Su Hao carefully examined the inventory.
There were thirty mu of medicinal fields, planted with more than twenty common medicinal herbs, primarily mountain ginseng, Polygonatum, and Fo-ti.
These artificially cultivated herbs had been grown for too few years and were not worth much. Mountain ginseng was somewhat more valuable; three thousand jin of mountain ginseng was worth one spirit stone.
Based on the yield, even if the entire field were planted with mountain ginseng, it would only earn a little over a hundred spirit stones in three years.
Moreover, the herbs from these medicinal fields were mainly for personal use.
Su Hao was very dissatisfied.
In addition, there were more than ten thousand jin of medicinal herbs in storage, mostly common supplementary herbs such as mountain ginseng and Polygonatum.
These industries, if placed in the secular world, could ensure Su Hao's food and clothing and make him a wealthy gentleman.
But in the Golden Light Sect, spirit stones and spirit herbs were the hard currency. Ordinary medicinal herbs were not precious.
"There are three mu of Blood Tribute Field. What is Blood Tribute Field?"
Su Hao glanced at the more eye-catching entries at the end of the inventory.
"These are special blood-rich soil that the master obtained through great effort. They are extremely precious.
"Every day, they must be irrigated with beast blood and human blood. This can accelerate the maturation of medicinal herbs and meet the cultivation requirements of special medicinal herbs.
"There are now more than three thousand Blood Thorn Ginseng plants growing in the Blood Tribute Field.
"Blood Thorn Ginseng is extremely precious. Thirty high-grade Blood Thorn Ginseng plants can be exchanged for one spirit stone. Two crops can be grown each year."
The big man at the head was named Huang Jiao. Lin Zhi Shan had assigned him to manage the medicinal garden and pharmacy businesses, and he was deeply trusted by Lin Zhi Shan.
He came forward with an ingratiating smile and explained.
"Two crops a year? That means two hundred spirit stones a year." Su Hao nodded in satisfaction.
"Uh, Young Master Su, your calculation is too idealistic. In reality, after deducting losses, inferior goods, and the cost of the blood required by the Blood Tribute Field each day, the earnings are far lower than that. For example, last year we only earned 105 spirit stones."
Huang Jiao spoke hesitantly.
"Oh, that's still not bad."
Su Hao thought of how low-level cultivators had to venture into dangerous places such as the mines, yet could earn only one spirit stone a day.
This stretch of Blood Tribute Field belonging to Lin Zhi Shan could be managed by ordinary people without any danger, while still earning spirit stones.
"Lin Zhi Shan... Is this all Master had in the way of property?"
Su Hao suddenly changed tack.
Judging from the contents of the inventory, apart from the Blood Tribute Field being a small surprise, everything else was far below his expectations.
This enormous mountain had only this much value?
"Uh, this is all we have access to. How could we servants possibly take good care of true immortal cultivator possessions?
"The master's pills, medicinal wines, and the like are very popular, but he personally handled those things. At most, we were responsible for delivering medicinal herbs, cleaning tools, and other odd jobs."
Huang Jiao gave an awkward smile.
Su Hao nodded and thought of Lin Zhi Shan's storage bag.
He had not yet had time to count what was inside. If there were truly valuable things, they were most likely carried on his person or hidden in some secret room in his cave abode.
"Oh, right, Young Master Su, there should still be more than five hundred spirit herbs in the medicinal storehouse of the cave abode. They weren't listed in the inventory!
"The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion commissioned Alchemist Lin to refine Pure Qi Pills and Spirit Gathering Powder and was responsible for providing the main ingredients.
"Ever since the master exchanged the goods with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion more than twenty days ago, they've been kept in the medicinal storehouse. When I went to organize it some time ago, the master seemed not to have begun refining them yet. He hadn't touched a single herb."
Huang Jiao slapped his forehead as he brought up this important matter.
"More than five hundred spirit herbs, commissioned for pill refinement... in the medicinal storehouse of the cave abode?" Su Hao could barely conceal his delight.
It made sense. Pill refinement was Lin Zhi Shan's main source of income.
More than twenty days ago—that was before Su Hao had come to the Golden Light Sect.
If they were the main ingredients for Pure Qi Pills and Spirit Gathering Powder, then they were worth quite a lot. One spirit herb should be worth at least one spirit stone, right?
