62: Chapter 62 The Storm is Coming

Chen Jiancang gazed at the Qi Gathering Pills gradually solidifying in the Pill Furnace, his brows tightly furrowed.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the table, his mind already drifting outside, a sense of indescribable irritation welling up in his heart.

“Poof!” A crisp popping sound startled the distracted Chen Jiancang.

He hurriedly extinguished the furnace fire, lifted the lid of the Pill Furnace, and a wisp of black smoke mixed with a pungent burnt smell assailed his nostrils.

Looking at the carbonized Qi Gathering Pill in the furnace, he shook his head with a bitter smile.

“As expected, my state of mind is unstable; I’m still lacking in skill,” Chen Jiancang sighed softly.

He took out the small brush made of Moon Velvet Rabbit fur that he carried with him and carefully cleaned the inner wall of the Pill Furnace.

After everything was tidied up, he did not rush to start a new round of refining, but instead took out the celadon teapot he carried with him and carefully brewed it with spirit spring water.

“A state of mind like water” was the foremost maxim of the art of Alchemy.

Even though he now had rich experience in refining Qi Gathering Pills, if he could not achieve a state of mind as still as water, even the simplest pill could end in failure.

Fortunately, the Materials used for this batch of Qi Gathering Pills were not expensive, so the loss was not too great.

After his state of mind calmed down, Chen Jiancang began refining pills, and several days passed in a flash.

Chen Jiancang was already skilled in the process of refining Qi Gathering Pills.

Although the number of pills produced remained at five, the refining time was shortened from the initial hour to half an hour.

During this period, he also purchased Materials from Chen's Treasure Pavilion several times, and all were successfully refined into pills.

Just as he was about to start refining again, a crisp knocking sound came from outside the door.

“Sir, someone from Chen's Treasure Pavilion is here to deliver a message, requesting your presence,” Qingfeng’s respectful voice came from outside the door.

A hint of anticipation flashed in Chen Jiancang’s eyes when he heard this.

“It must be that the green wood marrow has been located,” he mused.

Some of the Materials previously entrusted to the Treasure Pavilion for sourcing had already arrived, and now the most important green wood marrow finally had a whereabouts.

Once this item was obtained, he could begin setting up the Gathering Spirit Soil Cultivating Array, which would further improve the problem of land depletion during the cultivation of Lueling Grass.

The moment he walked out of the Dan Hall, the fresh mountain breeze blew on his face.

The fatigue from being buried in pill refining for the past few days was swept away, and Chen Jiancang took a deep breath, as if even the air was filled with a sense of ease.

As he walked along the familiar path towards the Market, Chen Jiancang noticed that the usually bustling streets were now particularly deserted.

The usual calls of hawkers were significantly fewer, replaced by a gloomy atmosphere.

Several rogue Cultivator stall owners sat together in twos and threes, their faces full of worry.

A middle-aged man was sighing: “If these Soul-Devouring Beetles can’t be completely eradicated, we spiritual farmers are really going to have a tough time!”

He lowered his head and stroked a Spiritual Plant planted in a pot, his eyes filled with worry.

“Exactly, if the Soul-Devouring Beetle problem cannot be eradicated, the yield of qinghe rice will definitely decline, and we still have to pay Chen Family sixty percent of the rent and taxes.

At the end of the year, we spend more effort but gain very little; renting Chen Family’s Spirit Fields is a bit unprofitable.”

“I heard that traces of Soul-Devouring Beetles have been found in all of Chen Family’s Spiritual Veins and Spirit Fields.

Chen Family is very concerned about this matter, and the Spirit Plant Hall seems to be researching methods to eradicate the Soul-Devouring Beetle eggs.”

In a corner not far away, several rogue Cultivators were whispering: “I heard that in order to track down the person who released the insects, Chen Family has sent out the elites of the Law Enforcement Hall to search everywhere.

Now, entering and exiting Xiao Yun Mountain requires multiple layers of checks, which is really a headache.”

“Yes, and I don’t know when this matter will be resolved.

If this continues, this Market will probably have to close down.”

Another Cultivator shook his head repeatedly.

Listening to the sighs rising and falling all around, Chen Jiancang’s steps involuntarily slowed down a bit.

As a member of Chen Family, he naturally saw the changes that had occurred in the Market these past few days, but at the moment, he was also helpless.

Chen Jiancang quickly walked through the Market street, thinking about how to deal with the current situation.

