"..."
"In short, that's how it is. The Xu Family Pill Shop is finished. These are the contracts you signed. I also retrieved the copies stored at the Enforcement Hall for you."
Wang Yu slapped nine pieces of useless paper onto the table. Zhou Tao seemed to want to speak but hesitated; Wang Yu's story was just too far-fetched.
That way and this way, and the pill shop got shut down just like that?
Steward Xu, a noble Foundation Establishment expert, had no reaction at all???
Luo Pinghu frowned and couldn't help but ask,
"Wang Yu, you make it sound easy. What about the details? And how did you get these contracts back?"
"I have my channels; don't worry about it."
"You—"
Zhou Tao suddenly reached out to stop Luo Pinghu, subtly gesturing with his mouth. Only then did they notice that overnight, the aura Wang Yu emitted had reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
He broke through?
But so what? Luo Pinghu didn't understand and wasn't prepared to follow Zhou Tao's lead anymore. Previously, the three had united, intending to make Zhou Tao their spokesperson for easier communication with the pill shop and greater bargaining power.
Last night's dinner was a gesture of cooperation. They had invited Wang Yu then, but he refused. Seeing there was nothing more to discuss, Luo Pinghu bid farewell.
"In that case, thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang, for retrieving the contract for me. Farewell."
"Don't be in such a hurry."
Wang Yu spoke again.
"Fellow practitioners, having cultivated in the Reverse Blood Sect until now, have you felt the difficulty of cultivation?"
"Without resources, cultivation progress is slow, with almost no chance of Foundation Establishment. Without backing, every step is a struggle, without even the qualification for normal dialogue."
"What does Alchemist Wang mean by this?"
Zhou Tao asked. Wang Yu smiled and replied,
"Opportunities are rare. Gathering four alchemists like us, all without backing, isn't easy. Why not establish an Alchemist Alliance to jointly sell pills and cooperate with those formal pill shops?"
"Heh—"
Luo Pinghu's tone held both mockery towards Wang Yu and helplessness about his own situation: "Easier said than done. Do you have resources? Do you have connections? Three mediocre alchemists plus a one-armed guy—what qualifies us to cooperate with pill shops? We can't even get an audience with a Foundation Establishment steward."
His words were biased. Wang Yu, Luo Pinghu, and Huang Kai indeed belonged to the bottom layer, but Zhou Tao was different. Even without backing,
his eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivation and first-grade high-tier alchemist skills were enough for him to work in any pill shop. But he came to the Xu Family Pill Shop, which meant he also had troubles.
Either he offended someone or was squeezed out of his previous shop by colleagues. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to this new shop. Inviting everyone to dinner yesterday showed he was someone with ideas.
Facing Luo Pinghu's sarcasm, Wang Yu didn't care at all. He was just an ordinary cultivator oppressed severely. To learn alchemy, he must have put in immense effort.
Finally finding a lucrative job, only to lose it suddenly—his emotions were naturally off. A slight poke made him bristle.
Zhou Tao was thoughtful, Luo Pinghu emotional. Instead, Wang Yu valued Huang Kai, who hadn't spoken—his personality seemed the resilient type.
His temperament was very steady; though he hadn't stated his position, he showed no intention of leaving.
Each of the three had their characteristics, giving Wang Yu confidence in cooperating with them.
After a moment of silence,
Zhou Tao spoke first: "Tell us about your backing and plan. If it's reasonable, I can join."
Hearing this, Wang Yu looked at Huang Kai. The silent one also spoke: "My thoughts are similar to Brother Zhou's."
"What about you, Luo Pinghu? Want to hear?"
The guy didn't speak but didn't leave either. With this attitude from the three, Wang Yu felt even more confident. He reached into his storage pouch and took out the Enforcement token he had just obtained last night.
"Here, this is my backing."
The Enforcement Hall—a place countless grassroots in the Reverse Blood Sect dreamed of. Joining meant future opportunities to become part of the sect's core, with one foot in the privileged layer.
Wang Yu had a similar background to them and was one-armed, so the three naturally didn't think he came from an extraordinary background. Yesterday, he was just a hired alchemist; today, it was completely different.
For people like them, there was only one way to become an Enforcement Hall cultivator: gaining the appreciation of a powerful figure!
Zhou Tao pondered, feeling that the Xu Family Pill Shop's shutdown was likely connected to Wang Yu—an intuition. He immediately made a decision.
"I'll join."
"I'll join too."
"Brother Pinghu?"
"Can I... really..."
"Of course." Wang Yu stepped forward, smiling, and patted Luo Pinghu's shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine. We're friends. A few words are nothing; no one minds."
Luo Pinghu quietly relaxed, unaware that the last friend Wang Yu patted on the shoulder had their corpse refined.
"Since you've agreed, let me explain the significance of this Alchemist Alliance and the conveniences you can enjoy."
"Overall, I will use my identity to supply the pills refined by you, brothers, to any shop in the Ten Reverse Blood Markets."
Don't underestimate the significance of this operation.
The Ten Reverse Blood Markets were internal sect industries, serving as both a platform for training disciples and a tool for gathering spirit stones. Business here was monopolized.
Any pill shop within the Ten Reverse Blood Markets needed approval from the Alchemy Hall to operate. The relationships were intricate, with various connections and competitions. Obtaining a shopfront was difficult, getting qualification was difficult, and securing channels was difficult!
The model of setting up a roadside mat, setting up and leaving freely, was prohibited.
Even if neighbors knew you were an alchemist and sought to buy pills from you, private sales were not allowed—sect rules forbade it.
Therefore, the sales qualification was quite important. Wang Yu gradually learned about this after entering the alchemy circle, thanks to those six months at the herb garden.
Next was the source of spiritual herbs. For herb gardens like Steward Tantai's, she used her Coldblood Peak connections to secure it, so she could only trade mature herbs to pill shops under Coldblood Peak's banner.
Only a small portion of spiritual herbs were traded between disciples.
Most of the demand for purchases came from alchemists. After they succeeded and mastered the basics, they would join various pill shops, becoming合格 (hégé - qualified) workers.
To have one's own business, one needed at least Foundation Establishment stage to have room for maneuver.
Moreover, buying herbs in bulk from正规 (zhèngguī - formal, proper) shops was too expensive and not cost-effective. One needed their own herbal channels.
Thus, the first promise Wang Yu made already stirred the three's hearts.
Who wouldn't want to sell their own pills and earn money instead of working for someone else!
Zhou Tao couldn't help but ask,
"How exactly would it operate? What would the selling price be? How much profit can we get?"
"Don't rush; I haven't finished yet."
"Herbal procurement channels and pill sales qualifications—I'll handle them all. You just focus on refining pills. I guarantee you'll earn three times what you did before, if not more."
The three were quite tempted. Regardless of whether Wang Yu could deliver, joining this Alchemist Alliance was definitely not a loss.
"Now, your first priority is to obtain the sect-recognized alchemist grade certification from the Alchemy Hall."
(End of Chapter)