Su Hao could not help laughing. If he simply swept away these medicinal herbs and Lin Zhi Shan's inheritance, escaped the Golden Light Sect, and cultivated outside, these things would be enough to take him all the way to the Foundation Establishment Realm!
"Let me calculate the time.
"In a month, we have to supply the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion with 300 bottles of Pure Qi Pills and 100 portions of Spirit Gathering Powder.
"But the master is currently ill. He may have forgotten this important matter. You'd better find an opportunity to remind him. If he doesn't have the time, he should notify the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion in advance to avoid provoking their displeasure."
Huang Jiao brought this up cautiously.
"I understand. You may leave. Take care of your respective duties. In a couple of days, I'll inspect the Blood Tribute Field and the medicinal herbs."
Su Hao waved his hand and dismissed the four men.
The four servants, led by Huang Jiao, left respectfully without revealing the slightest suspicion.
Only Huang Jiao among them had any real strength. He was a secular Martial Artist.
The others merely had sturdy builds and looked somewhat imposing.
Facing a cultivator, none of the four had the qualifications to question anything.
As for fleeing, without a cultivator leading them, it would be as difficult as ascending the heavens for ordinary people to leave the Golden Light Sect.
Thus, even though Huang Jiao was experienced and had vaguely guessed some things, he still did not dare let his imagination run wild or say too much.
After they left, Su Hao returned to the rear courtyard. Once he found Zhao Bai Jiang's storage bag, he threw the old man's corpse into the incinerator as well and burned it to ashes.
He used the bone fragments and ashes as fertilizer and buried them in the flower garden.
After finishing all this, night had fallen. Su Hao arrived at the pavilion where Lin Zhi Shan usually cultivated and meditated.
There were no hidden compartments in the bedroom.
The bookshelves held some thread-bound books on the Pill Dao, while antique jade objects were displayed among the furniture.
The bedroom was utterly ordinary, with no treasures placed inside.
For cultivators, the storage bags carried close to their bodies were the safest place to store things.
Hidden compartments and secret rooms might deceive ordinary people, but they could not stop a cultivator's spiritual sense.
With Su Hao's current Qi Refining Level 7 strength, his spiritual sense could extend roughly three meters. Ordinary materials could not block its probing; whether something held a secret could be known at a glance.
Su Hao refused to give up. "Ge Lao Si's fate is still unknown. Back then, I was able to find the Talent Power left behind after the other medicinal slaves died. Even if Ge Lao Si has been dead for several days, it's not as though his corpse could have disappeared, right?"
Talent Power could only last for one day.
Perhaps Ge Lao Si had died long ago.
But his corpse still had to be dealt with, right?
Su Hao searched the pavilion more thoroughly and soon found the Heart-Calming Hall on the other side of the pavilion.
Su Hao searched carefully. When his spiritual sense touched the wall, he discovered that the wall behind the Three Pure Ones relief was hollow.
As the lamp pillar was twisted, the stone slabs in the wall slowly opened, revealing a passage.
The passage led downward to an underground chamber.
The air was filled with a foul, murky smell. There was both the fragrance of pills and a strange odor that seemed vaguely like the scent of meat.
"Ah, this should be Ge Lao Si, right?"
Su Hao looked at the special pill furnace in the middle of the secret chamber. A skin-covered skeleton was mounted on it, its death horribly tragic.
Its entire body was charred red, as though it had been roasted.
Its flesh had withered, its eye sockets were deeply sunken, and only a dozen or so gray-white hairs remained on its head. Its face was twisted, frozen in the agony it had felt while alive.
"Ah."
A bleak sadness welled up in Su Hao's heart. He sighed. "Brother Ge, rest in peace. Lin Zhi Shan is dead. I suppose I've avenged you."
Ge Lao Si had allowed Lin Zhi Shan to complete the flaws in his cultivation technique.
But given Lin Zhi Shan's nature, there was no way he would have easily spared Su Hao and the other medicinal slaves. He would certainly have thought of making use of waste and refining them into pills again, rather than truly accepting Su Hao as a disciple.
Su Hao fetched a blanket, removed Ge Lao Si's corpse, wrapped it in the blanket, and buried him in the bamboo grove.
By the dead of night,
Su Hao finally opened Lin Zhi Shan's and Zhao Bai Jiang's storage bags one after the other.
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