PDLP Chapter 49: Going Down the Mountain to Shop
Chapter 49: Going Down the Mountain to Shop
The process of making the Corruption Elixir went quite smoothly this time, but for some reason, the color of the Corruption Elixir was far inferior to that of the previous ones.
In addition, Gu Su's evasive gaze every time Cao Xing looked at her made him suspect that Gu Su might be secretly keeping some secret recipe from him.
Sure enough, the old saying is true: you can't learn anything without sleeping with your master.
This pot of Corrupting Spirit Ointment is enough for him to sell, but he doesn't have a magic artifact like Gu Su's [Black Mercury Bottle] that can hold medicinal soup, so he can't directly store these soups, and how to take them away is a problem.
"After this pot of medicine has solidified, cut it into pieces and let it air dry in a cool place," Gu Su said, seeing his predicament and offering him a solution.
He also reminded him, "When you cut the pieces, you should weigh them carefully. One piece per pound can sell for 20 taels of silver. The quality of yours is a little poor. If someone buys a lot, it would be best to pack them up for 15 taels of silver each."
Cao Xing roughly calculated that this pot weighed at least 300 jin. Good heavens, even if it was sold at the package price, it would still be 4500 taels of silver.
When you do the math, this is really a rip-off.
Keep in mind that the cost of this pot is almost zero. The main ingredient is rotten spores, and you just need to add some herbs.
No wonder the Upper Temple holds a conversion ceremony every year. It's full of money. Even corpses can be reused. They can be thrown into the evolutionary corpse pit to increase the yin energy here and cultivate more rotten spirit ointment.
Thinking of this, Cao Xing's understanding of the bottom line of Shangfangguan was refreshed once again.
Gu Su then gave Cao Xing some more instructions about the Qionglou Incense Gathering, and solemnly warned him: "Just remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even a free cup of water has a price tag attached to it. Be very careful. As for the incense-stealing, you should definitely not get involved. The waters there are too deep for you to understand."
Cao Xing nodded with a serious expression, but in his heart he was thinking, "I don't know if I understand or not, but I can go to the toilet."
After Gu Su left, Cao Xing followed Gu Su's instructions and waited until the rotten spirit paste in the pot had cooled down, then cut it into pieces and placed it in a cool place, estimating that it would take about a day.
I'll be setting off early the day after tomorrow, so I have one more day. Perfect timing; I can use this day to accumulate more good karma.
Thinking of this, Cao Xing headed straight for the corpse-dissolving pit.
As Cao Xing approached, the wandering spirits nearby gradually drew closer to him.
"I'm about to attend the Qionglou Incense Gathering. Before I leave, I'd like to help you one last time, since I don't know if I'll come back alive. Who's interested in signing up this time?"
Cao Xing asked as usual.
"Me!!" One of the wandering spirits stepped forward, followed immediately by four or five others who shouted, "Brother Cao, please help us, take us out of here!"
"I want to leave too!"
More and more wandering spirits stepped forward, their numbers increasing, a figure that surprised Cao Xing, yet seemed to make sense.
These wandering spirits are different from those in Songfang who died at the conversion ceremony before they even entered the sect; most of them were already disciples who had entered the sect.
These people are well aware of the dangers of the path of cultivation. In their eyes, the word "good person" is both a derogatory term and something that cannot exist.
Even now, they don't completely believe Cao Xing.
The reason why so many wandering souls were willing to try this time was that Cao Xing was going to attend the Qionglou Incense Gathering, and they were worried that if they died outside, they would really have no chance of escaping. So they decided to take a gamble and go all out.
On the other hand, there's Dong Ran.
This guy is a trump card played by those old ghosts in the Corpse Dissolving Cave.
If I were to destroy him, it would only confirm that I was using these spirits to cultivate evil arts.
If left unchecked, he will follow me every time I try to stop.
These old ghosts probably never dreamed that their Netherworld Enlightenment Technique could earn them Yin Virtue.
So much so that their self-righteous overconfidence in revealing their true intentions only led more wavering souls to choose to believe in themselves.
Cao Xing roughly counted that there were a total of thirty wandering souls this time.
Thirty units of good deeds, even after setting aside what's needed for cultivation, you can still save some for unforeseen circumstances.
Thinking of this, Cao Xing's smile became even more sincere. Indeed, good people are rewarded; the ancients were right.
