nyslfriends Chapter 14 Sudden Wealth
Chapter 14 Sudden Wealth
"Reaching the stage of 'drawing qi into the body'."
Each time he drew spiritual energy into his body through his limbs and the twelve meridians, it further nourished his internal organs and replenished his essence and blood. He recalled the effects of reaching the small stage of "drawing energy into the body" before he mastered embryonic breathing.
Sure enough, as soon as he stood up, Chen Bai felt his blood and qi surging and churning within his body.
Chen Bai's face was rosy, as if he had been drinking, but his eyes were clear and bright.
When the Qi and blood flow into the muscles and tendons, one feels a surge of heat moving through them, bringing warmth and comfort wherever it goes. It's like forging iron, transforming the raw materials into something more solid and robust.
When it flows into the delicate internal organs, it is like a stream, trickling gently and imperceptibly nourishing them.
—Strengthen muscles and bones, and solidify the foundation.
"No wonder spiritual energy is so precious in the eyes of mortals. Even the tiny bit of spiritual energy left over from the process of cultivating qi is more effective than any tonic!"
Chen Bai clenched his fist, feeling his whole body brimming with strength. If he used his full power, he could break a tree as thick as a bowl.
This was not an illusion, but the result of his continuous practice of "drawing qi into the body" over the past month. The remaining spiritual energy, accumulated over time, was carried by his blood and qi and gradually absorbed by his internal organs, muscles, and bones.
A rough estimate suggests that Chen Bai's strength has increased by at least one ox's strength.
If a cultivator reaches the point where their dantian is full of qi, they will possess the full strength of nine oxen, and can easily subdue even some brute-force demonic beasts on their own.
After carefully experiencing the changes in his physical body for a while, Chen Bai pushed open the cave door and went out.
Back home, he changed into a standard black Taoist robe, and took his two hundred spirit stones with him, hiding them in the satchel at his waist.
Chen Bai turned slightly to the side and, seeing that he wasn't particularly noticeable under the slightly oversized Taoist robe, felt relieved.
He planned to go to Xiaojianshan Market. But before that, he needed to see Fairy Yueyi to collect his share of the profits from selling the [Wanjiangzhuang] rouge.
Although it's only a 20% profit and a one-time payment, according to Fairy Yueyi, the amount of spirit stones is enough to make any Nascent Soul cultivator envious!
Half an incense stick later, Chen Bai arrived at Xuanzhen Pavilion. Fairy Yueyi knew he was coming and was already waiting at the door.
Her attire was completely different from usual; she wore a gorgeous light-colored brocade dress, with phoenixes and luan birds embroidered in gold thread at the hem.
Her beauty was exquisite, like a peach or a plum, fresh and radiant.
Her cheeks were like fresh lychees, her eyebrows delicate and slightly furrowed, and a faint pink floral pattern was drawn between her brows.
Upon seeing Chen Bai, Fairy Yueyi was overjoyed: "Fellow Daoist, you've finally arrived! Come in quickly, I'll tell you everything."
Chen Bai bowed respectfully and followed her into the courtyard.
It was still that pavilion with upturned eaves, and two cups of tea and several plates of exquisite snacks were already prepared on the stone table.
Fairy Yueyi gestured for him to sit down, while she herself sat down on the stone bench opposite him, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy.
"Why is the fairy so happy? Is there some good news?" Chen Bai picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked with a smile.
"Of course it's a good thing." Fairy Yueyi stretched out her slender fingers, took out a jade slip from her sleeve, gently placed it on the stone table, and pushed it in front of Chen Bai. "Fellow Daoist, please take a look."
Chen Bai picked up the jade slip, placed it between his eyebrows, and a faint spiritual light probed into it.
The next moment, his pupils shrank sharply.
The jade slip contained a detailed account, clearly listing the sales of [Wanjiangzhuang] rouge over the past month.
The Three Peaks Taoist Temple in Shaotang Kingdom sold 320 bottles, making a profit of 640 spirit stones;
In the market of Xiaojian Mountain in Yu Kingdom, 150 bottles were sold, generating a profit of 300 spirit stones;
In the main market of the Le family in Qihuang Prefecture, 2,100 bottles were sold, generating a profit of 4,200 spirit stones.
Scattered sales also exist in other prefectures and counties further south...
All things considered, nearly three thousand bottles of [Wanjiangzhuang] rouge were sold in January, with a total profit of over five thousand eight hundred spirit stones!
Chen Bai gasped, jerking his head up to look at the smiling Fairy Yueyi opposite him: "This... how is this possible?"
"How is it impossible?"
Fairy Yueyi picked up her teacup, parted her red lips slightly, took a sip, and her eyes were full of pride. "Fellow Daoist, do not underestimate this rouge. It is a woman's nature to love beauty, and female immortal cultivators are no exception."
Your [Crimson Makeup] is inexpensive, yet its anti-aging effects are one-tenth to one-twelfth of those of an anti-aging pill. For low-level female cultivators, it's practically a godsend.
She put down her teacup and continued, "I used my connections in the Yue family to send this rouge to various markets in the Southern Region."
It was in high demand as soon as it was launched.
Many female customers even placed orders in advance, waiting for the next batch of goods.
