Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 228: Seeking a Pill Refiner

At this moment, Yu Xian deeply felt the difficulties of entrepreneurship and increasingly realized the importance of talent.

If he had a team of pill refining masters under his command and such a large amount of capital, even if he were to engage in legitimate Medicine Pill business, he might be able to maintain a balanced income and expenditure.

Unfortunately, he did not have that.

Since he did not have enough production capacity himself, he could only outsource the pill refining.

Yu Xian approached a long-term partner, the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce.

Over the years, he had been able to refine so many Five Elements Yuan Dan. Relying solely on the efficiency of the Datong Association's hunting, it was naturally not enough.

So he had to purchase from the market.

There was only one channel on the market that could stably provide high-rank Monster Cores, and that was the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce.

Only a behemoth force like the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, which spanned multiple domains, had the ability to provide a large number of high-rank Monster Cores.

High-rank Monster Cores could not only be used to refine External Dao Gold Cores, but also to refine some spirit pills that assisted Gold Core cultivators in their cultivation.

After all, back then, Luo Han, a quasi-third-rank pill refining master, was able to refine second-rank Monster Core pills. There was no reason why others couldn't do it.

So the demand for high-rank Monster Cores on the market had always been very high.

According to Yu Xian's knowledge, just the city of Wangshu alone used to consume dozens of third-rank Monster Cores every year. In recent years, due to his influence, the consumption had steadily increased.

And these Monster Cores definitely weren't all collected from the Jinpeng Demon Vein, or even very few of them.

Otherwise, according to this consumption rate, the Jinpeng Demon Emperor would have long become a figurehead. Back then, they wouldn't have launched an attack on the Mingyue Heavenly City just because less than twenty Demon Kings went missing.

Moreover, the relationship between the Jinpeng Demon Vein and the Qinghuang Demon Ancestor of the Jiuyang Immortal Sect was still relatively good.

Therefore, this part of the Wan Yao Mountain Range guarded by the Qinghuang Demon Ancestor, also known as the Qinghuang Demon Territory, did not have a very intense war between humans and demons.

It was just that due to some kind of agreement, they had to launch a beast tide every once in a while, but after everyone finished fighting, they could do whatever they wanted.

But it was not the same for other domains.

In some domains, the war between Human Cultivators and the Demon Race was in a state of constant intensity.

Both sides regarded each other as mortal enemies, and there was no need to launch any beast tides. Almost every moment, there were Human Core True Immortals and Demon Kings falling in the war.

The more Demon Kings fell, the more Monster Cores there naturally were.

This was the purpose of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce's existence, to sell low-priced goods at high prices to those who needed them more.

If it were any other cultivator, even if they had the strength of a Nascent Soul, they would not be able to do such cross-domain business.

...

As a behemoth that spanned multiple domains, the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce's branch in the city was just a small second-floor shop.

The goods displayed in the store were extremely scarce, and there were not many people outside, giving it a rather desolate appearance.

But only those who understood would know that this small shop had almost never had an annual turnover of less than tens of millions of Spirit Stones.

Yu Xian, in his capacity as the chairman of the Datong Association, was welcomed into the VIP room and personally received by the branch manager of the Chamber of Commerce.

Although he had killed the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce's Sifang Xingzou Lin Zhanlong when he was in Shangyang City, the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce did not know about it—his blood curse had disappeared, so it was as if nothing had happened.

So the two sides had been cooperating happily.

"President Bai, I have long heard of your name. Today, seeing you in person, you are indeed extraordinary. I wonder why you have come here, and what can I do for you?" The branch manager of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce was an old man with white hair and a youthful appearance. His name was Yanlai, and he had a Gold Core cultivation base. His eyes were clear, and he exuded a kind of detached tranquility.

In simpler terms, it was the aura of a salted fish.

As the branch manager of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, he didn't have to worry about business being bad at all.

There was no way around it. The supply channels were too powerful and high-end, almost monopolizing the business.

He was always the one others begged, and there was hardly a time when he had to beg others—except when the turnover was too low.

As a business organization, being unable to make money for the organization was useless.

So for customers like Yu Xian, who easily placed million-Spirit Stone orders, he gave them enough respect.

Yu Xian smiled faintly, "Manager Yan, I have come to bring you a large order. I want to order twenty External Dao Gold Cores from you."

One External Dao Gold Core cost two million Spirit Stones, and twenty of them would only be forty million. He had more than enough Spirit Stones in his hands.

Moreover, the Datong Association was receiving income every day, while the expenditure was only about one-tenth of the daily income.

"This?"

Yu Xian was a bit embarrassed.

Seeing this, Yan Lai thought that he couldn't produce the goods and said reasonably, "Manager Yan, I can pay a deposit first and settle the final payment with you when the goods arrive."

Yan Lai shook his head and smiled bitterly, "President Bai, you are making it difficult for me. If you want twenty third-grade Monster cores, I can get them for you from the branch headquarters in no time. But if you want a Gold Core, I don't know when it will be available."

Yu Xian asked in confusion, "What's the difference between the two?"

