Everything is clear now, and Zhong Cai had a good idea of what was going on, so he changed the topic.
“By the way, there are still 634 strands of spiritual aura left. If I draw ten strands at a time, I can get more than sixty. Do you think I should draw or not?”
Wu Shaoqian smiled and asked, “Do you want to draw?”
Zhong Cai calmly replied, “Not really. The things in the white flame pool range from first-grade to third-grade. It didn’t feel very satisfying when I opened it. We’ll come back to draw the cards when we need resources in this range in the future.”
Wu Shaoqian naturally had no objections.
Zhong Cai then started packing things up.
All the Xuanzhu were placed in the box, and the rest were stuffed into the wooden racks or arranged separately.
As he busied himself, he asked, “We have so many Buqi Dan on hand. Besides leaving a few low-grade ones for my cheap dad, how do you think we should handle the rest?”
Wu Shaoqian pondered for a moment and said, “You’re talented and hardworking, and you’ve indeed refined too many… I think we can sell the pills to the Pill Hall, but we should disguise the success rate and the number of pills produced, so they don’t figure out your true capabilities.”
Zhong Cai counted on his fingers and said, “Refining twenty furnaces a day seems too fast for me. Let’s cut it in half. Let’s lower the pill success rate from seventy percent to twenty percent. Even if two furnaces produce pills each day, that’s eighty furnaces in forty days. That would put the number of pills at the level of an ordinary alchemist. Ordinary alchemists produce one to four pills per furnace. Let’s say I average two pills per furnace, totaling one hundred and sixty. Let’s add a few more to make it less rigid… Alright, decided, one hundred and sixty-eight pills, all low-grade. I’ll give the extra eight pills to my cheap father, and sell the rest.”
Wu Shaoqian frowned, “That’s too low.”
Zhong Cai shrugged, “Just tell me, how does my level compare to other alchemists in Kunyun City?”
Wu Shaoqian said, “You’re slightly above most alchemists.”
—In Kunyun City, the vast majority of alchemists are ordinary alchemists. Their pill formation rates range from thirty to forty percent for familiar pills, and ten to twenty percent for unfamiliar ones.
Zhong Cai spread his hands, “So, what’s the problem? I don’t want to sell too many pills to the Wu family, especially the higher quality ones.”
Wu Shaoqian was momentarily stunned, his eyes softened.
“Then sell half to the Wu family, and publicly claim the other eighty pills for personal use. As for the other pills, keep them for now. We’ll keep the other pills for now, and once you’ve refined a few more types of pills in the future, we’ll have Zhong Da go to other cities and counties to sell them to pill shops with powerful backing”
Zhong Cai immediately agreed and said, “I’ll learn another type of pill after this, and once the success rate is stable, I’ll alternate between refining it and Buqi Dan.” He was a bit indecisive again. “I’ve chosen two recipes, one is the Yangji Dan specifically for protecting the skull, and the other is the Yurong Dan that can keep a cultivator’s appearance at its most beautiful state. Which one do you think is better?”
Wu Shaoqian pondered, “The most common skull-protecting pills in Kunyun City are the three you previously bought. Does the Yangji Pill have better effects?”
Zhong Cai gestured with his pinky and said, “Its efficacy is slightly better than the Hu Shou Dan, and the herbs are more common. Only the main ingredient is rare, so the total cost of the ingredients is also cheaper.”
Wu Shaoqian understood and offered his suggestion, “Even a slight improvement is beneficial. You currently need skull-protecting pills, so choose the Yangji Pill. You can produce high-quality ones sooner. Although the Yurong Pill is in high demand, it’s not urgent; you can take your time with it.”
Zhong Cai agreed, “That makes sense. Let’s start gathering the ingredients first.”
Wu Shaoqian said, “Let Xiang Lin handle it.”
Zhong Cai also said, “Perfect, we can give him a few other things as well.”
The two walked out of the cultivation room and summoned Xiang Lin.
Xiang Lin bowed and waited for instructions.
Zhong Cai handed him a list of medicinal herbs to procure.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Wu Shaoqian gave Xiang Lin a small box, instructing, “Inside are eighty low-grade Buqi Dan. Go sell them at the Pill Hall.”
