https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-246-A-Distinguished-Guest-Arrives-/12920601/
Chapter 245: Rolling Dragon Ridge Zheng Family, Crimson Cloud Hall in the Southern City, 400,000 a Y
Chapter 245: Rolling Dragon Ridge Zheng Family, Crimson Cloud Hall in the Southern City, 400,000 a Year!
Thirty li outside the Heavenly Wave Immortal City, there is a steep and wide mountain ridge that runs through seven peaks of varying sizes.
This place is known as the Rolling Dragon Ridge.
It possesses a First Rank Spirit Vein, and occasionally, mountain fires erupt along the ridge, creating a unique natural environment.
Various resources are scattered across the seven peaks and the ridge that resembles the undulating body of a dragon.
Such a spiritual land is naturally a coveted cultivation sanctuary for low-level cultivators.
Even without ascending the ridge, the surrounding mountains exude a spirit energy density comparable to a First Rank Spirit Vein.
However, this place already has an owner.
Ordinary loose cultivators wouldn't dare disturb them.
The Rolling Dragon Ridge Zheng Family!
A renowned Foundation Establishment Cultivator family within the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
With a profound background, rumors suggest that the founding ancestor of the family was a False Core Realm existence from the Flame Alliance.
Although that ancestor has long since passed away, they left behind a substantial legacy for the family.
This legacy isn't limited to spirit stones and artifacts.
It also includes connections, cultivation insights, and a skill that allows the entire family to make a living.
Alchemy!
The Zheng Family is one of the few cultivator families that make a living through alchemy.
They specialize in producing a First Stage Pill called the Fire Ginseng Pill, which contains a large amount of spirit energy. Although its effects are volatile and can easily damage meridians during cultivation, it is still an orthodox cultivation pill.
Moreover, it is much cheaper than First Stage Pills sold in the Spirit Herb Pavilion and Qingdan Valley.
As a result, it is quite popular among loose cultivators.
Over the centuries, the Zheng Family has thrived on the business of the Fire Ginseng Pill, living a rather prosperous life.
Not only have they established themselves as the masters of the seven peaks of the Rolling Dragon Ridge, but they also have three Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the family.
The Grand Elder is at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, just one step away from the Advanced Foundation Establishment Stage.
The family head, Zheng Kejian, is also at the Intermediate Foundation Establishment Stage.
Among the younger generation, someone even advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage twenty years ago.
With three Foundation Establishment Cultivators spanning three generations, the family's prestige is indeed remarkable!
However, outsiders only see their splendor, but they are unaware of the family's current predicament.
The Fire Ginseng Pill is indeed popular.
Yet, the cost of producing this pill is high, and its refinement is challenging.
The family's chief alchemist, after years of practice, can only consistently refine Middle Grade Fire Ginseng Pills.
Under these circumstances, the profits are far less than what loose cultivators imagine.
Currently, the revenue from the Fire Ginseng Pill is barely enough to support the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
As for benefiting the lower-ranked family members, it has become increasingly difficult.
To conserve resources, Zheng Kejian, knowing that he has no hope of forming a Golden Core, even gave up his Second Rank Cave Mansion on Heavenly Wave Peak to his son.
However, misfortune never comes alone.
Just as he was thinking of ways to increase income and reduce expenses for the family, the primary business of the Fire Ginseng Pill suddenly began to decline.
"When did this start?"
Zheng Kejian suppressed the anger in his heart.
Recently, he hasn't been as diligent in his cultivation, and as a result, he has more free time.
So, he specifically checked the account books for the past year.
It would have been better if he hadn't checked! After reviewing the books, he noticed something amiss.
In the past, after supporting the cultivation resource consumption of two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, there would still be a surplus of tens of thousands of spirit stones left for nurturing the younger generation.
But in the past year, this surplus has been decreasing.
Two thousand, one thousand, five hundred...
In the last three months, even the cultivation resources for the founding ancestor and his son have been affected.
Not to mention, the resources for the younger generation have been cut off entirely.
Such a significant matter, and no one informed him! The Zheng Family cultivators trembled under his gaze, which was almost volcanic in its intensity, and they couldn't speak clearly.
"I don't know, it seems like... the last two months? No, it was a year ago? No, that's not right..."
"Calm down, stop trembling!"
Zheng Kejian glared at them, and his spirit sense's aura felt like a bucket of cold water poured over them.
The person shivered and became more incoherent.
Scared! Zheng Kejian took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the people in the hall.
These people!
Enjoying the family's protection, they have led a very comfortable life.
They flaunt their power outside, but inside, they lack ambition, even neglecting the family's most important pill business.
