Chapter 304: I Know Where He's Hidden

"The more, the better?"

After repeating that line, Yang Chun's face, rarely, showed a wry smile.

"Jiang Cheng, little brother, I have great confidence in your potential and I trust you. Given time, you will surely become a fourth‑ or fifth‑level, even higher‑level refining alchemist, but for now I really can't provide you with many resources, because your method burns money far too quickly. So, here's the deal."

He extended a single finger.

"In a moment I can give you medicinal herbs worth one million yuan; at five thousand yuan per batch that's 200 batches. That's the greatest assistance I can offer you right now."

"Thanks, Brother Yang."

Jiang Cheng's face broke into a smile.

Two hundred batches, at a consumption of ten per session, are enough for twenty refinements; Pill Refining Mastery will certainly be within reach.

"Don't get too happy just yet."

Yang Chun waved his hand.

"These herbs worth one million yuan aren't free; you have to repay them. For example, if you use the 200 batches to produce 200 Primary Spirit Nourishing Pills, you could hand those in, leaving you still owing eight hundred thousand yuan. When you later refine pills, beyond the required quota you must produce extra ones to repay the debt. You may purchase herbs yourself or use the herbs we provide. If you choose the latter, that brings up another matter I hadn't intended to tell you so soon."

"What is it?"

Jiang Cheng asked.

"Regarding purchase, we have daily production quotas for each refining alchemist; meeting the quota is fine, but any surplus pill we can buy at thirty percent of market price, and the higher the pill's quality, the higher the purchase price."

"For instance, as a Level 1 Spirit Mind Practitioner, you're required to produce forty Primary Spirit Nourishing Pills daily. Any extra you may either consume yourself or sell to us for three hundred yuan each. Those are the only options; you cannot sell to anyone else, or it would be a violation."

"Understood."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"Thus, if you use the herbs we provide for free, you must repay the remaining eight hundred thousand yuan via this method. If you purchase the herbs yourself, we will buy back at seventy percent of market price, after all we need to make a profit as well."

Yang Chun smiled, "But as I said, if your skill is high enough, we can discuss the exact profit‑sharing ratio. So, Jiang Cheng, little brother, I suggest you think it over before deciding whether to borrow that one million."

"No need to consider it."

Jiang Cheng said outright, "I'll take the loan."

"Alright."

Seeing Jiang Cheng so certain, Yang Chun felt his confidence in him grow considerably; perhaps it truly is as he said?

"Brother Yang, if the one million worth of herbs runs out and my skill has indeed improved noticeably, could I continue borrowing herbs from you then?"

"?"

Yang Chun's eyes widened.

He stared straight at Jiang Cheng.

Good fellow, how much does he want to borrow? Isn't one million enough?

Another million?

Or more?

Jiang Cheng just kept looking at him.

There's a saying, how does it go again.

When you owe a bank ten thousand, you get nervous.

When you owe a bank a hundred million, the bank gets nervous.

It still applies today.

He owes the Black Market one million; if later the Dawn Society discovers him here and applies pressure, the Black Market may weigh the pros and cons.

But if he owes the Black Market ten million, a hundred million.

Aside from his family, the Black Market is absolutely the party in this world least willing to see him get into trouble.

Of course, that's just a side note.

What Jiang Cheng cares about most is quickly advancing his Pill Refining skill.

A Level 1 Spirit Mind Practitioner's Spiritual Power is truly too low. After a while, Yang Chun finally spoke up.

"We'll talk about it then, but if your skill improves by then, lending you another one or two million worth of herbs won't be difficult."

"Thanks, Brother Yang. Rest assured, I won't disappoint you," Jiang Cheng said, a smile curling his lips.

In no time, he received herbs valued at one million.

At his rate of six refinements per day, consuming sixty batches of herbs, this supply will last three to four days.

Then he'll go back to Yang Chun, show that he has achieved Pill Refining Mastery, and obtain another one or two million worth of herbs.

As for the debt?

It's not like I won't repay; just keep it in mind.

In the end, I'll definitely pay it back.

……

Third day, evening.

Dawn Society Headquarters.

After several days of quiet, the headquarters buzzed with its usual liveliness again.

Because the search for Jiang Cheng yielded little progress over several days, the Dawn Society members gradually returned.

It's not that they don't want to earn that fifty or one hundred million.

If they can't make it, what can they do? I've heard many went to the Poor District and still came away empty‑handed, wasting several days.

Inside the Office Building.

Two or three people were also venting in Bing Li's office.

"That damn gate is really messed up. I had someone pull the entry footage from the four city gates, and there was no sign of that Cang Hai guy."

"Could it be that he changed his appearance?"

"I also considered that, so I paid special attention to the people on the car, especially the Old Man, but still there was no progress. How on earth did that kid manage to take his family out of the city?"

The speaker was baffled.

"Could it be that he never left? Even if he disguised himself and left in batches, with three dependents in tow, where could he go? How far could he get? Our people would surely spot and find him."

"So he's still in the city? But Outer City District is that big; where could he hide? He couldn't have escaped into Inner City, could he?"

The speaker didn't even believe it themselves.

Because even their chairman finds it hard to enter Inner City District.

The three discussed for a while with no result, and finally their gazes all turned to Bing Li, who was seated in a chair, staring at the computer.

Since the discussion began, the latter had remained silent, continuously watching the computer screen.

Someone couldn't help but glance at his screen, and saw only records of Jiang Cheng's entries and exits at headquarters—dates and times of arrival and departure—spanning several months, dense and cramped, giving the viewer a headache.

"Bing Li, what can you see from this?" the man furrowed his brow, feeling the other was wasting time.

Bing Li shook his head, squinting, and said, "No, there's a crucial clue hidden here; we should have discovered it earlier."

"What does that mean?"

"Do you know where he is hidden?"

"Just from these entry‑exit logs you can tell?"

The other three in the room reacted differently.

"I can't say it's certain, but I have a hypothesis; take a look."

Bing Li waved his hand toward the three.

(End of chapter)