Wljcu Olc gfrqfmaoeiis jmmfqafv ybat, offilcu rbwfktja rtbmxfv.
Although he had guessed that Zhong Cai had produced pills, he hadn’t expected there to be so many. Moreover, the herbs on the list were unfamiliar—Could it be that Young Master Cai is already starting to refine a second type of pill?
Qe Vtjbdljc rwlifv jcv rjlv, “Ktf gfwjlclcu flutas-fluta qliir jgf cba obg rjif.”
Wljcu Olc lwwfvljafis ecvfgrabbv atja tf rtbeiv jirb jqqgbqgljafis qgbwbaf Tbecu Zjrafg Jjl’r jimtfws rxliir veglcu atlr aglq.
Qe Vtjbdljc mbcalcefv, “Kjxf atfrf lafwr jcv ufa ojwliljg klat atfw.”
In sync, Zhong Cai took out a sword, a dagger, and a sword manual from his mustard seed bag, handing them over with a smile, “Here, work hard.”
Xiang Lin recognized the quality of these items at a glance and received them with both hands, solemnly responding, “Yes. I will do my utmost.”
Wu Shaoqian paused, then continued, “While I can no longer cultivate myself, A Cai can. We are like family. When the time comes… you will take good care of A Cai for me and let him live a happy life.”
Xiang Lin was startled, then quickly understood that the master’s intention was to transfer his indenture to Young Master Cai at the last moment.
Given Young Master Cai’s nature, he wouldn’t treat him poorly. This was a kindness from the master, but alongside his gratitude, Xiang Lin felt a sudden pang of sorrow: the master had always treated him well, so even though the master had been crippled, he never regretted following him. If the master truly… he would definitely protect Young Master Cai well and, together with him, avenge the master!
Xiang Lin bowed deeply and said, “Yes, I will strictly follow your orders.”
Zhong Cai didn’t like hearing Wu Shaoqian talk about this and also instructed Xiang Lin, “Take Zhong Da with you to the Pill Hall so he can familiarize himself with the way.”
Xiang Lin respectfully replied, “Yes.”
Zhong Da was a stubborn person who never liked to overthink or ask too many questions. In his world, there were only two things: obeying orders and cultivating. Initially, he only listened to Zhong Cai, but later he learned that he also needed to listen to Wu Shaoqian and Xiang Lin.
After many years of interaction, Xiang Lin also understood Zhong Da’s temperament. While introducing him to the matters of the Pill Hall, he led him to a quaint large house.
Zhong Da carefully memorized the route, without the slightest mistake.
The large house had several doors, all open at the moment. Above the central main door hung a plaque with the words “Pill Hall” written on it.
The aroma of pills filled the air, and there were many people coming and going.
Xiang Lin led Zhong Da into a side room on the left.
In front of them were many medicine cabinets, and standing beside them was an elderly man with all-white hair.
The old man was named Wu Tianxin, 152 years old, a cultivator of the ninth level of Palace Aperture Realm and proficient in medicinal principles. He was also skilled in inspecting pills. Therefore, he was assigned to the Pill Hall to handle pill exchanges.
The Wu family employed five alchemists, three of whom were second-level alchemists and two were third-level alchemists. They were required to produce a certain number of pills each month for submission, all of which were inspected and managed by Wu Tianxin.
However, within the vast Wu family, just the legitimate descendants living in the ancestral home numbered in the tens of thousands, not to mention their families, servants, guards, and the numerous collateral branches who did not reside in the ancestral home. The demand for pills was immense, far beyond what a few alchemists could provide.
The entire family’s demand for pills had to be met by purchasing large quantities from certain alchemist factions and then distributed to the Pill Hall. When family members needed pills, they would come and exchange them for gold and silver.
Maintaining these alchemists was primarily to have them refine more specialized pills for occasional needs. If they could grow to higher grades, that would be even better. Furthermore, to prevent them from being poached by other families, four of the five alchemists were members of the Wu family, with only one second-level alchemist originally being an outsider who later married a legitimate descendant of the Wu family.
Xiang Lin took out his guard token and showed it to Wu Tianxin, saying, “Senior Manager, I have been ordered to come and sell pills.”
