Novel Full Chapter 68: Middle Class
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Middle Class
After organizing his pills and talismans, Li Jizhou first went to the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion to complete his Honored Guest Elder task and conveniently sold off the extra talismans.
Now, he considers mid-level talismans beneath his dignity as trump cards, and has replaced them all with high-level upper-grade talismans, allowing him to have self-preservation against the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation.
Moreover, as his skills improved, he managed to replace half of his task talismans with middle-grade excellent ones, earning high praise from Qi Yuan once again.
The revenue from talismans this year amounted to nearly four hundred Spirit Stones.
He then took pills to Miaodan Tower; last year, within half a year’s time, he traded pills worth nine hundred Spirit Stones, becoming a fourth-level supply Pill Master, leading to higher buy-back prices for pills and decreased procurement costs for herbs, hence profits increased doubly.
During this year, the quality of the pills he concocted steadily rose, totaling around two thousand Spirit Stones’ worth of pills.
The profit was at least over seven hundred Spirit Stones.
However, to avoid being too high-profile, this time he only brought pills worth just over a thousand for trade, earning a profit of over three hundred Spirit Stones.
After trading the pills, adding the two hundred seventy Spirit Stones given by the Wen family, without counting reserved pills, talismans, or remaining herbs, Spirit Rice, and other household goods, only Spirit Stones, his net worth exceeded two thousand!
Additionally, his current monthly stable income was nearly a hundred Spirit Stones; in this medium-sized market where the average monthly stipend was less than twenty Spirit Stones, he was barely considered middle-class.
A middle-class lifestyle is quite comfortable, free from the deceit and trickery of the upper class and the bitter struggle of the lower class, especially for an artisan like him who earns his living through skill, not needing to cater to anyone, not relying on anyone, much less obey anyone’s orders.
He doesn’t even need to depend on this market or the cultivation world of the Qi Kingdom; he can find work anywhere and live comfortably.
Yet, Li Jizhou clearly understands that if it weren’t for his Reincarnation Treasure Mirror awakening memories of his past life, given his circumstances in this lifetime, without special opportunities or risking his life, it might take decades of hardship to reach middle-class status.
In his past life, even though Li Jizhou coincidentally inherited a Pill Master’s legacy, it took at least twenty years to truly become middle-class through alchemy.
“Pill Master Li’s skills have become increasingly exquisite, profiting greatly this time. It’s my great fortune to encounter Pill Master Li. May I hope for some favor from Pill Master Li, to express my gratitude?” The female cultivator steward of Miaodan Tower responsible for liaising with Li Jizhou offered the Spirit Stones from the pill sales with both hands and extended an invitation.
This woman served as a business steward, primarily tasked with attracting supply Pill Masters.
The three major pill shops in the market, though essentially one entity with aligned goals, privately still have some competition.
For example, regarding supply Pill Masters, when Li Jizhou first sold superior Qi Condensing Pills, the other two towers quickly learned of his information, approached him and promised to transfer selling points, although benefits couldn’t be altered, yet certain quarterly or yearly levels could earn extra large gift packages.
However, Li Jizhou did not agree to their solicitations; instead, he truthfully informed the steward at Miaodan Tower, ultimately receiving similar treatment from them.
“Fairy Huang is too polite; it’s just business and mutual cooperation.” Li Jizhou declined.
“Pill Master Li, to be honest, today’s invitation also includes other good news to share.” Steward Huang smiled mysteriously.
“Oh? If that’s indeed the case, then I shall accept it graciously.” After a year of seclusion, occasionally enjoying some indulgence isn’t out of question, as a form of refreshment.
“Many thanks to Pill Master Li for gracing us with your presence; see you at the Drunken Immortal Inn at midnight.”
After bidding farewell to Steward Huang, Li Jizhou paid his rent, feeling relaxed and opted to stroll around the market.
Arriving at the west gate, he happened to witness market management expelling several loose cultivators unable to pay their rent.
These loose cultivators previously resided in the Outer City District, cohabiting an attic, paying three Spirit Stones monthly, but recently, having failed to renew their rent, they lost the qualification to stay in the market.
In this aspect, the former Inverted Mountain was indeed their Holy City.
Other than Inverted Mountain, if they wish to continue on this cultivation path, they’d have to find means in small cultivation families.
Furthermore, Li Jizhou unexpectedly encountered a skirmish within the city.
