The Sales Pitch

"I thought it was something serious, sneaking around like that..."

Old Wang curled his lip. Deer Antler Powder was a common aphrodisiac; whenever his body wasn't up to the task, he would always take a little to spice things up.

Old Wang was getting on in years, but his mind was still sharp. He immediately reacted, "What, you have Deer Antler Powder?"

The old man's eyes darted around as he sat up on his bed, grinning as he reached out a withered hand: "Come, come, let me test the medicine for you."

"I'm not bragging, but I'm the most familiar with the properties of Deer Antler Powder. I've got plenty of experience."

Gao Xian felt a sense of disdain for the old man's penchant for taking advantage of others, but this old man was the most suitable candidate, and he had no other choice.

"Take these two Deer Antler Powders, fellow Daoist, and give them a try."

Gao Xian placed the pills into the old man's hand. "If you think the effect is good, come find me."

Gao Xian had no interest in the sleazy old man; once he finished speaking, he hurried away.

"Acting all high and mighty just because you sell aphrodisiacs!"

Once Gao Xian left the room, Old Wang spat on the ground. This young man relied on his ability to refine pills and always acted arrogant, which was an eyesore.

He was just selling aphrodisiacs, after all; they were both just low-life hustlers, so why put on airs?

Old Wang popped the two Deer Antler Powders into his mouth and swallowed, muttering with a grin: "I'll take advantage of you for free, and you think I'm going to buy your medicine? Keep dreaming!"

Old Wang had taken plenty of low-grade drugs like Deer Antler Powder, so he didn't think twice about swallowing two at once.

Gao Xian's Deer Antler Powder might look a bit better, but no matter how you dressed it up, it was still just Deer Antler Powder. Who would spend extra money just because it looked nice?

Soon, Old Wang felt a warm glow spreading through his body, his energy feeling inexplicably abundant, and even his mind felt clearer.

An old geezer like him couldn't help but think of women the moment he had energy. It hadn't been much at first, but once the thought took hold, he found it impossible to suppress.

For the past twenty years, Old Wang's cultivation had regressed and his vitality had waned; he had never felt this robust.

Old Wang was not happy, but alarmed. What kind of potent, tiger-wolf medicine was this? It was so overbearing!

He ran to the kitchen and splashed cold water on his face, instantly extinguishing the rising heat.

Yet, that warm sensation in his body felt like bathing in a hot spring, leaving him feeling comfortable from head to toe.

Although Old Wang was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he had lived for over fifty years and possessed some discernment.

The medicinal power penetrated straight into his kidneys and then spread throughout his entire body. Most importantly, this medicine was invigorating without being drying; it strengthened the spirit and kidneys, nourishing his very foundation.

He immediately realized the uniqueness of these two pills.

Old Wang was still a bit skeptical. Could a mere early-stage Qi Refining cultivator refine such high-quality medicine?

He decided to go and test the efficacy...

Gao Xian did not know that Old Wang next door was getting worked up. He rested at home for half a day before firing up the furnace to refine pills again.

With the experience gained from refining Qi Recovery Pills, refining Foundation Strengthening Pills was even more effortless.

Two days later, the pills were finished.

It was the same as before: hand-rolled into pills, yielding over two hundred.

Pills certainly had specifications; normally, they were weighed, with one hundred pills equaling one jin.

Gao Xian could precisely control the weight of every single pill to one-tenth of a tael, or one qian.

According to his own estimation, the margin of error would not exceed 0.01 grams. This was also thanks to the marvelous ability of the Lightning Dragon Hand.

Gao Xian calculated that his alchemy skills had made great progress, allowing him to use medicinal herbs more efficiently and refine more pills.

The problem was that the original owner had consumed one-third of the herbs to refine five hundred White Dew Pills, all of which were traded for Crimson Blood Pills.

With such a massive deficit, no matter how good his technique was, he couldn't make up for it; he had no choice but to purchase more herbs.

Gao Xian neatly arranged the rolled pills into a wooden box, thinking he would deliver the finished medicine today.

These pills were worth quite a bit in total; it would be troublesome if they attracted any thieves or robbers.

Just as Gao Xian thought of this, he heard his courtyard gate rattle. Someone outside was knocking very urgently, appearing rather rude.

Gao Xian touched the Pine-Patterned Steel Sword at his side. Could this thing really protect him?

He was afraid that instead of providing protection, it would only provoke the other party's murderous intent—that would be truly unlucky.

It was better to rely on a magic talisman!

Gao Xian gripped an Ice Arrow Talisman tightly; it was one of only three offensive talismans he possessed.

With Sister Lan's assistance, he could almost instantly cast the Ice Arrow Talisman. The only problem was that he wasn't sure how powerful this talisman was.

Before Gao Xian could figure it out, he saw a sneaky old man vaulting over the wall.

The other party's movements were light and agile, looking somewhat like a large black rat.

Gao Xian didn't see the person's face clearly, but upon seeing the greasy, pitch-black Daoist robe, he knew the visitor was Old Wang from next door.

"Old Wang, what are you doing?"

Gao Xian shouted through the window. He was a bit afraid of strange cultivators, but he felt no awe toward Old Wang next door. He found the lecherous, sleazy old man disgusting, but he wasn't particularly afraid of him.

