Chapter 009: A Windfall

Hello!

As the morning sun began to rise, the broad gates of Yunjing City were just opened, and a weary group of people and horses streamed in. Although these individuals were all dressed in plain clothes, the intense atmosphere of menace surrounding the entire group was unmistakable. The soldiers guarding the city gate were about to step forward to inquire, but they were unexpectedly knocked back by the oppressive aura of the group.

I can understand this principle; what one has painstakingly cultivated is truly one's own

My my! Not far away at the weapons consignment counter, a young man resembling a noble hurriedly approached, awkwardly smiling at Fang Yan and said: "Brother, I seem to have lost my purse"

The business of elixirs is indeed very easy to conduct; as long as one has the goods in hand, there is no worry about finding buyers. Fang Yan uses a small cauldron to refine elixirs, achieving success with every attempt. For him, earning over one hundred thousand taels of silver is merely a matter of time.

This young nobleman is of a similar age to Fang Yan, with a slightly slender build. However, his complexion is fair, resembling beautiful jade, and his jet-black hair is neatly combed without a single strand out of place. He is exceptionally handsome, with clear and lively eyes. Although it is evident that he is a scion of a wealthy family, he evokes an irresistible sense of familiarity.

Inside the small pouch, more than ten silver notes were neatly stacked, including one note of one hundred thousand taels, one note of fifty thousand taels, and the rest ranging from one thousand to one hundred taels. The total amount of these more than ten silver notes surprisingly exceeded one hundred sixty to seventy thousand taels!

Useless thing! The officer next to him glared at the soldier.

It is done! Fang Yan felt a surge of joy

Oh? Kang Guan was somewhat surprised. He was well aware of the methods employed by those in the punishment chamber. To withstand sixty strokes of the rod and remain unscathed is indeed a remarkable feat.

The purchase of three types of medicinal materials cost one thousand eight hundred taels, while a single piece of jade yellow spirit can be sold for five hundred taels. This calculation is still clear to Fang Yan

Why?

The lord has graciously permitted me to rest in Yunjing until next spring; there is plenty of time. As for your matters, I will find an opportunity to attend to them.

Fang Yan pinched the brocade pouch and suddenly smiled: "A gentleman values wealth and acquires it through proper means. Although one hundred thousand taels of silver can be considered a substantial amount, I will eventually be able to earn it myself."

On that day, Fang Yan, as usual, took the elixirs to the Hero Building for consignment. Although the people at the Hero Building were unclear about his identity and background, they speculated that he must have a highly skilled alchemist behind him. The Hero Building has always been keen on courting such individuals. After the elixirs were handed over, the manager on the fourth floor insisted on having tea with Fang Yan. Unable to refuse, Fang Yan casually drank a cup of tea, chatted for a few moments, and then prepared to go downstairs to purchase some medicinal materials

Kang Guanshi frowned and scolded in a low voice: "This is unacceptable! Get up quickly!"

Cousin, you must help me vent my frustrations properly. Also, cousin, how many days do you plan to stay at the residence this time

Fang Yan used this sum of money to repurchase the raw materials needed for refining the Jade Yellow Spirit Pill, and additionally bought a set of raw materials for the Nine Herb Pill. He worked through the night to produce twenty pills and entrusted them to the Hero's Tower

... ...

"That cannot be blamed on me," Wu Liang said indignantly. "Old Chen from the interrogation room said that the lowly commoner has practiced martial arts, and his skills are not low either. How could my nephew possibly compete with him?"

After Wu Liang left the bedroom, Manager Kang took a sip from the tea cup in front of him and snorted coldly: "Even when beating a dog, one must consider its master. A lowly commoner, truly wanting to turn the world upside down?"

The horse-drawn carriage quietly approached the Hou residence in the northern part of the town. A few servants who were cleaning the entrance of the residence saw the carriage and immediately set aside their brooms and books to come forward and greet it

Ah! This is the residence of the Marquis of the North... Please, esteemed generals, come in, come in. The sergeant nodded and bowed, his face full of smiles. The Marquis Fang Hanshan has long been stationed at the western frontier, commanding a substantial military force, and is undoubtedly a powerful noble. Even his few personal guards are not to be underestimated by this mere sergeant.

Indeed, the ten pills consigned by Fang Yan were sold out shortly after being placed on the counter by a man with a pockmarked face. That afternoon, Fang Yan took the time to visit the Hero Building, where the shopkeeper handed him several banknotes without a word, and after deducting the commission taken by the shop, Fang Yan netted over four thousand taels of silver.

After Manager Kang entered the residence, he first paid his respects to the Lady of the Northern Town and her children, before returning to his own chamber. The journey from the western frontier to Yun Jing spanned a full ten thousand miles, and the long travel by carriage and horse was exhausting; even the strongest of men would find it hard to endure. Manager Kang also showed signs of fatigue and slowly brewed a cup of tea

Wu Liangtian embellished the story of what happened three months ago, and Kang Guanshi's expression turned cold: "How can you still say that! A mere servant from the manor has beaten you to this state?"

What is going on

... ...

You understand nothing! Trouble comes from the mouth; in the future, mind your own words when you go out. The rules of the侯府 state that the execution of servants must be approved by the侯爷. Now that the侯爷 is stationed at the western border, the lady of the house is in charge. She has a heart of compassion, and if that lowly person has not committed a grave mistake, it would be unacceptable in front of her. Alright, I have my own plans; do not create unnecessary trouble. In the coming days, I will follow the侯爷's instructions to visit some prominent figures in云京城. Once I finish my important tasks, that lowly person will receive the punishment they deserve.

