370: Chapter 371 If you don't have enough spirit stones, just tell me!

Hearing this, Liu Yiyi quickly lifted her head from his embrace, the blush on her face not yet faded, but she still explained earnestly:

"Husband, I have checked carefully, and this is indeed the correct amount..."

"Don't worry, let me take a look first." Ye Changge waved his hand and continued to read through the rest.

After a while, he had carefully gone through the entire account from beginning to end, and he understood the situation in his heart.

It was not that Liu Yiyi had made a mistake in the bookkeeping, nor was there any flaw in the household.

The reason was simple—he had given too much.

Back at Biluo Lake, his concubines only received a monthly stipend of ten Spirit Stones.

It didn't sound like much, but looking across the entire Lingxiao Sect territory, any concubine in a Family who could receive five Spirit Stones was considered well-off.

Ten Spirit Stones a month was already an extremely generous treatment.

But ever since they moved to Longmai Mountain, Ye Changge felt that the Family was flourishing, so he waved his hand and significantly increased the benefits for his wives and concubines.

Not only did their monthly stipends increase several times over, but their daily Medicinal Pill rations, supply of Spiritual Plants, and additions of Magical Artifacts all went up by more than one level.

Not to mention the maidservants who had followed him all the way from Biluo Lake; he had given them all status and included them among his concubines.

As a result, the number of people who needed support increased significantly, and expenses naturally rose accordingly.

Ye Changge put down the jade slip of accounts and sighed softly.

These expenses were indeed somewhat staggering.

He now had over thirty wives and concubines, and more than forty offspring, nearly twenty of whom had already begun formal Cultivation.

Although these children were still young, Ye Changge was never stingy when it came to Cultivation.

Every offspring who entered the Qi Refining Stage could receive ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones each month for daily Cultivation expenses, plus a bottle of Huanglong Pills.

Although this Huanglong Pill was only the most basic First-Rank Medicinal Pill, its advantage lay in its mild medicinal properties, suitable for Cultivators in the Early Stage of Qi Refining to consolidate their Foundation and nourish their essence; a single bottle cost five Spirit Stones.

Ye Changge was always generous with his children's Cultivation and was never harsh. He had climbed up step by step from the bottom himself, so he deeply understood the importance of Cultivation resources.

Moreover, these children were his own flesh and blood, and they were the future Foundation of the Ye Family.

"Ten Spirit Stones, one bottle of Huanglong Pills..." Ye Changge silently calculated in his heart, and a wry smile could not help but appear at the corner of his mouth.

It didn't sound like much. A child's monthly expense of fifteen Spirit Stones, in any Foundation Establishment Family, was not a big deal.

But the sheer number of people was the problem.

Coupled with the stipends, Medicinal Pill rations, and daily expenses of his wives and concubines... when added up, the monthly net expenditure was a staggering astronomical figure.

Not to mention the salaries for the collateral branch disciples, guards, and retainers in the Family, as well as the maintenance costs for Spiritual Fields, Spirit Beasts, Magical Artifacts, and all other aspects.

And what about the income?

Although the Ye Family's Talisman shop in the White Bird Market was flourishing and making money every day, it was, after all, supported by Ye Changge alone.

In the few months he had been away from Longmai Mountain, most of the inventory of second-rank talismans in the shop had been consumed, relying entirely on a few Talisman-making apprentices trained in the Family to barely maintain the supply of First-Rank Talismans.

As for the industries on the outskirts of Longmai Mountain—Spiritual Fields, spirit mines, and market stalls—most were still in the stage of being contracted out.

The reason was simple: most of the Ye Family disciples were young and had not yet grown up; and the recruited Loose Cultivator tenant farmers, while loyal, had limited abilities and could not yet create significant income for the Family.

Not to mention the initial investment in the Puppet factory, which was a money-consuming beast.

"No wonder..." Ye Changge rubbed his brows, unable to laugh or cry.

He glanced at Liu Yiyi, who was cuddling obediently in his arms, then scanned the dense numbers on the account book, calculating secretly in his heart.

However, he was not too worried.

If the Spiritual Plant plan provided by Xiao Caiyue today could be implemented smoothly, once the Spiritual Fields at Muling Cliff were on the right track, the output of Spiritual Plants could become a significant source of income.

Coupled with the increasingly stable business of the Talisman shop, once the Puppet factory went into production, it would be a continuous source of wealth.

It was just that during this transition period, they really needed to tighten their belts and could not be as extravagant as before.

"Yiyi, you have done very well." Ye Changge put down the jade slip, lowered his head to place a light kiss on her forehead, and said in a gentle and earnest tone, "You have worked hard these days."

Being praised by him like this, Liu Yiyi's already flushed cheeks became even hotter, and she whispered: "I am not tired... being able to share your worries, Husband, is my blessing."

Ye Changge looked at her obedient and shy appearance, and his heart softened completely.

He reached out and gently stroked her soft long hair, saying warmly: "Yiyi, during this time, continue to arrange the external recruitment of Spirit Plant Masters and Artifact Refiners. If our Longmai Mountain wants to truly develop, relying solely on our own people is not enough; we must attract talented people."

He paused and added: "There is no need to rush for success; just look for them slowly. If there is a suitable candidate, sign the employment contract first; if not, don't force it. If there are not enough Spirit Stones for turnover, just come and tell me, and I will find a way."

Hearing this, Liu Yiyi was slightly stunned, then whispered: "Husband... but aren't our Family's accounts already a bit tight?"

Ye Changge smiled and pinched her small nose tip: "It is tight, but not to the point of bankruptcy. Although your husband is not extremely wealthy, I am at least a Second-Rank Alchemist and a Second-Rank Talisman Master; supporting a Longmai Mountain is not difficult."

He was telling the truth.

Although a Second-Rank Talisman Master was not rare, there were not many who could stably draw High Grade second-rank talismans across the entire southeastern part of the Zhao State.

Ye Changge's attainments in Talismans had long exceeded the scope of ordinary Second-Rank Talisman Masters, approaching the level of Quasi-Third Rank.

As long as he was willing, drawing a few dozen more High Grade second-rank talismans each month would be a considerable income.

Moreover, he still had the Foundation of Body Refining in his hands; every batch of Medicinal Pills that flowed from his hands was of superior quality, and if placed in the market, they would be snapped up even if the price was doubled.

And what gave him the most confidence were the Spirit Stones sponsored by those "kind-hearted" Bandit Cultivators back then.

The Storage Pouch of the two Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Bandit Cultivators outside the White Bird Market contained more than twenty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, not to mention those Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Materials.

Later, he "encountered" a few more waves of short-sighted petty thieves, and bit by bit, it made Ye Changge's private treasury much thicker than most people imagined.

"So," Ye Changge smiled and patted Liu Yiyi's back, "Just go ahead and handle the account matters. Leave the matter of Spirit Stones to me."