Chapter 2: Monthly Income of Five Coins

The next day, early morning.

Lu Chen got up early, divided the pills on the cutting board into five jade bottles, ten pills each.

He put on the only decent-quality magic robe he had, grabbed a low-grade flying sword, and hurried out the door.

He had to get into the city early; otherwise, once it was light, the better spots for freelance cultivators would be taken.

Perhaps due to the heavy rain that lasted all day yesterday, the roads in the outer city were quite muddy.

The closer to the center of the outer city, the more intense the mixed smell of feces, urine, medicine, and the mingling of humans and beasts became.

Especially with the earthy smell mixed in, it was truly unbearable.

But Lu Chen was already used to it.

An hour later, he arrived at the city gate.

When entering the inner city, Lu Chen couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Indeed, the air in the inner city was much better!

"I heard that the inner city is built on a first-grade spirit vein, which is very beneficial for Qi Condensation cultivators to practice."

"In the future, when I have money, I must buy a house in the inner city!"

Encouraging himself, Lu Chen headed straight for the southwest corner of the freelance cultivator area.

In front of a green stone slab, more than half of it was filled with yellow talismans and animal skins, and an old man was busy there.

He arranged the animal skins, stood up, and stretched, just in time to see Lu Chen arrive.

"Daoist Luo, you're a bit late this time," the old man said.

The old man's name was Chen Xiuping, a Qi Condensation Sixth Layer cultivator, and an old-timer in the Dahuang Market.

He had lived there for several decades, making a living by crafting talismans, and he also had a decent skill in tanning talisman skins.

With his income level, he could actually afford to rent a place in the inner city.

However, this old man was quite frugal. He preferred to live in a wooden house in the outer city, which cost one low-grade spirit stone per month, rather than pay ten times that to live in a stone house in the inner city.

Even when it came to setting up a stall, he calculated everything meticulously.

The stalls in the freelance cultivator area required rent to be paid to the market management.

A stall cost one spirit stone per month in rent.

The large stall, if squeezed, could fit a little over half a square meter after placing the talismans and talisman skins.

He simply divided this half square meter with Lu Chen, and they each paid half the rent.

Was Lu Chen at a disadvantage?

Not really. If he rented another stall, he would have to spend one spirit stone per month.

Moreover, not many cultivators liked to sell things with others.

So, Lu Chen didn't really lose out, but Daoist Chen definitely gained.

After a brief greeting, Lu Chen set up his items at the stall.

Twenty bottles of Spirit-Repelling Pills!

Daoist Chen, seeing the quantity, couldn't help but be surprised, "Daoist Luo, your alchemy skills have improved a lot recently!"

No wonder he said that.

Lu Chen usually came to set up the stall once every seven days, about four or five times a month.

Each time, he would sell around fifteen to sixteen bottles of Spirit-Repelling Pills.

This time, he brought twenty bottles!

This clearly showed that he had made significant progress in refining Spirit-Repelling Pills.

Indeed, that was the case.

In seven days, excluding the day for setting up the stall and buying materials, he spent the remaining six days, half on processing materials and half on refining pills.

In other words, he only had three days to refine pills.

Previously, Lu Chen could only manage two batches a day, roughly enough for five bottles of Spirit-Repelling Pills, as the material loss rate was quite high.

But yesterday, his Spirit-Repelling Pill refining skill advanced from Perfect to Master level.

The last batch directly produced five bottles!

Combined with his good luck, which reduced the material loss, he managed to gather twenty bottles of Spirit-Repelling Pills this time.

"Where, where, it's just a matter of practice!" Lu Chen humbly smiled, but there was a hint of pride in his eyes.

Being at the initial Master level in refining Spirit-Repelling Pills was indeed a significant achievement.

Chen Xiuping shook his head, "There are a few fellow cultivators who sell Spirit-Repelling Pills, but none of them can produce twenty bottles in five days like you."

Saying this, he reached out to touch the nearest bottle.

"Are you mixing in flour to make up the numbers? As an elder, I have to check for you, so we don't ruin the reputation of our stall."

Lu Chen watched him with a smile, already holding a talisman covered in red lines in his hand.

"I heard that someone bought your Qi Concealing Talisman last time, but it didn't work, and the person's buttocks were half bitten off by a beast. As a junior, I should take one back to study for you, so we don't ruin our reputation!"

Daoist Chen panicked, forgetting about the pills, and quickly snatched back the talisman from Lu Chen's hand.

"You sell five bottles of Spirit-Repelling Pills for one spirit stone, and you have the nerve to trade for my Qi Concealing Talisman, which costs three spirit stones each!"

"Give it back! Give it back!"

Lu Chen watched with a smile as the old man carefully placed the talisman in the most prominent spot.

The Qi Concealing Talisman was Daoist Chen's flagship product!

Among his low-grade talismans, which cost one spirit stone each, the Qi Concealing Talisman was the most expensive, starting at three low-grade spirit stones.

In fact, the market for Qi Concealing Talismans was the best, especially for cultivators who hunted beasts in the mountains.

This talisman, which could conceal one's blood aura for an hour, could save a life in a critical moment, making it as valuable as many defensive talismans.

Sometimes, Lu Chen actually envied Daoist Chen.

Selling a talisman casually earned at least one spirit stone, and he could net over a hundred a month!

Unlike himself.

Previously, he would earn twelve spirit stones a month, but after deducting costs, he would only have six to seven spirit stones left.

If he further deducted half a spirit stone for rent, half for stall fees, and one for daily expenses, he would be left with only four to five spirit stones.

This was the result of working hard for a year after crossing over.

It was hard to imagine what the original owner's life was like in the early days.

But envy was just a fleeting feeling.

Lu Chen was very clear that each of the four main arts of cultivation had its own difficulties.

Pills were produced in large quantities, with greater profits, but the challenge lay in mastering various pill formulas. Each type of pill required refining countless batches to achieve proficiency.

Talismans were about quality, with each talisman embodying the cultivator's full essence, spirit, and energy. A single mistake meant total failure.

Moreover, talisman makers often had shorter lifespans, for unknown reasons.

Like Chen Xiuping, who looked old but was actually only in his sixties, though he did indeed look quite old.

However, theoretically, Qi Condensation cultivators could live for 120 to 130 years, so sixty was still considered "young."

Switching to become a talisman maker was impossible, as he would never want to spend his days doing homework.

It was better to refine pills and make pills.

Moreover, Lu Chen knew his own capabilities. With his initial Master-level skill in refining Spirit-Repelling Pills, he could double his income.

Although a monthly income of ten spirit stones was still insufficient to support cultivation (net income), at least things were moving in the right direction.

And, he could soon start a new project, right?

Just as Lu Chen was looking forward to the future, Daoist Chen tugged at his sleeve.

"Business is here!"

(End of Chapter)