Fantasy: Starting with a bowl, you can exchange it for endless cultivation.

Gu Chen has been here for the past two weeks.

He refined four batches of pills a day, and had already turned all the medicinal herbs in his hand into pills.

Cheng Mengling came to his courtyard and gave Gu Chen the medicinal herbs she had acquired over the past two weeks.

In the past two weeks, the Cheng family's overall strength has improved.

Their assets grew exponentially, and their trade routes even extended to several surrounding prefectures, allowing them to acquire even more medicinal herbs.

Four portions of the medicinal materials for Xuan Tie Dan were purchased.

Seven portions of the medicinal materials for Duan Gu Dan were acquired.

Thirty-six portions of the medicinal materials for the Cuipi Dan were acquired.

Seventy-three portions of the medicinal materials for Qi Xue Dan were acquired.

Gu Chen gave her the pills he had refined during this period.

Four hundred and ten Qi and Blood Pills.

Two hundred and ten skin-tempering pills.

He received 35,300 taels of silver.

Gu Chen spent five thousand taels of silver to buy materials for one set of Bone Forging Pill and four sets of Mysterious Iron Pill from Cheng Mengling.

He said to Cheng Mengling, "In the future, when we trade, we will charge a refining fee. For example, if I refine a Qi and Blood Pill for the Cheng family, I will charge a refining fee of 120 taels; if I refine a Skin Tempering Pill, I will charge a refining fee of 240 taels; and if I refine a Bone Forging Pill, I will charge a refining fee of 360 taels."

"I'll earn less and worry less. I'll just refine as many medicinal herbs as your Cheng family provides. What do you think?" Gu Chen suggested.

Although he earned a little less this way—five taels of silver less for each pill he refined—he didn't have to advance any funds or pay a huge sum every time the Cheng family acquired medicinal herbs.

For example, the Cheng family recently acquired more than eighty portions of medicinal herbs. If he were asked to pay for these herbs in advance, he simply couldn't afford it.

In the future, by paying alchemy fees, he can transfer the risk without having to provide upfront capital; he only needs to contribute the technology.

This is better.

"Okay." Cheng Mengling agreed. This way, the Cheng family wouldn't suffer any losses, although they would bear some risks, such as the risk of their cash flow breaking down if the pills couldn't be sold in the short term.

But nothing is without risk, and it's worth taking some risks to earn more profits.

Gu Chen took out 20,000 taels of silver notes and gave them to Cheng Mengling: "Here are these 20,000 taels of silver notes. When your Cheng family caravan enters other prefectures, buy me some fourth-grade innate tendon-changing pills. Buy as many as you can, I need them."

Within Huoyun Mansion, because of his actions, he and the Cheng family have been blacklisted by Huoyun Mansion's Treasure Medicine Pavilion.

It's impossible to buy a Grade 4 Innate Muscle Strengthening Pill within the Fire Cloud Mansion.

The only option is to look for solutions in other, more distant prefectures.

He is currently in the late stage of the Bone Forging Realm, at the Silver Bone level. Once he refines the Bone Forging Pill ingredients in his hand into a Bone Forging Pill, he will be able to break through to the Gold Bone level.

He will then be able to begin breaking through to the fourth realm of the Innate Realm, but he needs to prepare enough Yi Jin Dan (Muscle/Tendon Changing Pills) first.

"No problem," Cheng Mengling agreed, saying, "Then I'll leave the medicinal herbs we acquired this time with Brother Gu. From now on, I'll have the Cheng family manager come every three days to collect the pills, and settle the pill-refining fees with Brother Gu every three days, how does that sound?"

"Sure," Gu Chen replied. "I can refine four batches of pills a day, which would provide 120 pills in three days."

"One hundred and twenty pieces are enough to sell," Cheng Mengling said.

At this time.

A servant from the Cheng family came to Gu Chen's villa to report.

"Miss, Master Cheng, something terrible has happened! An envoy from the main branch of the Fire Cloud Prefecture's Treasure Medicine Pavilion has come to our door, specifically requesting to see you and Master Gu."

Cheng Mengling was startled upon hearing this.

The envoy of the main branch of the Precious Medicine Pavilion of Huoyun Prefecture.

What's going on?

She had no connection with the head of the Precious Medicine Pavilion in Huoyun Prefecture.

Although, because of Gu Chen's matter, none of the treasure medicine stores within Huoyun Prefecture sold pills and medicinal herbs to the Cheng family.

But she had always kept the Cheng family caravan in check and avoided any conflict with them, so why was an envoy from the Fire Cloud Prefecture suddenly showing up at her door?

Cheng Mengling and Gu Chen exchanged a glance. Gu Chen was also unsure what the Fire Cloud Mansion's main branch was planning.

"Let's go take a look first." Cheng Mengling led Gu Chen directly to the Cheng family's reception hall.

at this time.

