parentshiftbook Chapter 24 Alchemist, Alchemy!
Chapter 24 Alchemist, Alchemy!
The people inside the cave did not react to Lu Cheng's arrival.
After emerging from one stone house, they quickly disappeared into another.
They rarely stay outside.
Lu Cheng did not rush in, but first walked around the outside of each stone house.
These buildings, though called stone houses, are actually just sheds constructed of stone and wooden planks.
The door was simply a cloth curtain.
Except for a few houses that were not marked, most of them had a sign hanging outside.
The list above indicates the main goods sold.
Having made up his mind, Lu Cheng entered a stone house with a sign that read "Old Yang's Elixir".
The inside is different from the outside.
The lamps burning on the four walls were actually oil lamps.
Although the brightness was somewhat lacking, it didn't generate much heat or smell.
The dim light illuminated a wooden platform and a set of tables and chairs.
There was nothing else besides that.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
An old man sat up behind the wooden platform.
"Our store mainly sells pills needed by martial artists in the Qi Refining and Body Refining stages."
"We have the Blood-Activating Powder in stock for those at the Qi Refining stage, but those at the Body Refining stage need to be pre-ordered."
Lu Cheng glanced at him by the firelight.
Unlike the other people who came to buy goods outside, the old man did not cover his face at all.
He had narrow eyes, slanted eyebrows, and a goatee.
The voice was somewhat shrill.
This reminded Lu Cheng of Feng Ji.
The difference is that Feng Ji's aura is much more profound than that of the old man.
It seems this person is not yet at the Body Refinement Realm.
Lu Cheng didn't directly say that he wanted to buy the blood-activating powder, but instead asked first:
"What are the prices?"
The old man clearly saw that Lu Cheng was questioning the price, but he showed no unusual reaction and his tone remained calm:
"That depends on what kind of pill you want."
"If it's in normal condition, one dose of the Blood-Activating Powder costs two and a half taels of silver."
"I can't give you a fixed price for Baijing Pills and Zhuanggu Powder, but it's roughly around ten taels of silver."
"The Yi Jin Wan and Yu Ji Gao are not priced."
"It depends on how much it costs me to refine it."
"I've sold it for twenty taels before, and I've also sold it for fifty taels."
"Such a huge difference!" Lu Cheng was astonished by the price difference between the Yi Jin Wan and the Yu Ji Gao. "Also, what does 'normal condition' mean?"
The old man looked at Lu Cheng for a few seconds before explaining:
"Normal quality means that the efficacy is not much different from the medicine you buy outside."
"The price will naturally fluctuate depending on whether the effect is slightly worse or better."
"The large price difference between Yi Jin Wan and Yu Ji Gao is precisely due to their quality."
"The higher the grade of the pill, the more difficult it is to refine. It is already very difficult to successfully extract the pill, so there is no room for criticism in terms of quality."
"That's why we need to agree on this beforehand: regardless of the quality of these two pills, as long as they aren't wasted after being refined, you have to buy them."
"But that's what I'm saying. Apart from Yi Jin Wan and Yu Ji Gao, I guarantee that their quality is no worse than what you can find elsewhere."
It turned out to be the case.
"Could you please take a look at the blood-activating powder first?"
Without saying much, the old man took out a palm-sized paper package from the wooden table.
It was opened and placed in front of Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng stepped forward and examined it closely. Inside the paper package, the grayish-brown powder was ground very finely.
Upon closer inspection, a pungent and acrid odor emanated from the air.
The medicine looks just like the one the chubby kid and his friends showed it to them.
However, Lu Cheng still felt that a dose of two and a half ounces of Huoxue San was too expensive.
They were digging tunnels and covering their heads and faces.
In the end, you only get a 5-cent discount, which is a huge loss.
"One tael and six mace per set, I'll take twenty sets, how about that?"
Lu Cheng's desired price was no more than two taels.
The old man immediately asked for two and a half ounces, so don't blame Lu Chengdao for being quick.
The terms "one tael and six mace" or "twenty sets" are just standard practice.
After negotiating the price down, Lu Cheng then made an excuse to take two sets to try it out first.
If all else fails, we can go back and catch a silver sturgeon.
But before Lu Cheng could finish speaking, he saw the old man in front of him re-wrap the medicine powder:
"Heh heh, kid, don't you know how old I am? Trying to play these tricks on me?"
After wrapping the medicine, the old man pointed to the door curtain:
"Those few words I said about elixirs just now were meant to be a reminder to you, the younger generation."
"Now, go left after you leave. Goodbye!"
"..."
Being kicked out was something Lu Cheng hadn't expected.
This person is truly wicked.
Fortunately, there are more than a dozen stone houses, and "Old Yang's Pills" is not the only one.
Hmph, compare prices at three different places. If the old man won't sell, there are plenty of others who will.
Lu Cheng left Old Yang's medicine shop and, after walking a few steps, lifted another curtain.
The layout behind the curtain is similar to that at Lao Yang's place.
The difference is that the shop owner here is a middle-aged man who wears a leather mask, only revealing his eyes, mouth, and nose.
