Shang Huan immediately got up, wrapped the porcelain bottles in a cloth bundle, and disappeared into the night.
Today was unfortunate, as the Underground Market was not open. However, with years of buying and selling under his belt, he had regular customers.
“I need to find those steadfast farmers who can endure the solitude,” Shang Huan contemplated.
Elixir Pills have always been an essential aid for cultivation.
Greed moves the heart. Once people find out he has a channel for Elixir Pills, it will definitely attract covetous glances and probing.
These honest folk have a narrow social circle, which makes exposure less likely.
“First, I’ll sell off the Calming Pills in hand.”
If he could keep this up long term, as long as that mad Taoist gave him a little profit, his earnings would far exceed those of the past.
“In the future, I could also purchase Elixir Pills from the Ghost Ship to resell.”
He hadn’t done this before because the profit was too low.
But now, it could serve as a perfect cover.
And for now, it was only Calming Pills, but who knows what other Elixir Pills there might be later!
High-end Elixir Pills would yield even more profit!
“I must establish a connection with that mad Taoist!”
Late at night, Shang Huan was buzzing with excitement.
Clutching six porcelain bottles, he quickly made his way through the Yellow Bud Rice Fields.
The Calming Pill was a sought-after commodity at the Spirit and Soul Unification stage. Before long, Shang Huan had sold all of the Calming Pills.
With a satisfied smile on his face, he headed straight back to his home.
He didn’t notice that a wisp of black smoke was following him from not far behind.
Chen Mu sat cross-legged on the black smoke, eyes fixed on Shang Huan.
“He’s taken to it quickly.”
“And he doesn’t seem to have any other schemes in mind.”
“Perhaps this business can go on for a long time,” Chen Mu sighed with relief.
With someone to handle the sales for him, he could concentrate on his cultivation.
“This is only the first cooperation, though.”
“Let’s observe for three… maybe five more times.”
“If this fatty doesn’t harbor other intentions, I’ll have him continue to sell my Elixir Pills.”
…
Seven days later, Chen Mu reappeared silently at Shang Huan’s residence.
On a square table inside the room, there were two piles of White Jade Coins.
One pile had nine White Jade Coins, plus a pile of silver.
The other pile had seven White Jade Coins, with a small porcelain bottle beside it.
“This is the money from selling the stuff in the cabinet, and there are some magic artifact shards that can’t easily be converted to cash right now,” Shang Huan said with a twitch in his skin, a look of heartache on his face, as these were originally his life savings.
Chen Mu neither confirmed nor denied and simply swept up the pile of White Jade Coins.
“This is the money from selling the Calming Pills.”
“You gave me six bottles, each with forty Calming Pills.”
“To speed up the selling, I put thirty-two pills in each bottle.”
“In total, I got seven White Jade Coins and there are eighteen pills remaining,” Shang Huan pointed to the other pile of White Jade Coins and said, steeling himself.
If sold at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion price, it should be eight coins.
Shang Huan had taken the liberty to make this decision, and now his heart couldn’t help but flutter with unease.
Chen Mu raised an eyebrow; the fat man was quite good at promoting sales.
Hmm… bold enough to do this, has he figured out my plan?
But… it’s actually perfect!
He reached out and took six of the White Jade Coins, then leisurely said, “Good job.”
Then he pushed the remaining White Jade Coins and the porcelain bottle to Shang Huan.
“These are yours.”
The buy-back price at Hundred Herbs Pavilion was one White Jade Coin for forty Calming Pills.
Chen Mu decided to give Shang Huan the same rate.
How much he earned in between was Shang Huan’s own skill.
Threats could only make Shang Huan submit temporarily, while interests could bind this shield to his side for a long time.
Shang Huan’s eyes couldn’t help but light up. This madman was fairly reasonable.
With a wave of his hand, Chen Mu added six bottles of Calming Pills to the table.
“I only have one requirement, secrecy. You can’t be found out.”
Shang Huan was immediately overjoyed.
He had guessed right! This pale-faced madman was planning to sell Elixir Pills over the long term!
“May I know how to address you?” Shang Huan asked, his chubby face beaming with a fawning smile.
A name?
“Heavenly Idle Star, Gongsun Sheng!”
He still had to continue using the identity of one of the 108 heroes from Water Margin.
…
At Low Hill Courtyard, a square table was set under a wooden canopy.
