Chapter 2: Monthly Earnings of Five Coins
Chapter 2: Monthly Earnings of Five Coins
The next morning, as dawn broke, Luo Chen woke up early. He carefully divided the pills on his workbench into five jade bottles, with ten pills in each.
He put on his only decent lower-grade magic robe, grabbed his lower-grade flying sword, and hurried out the door.
He needed to get to the city early, or the better spots for independent cultivators would be taken by the time the sun rose.
Perhaps due to the heavy rain the previous day, the roads in the outer district were quite muddy.
As he approached the center of the outer district, the air grew thick with a mix of foul odors—urine, medicinal herbs, and the mingled scents of humans and beasts. The earthy smell only made it worse, creating an almost unbearable atmosphere.
But Luo Chen was used to it.
An hour later, he arrived at the city gates.
As he entered the inner city, Luo Chen couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Indeed, the air in the inner city was much better!
"I heard the inner city is built on a first-tier spirit vein, which is quite beneficial for Qi Refinement cultivators."
"Once I have enough money, I must buy a house in the inner city!"
With renewed determination, Luo Chen headed straight for the southwest corner, where the independent cultivators' area was located.
In front of a large green stone slab, most of the space was occupied by yellow talisman papers and beast hides. An old man was busy setting up his stall.
He arranged the beast hides, stood up, and stretched, just in time to see Luo Chen arrive.
"Brother Luo, you're a bit late today."
The old man was named Chen Xiuping, a Sixth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator and a longtime resident of the Dahe Marketplace.
He had lived there for decades, making a living by crafting talismans and tanning beast hides.
With his income, he could have afforded to rent a place in the inner city.
However, the old man was rather frugal. He preferred to live in a wooden house in the outer district for one lower-grade spirit stone a month, rather than pay ten times that to live in a stone house in the inner city.
Even when it came to setting up his stall, he was meticulous.
The independent cultivators' area required rent to be paid to the marketplace administration.
A stall cost one spirit stone per month.
Chen Xiuping's large stall, if squeezed a bit, could fit a small additional square space for talismans and hides.
He decided to share this small space with Luo Chen, splitting the rent equally.
Was Luo Chen at a disadvantage?
Not exactly. If he rented a separate stall, he would still have to pay one spirit stone a month.
Besides, few cultivators liked sharing their stalls with others.
So, while Luo Chen wasn't exactly at a loss, Chen Xiuping definitely gained from the arrangement.
After a brief greeting, Luo Chen set up his items at the stall.
Twenty bottles of Spirit Grain Pills!
Chen Xiuping looked at the number and couldn't help but be surprised, "Brother Luo, your alchemy skills have really improved!"
He had a good reason to say that.
Luo Chen usually set up his stall once every seven days, about four or five times a month.
Each time, he would bring around fifteen to sixteen bottles of Spirit Grain Pills.
This time, he brought twenty bottles!
Clearly, he had made significant progress in refining the Spirit Grain Pills.
Indeed, that was the case.
Over the past seven days, he spent one day setting up his stall and buying materials. The remaining six days were split equally between processing materials and refining the pills.
So, he had only three days to refine the pills.
Previously, Luo Chen could only manage to produce two batches a day, roughly enough for five bottles of Spirit Grain Pills, due to the high material loss rate.
But yesterday, his Spirit Grain Pill refinement technique advanced from Perfect to Master level.
The last batch alone produced five bottles!
Combined with his good luck and lower material loss, he managed to gather twenty bottles of Spirit Grain Pills this time.
"Ah, no, no, it's just a matter of practice!" Luo Chen chuckled modestly, though a hint of pride still lingered in his eyes.
Achieving Master-level proficiency in refining the Qi Fasting Pill was no small feat, after all.
Chen Xiuping shook his head. "There are a few others selling Qi Fasting Pills, but none of them can churn out twenty bottles in five days like you can."
With that, he reached out to touch the nearest bottle.
"You didn't add flour to pad the numbers, did you? As an elder, I need to ensure the quality for our stall's reputation."
Luo Chen watched him with a smile, already holding a talisman covered in red lines.
"I heard someone bought your Qi Concealment Talisman, but it didn't work. They ended up half-bitten by a beast. As a junior, I should take one back to study and make sure we don't ruin our reputation!"
Chen Xiuping panicked, forgetting about the pills and quickly snatching the talisman from Luo Chen's hand.
"You sell five bottles of Qi Fasting Pills for just one spirit stone, and you have the nerve to trade for my Qi Concealment Talismans, which cost three lower-grade spirit stones each!"
"Give it back! Give it back!"
Luo Chen watched with a grin as the old man carefully placed the talisman in the most prominent spot.
The Qi Concealment Talisman was Chen Xiuping's flagship product! Among his low-tier talismans, which sold for one spirit stone each, it was the most expensive, starting at three lower-grade spirit stones.
In reality, the Qi Concealment Talisman was also the most sought-after, especially for cultivators hunting beasts in the mountains.
A talisman that could hide one's aura for an hour could save a life in a critical moment, making it just as valuable as many defensive talismans.
Sometimes, Luo Chen envied Chen Xiuping.
Selling just one talisman could net him at least one spirit stone, and he could easily earn over a hundred a month!
Unlike himself.
In the past, he would struggle to make twelve spirit stones a month, of which only six or seven would remain after expenses.
If he deducted half a spirit stone for rent, half for stall fees, and one for daily expenses, he'd be left with only four or five.
This was the result of months of hard work since he arrived in this world a year ago.
It was hard to imagine how the original owner of his body must have lived in the early days.
But envy was fleeting.
Luo Chen knew that each of the four main cultivation arts had its own challenges.
Pills were produced in large quantities, with greater profits, but the difficulty lay in mastering various formulas. It took countless failed attempts to refine each type of pill from beginner to master.
Talismans, on the other hand, were about quality. Each talisman was a concentration of a cultivator's essence, spirit, and energy. A single mistake could ruin the entire process.
Moreover, talisman makers often had shorter lifespans, for reasons unknown.
Like Chen Xiuping, who looked old but was only in his sixties, which was still considered "young" for a cultivator who could theoretically live to be 120.
Switching to talisman making was out of the question. He couldn't bear the constant homework.
Better to stick with refining pills and rolling pills.
Luo Chen knew his own capabilities. With his newly achieved Master-level proficiency in refining Qi Fasting Pills, he could double his earnings.
While making ten spirit stones a month still wasn't enough to sustain his cultivation for immortality (net income), it was a step in the right direction.
And, a new project was just around the corner, wasn't it?
As Luo Chen looked forward to the future with hopeful anticipation, Chen Xiuping tugged at his sleeve.
"Customer incoming!"
(End of Chapter)
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