Qing Beng never expected that Beifang City, which had only existed for a little over half a year, would face the threat of "Lei Mansion"! He was given a one-month deadline to have the forces of Fengdu City relocate from their current location in "Canghua Valley" or submit to "Lei Mansion." Naturally, in this Beifang City, "Lei Mansion" was about to intervene, and half of the profits needed to be handed over.
The idea of "Northwest City submitting to" the Lei Mansion as a subordinate force is absolutely unacceptable to Xuan Qingxuan and the other eight elders and disciples. They represent the Qingxuan Sect of Fengdu City, one of the three major powers in the cultivation world. When has it ever bowed down and admitted defeat to any other force?
This "Canghua Valley" is located in the mountains of the northwest, making it relatively secluded. The "Northwest Imitation Market" was built in this valley. At the beginning of the construction of the "Northwest Imitation Market," the eight disciples and the five major secular families invested a lot of material and financial resources, setting it as a long-term base.
The Qingxuan Sect prepared a considerable amount of crystals, magical artifacts, and elixirs for its disciples, as they bore the heavy responsibility of promoting the Qingxuan Sect to the outside world. Therefore, the financial resources required of cultivators had to be extremely substantial. However, apart from Xuan Qingban, no one else knew exactly how much was provided.
The eight elders and disciples—Xuan Qingji, Zhou Xie, Han Peng, Hu Yanqingtong, Feng Nie, Lan Xinyu, Qingzhu, and Qi Hui—each took on the responsibility of preserving a portion of the resources. However, it was only under the overall command of Xuan Qingban that she knew how much resource the eight of them had gathered together, and what it contained.
Now, with the low-key arrival of the two elders of the Lei Mansion in the outside world, without any public announcement, the Lei Mansion has made two major moves: First, establishing "Black Wind City," the first cultivator city in the outside world! Second, establishing a teleportation array that anyone can use, as long as they pay a certain amount of crystals.
This truly shocked everyone and left them even more puzzled.
"The construction of Blackwind City will take quite some time. However, the establishment of the teleportation array will allow for a continuous flow of crystals!"
Although the construction of a teleportation array is not a matter of a single sentence, it requires many extremely precious and rare "space discarded jades"!
"Space Jade" is a material that many major sects would need to accumulate for hundreds of years to gather enough for even one. Its rarity makes it a "supreme treasure" material for all cultivators. The fact that it's called a "supreme treasure" speaks volumes about its value and scarcity.
"The Southwest Fangshu, Jidaomen, and Wanyangzong also announced the construction of teleportation arrays. These four major forces taking the lead in building teleportation arrays is tantamount to announcing their sphere of influence! The Northwest Imitation Market, although it was established after the five Mudi people, was too short-lived and not large enough. It could barely be called the second largest outside, with a medium to small scale. In particular, the strength of Xuanqingwei and his eight companions was not strong enough. The Lei Mansion claimed the vast area of the Northwest as its sphere of influence. The main reason for expelling the Northwest Imitation Market was that the Northwest Imitation Market was not strong enough to protect itself, yet it possessed an imitation market with considerable profits! It is a crime to possess a treasure!"
After reading the message, Zhang Guodong immediately understood the whole story. Despite his outward appearance of only paying lip service to Shatin, he actually maintained frequent contact with his family, Taoyuanzhu, the "Wanxian Restaurant" in the southwest of the city, and the "First Restaurant" in the northwest of the city.
Now, with the Wanxian Restaurant and the First Restaurant, these two restaurants have brought Zhang Guodong an income of 500,000 low-grade crystals in the past six months, adding another small mountain of crystals to Peach Blossom Paradise.
Aside from the 53 "top-grade crystals," 10,004 "high-grade crystals," and 110,845 "mid-grade crystals," which Zhang Guodong collected, 2,210,000 low-grade crystals were casually piled up on the first floor of Peach Blossom Spring.
Even if Li Yun, Qin Lina, and Qingzhu continuously cultivated with low-grade crystals, they could not significantly increase the number of low-grade crystals they used; the crystals they used were just a drop in the ocean.
The next day, the weather in Ningyun Desert was clear and sunny. The rolling golden waves of wheat brought great joy to Zhang Guodong, Professor Yan, Professor Liu, Professor Kang, and others.
Today is the day the "Golden Wheat" ripens and is harvested. Months of research have been culminating in this day. The quality of the "Golden Wheat" is directly related to a crucial piece of data.
quality!
"Golden wheat is expected to yield only one-fifth of ordinary wheat per plant, with fewer grains, but each grain is plump, large, and glossy, like a grain of gold, making it exceptional. Moreover, the grains have a subtle fragrance, which is not found in ordinary wheat."
The performance was excellent, but we don't know the actual taste and other data yet. "Start harvesting! Come and get your sickles! Be careful while harvesting, don't knock the sickles over!" Professor Liu stood beside several sickles and addressed everyone.
