Chapter 74: Do You Want to Keep Me?

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

In the room that once belonged to Qin Liangchen's son, Qin Xiaohu, Luo Chen still hadn't fallen asleep.

With his hands behind his head, his thoughts were in turmoil.

All he could think about was what had happened tonight.

"Perhaps if I hadn't gone to the banquet, none of this would have happened."

Luo Chen felt a twinge of regret.

But soon, he dismissed this thought.

Uncle Mi was clearly not acting on a whim. He didn't just think of this idea when he saw Luo Chen.

He had inquired about Luo Chen and knew many things about him, even possessing a medium-grade Zongmiao Pill.

The Zongmiao Pill had only been upgraded to medium-grade in the past two months.

Due to the special nature of this pill, cultivators usually consume it quickly once they get it.

The fact that Uncle Mi went out of his way to obtain one showed that he had put a lot of thought into it.

"Therefore, even if I hadn't attended the banquet today, he would have found me eventually."

"On the contrary, because Qin Liangchen was there, he was quite polite to me, even taking on the demeanor of an elder and giving me earnest advice."

After thinking it through, Luo Chen no longer dwelled on regret.

He began to consider what he should do next.

Run away?

Running away was impossible. Although he had some combat ability, his cultivation realm was still too low.

He also didn't know much about the outside world.

In the year and a half since he had crossed over, he had almost entirely struggled to survive in the Dahuang Market. Moving to a new, unfamiliar place would be too costly.

Moreover, who could guarantee that in a new place, as a wandering cultivator frequently selling pills, he wouldn't be targeted by other forces?

In that case, it would just be a repeat of the past.

Staying with the Broken Mountain Gang might mean less freedom than before.

But within this gang, there were many people he knew well, and most of them held high positions.

Wang Yuan would definitely protect him, and the couple Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian also took good care of him. There were also other familiar faces, like Zeng Wen.

"Sacrificing the freedom of a wandering cultivator to become the head of the Alchemy Hall might not be such a bad thing."

In a situation where things couldn't be changed, Luo Chen analyzed what his position would be like if he became the head of the Alchemy Hall.

"First, my status would definitely not be bad!"

Luo Chen was quite confident about this.

In the world of cultivation, there were the four main arts, as well as other professions, a true diversity of talents.

Among those who mastered these skills, alchemists were the hardest to achieve success, but once they did, they became the most sought-after.

No one would offend an alchemist without a good reason.

This was true whether it was a large yuan ying sect or a small wandering cultivator force.

Everyone was very mindful of maintaining good relations with alchemists, even if it was just for the sake of future good karma.

Luo Chen had been around long enough to know that many people showed him kindness, partly because of his identity as an alchemist.

Even though he had encountered two battles, those were more like random misfortunes, not targeted at him specifically.

"Once my status is high enough, I need to consider the benefits!"

"And this will depend on how well I can negotiate with Uncle Mi and the Broken Mountain Gang."

Luo Chen felt a bit heavy-hearted.

He could imagine that, faced with the enormous profits from pills, the negotiations would be very difficult.

But he had to do it.

No one wanted to be a mere tool.

Even though in his previous life, he was a typical worker, used to being exploited.

But now that he had crossed over, if he still worked for free, what would be the point?

If he worked for others before and after crossing over, wouldn't his crossing over be in vain?

"Finally, there are the additional benefits I can gain through my position as the head of the Alchemy Hall."

Luo Chen immediately thought of his system.

That proficiency panel was his hope for immortality.

If the Alchemy Hall was established, his alchemy endeavors would no longer be small-scale, where every raw material had to be carefully calculated.

With the support of the entire gang, he would definitely expand his operations.

This way, his alchemy proficiency would skyrocket!

"Uncle Mi said he has some alchemy-related books, and even one or two pill formulas."

"This is one of the benefits I can gain."

Luo Chen's eyes sparkled with a hidden excitement.

Both Uncle Mi and Qin Liangchen only thought he had terrifying alchemy talent.

But he knew better.

Luo Chen's alchemy talent was far from outstanding.

He had exchanged a few times with Xiang Xiang from the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, and those exchanges were not pleasant.

When Xiang Xiang occasionally asked a question, he couldn't respond at all.

At the time, Xiang Xiang was puzzled. This was just basic alchemy knowledge; why did Luo Chen seem like he had never been exposed to it?

In fact, that was normal.

Luo Chen's alchemy was just following the steps, like tracing a picture.

He had never received systematic alchemy training and was unclear about many basics.

Even though he now knew a lot about alchemy, it was all through trial and error.

The additional knowledge the system provided after each proficiency increase was limited to the two pills, Bigu Powder and Zongmiao Pill.

"If I can get the alchemy books cherished by Uncle Mi, a foundation realm cultivator, it will definitely be a significant boost for me."