As he spoke, he took out a small box filled with pills and handed it over with both hands.
Wu Tianxin naturally recognized Wu Shaoqian’s guard token. After opening the box to inspect it, he looked somewhat surprised. “Eighty low-grade Buqi Dan?”
Xiang Lin replied expressionlessly, “These were refined by Young Master Zhong Cai, who recently married. Shortly after the wedding, he unexpectedly activated a profound soul artifact and summoned a second-grade top-quality pill furnace. Now he is already a first-level alchemist, producing one hundred and sixty-eight pills in forty days. Young Master Zhong Cai is willing to sell half of them to the family.”
Wu Tianxin was stunned and even more astonished. He couldn’t help but ask, “Young Zhong really just summoned a companion artifact?”
Xiang Lin confirmed, “Yes.”
Wu Tianxin picked up one of the Buqi Dan, carefully examined it for a while, and commented, “Good quality, and the alchemist’s technique is quite skilled.” After a brief calculation, he stroked his beard and praised, “Young Zhong has produced pills so quickly and in such quantity; he indeed possesses great talent. He should be well nurtured, as he could achieve a lot in the future.”
Xiang Lin didn’t reply, quietly listening.
Wu Tianxin poured all the pills into a large gourd, then took out a tube of gold coins and handed them to Xiang Lin, saying, “One gold coin per pill, totaling eighty.” He added gently, “If you have more pills in the future, feel free to bring them to me.”
Xiang Lin acknowledged with a sound, then introduced Zhong Da to Wu Tianxin, saying, “This is Young Master Cai’s trusted guard. In the future, if there are more pills to deliver, perhaps he will bring them.”
Wu Tianxin asked, “Has he been issued an identity token?”
Zhong Da quickly took out a token that was registered under Wu Shaoqian’s name, representing his household’s servant. When he was in the Zhong household, he also had a Zhong family identity token.
After examining Zhong Da’s token, Wu Tianxin nodded.
Afterward, Xiang Lin led Zhong Da back.
After the two left, one of the Wu family members who was peeking from the side couldn’t hold back his curiosity, jumped into the room, and went straight to Wu Tianxin’s side, asking questions one after another.
“Great-grandfather, was that Xiang Lin? Is he here to sell pills? Are they leftovers from Cousin Shaoqian’s inventory?”
This person was named Wu Shaowei, and he came from the Thirteenth Branch, just like Wu Tianxin.
Wu Tianxin had always cherished this younger relative. Upon hearing his words, he gently shook his head with a loving expression and said, “No, these are not leftovers. They are low-grade Buqi Dan refined by Shaoqian’s companion.”
Wu Shaowei was greatly shocked upon hearing this.
“Isn’t Cousin Shaoqian too lucky? Although he…” He swallowed the rest of his words, “…As a result, his husband turned into an alchemist in the blink of an eye, hiss—.”
Wu Tianxin laughed, “This alchemist’s talent is quite rare. If he achieves something, it will be a good thing for our Wu family.”
Wu Shaowei nodded, “That’s true.”
In his heart, he planned to visit Cousin Shaoqian sometime soon.
—-
The news about Wu Shaoqian’s newlywed companion already being a first-level alchemist spread through the Wu family like a gust of wind.
During this period, Wu Shaoqian had been keeping a low profile, and even his marriage hadn’t caused much of a stir. After a brief period of discussion among the Wu family members, the topic was no longer brought up. Even though a small minority harbored jealousy, they wouldn’t dare to cause trouble for Wu Shaoqian because he was the son of the family head. They could only secretly gloat in private.
Some people felt sorry for him, thinking about how outstanding Wu Shaoqian had been in the past. Now, even a second-rate family like the Zhong family dared to slight him by directly replacing the proud daughter of the family with a seemingly mediocre young man.
No one expected that the Zhong family’s new son-in-law would have such a fate, and that his aptitude was so good. Wouldn’t he be likely to become a third or even fourth-level alchemist in the future? By then, all they will need to do is buy him a higher-quality alchemy furnace.
As a result, this became a topic of discussion among many members of the Wu family.
