Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 227: Profiting and Pill Refining (6.7k, 200 monthly votes plus extra)

During the beast tide, countless cultivators were forced to gather in the capital city, just like the Huang family. This was not an exception, but rather the norm.

As a result, after several months, the Great Unity Association's philanthropic project achieved unimaginable success.

Even Yu Xian, who was mentally prepared for the increasing number of Spirit Stones in his hands, felt an overwhelming excitement.

Although theoretically these Spirit Stones were not his, he had to bear the enormous management costs.

But theory was theory, and reality was reality.

Now he was the player, the referee, the organizer, and even the regulator. Only a fool would blow the whistle on himself for violating the rules.

As long as the Preceding Entry Stage operations were stable, the huge amount of funds accumulated later could be used by him.

The headquarters of the Great Unity Association in the capital city, the office space.

Yu Xian, for the sake of the Spirit Stones, rarely missed a day of work. Every increase in funds would become a powerful support for him to step into the Nascent Soul Realm.

At this moment, he was listening to the financial report from his subordinates.

And the person in charge of finance was none other than the first batch of preparatory members who joined the Great Unity Association, codenamed Old Turtle.

Old Turtle's real name was Gui Shou, and his aptitude was extremely poor, similar to Yu Xian's.

However, under such circumstances, he actually cultivated all the way to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and with the help of the unorthodox Gold Core, he formed a false pill.

He was skilled in plum blossom divination and especially good at seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster. He joined the Great Unity Association based on his divination of a great calamity opportunity.

The so-called great calamity meant that if he joined, he would have a one in ten chance of survival. But if he survived, he would gain tremendous benefits.

However, he had yet to see any benefits for the time being.

Gui Shou looked at Yu Xian, his mysterious boss, and concealed all his thoughts.

"Chairman, we collected 1.365 million Spirit Stones yesterday, a slight decrease compared to the previous day. It is estimated that the collection of Spirit Stones will continue to decline in the future.

Currently, there are theoretically 76.423 million Spirit Stones remaining on the books, and the actual storage in the warehouse is 423,000 Spirit Stones..."

When Gui Shou said this, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

He thought that after cultivating all the way to this point, he already had a deep gambling nature. He was willing to risk his life for opportunities.

However, after seeing Yu Xian, he realized that all his previous gambling was child's play.

If this account book were exposed, the entire Great Unity Association would be torn to pieces by angry cultivators.

"Chairman, isn't this too risky?" Gui Shou felt that it was more exciting than hunting and killing demon kings in the Golden Peng Demon Vein.

His one in ten chance of survival had not yet come to an end.

Yu Xian, however, remained calm. "Spirit Stones piled up there are useless, just a pile of rocks. But in my hands, they can truly be valuable.

As long as the subsequent collection of Spirit Stones keeps up, you don't have to worry. Help me manage the finances well, and twenty years later, you will be a true member of the Great Unity Association.

By then, I will also show you the true face of the Great Unity Association."

Yu Xian naturally knew what Gui Shou was worried about.

These Spirit Stones couldn't be gathered by just a few rogue cultivators. There were also investments from various aristocratic families in the city.

Some of them are doing it out of respect for the Lord of the Mansion, saving up some Spirit Stones, while others are trying to take advantage of the opportunity to make some profit.

After all, Datong Society will have the endorsement of the Lord of the Mansion, and these Spirit Stones can be exchanged for Outsider Gold Cores. Why not?

Don't be fooled by the fact that it only costs about 1.5 million Spirit Stones for Yu Xian to refine an Outsider Gold Core. Yu Xian uses free labor.

The market price is much higher than that. Any Outsider Gold Core that goes up for auction is not worth discussing if it's less than 2 million Spirit Stones.

Leaving 200,000 Spirit Stones there is not a loss as long as you get a spot within a hundred years.

Especially since Yu Xian has deliberately left a backdoor open to attract the investment of these landlords.

