Chapter 130: Using Pills to Make Wine, Opening Up New Business Opportunities

The Peiyuan Yangshen Pill, or perhaps one should call it Peiyuan Yangshen Soup, was a pill formula Chen Ci had accidentally obtained from a big shot of the Spirit Sect, the "Shengsi Qihuang Shenjun." It had no complex variations, relying entirely on a Peiyuan Method to extract the essence of flesh and blood.

As for its grade, Chen Ci found it hard to say; he only felt it might be stronger than a Bigu Pill, but because it did not involve the transformation of spiritual energy, it likely did not reach the rank of a Spirit Pill.

Sigh, but come to think of it, although Chen Ci came from the Outer Transmission of the He Mountain Sect, the inherited techniques he possessed seemed quite substantial for a Qi Refining cultivator.

The Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method, though common, originated from the Eight Views Palace and had a first-class foundation.

The Peiyuan Method, though its grade was unclear, was at least an inheritance from a Spirit Sect big shot; that Shengsi Qihuang Shenjun was at least a Dan Realm True Person. If he inquired about it in the future, it shouldn't be bad.

The Five Yin Demon Method, though a side-door technique of the He Mountain Sect, was a top-tier, superior-grade method for Qi Refining, inferior to none.

A volume of a remnant book, a superior-grade Qi Refining method for sword cultivators; although useless, its grade was there, enough to keep up appearances.

The White Bone Heart-Lock Hammer, its grade was unclear, but it was very handy to use; he feared it wouldn't be phased out even upon reaching the Dao Foundation.

The Five Yin Evil Qi Bag was quite good for a side-door item and had great potential within the Qi Refining realm.

The Worship Rakshasa Method, um... a big shot he couldn't afford to offend, the best of the best, the absolute peak.

Chen Ci withdrew his thoughts, his expression inexplicably strange. How did his own collection of Daoist techniques make him look so much like a scavenger who had cobbled together a set of divine gear? It looked quite impressive, but in reality, it was scattered and lacked a system.

"Don't mind these details."

Chen Ci shook his head and began to ponder ways to open up new sources of income.

In terms of pill methods, the "Yellow Sprout Pill" was actually much more reliable than the "Peiyuan Yangshen Pill." Moreover, although he hadn't tried it yet, Chen Ci vaguely felt that his previous shortcoming in alchemy, the "Condensing Pill Incantation," would also see significant improvement due to the enhancement of his True Qi quality. With effort, perhaps he could even break even.

But the Yellow Sprout Pill lacked competitiveness; the Yellow Sprout Pills Chen Ci refined wouldn't be any more palatable than those of others.

Furthermore, if a new alchemist wanted to gain a foothold, they would inevitably have to sell at low margins in the local market during the early stages, or even lose money just to build a reputation. Chen Ci wasn't sure if he would stay in the Liangjiang Sea Market for long, so the Yellow Sprout Pill was not a good choice.

But whether it was the "Yangshen Pill" or the "Peiyuan Yangshen Pill," neither were conventional Spirit Pills. Without a middleman to introduce these miscellaneous pills, others had never even heard of them, and naturally, they wouldn't buy them to eat.

"I'm a stranger in a strange land; where am I supposed to find a middleman?"

Chen Ci scratched his head, lost in deep thought.

Liangjiang Sea Market, Pingkang Ward.

Pingkang Ward was not far from the docks. As one of the most famous wards in the Sea Market, it covered a vast area. Although the buildings standing within had no treasure light or supernatural wonders, its prosperity surpassed all others. It was bustling day and night as if it were broad daylight, with singing and dancing that never ceased. There was even a small river bay dock specifically for a few flower-decked red boats to moor.

It was a Sea Market, after all, with docks and shipping. Whether they were travelers or crew members, they spent anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even a year or more, on their ships, and naturally, they were stifled in every sense of the word.

Therefore, Pingkang Ward was famous throughout the entire Liangjiang Sea Market for its fine food, fine wine, and beautiful women.

Not far outside Pingkang Ward, in a very ordinary eatery, Chen Ci gazed at an eight-story building covering several acres inside Pingkang Ward and smacked his lips with some envy.

