Bonus chapters thanks to Green KiTea on Ko-fi. Thanks so much for your support! Enjoy!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Riding the current wave of hype, Jian Xingyi went back online to promote.

Xinghe: 【New stock will be available in two days. If you missed out, keep an eye out then!】

【Holy shit…?】

【Don’t leave, sir! Could you teach us how to find food resources?】

【Aaaah! Can you share the exact release time? I’m scared I’ll miss it!】

Someone screenshotted Jian Xingyi’s message and the product listing, posting it to the server-wide chat.

【Remember that player who made those outrageous claims earlier? He actually pulled it off. So terrifying…】

【??! Holy crap?】

【What kind of monsters are in your server?! Grapevine Peak was already insane enough, and now another god-tier player shows up?】

【Players from other servers are drooling with envy. Seriously, we didn’t even get a chance to try buying it… so depressing!】

【When is Xinghe going to level up?! We want to eat too!】

Jian Xingyi stopped reading the public chat and turned to consult with Baizhou.

Baizhou calculated carefully, “There’s one week left before the system resets points. At your current harvest rate of every two days, that means you can still sell… 60 cans.”

“That means you can earn 60,000 EXP for the guild! Combined with this batch, that’s 90,000 total… Holy crap!” Baizhou grew increasingly excited. “Lone Wolf and Heiye have been gathering materials to craft guns for sale, too. Add in guild wars and everyone’s combat contributions… Maybe… Maybe we have a chance?!”

The guild channel erupted with excitement.

【Holy crap! I was just chatting in the public channel today, then it hit me—Xinghe is our guild’s big shot! 30k EXP per run? Aaaah, are we saved?!】

【Exactly! Does this mean we don’t need to disband the guild anymore?? @Heiye @Baizhou】

After discussing with Heiye, Baizhou made an announcement.

Heiye: 【That’s right, we’re not disbanding! Let’s try to level the guild up to 20! Anyone who wants to leave can go, but those staying, let’s work together!】

【Alright, let’s work together】

【Alright, let’s work together】

After this decision was announced, five members with above-average combat power left. Perhaps they were afraid to take the risk, or felt 200,000 was too distant a goal.

The guild’s membership barely held at 50 people—the absolute minimum.

If even one more person left now, the guild would fall below the required number and automatically disband within 24 hours.

But those who stayed either couldn’t or wouldn’t leave. They silently followed the group’s lead in the chat channel.

Jian Xingyi followed too.

Xinghe: 【Alright, let’s work together】

After Jian Xingyi appeared, many tagged him.

【Waaah, thanks for saving us, big shot!】

【Thanks, Xinghe!! You’re amazing! How did you pull that off?!】

Lone Wolf: 【Alright! Xinghe has his own secret weapon. Everyone, focus on boosting your combat power or contributing dawn coin! Do what you can!】

In short, the test run was a success.

Jian Xingyi’s first business venture in his gaming life was a huge success!

Jian Xingyi felt elated. After Baizhou left, he hummed his way to his plot of land to continue tending it.

He replanted the same crops: three C-grade plots for radishes, carrots, and chili peppers—the ingredients needed to list 30 jars of pickles. The remaining two… no, four D-grade plots after claiming rewards were for wheat and rice, which he consumed daily since their low level made them unusable.

In two days, he’d be ready to harvest and craft again!

But 90,000… seemed like a lot, yet still fell short of 200,000.

Jian Xingyi drifted into thought.

Would it truly be enough?

Perhaps he needed to find ways to gather more essence to upgrade his fields, allowing him to sell more food. He currently had only 4 points of essence left, but he still had four D-grade fields.

Thus, even after the successful sale, Jian Xingyi didn’t relax. The next day, he headed back to Peace Mountain for gathering, this time choosing a path that climbed upward.

But the essence was truly scarce; he gathered everything he could find.

He had set out early in the morning, and by now, he had only gained… 2 points.

That brought his total to 6 points—nowhere near enough for a single plot.

Night had already fallen. He could either head home or continue climbing the mountain, but continuing meant spending the night outdoors.

Jian Xingyi felt conflicted.

