Chapter 42: Making a Killing

"Do you sell Grass-Returning Pills?"

In the black market, Chen Fei changed his appearance once again and approached a stall, asking tentatively.

"We do. Twenty-five taels each," the stall owner said with a lazy glance at Chen Fei.

"That's expensive."

Chen Fei said with some surprise. He had investigated two days ago, and at that time, they were still twenty taels each; he hadn't expected them to skyrocket again.

Before the rebels arrived, the market price for Grass-Returning Pills was actually only ten taels each.

"Don't complain about the price. You know the situation in Pingyin County; most pills have been handed over to the authorities. It's not easy to have even a little left over," the stall owner explained, perking up slightly when he saw that Chen Fei wasn't running off immediately after hearing the price.

"That makes sense."

Chen Fei nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face. He asked, "Then, do you buy Grass-Returning Pills?"

"You want to sell?"

The stall owner, who had been reclining in his chair, sat up straight instantly. Looking at Chen Fei, he asked, "What's the quality like? Actually, never mind the quality—how much can you provide every day? If the volume is large, the price is negotiable."

"I can guarantee twenty to thirty pills a day."

"Good! If you can guarantee that amount, I'll give you this price per pill."

The stall owner made a hand gesture. Chen Fei took a look, shook his head slightly, and said, "You sell them for twenty-five taels, but you only offer fifteen to buy them? That's too low."

"Fifteen taels isn't low; we have many expenses to cover as well," the stall owner chuckled.

"Fine, I'll think about it."

Chen Fei didn't say much more. He smiled and turned to leave.

"Hey, don't go! The price is negotiable!"

Seeing Chen Fei about to leave, the stall owner hurried to stop him. Currently, all the alchemists in Pingyin County were working under high loads to refine pills; those wandering outside were as rare as phoenix feathers.

If he could acquire an extra twenty to thirty Grass-Returning Pills every day, it would certainly be considered a great achievement.

Chen Fei stopped in his tracks and looked at the stall owner without speaking.

"Just name a price," the stall owner said helplessly, seeing Chen Fei staring at him.

"Twenty-three taels, then."

"That's too high!" The stall owner shook his head like a rattle.

"Pill prices change every few days. Perhaps in a few days, you'll be making a profit."

"Nothing keeps rising forever. Very few people can afford twenty-five taels. I mostly buy these to hand over to the masters as a precaution."

"Then how much will you offer?"

"Sixteen taels. That price is quite reasonable..."

After a bout of haggling between Chen Fei and the stall owner, they finally settled on a purchase price of twenty taels.

On the surface, Chen Fei looked somewhat regretful, but in his heart, he was overjoyed. Before the rebels arrived, Chen Fei sold Grass-Returning Pills for only eight taels each, and he even had to source the medicinal ingredients himself.

Now, the ingredients were provided by the Zhao family, and the price of the pills had soared. Calculating everything, Chen Fei was making a massive profit.

With his current Great Perfection level of Grass-Returning Pill refinement, he could sell about twenty-five pills a day in the black market, meaning his daily income would be five hundred taels of silver.

Compared to before, this was a massive leap forward.

"Take a look at the pills. There are about a hundred in total."

Chen Fei took the medicine bottles out of his bundle. The stall owner did not dare to be negligent; although he had said quality didn't matter, if they could be better, it would certainly be more perfect.

As the stopper was removed, a medicinal fragrance drifted out. The stall owner carefully poured out one pill. Looking at the smooth and rounded surface of the Grass-Returning Pill, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

With pills of this standard, getting this price wasn't a loss. When the time came, the masters would even praise him for having good eyes!

"Keep the money."

After checking the quantity and ensuring there were no issues, the stall owner quickly counted out the silver and placed it in front of Chen Fei.

Two thousand taels of silver was quite heavy, making a dull thud against the counter.

Transactions in the black market were always conducted in physical silver; the use of bank notes was rare. Now, due to the rebels, no one even dared to use bank notes anymore.

Chen Fei slung the bundle of silver over his back, looked at the stall owner, and asked, "Do you buy Light Spirit Pills?"

