted to see what it truly meant to spend money like water—this was it.

Young Master Jiang truly had no regard for money. Even if he wanted to buy jade to give as a gift, this wasn’t the way to do it. And buying this much—was that really okay?

“Young Master, what are you buying so many raw jade stones for?” Ma Lianhao couldn’t help but ask.

Jiang Feng was carrying a bag filled with raw jade he had just spent millions on. He smiled and replied, “Don’t ask so many questions. As long as they’re useful, that’s all that matters. Do you have any money on you? Lend me some for now.”

The money he had earlier came from Sister Hua, and he had already spent quite a bit on medicinal herbs. Now, after buying jade, his funds were completely drained.

Ma Lianhao pulled a long face. “Young Master, I already spent all my money on that house of yours. I’m still waiting for my old man to bail me out. I’ve only got a little over a hundred thousand left, and that’s nowhere near enough for you.”

Jiang Feng was momentarily stunned. He had never been someone who cared much about money. His philosophy had always been: spend it, then earn more. But now, he was truly at a loss.

To an average person, over a hundred thousand yuan might last a while. But when it came to buying jade—even the lowest-grade ones—it wasn’t enough.

Money. He clearly needed to find a way to make money.

“Let me borrow what you’ve got for now. I’ll pay you back in a few days,” Jiang Feng said.

Ma Lianhao had no choice. “I just think that if you’re planning to buy a gift for a girl, raw jade like this won’t cut it. A bracelet or jade pendant would be way better, right? Girls like that kind of thing.”

He genuinely thought Jiang Feng was being foolish. Sure, girls liked jade—but that didn’t mean they liked raw, unprocessed stones. At the very least, buy a diamond ring or even a car—wasn’t that more direct?

Jiang Feng couldn’t be bothered to explain. He shook his head and led Ma Lianhao into another jewelry store. By the time they came out, both of them were flat broke.

Ma Lianhao couldn’t take it anymore. He quickly said, “Young Master, I think we’ve done enough for today. Let’s come back another day. I haven’t even eaten yet—how about we find somewhere to grab a bite?”

“Where’s your car?” Jiang Feng asked.

Ma Lianhao jumped, nearly in tears. “Young Master, you’re not thinking of taking my car too, are you? That’d be cutting off my future generations! I was planning to use it to pick up girls!”

Jiang Feng gave a wry smile and waved him off. “Alright, fine. We’ll stop here.”

Although he hadn’t bought as much raw jade as he wanted, it should be just enough for now.

Only then did Ma Lianhao breathe a sigh of relief. He hurriedly urged Jiang Feng to leave, afraid that he’d change his mind and bankrupt him completely. If that happened, he wouldn’t even have the strength to cry.

Just as Ma Lianhao turned around, someone bumped into him head-on. The impact sent him stumbling back two steps, nearly falling flat on his rear. Furious, he yelled, “You d*mn bastard! Can’t you watch where you’re going? You trying to kill me or what?”

The man looked pale and muttered nonsense under his breath, completely ignoring Ma Lianhao as he drifted off like a wandering soul.

“Damn it, he’s a lunatic. What rotten luck,” Ma Lianhao cursed irritably.

Jiang Feng frowned slightly. Although Ma Lianhao didn’t catch what the man was mumbling, Jiang Feng did. The man kept repeating that he had lost everything gambling. Judging by his state, it seemed he hadn’t just lost—he’d probably wagered his entire fortune and ended up completely ruined.

Stone gambling?

Jiang Feng was naturally familiar with the concept, though he didn’t know much about it and had never really considered trying it. But now, a spark of an idea formed in his mind—this might be a way to make money.

“Ma Lianhao, is there a place nearby where people gamble on stones?” Jiang Feng asked immediately.

Ma Lianhao was so startled he nearly cried. “Young Master, you’re not seriously thinking about gambling on stones, are you? We’ve got no money left!”

“How much do you have on you?” Jiang Feng asked.

Ma Lianhao took out his wallet and counted—eighteen hundred yuan. Less than two thousand.

Looking pitiful, he said, “Young Master, this is all I’ve got left. If I spend it all, I won’t even be able to afford food. Besides, how can we gamble on stones with this little money? Let’s come back another time.”

“There’s always a way to play, even without money. Let’s just go have a look. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll leave.” Jiang Feng grabbed the money right out of his hands.

Ma Lianhao was full of regret. He should’ve hidden a couple hundred just now. Normally, he didn’t carry cash and just used his card. But now his card was maxed out, and the little bit of cash he had left was also taken by Jiang Feng. He could already picture himself eating nothing but porridge for the next few days.

“Come on, take me there,” Jiang Feng said.

Of course, Jiang Feng knew exactly what was going through Ma Lianhao’s mind. But while stone gambling might be risky for others, for him, it was actually simple.

He just needed to hold the stone and sense it. If it emitted spiritual energy, it contained jade. If not, it was just a worthless rock. Although this method couldn’t guarantee the quality of the jade, at the very least it would ensure he wouldn’t lose money.

With a bit of luck, he might even make a small profit and solve his current financial troubles.