Reaching the summit meant spending the night. Only the peak… or at the very least, higher ground offered a chance at better seeds and more essence. But… was he capable of surviving the night?

Jian Xingyi pondered for a moment, then sat down beneath a tree to rest. He ate while searching through the Peace Mountain guide.

Most maps’ guides were written by Grapevine Peak. Jian Xingyi simply clicked into the Grapevine Peak column in the public channel to access it.

Decision after reading!

【Peace Mountain Nighttime Danger Rating: C】

Only slightly more dangerous than D-level—like the open areas near guild headquarters.

Jian Xingyi sighed. So it was only D-level? That was still tough enough for him. He couldn’t even imagine what life was like for gatherers in S-level maps.

Jian Xingyi carefully studied which areas were marked red—like the valley—and which were green—like the mountainside—along with numerous precautions.

As he browsed, the regional channel in the marketplace section suddenly buzzed with activity again, and someone even tagged him.

Huh…?

Jian Xingyi curiously switched over to check and was immediately stunned.

【Huh? What’s going on? Someone’s listing food in the marketplace again?】

【How come everyone seems to be living so comfortably! Is this the world’s disparity? So jealous T_T】

Jian Xingyi immediately checked the marketplace details.

Someone had actually listed 30 boxes of… edible cooked meat, priced at just 800.

The seller’s ID was 【Sisi】, from the Blue Sky and White Clouds Guild.

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Holy crap? That’s his former guild!

Sisi even left a comment.

Sisi: 【Hey everyone~ I didn’t want to say this, but… am I the only one who thinks charging a thousand for a jar of pickled radish is outrageous? That’s just profiteering! We’re all struggling so hard—can’t we show some compassion for everyone fighting to survive? We at Blue Sky and White Clouds totally get how tough it is for everyone. We’re doing our best to get by too… Now, if we have a little food to share, it not only helps everyone but also earns us some money… We can barely keep going. Please save us! Let’s work together to get through this!】

Jian Xingyi: “…”

It’s all fancy talk, but a lot of people actually bought into it.

【Hmm… true. Radishes for 1000, meat only 800? That’s a huge gap!】

【Wow…! Meat! It’s actually real meat!! Oh my god, eating this meat makes the radishes suddenly seem unappetizing!】

Seeing the crowd swaying toward Sisi, the Blue Sky and White Clouds members mobilized en masse.

Rongrong: 【Seeing everyone so enthusiastic about Xinghe before, I felt awkward speaking up. But now I must be honest—my conscience won’t let me keep quiet. Xinghe used to be in our Blue Sky and White Clouds guild, but we kicked him out. His combat power was only 6, and our guild struggles to survive. We push ourselves to the limit every day—we can’t afford to keep dead weight. So I can’t imagine where his food even comes from!】

Yiyi: 【That’s right. Rongrong and I are both Blue Sky and White Clouds Guild Administrators—we wouldn’t lie about this. I urge everyone to think twice before buying. Don’t risk getting infected by eating food of unknown origin!】

Rongrong: 【And frankly… to put it bluntly, Xinghe came from our ranks. What do we know about his background? What food does he have? Where does it even come from… We need to inspect the warehouse!】

Sisi: 【Please check out our products! Look for Blue Sky and White Clouds! We’ll be launching pickled mangoes next! Guaranteed affordable!】

Jian Xingyi: “…”

He never expected Blue Sky and White Clouds to turn the tables on him like this.

Before everyone entered the game, when Jian Xingyi was still in the Blue Sky and White Clouds guild, he planted mango trees all over the communal farmland. After all, the land wasn’t being used, and once his own plot was exhausted, he borrowed the guild’s.

But when he got kicked out of the guild, the crops went to Blue Sky and White Clouds for free. All he got was two mangoes as severance pay.

They clearly stole his food, yet now Blue Sky and White Clouds were implying to outsiders that he’d stolen their supplies?

Jian Xingyi was dumbfounded.

What the hell is wrong with them…!

Jian Xingyi bit his index finger, seething with anger yet unable to refute these shameless scoundrels.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath.

