419: Chapter 420 Family Profits!

"These Puppet blueprints are all from the batch of basic blueprints you gave me, Father. We followed them and figured them out step by step.

As for Materials, we spent a total of 5,700 Spirit Stones."

Ye Changge heard this, nodded slightly, his eyes filled with approval: "How is the combat power of the Iron Wolf Puppet and the Green Ox Puppet?"

Ye Qingfeng was clearly prepared, blurting out:

"The Iron Wolf Puppet is faster, suitable for reconnaissance and pursuit; the Green Ox Puppet has strong defense, suitable for cover and rearguard.

I once had them tested in the back mountain; the Iron Wolf Puppet can run ten miles of mountain road in half an hour,

and the Green Ox Puppet can withstand a full-force strike from a Late Stage of Qi Refining Cultivator without falling apart."

"What about the Flying Eagle Puppet?"

"The Flying Eagle Puppet can currently fly continuously at a height of one hundred zhang for one hour, with a speed equivalent to about 70% of a Late Stage of Qi Refining Cultivator flying at full speed.

I have tested it several times; as long as there are enough Spirit Stones, it is more than enough for patrolling the mountain."

Ye Changge nodded, pondered for a moment, then said:

"What about the humanoid Puppet? What actions can it perform currently?"

Upon hearing this, the excitement on Ye Qingfeng's face faded slightly, and he answered truthfully:

"The humanoid Puppet is still quite clumsy.

Walking, carrying, and simple patrolling are barely feasible,

but fine motor movements are still very stiff; its fingers easily crush even an egg when trying to grasp it.

I am trying to improve the spirit pattern circuits at the joints, but... it is not going very well at the moment."

"It is fine," Ye Changge said in a gentle tone, "The Dao of Puppetry is meant to be learned from shallow to deep. You have only started for a year; being able to achieve this level has already far exceeded my expectations."

As he spoke, he looked at Ye Qingfeng and said sternly:

"Next, your focus should be on two things.

First, continue to optimize the spirit patterns of the humanoid Puppet's joints, striving for it to be able to complete basic fine operations;

Second, once the performance of the humanoid Puppet is stable, immediately start researching the process for mass production.

Report to me whenever you can stably produce qualified humanoid Puppets."

"Yes, Father!" Ye Qingfeng replied loudly, his eyes full of seriousness.

When he stepped back to sit down, his movements were clean and neat, without any hesitation.

Ye Changge watched his retreating back as he sat down and nodded inwardly.

Then, his gaze turned to the next person—his fifth daughter, Ye Qingyin.

Ye Qingyin was about eleven or twelve years old, wearing her hair in two buns, dressed in a light cyan short outfit,

clearly having come directly from the Talisman factory.

She clutched a crumpled account book in her hand and stood up a bit nervously.

"Father... the Talisman factory I am in charge of... has not yet started drawing Talismans."

When she said this, her little face flushed slightly, and her voice lowered a few notches, but she quickly cheered up and added crisply,

"However! We have already started manufacturing Talisman paper and spirit ink!"

"Over this past year, we have produced 120 sheets of Low Grade Tier 1 Talisman paper, 10 sheets of Medium Grade Tier 1 Talisman paper, and 15 portions of Low Grade Tier 1 spirit ink—"

She looked down at the account book and read earnestly: "Total income... 78 Spirit Stones!"

As her voice fell, several Elders in the hall couldn't help but chuckle.

78 Spirit Stones, in Ye Changge's current Family business, were indeed not worth mentioning.

But for a small workshop that had just started, being able to produce output in the first year was already not easy.

Ye Changge also smiled, his smile gentle:

"78 Spirit Stones, not bad. However, if you calculate the cost of Materials and labor expenses, you probably lost quite a bit, right?"

Ye Qingyin nodded honestly and pouted:

"Well... just purchasing spirit bamboo and spirit glue cost over 200 Spirit Stones. I calculated it, and we had a net loss of a few hundred..."

"Loss is normal," Ye Changge said gently, "The Talisman factory is newly built, the equipment and manpower are all in the process of adjustment, it is impossible to make a profit from the beginning. Qingyin, you have two things to do next—"

Ye Qingyin immediately pricked up her ears and listened intently.

"First, improve the grade of the Talisman paper, at least to be able to stably produce Medium Grade Talisman paper;

Second, select two or three steady-handed and attentive youngsters from the Family and start teaching them how to draw Talismans, starting with Tier 1 Low Grade.

The craft of drawing Talismans needs to be honed over time; the earlier you start, the better."

"I will remember, Father!" Ye Qingyin nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.

After she sat down, Ye Changqing stood up.

Ye Changqing was Ye Changge's third son, fifteen years old, tall and slender, with a handsome face, steady and practical in nature, responsible for the affairs of the spirit winery.

He was wearing a plain gray robe today, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing sturdy forearms, looking somewhat like a winemaker.

"Father," Ye Changqing said in a steady voice, "I will report to you on the situation of the spirit winery this year."

"We brewed two types of wine this year. One is White Jade Wine, made from white corn, with a relatively simple process, producing a total of 900 jin;

the other is Fusang Wine, brewed from Fusang rice, with a more complex process and lower yield, producing 400 jin."

"In terms of consumption, we used over 5,000 jin of white corn and over 2,000 jin of Fusang rice."

He paused slightly, calculated silently in his heart, and continued:

"According to the market conditions of Qingxuan Immortal City, White Jade Wine is about 1 Spirit Stone per jin, and Fusang Wine is about 2 Spirit Stones per jin.

If all are sold, the income will be around 1,400 Spirit Stones. After deducting costs, the net profit is a little over 1,000 Spirit Stones."

Ye Changge heard this, nodded slightly, and asked: "How are the taste of White Jade Wine and Fusang Wine? Have you asked outsiders to taste them?"

Ye Changqing was clearly prepared for this question and answered truthfully:

"I once invited several old Loose Cultivators in the White Bird Market who drink regularly to taste it.

They said the White Jade Wine is soft and smooth, with a decent aftertaste, and can be considered of medium-to-high quality among low-tier spirit wines;

the Fusang Wine is more mellow, but the heat control is still a bit lacking, and it is slightly astringent.

Several Seniors suggested aging it for another half a year before selling."

Ye Changge listened and nodded with satisfaction: "Being able to listen to others' suggestions is very good.

Wine is not like Talismans, which can be sold as soon as they are made; wine relies on time to settle.

You should seal this batch of wine first and let it age for another half a year.

Open the jars for a trial sale at the end of next spring; if the taste meets the standard by then, you can officially distribute it."

"I understand, Father." Ye Changqing bowed and agreed.

The last one to stand up was Liu Yiyi.

She was wearing an elegant cyan-green long dress today, her long hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes and brows as gentle as water.

The matter she was responsible for was the simplest, yet also the most trivial—counting the population of the Family.

"Reporting to Husband," Liu Yiyi's voice was soft,

"Currently, the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain has a total of three Foundation Establishment Cultivators—you, Husband; Sister Shiyin; and Sister Shiqing.

There are thirteen Late Stage of Qi Refining Cultivators, including six Elders of the Family and seven outside-surname retainers; twenty-seven Mid Qi Refining Stage Cultivators;

fifty-four Early Stage of Qi Refining Cultivators. In total, there are ninety-seven Cultivators."

"Including Family members, stewards, and other personnel, there are two hundred and seventy-four people in total."