Yan Lai pondered for a moment and said, "Over the years, Miss Zhao has bought a lot of Monster cores from me. Normally, I wouldn't mention my customers' affairs, but since President Bai and Miss Zhao are family, I'll tell you. I dare to speculate that President Bai should also be able to refine Gold Cores, right?"

"That's right," Yu Xian nodded lightly.

He could still fool others in front of others, but he couldn't hide it from the supplier of raw materials.

Yan Lai nodded, as if he had expected this.

"Since President Bai can also refine Gold Cores, you should know that the cost of refining Gold Cores is quite high. Just the raw materials alone require millions of Spirit Stones, not to mention the cost of pill refining masters, transportation, and storage by the guild. According to the current market price, even if a Gold Core is sold successfully, the profit is only one or two percent, or even a loss. The Wanbao Guild sells Gold Cores just to maintain its reputation and attract popularity. In reality, we don't sell Gold Cores to the public. Moreover, if President Bai wants such a large quantity at once, unless you are willing to pay more, the guild won't be able to provide the goods."

Yu Xian: "..."

Retail is sold at market price, but large orders need to be priced higher. This was the first time he had heard of such a business practice.

But after hearing Yan Lai's explanation, he understood.

He had always calculated the cost of Five Elements Pills based on the cost of raw materials, and he had always relied on others for labor. But in reality, refining Gold Cores, except for those cultivators in urgent need, was a thankless task for others.

"Why not raise the price then?" Yu Xian asked.

Yan Lai glanced at Yu Xian and said, "The cost of raw materials for Gold Cores is high, but the difficulty of refining is lower than that of ordinary third-grade pill recipes. Even quasi-third-grade pill refining masters can handle it. If the price is slightly higher, people will naturally seek the help of pill refining masters instead of buying finished products from our guild. Moreover, this pill itself is not in high demand. Cultivators who can use a Golden Core don't need it, and those who can't afford a Golden Core don't have enough Spirit Stones. Even if we raise the price, not many people will buy it. In fact, it costs President Bai a lot of money just to help a group of old cultivators without prospects break through the False Core Realm. I've always been very curious about that."

Yu Xian said seriously, "When the beast tide strikes, many cultivators and civilians are displaced. I'm helping those old cultivators so that I can contribute in troubled times. They owe me a favor and have joined Chu Mansion's Demon-Slaying Army. I believe that before long, Wangshu Mansion will be the first to eliminate the demonic calamity."

Yan Lai didn't believe that was the only reason, especially since Miss Zhao bought Monster cores from him before the beast tide arrived.

But he didn't want to pry into the customer's privacy. It was already impolite to mention it just now.

He thought for a moment and suddenly said, "If President Bai really needs a large quantity of Gold Cores for this reason, I can introduce you to someone."

Yu Xian didn't take it seriously, but he wouldn't refuse someone's goodwill either.

"Please introduce me, Manager Yan."

"That person's name is Qiu En, an old alchemist who lives in the city. If it weren't for him coming to the guild to ask for medicine, I wouldn't have met him..."

Yan Lai took out a Jade Slip and recorded the information with his Divine Sense.

"This is a letter of introduction I wrote for President Bai. Just show it to him when you meet him."

Yu Xian took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense, reading the information in detail.

"There's such a remarkable person in the city?"

He put away the Jade Slip and bowed to Yan Lai.

"If I can get this person's help, I owe Mr. Yan a favor."

"Just a small favor."

Yan laughed and stroked his beard as he watched Yu Xian leave, also accepting the large order of fifty Monster cores that Yu Xian had placed on the spot.

While the guild didn't make much profit from Gold cores, they made quite a bit from Monster cores.

With just this one order, if they were frugal, they could complete their revenue for the next two years.

This was also the reason why he actively befriended Yu Xian.

After all, the Wanbao Guild had branches in every prefectural city.

If he couldn't get along with Yu Xian, he could just go to another branch and make the same purchase.

...

There are always some good people in this world who have no ulterior motives and simply want to help others with their own efforts.

And Qiu En, introduced by Supervisor Yan, was such a person.

No one knew his origins, but others only knew that he was a strange-tempered doctor and cultivator who would treat people for free if he liked them, and wouldn't lift a finger even if he didn't like them.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people he had saved.

But because of his strange temper, he often lost money treating illnesses, resulting in his family never being well-off.

According to Supervisor Yan's introduction, Qiu En was a doctor who knew some medical techniques and was at the Foundation Establishment middle stage realm in cultivation.

In reality, he was a hidden third-tier pill refiner. Due to his cultivation only being at the Foundation Establishment realm, he had never dared to reveal his true abilities.

His medical clinic was able to survive until now thanks to his secret pill refining subsidies.

Supervisor Yan was able to know all this because Qiu En had revealed his true identity in order to gain trust and obtain medicine from him.

Clearly, he had overestimated the integrity of businessmen.

In the face of considerable benefits, he was still casually sold.

Clang clang!!

Yu Xian stood in front of a small courtyard surrounded by an earthen wall and knocked on the door.

It was clear that they were poor, as the entire courtyard only had a basic defensive array, which would barely be enough to withstand a Qi Refining late stage cultivator and was mostly used as a warning.

