The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

Tie Fuhai nodded, then swayed back into the cave.

Li Ping looked puzzled, wondering what it was up to now.

A moment later, he returned with a bunch of water plants: "I saw some human cultivators collecting these; they can exchange them for pills?"

"These are just ordinary herbs; they can't be exchanged for the Mysterious Water Pill," Li Ping shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Tie Fuhai sighed and slumped down.

"What's wrong? Are the pills I give you every month not enough?" Li Ping asked, puzzled.

"It's enough to eat," Tie Fuhai said. "But I want to exchange some for the people on the island as well."

"They also want to consume the Mystic Water Pill?"

Tie Fuhai nodded, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he asked, "Master, do you need any more spirit beasts?"

Li Ping saw through its thoughts at a glance and said directly, "You want me to give them pills every month?"

"No one can stand eating Tide-Growing Vine every day. Besides, this stuff doesn't help you grow; it only provides sustenance," Tie Fuhai said. "Master, don't worry, they won't eat for free; they can work for you."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping fell silent.

Those few iron-backed whales are indeed unique in the open sea. If they can be utilized, they will definitely bring in a long-term and substantial income.

As he pondered, he remembered what Mu Tongshou had said before: iron-backed whales were excellent at transporting goods, and they were not only fast but also safer at sea.

Five iron-backed whales, in terms of efficiency, are comparable to ten ferries.

A rough estimate suggests that the annual income would be at least five thousand spirit stones, which is much more valuable than the tidal vines on Green Vine Island.

But if he does that, someone will be envious. With his current strength, he won't be able to protect them, and he might even be forced to hand them over.

With this thought in mind, Li Ping immediately said, "Indeed, we can't let them sit around and do nothing, but we need to think about the work more carefully."

Upon hearing this, Tie Fuhai was delighted and subconsciously asked, "Could we postpone the delivery and send the pills first?"

Li Ping shook his head and chuckled, not bothering to argue further, since a few pills wouldn't cost many spirit stones anyway.

Tie Fuhai smiled, then transformed into human size and carried Li Ping away.

Halfway there, as if it had thought of something, it suddenly spoke up: "Master, could you please stop giving them Xuan Shui Pills?"

Why?

"I think this pill is alright, but they think it's a bit lacking."

"There are so many pills, I can't possibly buy a little of every single one and let them taste it, can I?"

Tie Fuhai shook his head: "No need. When we were in the Hong family, we gave him a kind of dark pill. That kind of pill will do."

Li Ping was taken aback upon hearing this, and it took him a long time to realize that it referred to a beast core.

This pill is specifically for feeding spirit beasts, and it's similar to the Qi Gathering Pill. When spirit beasts consume it, their cultivation can be accelerated.

However, this elixir is not common; it is not sold in most small places.

Seeing that they were almost at Qingshi Market, Li Ping had no choice but to have Tie Fuhai turn around and head to Shuangfeng Market first.

He wandered around the town and searched every medicine shop on the island before finally managing to buy a bottle.

Compared to the Mystic Water Pill, the Beast Pill is much cheaper; a bottle of fifty pills costs only twenty spirit stones.

Li Ping asked the pill seller, and he learned that spirit beasts generally can't eat that much, so they should eat it sparingly. This bottle should be enough for five Ironback Whales for about half a month.

However, in the long run, it still becomes a considerable expense.

Sitting back on Tie Fuhai's back, Li Ping took out the pill: "Is this the kind of pill?"

Tie Fuhai examined it carefully, then smelled it before confirming it.

Perhaps eager to return and inform its people, it ran very fast for the rest of the journey, arriving at Green Vine Island in less than an hour.

The two parted ways at sea, and Tie Fuhai, carrying the elixir, went straight to the cave on the island.

Li Ping went to the island alone and found Hong Xing.

"Have things been peaceful these past few days?"

"Thanks to the master, everything is proceeding smoothly."

Hong Xing was respectful and reported the affairs of the island in detail.

Xie Yu, whom she was specifically keeping an eye on, did not make any unusual moves and worked steadily, only returning to his room to refine pills when he had free time.

Li Ping nodded in satisfaction, asked Xie Yu where he was, and then left the courtyard.

Xie Yu was in his early thirties, and his cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining was considered low among rogue cultivators.

Without the right opportunity, it's impossible to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime.

Of course, he is an alchemist. If he has talent in this field, he can also reach the late stage of Qi Refining.

Li Ping knocked on the door, and a moment later a man reeking of medicine came out.

"I have met Fellow Daoist Li."

Li Ping nodded and went inside. He saw a pill furnace on the table, surrounded by a jumble of medicinal herbs.

"Fellow Daoist, are you refining a Qi Gathering Pill?"

Xie Yu chuckled dryly: "It's just exploration, not yet refining."

"With the formula and the process, it seems that your success is only a matter of time," Li Ping chuckled.

"Fellow Daoist Li has underestimated the complexity of alchemy," Xie Yu said. "We are currently only testing the ingredients. Further processes, such as proportioning and refining, will follow. It will take another year before we officially begin refining. As for successfully refining it, that's even further away."

Li Ping suddenly realized, noticing a thick booklet on his desk filled with writing, and couldn't help but ask, "Did Fellow Daoist Xie figure this out on his own?"

"I don't have such talent; I, Xie, also have a teacher."

"Your father is...?"

"Please excuse my humble abode, fellow Daoist. My master was not famous; he was merely a rogue cultivator on Crescent Island," Xie Yu said. "Moreover, he has long since passed away."

At this point, Xie Yu's brows furrowed with sorrow, and she couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Fellow Daoist, please forgive me, I did not do it on purpose..." Li Ping cupped his hands in greeting.

"It's alright," Xie Yu interrupted, unwilling to discuss it further.

Seeing this, Li Ping changed the subject.

He took out a beast core he had just bought and asked, "There are many people who raise spirit beasts at sea, so why are these beast cores so rare? In this huge market, is there only one shop selling them?"

Xie Yu didn't answer, but instead asked, "Did you buy it from the Chen family's shop, fellow Daoist?"

"Exactly."

"Only their family has the formula for the beast core."

"I see." Li Ping suddenly realized and couldn't help but sigh, "His family has a monopoly on beast cores in this area of ​​the outer sea, which is truly a huge profit."

"The Chen family isn't stupid. They not only monopolized the foundation building for the three families, but also provided each of them with a large sum of spirit stones."

After Xie Yu finished speaking, he looked at Li Ping with a puzzled expression: "Fellow Daoist is a member of the Mu family and a Foundation Establishment Daoist partner, how come you don't even know this?"

Li Ping smiled sheepishly: "I don't like to meddle in clan affairs."

Xie Yu nodded seriously, his expression quite earnest.

Seeing this, Li Ping quickly changed the subject and continued, "Although there is no pill formula, alchemists can deduce it from scratch. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xie can do that?"

After saying that, he looked Xie Yu up and down and saw that Xie Yu looked calm and composed, as if he was not surprised at all. He thought to himself that there was a chance.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Xie. As long as you can refine this beast core, you won't need to do anything else on the island. Just focus on refining pills," Li Ping promised.

Xie Yu's expression shifted slightly as he slowly said, "Actually, over the years, the Chen family's beast core has been analyzed by many alchemists. The reason no one refines and sells it is simply because they are afraid of the Chen family."