Shen Yi Was Impressive

Feng Zhan naturally would not refuse Lu Cheng's request to spar and seek guidance.

This would also make it easier for the three of them to keep abreast of Lu Cheng's progress.

The two chose a patch of woods not far outside North City.

Every ten days, at midnight, the two would meet in the woods.

As the saying went, plans could never keep up with changes.

Originally, he had planned to enter the Black Market once every ten days to refine Blood-Activating Powder.

Yet after a single night, it had become leaving the Black Market once every ten days, leaving Lu Cheng somewhat helpless.

With the arrangements for the three escort leaders settled, the next matter was Fatty.

In Lu Cheng's plan, Fatty and the others were indispensable.

First, it was inconvenient for him to enter and leave the Black Market too frequently.

Second, he needed someone to help him create the right situation, driving up or pulling down the price of Blood-Activating Powder.

This was crucial both at the launch of the plan and at every turning point.

Even deciding when to detonate the bomb of the seventeen factions' massive demand for Blood-Activating Powder would depend on Fatty and the others.

But the specifics of the plan were impossible to explain clearly to them.

Lu Cheng merely told them to go to the Black Market in five days and visit Old Pi's shop. They only needed to "ask for Old Pi."

In return, Lu Cheng would cover their carriage fares every time.

All future Blood-Activating Powder would also be supplied by him.

That very night, Lu Cheng returned to the Black Market.

"Only twenty sets of herbs?"

Old Pi's efficiency could not have been faster.

In a house at the very edge of the Black Market's underground palace, he had gathered twenty sets of ingredients for Blood-Activating Powder in just one daytime.

But twenty sets were far too few.

Lu Cheng now spent two hours a day on stance training, consuming four doses of Blood-Activating Powder.

Including the eight doses he had left, that was only enough for seven days of cultivation.

"Wasn't it you who said we couldn't buy too much in Yang City?"

"Only three days had passed since the previous twenty sets. People were already asking whether I was eating the herbs raw."

Lu Cheng could not help nodding at that. Buying forty sets of herbs in less than four days was indeed somewhat suspicious.

Even Vermilion Bird Martial Arts Hall did not use two hundred sets of pills and herbs combined within four or five days.

"How many days would it take at the fastest to gather herbs from neighboring counties?"

Old Pi thought for a moment before saying,

"The closest place to Yang City is Yunshan County. A round trip takes four days, and gathering the herbs will take time too. At the very least, it'll take seven days."

"Yunshan County?" Lu Cheng shook his head, somewhat worried. "They won't have failed to think of sourcing from neighboring counties. I reckon we won't be able to collect much from Yunshan either."

"And we won't be safe just because we collect a thousand sets of herbs."

"We'll still need to buy huge quantities over the next month, so we absolutely cannot let herb prices rise."

As he spoke, Lu Cheng brought over paper and brush and began calculating.

"Emerald Cloud Abbey and Heavenly Spring Temple are the strongest. They place the greatest importance on talent when taking disciples; eight out of ten are in the Force Refining Realm. A hundred per faction should not be too many."

As he spoke, Lu Cheng wrote, "Heavenly Spring, Emerald Cloud, two hundred," on the paper.

"The Chen Family and Lin Martial Arts Hall are a little weaker than those two. Perhaps the two combined have a hundred?"

Lu Cheng then wrote, "Chen, Lin, one hundred," on the paper.

Watching from the side, Old Pi immediately shook his head. "No, no, no. You're underestimating those two far too much. The Chen Family has a huge population. The main branch has three halls and over three hundred clan members; the collateral branches have eleven halls and over a thousand people. There must be at least a hundred Strength-Refining Martial Artists."

Lu Cheng froze when he heard that.

"So many!"

Old Pi said,

"That doesn't even include their household servants and disciples."

Lu Cheng asked, "Then what businesses do they rely on to support so many people and martial artists?"

Old Pi snorted. "Rely on what?"

"The Firewood Gang, Charcoal Gang, Cloth Gang, Water Gang, Rice Firm, Oil Firm..." He swept a hand around them. "Anything living people need, there isn't a single thing they don't have their fingers in. Supporting this many people is nothing; even double that number would be no problem!"

Lu Cheng fell silent for a moment. Old Pi was absolutely right.

The Fish Gang and Vermilion Bird Martial Arts Hall were the best examples.

From this, it seemed that the entire population of over a hundred thousand in Yang City was supporting these people.

Old Pi continued from the side,

"As for Lin Martial Arts Hall, it claims to have four hundred disciples. Every one of them has the aptitude for martial arts, so a hundred in the Force Refining Realm is not many either."

