Immortality Begins as an Alchemy Master 14

Chapter 14: Remember to Repay the Debt

Great River City, located at the very edge of the Jade Tripod Domain, borders the million-mile-wide Eastern Wilderness Mountains. According to a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s travelogue from a few years ago, the city sits atop a first-rank spirit vein, resulting in a constant population of over ten thousand cultivators. Most are independent cultivators; major sects rarely stay for long, only visiting to conduct business. Even then, it’s cyclical; the personnel managing the Inner City shops change every few years. Therefore, the entire city is largely driven by the spontaneous activities of independent cultivators.

It’s like an independent cultivator’s market, divided into large and small gatherings. The large gathering occurs once a month, while the small gathering happens every first, fourth, and seventh day of the month. Of course, even on non-market days, cultivators set up stalls, but the foot traffic is much lower.

Ten days had passed since the last small gathering. A chubby figure dashed into the market early one morning.

Zeng Wen was lucky; he hadn’t spent many days in the mountains before hunting a First-Rank Demonic Beast, yielding over a thousand catties of beast meat! His storage pouch wasn’t large, only about a cubic foot, barely enough to hold it all. So, once he had a decent harvest, he wisely retreated from the mountains. Ten catties of First-Rank Demonic Beast meat could be sold for one low-grade spiritual stone, and the beast’s bones were also a type of spiritual material. Therefore, his harvest was quite satisfactory, enough for a period of carefree indulgence.

After returning home yesterday, he had the meat processed by a familiar butcher and immediately rushed to the Heavenly Fragrance Tower for a good time. The details… well, let’s just say they were complicated. The beauties were exquisite, and his performance was consistently stable and efficient. However, compared to his previous boast of “taking on ten at once,” it was quite underwhelming. Thus, early this morning, he mustered all his willpower to escape his “hero’s tomb” (a humorous reference to his exhausting night) and conduct some business with his newfound acquaintance.

Arriving at the South City market, several stalls were already set up, with Old Master Chen, the talisman seller, calmly seated on a small stool.

“Little Luo Dao You hasn’t come yet?” (Dao You is a respectful address for fellow cultivators)

“No, he’s probably at home doing alchemy!”

“Will he be setting up his stall today?”

“Usually, if he hasn’t come by now, he won’t be coming to the small gathering.”

Disappointment was evident on Zeng Wen’s face. He chatted with Old Master Chen about his mountain adventures for a while. Seeing a customer approaching, he prepared to leave. Before doing so, he noticed Old Master Chen carefully engaging an unsatisfied customer.

“Dao You, are you interested in learning about the God-Hidden Concealment Talisman?”

“What’s that? A talisman for concealing one’s aura?”

“You know Master Lingyin of the God Talisman Sect, right? Let me tell you…”

Zeng Wen’s expression turned strange; he felt a sense of familiarity about those words. Long after leaving the market, it suddenly dawned on him. Weren’t those words a carbon copy of what Little Luo Dao You had said before?

“Damn it, the old man learned bad habits!”

He didn’t think Luo Chen had deceived him, because when Luo Chen had promoted his Myriad Wonders Pills, he had never used definitive statements, only ambiguous ones. And the effects of the Myriad Wonders Pills were exactly as Luo Chen had described. He could only conclude that Old Master Chen had plagiarized Luo Chen’s sales pitch.

The victimized Luo Chen, meanwhile, was huddled at home, wearing an apron and bowing before a Guan Yu statue. (Guan Yu is a revered military general in Chinese culture, often worshipped for loyalty and righteousness.)

“The first few batches failed, and I’ve used up a lot of ingredients. Today, I should finally have a successful batch!”

“Second Brother Guan, I’m offering incense to you today. Please bless me!”

Muttering to himself, he continuously added herbs to the cauldron. The processed Fire Dog whip emitted a natural stench, blending with the fragrances of the other spiritual herbs to create an indescribable, strange odor.

The alchemy process lasted from morning to afternoon. Lifting the lid of the cauldron, looking at the deep red paste and smelling its intoxicating fragrance, Luo Chen clenched his fist.

“Yes! This sixth batch was a success, a huge improvement!”

“Second Brother Guan, I knew you had my back, even across different worlds, you’re still watching over me.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll strive even harder!”

