Uncle, You Watched Me Grow Up!

Never mind how the grand ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator Zeng Wen fought bloody battles, shaking the Grand Dao and stirring the heavens and the earth. Over on Luo Chen's side, he was truly tasting the sweetness of success! Previously, he had sold only one product: Fasting Powder. When customers stopped by, they saw everything at a single glance, with no room to browse or choose. They either took it or they didn't, leaving virtually no room to bargain. He couldn't even run the most common sales tactic: bundling. Unlike Old Daoist Chen, who, while trying to sell a Qi-Concealing Talisman for a high price, could casually throw in when a customer hesitated: "This is the final price, but at most, I'll toss in a Cleansing Talisman for free!" Luo Chen hadn't possessed a single throw-in extra. Now, at long last, he had a second presentable product! Well, that wasn't entirely true either. A low-grade aphrodisiac like the Myriad Wonders Pill was hardly something to brag about in polite company—a man had to save face, after all! Still, selling that first bottle of Myriad Wonders Pills showed him the dawn of hope on his path to the Grand Dao! The price was inflated, to be sure. It cost one spirit stone to make, and he sold it for five. Yet across past and present, domestic and foreign alike, foods, medicines, and exercises tied to male virility had always enjoyed timeless appeal. Even in a cultivation world that revered individual, world-shaking might! In fact, things in this world were quite the opposite. Low-rank cultivators—especially in the Qi Refinement stage—were in the phase of refining essence into qi. Relying solely on drawing violent ambient spiritual energy from the outside world and refining it yielded painfully slow progress. That was why markets thrived for spirit rice, demon beast meat, and pills brimming with rich spiritual energy. Furthermore, because spiritual energy flowed throughout their entire bodies, low-rank cultivators often struggled to keep themselves under control. With just a little temptation, it was remarkably easy for their essence to leak from the lower gate. Therefore, to ensure the highest efficiency when converting spiritual energy, many cultivation methods included corresponding techniques for locking away essence. In the ancient texts, there was a technical term for this: "horse-like organ retraction." Generally, there were only two solutions to this dilemma. The first was breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, where the birth of spiritual sense allowed a cultivator to freely direct the conversion of internal spiritual energy at will. Only then would a man grow steadily stronger. Otherwise, in the early stages, if one allowed his vital essence to leak away unchecked, who could ever hope to scale the heights of the Grand Dao? The second solution was for a Qi Refinement cultivator to willingly release the golden lock of the lower gate once he determined that his prospects on the Dao were hopeless. Nourished by the spiritual energy suffusing his body, he could easily regain his former vigor. This was precisely why cultivators who branched out to establish clans and raise families were almost always elderly men with no future on the path. They knew their own limits: they couldn't advance any further and were stuck at their bottlenecks for life. Why bother struggling anymore? Better to go home, father children, and enjoy what life had to offer! Yet with the Myriad Wonders Pill tailored specifically for Qi Refinement cultivators, the tables turned completely. The pill's primary ingredients were water-attribute conpoy and fire-attribute fire hound whip, harmonizing water and fire. After ingesting it, a cultivator had only to slightly stimulate the spiritual energy within, and he could unleash overwhelming vigor without unlocking the golden lock of the lower gate! Otherwise, why would Luo Chen have fought tooth and nail to concoct this thing? It certainly wasn't out of personal need! Rather, there was immense market demand! Luo Chen was simply tending to people's urgent needs and anticipating their desires. Back on Earth, he would easily qualify as a minor Song Jiang, rightly known as the Timely Rain! When the second bottle of Myriad Wonders Pills sold for five spirit stones, the way Old Daoist Chen looked at him changed entirely. For a while, the old Daoist held up a Qi-Concealing Talisman worth at least three spirit stones, comparing it against the exquisite little jade bottle. Muttering under his breath, he wondered, "This doesn't make sense!" "My Qi-Concealing Talisman is drawn using three-color earth dragon blood and scentless field vole. The materials alone cost two spirit stones! Could the cost of his Myriad Wonders Pill be even higher than mine?" "Or do male cultivators really care more about *that* ability than something that could save their lives at a critical moment?" Luo Chen didn't bother explaining. Even after his Fasting Powder sold out and only the lonely Myriad Wonders Pills remained on his stall, he stayed squatted in place. Today, he intended to shamelessly poach Old Daoist Chen's customer base for all it was worth. Whenever a cultivator approached to buy talismans, Luo Chen would catch their sleeve and whisper, "Fellow Daoist, would you care to hear about the Myriad Wonders Pill?" Naturally, not everyone was interested. Those with resolute wills bent on the Grand Dao rejected him without hesitation. How could one squander