Although obtaining the green wood marrow solved the problem of cultivating the Spirit Field, the problem of the Soul-Devouring Beetles eroding the Spirit Field also troubled him.

Every three or four days, he would find new Soul-Devouring Beetles appearing in his own Spirit Field.

If left unchecked, the roots and stems of the Lueling Grass would be completely eaten away, making it impossible to eradicate them.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of Chen's Treasure Pavilion.

This magnificent building was as majestic and towering as ever, and the guards at the entrance immediately bowed and let Chen Jiancang pass after seeing him.

Chen Jiancang walked directly to the shopkeeper’s office on the second floor, pushed open the door, and saw Tian Zhongli hunched over his desk organizing accounts.

He looked up when he heard the movement.

“Jiancang, you’ve come at a good time,” Tian Zhongli stood up to greet him, a hint of fatigue on his face.

“The Market has been turbulent these past few days, and the Treasure Pavilion’s business has also been significantly affected.”

Chen Jiancang nodded and sat down beside him.

“Has the green wood marrow been located?”

Tian Zhongli smiled slightly: “Yes.

I found green wood marrow from an old friend in the main vein Market; there are about ten catties.”

“Ten catties?”

Chen Jiancang nodded and said, “Ten catties is completely enough.”

Chen Jiancang nodded, just about to ask about the specifics of the green wood marrow, but Tian Zhongli sighed first, and said with a solemn expression: “Jiancang, besides the matter of the green wood marrow, I also have something else I want to tell you.

The Market has been turbulent these past few days, and it’s not just the spiritual farmers who are worried; even the lives of ordinary Cultivators have been significantly affected.”

He paused and continued: “Do you know that the prices in the Market have risen sharply recently?

The prices of ordinary spiritual rice and spiritual herbs have more than doubled.

Many Cultivators have had to reduce their investment in cultivation resources in order to make a living.

Even more so, some people cannot even guarantee the most basic necessities of life.”

Chen Jiancang frowned slightly: “Prices soaring?

This is a major issue related to the stability of the Market.”

Tian Zhongli nodded: “Exactly.

I heard that this is because the Soul-Devouring Beetle problem has not been resolved for a long time, most Cultivators have started hoarding goods, and some Spiritual Plant and spiritual herb vendors are unwilling to sell.

In addition, the flow of people in the Market has decreased recently, and many vendors can only increase the prices of their goods to maintain their livelihood.

As a result, the burden on Cultivators is even heavier.”

“Especially Qi Gathering Pills,” Tian Zhongli glanced at Chen Jiancang, “The demand for Qi Gathering Pills in the Market has increased greatly recently, and the price has also risen.

Originally, a Qi Gathering Pill could be bought for three spiritual stones, but now some people are even offering four or five spiritual stones.”

Chen Jiancang’s heart trembled.

As an important auxiliary pill for cultivators’ cultivation, if the price of Qi Gathering Pills continues to rise, it will undoubtedly put many Cultivators in a difficult situation.

He pondered for a moment and asked: “Why has the demand for Qi Gathering Pills suddenly increased?

Qi Gathering Pills are not necessities.”

“It’s not because of the Market turmoil; many Cultivators have to increase their cultivation efforts in order to improve their strength as quickly as possible to cope with future uncertainties.

Naturally, they need more Qi Gathering Pills.”

Tian Zhongli sighed.

Chen Jiancang was silent for a moment, a hint of worry faintly rising in his heart.

As an Alchemist, he knew very well that the cost of refining Qi Gathering Pills was not high, but if the demand was too strong and the price was driven up to an extremely high level, it would ultimately only intensify the contradictions in the Market.

“Jiancang, I know you have a lot of experience in refining Qi Gathering Pills,” Tian Zhongli suddenly said, “The Treasure Pavilion has recently received many orders from cultivators; they urgently need a large number of Qi Gathering Pills.

If you can refine a few more furnaces, you might be able to make a fortune.”

“The price of Qi Gathering Pills is rising, and the price of corresponding spiritual herbs is also rising; are the Materials complete?”

Tian Zhongli smiled slightly, “The Treasure Pavilion has recently purchased a batch of Materials needed for refining Qi Gathering Pills from the outside world, and the quantity is sufficient to support your large-scale refining in the short term.

As long as you can guarantee the refining speed, I believe this problem can be easily solved.”

Chen Jiancang pondered for a moment and finally nodded: “Okay, I will speed up the refining.”