“Now the Zhong family’s son has become an alchemist in our Wu family. If the Zhong family finds out, they’ll probably regret it. But who let them be so short-sighted? Their strength is not as good as our Wu family’s, so they can only accept it.”
“Wu Shaoqian is lucky. Zhong the alchemist’s status is going to rise, and since they are a couple, we can’t neglect Wu Shaoqian.”
“In my opinion, Wu Shaoqian’s luck isn’t that great. If we want to keep Zhong the alchemist in our Wu family, it’s better for him to marry a Wu family girl. By then, he’ll have a wife and children, and they will continue to strengthen our family for generations. That’s when the relationship between him and our family will truly become close. But in that case, Wu Shaoqian won’t be able to keep him.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Zhong the alchemist is already married to Wu Shaoqian. How could they divorce? Besides, marrying him is not a good idea either. He has the Zhong family behind him. It would be more appropriate for him to marry into our Wu family. The family head should first improve his treatment, and when his alchemy skills improve further, let him choose an outstanding Wu family girl himself, so that he will be willing to marry into our family. By then, Wu Shaoqian’s life will be almost over, and it will be natural for Zhong the alchemist to marry again…”
Of course, if Zhong Cai’s progress doesn’t meet expectations later on, the Wu family girl he chooses will have to be more ordinary.
—-
Having been monitoring Wu Shaoqian’s family with his injuries, Xia Jiang finally could return to report to his master.
Wu Shao’an was already dissatisfied with Xia Jiang’s incompetence. Upon receiving the news, he couldn’t contain his anger and kicked Xia Jiang out with one swift motion.
“Good-for-nothing, utterly useless!”
Xia Jiang had been mentally prepared and didn’t resist at all, flying backwards and immediately getting up, hanging his head in silence.
Wu Shao’an smashed the table next to him with a single palm.
Then, as if he had suddenly realized something, he burst into laughter, his anger turning to joy.
“No, no, no, I was mistaken. The Wu family will definitely use tricks to keep Zhong Cai. This is going to be quite a show.”
Xia Jiang’s eyes were like dead water, without a ripple.
—-
After Xiang Lin returned, while it was still not dark, Zhong Cai simply took him back to the Zhong family.
Ever since Zhong Cai last came, Zhong Guanlin had ordered his people to treat Zhong Cai as an honored guest. No matter when he came, they must not neglect him.
So, as soon as Zhong Cai arrived, he was respectfully led in by the servants. Even though Zhong Guanlin was still enjoying himself in the backyard, they served Zhong Cai with good tea first and quickly went to inform him.
Before long, Zhong Guanlin arrived, still exuding the decadent air of powder on him.
Zhong Cai was long used to his father’s character and nothing surprised him. He just greeted him, saying, “Father, guess what I came here for this time?”
Seeing his son so happy, Zhong Guanlin raised his eyebrows and sat down opposite him, taking the tea brought by the servant and smiling, “Could it be that Xiao Liu’er has already refined the pill?”
Zhong Cai chuckled and took out a small box the size of a palm and pushed it toward Zhong Guanlin.
Zhong Guanlin flicked his finger, and the small box opened.
In an instant, his expression changed slightly.
Eight low-grade Buqi Dan!
Xiao Liu’er’s skills are even higher than he has expected…
Zhong Guanlin’s expression became even more amiable.
Dad is normal, I like it
Thank you for your translation 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
Thanks for the chapter! I hate when people are mistreated by those who have power over them.
The new alchemist status should make things easier with that useless Wu family.
Somehow, the cheap dad is the easiest to deal with.
Even tho there’s no way to undo the blood contract, maybe there’s still some way for Xia Jiang to get away from that thing he calls a master?
how do they decide an alchemist’s level? what are the requirements?
poor xia jiang. very unlucky. he’s one to watch in case he goes rogue.
people are already scheming how to keep zhong cai even though his husband is still alive. tsk tsk.
2nd level alchemist can refine 2nd grade pills
i see. so it is just a matter of proving your ability. thank you.
Imagine knowing your son made at least 30 high grade pill and at most a thousand low grade.. hahah bet he would want to go back to the day he let him marry off.. ahhaha