"In the long run, if there ever comes a day when I can break free from the Broken Mountain Gang's control, this gain will be even more valuable."

In short, delving deeper into the Broken Mountain Gang and becoming the head of the Alchemy Hall might not be such a bad thing.

At least, he wouldn't be a lone wolf anymore.

There might be some friction and conflicts within the gang, but those were internal matters.

Externally, he would be one of the nine hall heads of the Broken Mountain Gang, a cultivator who could openly reveal his identity as an alchemist!

Lying in bed, Luo Chen tossed and turned.

He thought about many things, weighing the pros and cons.

Gradually, his mindset improved, and he wasn't as anxious as before.

Adaptability had always been one of Luo Chen's strengths.

Whether it was his hardworking life as a worker in his previous life or his penniless wandering cultivator life after crossing over.

He could always adapt quickly, find joy in hardship, and believe that he would eventually achieve something.

"Now, it's just another fresh start!"

With hope for the future, Luo Chen fell asleep peacefully.

The establishment of the Alchemy Hall was not something that could be decided overnight.

In the past few days, Luo Chen hadn't gone to the Broken Mountain Gang but stayed in the courtyard, watching his subordinates repair his house.

He himself was working with some high-quality wood, doing carpentry.

"What are you making?" Gu Caiyi sat on the swing, watching Luo Chen work curiously.

Swish!

Luo Chen's hand moved, and a chair with wheels spun in his palm.

Spinning chairs was his specialty from his school days!

"A wheelchair, for the disabled."

Gu Caiyi was surprised, "You mean the kind that allows people with mobility issues to move around quickly, even fly in the sky?"

Luo Chen sat down without pushing, and with a slight release of spiritual energy, the wheelchair moved.

It carried him around the courtyard.

"Unfortunately, I know nothing about formations. If I could add a few and use spirit stones to power it, it would definitely sell!"

Wheelchairs had been invented long ago in this world.

It was said that the inventor was a foundation realm cultivator who helped establish Tianfan City.

After a thousand years, wheelchairs had become a representative magical artifact of Tianfan City.

However, in the Dahuang Market, no one sold them.

Mainly because the demand was low. Disabled cultivators were still cultivators and had their own ways to move around.

The Dahuang Market was too remote, far from the Tianfan Domain, and the Ten Thousand Treasure Tower mainly sold portable magical artifacts.

Thus, many cultivators knew the name "wheelchair" but had never seen one.

"Let me try it!"

Gu Caiyi jumped up.

Sitting on a stone bench, Luo Chen watched Gu Caiyi play with the wheelchair, feeling relieved.

This gift, though not expensive, was a sincere gesture.

It would make it easier to talk to the old man.

"Recently, you seem to be spending more time at home. Isn't it busy at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower?"

Gu Caiyi, playing with the wheelchair, said casually, "I plan to quit that job!"

Luo Chen was taken aback but quickly found it reasonable.

The personnel changes at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower had been confirmed.

The next person to take over would be the Hua Brother mentioned by Xiang Xiang, a foundation realm cultivator from the Joyful Union Sect with a volatile temper and a penchant for capturing souls.

Working under such a person, with Gu Caiyi's personality, she would eventually suffer.

It was better to quit before he arrived.

"What do you plan to do in the future?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll look around the city's six major shops and see where they need help."

The Yuding Domain was conquered by the Yuding Sword Sect and fifteen other sects, with the five major sects as the main force. Therefore, the domain was filled with the industries of these five major sects.

The Dahuang Market, though geographically remote, was not small in scale.

Even with the number of cultivators increasing to two or three thousand, it wasn't crowded.

Moreover, being close to the Eastern Wasteland's million mountains, it was an excellent base for resource acquisition and future wars.

Thus, it had the most complete industries of the six major sects and many shops of smaller sects from the Yuding Domain.

Especially the six major sects, which sent foundation realm cultivators to oversee their operations, unlike the smaller sects, which were managed by qi condensation cultivators.

Ten years was a sensitive point.

Every ten years, some sect cultivators would be replaced.

After all, no one wanted to stay in a first-grade spirit vein market for too long.

They would rotate!

This time, besides the Heavenly Fragrance Tower of the Joyful Union Sect, other places like the Divine Symbol Pavilion of the Divine Symbol Sect and the Spirit Source Hall of the Five Elements Divine Sect would also have small-scale personnel changes.

With so many changes, some positions would naturally become vacant.

Gu Caiyi was attractive and at the ninth layer of qi condensation.

Having worked at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower for years, she was skilled in welcoming and socializing.

If she wanted to find a new job, as long as her requirements weren't too high, it should be easy.

"Why are you asking?"

"As a good friend, can't I show some concern?"

"Pfft, I thought you wanted to keep me."

"Hmm, not impossible."

Suddenly, Gu Caiyi's wheelchair stopped, and she looked at Luo Chen with a burning gaze.

(End of Chapter)