As long as they invest 1 million Spirit Stones or more, not only will they get a lottery spot for 200,000 Spirit Stones, but if they win a spot, they can choose any cultivator to use it, as long as they take it on the spot.

Therefore, investing 200,000 Spirit Stones is just basic operation.

Some families with a gambling nature even put up most of their liquid assets.

Once they win a spot for an Outsider Gold Core, even if their own family doesn't have a suitable candidate, they can sell it for profit.

The market price for an Outsider Gold Core is close to 2 million Spirit Stones, and it's not readily available, so adding a 10-20% markup is reasonable.

If you can't afford to pay all the Spirit Stones at once, it's not a problem.

After all, Datong Society requires the debt to be paid off within ten years, which means paying back 200,000 Spirit Stones a year is enough.

When they lend money, they ask for 250,000 Spirit Stones a year, or even 300,000 Spirit Stones, which is also reasonable.

Even if a False Dan cultivator can't earn 300,000 Spirit Stones in a year without taking too much risk, it's not a problem.

Paying back 100,000 Spirit Stones a year, it would take 30-50 years to pay off the debt.

False Dan True Immortals are also True Immortals, with a lifespan of up to 500 years, so what's the problem with spending one-tenth of their time to repay the debt?

So this kind of treasure has no shortage of buyers.

This is also why Yu Xian specifically reserved the qualification for big funds, otherwise why would others entrust him with their Spirit Stones?

Only when interests are tied together can everyone be united.

And judging from the current funds on the books, the effect is obviously very good.

This is also why Yu Xian must bring in Lord Chu as a partner.

Without his endorsement as a Lord of the Mansion and a person from a prestigious background, others wouldn't dare to invest so confidently.

After all, Lord Chu is worth tens of millions, even if there's a thunderstorm, he can afford to lose.

It's just that no one would have expected the subsequent funds to become increasingly large.

It's not that their vision is not far-sighted, it's just that they have never seen this kind of operation before.

And even Lord Chu probably didn't expect Yu Xian to be so bold and dare to secretly drain the funds.

Actually, Lord Chu had considered sending someone to supervise the finances, but Yu Xian firmly refused, citing his own business secrets.

However, afterwards, Yu Xian sent Lord Chu the dividends from that year in advance, a total of three million Spirit Stones.

In addition to the strong men constantly being sent from Datong Society, even if Lord Chu had doubts, in the face of interests, he could only pretend not to see them.

After all, what he has given is too much.

Returning to see Yu Xian, the president, like this, was calm but could only force a smile.

He didn't get a single Spirit Stone, but the risk was the same. There was really nowhere to reason with.

If he had known that this easy and high-paying job would be like this, he might as well have followed that fellow daoist, Cang Lang, to hunt and kill the Demon King.

The risk of hunting and killing the Demon King was at least predictable and visible.

He sighed silently and subtly brought up the issue of the daily costs of the Great Unity Society with Yu Xian, hoping that Yu Xian would at least leave some Spirit Stones on the books.

But Yu Xian did not agree.

Nowadays, the staff at the headquarters of the Great Unity Society in the capital city, those high-ranking cultivators who accounted for the majority of the costs, were all reserve members of the Great Unity Society, and their salaries were replaced with merit points.

As for those low-level cultivators, the hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones on the books were more than enough to cover their expenses.

"I know what's on the books, just focus on your job."

Yu Xian didn't feel at ease leaving millions of Spirit Stones locked in the warehouse every day. Only his storage bag was the safest place.

"Alright."

Seeing that Yu Xian was unyielding, Guishou could only leave in frustration.

His life was in someone else's hands, and he really didn't have the confidence to refuse, just like when he wanted to explain the difference between plum blossom divination and arithmetic to the president.

After Guishou left, Yu Xian looked through the account book he left behind. His gaze gradually deepened, and the strings of numbers on it were like the whispers of a devil, making it impossible to resist.

