Chapter 19: Jealousy

“You’ve come at just the right time; the clan has business with you.” Seeing Li Zhirui walk into the warehouse, Li Shile grabbed him without a word and dragged him toward the main hall.

Li Zhirui was led along in a daze, drawing stares and various thoughts from many clan members who paused to watch them pass.

Fortunately, the main hall was not far from the warehouse, and they arrived within a few minutes. As soon as the two entered, they drew everyone's attention.

Li Zhirui scanned the room silently and found that all the high-ranking members of the clan were present; even Li Shiren, who was stationed at the market, had returned. Such a serious and formal setting only increased Li Zhirui's confusion, as he could not fathom what they were planning to do.

“Shiren, you speak,” Li Shiqing, seated at the head of the hall, said once the two had taken their respective seats.

Li Shiren nodded and said, “Last month, the clan's shop in the market sold a total of 1,500 Jade Spirit Pills, over two hundred talismans, eighteen magic tools, and two sets of formations. The total revenue was 5,649 spirit stones. After deducting all costs, the net profit was 3,101 spirit stones!”

*Gasp—*

Even though everyone present was a high-ranking member of the clan with significant experience, they couldn't help but gasp at the figures Li Shiren reported.

A net profit of 3,101 spirit stones! And that was just for one month!

Even if the high income was due to the Jade Spirit Pills being in high demand because the shop had just opened, and sales might drop once the hype died down, it would still be a substantial amount of money!

One had to remember that when the Li family was in Bailang County, their annual income was only about ten to twenty thousand spirit stones. Now, a single grocery shop could rival that in just four or five months.

Furthermore, the Li family still had a large amount of spirit rice, eight types of farmed spirit beasts, and various other spirit items that had yet to be sold.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock, Li Shiren continued, “In fact, these 1,500 Jade Spirit Pills were far from meeting market demand. Not long ago, several traveling merchants passed by and wanted to place an order for 3,000 Jade Spirit Pills.”

*Hiss—*

The clan members hearing this for the first time couldn't help but draw in a breath of cold air. Even if the price per pill would be slightly lower due to the bulk purchase by the traveling merchants, it was still a massive business worth seven or eight thousand spirit stones!

“No wonder Uncle Ren suddenly came to find me a few days ago to ask if I had any more Jade Spirit Pills left,” Li Zhirui realized.

Because of Li Shiqing's cautious approach, Li Zhirui had not refined too many Jade Spirit Pills last month; after completing his quota, he had moved on to other tasks.

But then, one day, Li Shile had approached Li Zhirui, wanting to purchase his surplus Jade Spirit Pills.

Li Zhirui naturally did not refuse, selling his extra pills to Li Shile. It was from him that he learned the sales of the Jade Spirit Pills had met Li Shiqing's expectations.

This news had made Li Zhirui very happy, as he could obtain the Water Refinement Pill Recipe and related refining materials from the clan.

However, a few days later, Li Shiren had suddenly returned to the clan to ask if he had more pills, only to return empty-handed. Li Zhirui had spent a long time wondering why, never imagining it was because the shop had landed a massive order!

As soon as Li Zhirui spoke, he drew everyone's attention, and many elders looked at him with eyes full of fervent expectation.

But... they were destined to be disappointed!

“I can't refine that many Jade Spirit Pills!” Li Zhirui was willing to refine more spirit pills, as it benefited him and wouldn't hinder his cultivation.

But this time was truly impossible. The quantity was too high, and Li Zhirui would not sacrifice his cultivation time just to refine pills!

This was 3,000 pills! Even if Li Zhirui produced ten pills per batch, he would need to refine 300 batches, which meant refining at least ten batches every single day.

And that was the best-case scenario; in reality, Li Zhirui could not achieve such a high success rate!

“Spirit stones are certainly important, but cultivation is the foundation!” Li Shiqing spoke up, his expression solemn. “We must not oppress or even exploit our clan members for the sake of profit!”

“If I ever find out that the clan has fallen into such a state, do not blame me for being heartless!” Finally, Li Shiqing released his personal pressure, serving as a warning to everyone not to cross the line.

Li Shile's expression did not change in the slightest, for he knew Li Shiqing would never agree to the short-sighted ideas of the other high-ranking members. Besides, there were other ways to solve this problem!

“Zhirui, you have been refining Jade Spirit Pills for several months now. I imagine you have gained some insights into the process?” Li Shile asked with a smile.

Li Zhirui froze for a moment, immediately realizing what this elder meant. Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally, he chose the decision most beneficial to himself.

“I am willing to record my insights regarding the Jade Spirit Pills and hand them over to the clan. I can also teach clan members how to refine them, though I cannot guarantee that they will all learn.”

Li Shile looked at Li Zhirui with an amused expression. From their previous interactions, he knew this kid was definitely not one to be taken advantage of; there had to be a condition.

However, Li Shile was wrong this time. He waited for a long while but heard no further words from Li Zhirui.

“That's it?” Li Shile asked, somewhat surprised.

Li Zhirui looked at Li Shile with an innocent expression, as if he didn't understand the question at all.

“Ahem!” Li Shile cleared his throat awkwardly, but he still felt something was off. How could Li Zhirui possibly give away his refining insights for nothing?

Previously, when asked to spend more time refining pills, he had even proposed a condition to the clan. Now, this was a serious blow to his interests, yet he remained so calm?!

There must be something fishy about this!

After pondering for a while, Li Shile finally understood why Li Zhirui was being so generous.

Bestowing favors! Li Zhirui was bestowing favors upon those clan members, ensuring that those who learned pill refining would remember his kindness.

At the same time, he was ensuring the clan's high-ranking members remembered the sacrifices he made for the clan's development.

In fact, besides these, there was one more thing Li Shile had not considered: Li Zhirui wanted to use this opportunity to dispel the jealousy the clan members felt toward him.

Although Li Zhirui spent most of his time in his small courtyard and rarely went out, every time he did, he could sense the jealousy hidden beneath the clan members' compliments!

As for why they were jealous? It was because the Jade Spirit Pills were selling so explosively that many clan members believed Li Zhirui was earning a fortune from them, while they could only pitifully receive the meager monthly allowance provided by the clan.

Even though the monthly allowance had increased slightly because of the wealth Li Zhirui brought to the clan, resentment and jealousy had still ignited in their hearts like a spark.

This was not a good sign. While Li Zhirui had no intention of becoming close friends with everyone in the clan, he also did not want to be isolated.

If they were to team up for external training in the future and Li Zhirui encountered danger, there might not be a single clan member willing to risk their life to save him.

After discovering this trend within the clan, Li Zhirui had been looking for a way to resolve it, and now was the perfect opportunity!