Half a month later, Luo Chen contentedly surveyed the fifty small jade bottles on his table. This was the result of nearly a month’s work. Thirty bottles contained Valley-Clearing Powder, which he had hastily produced in the last two days. The remaining twenty bottles contained Myriad Wonders Pills. However, unlike the Valley-Clearing Powder, which had ten pills per bottle, the Myriad Wonders Pills had only one per bottle. In other words, he had only successfully produced two batches of Myriad Wonders Pills. Nineteen sets of ingredients resulted in two batches; the success rate was undeniably low, and the quality of the pills was only low-grade.

Low-grade pills had significant limitations; their medicinal properties were mediocre, and excessive consumption could cause strong side effects. But that wasn’t his concern; he trusted his fellow cultivators to have strong self-control; they could enjoy themselves, but should not overindulge.

“Currently, this is the best I can do, but once my proficiency increases, the situation will definitely improve!”

“The future is bright, Chen Chen, add oil!” (加油 – jiāyóu – literally “add oil,” a common expression of encouragement)

Packing the jade bottles into a bag, Luo Chen closed the door and dashed into the Inner City of Great River City. Today was the day of the large gathering; he had to sell this batch of goods properly.

Arriving at the market, the area was still sparsely populated; he had arrived too early. Old Master Chen wasn’t there yet, but his old acquaintance Wang Yuan was already sitting cross-legged on the ground.

“Young man, you don’t take care of your health at all; the ground is so cold!”

Muttering to himself, Luo Chen greeted Wang Yuan and naturally squatted down in front of his stall.

“Wow, you have more items this time!”

Compared to last time, there were several more old books, and even a damaged jade scroll. There were also four or five more artifacts, some stained with dark blood.

“Brother Wang, you’ve made some big deals recently!”

Wang Yuan drooped his eyelids, “Look, but don’t touch.”

Luo Chen looked enviously at several old books: *Five Essential Spells for Qi Refining Cultivators*, *Miscellany of Hundred Herbs*, and *Longevity Skill: Qi Refining Chapter*. He wanted them all, but he lacked spiritual stones!

If Wang Yuan sold all these items, plus the artifacts, he would make a fortune. As far as he knew, a low-grade artifact cost at least one hundred low-grade spiritual stones, while mid-grade and high-grade artifacts were even more expensive. Killing and robbing—truly the quickest way to make money in the Cultivation World.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t skilled in that sort of thing; he was just a diligent little cultivator who loved alchemy.

Sighing, he picked up the unsold *Six Regions Chronicle*, and read it with interest. The six easternmost regions each had six major sects that had produced Nascent Soul cultivators, such as the Jade Tripod Sword Sect, the Joyful Union Sect, the God Talisman Sect, and the Medicine King Sect. But besides these sects, each large region also had many small sects and cultivation families.

The vast territory and abundant resources had given birth to countless remarkably talented individuals. Powerful figures always emerge throughout time. Their rise is often accompanied by incredible stories.

The author of this *Six Regions Chronicle* was a Qi Refining cultivator at the Nine Layers of Cultivation who, having lost hope of Foundation Establishment, spent his remaining years writing this book. Due to his cultivation level and limited knowledge, much of the content was hearsay. But it allowed Luo Chen to glimpse a corner of the Cultivation World’s iceberg.

Even the peripheral details left him shaken, inspiring longing.

“Jade Tripod True Immortal, with a single sword, swept across mountains and rivers, establishing the domain. What magnificent scenes!”

After a moment of reflection, Luo Chen reluctantly put down the book, preparing to set up his stall.

“If you like it, take it. This travelogue has too many mistakes; it hasn’t sold in months.”

Wang Yuan said calmly, lifting a finger; the book floated to Luo Chen’s hand. Luo Chen was surprised, then overjoyed.

“Thanks, Brother Wang, I’ll return it when I’m done.”

Returning to his stone slab stall, Old Master Chen immediately approached. Seeing the old face, Luo Chen smiled slightly, “Are you going to tell me how good your business has been recently?”

“No, I’m here to remind you to repay your debt!”

“Uh!”

Luo Chen was devastated; he had just thought the Cultivation World was full of good people. But after he displayed his pills, Old Master Chen did give him some good news.

“Many cultivators have been asking about your Myriad Wonders Pills lately. You’re going to get rich, kid!”

(End of Chapter)

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