On the southeastern mid-mountain slope of Jade Spring Mountain, there is a cliff with a vertical drop of seventy to eighty meters.
At the open space below, a group of men in grey short-sleeved clothes were bustling around.
Some were digging foundations, others erecting wooden stakes, carving doors and windows, or building walls.
On the cliffside, about five to six meters above the ground, caves of various sizes had been hewn, connected by stone steps a meter wide.
Within the widest cave at the topmost layer.
“Junior Brother Chen?” Zhu Yi looked Chen Mu up and down.
He was in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and an air of sternness about him. He was the new Pavilion Master of the Administrative Affairs Institute of Jade Spring Mountain, Chen Mu’s future boss.
“I’ve seen Pavilion Master Zhu.” Chen Mu greeted him with a respectful fist clasped.
“Which Alchemy Jade Slip are you studying?” Zhu Yi asked.
Alchemy Jade Slip? Was he asking about the origins of his alchemy skills?
“I have a summary of the Fasting Pill.” Chen Mu replied truthfully: “It was bestowed by Elder Song Wujie.”
After all, his background was clean, and he wasn’t afraid of investigation.
“How many spells have you… never mind.” Zhu Yi shook his head: “Since it’s through Uncle Liang’s connection, I won’t ask.”
What does he mean? Chen Mu was puzzled.
“It’s okay if you can’t refine pills; just stay in the Pill Treasure Pavilion and learn slowly,” Zhu Yi said to himself.
Is he treating me as an unskilled nepotism hire?
Chen Mu couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“Pavilion Master Zhu, I…”
“I know,” Zhu Yi said with a knowing look: “There must be people in the pavilion talking behind your back.”
“But as long as you ignore them and don’t cause trouble, they can’t do anything to you.”
“No, I really…” Chen Mu hurriedly started to explain.
“I know,” Zhu Yi sighed: “There might still be people in the pavilion who will try to sabotage you.”
“Don’t look at the alchemy apprentices receiving only thirty White Jade Coins a month. But to have this status is not easy.”
“All of them are alchemy apprentices like you, but which one of them hasn’t spent years toiling with all their might?”
“They’re inevitably resentful towards someone who can’t refine pills but can easily enter the Pill Treasure Pavilion.”
Are you freaking insulting me?!
“If they really dare to sabotage you, come to me,” Zhu Yi said earnestly: “With me here, they won’t dare to mess around!”
“But I…”
“No need to say, I know!” Zhu Yi waved his hand and spoke with gravity: “In the Pill Treasure Pavilion, you need skills to survive, and it’s indeed stressful to be a slacker.”
“But it’s safe here.”
“With Jade Spring Mountain’s branch being newly constructed, this is a time for expansion, and there are constant threats from heretical paths, exotic beasts, and monsters.”
“What if you were sent out to fight? Being so young, you might meet a tough opponent, and that would be tragic.”
“It’s safer to stay under me in the Pill Treasure Pavilion as a slacker.”
You know jack shit! Chen Mu nearly laughed out of sheer frustration.
“Pavilion Master Zhu, I can refine the Essence of the Five Grains!” Chen Mu explained earnestly, quickening his pace.
He couldn’t let this man with dense eyebrows continue to guess wildly.
If he let the man’s imagination run wild any longer, he would really become the useless one he was talking about!
Zhu Yi paused upon hearing that and gave Chen Mu a closer look, then suddenly had a realization.
“So that’s how it is!”
Chen Mu finally let out a sigh of relief; the misunderstanding seemed to be cleared up at last.
But then, he heard Zhu Yi continue with what sounded like praise: “Even if you can’t do it, you have to pretend you can! That’s the right attitude!”
“This can prevent certain unnecessary troubles from the root.”
Chen Mu: “…”
No… why don’t you believe me now?
“Let me think, hmm… you have a summary of the Fasting Pill, so the basic task you need to choose is obviously the refinement of the Essence of the Five Grains.”
“You’re planning to buy the Essence of the Five Grains to complete your tasks, to muddle through and shut the mouths inside the pavilion, aren’t you?!” Zhu Yi nodded to himself.
“Good idea!”
“In the first year as an alchemy apprentice, you only need to hand in two hundred kilograms of the Essence of the Five Grains each month to pass.”
“The market price is two White Jade Coins for ten kilograms, but you can get a staff discount from me—twenty kilograms for three White Jade Coins.”