Old Wang grinned as he approached, "Little Gao, do you have any more Deer Antler Powder?"

After consuming two Deer Antler Powders, Old Wang regained his youthful vigor and wreaked havoc in the pleasure quarters, enjoying himself for two full days.

Once the effects of the medicine wore off, Old Wang turned back into a limp worm.

Those two days of personal experience made Old Wang realize that Gao Xian's Deer Antler Powder was extraordinary; the potency was simply too strong.

Having gotten a taste of the benefits, Old Wang hurried over to find Gao Xian for more.

However, no matter how good the pills were, Old Wang didn't want to pay for them.

He chuckled dryly and said, "Little Gao, I've been praising your medicine everywhere I go. I have a few friends who want to give it a try."

"If the effects are good, they'll definitely pay to buy some."

Gao Xian stepped out of his room, and the moment he heard that, he knew Old Wang was spouting nonsense, trying to take advantage of him for free.

A Grandmaster-level Deer Antler Powder—how many people in the entire world could even refine such a thing?

Giving Old Wang two pills to taste was merely a way to open up a sales channel.

From here on out, such charity was off the table.

Gao Xian said to Old Wang, "One Low-grade Spirit Stone for ten Deer Antler Powders."

Seeing Old Wang about to protest, Gao Xian shook his finger: "No bargaining."

Old Wang was put in a difficult spot; he had to risk his life hunting demonic beasts in the mountains just to earn three or five Low-grade Spirit Stones at a time.

This price was hard for him to accept.

Old Wang muttered, "Ten Qi Recovery Pills only sell for one Spirit Stone. Little Gao, you're selling these way too high."

"Take it or leave it."

Gao Xian saw right through this old lecher; now that he was getting on in years, he relied on this to find any enjoyment.

He couldn't resist the temptation.

Old Wang hesitated for a long while before gritting his teeth, pulling a Low-grade Spirit Stone from his pocket, and tossing it to Gao Xian.

"Give me ten."

Gao Xian caught the Low-grade Spirit Stone. It was a standard cube, clear and green like jade, roughly the size of a common die.

Once a Low-grade Spirit Stone was consumed, the clear, bright spiritual light within would dissipate. This was something that could not be faked.

Gao Xian confirmed the stone was genuine with a single glance and happily counted out ten Deer Antler Powders for Old Wang.

Old Wang looked at the pills in his hand, his heart aching. This stuff was truly amazing, but it was also damn expensive!

Gao Xian looked down on Old Wang's stinginess and reminded him, "Old Wang, you could always sell them yourself... With your skills, you could easily double your money on a resale."

Old Wang was startled, then overjoyed. That's right! Gao Xian's Deer Antler Powder was so effective that selling it to like-minded fellows would surely be a hit.

Doubling his money wasn't impossible!

Having found this path to wealth, Old Wang hurried away in high spirits.

Gao Xian personally saw Old Wang to the door, still holding high expectations for him.

Since the Deer Antler Powder was so effective, it would certainly sell well.

It was just that the Flying Horse Market was only so big, which meant the market scale was destined to be small.

Going to such places to sell medicine could easily lead to conflicts or draw the envy of others.

If Old Wang wanted to sell the medicine, his ability to move volume was his own business. For Gao Xian, earning this steady profit was enough.

Two hundred Deer Antler Powders could sell for twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones, which was more than enough to cover the cost of the medicinal herbs.

Gao Xian was just about to close the door and return to his room when he heard someone call out from afar: "Wait a moment."

Following the somewhat low and husky voice, he saw a tall, athletic figure rapidly approaching.

Gao Xian felt a shiver run down his spine; the person arriving was none other than the Eastern version of Wonder Woman, the apothecary Boss Lady, Zhu Qiniang.

Zhu Qiniang reached Gao Xian in a few long strides and huffed at him, "How many pills have you refined?"

"Two hundred each of the Qi Recovery Pills and Foundation Strengthening Pills. I was just about to send them over today."

Gao Xian replied respectfully, "I didn't expect the Boss Lady to come in person."

Zhu Qiniang walked straight into the main room with her hands behind her back in a grand manner, and Gao Xian hurried to the pharmacy to retrieve the finished pills.

The red wooden box was specifically designed for storing pills; it could both protect the integrity of the medicine and seal in its medicinal properties.

Gao Xian pulled the wooden box over, and just as he was about to start explaining the status of the pills, Zhu Qiniang suddenly grabbed his hand.

Gao Xian was only half a head shorter than Zhu Qiniang, but as his hand was gripped by her, he felt like a little girl being held by a burly man; he had absolutely no power to resist.

Gao Xian panicked a little. What was this lady warrior trying to do?

"Boss Lady,"

Zhu Qiniang raised her long eyebrows, looking somewhat displeased as she said, "Still calling me Boss Lady!"

"...Sister-in-law," although Gao Xian had some social experience, he couldn't decipher Zhu Qiniang's intentions, and his heart grew even more frantic.

Zhu Qiniang said calmly, "Don't be afraid. Old Zhu has gone out on business, and I have plenty of time to keep you company today..."