Chapter 96: Risking Life to Make Money

It ached for a whole hour, the pain making her want to bite her tongue and kill herself.

After the Marrow Cleansing Pill finished, when she came to, she saw the black oil on her skin had been slowly purified by the space.

She was quite satisfied with that; she didn't have to be as stinky as novels describe, nor wash many times.

She sat cross‑legged and organized the information in her mind.

She set the internal force Mind Technique aside and first studied the Immortal Cultivation Heart Method carefully.

She began cultivation, but where were the spiritual stones? Weren't ten of them given?

Unable to find the spiritual stones, she contacted customer service and learned that the spiritual stones had directly turned into Spiritual Energy and been sent to her dantian.

She hurriedly followed the technique description, began Meditation cultivation, lest her dantian burst.

The Spiritual Energy from ten spiritual stones only raised her two small stages; she just reached Qi Refinement Stage 3 before it ran out.

She stood up, stretched lazily, performed a set of the fist technique she learned in her previous life; indeed she was light as a swallow, her strikes powerful, and a single hand seal lifted the wood with a forceful grab.

The Watermelon, ice cubes, and ice‑chilled fruit juice at Qiao Ji Snack Puzi became the best‑selling items from north to south.

After breakfast, she gave them a quick reminder, rode a winter jujube to County Town.

Tonight's harvest was good, giving her an understanding of the space and teaching her how to use the shopping Platform.

Female customers fell in love with this flavor; the fruit aroma paired with the yogurt's unique taste made them want a second bowl after the first.

She was thrilled that night; with such a space she now had great motivation.

Cultivation burns too much money; she thought she was rich, but after this whole episode she instantly returned to before emancipation.

Outside the sky was almost bright, and she finally felt the flow of internal force.

Looking at Yuan Jiaqi, he doesn't seem cut out for Martial Arts, but at least practicing a bit is better than being a weak scholar.

Lying on the bed, turning over and over, until the Kitchen Maid and the others arrived, she finally opened the door, let them tidy up and cook, handed Ling'er to the servant girl, and then purred briefly.

From now on she must risk her life to make money, saving bit by bit until the Year of the Monkey and the Month of the Horse.

Back home, Qiao Mai felt listless, but recalling what customer service said—that after SpaceUpgrade there would be Spiritual Energy, so she wouldn't need to buy spiritual stones—she perked up, decided to take cultivation slowly, starting with internal force.

Now her mind is full of gold.

Today she exchanged five thousand taels of gold, which could only get five spiritual stones, not enough for a level up, so she shouldn't bother customer service.

It was Qiao Mai who told them about the yogurt; otherwise how would they know?

"Give me a price; if it's suitable I'll sell to your pharmacy, if not I'll go elsewhere."

When May arrived, Tianshui Town heated up.

Passersby would stop, find an empty table in front of the shop, order a few Watermelons, a bowl of ice‑chilled fruit juice, eat some sticky Corn, and it felt truly satisfying.

When others bought incompatible items, he would kindly tell them, so they wouldn't blame the shop for bad goods.

Qiao Mai, biting her back molars, cursed, "It takes three thousand taels to exchange for three low‑grade spiritual stones; the later you go, the more spiritual stones are needed."

"Okay, I want gold, is that okay?"

For example, kumquats shouldn't be eaten with wine, fruit shouldn't be paired with seafood, and there are incompatibilities among fruits; he knows all that.

Arriving at the big pharmacy in Weicheng, she dismounted, tied the winter jujube to a wooden stake, and entered holding two boxes.

She sighed, sat cross‑legged at the edge of the ground, and cultivated internal force.

Whenever she comes, she'll always make something tasty.

"Madam, would you like a consultation or to pick up medicine?"

Shopkeeper Niu grinned broadly, "The owner is truly wonderful; simple fruit combined with fermented milk draws so many admirers."

Because she dressed well, after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill her body became ice‑skin and jade‑bone, skin translucent white; the Shopkeeper and the clerk dared not underestimate her.

Twenty‑thousand taels of silver is only two thousand taels of gold; Qiao Mai silently sighed in her heart, "One cannot rush making money."

