Chapter 55: Earning Money
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The responsibility of purchasing medicinal herbs was still entrusted to Chi Defeng. Since the benefits were already linked, Chi Defeng couldn’t afford to use any counterfeit herbs to deceive Chen Fei. Once he discovered that Chen Fei was an alchemist, Chi Defeng finally grasped why Chen Fei could effortlessly discern his fraudulent medicinal ingredients. If an alchemist couldn’t accurately identify the ingredients required to refine their own medicinal pills, it would imply that their skill level was likely inadequate.
Chen Fei opted not to craft the Qi Rejuvenation Pill but instead utilized the Light Spirit Pill directly. After all, the Light Spirit Pill was more expensive and had a higher demand in Apricot Fen City.
In contrast to a smaller county like Pingyin County, Apricot Fen City boasted a larger population of martial artists and individuals with advanced cultivation levels. The Bone Tempering realm, while not widespread, was far more prevalent than in Pingyin County. During his time in Pingyin County, Chen Fei had already perfected the cultivation of the Light Spirit Pill. Refining a cauldron of pills allowed him to fully harness the medicinal properties of the ingredients. Each cauldron contained four Light Spirit Pills.
The ingredients for the Light Spirit Pill were not overly expensive. While it may be an exaggeration to say they were abundant everywhere, they were indeed relatively easy to find. Many individuals even grew and cultivated them themselves, and they matured quickly. The simplicity of the materials contributed to the wide availability and popularity of both the Light Spirit Pill and the Eternal Floating Pill. Scarcer herbs and ingredients had been phased out and eliminated throughout history.
Early in the morning, Chen Fei bid farewell to Qian Jijiang, extending his hands in a cupped gesture. Chi Defeng stepped forward and patted Qian Jijiang’s shoulder, remaining silent. As per their original plan, Qian Jijiang was meant to accompany them to Immortal Cloud City so they could support one another. However, Qian Jijiang unexpectedly encountered someone from the bodyguard agency in Apricot Fen City. After pondering the matter throughout the night, Qian Jijiang decided to follow the group from the bodyguard agency and assist them with their tasks.
“There will be ample opportunities to visit Immortal Cloud City in the future,” Qian Jijiang laughed heartily. He bid farewell to Chen Fei and the other man, then turned around and departed. Once they waved goodbye, Chen Fei and the other man returned to the courtyard. Since they needed to wait in Apricot Fen City for over a month for the caravan, it became inconvenient to continue staying at the inn. Consequently, Chen Fei and the other two individuals rented a courtyard in the city for a duration of six months. If they had rented it for a shorter period, it might have upset the landlord. However, Chen Fei wasn’t concerned about the rent and agreed to the terms.
“These are the herbs for today. Please check if there are any issues,” Chi Defeng handed over a package to Chen Fei. Chen Fei inspected it and found everything to be in order. He then retrieved a list and handed it to Chi Defeng, saying, “Gather these medicinal ingredients. I want to attempt refining a new pill.”
…..
“These ingredients are for the Eternal Floating Pill?” Chi Defeng glanced at the list, visibly surprised. “Do you know how to refine it?” Chen Fei was also taken aback.
“Have you forgotten what I was doing in Pingyin County? Although the recipe for the Eternal Floating Pill was counterfeit, I still have some knowledge about it,” Chi Defeng smiled, though the astonishment in his eyes lingered. Over the past few days, Chen Fei’s remarkable speed in refining the Light Spirit Pill had already greatly surprised Chi Defeng.
Being a seasoned figure in the martial arts scene, Chi Defeng possessed a wealth of knowledge. Hence, he understood the level of refinement required to achieve Chen Fei’s impressive pill production rate.
Throughout his time in Pingyin County, Chi Defeng had never encountered anyone capable of reaching such heights. And now, Chen Fei was embarking on experiments with the Eternal Floating Pill!
The pill formula for the Light Spirit Pill was considered precious among ordinary individuals, but it could still be obtained through various means. However, the formula for the Eternal Floating Pill was not available in Pingyin County. While Apricot Fen City did possess it, no one would willingly disclose it. Moreover, considering their recent arrival in Apricot Fen City, it was highly unlikely that they had obtained the pill formula for the Eternal Floating Pill. Therefore, there was a strong possibility that Chen Fei had deduced the formula himself. Such alchemical talent was truly astonishing and awe-inspiring.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m just in the experimental stage, and I’m unsure of the outcome,” Chen Fei reassured with a smile, shaking his head. After spending a considerable amount of time together, Chen Fei had developed a deep understanding of Chi Defeng’s character. He had no intention of hiding anything from him. Additionally, if they were to continue collaborating in the future, certain alchemical skills would inevitably need to be shared.