Originally, they planned to bring in a combine harvester, but ultimately decided against it. Bringing a combine harvester into the desert is really inconvenient, and besides, this "golden wheat," while each stalk is tall and strong enough, has a very low density. It's better for so many people to harvest it together with sickles, and then use a "hull frame" (a local dialect term for a wooden or bark tool used for threshing, commonly found in rural Northwest China) to thresh it.
"Understood, Professor!" the young assistants exclaimed excitedly.
Each person had a sickle. The three old professors were very familiar with it, but the young people didn't know how to harvest and just followed suit.
Zhang Guodong also got involved.
After all, it was grown in his own sandy field, and this harvest reminded him of the scenes in the countryside when he was a child many years ago.
When he was in junior high school, people in his rural hometown also grew millet and sorghum, especially millet. They harvested it the same way: after returning home, on a fine, sunny day, they would spread the millet out in the threshing floor and start threshing it with trellises, making a rhythmic patting sound. It was a very familiar and comforting experience.
After being patted, the millet grains detach from the stalks. Once the stalks are removed, the millet grains are ready.
The eight people chatted enthusiastically as they harvested. When they got tired, they would sit under the parasol next to them to rest for a while and have some tea or drinks.
They talked about the 1970s, when they were all sent-down youth in the countryside. Many of them had experienced the hardships of working on farms and had been farmers.
The area, still several square kilometers, took eight people more than two days to harvest. Under the shed next to the water cellar, a high row of wheat piled up, too big for a person to even enter. "Clap clap!"
The slogan "Shatin" was followed by a series of clapping sounds.
"It's my turn! I'll do it, you go and rest! This is really good exercise; I've learned quite a few moves these past few days!"
"Okay, slow down, be careful not to hit yourself. Straighten up!"
"one"
After harvesting the "golden wheat," threshing was put on the agenda, and some of the wheat piles were cleared out. A section of concrete floor was cleared under the pergola. The wheat was then spread out on this floor, and the threshing machine was used to beat it.
This has actually become a tool for public entertainment!
Such scenes are filled with laughter and joy, whether it's day or night.
Ten days later, the "Golden Wheat" harvest was complete.
"An area of 3 square kilometers, with a total output of this much! That's quite a lot!" Upon the final count, even the professors were surprised.
This truly proves the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" applies to wheat grains too! Each grain felt surprisingly heavy in my hand, and the total weight was higher than expected!
"Xiao Zhang, after you husk it, you have to sell some for me so I can see what the unique wheat tastes like! But you'd better calculate the price carefully," said Zhang Guodong, jokingly.
These golden grains of wheat look like works of art, so exquisite!
Zhang Guodong smiled and said, "What's the big deal? Everyone gets a share. Although the total output isn't much, I can still afford to deliver dozens of kilograms to each person!"
"Haha. Thank you so much, Xiao Zhang! It's a great advantage to be so close!" Professor Liu laughed.
Everyone present was now considered quite wealthy, having acquired Shennong Holdings. Even the three assistants had received some shares. Now worth millions, they naturally wouldn't care about this small sum.
Even if you beat someone to death, thirty or forty pounds of "golden wheat" would only cost a few hundred yuan, right?
However, they greatly underestimated the value of "Golden Wheat." A pound of unhulled wheat doesn't cost much, just over a dollar, but they estimated a pound of Golden Wheat to be worth four or five dollars, which they thought was quite a lot. But in Zhang Guodong's mind, this Golden Wheat should be sold for crystals. If it were in worldly terms, a pound would be worth several hundred dollars, and there would be no market for it.
This is just a fraction of the remaining golden wheat grains from Chi Xu. It's estimated that Sha Tin will be divided up before this slogan even gets off the ground!
And indeed, right after Zhang Guodong collected all the "golden grains of wheat," people came to visit, drawn by the prospect of obtaining them.
Moreover, the person who came to our door in this episode wasn't an ordinary person.
"Mr. Zhang, congratulations! You're the first contractor to successfully grow and harvest crops in the desert!" He Chengxi, the owner of Sand Field No. 2, personally paid a visit.
This He Chengxi is in his early thirties, but he is no ordinary person. He is a member of the He family and a minor cultivator of a certain level.
Of course, this is from Zhang Guodong's perspective.
Zhang Guodong could kill a cultivator below level ten with a single finger. But this cultivator, who was only a few levels high, was incredibly powerful in the eyes of ordinary people.
In front of Zhang Guodong, that hint of arrogance was completely undisguised. Because of the vast difference in their cultivation levels, in He Chengxi's eyes, Zhang Guodong was just an ordinary person, not revealing even a trace of his aura. This psychological advantage was naturally there for him!
At this moment, Xiao Jin hid in the inner room. Therefore, He Chengxi didn't think much of it. Otherwise, seeing Xiao Jin's enormous body, he might have connected it to the "Lion's Roar" in the desert some time ago.