Bazhen Tower, as the most famous eatery and wine house in the Liangjiang Sea Market, was said to serve even dragon liver and phoenix marrow. Even Dan Realm True Persons passing through the Sea Market were willing to stop there to taste the craftsmanship of the Spirit Chefs within.

But these had nothing to do with Chen Ci. The eatery he was in was called "Bawun Jian." The name was nice, but the shop only had seven or eight tables and no proper Spirit Chef; it relied entirely on the owner's exquisite skill in cooking Spirit Rice, focusing on the low-to-mid-end market.

One jin of Spirit Rice, once cooked, could yield two jin of Spirit Rice Meal, selling for sixteen liang of gold. If mixed with some Pearl Rice and paired with some meat dishes or main courses, it was just right for cultivators who had some money but not enough for luxury to gather and spend.

The owner of this eatery was surnamed Zhuang. It was a business passed down from father to son, but by this generation, the young master of the house didn't want to just be a cook; he wanted to be an alchemist. Relying on his family's fire control skills, he did have more prospects than ordinary people, but it consumed a lot of resources. He hadn't officially finished his apprenticeship yet, which led to the decline of the family eatery.

Spirit Rice Meal wasn't hard to cook, but to make it translucent, fragrant, sweet, and melt-in-the-mouth, it required some alchemy-style fire control and Observation Qi methods. Manager Zhuang was getting old; he could manage one or two pots of Spirit Rice Meal, but any more and he couldn't control the heat, making it easy to lose the flavor. He had no choice but to entrust the Everything Tower to find a Spirit Chef willing to cook Spirit Rice, helping for one hour every day after the You hour (5-7 PM) when business was busiest. As for the reward, it was half a jin of Green Bamboo Rice.

Half a jin of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice was only worth a little over five liang of gold and five qian of Five Elements Divine Sand; naturally, it couldn't attract a Spirit Chef who truly had skill.

However, sigh, Chen Ci took the job anyway.

Being able to practice his Fire Control Method and Observation Qi Method wasn't too much of a loss for Chen Ci. Most importantly, the owner needed to help him promote the Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, which counted as part of the reward.

Yes, Peiyuan Yangshen Wine.

Chen Ci had previously fallen into a misconception, always thinking about alchemy and Spirit Pills. But pills are pills; whenever the word "medicine" is attached, especially if it's something unseen, everyone hesitates before consuming it, always wanting to wait and see what effect it has on others first.

But wine is different. The more unseen, unheard-of, and filled with strange things the medicinal wine is, the more everyone wants to take a sip, driven by curiosity and rebellion.

This Peiyuan Yangshen Pill was originally a decoction. Dissolving it into strong liquor made it bright in color like wine and thick and smooth like amber, very refreshing. If he soaked things like Jiao bone, Jiao Whip, Old Ginseng, and goji berries in it, and displayed it in a fine glass jar—with Pingkang Ward right next door to the eatery—Chen Ci didn't believe there would be no market.

For the sake of his reputation, Chen Ci simply soaked two Peiyuan Yangshen Pills in one dou of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, about four jin in volume, selling it for one Spirit Pearl. If sold by the cup, it was ten liang of gold per pot, about three liang in weight, ensuring it had a strong kick and potent medicinal effect after drinking. In an eatery like "Bawun Jian," the price was neither abrupt nor cheap, complementing each other perfectly.

But it was a windfall.

As for the profit of health wine, those who know, know.

There was only one jar per day, no more. If it didn't sell, Chen Ci would have to think of another way.

"Daoist Chen, I'll be the villain before the gentleman and state things clearly."

The owner, Zhuang Fan, was an old Daoist who looked somewhat rigid, with deep wrinkles on his face and not very high cultivation, otherwise he wouldn't lack the energy to cook the Spirit Rice: "If any pot of Spirit Rice gets burnt or scorched and loses its fragrance, you must buy all of that pot of Spirit Rice Meal. As for the Peiyuan Spirit Wine you brought, I will promote it for you, but if it doesn't sell, you cannot blame me."

He also knew the wages he offered were low, but he wasn't willing to pay more, so after thinking about Chen Ci's proposal, he agreed. Mainly, after tasting the Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, he felt it was indeed quite good. If it could really open up the market, it would actually help the eatery's business.

