Immortality Starts With Investment

”This Fellow Daoist, may I inquire what you wish to order?”

Upon entering Green Cloud Shop, a servant immediately approached to greet him. Noticing Ye Chen’s cultivation was not particularly high, the servant’s enthusiasm waned somewhat, though there was no trace of disdain.

Ye Chen didn’t mind. The level of service here wasn’t much different from that of luxury store attendants in his past life.

”I wish to sell some pills and buy some herbs.”

The servant’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and he invited Ye Chen to take a seat. Although the position of alchemist was highly regarded, as the number of cultivators increased, a few alchemists always emerged. So, there was nothing particularly surprising about it.

After Ye Chen sat down, the servant inquired, ”May I ask what pills Fellow Daoist intends to sell?”

”Two hundred medium-grade Qi Gathering Pills,” Ye Chen replied, casually taking out a pill bottle from his robe.

The servant smiled and nodded at Ye Chen. Then, he lightly tapped the bell on the counter.

Soon, an elderly man with white hair and beard emerged from the back. Upon seeing the elder, the servant quickly bowed, ”Greetings, Steward!”

The servant was somewhat puzzled as to why the Steward had come out instead of the designated alchemist. However, he quickly reported the matter of pill appraisal.

”Master Li is currently refining pills and has no time. I shall handle this matter,” the Steward said.

The Steward of Green Cloud Shop was not one who bore the scent of herbs. Instead, there was a faint trace of leather and a subtle metallic scent of blood. Most likely, the man was not an alchemist, but rather a talisman master.

Moreover, he exuded an undeniable aura of power. To become a steward, one had to be at least at the late-stage Qi Refining realm.

Qi Gathering Pills were low-level pills. Given his vast experience, even if the man wasn’t an alchemist, he could still appraise them with ease.

The elderly man nodded at Ye Chen, then picked up a pill.

”Mm, these are all medium-grade Qi Gathering Pills. The color is pure, and the fragrance is rich, without any impurities. The craftsmanship is excellent.”

The man first examined the appearance of the pill, nodding with satisfaction. Then, he gently crushed one, studying its internal structure. He even took a pinch of the powder and placed it in his mouth.

”Mm, the medicinal potency is quite pure….” The elderly man, who had not even glanced at Ye Chen before, now seemed intrigued and looked at him. ”These medium-grade pills are almost comparable to high-grade ones. Fellow Daoist must have refined quite a few high-grade Qi Gathering Pills as well. Why not sell them together? The purchase price for high-grade Qi Gathering Pills is actually more favorable.”

Ye Chen wasn’t surprised that the elder could guess this. After all, cultivators capable of reliably producing medium-grade pills often had a few high-grade ones as well. Though high-grade pills seemed more expensive, their demand was also much greater.

For example, wealthier and more prosperous rogue cultivators would often choose to use high-grade pills. After all, if one had the option, it was always better to use the superior ones. They contained fewer impurities and toxins.

It was said that Green Cloud Sect provided their disciples with daily cultivation pills, starting with medium-grade, and for those with better spirit roots, they even received high-grade pills. This was one of the reasons rogue cultivators envied them.

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However, Ye Chen simply shook his head. ”I haven’t refined many high-grade pills. I’ve used most of them for my own cultivation.”

The elder nodded and didn’t press further. Two hundred Qi Gathering Pills were nothing more than a small transaction for Green Cloud Shop.

”What herbs would Fellow Daoist like to purchase?” The servant put away the box, and the elder continued his inquiry.

Ye Chen then took out the prepared list of herbs. The elderly man glanced over the list, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The herbs Ye Chen listed were quite mixed. There were the primary ingredients for Qi Gathering Pills, as well as ingredients for Clear Pulse Pills, and a few others used for various other pills. The elder didn’t recognize them.

However, there were countless pill formulas in the cultivation world. And since the elder wasn’t an alchemist, it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t identify them all. He handed the list over to the servant, who quickly calculated the price. ”The total comes to just a little over ten low-grade spirit stones. The previous transaction for the Qi Gathering Pills was a total of eleven low-grade spirit stones. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll return one low-grade spirit stone to Fellow Daoist.”

Ye Chen had no objections. Soon enough, the servant gathered the herbs. After Ye Chen confirmed everything was in order, he took the herbs and spirit stones and prepared to leave.

”If you have any more pills in the future, you can come to us to sell them,” the elder said. ”Our Green Cloud Shop offers the most complete selection of herbs in all of Silver Moon Market.”

Though Green Cloud Sect wasn’t short of alchemists, their own alchemists didn’t enjoy refining low-level pills, as the contribution was too little. As a result, there was often a shortage of low-level pills within the sect.

The best quality pills that Green Cloud Shop acquired were kept for the sect, while those of lower quality were sold to the public. Ye Chen’s pills were of good quality. That was why the elder made this offer.

Ye Chen nodded in response but didn’t pay much attention to it. He preferred to keep a low profile, not wanting to attract attention by selling too many pills. Although Green Cloud Shop was a large establishment, there were always some who were insatiable.

Just as Ye Chen was about to leave, a woman’s voice suddenly came from the back of the shop. ”Father, I’ve drawn the middle-grade Fireball Talisman! Look, look, isn’t it impressive…?”

Hearing the voice, the elder immediately smiled, though he still scolded, ”Didn’t I tell you? No noise in the shop. Wait until I’m done here to talk.” Though he reprimanded her, his tone was clearly filled with affection.

Ye Chen, already at the door, couldn’t help but glance back. He saw a woman in blue walking out from behind the counter. Her hair was elegantly pinned up with a jade hairpin, and her figure was graceful. Her eyebrows were curved, her expression full of liveliness and playfulness. Her skin was as white as snow, glowing with a radiant shine.

At the sight of her, Ye Chen froze for a moment. The woman noticed his gaze and immediately furrowed her brows. Ye Chen nodded at her briefly, then turned and left without hesitation.

”That person was so ugly….”

Once Ye Chen had left, the woman muttered softly.

The elder, hearing this, affectionately patted his daughter’s head. ”He just used external cultivation to distort his face. His cultivation is only at the third layer of Qi Refining, probably just a newbie. But he was really too cautious. Only a few low-grade spirit stones. Why would Green Cloud Shop even care about that?”

The elder, having seen many people, quickly identified Ye Chen as an inexperienced novice. Ye Chen hadn’t said much earlier, not because of silence, but because he simply hadn’t experienced enough of such situations and knew that saying less would avoid mistakes. This was how every low-level cultivator had started.

The elder, with his daughter in tow, headed toward the back courtyard to give her some guidance.

...

As Ye Chen stepped out of Green Cloud Shop, he couldn’t help but glance back again. However, by this time, the woman had already disappeared from sight.

Ye Chen wasn’t someone who would fall in love at first sight. The cultivation world was full of intrigue, and with the system by his side, his future was bound to be bright. Why would he waste time on fleeting emotions?

The reason he had paused earlier was due to the system’s notification:

”Matching gift recipient detected!”

”Sun Ruoxin: Fifteen times!”

At last, Ye Chen discovered someone in Silver Moon Market with a higher compatibility multiplier than Lin Ke’er.

How could he not be excited? This was fifteen times. If he gave Lin Ke’er a pill, he would receive ten in return. But giving Sun Ruoxin, this female cultivator, a pill would result in fifteen.

As for things like cultivation techniques, the returns would be even greater. The only downside was that Sun Ruoxin had a high status and a solid background. She definitely wouldn’t easily associate with someone like him, a mere loose cultivator. Even if he wanted to send her a gift, it wouldn’t be that simple.