Chapter 31: The Alchemist Guild (Please keep reading, please vote)

“……”

“In short, that’s how it happened. The Xu Family Pill Shop is finished. These are the contracts you signed; I’ve also retrieved the copies that were left at the Law Enforcement Hall for you.”

Wang Yu slapped nine pieces of waste paper onto the table. Zhou Tao hesitated to speak, as Wang Yu’s words were truly outrageous.

Just like that—just like that—the pill shop was shut down?

Deacon Xu was a distinguished Foundation Establishment cultivator; did he not react at all???

Luo Pinghu frowned and couldn't help but speak up.

“Wang Yu, you make it sound so easy. Where are the details? And how exactly did you get these contracts back?”

“I have my own channels. Don't worry about it.”

“You—”

Zhou Tao suddenly reached out to stop Luo Pinghu, subtly gesturing with his chin. It was only then that they realized that after a single night, the aura Wang Yu radiated had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

He had broken through?

But so what? Luo Pinghu was puzzled and had no intention of following Zhou Tao's lead anymore. Previously, the three of them had stuck together to make it easier to negotiate with the pill shop under Zhou Tao's leadership, giving them more weight in discussions.

Last night's dinner had been an expression of intent to cooperate. Wang Yu had been invited at the time, but he had declined. Seeing that there was nothing left to discuss, Luo Pinghu prepared to take his leave.

“In that case, thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang, for retrieving the contracts for me. Farewell.”

“Don't be in such a hurry.”

Wang Yu spoke again.

“Since you have been practicing in the Spirit-Reversing Blood Sect until now, do you feel how difficult cultivation is?

“Without resources, your cultivation progresses slowly, making Foundation Establishment nearly impossible. Without a background, you struggle to move even an inch; you don't even have the qualification for a normal conversation.”

“What do you mean by that, Alchemist Wang?”

Zhou Tao asked, and Wang Yu replied with a smile.

“Opportunities are rare. It wasn't easy to gather the four of us, alchemists with no backing. Why not establish an Alchemist Association? We can sell pills together and cooperate with those formal pill shops.”

“Heh—”

Luo Pinghu's tone held both sarcasm toward Wang Yu and helplessness regarding his own situation. “Easy for you to say. Do you have resources? Do you have a background? Three lowly alchemists plus one one-armed man—what right do we have to cooperate with pill shops? We can't even see the face of a Foundation Establishment Deacon.”

His words were somewhat biased. While Wang Yu, Luo Pinghu, and Huang Kai indeed belonged to the bottom tier, Zhou Tao was different, even if he lacked a background.

With the eighth level of Qi Refinement and the skill of a first-grade high-quality alchemist, he was capable of holding a position in any pill shop. The fact that he had come to the Xu Family Pill Shop suggested he was also facing trouble.

He had either offended someone or been pushed out of his previous shop by colleagues; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to this newly opened shop. His invitation to dinner yesterday showed he was a man of thought.

Facing Luo Pinghu's acerbic words, Wang Yu remained indifferent. He was merely an ordinary cultivator who had been heavily oppressed; to have mastered alchemy, he must have invested a massive amount of effort.

Now that a lucrative job had suddenly vanished, his emotions were naturally unstable, and he would snap if poked slightly.

Zhou Tao was calculating, Luo Pinghu was emotional, but it was the silent Huang Kai whom Wang Yu valued quite highly. His personality seemed to be the resilient type.

His temperament was also very steady; though he hadn't expressed an opinion, he showed no intention of leaving.

The three had different characteristics, which gave Wang Yu confidence in their potential cooperation.

After a moment of silence.

Zhou Tao was the first to speak: “Tell us your confidence and your plan. If it is reasonable, I can join.”

Hearing this, Wang Yu looked toward Huang Kai. Even this man of few words spoke up: “My thoughts are similar to Brother Zhou's.”

“And you, Luo Pinghu? Do you want to listen?”

The man hadn't spoken, but he hadn't left either. Seeing this attitude from the three, Wang Yu felt even more certain. He reached into his storage bag and pulled out the Law Enforcement Token he had obtained just last night.

“Here. This is my confidence.”

The Law Enforcement Hall was a place that countless grassroots members of the Spirit-Reversing Blood Sect had dreamed of for ages. Being able to join meant having the chance to become part of the sect's core in the future, placing one foot in the ranks of the powerful and wealthy.

Since Wang Yu came from a similar background and was one-armed, the three naturally didn't suspect he had an extraordinary origin. Yesterday he was a hired alchemist, but today, everything was different.

For people like them, there was only one way to become a Law Enforcement cultivator: to be recognized by a great figure!

Zhou Tao pondered inwardly, feeling that the shutdown of the Xu Family Pill Shop was inextricably linked to Wang Yu. It was an intuition, and he immediately made up his mind.

“I'll join.”

“I'll join too.”

“Brother Pinghu?”

“I... can I...?”

“Of course.” Wang Yu stepped forward and patted Luo Pinghu on the shoulder with a smile, comforting him: “It's fine. We are friends. It was just a few words; no one takes it to heart.”

Luo Pinghu breathed a quiet sigh of relief, unaware that the last friend Wang Yu had patted on the shoulder had ended up as a refined corpse.

“Since you have agreed, let me explain the significance of this Alchemist Association and the conveniences you can enjoy.

“In short, I will use my identity to ensure that the pills refined by you brothers are supplied to any shop within the Ten Blood-Reversing Workshops.”

Do not underestimate the significance of this move.

The Ten Blood-Reversing Workshops were internal industries of the sect, serving as both a platform for cultivating disciples and a tool for collecting spirit stones. The business here was a monopoly.

For any pill shop within the Ten Blood-Reversing Workshops to obtain operating rights, they required the approval of the Alchemy Hall. The relationships there were intricate, involving various types of networking and competition; getting a storefront, a qualification, and a distribution channel was incredibly difficult!

The model of setting up a roadside stall on a piece of cloth and moving around at will was strictly prohibited.

Even if neighbors knew you were an alchemist and wanted to buy pills from you, private selling was not allowed; it was forbidden by the sect rules.

Therefore, the qualification to sell was extremely important. This was something Wang Yu had gradually learned after entering the alchemy circles, and he had to thank his six months in the medicinal gardens.

Secondly, there was the source of spiritual herbs. For a medicinal garden like Deacon Tantai's, she had used her connections with Cold Blood Peak to secure it, meaning she could only trade mature spiritual herbs to the pill shops under Cold Blood Peak's command.

Only a small fraction of spiritual herbs were traded between disciples.

Most people with purchasing needs were also alchemists; once they mastered basic alchemy, they would enter various pill shops to become qualified employees.

To own one's own industry, one needed to at least reach the Foundation Establishment stage to have any room for maneuver.

Furthermore, if one went to legitimate shops to buy spiritual herbs in bulk, the prices were too high and not cost-effective; one needed their own channels for spiritual herbs.

Thus, the first promise Wang Yu made was enough to make the three of them extremely tempted.

Who would want to work for someone else if they could sell pills and make money themselves!

Zhou Tao couldn't help but ask.

“How exactly will it operate? What will the selling price be? How much profit can we expect?”

“Don't be in such a rush, I haven't finished yet.

“Leave the channels for purchasing spiritual herbs and the selling qualifications to me. You only need to focus on refining pills. I guarantee you will earn three times what you earned before—no less.”

The three were naturally very tempted. Regardless of whether Wang Yu could actually do it, joining this Alchemist Association was definitely not a loss.

“Now, your first priority is to go to the Alchemy Hall and obtain your sect-recognized alchemist rank certification.”