After calming himself, Fu Changsheng quickly reviewed the five-year plan; it was to enhance his strength as much as possible. The expedition to the Demon Cave was bound to be fraught with danger. Of course, before that, he had to create the conditions to kill Li Wentai first.
And then, three months later, there was the snake disaster at Cyan Ox Mountain.
He needed to scout out the Snake Cave before the storm arrived and exterminate the Silver-Spotted Poison Snakes in advance.
After calculating the time.
He realized he barely had enough time.
He resisted the urge to immediately consume the Spirit-Storage Pill. Several days passed, and it came time to harvest the Red Marrow Rice. He specifically came out to work with everyone and saw Liu Runzhi had also emerged from seclusion. Calling her over, he straightforwardly said:
"Miss Runzhi, I heard from my fourth sister that you are a Tier One Low-Grade Refiner?"
Liu Runzhi nodded slightly.
Fu Changsheng felt a surge of joy. Apart from himself, the Fu Family didn't have a single Magical Artifact, but once the Recruitment Order was issued, the Demon Cave was a place they must go. Without a Magical Artifact for protection, death was certain:
"Miss Runzhi, after you've healed, could you do us the favor of crafting a customizable Tier One Spiritual Artifact for each member of the clan? You need not worry about the materials; I will find a way to gather them. Just list what you need."
"Yes, Patriarch, I promise not to let you down!"
Liu Runzhi was secretly delighted.
When she was with the Liu Family, even though she desired to refine more devices to enhance her skills, the Liu Family was a group of Loose Cultivators, living meal to meal. Cultivation resources were extremely scarce, and there were no extra Spirit Stones to invest in her.
She even had to offer her services to refine tools for others.
But people didn't trust her as she had just become a Tier One Low-Grade Refiner, fearing she might waste their materials.
Fifty mu of Red Marrow Rice.
Several members of the Fu Family took five days to finish harvesting it all.
After weighing it.
They found it weighed over fifty-eight thousand pounds.
Everyone was overjoyed.
It was over ten thousand pounds more than usual.
And since they were to tithe thirty percent based on the yield of a thousand pounds per mu, after turning over thirty percent to the Shangguan Family, they still had forty-three thousand pounds, leaving them thirty-three thousand pounds after keeping aside their daily needs.
Elder brother Fu Changren said happily:
"Patriarch, should we store the surplus grain or sell it at the marketplace? However, during Red Marrow Rice harvest season, the marketplace prices can greatly depreciate. If we're not in urgent need of Spirit Stones, we might earn more if we sell it next summer."
"We won't sell this Red Marrow Rice."
Fu Changsheng said with a smile.
He decided to keep fifteen thousand pounds of Red Marrow Rice for tribute, and gave the rest to his third brother Fu Changli for brewing Spiritual Wine. Ten years isn't a long time, nor is it short, so he must make the most of his resources to earn more Spirit Stones.
Aside from obtaining the materials Miss Runzhi needs for refining.
There was also the requirement to buy a batch of mana recovery and healing elixirs before the eruption of the Demon Cave.
And the funding for all of this would rely on the output of his third brother Fu Changli's Spiritual Wine and the mining of the Yani Gang Stone Ore Vein on Leimeng Mountain.
Fu Changsheng immediately had his fourth sister Fu Changli replace his third brother Fu Changli on the mountain, and upon learning of his important new role, Fu Changli was so excited his words got jumbled. After a long while, he finally straightened up his slightly chubby stomach and vowed confidently:
"Patriarch, rest assured, I promise to brew the Spiritual Wine successfully."
In his months at the mining area.
Without being encumbered by miscellaneous affairs, he once again improved the wine-brewing formula he studied for four years, confident that he could successfully brew it.
Fu Changsheng was thinking of offering a few words of advice.
When a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his Sea of Divine Sense:
"Ding"
"You've successfully guided Fu Changli into the Spiritual Wine Master ranks, earning twenty Clan Contribution Points."
