Free Web NovelChapter 382: Chapter 302: First Draft of the Treatise on Pills (Part 2)
Mao Cheng was chattering on beside him, repeating the same point over and over: the sect was running out of Spirit Stones. The windfalls from years ago had been slowly depleted through daily expenses, and if they didn’t find a new source of income, the sect would soon be unable to make ends meet.
Fang Qingyuan felt a headache coming on as he listened. A new sect, a new era—yet in less than twenty years, the sect’s finances had already deteriorated so badly.
Of course, this was largely due to the overly generous benefits Fang Qingyuan had established for his disciples.
As a sect founded by a beast tamer and enfeoffed for three generations, it would be a joke if their disciples’ benefits were worse than those of other Minor Sects.
Besides, Fang Qingyuan no longer cared much about an annual income of thirty to forty Top-grade Spirit Stones. He could earn more than the sect’s entire yearly profit just by selling a single bottle of Blood Life Pills.
But that wasn’t the right way to look at it. The sect’s future development was a steady, long-term progression. The Blood Life Pills, on the other hand, were a finite resource due to a lack of raw materials—every bottle sold was one less he’d have. Moreover, a developed sect would be a great help to him in the future. He was counting on the Qingyuan Sect to lie low and survive for a thousand years.
With these thoughts, Fang Qingyuan began to ponder a new way for the Qingyuan Sect to generate income. Although he had Spirit Stones of his own, he couldn’t just subsidize the sect with his personal funds. If he kept propping up the sect with his own Spirit Stones, what future prospects could it possibly have in the long run?
You can’t just prop it up from the very beginning. If the roots grow crooked, it will only ever become a twisted tree.
Once Mao Cheng finished his spiel, Fang Qingyuan acknowledged that he understood. Finally, as Mao Cheng was about to take his leave, Fang Qingyuan called out to him.
"You’ve worked hard all these years. The sect’s mundane affairs have delayed your cultivation, leaving you with no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Take this Blood Life Pill. It can extend your life by five years."
Fang Qingyuan took out a Blood Life Pill and handed it to Mao Cheng. Clutching the elixir pill, Mao Cheng immediately fell to his knees, tears streaming down his aged face.
"A Longevity Elixir is far too precious to be wasted on a disciple like me! My aptitude has always been poor. Even with diligent cultivation, I would never have become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in this lifetime, so there’s no question of my cultivation being delayed. Besides, I’ve gone from being an insignificant, overlooked practitioner of Qi Cultivation to someone who can stand as an equal with—and even be slightly superior to—other Foundation Establishment Family Masters. This is all thanks to the Qingyuan Sect and you, Sect Leader. My life is already complete. Please, take this pill back. I am unworthy of it."
Listening to Mao Cheng’s tearful plea, Fang Qingyuan personally helped him up and soothed him, saying:
"This is what you deserve. Take it and eat it. I’ve seen everything you’ve done for the sect. It’s just a mere Longevity Elixir. I have plenty more, so it’s no big deal."
After watching Mao Cheng consume the elixir pill and with some difficulty persuading him to leave, Fang Qingyuan finally let out a long sigh. ’People get stubborn when they get old,’ he thought, ’be they cultivators or mortals.’
The Blood Life Pill was a Tier Two Elixir. When taken by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it extended their life by three years. But for a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Mao Cheng, Fang Qingyuan’s estimate of five years was conservative; it should be more like six to seven years.
A single Blood Life Pill could sell for fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones. If Mao Cheng was not corrupt and did not steal, he could never hope to afford one in his lifetime. But if he had ever embezzled the sect’s funds, Fang Qingyuan would certainly not have tolerated it.
After seventeen years of development, the Qingyuan Sect’s disciples now numbered over fifty. Thirteen of them were the original veterans, about twenty were the Immortal Seedlings Fang Qingyuan had rescued back then, and the rest were children born in recent years.
The mortal population in the Qingyuan Sect’s territory had now surpassed one hundred thousand and was steadily climbing toward one hundred fifty thousand. Additionally, the Qingyuan Sect attracted refugees from the outside every year. Though the numbers weren’t large—only a few hundred each month—it added up to a significant supplement over time.
These mortals had all lost the protection of their own Cultivators due to some accident. With their lands seized by others, they had no choice but to leave their homes and head toward White Mountain.
The people from the Great Zhou Academy were willing to act as intermediaries for these refugees, distributing them among the various sects. Because the Qingyuan Sect had been enfeoffed, it had a better relationship with the cultivator at the Great Zhou Academy who handled these matters. Thus, whenever a new group of refugees arrived, the Qingyuan Sect was always allowed to choose first.
For these people, Fang Qingyuan’s standard was simply to teach all without discrimination. As long as they were willing to abide by the Qingyuan Sect’s rules, he would treat them all equally.
By now, the Qingyuan Sect was even more powerful than Yuanling Mountain had been in its day. Unfortunately, its geographical location was poor. Situated in a remote area, no one would patronize a Marketplace even if they built one.
After Mao Cheng left, Fang Qingyuan carefully considered how to find a new source of income. He thought it over and concluded that to expand their revenue, they had to look to Nine Stars Square.
The cultivators around here were generally poor, and it was difficult to squeeze any profit out of them, no matter what tricks he tried. The previous beast ship monopoly was a lesson in itself; they had secured the route but couldn’t earn many Spirit Stones from it. No wonder Xiao Xuan of the Lingliang Sect had agreed so readily back then.
Just as Fang Qingyuan was pondering this, someone else came to see him—a person who took him completely by surprise.
"Hui Cheng, it’s rare to see you. What brings you here?"
The visitor was none other than Chen Huicheng. This disciple was introverted by nature; Fang Qingyuan always had to seek him out. This was the first time Chen Huicheng had ever come looking for him.
When Fang Qingyuan asked his question, Chen Huicheng began to stammer. After he hemmed and hawed for a while, Fang Qingyuan finally understood what he meant. It turned out that his cultivation had reached perfection a few days ago, and he had sensed a Foundation Establishment Opportunity. He was now preparing to go seek it out, and this visit was to say farewell.
