Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 643 Support
At the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Ji An handed over the storage bag:
“Junior sister, I found some materials last night and drew them into second-tier talismans, as well as a few second-tier low-grade talisman soldiers. You can keep these and sell them.”

The other storage bags contained miscellaneous items. You helped dispose of them; they were mostly first and second-tier resources. Compile a list and then delegate the task to Li Qingqiu and the others.

He has two Void Stones. One was crafted by a weapon refiner after he exchanged materials for it. The other was a gift from his senior brother, the sect leader, when he went to Central Continent.

He sorted out a lot of unused resources. Back then, he would have broken every spirit stone into eight pieces, but now he was so rich that many resources could only lie there and dormant.

Han Yan nodded in agreement, then asked:

"Senior brother, have you come up with any ideas?"

"I'll go to the certification association to inquire if there are any suitable alchemy tasks."

Ji An has lived in Zhongzhou for over sixty years and has had the most dealings with the association. Now that he is in trouble, he can only seek help from there.

Leaving the Crimson Flame Pavilion, Ji An rode on a cloud, a crimson light streaking across the sky like a blazing white rainbow.

Upon arriving at the Certification Association, he easily found his way to the alchemists' territory, walked to the door of Master Lieyang's room, and gently knocked on the door.

No one stopped him; everyone knew he was highly regarded.

"Come in."

After receiving permission, Ji An stepped forward and pushed open the door to enter.

Master Lieyang sat on a mahogany chair, holding an account book in one hand and a teacup in the other.

Upon seeing the visitor, he put down what he was holding and stood up, saying:
"I guessed you should be here soon, fellow Daoist. Please sit down and let's talk."

Ji An sat down with some surprise and doubt, waiting for the other party to speak further.

Master Lieyang nodded slightly as he observed his performance. “It is quite unexpected that you quietly took over a pill shop. You were previously reluctant to take on too many pill refining tasks.”

Ji An smiled and explained the reason, "The sect sent my junior sister to Zhongzhou, and you know about her situation."

In the future, the sect will strengthen its ties and exchanges with Zhongzhou. The fellow disciples who come and go cannot just sit idly by and live off their savings, so they have taken over a shop.

Our shop not only sells elixirs but also talismans. In the future, we might add weapon crafting, puppetry, and so on. We'll carve out a living in the cracks between the major powers, eating things they look down on.

He paused, then asked with a smile:

"Judging from your tone, someone has already contacted you. Could you tell me what their demands are?"
Of course, it's up to you whether you want to tell me or not. If you're willing to be honest, then I'll consider it a favor I owe you.

"Haha, I think your favor is very significant. If you hadn't come today, I was prepared to send you a message anyway."

Master Lieyang's expression became much more solemn, and he sat up straight, saying:
"Fellow Daoist should be well aware of your own alchemy abilities. To be frank, if I were the shopkeeper, I would also be very resistant to having an alchemist like you join the competition."

The local forces are very unhappy with your actions. They contacted me privately and said they would give you a generous gift if you reduced the number of cases you received. Of course, I refused.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; your shop will likely encounter all sorts of troubles.

You've changed your business strategy, which is good, but competition with other alchemy shops has begun, and you'll inevitably have to determine who's better or seek a compromise.

What would you choose?

The reason he is so kind is because his foundation is not in Cloud Sea Immortal City; otherwise, he would not have offered such firm support.

He will leave in the future, and the friendships he has built with the local forces will vanish with his departure. However, helping an alchemist with a bright future can truly help him build connections.

"Perhaps we will eventually compromise, but it will definitely not be a one-sided compromise on my part. Both sides will have to exchange blows and weigh each other's strengths before we can sit down and have a proper talk."

Ji An spoke calmly, his gaze unwavering.

"I'm here today seeking help. I hope to receive some commissions to refine Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pills, Fire Essence Pills, and Vajra Pills."

These types of pills will be the main products of the Crimson Flame Pavilion, reducing the sale of other types of spiritual medicines, which can be seen as a concession to the outside world.

If those medicine shops continue to exert pressure, then let the conflict escalate further.

What he's worried about now is Yunhai Pharmacy, which is a direct subordinate force of the Merchant Alliance. The Merchant Alliance is an alliance established by several Nascent Soul forces, with a Nascent Soul True Monarch standing behind it.

If they argue to the bitter end, he will be the one who suffers.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head, but you must show your fangs to let others know you're not someone to be bullied.

Master Lieyang pondered for a moment and said, “I will try my best to meet your requirements in the short term, but the association is a whole, and I must make a balance and maintain cooperation with other alchemists.”

From now on, you can commission fellow Daoists to refine ten batches of Vajra Pills, two batches of Precious Flower Pills, twenty batches of Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pills, and ten batches of Fire Essence Pills every three months. I can give you the first batch of materials now.

However, you need to hand over 50% of the pills, and this support can only last for a maximum of one year. As for how much you can get, it depends on your ability.

One year later, your share of the commission will be halved.

This was the maximum support he could offer; as the head of the alchemy department, he had to unite the other alchemists.