If he hadn't taken the time to examine the account books, he wouldn't have discovered such a significant financial leak.
"Go and investigate for me!"
"Find out exactly when, who, and what caused the decline in my family's pill business."
"Within three days, no, within one day!"
"I'll give you one day to gather all the information and present it to me."
With a wave of his hand, the people below hurried out of the hall and got busy.
Watching them flee in disarray, Zheng Kejian couldn't contain his anger, and he smashed the expensive wooden table with a slap.
"Relying on these good-for-nothings, we might not find anything."
"I'll have to go there myself!"
After altering his appearance, suppressing his aura, and disguising himself, Zheng Kejian stepped into the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
This was his first time entering this vast immortal city after giving up his Second Rank Cave Mansion to his son, who had just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage.
It's undeniable that, after entering the city, seeing Foundation Establishment Cultivators freely shopping for cultivation resources in various stores, he felt incredibly envious.
However, his purpose today was not to admire! Instead, he wanted to find out why the Zheng Family's pill business was declining.
In reality, the reason is relatively easy to guess: either the raw material prices have risen, increasing pill production costs and reducing profits, or a competitor has emerged.
As for issues with their own pills? He had never considered that.
For those loose cultivators, who are like weeds, having access to affordable pills is already a great thing.
How dare they be picky?
He decided to first seek out familiar Foundation Establishment Cultivators to inquire about the recent situation in the Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
However, before he could take a step, he was stopped by a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator at a crossroads.
"Fellow Daoist, would you like to know about the Jade Marrow Pill?"
At this moment, Zheng Kejian's displayed cultivation level was at the Intermediate Qi Condensation stage.
A very rough attempt at concealment.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators could see through it at a glance.
However, in the eyes of ordinary Qi Condensation stage cultivators, they would only consider him as someone with low cultivation.
He asked curiously, "What kind of pill is that?"
The cultivator chuckled and directly stuffed a piece of paper filled with writing into his hand.
"What's this?"
The paper was about the width of a palm and twice as long.
The page wasn't large, but it was filled with various words.
【Jade Marrow Pill: A must-have for Qi Condensation cultivators' home cultivation!】
【Superior quality, only 85 spirit stones, grand opening sale!】
【All Wonders Pill: Revive a man's vigor, and during the long path of cultivation, it will allow you to enjoy ultimate pleasure while enduring the hardships of cultivation!】
【Essence Nourishing Spirit Liquid...】
【Fasting Powder...】
The page was filled with various products, covering the entire sheet of white paper.
On the back of the paper, there was a route map.
Starting from the city entrance, passing through Nanyang Street, Spirit Beast Street... along the way, it covered almost a quarter of the distance in Heavenly Wave Immortal City, and finally stopped at the remote Yuelu Street.
The route was so detailed that it was almost chilling! There were even some specialty shops marked along the way.
It could be said that even if one didn't care about the pills on the front, just this route map on the back was of great value to loose cultivators.
Especially for those loose cultivators who had just arrived at Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
Whether they were at the Qi Condensation stage or Foundation Establishment stage, they wouldn't refuse such a route map.
With this map, they would at least have a general idea of some areas in Heavenly Wave Immortal City, and they wouldn't have to worry about being overcharged by local guides.
Zheng Kejian held the paper and asked, "What is this?"
"It's a flyer for Crimson Cloud Hall!" The cultivator distributing the flyers chuckled.
Zheng Kejian suppressed his impatience and asked seriously, "I mean, are these pills on the flyer really that cheap? Could they be inferior quality pills?"
"Crimson Cloud Hall is naturally a business of Luo Tianhui!"
The Luo Tianhui cultivator said proudly, "As for the pill prices, Fellow Daoist can go to the shop and see for yourself. You'll definitely be satisfied!"
"Oh, by the way, our Crimson Cloud Hall is a bit far from here. On the back of this flyer, there's a small path marked that can get you there the fastest..."
Seeing that he couldn't get any more specific information from him.
Zheng Kejian didn't ask further.
Just then, a beast cart arrived beside him, and he waved it over and got on.
The Luo Tianhui cultivator was still talking, but when he saw Zheng Kejian get on the cart, he was taken aback.
Then he muttered,
"He's a wealthy loose cultivator, taking a beast cart right after entering the city."
Inside the Black Python Beast Cart.
Zheng Kejian endured the faint smell of the beast's corpse and carefully read the "flyer".
A pill worth eighty spirit stones?
And it's a superior quality one! His intuition told him that this Jade Marrow Pill might be the culprit behind squeezing out his Fire Ginseng Pill!
