Chapter 74: Chapter 74: You want to keep me_l
Translator: 549690339
In the dead of night, silence prevailed.
In the room that once belonged to Qin Liangchen’s son, Qin Xiaohu, Luo Chen remained awake.
He lay, hands folded under his head, thoughts churning.
Everything on his mind revolved around tonight’s events.
“Perhaps if I hadn’t attended the banquet, none of this would have happened.”
A hint of regret crossed Luo Chen’s mind.
But soon, he dismissed this thought.
It was clear that Mi Shuhua hadn’t planned this on the spot; he didn’t just come up with this scheme after seeing Luo Chen.
He had been inquiring about Luo Chen, knew much about him, and even held a medium-grade Allure Pill in his hand.
It had been only two months since the Allure Pill had advanced to the medium grade.
Due to the uniqueness of this elixir, cultivators would usually consume it quite quickly after acquiring it.
The fact that Mi Shuhua managed to get one indicated that he had made considerable effort.
“Therefore, even without tonight’s banquet, he certainly would have approached me separately.”
“On the contrary, because Qin Liangchen was there, he treated me politely and even took on the demeanor of an elder, providing me with some sincere advice.”
Once he understood this, Luo Chen ceased regretting his decision.
He began to ponder what he should do next.
Flee?
Escape was impossible. Even though he possessed some fighting power, his cultivation level was ultimately too low.
He was also unfamiliar with the outside world.
Over the year and a half since he crossed over, he had spent most of his time struggling to survive in The Great River District. Going to an unfamiliar place would be too costly.
Who could say whether his frequent selling of pills as a rogue cultivator in a new place would attract the attention of other forces?
If that happens, he would just be repeating past mistakes.
Staying in the Broken Mountain Gang might not grant him the freedom he once enjoyed.
However, there were many people in the gang that he was familiar with, and most of them held high positions.
Wang Yuan would surely protect him, Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian treated him well, and there were others he was familiar with, like Zeng Wen. “Sacrificing the freedom of a rogue cultivator to become a Hall Master of the Pill Hall might not be a bad thing.”
In situations that couldn’t be changed, Luo Chen analyzed how the circumstances would change if he became the Hall Master of the Pill Hall. “Firstly, my status would undoubtedly be high!”
On this point, Luo Chen was confident.
In the world of immortal cultivation, there are mainstream arts, and there’re other practices with a myriad of practitioners.
Among the practitioners with these skills, becoming a Pill Refiner was the most challenging, but as long as one had some achievements, they would become a highly sought-after existence.
This was because elixirs were directly related to a cultivator’s cultivation.
No one would make enemies with a Pill Refiner for no reason.
Whether it was a Nascent Soul Sect or a Rogue Cultivator Group, the situation was the same.
Everyone made efforts to establish a good relationship with the Pill Refiner, even if not for the present, they might build a good cause for the future.
After mingling for quite a while, Luo Chen had many people showing goodwill towards him, and this wasn’t without the reason of him being a Pill Refiner.
Although he had been involved in two fights, those were more accidental disaster than intentional targeting.
“Once I achieve a high status, I’ll have to consider the benefits!”
“And that depends on how well I can negotiate with Mi Shuhua and the Broken Mountain Gang.”
Luo Chen felt somewhat heavy-hearted.
He could imagine that when confronted with the massive profits brought by elixirs, the negotiations could be extremely tough.
But he had to do it.
No one wanted to be a pure tool.
Even though he was a typical worker in his previous life, used to being exploited.
But having crossed over, was he still expected to work for others for nothing? What was the point of that?
If he was working for others before crossing over and still had to work for others after crossing over, wasn’t the crossing pointless?
“Finally, there are the additional benefits I can gain through the identity of the Pill Hall Master.”
The first thing Luo Chen thought of was his system.
The Proficiency Panel was where his hope for longevity lay.
If the Pill Hall is established, his pill refining business wouldn’t be small-scale anymore, and he wouldn’t need to carefully calculate each ingredient.
With the support of the entire gang, he would definitely expand.
In such a case, the proficiency of pill refining would surely soar!
“Mi Shuhua mentioned that he has some books on Dao of Alchemy and even one or two pill formulas.”
“This is also one of the benefits I can gain.”
Luo Chen’s eyes flickered, his heart filled with an excitement unknown to others.
No matter whether it was Mi Shuhua or Qin Liangchen, they both thought he had amazing talent in the Dao of Alchemy.
But one knows oneself best.
Luo Chen’s talent in the Dao of Alchemy was definitely not outstanding.
He had communicated with Lady Xiangxiang from Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion a couple of times and those memories weren’t pleasant at all.
When faced with one or two questions occasionally posed by Lady Xiangxiang, he was completely at a loss.
At that time, Xiangxiang was very puzzled. These were just the most basic alchemy knowledge, so why did Luo Chen seem completely unfamiliar with it?
In reality, that was normal.
Luo Chen’s pill refining was simply a matter of following a guide and fitting a pattern.
He had never undergone systematic Dao of Alchemy training and was unaware of some common knowledge.
Even if he knew a lot about pill refining now, he had learned all of it through countless failures and successes.
As for the supplementary knowledge given to him by the system each time his proficiency increased, it was limited only to the Fasting Pill and Allure Pill.
“If I could get those alchemy books treasured by Mi Shuhua, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it would definitely greatly improve my skills.”
“In the long run, if there comes a day when I can break free from the shackles of the Broken Mountain Gang, this achievement will be even more precious,” Luo Chen mused.