"A lowly commoner, what great cultivation can he possess? Merely a glimmer of light like a grain of rice." Manager Kang cast a dissatisfied glance at the fat man and said, "I have long advised you not to be idle. During your leisure time, you should put in some hard work, so that I can speak well of you in front of the lord or the young lord, and send you to the Martial Arts Academy. In the future, you can earn some distinction, which would also honor my deceased sister."

The knight at the forefront of the group cast a cold glance, taking out a badge and waving it briefly in front of the officer.

Nonsense, our lord is one of the top experts among the nobility of Yunjing. Steward Kang has been serving by the lord's side for many years; whatever the lord casually points out, he will benefit immensely from it

"Kang Guan Shi, you have returned!" several servants greeted eagerly.

The divine cauldron refines elixirs, achieving success with every refinement. Regardless of how advanced the elixirs may be, as long as the primary ingredients are complete, there is no reason for failure.

Fang Yan carefully put away the pouch and shouted, "Everyone, whose money bag is missing?"

Fang Yan entrusted ten refined jade yellow spirit pills to the Hero's Pavilion for consignment. Generally speaking, the items that the Hero's Pavilion is willing to accept for consignment are those that are in short supply. However, the spirit pills have always been a hot commodity; displayed in the morning, they are usually sold out by the end of the day. Therefore, the Hero's Pavilion has always welcomed consignments of spirit pills, happily earning commissions.

"Uncle, you must stand up for me," Wu Liang said, "My front teeth have been knocked out by someone."

Kang Guanshi did not respond and walked straight into the residence of the Marquis of the North. Several servants quickly assisted the personal guards of the Marquis in transporting the large cart of special products from the western border into the residence

Just as Fang Yan stepped away from the counter, he caught sight of a silk pouch embroidered with thread lying quietly on the ground

This young man is exceedingly handsome; even the second young lady of the Hou residence would likely lose her composure upon seeing him, Fang Yan thought

The middle-aged scholar slightly nodded and casually asked, "Is the lady and the young marquis in the residence?"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and a large figure rushed in like a big yellow dog spotting a bone, throwing itself at Manager Kang's thigh and refusing to let go.

The elixirs refined in the Sanzi Xiaoding are of exceptional quality, with a rich potency, making them highly popular among customers. On several occasions, they have been sold out immediately upon their appearance.

Without saying anything else, based solely on this point, the three-legged small ding can be regarded as a divine artifact. If martial artists or alchemists were to learn that such a divine artifact exists in the world, it is likely that thousands upon thousands of people would go mad for it

"Who is so careless as to drop this pouch?" Fang Yan picked up the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and found it light with little weight. Upon opening it, he was immediately startled.

"Cousin, that lowly person cannot be considered a grain of rice in the light, having endured sixty strokes over two consecutive days, yet nothing has happened at all..."

This jade yellow elixir is quite effective for post-natal martial artists. However, I must remind you that the fundamental aspect of a martial artist is the cultivation of the body. While elixirs can accelerate progress, excessive reliance on them will inevitably backfire, leading you unknowingly into a hollow abyss from which you may never ascend to the pinnacle of martial arts. The reason for you to take the elixir now is due to the three-year deadline, which leaves us no choice. If you can overcome this obstacle and achieve innate progress, it is better to avoid elixirs altogether.

Although this middle-aged Confucian scholar appears tall and frail, his entire being is infused with a considerable amount of vital energy, indicating that he is at least a practitioner of the eighth level of postnatal cultivation

The child is teachable. Well, today we have already spent quite a bit of time. Using the Nine Talismans to gather half of the usual spiritual energy will be sufficient. Let’s also take a piece of the Jade Yellow Spirit Pill.

In the entire consignment market, there were at least dozens of guests. With a shout from Fang Yan, everyone instinctively reached for their money bags

The first carriage had its bamboo curtain lifted, and a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar, nearly forty years old, stepped down. His complexion was fair, and his appearance was refined, but his pair of triangular eyes gave off a somewhat gloomy impression

Ah, Old Zhang, have you noticed?" a servant said quietly to his companion while working, "Manager Kang's presence is becoming increasingly strong.

Uncle, you finally returned! I was almost beaten to a pulp by someone!

It is indeed the case that Manager Kang only began his cultivation in his thirties, and reaching such a level in just two or three years is quite remarkable. By the way, that Fang Yan in the backyard is likely to be in trouble; Manager Kang is Wu Liang's maternal uncle, and not long ago, Fang Yan gave Wu Liang a good beating. Manager Kang will not stand idly by.

Goodness! Fang Yan swallowed hard and said: "Most of the goods in the Hero's Tower are quite expensive, but there are not many wealthy patrons who carry over one hundred thousand taels with them."

To deal with a lowly person, why bother with so much effort? Just find a random excuse and eliminate him...

Practice makes perfect

Although Fang Yan is completely ignorant of the Dao of Alchemy, he can still appreciate the profound meaning contained within the phrase "a hundred refinements lead to a hundred successes"

"Young man, you have struck it rich," said the little turtle

The lady mentioned that the young marquis is currently serving as the deputy commander in the imperial city garrison, with a busy military schedule, returning to the residence only once a month

I do not plan to consume these elixirs for the time being

Let us get to work; these matters are not within the purview of us common folk to intervene in

In order to help me purchase medicinal herbs, Gou Wa even pawned the jade pendant left to him by his parents. There are only 10 elixirs, and we cannot afford to consume them all without replenishing our stock. Old Ghost, as you saw today, those elixirs are in high demand at the Hero's Tower. Let us use these 10 elixirs as our initial capital and entrust them for consignment. Once we have the money, we can buy higher-grade herbs and refine even more advanced spiritual elixirs