Chapter 77: Wonderful Technique

"A vast blue ocean."

Chen Ci paced slowly within Sanyin Temple, countless thoughts surging in his heart, finally gradually calming: "There is something to be done."

Although Changping County was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the land was remote and the people poor, it was not without purchasing power.

The most important thing was to have what the cultivators of this place needed.

And it had to be cheap.

These two points seemed easy, but were actually very difficult, because the vast majority of low-level cultivators were self-sufficient, and even if there were any transactions, they were thinking of earning a profit from you; how would they be willing to let you earn their money?

It was just like the Soul Fixing Talisman; outside of the He Mountain Sect, apart from cultivators who had run into evil, no one else had this need.

Conversely, for things like the Bigu Pill, if Shi Sanniang did not provide wild game for Refining Essence, he would be too lazy to earn a few hundred taels of silver.

Health-Preserving Pills were actually not necessities either; for cultivators, this kind of medicine that stimulated Qi and blood had no effect if one didn't eat it.

But the problem was that there was this treasure of an aunt, Shi Sanniang.

If this land was fertile, and the ox couldn't plow, didn't it need a supplement?

If this ox was supplemented, could it be that that ox wouldn't be supplemented?

Not to mention silver, Five Elements Divine Sand, there were quite a few cultivators in the mountains who knew some Evil Methods, so refining some Essence was never a problem; gold, iron, Spirit Medicine, Spirit Material, and the like were not impossible to negotiate either.

Although the cost of one Health-Preserving Pill was only three taels of silver.

But what he earned was craft money, it was hard-earned money!

Actually, it was mainly hard on Shi Sanniang; if it could really succeed, he would just give her a few more pills next time.

"Sigh, I, Master Chen, am still kind-hearted, but this matter cannot be rushed; I still have to let the reputation of the Health-Preserving Pill slowly ferment."

If one wants to cultivate comfortably, one cannot leave the two words "provisioning."

Like Outer Transmission Disciples of a great sect performing labor to provide for Inner Sect Disciples.

Like the tenant farmers under Sanyin Temple farming to provide for Chen Ci's cultivation.

There was no difference; it was just one layer of exploitation after another.

But the output of mortals was, after all, too little; if Chen Ci wanted to progress faster, he could only make those miscellaneous rogue cultivators suffer a little.

"True Person Chen, this is the cargo funds for this month; please kindly accept."

Inside Sanyin Temple, Huang Yongxing, who was the newly appointed Head of the Family of the Huang Family, presented the Abyssal Sinking Sand to Chen Ci, but looking at his complexion, it seemed that the position of Head of the Huang Family was not sitting so comfortably.

Chen Ci faintly felt that the secret behind the Huang Family was not told to anyone else by that fellow Huang Defa; since that was the case, he was happy to pretend not to know, and aside from being on guard, everything remained as usual.

"Why, has business been a bit sluggish lately?"

Chen Ci asked curiously: "I have a type of pill here that is best for health and nourishment. Would the Head of the Huang Family like to have a bottle? One bottle is only one hundred gold."

"Ha, True Person is too polite."

Huang Yongxing had been a little tempted, but upon hearing that price, he pulled his hand back with a 'whoosh' and changed the subject: "It can be considered a business problem; recently, for some reason, shipping has been somewhat blocked, and consequently, the prices of goods in Xishan Prefecture have risen quite a bit. Life is a bit hard."

Shipping blocked?

Could it be that the matter of that so-called Waterway Superintendent had not been sorted out yet?

Chen Ci's thoughts turned, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, then asked casually: "What kind of business are you and Deacon Lin actually doing? It looks like you travel quite far."

"Just some medicinal herb business in the mountains; following Deacon Lin to earn some hard-earned money."

Huang Yongxing sighed: "Ever since something happened at Qingquan Village, the family's income has also been missing a piece; it's difficult."

Huang Yongxing soon took his leave. Watching his hurried retreating figure, Chen Ci touched his chin and chuckled softly.

Although the medicinal herb business in the mountains could be considered profiteering, it was enough to support the Huang Family, but to make Lin Banshan care, that was not enough. However, he figured it was probably some Spirit Plants that were not easy to bring into the light. Although he was curious, he would not delve into it.

It is said that one trade is like one mountain; thoroughly understanding what is in one's own hands is the right path.

Half a month later.

Chen Ci looked at the Five Fierce God Statue in his hand and clicked his tongue in wonder. This strange statue with five heads and ten arms—he didn't know if it had been with him, Master Chen, for too long and had been rendered by his, Master Chen's, kindness, but now it inexplicably looked a bit delicate and pretty, ugly-cute.

Near vermilion, one becomes red; that is the principle.