"You have Light Spirit Pills too!"

The stall owner's eyes widened; this was a huge surprise. The previous market price for Light Spirit Pills was fifteen taels, but it had long since skyrocketed.

Consequently, very few martial artists used Light Spirit Pills for cultivation nowadays; even those in the Bone Forging Realm only used Grass-Returning Pills.

However, on the rebel side, the demand for Light Spirit Pills remained very high. Sometimes, if the quantity of Light Spirit Pills was sufficient, it could offset the required amount of Grass-Returning Pills and Blood Qi Pills.

"I can refine them, but my technique is average and my yield isn't high. If you trust me, you provide the ingredients, and we split the profit proportionally."

The stock of Light Spirit Pill ingredients Chen Fei had prepared earlier was almost exhausted. Now, ingredients could not be bought in Pingyin County, and he couldn't find refugees to gather them through Chi Defeng.

Chen Fei could only turn his gaze toward these vendors, as many of them were backed by the prominent families within Pingyin County.

"One set of ingredients for one Light Spirit Pill—that is my bottom line."

The stall owner looked at Chen Fei, pondered for a moment, and said, "How about this: we provide the ingredients, and in exchange for one set of ingredients, you give us one Light Spirit Pill, and we will also give you a three-tael labor fee. How does that sound?"

"That's a bit low. Let's say six taels; I like that number," Chen Fei said with a smile.

"Fine, let's call it making a friend."

The stall owner considered it and agreed. Primarily, there were only a few alchemists in Pingyin County capable of refining Light Spirit Pills. Even if they wanted to train new ones now, it would be too late because the ingredients were too scarce to allow for waste.

Exchanging one set of ingredients for one Light Spirit Pill was not a loss. In the past, it would have been an incredible profit, but now that the value of ingredients had risen sharply, it could only be described as decent.

"Give me three sets of ingredients first. I'll come find you tomorrow."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The stall owner walked to the back room to notify staff to fetch the ingredients while simultaneously reporting the matter.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, the ingredients were placed in Chen Fei's hands. Chen Fei inspected the ingredients, found no issues, gave the stall owner a respectful salute, and left the black market directly.

Halfway there, Chen Fei deposited all the silver into his panel, feeling a sense of lightness behind him.

The "little tail" did not appear, which was somewhat unexpected for Chen Fei. It seemed the family backing the stall owner truly intended to cooperate with him. Or rather, since it was only the first day, they weren't in a hurry and wanted to observe further.

After circling cautiously through Pingyin County a few times, Chen Fei finally returned to his rented courtyard.

Instead of refining pills immediately, Chen Fei rested for a while and then took out a manual.

The Returning Origin Bow Technique.

A bow technique manual. Chen Fei had bought a total of three such manuals from Chi Defeng, and there were no more available.

There were not many martial artists who used bows, so they were naturally even rarer in circulation. While there were more bow users in the military, manuals from there were even harder to find in the outside world.

Chen Fei's desire to practice bow techniques wasn't because he felt his sword skills were weak, but simply because he wanted to increase his repertoire of combat methods, especially for long-range attacks.

In truth, practicing hidden weapons would also be good, but their range was too short. Chen Fei had already mastered movement techniques, and in the foreseeable future, his investment in movement techniques would certainly not be low.

Therefore, in short distances, Chen Fei could completely compensate with his movement techniques. Conversely, when the distance was too great or the enemy was too strong and Chen Fei was unwilling to engage in close-quarters combat, that was when the bow would come into play.

Another reason prompting Chen Fei to practice the bow was that he had recently brought all the cultivation techniques in his possession to the Great Perfection stage.

The time spent on internal energy cultivation was fixed, and Chen Fei could not spend the entire day refining pills—not to mention he didn't have that many ingredients. Even if he did, he wouldn't refine them incessantly.

Making money made one happy, and the panel required silver. But all of this was for the sake of increasing strength; Chen Fei could not let the means become the end. Thus, after handling other matters, he had to ensure his strength did not stagnate.

Grinding proficiency and watching his strength grow bit by bit had already become a part of Chen Fei's current life, something he could no longer quit.