"Who is it?"

A plain-faced girl in simple clothes opened the door.

Yu Xian stood at the door and handed the Jade Slip given by Supervisor Yan to the girl.

"You must be Qiu Physician's adopted daughter, You Rong. I've come to find Qiu Physician. Please give him this Jade Slip, he'll understand when he sees it."

Yu Xian already knew the girl's identity from Supervisor Yan's introduction.

You Rong, Qiu En's adopted daughter, was another person involved when Qiu En sought medicine to save someone.

Seeing Yu Xian's noble temperament that contrasted with the surroundings, as well as his "ordinary" appearance, the girl's face turned slightly red, and she took the Jade Slip somewhat flustered.

"Just wait a moment."

Not long after.

A disheveled, unkempt old man walked out from inside, holding the Jade Slip, his expression somewhat resolute. It was Qiu En.

"You come in with me."

"You Rong, stay outside. I have something to discuss with him."

The old man didn't spare Yu Xian a glance and walked into the house on his own.

"Close the door."

The old man's attitude was quite tough.

With a thought, Yu Xian closed the door, and the light dimmed, as if an emotionless demon king had appeared.

"What's meant to happen will always happen."

The old man sighed and looked at Yu Xian, saying, "No matter what you want me to do, you must not harm You Rong. Otherwise, I would rather die with her."

Yu Xian: "..."

He was stunned for a moment before asking, "Qiu Physician, have you made a mistake? I was introduced by Supervisor Yan, and my purpose is clearly stated in the Jade Slip."

The old man snorted coldly, "The things written in the Jade Slip are so fake, saving the world? Haha, how could I believe that? Where in the world are there still such good people?"

"What is your true purpose? How much did Manager Yan sell me for?" Yu Xian couldn't help but laugh.

"In this world, are you the only good person? Are others not allowed to be good people?" The old man retorted.

"Who said I'm a good person? I've been cultivating for nearly a hundred years and I haven't seen a single good person. There are only fake good people who don't have the ability to make mistakes."

Yu Xian nodded in agreement. "That's true."

"Let's not waste any more words. I want you to refine pills for me. I'll provide the materials and the pill refining room, and you just need to focus on refining pills. I'll pay you one hundred thousand Spirit Stones for each furnace of pills, on the condition that you don't produce any defective pills, because you can't afford the consequences."

The old man's face darkened. "Who has such an overbearing condition? Which pill refining master can guarantee a hundred percent success rate?"

"Coincidentally, I have two under my command," Yu Xian thought of Luo Han and Old Wu.

One was concerned about her husband and didn't dare to be careless, while the other was purely afraid of death and was completely focused, resulting in a stable success rate.

"I can provide you with pill refining, and I can even waive the Spirit Stones, but I can only refine one furnace of pills at most. Otherwise, you can just kill me," the old man said stubbornly.

Yu Xian laughed. "Are you not afraid of death?"

The old man snorted coldly. "Everyone has to die, whether sooner or later."

"She is young and beautiful, and hasn't experienced the beauty of life yet. Are you willing to let her die with you?" Yu Xian hinted at a threat.

The old man's voice was resolute. "I saved her life, and she has already lived ten more years because of me. Even if she dies now, it's still a gain."

Yu Xian sighed in frustration.

"How did things come to this point? Forget it, if you don't want me to refine pills for you, I won't force you. I will also speak on your behalf to Manager Yan and make sure he doesn't leak your information."

Before Qiu En could say anything, Yu Xian waved her hand to interrupt.

"I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones every minute. I don't have the time or energy to argue with you here. If you don't believe in my sincerity, I can't force you to believe. And the reason I'm being so polite to you is not because of some show of humility, to be honest, you don't deserve it. It's purely my personal appreciation for you. Even though you say you're not a good person, based on actions rather than intentions, you have done good things, so you are a good person."

Yu Xian pushed open the door and looked at the girl who was peeking in, nodded at her, and then decisively walked away.

It was impossible for him to give up such a good opportunity.

But the old man's temper was indeed strange, and ordinary methods probably wouldn't work.

His Divine Sense swept over the girl who was still tiptoeing and looking around behind him, and a smirk appeared on his face.

If he really didn't care, he wouldn't have emphasized it earlier.

In the small courtyard, Qiu En looked at his adopted daughter suspiciously.

"Yongrong, everyone has left, why are you still looking? Did he secretly say something to you? Let me tell you, this kind of person may seem polite on the surface, but deep down, they don't see others as human beings. When you are useful to them, they will smile at you, but when you are no longer useful, you will kneel in front of them and they won't even spare you a glance. They are heartless. Remember what I'm telling you?"

The girl snapped back to reality and became somewhat annoyed.

"I'm listening, always talking about how bad people are outside, but I haven't seen anyone bullying me. Dad, you just like to overthink things."

But in her mind, Yu Xian's words echoed.

"Yongrong, are you interested in seeing the outside world?"

The words were ordinary and plain, but they had a magical power that lingered in her mind and couldn't be shaken off.

(End of this chapter)