Lu Cheng nodded, crossed out "one hundred" on the paper, and changed it to "two hundred."

The two continued talking and writing like this, and after a quarter of an hour, the paper was already filled with a long string of numbers.

When they finally added it all up, there were actually more than eight hundred Strength-Refining Martial Artists throughout Yangcheng County!

While marveling at the sheer number, Lu Cheng continued calculating.

"Out of eight hundred people, it would be good enough if half could afford Blood-Activating Powder."

"One dose every five days means a monthly demand of nearly two thousand five hundred doses."

Lu Cheng looked at that number and slapped the table. "The cost is five mace, and it sells for at least one tael and eight mace... With a market this large, pills really are profitable."

Old Pi shook his head. "How could it be that exaggerated? Not to mention that one tael and eight mace is the Black Market price, other alchemists don't have a pill completion rate like yours."

That was true. Lu Cheng nodded in agreement.

"Let's not discuss that for now. Let's keep calculating."

As he spoke, he drew a horizontal line as a divider.

"The number of martial artists is settled. What about alchemists? How many Blood-Activating Pills can Yang City refine each month?"

Old Pi counted on his fingers.

"Heavenly Spring Temple and Emerald Cloud Abbey both have their own alchemists, though I reckon their standards are average. Those two often need to purchase Blood-Activating Pills, and together they buy at least three hundred doses every month."

"The Chen Family and Lin Martial Arts Hall are formidable. Their medicine is not only enough for their own use; their shops also sell large quantities of pills."

"I don't know how much they can sell each month, but they've never run out of stock."

Lu Cheng noted down this crucial piece of information.

"Among the remaining factions, only the Huang Family has an old alchemist. But his skill is terrible, and his pill completion rate is under thirty percent. He can barely produce enough for the two families' own use."

"Finally, there are several medicine halls in the city and the Black Market here."

"The Black Market is all right, but those medicine halls are the true heavyweights."

The two wrote and calculated for a long while, until the paper was densely packed with numbers.

In the end, they arrived at a relatively accurate figure:

Three thousand.

At most, three thousand doses of Blood-Activating Powder could enter Yang City's market each month.

By this calculation, after meeting the medicinal needs of Yang City's eight hundred Strength-Refining Martial Artists,

there would still be a surplus of five hundred Blood-Activating Pills every month.

Over three months, that would be one thousand five hundred doses.

Adding the amount the seventeen factions already needed to consume, it should exceed two thousand doses.

The rest could indeed be made up by purchasing from neighboring counties, reaching five thousand doses.

Looking at that number, Lu Cheng could not help admiring Shen Yi's scheming.

Five thousand doses—enough to wound muscles and damage bones, yet not impossible to accomplish.

At that thought, Lu Cheng was suddenly startled again.

Good lord, Shen Yi had already calculated the number of martial arts forces in Yang City long ago!

Not only their numbers, but even their cultivation resources were crystal clear to him!

"Eh? That's not right."

Lu Cheng stared at the "eight hundred" and "three thousand" on the paper, wishing he could slap himself.

"Then what was the point of all this calculating?"

"Wouldn't it have been enough to calculate based on five thousand directly?"

After staring blankly for a long while, Lu Cheng looked at Old Pi.

"Old Pi, within ten days, we need to get at least three hundred sets of herbs."

"Before the end of the month, we must have one thousand sets."

"Otherwise, this plan won't be able to keep turning."

Half the month had already passed. Before month's end, the seventeen factions would have accumulated at least a thousand doses of Blood-Activating Powder.

If they waited until next month to begin the plan, it would no longer affect them.

Old Pi said,

"..."

Over the next few days, Lu Cheng did not leave the house again.

Every day, without fail, he swallowed Blood-Activating Powder and cultivated for two hours.

Supported by an ample supply of medicine, Lu Cheng's cultivation progress changed with each passing day.

Five days later, the proficiency of the Mystic Eagle Stance Technique had surpassed two hundred.

[Twelve Forms of the Black Hawk Stance]

[Grade: Low-Grade Human Tier]

[Realm: Minor Success (208/300)]

At this rate, his stance training would reach Major Success within seven days, allowing him to smoothly enter the Late Stage of Strength Refining.

Such speed greatly exceeded Lu Cheng's original expectations.

Aside from his martial strength, Old Pi's progress also greatly exceeded Lu Cheng's expectations.

Originally, he should have returned only after seven days.

Yet now, not only had he returned two days early, but the amount of herbs he brought back also far exceeded Lu Cheng's expectations.