After planting a whole bundle of Ginseng, she clutched her waist, gasped, stared at the ground, muttering under her breath.

She accepted everyone; a bowl cost one tael of silver.

Transaction completed, she hoisted a box of gold onto the horse, had no desire to buy anything, turned the horse's head and rode back.

"I have two old Ginseng roots I want to sell; does your shop buy them?"

Ah ha, she was too excited; after emerging from the space, she hadn't slept all night yet wasn't sleepy.

Let it grow in the space first; the older it gets the more valuable, and then it can be exchanged for more gold.

She gritted her teeth and harvested all the crops from the two plots of land, pulling them out root and all.

That day, just selling this could fetch a dozen or so bowls.

With barter examples, her useless items could be exchanged for things she needed.

She looked at the sky outside, then at the sleeping Ling'er, sat cross‑legged, and began cultivating the internal force Mind Technique.

She thought all day, just pondering, and entered the space at night.

First she would get her footing here; she decided to write down this internal force Mind Technique so that the child and Yuan Jiaqi could also cultivate it later.

Sure enough, after opening it he inhaled a cold breath, and the Shopkeeper carefully picked up the Ginseng and examined it repeatedly.

The most urgent task now is to go to County Town and Fucheng, exchange the silver notes for gold; she can't exchange it all at once, too conspicuous, only ten thousand taels or a few thousand at a time.

At the Great Ming Money House in County Town, she exchanged a thousand taels of gold, carried the box to Fucheng, and as soon as she left County Town, the box entered the space.

"Madam, your two Ginseng roots are 520 years old and 680 years old respectively; it's a pity they haven't reached a thousand years."

In the future she should communicate more with customer service; later, when the SpaceUpgrade rises, she'll have capital and can reward that customer service properly.

Looking at the eight‑tenths empty land, Qiao Mai decided not to plant fruits or vegetables, but to grow medicine, the most valuable medicine: Ginseng.

She worried about the land; the newly planted Four-Fen Land had already duplicated into another Four-Fen Land.

"In five days we can see the results; I wonder how many years old the Ginseng will be when it grows?"

Hehe!

"Collect, collect, could you please bring it for the madam to see?"

After leaving the city, they tossed the box into the void and made a self‑deprecating remark.

Arriving at the Great Ming Money House in Fucheng, they exchanged two thousand taels of gold, and the fifty thousand taels in their hand shrank instantly to twenty thousand taels of silver.

It was mainly to feed Ling'er—things like fruit salad, yogurt with fruit bits, and the like. Many female customers, when they saw it, would ask Qiao Mai to buy a bowl.

A vague hope rose in her heart; if there were no talk of cultivation, she wouldn't be in a hurry to earn money. Now she wishes gold could grow in the soil.

"A thousand‑year‑old ginseng root costs at least several ten‑thousand taels of silver—it's priceless on the market. For your two ginseng roots, I'll give you twenty‑thousand taels, no more, though it's far less than a thousand‑year‑old one."

"Sure, I'll send someone to the money house right away to fetch it."

The Shopkeeper's words made sense, and Qiao Mai expressed agreement.

Qiao Mai placed two long boxes on the counter; the Shopkeeper, upon seeing the boxes, knew that this ginseng could not be cheap.

Merchants who often travel the Guan Dao all know of this Small Food Puzi.

When Qiao Mai gets bored doing Embroidery Work, she takes Ling'er, Yuehong, and Yuexia to the shop.

Since following this master, they have learned a lot of knowledge about food.

When she is at the shop, it is always crowded; everyone wants to use the chance through her to eat some rare dishes.

Sometimes, after a day's accounting, they can bring in two hundred taels of silver, making Shopkeeper Niu so excited he wants to jump up.

After a month of observation, the dozen‑plus buyers were all satisfactory; Qiao Mai told Shopkeeper Niu that starting next month each person will earn an extra hundred wen, and Shopkeeper Niu's wages will increase to two taels.

Sure enough, the master knows they are all good and does not shortchange them.

(End of chapter)