He roughly guessed why the other side could produce meat—likely because someone in their guild had unlocked the meat recipe.

Recipes cost millions, and someone had unlocked the most basic meat recipe—turning hunted game into edible meat wasn’t surprising.

Blue Sky and White Clouds had decent combat strength, so they must have hunted plenty of animals, enabling their trade.

Jian Xingyi clicked on Blue Sky and White Clouds’ guild details.

No wonder…

The Blue Sky and White Clouds Guild was currently at level 19. Their merchant level wasn’t high either, limiting them to small-scale trading. Consequently, they were also grinding for experience points. However, they were one level ahead of the Long Live For A Hundred Years Guild, meaning they didn’t need 200,000 points.

So, upon seeing Jian Xingyi selling items, they likely thought of this method too and started competing for business.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the chaotic chat page.

【Huh? What’s going on? I thought Xinghe was some reclusive big shot who disdained participating in the expert rankings. Turns out he was just too weak?】

【Combat power 6… Ridiculous. Looks like he stole his food, huh?】

【Hold up… get your facts straight before you start bashing him. If his combat power really was 6, how did he clear the Peace Mountain side quest and steal food?】

【Anyway, Blue Sky and White Clouds’ food definitely offers better value! Doodoodoo, when’s the next restock?! Waaah, everyone’s fingers are too fast! This time it’s even crazier—sold out in three minutes! Gone in seconds!】

【Better safe than sorry. Combat Power 6 is super suspicious. I’m kinda scared to eat Xinghe’s food now… What if I really get infected?】

【But the 30 cans sold earlier didn’t cause any issues, right? Firelight ate them and was fine.】

【Who can say for sure? What if it’s just a probability issue…】

【Public Channel】Shock! You thought Xinghe was a big shot, but who knew…? Forward the compilation 【Shopping Mall Section & Peace Mountain District Chat Logs】 to see the inside scoop on Xinghe and Blue Sky, and White Clouds!

Jian Xingyi gritted his teeth.

Frankly, more explanations were pointless. People only believed what they wanted to believe, choosing only what served their interests.

Blue Sky and White Clouds were indeed cheaper than his.

Especially now, with the situation being so unusual, everyone was extremely cautious, terrified that a wrong choice could mean death. Jian Xingyi, with his Combat Power 6, didn’t have a high reputation.

Just then, Jian Xingyi received a friend request from Sisi.

Curious to see what they were up to, Jian Xingyi clicked to accept.

Sisi: 【Hi there! I’ve heard about you from Rongrong and Yiyi. They tend to be a bit extreme and petty, so I’m a little nervous…】

Xinghe: 【?】

Sisi: 【So I was wondering if you’d be interested in a partnership? You could sell me your food stockpile, and I’d list it for you in the marketplace~ That way, we both make money! I feel so bad for you, the way Rongrong and Yiyi bullied you… But food shouldn’t go to waste like this, right? You want to earn money too, right? I can help you!】

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: So he wants to be the middleman.

Sisi: 【I know how hurtful it was when Rongrong and Yiyi kicked you out of the guild… They were definitely wrong about that. Honestly, a lot of us regret it, especially me as a guild administrator and the guild president. If we partner up, both the guild president and I would really want you to come back. How about we make Rongrong and Yiyi apologize to you then?】

Jian Xingyi was speechless. Not only did she want to be the middleman, but she also wanted him to return to Blue Sky and White Clouds to be a workhorse.

Xinghe: 【Why would you think I’d want to go back?】

Sisi: 【Um… Your current guild is so far from level 20, it’s probably too late now, right?】

Even if it were possible, Blue Sky and White Clouds would block that path, deliberately making it impossible for Jian Xingyi to make it in time.

Sisi: 【I’m worried you’ll die then… Think about it. Your guild’s high-level players aren’t afraid, and low-level ones might survive with luck, but what about you? You’d just be waiting to die~ I checked the system—returning to your old guild won’t trigger an account freeze! Between choosing the precarious “Long Live For A Hundred Years” guild or us, I don’t think it’s even a question, right?】

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Sisi: 【Baby, just let me help you~】