Chapter 108: Chapter 73 Precious Pill Residence!
Alchemy!_2
Wanling Pavilion was located in the bustling commercial district of the city. The entire Wanling Pavilion covered a large area, very conspicuous, outshining some nearby buildings, with somewhat the feeling of a shopping mall.
On the first floor of Wanling Pavilion, people were coming and going; various counters displayed luxury items such as jewelry and precious stones, as well as weapons like knives and swords.
“Esteemed guest, what do you require?”
Su Changkong had not been in Wanling Pavilion long before a youth dressed in the pavilion’s uniform came up to greet him with great enthusiasm.
The youth had a discerning eye. Su Changkong, currently utilizing Turtle Breath Shrinkage, bore a cold countenance with a youthful appearance but emanated an extraordinary aura that made the Wanling Building’s youth dare not neglect him.
Su Changkong didn’t waste any words. He took out a list from his bosom and handed it to the youth, his face calm as he said, “I want to purchase the medicinal materials listed here.”
The youth accepted the list with both hands, and upon looking at it, his expression became even more respectful and solemn, “Blood insect grass, Blood Lotus, twenty-year-old Blood Ginseng…”
The materials listed were necessary for forging Qi-Blood Pills, almost all extremely valuable, and could not be procured in small places.
In order to confuse any onlookers, Su Changkong still included a few medicinal materials that he did not need in his purchase.
Of course, even without such precaution, forging a Qi-Blood Pill required not only these materials but also their correct proportions and forging techniques, which were all recorded in detail. It was not possible to deduce the pill recipe from just a few materials alone.
Just like building a house—though equipped with enough materials, constructing a house is not as simple as merely piling bricks and stones together.
“Honorable guest, please follow me to the second floor. I’ll go inform Manager Wan Xun,” said the youth, growing more reverential, as the materials on the list were all quite costly. The current Su Changkong was a valued customer who required the attention of a higher-ranking person to negotiate business!
“Alright,” Su Changkong spoke with brevity.
Inside an elegant private room on the second floor, the youth poured a cup of tea made from precious tea leaves for Su Changkong and then bowed and withdrew.
Su Changkong did not touch the tea on the table, waiting quietly.
It wasn’t long before a refined-looking middle-aged man entered the private room; clearly, this was Manager Wan Xun. Judging by his surname, he was undoubtedly a member of the Wan Family
“I am Wan Xun. May I inquire as to how to address you, sir?” Wan Xun greeted Su Changkong with a cupped fist and asked politely.
“My surname is Li,” Su Changkong casually fabricated a false surname.
“Mr. Li, you wish to purchase these medicinal materials? Although our Wanling Pavilion doesn’t have all of them, we can procure them from other places, and they can be delivered within two days,” Wan Xun said to Su Changkong.
“What about the price?” Su Changkong inquired about the price.
“The medicinal materials Mr. Li needs are all quite precious, mostly used for nourishing Qi and replenishing blood. One set would be about three thousand taels of silver,” Wan Xun replied truthfully.
“Three thousand taels?” Su Changkong silently gasped in shock. Although he had been mentally prepared, the price still astounded him.
Keep in mind that Su Changkong had previously indulged in using double the dose of Vital Qi Spread every day, and even after a month, it had only cost him six or seven hundred taels, but the materials for one batch of Qi-Blood Pills would be three thousand taels!
Although Su Changkong was internally surprised, his face maintained a calm demeanor. He said, “Then I would like to place an order for one set first.”
He didn’t buy more; he wanted to buy one set first and see how effective it was!
“They will be ready by this time in two days,” Wan Xun assured him immediately after hearing his response, delighted to know the deal was half-successful.
“Then I’ll come back in two days,” Su Changkong nodded and left Wanling Building with Wan Xun seeing him off.
After leaving Wanling Building, Su Changkong spent more than a day searching for a place to live in the city.
The residence Su Changkong needed had to be spacious and quiet enough for him to practice martial arts without attracting attention due to noise. In addition, he planned to set up forging tools, which also required ample space.
Ultimately, Su Changkong chose a residence to his liking. It was a moderately sized idle estate located in the western district of the city, with planted flowers, trees, and pleasing scenery. Its high walls ensured tranquility.
The rent was quite expensive, thirty taels of silver a month, amounting to three hundred and sixty taels a year!
In Clearwater City, that was enough to buy a decent house!
But the tranquility and environment of the estate matched Su Changkong’s preference. In the end, he did not save this expense and rented the small estate, paying a year’s rent upfront.
After tidying up the rooms in the estate, two days passed quickly.
“Mr. Li, you’ve arrived? Please, have a seat!”
Two days later, Su Changkong went to Wanling Building early in the morning. In the private room on the second floor, Wan Xun warmly invited him to sit down.
“Here are the medicinal materials Mr. Li ordered; please check them,” Wan Xun then ordered his staff to bring the materials Su Changkong had ordered.
They were all exquisitely packaged, especially the twenty-year-old Blood Ginseng required for the Qi-Blood Pills, which was kept in a fine sandalwood box. Su Changkong checked them one by one and found nothing amiss. In fact, given the Wan Family’s reputation, it was improbable that they would counterfeit anything, thus sabotaging their own credibility.
Su Changkong took out a silver note worth three thousand taels and made the payment.
After the transaction was completed, both parties were in good spirits.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Changkong inquired, “Manager Wan, do you know where I can find an Alchemist?”
Merely purchasing these medicinal materials was not enough; Su Changkong also needed an Alchemist to refine them into pills!
“An Alchemist?” Wan Xun was not overly surprised upon hearing this. Given the number of precious materials Su Changkong had bought, Wan Xun could guess that he was likely to forge some kind of pill that nourished Qi and blood.