The next morning, Cao Xing carried a satchel and strode down the mountain.
As soon as Cao Xing arrived at the mountain gate, he noticed that there were an unusually large number of people coming down the mountain today.
In front of the mountain gate, one can often see many disciples dressed in Taoist robes walking down the mountain.
Why are so many people coming down the mountain?
"Old Cao." At this moment, Cao Xing heard a familiar voice. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Wu Peng, who was wrapped in thick clothes like a rice dumpling.
"You've wrapped yourself up like this... are you planning to go down the mountain?" Cao Xing guessed what was going on just by looking at his attire.
Wu Peng laughed and said, "Brother Cao understands me best!"
"Has the effects of the drug worn off yet? How long has it been?" Cao Xing asked, looking Wu Peng up and down.
It has been almost a month since Wu Peng first tested the medicine. Logically, since he did not die, the effects of the Seven-Colored Nourishing Pill in his body should have worn off by now.
Wu Peng waved his hand and said, "The effects of the Seven-Colored Nourishing Pill have worn off." As he spoke, Wu Peng quietly pulled down the black cloth covering his face to let Cao Xing see.
When Cao Xing saw Wu Peng's face clearly, only two words came to his mind: "M-poison!!"
"Whoosh!!"
In an instant, Cao Xingren abruptly distanced himself from Wu Peng, staring at him warily and saying, "Damn it, stay away from me, I'm scared!"
Wu Peng quickly covered his face with the black cloth and said to Cao Xing, "Don't be afraid. This is a Hundred Poisons Body Shaping Pill specially made by the Grand Elder of the Alchemy Pavilion. This is a side effect, but it's nothing serious. It will be fine by tonight."
Cao Xing's lips twitched a few times, thinking, "Why don't you just die sooner? I'll personally perform a ritual to help you pass on to the afterlife, so you don't have to suffer like this."
"Hey, don't look at me like that. If nothing unexpected happens, I plan to attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage today. Once I succeed, I'll be an entry-level disciple."
Wu Peng raised his head and said proudly, "I'll protect you then."
"Foundation Building!"
Cao Xing looked Wu Peng up and down. How could this guy cultivate so fast? Could it be that he also... has a cheat code?
But then I thought about it again. Wu Peng's progress was entirely due to the drug trials, which were all very strong drugs. In addition, there were the mining trips they had taken together and the side jobs Wu Peng had taken on. It was only natural that his cultivation was so fast.
The key is that others really can't learn it.
Seeing Cao Xing's shocked expression, Wu Peng revealed a smug look on his face.
"Since you intend to establish your foundation, why are you still going down the mountain?"
"Haha," Wu Peng laughed, "I was also struggling with this at first, but..."
Cao Xing waved his hand, indicating to Wu Peng that he didn't need to say anything: "Just tell me what you want to bring."
"Good brother, I knew you wouldn't abandon me. Don't worry, I'll protect you after I reach Foundation Establishment!"
Wu Peng carefully gave Cao Xing a list and a silver note containing one thousand taels of silver.
"Holy crap, you've got money now?"
Cao Xing pinched a corner of the silver note between his fingers, glancing sideways at Wu Peng: "We agreed to be poor together, but you've gotten rich first?"
"Loan, 1% interest, no compounding interest, no dead-end tax. This senior is a nice guy, I can introduce you if you need it." Wu Peng spread his hands helplessly.
"never mind!"
Cao Xing glanced at the list, which contained only three items: Morning Gold Grass, Black Eggs, and Paulownia Flowers.
"What are we going to do with all this?" Cao Xing asked Wu Peng, looking at the list of items with a puzzled expression.
"These are all local specialties. They can be sold for a lot of money at the incense fair." This information was gathered by Wu Peng from various sources.
"Buy whatever you can find among these three items. If you really can't find Morning Gold Grass and Black Eggs, then buy Paulownia Flowers. These are a specialty of Wutong City. They are plentiful and filling, so don't worry about not being able to buy them. I've calculated that the profit will be at least 800 taels."
Cao Xing rolled his eyes at Wu Peng, but had to admit that Wu Peng was the real cultivator, the kind who wouldn't let go of any opportunity.
In comparison, if I didn't have some special abilities, I would probably have been left far behind by Wu Peng.
Well, thankfully I have a cheat code.