As for the Soul Fixing Talismans he brushed onto it every day, it probably didn't have much to do with it.

Moreover, the five Fierce Gods inside—that blood-red color had finally been washed away completely, becoming five thin, withered phantoms, gray and white, gray with a hint of white; it was a picture of them potentially kicking the bucket at any moment, yet they inexplicably revealed a sense of detachment.

To put it profoundly, they had attained the Dao.

To put it bluntly, they had seen through things.

"This heat, it should be enough, right?"

Chen Ci was slightly suspicious: "You lot, walk a few steps for your master; get up and walk a few steps."

It was strange; Chen Ci had neither refined nor offered sacrifices to this Dharma Artifact statue, so he couldn't achieve a connection of hearts, but after one word, the five ghosts actually moved. It was just that they didn't seem very smart; two of them bumped into each other and almost knocked themselves apart.

Hmm... can such five ghosts really be nimble?

Chen Ci expressed deep skepticism.

But with so many Soul Fixing Talismans brushed on, the sunk cost was there; he really couldn't bear not to try.

Hour of the Rat.

Chen Ci sat upright in the yin ground of the backyard. The Black Jade Rice seedlings all around had already headed; eighty or ninety seedlings actually gave him the illusion of a farmer having a bumper harvest, but it didn't quite match the gloomy atmosphere of the yin ground.

Never mind, Chen Ci held the Ancient Bronze Lamp in his left hand and the Five Fierce God Statue in his right, with a scroll of hand-copied scriptures placed in the middle.

Called: Five-Ghost Wonderful Technique.

It was the core of the Five-Ghost Transportation Technique, which had to be recited to the five ghosts with True Qi.

Chen Ci placed the Five Fierce God Statue on the ground, took a deep breath, stimulated his voice with True Qi, and began to chant the Five-Ghost Wonderful Technique. A low incantation accompanied by True Qi was sent into the Five Fierce God Statue. Clearly, it was Chen Ci alone chanting, but as time passed, it seemed as if hundreds or thousands of people were incessantly persuading the five ghosts, brainwashing them.

Five Ghosts: Yes, yes, yes, Master, everything you say is right.

Five Yin Evil Qi Bag: Oh no, a rival has arrived!

When Chen Ci had finished chanting the Five-Ghost Wonderful Technique five times, the heat was just about right. With a light tap of the Spirit Iron Short Sword, this Five Fierce God Statue was split open.

Chen Ci placed the Ancient Bronze Lamp to the side. As it was stimulated by True Qi, the Five-Ghost Wonderful Technique ignited without fire, turning into a thin mist that wrapped around the five ghosts and fell toward the bronze lamp.

Done!

If the Five Ghosts had resisted even slightly at this moment, the practice would have been considered a failure, but Chen Ci had done so much preparatory work that there wasn't even a ripple; the Five Ghosts moved house peacefully, settling into the Ancient Bronze Lamp.

Sigh, having lived through so much hardship, it couldn't possibly be worse than being inside that idol.

For the final step, Chen Ci extended the five fingers of his left hand, preparing to nourish the Five Ghosts with the blood from his fingertips, and then the Five Ghosts Transportation Method would be complete.

"Come on."

According to what the Five Ghosts Transportation Method stated, the Five Ghosts should pounce to devour the flesh and blood of the fingertips at this time; if they devoured too much, it meant these Five Ghosts were rebellious and could not be kept, while the less they devoured, the higher the quality of these Five Ghosts, and the more promising their future.

Yet Chen Ci waited for a long while, and his Five Ghosts remained coiled on the Ancient Bronze Lamp, not moving at all; although they did convey a sense of longing, the overall meaning was: Master, just handle it yourself.

"No, I didn't practice this wrong, did I? How come these fellows seem like they've completely laid flat?"

Chen Ci muttered a few words, used the Spirit Iron Short Sword to cut his fingertip, and with a grimace, five drops of fingertip blood were sent by his True Qi into the Ancient Bronze Lamp; the Five Ghosts did not fight over them, one drop per ghost, and their original forms immediately became a bit more solid, their auras also gradually stabilizing.

"It's done?"

Chen Ci looked at this Ancient Bronze Lamp, and a very novel feeling emerged in his heart; it was as if he had gained five extra hands out of thin air.

It wasn't just a third hand, but five hands all at once.

Little Left, Little Right: Oh no, how come we have rivals now!

He subconsciously glanced at his Gold Finger panel.

Five Ghosts Transportation Method: Entry/1/100 (Refining one drop of Essence Refining daily can advance one of them; subdue the heart-ghost, and the spirit-ghost will be born of itself.)

(End of this chapter)