An Unexpected Windfall

"Not bad!"

Master Mo took the pill, opened the box for a look, and offered his verdict. "Our Zichuan Market Alchemy Shop has another alchemist now!"

This also confirmed Lin Changheng's status as an alchemist.

Lin Changheng smiled.

"Unmoved by honor or disgrace. Very good. Keep it up."

Master Mo spared no praise, then said, "In half a year, we'll return to the Xu Family. You'll be able to refine pills and advance your cultivation there."

"Half a year? By then, the Great Reclamation should have gotten underway, at least in its initial stages, right?"

"Exactly." Master Mo considered for a moment, then revealed another piece of news. "We could've returned in three months, but Zichuan Market is going to be abandoned. The clan decided we should all withdraw together, rather than make separate trips back and forth."

The news took Lin Changheng by surprise.

Zichuan Market had flourished for decades. It had shown signs of decline five years ago and begun to fall into ruin. The Xu Family had already withdrawn one alchemist, and now they were abandoning the place altogether?

And this "abandonment" surely wasn't just one family pulling out—it meant that many powers were abandoning the market together!

Before he could think it through, Master Mo continued, "Your status is different now. There's no harm in telling you these secrets. You can start preparing early, too."

With that, Master Mo turned to leave. Before he went, he remembered to return the wooden box to Lin Changheng, thinking it held special meaning for him.

Lin Changheng accepted it with a smile. All he knew was that the box held two low-grade spirit stones!

Still, he couldn't help feeling wary of the impending upheaval at the market. He also resolved never to leave the market.

The news soon spread through the Xu Family Alchemy Shop, then began to ripple outward through the market.

Within three days, everyone in Zichuan Market knew that the Xu Family Alchemy Shop had gained a new first-tier alchemist—one who had risen from the ranks of its apprentices.

Lin Changheng finally received a response from the Xu Family clan.

Just as Master Mo had suggested, Lin Changheng would keep his previous apprentice benefits, but his duties would be removed.

The clan also sent over two apprentices with some basic experience to assist him.

And now came the important part:

the division of pill-refining proceeds.

Every month, Lin Changheng would need to make ten batches of [Crimson Flame Pills], five pills per batch. The shop would provide the ingredients, and he would be required to turn in his share based on a fifty-percent pill yield.

Anything beyond that, however much it might be, would belong to Lin Changheng.

He could sell it to the shop at market price or use it for his own cultivation.

For the first month, he would be allowed a lower success rate as he got used to the work.

"What do you think?"

Master Mo lifted his teacup and took a sip as he asked Lin Changheng for his opinion.

"I accept the clan's arrangement."

Lin Changheng quickly did the math. At his current level, refining five pills in one batch was right at the limit of his ability.

Ten batches of [Crimson Flame Pills] a month meant fifty pills.

With his enhanced comprehension, his theoretical grasp of the Pill Dao, his understanding of the pill formula, his command of the techniques, and his mastery of the crucial practical skill of Fire Control, his pill yield would be extremely high as long as he worked carefully and nothing unexpected happened. He would hardly ever end up with defective pills.

After handing over half, Lin Changheng could still net twenty-five [Crimson Flame Pills].

At a market price of two spirit stones per [Crimson Flame Pill], that came to fifty spirit stones.

Add the three-spirit-stone monthly stipend he received as an apprentice, and he would have fifty-three spirit stones in hand!

In just one month, his earnings would amount to everything he had made in the previous year and a half.

No wonder pill refining was called a mountain of gold, and alchemists the ones who dug it up. The rate at which they earned spirit stones was astonishing!

But he wasn't going to reveal the full extent of his abilities.

He had only just become a first-tier alchemist. A pill yield that high would be downright frightening. It might even attract envy and unwanted attention from the clan and outsiders, and that would be trouble.

There were plenty of cases of people being abducted and imprisoned as pill slaves.

A few years ago, a genius talisman master from Zichuan Market had mysteriously vanished outside the market, disappearing without a trace. No one had seen him since!

Lin Changheng could shoulder the title of alchemist, but as for being called a "genius alchemist"—first they'd put him on a pedestal, then cut him down. He'd pass!

Besides, he already had a plan. In public, he would keep his pill yield at around sixty percent, then sell the extra ten percent of pills to the shop in exchange for spirit stones.

He would have to keep the remaining forty percent hidden.

He would save some for his own use to speed up his cultivation, then look for an opportunity to sell the rest.

"Very good."

Seeing that Lin Changheng hadn't let his sudden change in status go to his head, Master Mo nodded. "Then that's how we'll do it."

Next, he called in two young people, a man and a woman, whom Lin Changheng didn't recognize.

The man was Xu Liucai, and the woman was Xu Liuli.

They were clearly the two alchemy apprentices the Xu Family had just sent over.

"Which one will you choose?"

Master Mo asked cheerfully, letting Lin Changheng choose first.

"I'll take him."

Without much thought, Lin Changheng ignored the female apprentice, who had a demure, girl-next-door air about her and was gazing at him with wide eyes. He pointed to the honest-looking young man with the kind face.

"Good."

Master Mo smiled indifferently, paying no attention to the apprentices' expressions either.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

After completing the Compound Medicine Pill Technique, Lin Changheng stepped out of the reopened alchemy room. Xu Liucai, who had been keeping watch outside, saw the door open from within and hurried to his feet to bow. "Master Lin."

"Go on. Keep a close eye on the furnace."

After smiling and giving him that instruction, Lin Changheng entered a small room on the first floor of the shop, one that had just been cleared out.

Master Mo had originally planned to partition off half of the second-floor cultivation room for Lin Changheng to rest and cultivate in, but Lin Changheng had firmly refused.

He had argued strongly that a disciple shouldn't share a room with his master.

So a separate space had been set up for him on the first floor.

Master Mo had acted indifferent, even criticizing Lin Changheng for being too old-fashioned, but deep down he was pleased, certain that he hadn't wasted his years teaching him.

So when Lin Changheng suggested that the new apprentices might not be able to handle the defective pills properly, and that since they wouldn't be staying long in Zichuan Market, he might as well take care of them himself, Master Mo agreed without hesitation.

He figured Lin Changheng only wanted to use the defective pills to hide some of his pill yield. What else could he possibly want?

Anything beyond the fifty-percent share he had to turn in was already his to do with as he pleased.

So Master Mo stopped managing the matter and handed the defective pills over to Lin Changheng, lock, stock, and barrel.

He even gave him the defective [Wood Origin Pills].

"Huh?"

Lin Changheng stared at the stack of long wooden boxes that had appeared out of nowhere and froze.

The unexpected windfall nearly knocked the breath out of him. His face twitched as he desperately tried to keep his composure, so he used his stunned expression to cover it up. Master Mo chuckled, looking a little embarrassed. "Changheng, could you take care of the [Wood Origin Pills] as well?"

Something felt off...

Was he embarrassed?

Did Master Mo think Lin Changheng was surprised because he resented being given extra work?

Good heavens, as if!

"Changheng would be glad to relieve Master Mo of some of his worries!"

But on the surface, he tightened his expression, looking like he would charge through fire and water, and agreed at once.

He was afraid Master Mo might reconsider and take the offer back.

"Good, good, good! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Master Mo's smile bloomed like a daisy. His hearty laughter rang through the floorboards and could be heard clearly downstairs, making the shop assistants and manager on the first floor look at one another in bewilderment. They had no idea why Guest Elder Mo was so happy...