"Crimson Cloud Hall, Luo Tianhui..."
Zheng Kejian muttered these two names, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
...
Yuelu Street!
In Heavenly Wave Immortal City, a small, inconspicuous street.
It was mainly comprised of talisman skin shops, talisman ink shops, herb shops, and an inn.
Because of these shops related to talisman making, the street always had some strange smells.
As a result, the business of the inn wasn't very good.
Only some poor loose cultivators, attracted by the cheap accommodation fees, would come here to stay temporarily.
A year ago, a new neighbor moved into this street.
As soon as they arrived, they rented the vacant three-story building! It was located in the very center of Yuelu Street, extremely eye-catching.
Basically, anyone entering the street would notice it immediately.
At first, no one paid much attention to this new neighbor.
Later, they discovered that there were many female cultivators inside!
Each one was young and beautiful, with pleasant voices, making people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze, as if they had returned home.
Not only that, they would occasionally offer some of the shop's specialty fruits and snacks to the neighboring shops.
After a while, everyone's relationship improved.
Not long after, the shop opened for business.
Crimson Cloud Hall!
Mainly selling pills, and the variety was impressive.
Even the pills like Fasting Powder and Essence Nourishing Spirit Liquid were just common on the market, but the price was unbeatable!
When the neighbors had nothing to do, they would help promote Crimson Cloud Hall.
If they encountered customers who were lost, they would often give some directions.
Gradually,
Crimson Cloud Hall's business started to pick up.
There were many reasons for the improvement.
For example, the maidens here were all eloquent, with pleasant voices.
Another example was that the items here, whether pills or magical artifacts, were all of good quality and reasonably priced.
Even loose cultivators with limited means could afford them.
There were other reasons, and everyone could see them.
At this moment,
On the third floor of Crimson Cloud Hall.
Luo Chen, wearing a white Daoist robe, was flipping through the account book.
Opposite him were Gu Caiyi and Xu Xiaoliu, standing with their hands clasped.
Perhaps it was because Luo Chen's cultivation was becoming more profound, or perhaps it was because of his increasing prestige.
The two of them were extremely respectful, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Luo Chen glanced at them with the corner of his eye and continued reading the account book.
One year!
The previous expenses had all been earned back, and there was even a surplus.
A year ago, he decided to rent this three-story building from Bing Lan Palace.
The rent he paid was extremely cheap!
Firstly, it was because Yuelu Street was too remote, and it mainly supplied raw materials, lacking a commercial atmosphere.
Secondly, it was also related to his cooperation with Tan Tai Jin.
The rent for this shop for a year was only five thousand lower-grade spirit stones.
In Heavenly Wave Immortal City, this was definitely considered a bargain.
For a similar shop in a more popular location, the rent would be in the tens of thousands.
With this shop, it's a boon for Luo Tianhui's business! It can establish a reputable brand.
Especially, it can also provide a safe and legitimate sales outlet for the goods produced by Luo Tianhui.
Green Mist Valley is good, but it's ultimately too remote.
After Wang Yuan's brutal killing of Cao Wanchun, the popularity took a significant hit.
Regaining popularity and business atmosphere is not something that can be achieved overnight.
Therefore, Luo Chen chose to tackle both aspects simultaneously.
He developed both within and outside the city.
This year, aside from his daily cultivation, he set aside all spell practices and devoted almost all his time to alchemy and talent cultivation.
In one year, he tirelessly refined Jade Marrow Pills for seven months and Jade Dew Pills for four months without rest.
In between, he also refined a large number of Spirit Gate Pills.
Such a massive alchemical endeavor required not only his profound soul spirit foundation and exceptional alchemical skills but also the cooperation of Pill Hall cultivators.
The results were extremely pleasing.
He refined a whopping forty thousand Jade Marrow Pills! And that's not all.
Under his daily supervision and guidance, Qu Lingjun finally became capable of steadily refining Intermediate Jade Marrow Pills.
Although the success rate was not high, and the number of pills produced per batch was not as stable as Luo Chen's, at least there was a stable output.
Luo Chen's proteges were not limited to just one.
Mi Li!
She was also one of his proteges.
This earliest talent, overlooked by Uncle Mi, actually had some alchemical talent.
However, Uncle Mi's impatience led to him assigning her the challenging task of refining Jade Marrow Pills from the start, which yielded no results.
Luo Chen's approach to Mi Li's cultivation...
Or rather, it shouldn't be called cultivation, but more like free-range nurturing.
Initially, he only had her assist with menial tasks.