"Look at these lovely numbers. If I were to go to a secret realm, farm and sell goods, and kill and snatch treasures, how many years would it take to accumulate these Spirit Stones."

"Tsk tsk, can I consider that I've tied everyone to my pirate ship?"

Yu Xian closed the account book, chuckled softly, and apart from occasional pangs of conscience, he didn't feel much pressure in other aspects.

Don't be fooled by the large amount of funds on the books, the risks he faced were not proportional to the funds at all.

All the cultivators on the list of income couldn't even compare to a single hair of the Golden Peng Demon Emperor.

Because even if they were furious and wanted to kill him, they couldn't pose much of a threat to him.

He patted his butt, used his deception technique, and no matter where you looked, you wouldn't be able to find a trace of him.

As for the Golden Peng Demon Emperor, he didn't even have the courage to show his face.

"The nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong."

"So everyone, pray that I can break through smoothly without any unexpected events. If I make up for the deficit, then I will truly benefit the world."

Yu Xian muttered to himself in a low voice, and his figure gradually disappeared from the room.

...

In the capital city, Danwang Street.

The city lord's mansion had a pill refining area specially set up for pill refining masters, with third-grade superior spiritual veins supplying energy. In the pill rooms, Earth Fire arrays were set up to extract fire veins below ten thousand meters, and by activating the arrays, they could provide Earth Fire of one to three grades, which was very convenient.

But the price was really not cheap.

Even second-grade pill refining masters wouldn't consider renting a room for a long time.

They would only spend some Spirit Stones to rent a pill room here when refining Medicine Pills that they weren't very confident in, to add a little advantage to pill refining.

Yu Xian, disguised, walked on Danwang Street, familiarly greeting the cultivators stationed here.

"Sun Dan Shi, have you returned from gathering herbs?"

The cultivator stationed in Danwan Street is an experienced Foundation Establishment cultivator with an excellent memory. He knows all the alchemists living in the neighborhood.

Sun Dan Shi moved to Danwang Street with his family a year before the beast tide. He is a second-tier pill refining master, with a skill level that is neither high nor low.

However, unlike most pill refining masters who sought refuge in the capital city, he did not accept the recruitment of the city's families and had a somewhat independent nature.

But his skill level is quite good, and he occasionally produces some second-tier high-grade elixirs, which allows him to afford the high rent in Danwang Street.

However, without the support of a family, he often has to go out for a period of time to obtain one or two medicinal herbs.

Yu Xian smiled and replied a few words before entering the rented courtyard.

The exterior of the courtyard is unremarkable, but inside, there is a mist prison formation personally arranged by him. It is not only highly concealed, but even a Gold Core cultivator would be delayed for a while upon entering.

In the courtyard, Yulan was whispering to a white tiger, but the tiger's fur stood on end, emitting a sound of grievance.

"Darling."

Yulan was momentarily stunned, then turned her head in pleasant surprise to see Yu Xian opening his arms and smiling at her.

With a snap!

Yulan was like an octopus, wrapping herself around Yu Xian.

"Darling, I'm so bored here. Little Sister Han is always helping you with pill refining, and I don't dare to disturb her. Only Ah Miao keeps me company."

Yulan nestled in Yu Xian's arms, complaining.

"Then I'll make more time to accompany you. After the beast tide is over, I'll take you out to have fun."

Yu Xian comforted her softly.

Yulan can be said to be his only soft spot. Naturally, he would not expose her to the risk of being targeted at any time.

Even though he believed he had hidden his identity quite well, it's always better to be cautious.

Yulan knew the importance of discretion. She softly agreed and said:

"You don't have to come often. As long as you occasionally come to see me, Yulan will be very happy."

"Then I'll occasionally come." Yu Xian said with a teasing expression.

Yulan's face immediately turned red with anger as she huffed:

"Darling, you're always teasing me. I'll bite you to death."