Ji An solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. Your support is like a gentle breeze to me. Please don't hesitate to ask if you ever need my help."

He maintained a cooperative relationship with Master Feiyun's family, and when necessary, his alchemy shop sold Peiyuan Pills and Jiejin Pills.

Next, we'll see how Guangping Zhenren performs. If he can withstand the pressure, the situation will become clearer.

At this moment, the council hall of Canglu Mountain was bustling with activity.

"Ancestor, several pill shops that we cooperate with have issued an ultimatum, demanding that we stop cooperating with the Crimson Flame Pavilion, otherwise they will refuse to buy our medicinal materials."

Crimson Flame Pavilion only buys spiritual herbs of the second rank and above, so our first-rank spiritual herbs will face the awkward situation of not being able to be sold.

At that point, sales would be limited to other immortal cities, increasing costs and posing security risks. I suggest terminating the cooperation with the Crimson Flame Pavilion.

“Ancestor, first-grade spiritual medicines account for 30% of the family’s total income. If we are targeted like this, we must reduce the treatment of our clansmen to cope.”

While the Crimson Flame Pavilion may offer us new hope, I doubt whether we will live to see that day come.

If the Crimson Flame Pavilion can't sustain our investment, we'll lose everything and offend other forces. The family's situation will deteriorate rapidly, so I also suggest ending the cooperation.

"Ancestor, let's end the cooperation. Only after we get through this hurdle can we have a future."

Master Guangping frowned, finding the clansmen unusually noisy.

He vaguely recalled that when his grandfather was alive, the family was showing signs of prosperity, but it was suppressed by external forces, and the council hall was just as noisy back then.

Now, his family is being suppressed because a pill shop is showing signs of prosperity, which has left him with a deep resentment and a sense of helplessness in the face of an impenetrable wall.

He sent a message:

"Eighth Sister, what do you think?"

Guanghan Zhenren responded heavily, "I didn't expect the resistance to be so great. I want to fight back, but I'm afraid of bringing bad results."

If I compromise, I'll feel extremely resentful.

They try to think things through carefully before making any major decisions, but they never expected that the reactions from their partners would be so intense.

Master Guangping looked out the window at the brightly lit world, but a shadow fell over his heart, as if boundless darkness was slowly descending.

He coughed a few times, and the chatter among the clansmen quickly subsided as everyone sat up straight and looked at him.

"Does anyone still remember why we decided to further cooperate with the Crimson Flame Pavilion a month ago?"

"Our family is facing difficulties, and we decided to cooperate with the Crimson Flame Pavilion in order to seek stronger development."

I had foreseen this situation, but I didn't expect it to come so quickly.

What does this mean? It means the Crimson Flame Pavilion has potential, and it means those alchemy shops are afraid.

"I think this is an opportunity. Although there's an element of gambling involved, now that we're at the table, how can we back down immediately?"

Master Guangping stood up, placed his hands on the table, and leaned forward, giving off a powerful and imposing aura.
“I am well aware of the difficulties my family is facing, but I will not be satisfied if I do not try.”

Here's what I'll do: I'll go to Crimson Flame Pavilion again to see how they're handling things. If they show signs of not being able to hold on, we'll choose to terminate our cooperation.

If they can persevere, I'm willing to take the gamble and risk 20% of my wealth for a better future.

The price of the spiritual herbs acquired by Crimson Flame Pavilion is slightly higher than that of other shops. Although the settlement period has been extended to two years, it is still shorter than that of other shops.

Master Guangping controlled his magical artifact to descend. He slightly raised his head and looked at the plaque. The three large characters "Crimson Flame Pavilion" came into view like a blazing fire. The signboard with gold background and red characters was particularly visually striking.

There was a large wooden sign, about the height of a person, on the ground at the entrance. It was gold with a black background and read: "This shop sells: Fire Essence Pills, Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pills, Vajra Pills; various second- and third-tier talismans and talisman soldiers."

We purchase spirit fruits of rank two and above, animal hides, demon beast essence blood, and spirit herbs and medicinal plants aged over 500 years. Please inquire in-store for specific details.

Master Guangping exhaled and slowly entered the shop.

Li Qingqiu, who was guarding the shop, hurriedly came forward, "Ancestor, what brings you here?"

"I've come to check on the current situation of your shop. Where's the Qing Shuang cream?"

"Reporting to Ancestor, True Person Xuanqing is refining Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pills in the quiet room upstairs. Qingqiu went there to observe and learn. Tomorrow it will be my turn to go and learn."

Li Qingqiu looked pleased. The master's explanation was very detailed, describing the various situations encountered during the alchemy process and instructing on how to avoid them.

In short, by repeatedly practicing under the guidance of a master, one can effectively improve the success rate of refining elixirs.

The solemnity and worry between Guangping Zhenren's brows immediately eased a lot. He believed that Xuanqing Zhenren had already felt the pressure from the outside world, but he could still calmly explain the alchemy techniques to his clansmen, so he must have a solution.

Seeing the talismans densely packed in the container made him feel even more at ease, as the other party had clearly made the worst-case scenario preparations.

(End of this chapter)