their thoughts on the pleasures of men and women? Vermin like that would never achieve anything in their lives! Those with prickly pride swept their sleeves and stormed off. "Do I look like the kind of man who needs that sort of medicine?!" Most cultivators, however, showed clear signs of temptation. Especially when Luo Chen repeated his earlier routine, recounting the tale of Master Yun Zhonghe utilizing this pill to battle a Rank 4 Beast Emperor. Enticed, they loosened their purse strings generously, eager to emulate the forebear's legendary prowess. And so, by afternoon, Luo Chen had finally sold out of the Myriad Wonders Pills in his hands. Sharing a pouch of spicy dried beef with Old Daoist Chen, Luo Chen squatted to one side, chewing on the dried beef while calculating today's earnings. First were the twenty bottles of Fasting Powder. The market price was steady, fetching four spirit stones in total. Then came the new product, the Myriad Wonders Pills: ten bottles had brought in forty-six spirit stones. The reason it wasn't fifty was that he had slightly lowered the price on a few bottles to build momentum and crack the market. It was a new listing, after all; there had to be a modest promotional discount. After finishing his tally, Luo Chen let out a sigh of relief. His savings had finally crossed the fifty-stone milestone once again! He had more than enough to brew another batch of Myriad Wonders Pills. However, until his proficiency with the recipe underwent a qualitative leap, his yield rate likely wouldn't improve. This meager income still couldn't support the regular cultivation demands of his five-element spiritual root. Therefore, to ramp up production, there was only one path forward: Expand operations! Yet expanding production meant pouring in higher costs and more spirit stones. Where would those spirit stones come from? "Fellow Daoist Luo, pardon my asking, but what are the production costs for your Myriad Wonders Pill?" "Since you know it's rude to ask, why do it?" Luo Chen replied without looking up. Old Daoist Chen gave an awkward chuckle, but thick-skinned as he was, he took no offense. The main thing was Luo Chen's revenue today. Others might not know, but sitting right beside him, Chen had seen every bit of it clear as day. Fifty spirit stones! In the past, Luo Chen would have had to sell two hundred and fifty bottles of Fasting Powder to earn that much. Chen also knew it was poor form to pry into another's trade secrets. Seeing that Luo Chen wasn't talking, he didn't press the matter. Yet though Chen stopped asking, Luo Chen leaned in closer. "Uncle Chen..." "Hm?" *He's calling me 'Uncle' again!* "I watched you grow up—no, you watched me grow up! You know down to the last spirit stone how much I have to my name. You must have a rough idea of what the Myriad Wonders Pill costs to make, too." Luo Chen spoke with earnest sincerity, his tone brimming with honesty. "I can't tell you the exact cost—just keep it to yourself and don't go blabbing—but selling it for a high price comes down to a special trick!" Old Daoist Chen hesitated, recalling Luo Chen's maneuvers throughout the day. He fell deep in thought! Yet certain concepts simply eluded him. This was the fundamental divide between an old native and a transmigrator who had weathered the information bombardment of the modern era. Even after witnessing the maneuvers firsthand, the old man couldn't fathom the underlying logic. "I can share this trick with you. But... could you do Xiao Luo a favor?" "A favor?" Old Daoist Chen eyed Luo Chen suspiciously, his left eyelid twitching involuntarily. "Let's get one thing straight: I can help, but borrowing spirit stones is out of the question!" Luo Chen tugged at Chen's sleeve, shaking it persistently with an expression of affectionate devotion. "Uncle Chen, in this cold, heartless cultivation world, you are the only elder Xiao Luo has!" "Fellow Daoist, please conduct yourself with dignity!" "Uncle! It's not much—just fifty low-grade spirit stones! Lend them to me just this once! I'll pay you back in half a month at most!" "*Hiss*, you certainly have the nerve to ask!" "You saw how much Xiao Luo made today. I'm completely capable of paying you back. You have to believe in me!" Luo Chen caught hold of Old Daoist Chen Xiuping's thick, calloused hand. "Uncle, trust me! Besides, don't you want to know how to sell your talismans for top dollar?" Old Daoist Chen wavered, tempted. "To tell you the truth, every time I see the talismans you poured your heart and soul into creating bought by others for a measly few spirit stones, my heart bleeds!" "When they look down on your talisman-crafting skills, they're looking down on Xiao Luo!" "Uncle, trust me. Lend me the spirit stones, and I'll help you sell your talismans for high prices. From here on out, we'll scale up, grow stronger, and forge glorious success!" *Gulp!* Old Daoist Chen swallowed hard, his wrinkled face gazing deeply at young Fellow Daoist Luo. "Really?" "Fifty isn't much! You won't be cheated, and you won't be fooled!" "Bah, take them! I am a great cultivator of the sixth layer of Qi Refinement; I doubt you'd dare default on your debt to me!" Luo Chen hastily took the generous handful of loose spirit stones, dropped them into his small pouch, pulled the drawstring tight, and shoved it deep into his inner lining. Old Daoist Chen looked away, unable to bear the sight. That was his money! "All right. You can speak now." "Fellow Daoist Chen, do you know what brand value is?"