Twelve days later.
Chen Mu climbed out of the underground secret chamber, his face haggard, and collapsed into the rocking chair without wanting to move.
After grueling away for more than twenty days, he had finally finished crafting all two hundred Wood Spirit Boys.
“Once I deliver this batch of goods, I have to rest for a while no matter what.”
After a good while, as his spirit slightly recovered, Chen Mu’s mind finally started to function.
“After such a long time, I can go and retrieve the payment from last time.”
Shang Huan even came by last night to deliver his share of the Insect Repellent Incense dividends, indicating he hadn’t run into any trouble.
The batch of White Jade was also very likely to be problem-free.
“Over eight thousand pieces of White Jade!”
Even the listless Chen Mu couldn’t help but perk up at the thought.
“I wouldn’t be able to spend it all even if I lounged around Red Sleeve Square for a year!”
“Haha…”
…
Three days later.
A dense forest eighteen miles south of Peng Yue Mountain.
A white mask, black cloak, swirls of black smoke all around, two square wooden boxes floating behind.
Chen Mu, disguised in Gongsun Sheng’s attire, appeared in front of Shang Huan.
“There was no problem with that batch of White Jade, right?” Chen Mu confirmed again.
“No problem at all!” Shang Huan’s face blossomed into a flower-like smile.
The materials for attracting Spiritual Pulp weren’t expensive, and with such a big pile of White Jade as base, stockpiling as much as he wanted wasn’t an issue. Could there be any problems?!
“Take me to see it.” Chen Mu suppressed his excitement, calmly said.
The most White Jade he had ever held was nearly a thousand. Now, he was about to take possession of eight thousand, exhilarating!
Therefore, an excited Chen Mu, following an equally excited Shang Huan, arrived at a cellar.
The cellar, as large as five or six living rooms, was densely packed with wooden racks filling the underground space.
Each rack held bamboo tubes as thick as a forearm. The strong scent of medicinal herbs filled the nostrils.
Chen Mu stared dumbfounded at the cellar full of Spiritual Pulp, shaking with anger.
You’re showing me this?
I wanted to see the White Jade Coins!
My money, where is it?!
What have you done with my money?!
If it weren’t for maintaining his persona, Chen Mu would have thrown off his mask and strangled the fat man on the spot!
“This Spiritual Pulp is just a part of it.”
“There are five more cellars like this.” Shang Huan said, beaming with pride, expecting praise.
Chen Mu’s eyes moved slightly as he watched Shang Huan’s fat neck.
It took a while to suppress the impulse to kill the man, then in a soft voice, he asked,
“How much White Jade has been used?”
What else could he do? The materials had already been bought and obviously couldn’t be returned.
He dared not leave the remaining money with Shang Huan.
What if the fat man mishandled it again?
“I spent it all!” Shang Huan declared with pride: “For the short term, even if others get the Spiritual Pulp formula, they won’t be able to buy the raw materials!”
Chen Mu: “…”
I really might as well strangle you!
My eight thousand White Jade Coins!
…
Outside the cellar, Chen Mu took a deep breath.
He felt that if he stayed in the cellar one more minute, he was certain to kill Shang Huan.
Only when a sliver of moonlight pierced through the sky’s white mist and shone on his face did Chen Mu finally accept a painful reality.
His money was gone!
All of it had been changed into Spiritual Pulp by the fat Shang Huan, and even the raw materials had been purchased in bulk!
The fat Shang Huan indeed had a knack for business, wasn’t this essentially a monopoly?!
“Have you ever considered that by doing this, it is very easy to attract envy and cause trouble?” Inwardly, Chen Mu seethed with frustration.
“Thank you for the advice, Mr. Gongsun!” Shang Huan thanked him with a cheerful fist and palm salute.
Am I giving you advice? I’m reprimanding, criticizing, complaining!
“Don’t worry, sir. I never show my face during each delivery.”
“I’ve also hired a group of professionals to scope out the place before every delivery.”
“In the future, I’m planning to dig a few more cellars. We’ll have the peddlers come and collect the goods and pay themselves.”
“That way, it could be even safer.”
You really do think of everything.
Chen Mu thought bitterly to himself.
“You should know, the Lower Courtyard only has a hundred Wood Spirit Boys altogether. With the latest batch, that makes three hundred. Stockpiling so much Spiritual Pulp, you can’t keep up with the consumption.” Chen Mu suppressed his anger.
If it turns out to be excess…
“Mr. Gongsun, you and I are on the same page!” Shang Huan was actually excited.
“I’ve diluted every portion of Spiritual Pulp.”
“Originally, a portion was supposed to last six days, now at most it can only last three days. Hehe…”
Chen Mu: “…” Adulterated again?!
You really stay true to your original aspirations!
…
“The Wu Mountain seven brothers? You had them help out?” Chen Mu glanced at Shang Huan.
“They are more reliable,” Shang Huan said.
Chen Mu silently shook his head.
He hardly dared to deal with those six tough characters, yet this fat man actually went out of his way to court them.
“Be careful with the sale of Spiritual Pulp,” Chen Mu finally couldn’t help but express his concern. “We won’t be doing this business for long. You should always be ready to pass it on to someone else.”