Liu Biao, the envoy from the main branch of the Fire Cloud Prefecture's Treasure Medicine Pavilion, sat in the main seat of the Cheng family's reception room with a gloomy face.

Cheng Sihai, the head of the Cheng family, carefully served him from the side.

The Cheng family is merely a family power within Chiyang City; apart from Gu Chen, they don't even have a single expert at the second level of the Innate Realm.

The main branch of the Fire Cloud Prefecture's Treasure Medicine Pavilion is overseen by a powerful expert at the fifth level of the Innate Realm, and is backed by the Dan Sect's influence.

Destroying the Cheng family would be a piece of cake.

Cheng Sihai had some vague guesses about why Liu Biao had come.

It's estimated that the Cheng family took in Gu Chen and sold the pills they obtained from him everywhere, which threatened the Baoyao Pavilion's profits.

This angered the head of the Precious Medicine Pavilion.

This has made things complicated.

When Cheng Mengling first started selling pills for Gu Chen, he thought it was just a small-scale operation and nothing serious.

Unexpectedly, the more they sold, the greater the profits the Cheng family gained.

Baoyao Pavilion didn't say anything for a moment, so he acquiesced.

Unexpectedly, Baoyaoge has finally come knocking on our door.

Gu Chen and Cheng Mengling arrived at the Cheng family's reception hall.

Upon seeing Gu Chen, Liu Biao's cold, cursing voice rang out: "Gu Chen, how dare you!"

"Liu Biao!" Gu Chen's eyes turned cold when he saw that it was him.

The last time, it was Liu Biao who came to the Treasure Medicine Pavilion in Chiyang City and announced that he would be expelled from the Treasure Medicine Pavilion.

"I'm no longer a retainer of the Treasure Medicine Pavilion in Chiyang City," Gu Chen sneered. "So you'd better watch your words."

"Gu Chen, you used the pill formulas obtained from my Treasure Medicine Pavilion to refine pills and then had the Cheng family sell them at low prices for you, maliciously disrupting the market and damaging the interests of my Treasure Medicine Pavilion. What is your crime?" Liu Biao questioned directly.

"I learned the pill formula through my own abilities. I can sell the pills I refine however I want. Isn't the Treasure Medicine Pavilion interfering too much?" Gu Chen sneered.

"Boy, I'm warning you, from today onwards, you are not allowed to use the pill formulas obtained from my Treasure Medicine Pavilion to refine pills and harm the interests of my Treasure Medicine Pavilion, otherwise we will not be polite to you." Liu Biao said coldly, "To tell you the truth, before coming here, the head of my Treasure Medicine Pavilion had already reported to the Fire Cloud Prefecture government."

"If you remain obstinate, my Baoyao Pavilion will take action against you to eliminate our own ranks, and the government will not interfere!" Liu Biao threatened.

Gu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

Threaten him!

The main branch of the Treasure Medicine Pavilion in Huoyun Prefecture has a powerful expert at the fifth level of the Innate Realm.

He is not yet a match for them, and it would be unwise to confront the Treasure Medicine Pavilion head-on at this time.

"Patriarch Cheng, this man is a traitor to my Treasure Medicine Pavilion. Your Cheng family colluded with him to maliciously sell pills at low prices, harming the interests of my Treasure Medicine Pavilion. As long as the Cheng family expels this man from the Cheng family, my Treasure Medicine Pavilion can forgive and forget." Liu Biao looked at Cheng Sihai.

"Otherwise, my Treasure Medicine Pavilion will pursue this matter. Your Cheng family cannot withstand the wrath of the Treasure Medicine Pavilion. Only destruction awaits your Cheng family." Liu Biao directly threatened Cheng Sihai with the extermination of his entire family.

"This!" Cheng Sihai was immediately at a loss upon hearing this.

The Cheng family's rapid expansion during this period, doubling its business scale, is all thanks to Gu Chen.

If Gu Chen is expelled from the Cheng family and no longer serves as a member of the Cheng family's retinue.

This is a huge loss for the Cheng family.

However, if Gu Chen is not expelled from the Cheng family, the Treasure Medicine Pavilion can easily deal with the Cheng family.

Any expert at the third level of the Innate Realm could wipe out the entire Cheng family.

The Treasure Medicine Pavilion wields considerable power in the Fire Cloud Prefecture, backed by the Pill Sect. If they could use this as a pretext to bribe the government, they could wipe out the Cheng family.

The government won't say anything.

"The Precious Medicine Pavilion is truly impressive." Gu Chen looked at Liu Biao and said coldly, "Why make things difficult for the Cheng family? I will voluntarily leave the Cheng family."

What a fine medicine pavilion! What a fine Liu Biao!

well.

Very good, this will cut off all his sources of income.

Then they gradually drove him to his death.

Let's bear with it for now; we'll settle this score with them sooner or later.

"You'd better be sensible," Liu Biao sneered, then got up and left the Cheng family.