Chapter 64 Wealth, Companions, Methods, and Land

Inside the immortal cave, Jiang Fan hurriedly opened the harvest packed into two storage bags, his heart surging with intense excitement.

"I've made a fortune, I've truly made a fortune this time! Although I narrowly escaped death, I managed to acquire well over a hundred Scarlet Flame Stones. Combined with the few I kept from shortly before, that makes a total of 135. And this piece here must be the legendary, immensely valuable, and extremely rare 'Scarlet Flame Stone Mother'." With a pounding heart, Jiang Fan quickly flipped open a book distributed by Deacon Wang that recorded details about Scarlet Flame Stones and the Scarlet Flame Stone Mother.

"Even within an ordinary vein of ore, there is only ever a single Scarlet Flame Stone Mother. The value of one Scarlet Flame Stone Mother is enough to rival a thousand Scarlet Flame Stones. Furthermore, the fire-attribute energy within the Stone Mother is exceptionally pure; a single piece can typically be exchanged for roughly one thousand two hundred to one thousand three hundred Scarlet Flame Stones..." Reading the records in the book, Jiang Fan felt his heart pound with overwhelming excitement.

He had truly struck it rich this time.

On the other side, Old Demon Xu was also cultivating quite contentedly inside the Soul-Control Bell. He continuously circulated the *Soul-Swallowing Great Art* to refine the thirteen wolf-shaped soul bodies he had previously devoured from the depths of the mine, and the strength of his soul was steadily growing.

Once he finished refining all those wolf-shaped soul bodies this time, his strength would naturally surge by another massive margin. By then, he would become an even greater asset to Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan had reaped multiple benefits at once this time. Although it was perilous and he had almost lost his life, everything was entirely worth it.

"It's about time to go and pay the quota of Scarlet Flame Stones, lest Deacon Wang comes urging for them. I might as well go and check on how Deacon Wang is doing." Jiang Fan sneered inwardly. Thinking of how he had transferred his injuries to Deacon Wang earlier, he figured the deacon's condition shouldn't be too good—otherwise, the name on the *Great Dao Heavenly Book* wouldn't have been in a somewhat dim state.

With this in mind, Jiang Fan used Old Demon Xu's storage bag to conceal the vast majority of the Scarlet Flame Stones, then buried and hid them using the sandy soil brought out from the mine. The sandy soil from the mine possessed the property of blocking spiritual detection, which served as an excellent shield to mask the aura of the Scarlet Flame Stones for Jiang Fan.

"My own storage bags are far too small. Old Demon Xu's storage bag is still half a meter across, while the ones distributed by the sect are even tinier, only about a foot across, holding far too few things. When I return to the sect this time, I must definitely trade for a larger storage bag..." Jiang Fan silently noted this down in his mind, and then set off toward the Deacon Hall carrying just two Scarlet Flame Stones.

A dozen minutes later, Jiang Fan arrived at the Deacon Hall once more.

"Greetings, Third Deacon! This humble one has come to submit this month's Scarlet Flame Stones." Jiang Fan glanced around and saw neither Deacon Wang nor the Second Deacon. He harbored some faint suspicions in his heart, yet put on a completely nonchalant facade.

"You brat, you dig in mine No. 00123, right? I didn't expect your luck to be so good. Within just a month, you've dug up a total of three Scarlet Flame Stones." He certainly had a fresh memory of this kid who had come not long ago with the Second Brother to exchange spiritual stones.

First of all, Jiang Fan's mine was special; secondly, he had obtained benefits from it, and since Jiang Fan was a newcomer, it was naturally easy to remember him.

"Aside from my own painstaking efforts in mining day and night, the reason this humble one managed to unearth three Scarlet Flame Stones this month is primarily thanks to the care and protection of the three deacons. It's just a pity that mine No. 00123 probably won't yield any more Scarlet Flame Stones. I wonder if the Third Deacon could help this humble one transfer to another mine? As long as this humble one digs up Scarlet Flame Stones, I will certainly show my respect and filial gratitude to you properly." Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Fan hastily brought up the matter of changing mines.