She opened her mouth and lightly bit Yu Xian's shoulder, like a little cat.

Lying on the ground, lazily displaying its motherly demeanor, Ah Miao covered its eyes with its paws, but left a gap, flickering with a highly human-like Eight Trigrams shine.

As a tiger demon who has read extensively, it has seen countless scenes of romance between talented men and beautiful women.

Especially when Yu Xian and Yulan never treated it as a person.

Many of their actions were not discreet, allowing it to broaden its horizons. It felt that firsthand experience was much richer than the knowledge in books.

After Yu Xian and Yulan affectionately spent some time together, they held hands and entered the pill refining room.

The room had a cool climate, with only the central pill furnace shining with firelight, warm and radiant, giving a sense of the earth's heaviness. It was the Spirit Fire Yellow Mud Fire.

After years of nurturing and refining, its spirituality and firepower have become even more rich and pure.

Meanwhile, Luo Han sat in the Lotus Position in front of the alchemy furnace, her eyes closed tightly. Her aura was faintly connected to the furnace, and as the spiritual pill gradually took shape inside the furnace, her aura also slightly strengthened.

After refining the Five Elements Yuan Dan for more than ten years, her cultivation base had already surpassed Yu Lan's Foundation Establishment late stage a few years ago.

After all, her cultivation technique was special, and her cultivation base advancement was related to pill refining.

For Luo Han, the cost of refining the Five Elements Yuan Dan that Yu Xian asked her to refine, which cost millions of Spirit Stones, was equivalent to a furnace of great replenishing pills.

It's unclear how long had passed.

Taking advantage of the rare leisure time, Yu Xian whispered to Yu Lan on the side, occasionally causing Yu Lan to cover her mouth and stifle her laughter, afraid of disturbing Luo Han's pill refining.

Even if Yu Xian said that the spiritual pill had already passed the most critical stage of fusion, it didn't matter if there was some movement.

After about half an hour, Luo Han's aura disconnected from the alchemy furnace, and the lingering Spiritual Qi around her gradually subsided.

"The Medicine Pill is not yet refined, why did you come?" Luo Han's eyes still seemed a bit confused when she saw Yu Xian.

Day and night of pill refining had not only benefited her cultivation, but also turned her brain into a single thread, making her speech feel a bit thoughtless.

Yu Xian pretended to be displeased at his words. "I missed you, can't I come and see you?"

Only then did Luo Han react and smiled unkindly. "If you really care about me, don't let me refine this Five Elements Yuan Dan again. I'm about to vomit."

Anyone who continuously refines the same Medicine Pill for more than ten years would feel bored.

Yu Xian quickly smiled and said, "Who let me marry such a good wife? If it weren't for my lack of skill, I really wouldn't bear to see you work so hard."

Luo Han stood up and walked to Yu Xian, sitting on his lap with Yu Lan on one side and herself on the other, occupying half of his embrace. She rubbed her head comfortably and spoke lazily.

"It's not too hard, just a bit boring."

"But if I can help you, then I think it's okay. And I don't trust anyone else to refine such precious spiritual pills."

Yu Lan, who was cheek to cheek with Luo Han, closed her eyes and pretended to be dead, indicating that she was a useless person.

But she had long accepted this fact, so she didn't find Luo Han's words harsh or hurtful.

Yu Xian gently stroked Luo Han's long hair with his palm, as if stroking a cat from top to bottom, and said softly,

"Just a few more years, and I'll come to pick you up."

To refine the Five Elements Yuan Dan, one must at least have the skill level of a third-tier pill refiner. If one wants to have full confidence, they would need to be a third-tier pill refiner.

And third-tier pill refiners were already esteemed guests of major forces, each with their own background and circle.

To find a third-tier pill refiner who completely trusts (free-rides) them, one can only rely on fate.

So for now, Luo Han and Elder Wu are still his reliance.

With sufficient materials, these two pill refiners can provide him with up to eight External Dao Gold Cores in a year.