In essence.
The nearly exhausted Clan Contribution Points.
Returned to twenty-two points, allowing for the exchange of eleven intelligence reports.
Fu Changsheng suddenly felt more confident.
After the Red Marrow Rice was harvested.
Elder brother Fu Changren was already busy tilling the land, preparing to plant Seven-Star Grass.
Seeing the family busy, but herself idle, Fu Molan specially sought out Fu Changsheng, who handed her the compiled "Talisman Dao Mastery Book":
"Molan, besides your daily cultivation, spend your free time making talismans. The more talismans you can produce, the better."
Whether it was for the Demon Cave expedition.
Or the upcoming clearing of the Snake Cave at Cyan Ox Mountain.
They all required talismans for protection.
After assigning the family's miscellaneous affairs.
Fu Changsheng announced he would be secluding himself to start consuming the Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit-Storage Pill.
In the cultivation world, time flies without being noticed.
In the blink of an eye.
Two months flew by.
In the Secret Chamber.
Crimson spiritual Qi swirled around Fu Changsheng, and as he inhaled and exhaled, the Qi was fully absorbed into his body. After a Grand Circulation.
Fu Changsheng opened his eyes in delight:
"No wonder this is a Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Pill!"
Three Spirit-Storage Pills had pushed his progress in the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer significantly forward, which was a pleasant surprise since it was his first time using Spirit Pills for cultivation.
With the assistance of Spirit Pills.
Cultivation speed increased several folds.
"No wonder every family invests heavily to cultivate an alchemist."
It was time to exit seclusion.
In less than a month, the storm would arrive, and the snake disaster would erupt.
He needed to visit Cyan Ox Mountain.
Pushing open the door to exit.
Upon leaving the Secret Chamber, he saw the fifty mu of Spirit Field's Seven-Star Grass had grown abundantly and would soon be ready for harvesting to produce talisman paper.
Seeing Fu Changsheng out of seclusion, elder brother Fu Changren hurried over to greet him.
After his seclusion.
Elder brother Fu Changren had been helping to manage the family's affairs, his face showing happiness:
"Patriarch, let me show you something."
As he spoke.
Fu Changren took out a fire-red egg from his sleeve and handed it to Fu Changsheng. The red egg was about the size of a goose egg, but it contained a faint spiritual Qi inside:
"Patriarch, can you guess where this egg came from?"
Fu Changsheng was momentarily stunned, then immediately remembered the intelligence report from two months ago and laughed:
"It's from a Fire Cloud Chicken."
Elder brother Fu Changren paused, then gave Fu Changsheng a thumbs up:
"As expected of the Patriarch, you guessed right. The Fire Cloud Chicken is indeed peculiar; even the roosters can lay eggs. Unfortunately, the thirty Fire Cloud Eggs weren't fertile and couldn't be hatched."
If they could be hatched.
The Fu Family could establish an entire supply chain:
"Still, the Qi within the Fire Cloud Eggs isn't insignificant, and although they aren't Tier One Spiritual Objects, consuming one is equivalent to cultivating for ten days at the Spiritual Spring Well."
"Patriarch, how should we distribute these Fire Cloud Eggs?"
As the family's resources increased.
If the distribution is uneven, it could lead to issues over time:
"We will allocate the resources based on the Fu Family's Contribution Points."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Elder brother Fu Changren was an honest man and felt pleased with how the family's affairs were being managed so well, he mentioned with a happy expression:
"Patriarch, you have established a meritorious contribution exchange system for the family, and have earned thirty additional Clan Contribution Points."
Putting the family's merits exchange system in place again.
Fu Changsheng carefully explained the contribution exchange system to his elder brother, then informed him that he was going down the mountain for a while.
As he gathered what he needed to make his trip, the familiar mechanical sound echoed again in the Sea of Divine Sense:
"Ding"
"Hard work pays off—you established a meritorious contribution system for the family and gained thirty more Clan Contribution Points."
"""