"You brat certainly have a way with words. However, the matter of changing mines can be discussed later. The fact that you can still unearth Scarlet Flame Stones means there are even more of them inside. Just keep digging!" The Third Deacon accepted the two Scarlet Flame Stones and spoke coldly, "Sign your name, and keep up the good work next month."

"Yes!" Knowing that his request to change mines was a dead end, Jiang Fan immediately wore a look of helplessness and signed his name.

"Alright! You may leave now. Remember to submit your Scarlet Flame Stones punctually next month." The Third Deacon instructed, issuing a silent dismissal.

"Yes!"

Without any superfluous words, Jiang Fan turned and left directly, though in his heart he was pondering how on earth he could manage to switch to a different mining tunnel.

The Scarlet Flame Stones in the middle and outer perimeters of mine No. 00123 had already been mined clean, making it nearly impossible to unearth any more. Although countless Scarlet Flame Stones still remained in the depths of the mine, it was far too dangerous, and Jiang Fan had no wish to take such risks again.

"How can I manage to switch to another mine? It seems this matter might be connected to Elder Mo Ling, the one who brought me into the sect!" Jiang Fan thought to himself, yet found himself entirely at a loss. "Forget it, I'll head back to the sect first and push my cultivation to the absolute limit."

With this thought, Jiang Fan hurried back to the sect. Ensuring that no one was tracking him, he went straight to the mining area's teleportation hall and teleported back to the main sect grounds.

Donning his black robe and bamboo hat once more, Jiang Fan arrived at the Treasure Dan Pavilion and directly requested to see the young woman named Hongyue.

"Fellow Daoist, it's an honor to meet you again!" The pretty Hongyue smiled as she glanced at Jiang Fan. "Please follow me, Fellow Daoist!"

Entering a sealed private room, Hongyue asked with anticipation, "Does Fellow Daoist have more Scarlet Flame Stones to offer this time?"

"Indeed! The quantity is a bit large this time. I wonder if Miss Hongyue has the authority to make the decision?" Jiang Fan asked in a hoarse voice.

"A lot?" Hongyue's eyes instantly lit up. "How many Scarlet Flame Stones does Fellow Daoist have? As long as it's under three hundred, I can make the call myself. If it exceeds three hundred, we'll need a deacon of the Treasure Dan Pavilion to handle the transaction. However, I can go invite a deacon for you, Fellow Daoist, so you needn't worry."

"Very well, take a look at these!" As he spoke, Jiang Fan directly handed over the storage bag. As for the Scarlet Flame Stone Mother, he naturally hadn't brought it with him—he understood all too well the trouble a man invites by harboring a treasure.

Although he could transfer injuries, the value of the Scarlet Flame Stone Mother was simply too astronomical. He could not guarantee he wouldn't become a target, and even though the Treasure Dan Pavilion belonged to the Illusory Demon Sect, he couldn't completely trust them.

Besides, the Illusory Demon Sect was fundamentally a demonic sect; once they learned that a mere fourth-layer Qi Condensation brat like him possessed such a treasure as the Scarlet Flame Stone Mother, his fate would undoubtedly be grim.

"One... one hundred and twenty-seven Scarlet Flame Stones! Fellow Daoist is truly formidable to have acquired so many in such a short span of time. How about this? There's no need to inspect the quality—I trust Fellow Daoist completely. I'll offer the same rate of ten low-grade spiritual stones per Scarlet Flame Stone. What does Fellow Daoist think?" Hongyue asked with an expectant look.

"Acceptable!" Jiang Fan naturally had no objections. His hoarse voice replied immediately, "I also need to purchase some items. Lead me to take a look, and we can settle the accounts together afterward."

"What is it that Fellow Daoist wishes to buy?" Hongyue eagerly asked. "I have the authority to grant you a ten percent discount on anything you purchase."

"Take me to look at storage bags, as well as some other items, such as materials for crafting talismans and pills to consolidate cultivation base," Jiang Fan said after a brief moment of thought.

"Please follow me, Fellow Daoist!" Hongyue hurried ahead to lead the way. Since Jiang Fan was selling so many Scarlet Flame Stones and also making purchases, she was bound to earn a hefty commission of spiritual stones once again.