Chi Defeng smiled in return, recognizing the trust Chen Fei had placed in him. He took the Light Spirit Pills he intended to sell that day and departed from the courtyard. Meanwhile, Chen Fei tidied up the medicinal herbs and transferred them to the pill room, preparing to commence the refining process for the Light Spirit Pill. Over the past few days, Chen Fei had dedicated his mornings to perfecting the refining process for the Light Spirit Pill. With his exceptional pill production rate, he could refine sixty to seventy Light Spirit Pills within just a few hours.
As Chi Defeng set up his stall, he priced the Light Spirit Pills at around eleven to twelve taels, depending on the quantity purchased. With the exception of the first two days, there were consistently a few customers who bought the pills. All the pills Chen Fei had refined in the past few days were easily sold. Since Chen Fei had not produced counterfeit Light Spirit Pills and had refined them at the Great Completion level, the pills were in optimal condition. Both their appearance and medicinal effects were top-notch. Once someone tried the pill for the first time, they would recognize its effectiveness and naturally become repeat customers of Chi Defeng stall.
After deducting Chi Defeng’s share, Chen Fei was left with around six hundred taels. This success prompted Chen Fei to consider increasing the quantity of pills he could refine to meet the growing demand.
In Apricot Fen City, acquiring the necessary medicinal ingredients for the Light Spirit Pill was not a challenging task. Chen Fei could easily earn a thousand taels per day. However, he eventually suppressed the thought of increasing the quantity too much. Having too many pills could potentially lead to complications. Nonetheless, Chen Fei was also unwilling to earn too little. In the end, they reached a compromise and settled on the current number. The pursuit of benefits always carried some degree of risk, and it depended on each individual’s willingness to bear them.
Having spent nearly ten days in Apricot Fen City, Chen Fei focused on the sale of the Light Spirit Pill while nearing the completion of the formula deduction for the Eternal Floating Pill. The progress was smoother than expected, which could be attributed to Chen Fei’s current level of alchemy. The remnant recipe from the Zhao Family also proved to be highly beneficial. With all these factors combined, Chen Fei was now ready to attempt refining the Eternal Floating Pill. Succeeding even once would significantly accelerate Chen Fei’s wealth accumulation.
Chen Fei had always desired the Suppressing Dragon Elephant cultivation technique, which he found on the interface. However, the price of 50,000 taels was a significant hurdle for him. As for his progress in refining pills, it remained steady. But what delighted Chen Fei the most was that his cultivation technique, the Shocking Swallowing Art, had finally reached perfection. Reaching perfection in the technique brought several benefits. Apart from an increase in the cultivation value itself, the most significant surprise was that he could consume more medicinal pills.
Previously, when the Shocking Swallowing Art was at the master level, Chen Fei could only consume one Light Spirit Pill and one Eternal Floating Pill per day. But now, as the technique reached perfection, he was able to ingest two Eternal Floating Pills daily. As a result, his cultivation would improve by 85 points in a single day. The time it would take for Chen Fei to break through to the Bone Tempering realm was reduced by another month. The effects of the Shocking Swallowing Art surpassed his imagination. Additionally, Chen Fei sensed that as his cultivation technique continued to accumulate experience points, the number of medicinal pills he could consume daily was gradually increasing.
“The original version of the Cloud Devouring Force shouldn’t have yielded such remarkable results. Otherwise, the sect wouldn’t have declined to such a state. It’s possible that the combination of the Cloud Devouring Force and the Astonishing Symbol Art resulted in an unexpected transformation,” Chen Fei pondered aloud. This was his personal speculation. The Astonishing Symbol Art, derived from the Thunderous Sword Force, was a cultivation technique of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. The Astonishing Symbol Art could be circulated more rapidly if one’s body could withstand it. When combined with the absorption ability of the Cloud Devouring Force, this effect was significantly amplified.
“Considering the current progress, I might be able to reach the Bone Tempering realm before the Immortal Cloud Caravan arrives,” Chen Fei thought with satisfaction..