"That is only right, Daoist Zhuang, please rest assured."

Chen Ci nodded. These things had been agreed upon beforehand, and he didn't mind.

After the You hour, as the sky grew dark, a significant flow of people—both those finishing work and those going to Pingkang Ward to enjoy themselves—would pass by the Zhuang family eatery. As the saying goes, "spend when you should, save when you can." Consumption in Pingkang Ward was not low; inviting two or three friends to eat and drink their fill outside before going in allowed them to have more fun without running out of stamina halfway, which would be embarrassing.

"Hey, Old Zhuang, bring a table of dishes as usual."

Four cultivators entered the eatery, dressed quite wealthily but lacking much nobility. They found an empty table and sat down, reaching out to call for service.

The waiter hurried over, and before long, brought out four cold and four hot dishes from the back kitchen, followed by a small pot of Spirit Rice Meal, about five jin in volume. Averaging it out, it was ten liang of gold per person, which was quite reasonable.

"Hey, Old Zhuang, what are you drinking there?"

The leader was clearly a regular who knew Old Zhuang. Seeing him sipping something at the counter, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Nothing much, some newly acquired Yangshen Wine."

Old Zhuang pursed his lips, patted the wine jar on the counter, and sighed: "That brat in my family has ambitions higher than the sky and looks down on the foundation passed down by our ancestors. I've been recuperating my body lately, preparing to have another child, otherwise, this shop won't be able to stay open in another ten or twenty years."

"Ha, hahaha!"

The group laughed, and the air inside and outside the shop was filled with joy.

The leading cultivator ate a few bites, suddenly looked up, glanced at the glass wine jar on the counter, and seemed somewhat moved: "Old Zhuang, how is the effect of this wine?"

"Not bad."

Old Zhuang drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, a slight flush rising on his face as he savored it: "Anyway, the Spirit Wine Master said that male cultivators can't handle it if female cultivators drink this Yangshen Wine, and female cultivators can't handle it if male cultivators drink it. I haven't been drinking it for long, but it does feel quite good."

"Heh, Old Zhuang, if that's the case, what should we do if we drink it together?"

Another diner sneered and asked a small, mocking question.

"That must be because the cloud bed couldn't take it."

Old Daoist Zhuang had been in business for decades, so he could naturally handle a small scene like this: "Come, everyone, please have a small cup. It's not that I, this old Daoist, am stingy, but this wine is a bit expensive, and this is all the wine I can afford to treat you to."

The waiter brought over four small wine cups and set them on the table. Seeing the wine in the cups, which looked like red jade, those few people were slightly moved. They picked them up, sniffed them carefully, and after confirming there were no issues, they took a small sip to taste it.

Huh, it seemed somewhat interesting. It wasn't as burning to the mouth as strong liquor, but the aftereffect was potent. A warm current dissolved throughout the body, yet it felt different from ordinary spirit wine; it didn't involve changes in spiritual energy, and the potency was pure.

"Whoa, this wine gives you strength."

The leading cultivator drank the wine in one gulp, though he still felt a bit unsatisfied: "Old Zhuang, you really are stingy. We are all regular customers, yet you only served this little bit of wine."

"Heh, this jar of health-nourishing wine is something I, this old Daoist, traded a Spirit Pearl to get."

Old Daoist Zhuang rolled his eyes: "I use it to nourish my body. You lot are all as vigorous as dragons and tigers; it would be a waste for you to drink it, so forget it."

One Spirit Pearl per jar?

The leading cultivator clicked his tongue, somewhat disbelieving, but he laughed it off: "That's true, we really don't need it much. Old Zhuang, you should drink more, haha."

Old Daoist Zhuang narrowed his eyes and drank another small cup, looking very satisfied.

After eating and drinking their fill, the leading cultivator paid the bill, and the group went off toward Pingkang Ward, chatting and laughing together.

About a quarter of an hour later, the flow of customers in the shop increased slightly, but a figure snuck up to the front desk and chuckled: "Old Zhuang, spare me another bowl of that health-nourishing wine to taste. I drank it too fast just now and didn't really savor the flavor; it's a bit of a pity."

It was none other than that same leading cultivator from before.

One chapter fierce, one chapter updated, 555~

(End of this chapter)