Upon seeing Lu Cheng, he greeted him with great enthusiasm:
"Oh, sir, you came from Old Yang's place, didn't you?"
"That old fellow is known throughout Bogutang for his eccentricities."
"Not only are the pills expensive, but the owners are also incredibly rude."
As she spoke, she walked around the wooden table and poured tea for Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng nodded upon hearing this.
That's certainly true of Lao Yang.
However, in an instant, I was drawn to another sentence in the middle-aged man's words.
"You just mentioned 'Bogutang'? Is Old Yang someone from Bogutang?"
Upon hearing Lu Cheng's words, the middle-aged man paused in his tea-pouring motion.
"If I'm not mistaken, is this your first time here, sir?"
Lu Cheng had already experienced firsthand the strangeness of the people here.
I no longer dwell on how the middle-aged man could tell it was my first time there.
He nodded calmly.
The middle-aged man, upon seeing Lu Cheng's composure, became somewhat less shrewd.
After pouring the tea, he gestured for Lu Cheng to sit down:
"In that case, let's not rush into business. Let me give you a brief introduction to this place."
Lu Cheng sat down without touching the tea.
The middle-aged man didn't mind, and sat down on another chair, saying:
"The reason this place is called Black Market is because most of the things here are of dubious origin."
"Not only pills, but also other weapons, information, cultivation techniques, and martial arts skills were either stolen or robbed."
"Not to mention the desperados who specialize in hiring murderers."
"But Black Workshop is just what outsiders call this place; its real name is Bogutang."
As he spoke, he pointed in the direction where Lu Cheng first saw the wooden sign:
"This illegal workshop is controlled by a force called Bogutang."
"Thank you for informing me." Lu Cheng cupped his hands in greeting to the middle-aged man.
Changing the subject, he asked again:
"So, the pills you have here..."
The middle-aged man nodded:
"That's right, not just me, but among all the pill sellers here, only Old Yang's is doing it legitimately."
"But don't worry, my medicine doesn't come into contact with blood, so you can use it without worry."
Lu Cheng nodded: "And the price?"
Middle-aged man: "The price is uniform. Blood-activating powder is 1.8 taels, and Baijing pills and bone-strengthening powder are both 8.5 taels."
So cheap?
If they can directly quote a price of one tael and eight mace, then it proves that there is still room for negotiation.
How come he's so much different from Lao Yang?
Seemingly noticing Lu Cheng's confusion, the middle-aged man explained:
"Hehe, please don't have any worries."
"To be honest, the cost of one dose of blood-activating powder is only five qian (approximately 15 grams)."
"I had to smooth things over with all the channels I had in place, which is why I was able to push the price down to this level."
He lowered his voice as he spoke:
"Old Yang sells his medicine at a high price because he makes it himself and always thinks his is clean."
"In addition, as the only alchemist in Bogutang, the old man always thought his medicines were superior."
"But whose medicine isn't made by an alchemist?"
"Blood-activating powder is nothing special; the formula for it is practically commonplace."
"I almost became an alchemist myself."
Lu Cheng asked curiously:
"Are the requirements for becoming an alchemist very high?"
The middle-aged man suddenly felt a little embarrassed upon hearing Lu Cheng's question:
"To say it's high, it's not that high, it just requires a little bit of spiritual sense and personal attributes."
As he spoke, he gradually regained his seriousness:
Even ordinary medicines for treating illnesses require consideration of the "principal, assistant, adjuvant, and auxiliary" principle, taking into account the conflict and complementarity of their effects.
"The pills used by martial artists are even more extraordinary, and the requirements are much higher."
"Even medicinal herbs grown in the same medicinal field have different medicinal properties from one plant to another."
"An alchemist must be able to quickly identify this difference during the alchemy process and adjust the dosage of other medicinal materials according to the properties of the medicine."
"But this process is extremely difficult to control!"
"If there is even the slightest mistake or delay, not only will the medicine be ruined, but it may also produce toxic pills."
"Only those with exceptional innate spiritual sense and a high wood element in their body can more keenly perceive changes in the medicinal properties."
"This also gives them a greater chance of becoming an alchemist."
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng's heart immediately began to pound.
One dose of Huoxue San costs five qian (approximately 15 grams).
It sold for 1.8 taels, more than tripling in price.
Even after deducting the cost of bribes, the profit is still astonishing.
But what truly moved Lu Cheng was not the profit, but another idea.
Refining medicine.
Why can't he refine it himself?
With the Mandate of Heaven in hand, one can deduce the most perfect practice steps for any skill or technique after only learning it once.
This is how it is used for 【fishing】 and 【swimming】.
The same applies to the "Twelve Forms of the Black Eagle Stance" and the "Seven Strikes of the Black Eagle".
What about alchemy?
The formula for the Blood-Activating Powder is practically everywhere now.
As long as the recipe is obtained, [Heaven's Mandate] can deduce the best refining method.
"..."
The thought, once it came to mind, was like a spark landing on dry firewood.
It caught fire instantly and couldn't be contained no matter what we did.