“You have a monthly stipend of thirty, so at the end of the month it works out perfectly, no need to spend your own money!”
“See how good that is!”
Thank you so much!
…
Chen Mu looked around, bewildered, as Zhu Yi escorted him out of the cave.
I really can absorb the Essence of the Five Grains. In a few days, I might even be able to refine the Fasting Pill!
Unfortunately, Zhu Yi had pegged him as someone who got in through connections.
Chen Mu was still insisting on demonstrating it in front of him.
Zhu Yi, however, with an approving look, told him he was quite convincing and to keep it up.
Damn it!
Eventually, Chen Mu gave up. He followed an old servant, in his sixties, to a cave on the western edge of the cliff.
It was said that this location was secluded and quiet, but the cave had a decent supply of Earth Spirit Vital Energy, and since it was far from the other alchemist apprentices’ caves, there wasn’t much interaction, saving him a lot of trouble.
After thanking the old servant for showing him the way and sending him off.
Chen Mu surveyed the cave dwelling with a wry smile — over a hundred square meters, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
“This misunderstanding has gone too far.”
“Forget it, I’ll go and clarify in a few days.”
By then, I’ll just carry a bag of rice with me and demonstrate it right there, and there will be no more misunderstandings.
Immediately, Chen Mu began to inspect each room.
Stone tables, stone chairs, stone beds, everywhere was covered in a thin layer of dust, but all bore the look of new construction.
Black smoke billowed and roiled on all sides.
The cave dwelling was quickly transformed anew.
“I’m going to be living here from now on.”
…
In the evening.
Chen Mu had already arranged everything: pots and pans, quilts and sheets, all set up.
Moving houses often had its perks. At least it helped him come up with a moving kit.
Household necessities were organized into complete sets. In a new place, he could just take out a set and be ready to move in.
He hastily steamed ten arm-length sausages made of exotic beast meat, and with some dried vegetables, he cooked a pot of soup. Holding a big bowl of Yellow Bud Rice, Chen Mu ate with big bites.
“Given the limited conditions, the first meal after moving in will have to do for now.”
…
After dinner.
Chen Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at his skill panel to plan his schedule for the coming days.
“The experience for the Wind Fire Pivot Charm is more than half, so let’s push it to the limit first.”
This was related to whether he could refine the Fasting Pill.
“I was so preoccupied arguing with Zhu Yi today that I forgot to ask about the Tao Seeking Skill,” Chen Mu shook his head.
“Let’s stabilize for a few days and then find an opportunity to inquire.”
Liang Yi only said that there was a change in exchanging alchemy for Daoist cultivation, but that didn’t mean alchemy couldn’t accumulate Daoist cultivation.
“Perhaps it’s just the Fasting Pill that had problems,” Chen Mu frowned slightly.
It was impossible for Pill Treasure Pavilion to only produce one type of Elixir Pill.
According to Old Hao, the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Pill that Shang Huan had eaten as a child was actually made by the Upper Court’s Pill Treasure Pavilion.
“If worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to figure out a way to learn how to make new Elixir Pills.”
…
For five consecutive days, Chen Mu stayed in the cave dwelling, engrossed in grinding for experience.
His Wind Fire Pivot Charm had gained more than thirteen hundred experience points.
It was probably because he had been constantly using the Truthful Listening Technique to eavesdrop for information. Unbeknownst to him, the Truthful Listening Technique had broken through to the Fifth Rank.
He looked at the wall for experience.
Truthful Listening Technique: 86/10000/Sixth Rank;
“It hasn’t reached its peak yet?”
This truly surprised Chen Mu.
Truthful Listening!
He immediately cast the Truthful Listening Technique on himself.
Down at the construction site, the buzzing of the carpenters sawing wood, the pounding of hammers on wooden stakes, the raucous voices of the working disciples chatting and joking about, and farther away, the chirping of insects and birds in the mountains.
All sorts of sounds came into his ears, yet Chen Mu didn’t feel any chaos or clutter.
The breakthrough of the Secret Technique had clearly made some alterations to his body.
Allowing him to withstand all kinds of noises, big and small, and to selectively hone in on the sounds he wanted to hear.
“This distance…”
Chen Mu went to the entrance of the cave and peered into the distance.
It must be four or five hundred meters away, right?
He lifted his gaze to the sky.
Just then, a swift green bird flew across the sky. Its flapping was easily caught by Chen Mu.