That "lion's roar" actually came from a slogan?
"It's Mr. He. What can I do for you?" Zhang Guodong asked casually without even inviting him to sit down. Zhang Guodong had no contact with the other contractors, so there was no need for formalities.
A flash of annoyance crossed He Chengxi's face, but he sat down anyway.
"Haha, that's great news!" He Chengxi said.
Zhang Guodong's displeasure was evident on his face. This kid's got some nerve, he even sat down first! "Mr. Zhang likes to be direct, so I'll be blunt. Mr. Zhang's 'Golden Wheat' is the first to be successfully grown in the desert, and its ripening period is incredibly short (just over a month from start to finish; the desert has plenty of sunshine, and the elements, nutrients, and water are abundant—the growing conditions are already abnormal. And the later growth is even faster, which surprised everyone), congratulations! I'm here to discuss buying 'Golden Wheat.' I'll eat all of Mr. Zhang's 'Golden Wheat,' four yuan a pound. How about it?" He Chengxi said with a forced smile.
At four yuan per kilogram, He Chengxi's price was not low. In his opinion, the money was well spent, and the He family wanted to see what this golden wheat was all about.
"Not for sale! I'll keep it for myself!" Zhang Guodong said calmly. "If there's nothing else, please leave!"
Zhang Guodong stood up. This gesture clearly indicated he was seeing the guest out. He Chengxi's face flushed red and then pale, filled with embarrassment and anger. He hadn't expected Zhang Guodong to be so impolite! Humph!
"Boss Zhang, have you thought this through? Secretary Liu of the Municipal Party Committee is very concerned about this place!" He Chengxi also stood up, threatening with a sneer.
The municipal party committee secretary, Liu, is only the deputy secretary. The full secretary was succeeded by the former mayor, Zhou Qing. He Chengxi is showing off his official influence; it seems Deputy Secretary Liu has a close relationship with the He family.
But what is Zhang Guodong's background?
Zhang Guodong kicked He Chengxi out of the Shatin shop without even letting him drink a sip of water. Faced with Zhang Guodong's cold indifference and rude dismissal, He Chengxi couldn't stand it any longer and left angrily. As he left, he threw down the words, "I hope Mr. Zhang can still make the right choice!"
"Xiao Zhang, who is this person?" Across the street, Professor Yan and the others also saw He Chengxi come and go. They walked over and watched him leave angrily. Everyone became worried for Zhang Guodong.
Now they also knew about the Ningyun Desert. Only Zhang Guodong was a sole proprietor; the other contractors were all companies involved, and each had some connections or background.
Zhang Guodong smiled and said calmly, "It's a boss who wants to buy 'Golden Wheat,' with a big appetite. However, his offer is too low."
"Oh? How much per pound are you planning to sell this wheat for, Xiao Zhang?" So that's what it was about—a business negotiation. But the deal fell through, Professor Liu asked with a smile.
"It must cost at least two or three hundred yuan per pound, right?"
"How much?!" Professor Yan, Professor Liu, and the others were taken aback by Zhang Guodong's casually quoted price. They thought to themselves, "Little Zhang, don't you think this price is too low? Who's ever eaten wheat for two or three hundred yuan a pound?"
Zhang Guodong gave each of them about 30 to 50 kilograms without asking for a penny. Wouldn't that be several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan?
"Xiao Zhang, isn't this too expensive? Do you think you can sell it at such a high price?" Professor Yan earnestly advised.
Even if "Golden Wheat Grains" are beautiful and perform exceptionally well, they're not worth storing that much, are they?
Despite attempts to persuade him from both sides, Zhang Guodong simply smiled and remained silent.
Seeing that they couldn't persuade him, Professor Yan and the others sighed and stopped talking about it.
"Professor Yan, everyone, thank you all for your help these past few days. Today, it's my treat!" Zhang Guodong said. "Plenty of alcohol!"
"Oh, you can't be so polite! After drinking Xiao Zhang's wine and eating Xiao Zhang's food, I've been craving it for a while now!"
Indeed, the three professors are in much better health, with rosy complexions, and don't look like they've endured hardship and conducted research in the desert at all.
"Beep, beep!" At that moment, a car horn sounded from Shatinkou.
The car stopped, and someone got out. From afar, they greeted him warmly, "Hey, Mr. Zhang, business is here!"
Wang: The planting area in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 has been revised. The original square kilometers have been refined to square kilometers per acre. Even if the planting is more dispersed, the area is still too large. Therefore, "one-fifth of a single plant" refers only to one-fifth of the total area. Due to the large spacing between individual plants, the yield per acre will be even higher. Also, some data were replaced with letters, which I forgot to correct at the time; I've corrected them now. Furthermore, the head of the Jiaotong University branch has been given a deputy-department-level administrative rank, which is quite respectable.
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