All in all, establishing a deep foothold in the Broken Mountain Gang and becoming the Pill Hall Master might not be such a bad idea.
At least, he wouldn’t be alone anymore.
There may be disputes and struggles within the gang, but that’s all internal affairs.
To the outside world, he would be one of the nine Hall Masters of the Broken Mountain Gang, a cultivator who could publicly reveal his identity as a Pill Refiner!
Luo Chen mulled over these thoughts as he lay in bed.
He thought about various matters back and forth many times, weighing up the pros and cons.
Gradually, his state of mind improved, and he wasn’t as anxious as before.
Being adaptable had always been one of Luo Chen’s strengths.
Whether it was his hardship-filled life as a laborer in his previous life or his penniless and lonely vagabond lifestyle after transmigration.
He was always able to adapt quickly, find joy in hardship, and ultimately believe that he would always persist until reaping some rewards.
“Now, I’m just starting all over again!”
Filled with hopeful expectations for the future, Luo Chen peacefully drifted off to sleep.
The establishment of the Pill Hall was not a decision that could be made overnight.
For the next few days, Luo Chen didn’t visit the Broken Mountain Gang. Instead, he stayed in his courtyard, watching his disciples repair his house.
He himself started working with some high-quality wood, starting some woodworking.
“What on earth are you making?” Gu Caiyi asked curiously, watching Luo Chen from a swing.
Whoosh!
With a wave of Luo Chen’s hand, a chair with wheels started to spin under his palm.
Spinning a chair was a skill he had mastered since his school days!
“That’s a wheelchair, for people with disabilities to use.”
Gu Caiyi was surprised, “Are you talking about a wheelchair that enables non-ambulatory people to move about as swift as a healthy man, even fly?”
Luo Chen sat down on the chair. Without pushing it with his hands, he expelled a bit of Spirit Power, and the wheels beneath him began to move.
He rode the chair around the courtyard, swaying back and forth.
“Unfortunately, I don’t understand arrays. Otherwise, I could add a few to it and power it with Spirit Stones. I’m sure someone would buy it then!”
Wheelchairs have of course been invented long ago in this world.
It was said that the inventor was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the time Tian Fan City was established.
After a thousand years, the wheelchair was seen as one of the representative magical tools of Tian Fan City.
However, they were not sold in the Great River District.
Mainly because the demand wasn’t high enough. Disabled cultivators are also cultivators with their own means to move freely.
The Great River District is so remote and so far from the Tian Fan Realm that even the Wanbao Pavilion mainly sold travel-friendly magical tools.
Therefore, many cultivators knew the term “wheelchair” but had never seen one.
“Get off, let me have a turn!”
Gu Caiyi sprung up excitedly.
Watching Gu Caiyi enjoy playing with the wheelchair, Luo Chen sighed with relief.
This gift for their first meeting wasn’t expensive, but it was full of sincerity.
His meeting with Old Man Yuan would be easier now.
“You seem to be spending more time at home recently. Is Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion not busy?”
Gu Caiyi, wheeling around the courtyard, responded casually, “I’m planning to quit that job!”
Luo Chen was taken aback, but he quickly realised that it made sense.
The personnel changes at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion were already confirmed.
The next in line for the position would be Lady Xiangxiang’s Senior Brother Hua, an unpredictable Hehuan Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator with a liking for making unwelcome advances.
If Gu Caiyi were to work under such a person, she would undoubtedly suffer sooner or later.
It would be better to resign before he arrives.
“So, what do you plan to do next?” Luo Chen asked.
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ll see which of the six big shops in the city are short-staffed, and then give them a shot,” Gu Caiyi responded.
The Yu Ding Realm was established by the Yu Ding Sword Sect in conjunction with fifteen other sects, with the Ascendant Sects being the main force. Consequently, the realm is filled with properties that belonged to these sects.
The Great River District is geographically remote, but its scale is not small at all.
Even with an explosive increase in the number of cultivators to 20,000 to 30,000, it doesn’t feel crowded.
Furthermore, because it’s near the Eastern Wasteland Million Mountains, it’s ideal as a bridgehead for resource collection and future expansion wars.
Thus, the locality has the most comprehensive properties of the six Ascendant Sects and numerous small sect shops within the Yu Ding Realm.
Especially the six Ascendant Sects, who have specifically assigned Foundation Establishment cultivators to oversee their properties, rather than having Qi Refinement cultivators in charge like the smaller sects.
Every ten years is a sensitive point.
Because every decade, new sect cultivators are continuously rotated in.
After all, no one wants to cultivate in a place with a First Order Spirit Vein all the time.
They are being rotated!
This time, besides the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion of the Hehuan Sect, there are also small-scale personnel changes in other sect shops such as the Shen Fu Pavilion of the Shen Fu Sect, the Spirit Source Study of the Five Elements Divine Sect, and so on.
Under all these personnel changes, some positions are naturally vacant.
Gu Caiyi is good-looking and she’s at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement.
Having spent many years working at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, she had developed the necessary skills in hospitality and interpersonal communication.
If she wanted to find a new job, as long as her demands were not excessive, she should have an easy time.
“Why are you asking this?”
“Can’t I, as your good brother, show some concern?” Luo Chen jokingly responded.
“Pfft, I thought you were going to provide for me,” Gu Caiyi scoffed.
“Hmm, that’s not impossible.”
Suddenly, Gu Caiyi’s wheelchair stopped. She stared at Luo Chen, her eyes full of surprise..