In the past, there was more than enough, and even half a year of vacation could be taken every year.

But now it's a bit tight.

There's no way, the local cultivators are too enthusiastic, rushing to give him Spirit Stones.

Yu Xian felt for the first time that having too many Spirit Stones was also a kind of happy trouble.

Originally, he wanted Luo Han to work overtime, but seeing her like this, he couldn't say anything.

So he could only rely on Old Wu with great difficulty.

Take care of your own woman, no one takes care of the old man.

On this day, the three of them didn't discuss anything intimate.

Since Yu Xian began his cultivation, he has never had the experience of not wearing pants.

...

The next day.

Yu Xian, yawning, transformed into Sun Dan Shi and went to visit his neighbor, Old Wu, who lived not far away.

Yu Xian, familiar with the way, opened the formation and entered the house, only to hear the voices of Old Wu and several women, very lascivious.

"Master Dan Shi, it can turn!"

Suddenly, a woman exclaimed, as if she had seen something unimaginable.

Yu Xian: "..."

Wow, he thought Old Wu was working him like a horse, being tormented and suffering, but he didn't expect him to have so much fun in private.

It seems that the burden on him is not heavy enough.

Yu Xian unconsciously took on the role of a heartless boss.

This kind of boss, when he sees his subordinates happier than himself, feels uncomfortable all over and has to find something to do.

Yu Xian shook his head, throwing away the thoughts of this dark-hearted person.

"If the employee can complete the work tasks quickly and without mistakes, what's wrong with having some personal hobbies in private? Yu Xian, oh Yu Xian, how can you be so petty."

"You're giving him more work to hone his professional skills, which is beneficial to him personally and to the collective."

"Yes, that's right."

Yu Xian successfully convinced himself.

Then he cleared his throat twice.

The voice was not loud, but just enough for the people inside to hear.

There were rustling sounds in the room, as well as Old Wu's urging voice.

"Hurry up, hurry up."

After a while, Old Wu, with disheveled clothes and a guilty expression, cautiously opened the door.

"It turns out... it's Master Sun Dan."

Old Wu hesitated for a moment, showing an embarrassed smile.

Yu Xian said, "Sun just returned from outside not long ago and wanted to seek advice from fellow Daoist Wu, but it seems to be an unfortunate timing."

"Unfortunate, very unfortunate."

Wu Laozu smiled and opened the door completely.

"Master Sun is a rare guest. Hongmei, hurry up, you all can go back first."

Three beautiful female cultivators walked out from the inner room. They had graceful figures and seductive postures, clearly exuding a captivating charm.

"Master Dan, if you want to play with us again next time, just send a spiritual talisman directly."

The female cultivator named Hongmei didn't forget to throw a flirtatious glance at Yu Xian before leaving.

"Esteemed Dan Master, if you're interested, you can also come, the address is with Master Dan."

With that, the two sisters left with a charming smile.

Yu Xian, a master of dual cultivation, could tell at a glance that these women had all practiced enchantment techniques, and there was even a hint of cultivation absorption.

Looking at Wu Laozu, although he seemed to be in good spirits, it was not difficult to see that his eye sockets were sunken, giving a sense of fatigue.

It was fortunate that Wu Laozu was already a False Pill True Immortal. An ordinary cultivator would probably not be able to handle one, let alone three.

Yu Xian couldn't help but furrow his brows.

Playing is one thing, but it shouldn't harm the body and delay work.

Yu Xian entered the room and immediately smelled a peculiar scent. It was evident that Wu Laozu had fought with them for real, rather than just spitting saliva all over them.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, with your discerning eyes, can't you see through their true intentions?"

Wu Laozu smiled awkwardly and casually performed a cleaning technique, dispersing the strange smell in the room.

"Lord Manager, this old man is wandering in a foreign land, and now I only have these small hobbies. What are they plotting? This old man knows, of course."