Chen Mu picked up a slice of cured meat and put it into his mouth. The chewy, salty flavor was fully released.
“Thank goodness for Fourth Rank cooking skills; otherwise, this exotic beast meat really wouldn’t be easy to deal with.”
The thick hide and tough flesh of exotic beasts made them impervious to swords and knives.
It was exactly because of their robust physique that the meat of exotic beasts was denser and tougher than that of ordinary livestock.
Before cooking, it needed to be softened with special techniques.
Although Chen Mu’s body had been transformed, enabling him to chew through metal and stone, too tough a texture ultimately affected the taste experience.
Chen Mu nodded in satisfaction and casually picked up a black pottery rice bowl filled with Yellow Bud Rice to dig in.
With Shang Huan selling the Calming Pills on his behalf, Chen Mu’s income had substantially increased.
He didn’t plan to sell in large quantities to prevent drawing attention.
He only sold two batches of twelve bottles a month, earning twelve White Jade Coins.
After deducting one or two coins for cost, he netted ten White Jade Coins.
His meals were no longer frugal; he ate with abandon and always had ten Fasting Pills on him.
…
After the meal, as black smoke rolled, the plates and kitchen utensils were swiftly cleaned.
The incense burner on the low table was filled with crimson charcoal and a Calming Pill to smoke and produce a calming azure smoke.
Chen Mu moved a rocking chair next to the well, inhaled the subtle fragrance, and closed his eyes to recite the True Sun Scripture Scroll.
After half an hour of recitation, Chen Mu stopped to rest.
Continue your adventure at empire
He checked his proficiency in the grey wall.
True Sun Scripture: 553/10000/First Rank;
“Still a long journey ahead,” Chen Mu shrugged.
“How wonderful it would be if the True Sun Scripture could cultivate automatically like the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique,”
“Gaining experience just by breathing.”
“Unfortunately…”
He took a sip of cool tea, then went out for a stroll in the Yellow Bud Rice Fields.
While relieving his mind, he also took the opportunity to tidy up the Yellow Bud Rice using his Second Rank Planting Technique.
Now that he had an income from the Calming Pills, Chen Mu still didn’t give up planting Yellow Bud Rice.
Being an outsider, compared to the identity of Gongsun Sheng, the persona of Chen Mu, a capable farmer, was more secure and stable.
“If the harvest goes well, I can rent even more fields.”
“Later on, when I go to the Scripture Transmission Institute to buy Secret Technique Jade Scrolls, I will also have a legitimate source of income.”
And with the help of the Five Ghosts Bag, cultivating the land was easy and effortless, and he could continuously gain planting experience.
Chen Mu didn’t find it tiresome; on the contrary, he thoroughly enjoyed it.
“This is a sense of accomplishment that no virtual farm can bring!”
With everything going smoothly, Chen Mu planned to meditate and grind for experience as he usually did.
…
“Big brother, that guy really has the temperament of a tortoise!” the bald and burly man said angrily.
“A month has passed, and he hasn’t left Low Hill once!”
Sitting at the head of the room, Dong Cheng looked at the bald man with a chuckle, “Don’t worry. He will leave one day.”
“To do great things, one must have patience.”
The bald burly man looked frustrated: “But he never goes out, that’s not a solution either.”
Dong Cheng glanced at the bald man and said indifferently, “You must not act rashly.”
“If you startle the snake by hitting the grass, you’ll have to answer to me!”
The bald man immediately shrank his neck and dared not say more; he indeed had the impulse to forcibly take action.
Now that the bald man had calmed down, Dong Cheng continued with earnest advice, “We used to have nothing and could afford to take risks.”
“But now that we have the opportunity to advance further, we can’t be so reckless.”
“That could ruin the future for both of us.”
“I hope you can join me officially in the Lower Courtyard instead of, as now, being confined to this basin.”
The burly man immediately became excited: “I’ll listen to big brother!”
Dong Cheng nodded in satisfaction: “Don’t be in a rush.”
“Judging by that man’s behavior, he’s most likely an ascetic practitioner.”
“Such people have great patience and excel at dedicated practice. Staying at home to practice hard is normal for them.”
“But in a month and a half, the annual Scripture Preaching Ceremony will take place.”
“As an ascetic practitioner, that man is certain to go to the Scripture Transmission Institute!”
The bald man’s eyes lit up immediately: “Big brother is truly wise!”