Chen Bai was thrilled, but quickly calmed down. His agreement with Fairy Yueyi was that he would receive 20% of the profits from the first month's sales. This meant that any spirit stones sold after the [Wanjiangzhuang] item would have no further connection to him.
Thinking of this, Chen Bai clicked his tongue in amazement, feeling quite regretful.
However, he also knew that the reason why this [Wanjiang Makeup] could sell for such a price was because of the power and channels of the Immortal Clan's Le family behind Fairy Leyi. The fact that he could get a share of the pie was only because the Jiuhuang Le family was giving it to him out of respect for Fairy Leyi. It was already quite good that they didn't take everything for themselves.
Twenty percent of five thousand eight hundred spirit stones... that's one thousand one hundred and sixty spirit stones!
This huge sum of money is enough to buy two good-quality embryonic breathing techniques!
As if sensing his thoughts, Fairy Yueyi's beautiful eyes flickered, and she changed the subject: "Fellow Daoist, according to the agreement, this 20% profit should have been 1,160 spirit stones. However..."
She paused, her expression becoming serious: "I secured an extra ten percent for you within the clan."
"What?" Chen Bai was stunned.
"30% profit."
Fairy Yueyi extended three slender, jade-like fingers. "A total of one thousand seven hundred and forty spirit stones. However, this ten percent profit is not given away for free; there are conditions."
Chen Bai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he had a vague guess in his heart: "Please speak, Fairy."
"My Qihuang Le family, though not a top immortal clan among the twelve states of the Southern Region, is still a family with a history of thousands of years."
"Our clan's library houses hundreds of cultivation techniques, including no fewer than fifty fetal breathing techniques," Fairy Yueyi said slowly. "If you, fellow Daoist, are willing to sign a guest agreement with my Yue family, this 10% profit will be yours. In addition, you can also enter my Yue family's library and choose any fetal breathing technique."
Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Chen Bai, and her tone was sincere: "Fellow Daoist, although your innate talent is not outstanding, your Dao wisdom is astonishing, and your talent in the Dao of Talismans is even more rare. If you are willing to join my Le family, the clan will definitely do its best to cultivate you. Given time, achieving the stages of Fetal Breathing, Innate Realm, or even Foundation Establishment will not be difficult."
The pavilion fell silent for a moment.
Chen Bai remained silent, his gaze fixed on the jade slip on the stone table, his mind racing.
The Le family's conditions were undeniably generous.
A 30% profit, over 1,700 spirit stones, plus a breathing technique. For a mere mortal cultivator, this is an incredible stroke of luck, enough to make countless people fight tooth and nail for it.
Moreover, they can rely on a celestial clan, and will no longer be rootless duckweed.
but--
Guest Contract.
These four words sound nice, but they are actually a contract of servitude.
Once the agreement is signed, he will be inextricably bound to the Le family, his life, death, honor, and disgrace all tied to them. The Le family's prosperity may not guarantee his; the Le family's decline may lead to his demise. More importantly, his mysterious little cauldron and his identity as a transmigrator must never be exposed to any immortal clan or noble family.
Once he entered the Yue family, he had no freedom left.
"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Fairy." Chen Bai took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed deeply. "However, I am used to being carefree and may find it difficult to adapt to the rules of the Immortal Clan. I dare not accept this small percentage of the profit."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Fairy Yueyi's beautiful eyes, but she did not get angry.
She was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "I knew you would refuse."
"A fairy?" Chen Bai looked up, somewhat surprised.
"That day in the courtyard, you willingly gave me the rouge formula instead of talking about profit, and I knew then that you were different from others."
Fairy Yueyi smiled faintly, but a complex emotion flickered in her eyes. "How could someone like that be willing to be a lackey?"
She stood up, took a small gray cloth bag from her sleeve, and handed it to Chen Bai.
"This is a low-grade Sumeru storage bag, containing 1,000 to 200 spirit stones. I can't give you 30% of the profit, but I'll give you 20%, not a penny less."
"As for the extra few dozen spirit stones, consider them as a bonus for buying those ten [Qi Gathering Talismans] from you," Fairy Yueyi said with a light laugh, seemingly recalling the joke she had made that day.
Chen Bai took the pouch; it felt light in his hand, yet he could vaguely sense the mysterious space within it.
He probed into the space with his spiritual light and saw a neatly stacked pile of spirit stones, about ten feet square, shimmering with spiritual light.
"Although this storage bag is only a low-grade magic artifact, it still costs dozens of spirit stones." Chen Bai raised his head and looked at Fairy Yueyi. "Fairy, this is too precious."
"Take it." Fairy Yueyi waved her hand, sat down again, and said in a calm tone, "You will have to go out and travel in the future, and you can't always carry spirit stones with you. Besides, the rouge formula you gave me is worth far more than this."
Chen Bai remained silent for a moment, then solemnly put the pouch into his robes and bowed again: "I will remember your kindness, Fairy."
Fairy Yueyi waved her hand, seemingly unwilling to say anything more.
Chen Bai tactfully took his leave.
After the figure of the young man in the green robe disappeared outside the courtyard gate, Fairy Yueyi sat alone in the pavilion, picked up the teacup that had gone cold, and stared blankly into thought.
"Chen Bai, fellow Daoist... what kind of person are you?" she murmured to herself, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Immediately, she shook her head, suppressing those inappropriate thoughts, and got up to go back inside.