“Still spherical,” Chen Mu raised his eyebrows.
“This is just passive listening; if it were actively triggered…”
“What a Secret Technique!” Chen Mu’s mouth curled up slightly.
“The Wu Mountain siblings are impressive indeed.”
He made up his mind. Once the alchemy business was on track, he would copy each sibling’s Secret Technique in turn.
“Perhaps there will be unexpected surprises.”
While mulling over the United Heart Curse, the United Heart Rope suddenly quivered above his head, causing Chen Mu to raise an eyebrow.
“Shang Huan?”
…
Chen Mu closed his eyes and activated the United Heart Curse.
In the haze, Shang Huan’s Jade Seed became increasingly polished.
“It seems his Jade Seed is complete.”
Then, he was drawn to another pearl shining brightly.
“Wu Ruo has actually achieved Spiritual Light?” Chen Mu was astonished.
Were the Wu Mountain siblings truly gifted, or was it the effect of the United Heart Gu?
It was likely a combination of both.
“Mr. Gongsun, I’m sorry for the intrusion!” Shang Huan’s voice arose cautiously.
“What is it!” Chen Mu made his voice sound indifferent and calm, adopting the role of Gongsun Sheng.
“I’ve discovered a lucrative business opportunity and wish to offer it to you,” Shang Huan’s voice was filled with a mixture of excitement, respect, and flattery.
Lucrative business opportunity?
For me?
Bullshit!
If Chen Mu didn’t know what was really going on, he might have believed it!
“Insect Repellent Incense?” Chen Mu remarked indifferently, “Without the backing of Mo Wuzhou’s name, are you scared?”
“Exactly, the Insect Repellent Incense!” Shang Huan was not embarrassed at being called out.
His voice became even more spirited, “Before, it was just a small matter that could be handled by just about anyone, I really didn’t want to bother you.”
“Now, Jade Spring Mountain is flourishing once again, with common Martial Artists coming from Da Qian every day to help clear the wilds.”
“At the foot of the mountain, there are five camps, with at least five or six thousand people.”
“If every person gets one piece, that’s about five or six thousand White Jade Coins a month!” Shang Huan was enthusiastic, “Such a large transaction must have you overseeing it!”
Chen Mu was also taken aback.
He had been at the foot of the mountain for half a month and indeed saw Cloud Bat Flying Boats bringing people.
But he never expected it to be on such a scale.
It seemed that the number of people was still on the rise.
Shang Huan was exaggerating; not all those people would need Insect Repellent Incense.
But even if only half of them bought it, the unassuming insect repellent would indeed become a sizable business.
With a monthly total nearing two thousand White Jade Coins, deducting the cost of labor and materials, there would be a profit of approximately a thousand.
“Not bad, but for Jade Spring Mountain where opportunities are everywhere and one can almost make White Jade Coins anywhere, it isn’t much.”
“The identity of Chen Mu seems to be usable.”
A Chen Mu of the Pill Treasure Pavilion, with Illusion Breaking Cultivation, could still hold his own in this business.
Of course, there was still risk involved.
Even a mosquito, as small as it is, is still meat, and greedy people are capable of anything.
But thinking of the base price of one hundred thousand for the Condense Aperture Secret Method, Chen Mu no longer hesitated.
“I can’t come forward myself, but I can find someone to back you up,” Chen Mu said indifferently.
“That’s great!” Shang Huan rejoiced.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely set aside your share!”
Work one job, get paid twice?
Chen Mu opened his mouth but eventually said nothing.
After all, since the offer was made voluntarily, it would be rude not to accept!
“Mr. Gongsun, may I inquire about the capabilities of the gentleman you will recommend?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that the Lower Courtyard is a bit chaotic.”
“I have a friend named Chen Mu, who disappeared without a trace!”
“I’ve been searching for him for three days, to no avail!” Shang Huan’s voice carried a hint of sadness.
“These past few days, I have had no appetite for tea or food!”
Chen Mu felt a warmth in his heart.
He had left in a hurry and hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye. He didn’t expect this chubby fellow to actually look for him. That was nice.
“You don’t know, but his cooking is really delicious.”
“Without him, I can’t even eat, how am I going to live in the future!”
Chen Mu: “…” So after all this fuss, you were missing my cooking?
Damn, all that emotion was wasted!
“Don’t worry, once you meet him, you’ll know. It’ll be a big surprise,” Chen Mu said with narrowed eyes and an ominous tone.