“Mo Wuzhou is a good candidate.”
“`
“This…” Shang Huan appeared somewhat reluctant.
“In Peng Yue Mountain, the biggest power is the Lower Courtyard,” Chen Mu’s eyes flickered as he gave the other party a calm glance, “Making a fortune is okay, but we can’t keep competing with them for money.”
“The more Wood Spirit Boys we have, the bigger the profit from the Spiritual Pulp will be; you can’t handle it!” Chen Mu said calmly.
“Since you know it can’t be handled, how about you hand it over to me!” A voice suddenly erupted.
The thin mist in the sky dispersed, and a swift-shaped kite suddenly materialized in mid-air.
A robust figure leaped down.
Boom!
A few rings of air waves erupted from the ground instantly.
Zhang Jin looked at Chen Mu, whose face was masked, with a smile, “You’re indeed hard to find!”
Chen Mu’s face changed drastically at once.
“Don’t be afraid,” Zhang Jin said soothingly, “An Artifact Refiner is a rare talent, after all.”
“I would never do you harm.”
To subdue me and make me a money tree?
While Chen Mu relaxed slightly, his heart was also filled with helplessness.
This was exactly what he had always wanted to avoid.
“Is the box containing those two hundred Wood Spirit Boys?” Zhang Jin’s face was full of admiration, “To have made so many in less than a month. I’ve truly found a treasure.”
Chen Mu felt a chill in his heart.
Did he actually know the order time for this batch of Wood Spirit Boys?!
It seemed that he had been watched, not just for a day or two.
What trouble!
“What do you want me to do?” Chen Mu forced himself to calm down.
“Of course, to help us with Artifact Refining,” Zhang Jin said with a candid face.
“We provide the materials, and you just do the refining. We’ll handle the selling, and we’ll split the profits evenly, how about that?!”
These terms… they’re acceptable!
Chen Mu’s heart skipped a beat.
All he needed to do was focus on refining artifacts. All troubles would be blocked by the other party. Not to mention a half of the profits, giving them seventy percent would be okay!
Thinking this, Chen Mu couldn’t help but slightly nod.
The smile on Zhang Jin’s face became even brighter.
The atmosphere all at once became much more relaxed.
“I heard just now that the task of attracting the Spiritual Pulp was all handled by this young brother,” Zhang Jin asked curiously, looking at Shang Huan.
Shang Huan stood carefully behind Chen Mu, not uttering a word.
Zhang Jin didn’t mind and smiled, “The young brother is cautious enough, but there were still some oversights.”
“I found that the peddler selling the Spiritual Pulp was also selling Insect Repellent Incense.”
“So, I followed the scent of the Insect Repellent Incense and found the place of production, which also led me to notice this young brother,” Zhang Jin chuckled, explaining the reason he appeared here.
“In the future, I’ll take care of this matter. With the Inspection Courtyard backing us, you won’t have to be so nervous.”
After saying that, he once again looked at Chen Mu with a smile.
“What do you think?”
Chen Mu frowned slightly, thought for a while, and couldn’t help but sigh.
It was helpless to be cornered.
And indeed, the other party showed a lot of sincerity.
“Alright then,” Chen Mu felt a bit stifled, but he helplessly nodded.
Though there would be more constraints, at least he could be safer.
“Excellent!” Zhang Jin was overjoyed.
“Why not let the young brother deliver the goods first?”
“You come with me to Peng Yue Mountain, to meet our boss behind the scenes,” Zhang Jin said enthusiastically.
“Whatever,” Chen Mu shrugged his shoulders, placing the two large wooden boxes beside Shang Huan.
Zhang Jin’s face brimmed with a smile, “Please!”
Chen Mu also wore a smile, “After you!”
“Well, in that case, I won’t be polite!” Zhang Jin laughed heartily.
“Yin Sha Secret Arrow!”
Whizz!
A dense mass of black short arrows suddenly appeared in front of him.
Whooo…
The black crystal-like short arrows pierced through the air, carrying an invisible wave, and abruptly shot towards Chen Mu.
Clash!
An eerie green Qi Blade emerged out of nowhere.
The sharp blade qi precisely targeted the black arrow tips.
In an instant, it rolled over, chopping the pitch-black short arrows into sparkling fragments.
“Three Yin Slaying Demon!”
The Blade Net surged forward suddenly, pouncing on the rain-like black arrows.
Ding ding ding…
The short arrows shattered, and the Qi Blades dispersed.
Boom!
A huge wave of air burst forth from the point of collision.
Shang Huan, who had just lifted the two boxes, was immediately toppled by this wave.
“You actually want to kill me?” Chen Mu was astonished.
“You’re not being honest either,” Zhang Jin’s face turned grim.
“Bringing you back would only earn me a small amount of money.”
“But if I killed you, those two hundred Wood Spirit Boys and countless Spiritual Pulp would all be my own treasures!”
“Your own treasures?” Chen Mu’s expression turned shocked, “You mean to say, others are unaware of my information?”
Chen Mu, beneath the mask, couldn’t help but grin, revealing a row of eerily white teeth.
That’s just perfect!
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Ha!
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