However, both sides seemed restrained, not implicating innocents.
One side continued to shout about reporting to market city guards.
Li Jizhou watched from afar, finding out the cause: a party owed Spirit Stones and was being unreasonable, resulting in the creditor angrily taking action.
When the city guards arrived and understood the situation, they punished both parties equally, fining one Spirit Stone each, with stern warnings.
No matter the reason, fighting within the market leads to penalties.
If there are grievances, they should be settled outside the city.
Watching this, Li Jizhou smiled slightly.
This one-size-fits-all management approach works; it’s simple for management while suppressing residents’ aggressiveness, eventually making everyone as gentle as sheep, learning endurance, which suits someone like Li Jizhou who never stirs trouble and has a peaceful mindset.
After a leisurely stroll, he returned to his courtyard.
He happened to see Gua Gua surfacing, called it over and carefully sensed its condition.
“Still no abnormalities!”
“Strange! Could it be that Inferior Pill toxins have no effect on it?” Over the year, all Inferior Pills had been consumed by Gua Gua.
Moreover, Li Jizhou discovered that he originally thought Gua Gua liked pills, but it’s different; it likes only Inferior Pills.
Without experience in beast control, unfamiliar with Spirit Beast conditions, Li Jizhou didn’t dwell on it; as long as it wasn’t poisoned to death, it was fine.
With an evening banquet planned, he decided to put aside his cultivation temporarily, and took out his Jade Talisman for the latest Celestial Secret Tower bulletin update.
The bulletin content for the previous two quarters remained largely consistent, depicting Inverted Mountain as chaotic while the outside three sects and five great families flourished in peace.
This quarter’s bulletin went even further, completely denigrating Inverted Mountain as a hellish pit, even connecting the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance within Inverted Mountain to the infamous Demon Dao’s nine sects in the local cultivation world with specific instances.
Additionally, there were Spirit Painter-rendered images claiming to capture the scene.
“The atmosphere has reached the extremes!”
“The three sects and five families are likely preparing to act!”
Li Jizhou keenly perceived this trend.
Immediately, he ventured out again, and this time, focused heavily on stockpiling talisman materials, particularly those for attack, breaking formations, defense, and escape.
He then visited the three pill shops separately, using a five-year retreat as an excuse, and purchased large quantities of herbs for Qi Recovery Pills, Nourishing Breath Pills, Bursting Pills, Healing Pills, and other wartime essential pills.
This emptied Li Jizhou’s Spirit Stone reserves once again.
Unfortunately, his capital was too limited; otherwise, with an investment of a million Spirit Stones, once the war began, just by relying on the price difference in herbs, he could make a profit of over thirty percent.
However, the risk would be too high. Under the rule of the three sects, without a background in authority, such speculative capital ventures are simply making wedding dresses for those in power, leaving a notorious record.
Additionally, Li Jizhou wasn’t overly enthusiastic about Spirit Stone wealth; being moderately wealthy is adequate, because in such a world, many crucial resources can’t be purchased with Spirit Stones alone.
Shortly after midnight, Li Jizhou arrived at the more renowned Drunken Immortal Inn in the Spirit Pearl Mountain market as promised.
Their Spirit Wine, Hundred Flowers Brew, is truly exceptional, pleasantly cool and containing spiritual energy, with considerable potency.
However, it is indeed quite expensive.
A jar of Hundred Flowers Brew costs five Spirit Stones, almost equivalent to two top-grade Qi Condensing Pills.
The average cultivator can hardly afford to drink it.
Li Jizhou was a bit surprised regarding Steward Huang inviting him here.
Given Steward Huang’s monthly stipend, it’s less than fifty, and a meal here would likely cost around ten Spirit Stones.
“Pill Master Li, please come in.” Upon entering the reserved room, Steward Huang welcomed him warmly.
“Fairy Huang is too polite.” As Li Jizhou entered, he discovered another female cultivator inside the room.
She was dignified and beautiful, her figure slender.
“Come, Yueshang, this is the Pill Master Li I’ve told you about, our Miaodan Tower’s Pill Master. In just a year and a half, he’s become our fourth-level supply Pill Master, with limitless prospects.”
“Pill Master Li, this is my younger sister, Huang Yueshang, at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, possesses a Middle Grade Water Spirit Root, proficient in cultivating water-nourishing techniques.”