Later, he entrusted her with refining Fasting Powder, which is a non-graded ordinary pill.
Fasting Powder is a simple pill, and Mi Li quickly mastered its refinement.
Over the years, she accumulated a solid foundation in alchemy.
This year, Luo Chen finally allowed her to start refining first-grade pills.
However, it wasn't the Jade Marrow Pill.
Instead, it was the All Wonders Pill! For this pill that earned him his first fortune and allowed him to rise from rags to riches, Luo Chen's familiarity with its refinement surpasses even that of the Jade Marrow Pill.
It's not about the number of times he has refined it.
Rather, it's the gradual process that he has experienced so deeply.
From the initial iron pot refinement, to the wooden fire pill furnace, and then to the earth fire refinement.
One could say that the refinement of the All Wonders Pill, in Luo Chen's eyes, held no secrets.
Mi Li is also quite familiar with the All Wonders Pill.
Initially, Tang Quan often failed, and he didn't dare disturb Luo Chen, but he privately discussed it with Mi Li on numerous occasions.
It can be said that although Mi Li hadn't practiced it herself, she was well-versed in the various issues that arose during the refinement process.
After Luo Chen allowed her to start refining it.
With Luo Chen's guidance and problem-solving, along with her years of accumulated alchemical foundation.
It didn't take a few months for her to effortlessly refine the low-grade All Wonders Pill.
As a result, the variety of pills that Luo Tianhui could sell externally gradually increased.
With Luo Chen's refined Superior Jade Marrow Pills as the main product and Qu Lingjun's Intermediate Jade Marrow Pills as a supplement.
Adding Mi Li's refined All Wonders Pills as an additional offering.
Essence Nourishing Spirit Liquid is the simplest; it only requires proper herb pairing, and loose cultivators can take it back to refine themselves, earning a processing fee.
Fasting Powder is not challenging either; initially, it wasn't just Luo Chen who refined and sold it in the Grand River Shop.
He found a few people in the Pill Hall to refine it, and eventually, he also cultivated a cultivator specializing in Fasting Powder.
One could say that aside from the Spirit Gate Pill, Blood Burning Pill, and Jade Dew Pill.
Luo Chen has refined almost all the pills he knows.
And they are now displayed on the shelves of Crimson Cloud Hall!
Furthermore, Crimson Cloud Hall also sells Magical Artifacts from the Artifact Hall.
These artifacts are not refined by the Artifact Hall but are spoils of war accumulated by Luo Tianhui after numerous battles.
The best ones are kept for Luo Tianhui's use.
The rest, after some repairs, can also be displayed on the shelves.
Additionally, Feng Xa and Yuan Xiaoyue have resumed their old trade.
Immortal Beans, beef jerky, milk tea, popcorn... and more.
They have even developed new snacks like Stir-Fried Sky Silkworm Cloud Beans and Ten Fragrant Pods, utilizing the previously unprofitable crops from the spirit fields.
Ultimately, it has led to the current Crimson Cloud Hall, a seemingly mismatched yet diverse store.
However, this also means that.
Calculating costs and profits becomes a tedious task.
In the beginning, mistakes were frequently made.
Luo Chen had to check the accounts from time to time.
Later, Gu Caiyi, the Treasure Hall Master and manager of Crimson Cloud Hall, gradually sorted out the various accounts after becoming familiar with the process.
Luo Chen had formed this habit beforehand.
That's why he would occasionally drop by to check.
Now, he is reviewing the accounts for the past year.
"The Crimson Cloud Hall in the city has a profit margin of around three hundred thousand spirit stones in one year. The majority of this comes from the pills I refined and the magical artifacts from the Artifact Hall."
"I've checked the Green Mist Valley side, and the profit margin is around one hundred thousand. The profit composition is mainly from my pills and the Artifact Hall."
"Qu Lingjun and Mi Li's pill refinement skills still need improvement. Currently, their combined earnings for the year are only around ten thousand."
If it were just for individual loose cultivators.
Two Qi Condensation cultivators earning over ten thousand in a year is quite substantial.
But for the current Luo Tianhui, it's merely an additional flourish.
Compared to Luo Chen's initial earnings, it's far less.
However, Luo Chen doesn't mind.
He is very patient with them.
With continued cultivation, they will undoubtedly achieve great things.
"A profit margin of four hundred thousand in one year surpasses that of most Foundation Establishment sects."
"It's only because I'm an alchemist that such earnings are possible!"
Luo Chen once again affirmed the importance of his "noble alchemist" status.
Subsequently, he began calculating the number of spirit stones he could utilize.
(End of Chapter)
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