"And they even refuse to accept Spirit Stones from this old man. They use all their skills just to absorb a bit of essence from this old man."

"These hardworking girls, how can this old man bear to let them leave disappointed?"

Saying that, Wu Laozu took out a red Medicine Pill and swallowed it, followed by a comfortable long hum. The trace of black energy between his eyebrows dissipated.

The bit of essence he had consumed was instantly replenished.

Yu Xian couldn't help but laugh.

So Wu Laozu was actually taking advantage of these girls.

They thought they had gained a great advantage, with a fool obsessed with their bodies, and didn't mind having their essence absorbed.

But with just a little bait, Wu Laozu received even better service.

Who gains and who loses depends on their own calculations.

"Alright, as long as you know in your heart."

Yu Xian threw a storage bag onto the table and said, "I came to find you this time, there's nothing else, just to deliver materials to you. As usual, one material for one Five Elements Yuan Dan."

Wu Laozu took it casually, thinking it would be the same as before. But after scanning it with his Divine Sense, his face turned green.

"Lord Manager, did you make a mistake? Did you give me Luo Dan's portion as well?"

His voice began to tremble.

"There's no mistake, the current situation is tense, and there is a high demand for the Gold Core from the outside world. I had no choice but to find you for help."

"Fellow Daoist Wu, don't worry, it will only be busy for the next two years."

Yu Xian sighed, looking troubled.

"If possible, I wouldn't want to squeeze your time like this. I am also a pill refining master and I know that controlling the heat is the most important aspect of pill refining. It can't be rushed. But time waits for no one."

"Of course, if you can find someone to help you with pill refining, I can also provide some compensation."

Wu Laozu fell into deep thought.

His pill refining skills may not be as good as Luo Han's now, but when it comes to refining the Five Elements Yuan Dan, he believes he has reached the level of a master.

After all, every time he refines, he does so with the mindset that he can't afford to make mistakes, fully dedicating himself without any slack.

As a result, he has become extremely familiar with the Five Elements Yuan Dan and has shortened the refining time by a considerable amount.

That's why he has so much free time.

He doesn't spend all of this time satisfying his own hobbies. In private, he also visits others and has some relationship with the neighbors on Dan King Street. They can even be considered fellow cultivators.

After all, he spends most of his time pill refining, and those female cultivators have nothing to do with him. Naturally, he needs to find a new Human Cauldron.

Pill refining masters are not weak individuals. On the contrary, they deal with the furnace all year round, and their tempers are quite hot.

"Lord Manager, you don't need to provide Spirit Stones. It's just that when hiring someone for pill refining, you have to provide the pill recipe, and there's no guarantee of success rate. After all, they are not me and cannot put their heart and soul into it."

Wu Laozu thought for a moment and gave up the idea of profiting as a middleman.

As he said, the rule for pill refining masters is that they charge for successful pill refining and do not compensate for failed attempts.

If he can't produce enough Five Elements Yuan Dan, it won't be him who suffers the loss. The intermediary fee may not even be enough to compensate for it.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xian couldn't help but feel bitter.

"Dammit, what a lousy rule!"

When he was a pill refining master, he thought this rule was wonderful, tailor-made for pill refining masters.

But when he hired someone else for pill refining, he felt that it was a damn tyrannical clause.

"In that case, Fellow Daoist Wu, focus on pill refining and take your time. It doesn't matter if it takes longer, but you must ensure the success rate."

Yu Xian knew that the beast tide would only last for a few more years. At present, the attention of most important figures was drawn to the beast tide, and no one noticed the storm brewing in a small prefectural city.

When the beast tide ends and everyone comes to their senses, they will have the time and ability to pay attention to the Eight Trigrams.

It's probably not going to be long before news spreads about the Great Unity Society's strong attraction of billions of Spirit Stones.

Although he could run away when that time comes, he really doesn't want to do that unless it's absolutely necessary.

...

This thread will end soon. To be continued.