Cheap Shop

Luo Mu toyed with the student token in his hand, a symbol of his new status, and a smile spread across his face. Enrolling in Jinxiu Academy was something Luo Mu had only dared to dream of in the past, yet now that it had become reality, his excitement was only natural.

By this time, Luo Mu had already left Jinxiu Academy and was strolling down the main street. It was only after the old man had handed over his token and uniform, and briefed him on the basic situation at the academy, that Luo Mu had felt at ease enough to depart.

The academy was currently on break, with another month left before the start of the term. This meant there would be no instructors teaching for the next month; those who wished to study on their own were free to browse the texts in the academy's library.

The old man had also advised Luo Mu to use this time to get to know the academy, familiarize himself with the environment, and settle his dormitory arrangements to avoid the chaos of the upcoming term.

When it came to housing, however, Luo Mu had other plans. He had no intention of living on campus. Since he was raising spirit insects, living in a dormitory was out of the question; if another student were to accidentally discover his insects, it would likely lead to a heap of trouble.

Having spent the last few days rushing on the road, Luo Mu hadn't found the time to feed the little ones in his Spirit Beast Bag. His top priority now was to secure a place of his own.

A shop became his first choice.

In a shop, Luo Mu could carve out a space for himself to rest while simultaneously opening for business—a win-win situation for him. As for what to sell, it would naturally be medicinal pills. Although Luo Mu was still a novice in the art of alchemy, that didn't mean he wouldn't succeed in the future.

Luo Mu believed that with enough time, he would surely be able to refine his own pills. After all, he still had three pill formulas in his possession: one for the Qi Gathering Pill, one for the Bone Melting Liquid, and one for the Soul Severing Powder.

As for the ingredients, aside from a few missing auxiliary herbs for the Soul Severing Powder, he had obtained plenty of materials for the Qi Gathering Pill and the Bone Melting Liquid from Bai Shu's Storage Bag. Once he mastered the basics of alchemy, he would set to work refining these two.

The Qi Gathering Pill was useless to Luo Mu, but it was a treasure for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Since each pill fetched a high price, it would be his primary product once he opened his shop.

As for the Bone Melting Liquid, Luo Mu intended to use it to boost his own strength, though he would have to wait until he found a suitable cultivation technique. His body was already saturated with medicinal power; if he were to blindly consume more toxins without a way to circulate them, the backlash would be more than he could handle.

He also planned to refine the Soul Severing Powder as soon as possible. According to the formula, it was potent enough to affect cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm. If the toxicity was truly that fierce, he wanted to see if he could use it to assist his own breakthrough when the time came.

The most appealing aspect of opening a shop was that Luo Mu could purchase various poisonous herbs, saving him the time of running around. Most cultivators had little demand for such herbs, so, unlike the rare spirit herbs, they were generally much cheaper and easier to acquire.

After careful deliberation, Luo Mu felt that opening a shop was indeed necessary, but the costs made him want to curse out loud.

Just moments ago, he had approached a shopkeeper who was looking to transfer his business. After asking about the transfer fee and the monthly rent, Luo Mu's face had turned deathly pale.

The shop had previously been a general store, but business was so poor that the owner had decided to close. The transfer fee alone was two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, plus a monthly rent of fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones to the landlord. As a notorious penny-pincher, how could Luo Mu ever accept that?

Without even bothering to haggle, he had turned and walked away.

Three days later, in a remote alley in the North City, Luo Mu stood before an ordinary shop, a bitter smile on his face.

This shop, named "Luo's Apothecary," was being generous if called ordinary; to put it bluntly, it was a dump. Yet, this dilapidated "Luo's Apothecary" was now his property.

Over the past three days, Luo Mu had scoured the four corners of Jinxiu City and hadn't found a single suitable shop. Either the transfer fees and rent were too high—making his heart ache for his spirit stones—or the location was so poor that the lack of foot traffic made it impossible to do business.

He hadn't originally liked this shop either, as the street was extremely secluded and rarely visited by cultivators, let alone potential customers.

However, he had chosen it because it was incredibly cheap: the purchase price was only two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. Many other shops charged that much just for the transfer fee, but this entire property was being sold for that amount. The stingy Luo Mu had been tempted, agreed to the deal, and had even changed the sign to "Luo's Apothecary" that very day.

The shop had two floors: the upper for resting, and the lower for business. It was hard to believe he had bought such a large space for only two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

While the location was poor for business, Luo Mu didn't have much to sell anyway. He could sell the sixth-grade Qi Gathering Pills from his Storage Bag, but how could a mere sixth-grade pill make a name for him?

Once his alchemy skills improved and he could produce pills in bulk, using them to build his reputation would be easy. Once he was famous, cultivators would seek him out regardless of how remote the location was.

There was another reason: the more secluded the place, the more peace of mind he would have while raising his spirit insects. That was why he had decided to buy it despite the location.

Still, he remained puzzled. Even for such a remote spot, the price was suspiciously low. Buying a two-story building for two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones was almost unbelievable.

He should have been happy to have found such a bargain, so why the bitter smile? It was because, after twice profiting from the dead, he had finally scraped together a few hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones in his bag, only to spend three hundred in just a few days. How could he be happy?

He was a penny-pincher, after all!

Regardless, Luo Mu was now a property-owning resident of Jinxiu City. It didn't matter when the shop opened; what mattered was that he finally had a place to call home.

After checking the deed one last time to ensure everything was in order, Luo Mu stepped inside and locked the door, pushing his doubts about the low price to the back of his mind.

He headed straight to the second floor.

The space was sparse, containing only basic furniture and no other decorations. Luo Mu sat in a chair and summoned his three Octagonal Spikes.

As soon as they appeared, they slumped weakly onto his palm. It seemed that not feeding them for several days had left the little guys quite famished. Their indifferent attitude toward him made it clear just how much resentment they held.

Luo Mu gave a dry laugh, bit his finger, and dripped a few drops of blood onto his palm. The Octagonal Spikes immediately perked up, as if a cat had smelled fish, and began to suck up the blood.

A moment later, after they had finished, Luo Mu placed them on the table to let them breathe some fresh air; staying in the Spirit Beast Bag for too long might eventually cause them health problems.

Next, Luo Mu flicked his sleeve, and with two flashes of green light, five White Jade Ants and thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes appeared on the floor. He tossed several large chunks of monster meat onto the ground. The White Jade Ants pounced like the wind, while the Plum Blossom Snakes slithered about restlessly, not daring to approach.

The White Jade Ants were famous, ferocious spirit insects. Instinctively, the Plum Blossom Snakes could clearly sense the dangerous aura they emitted. Even though they were starving, they didn't dare fight for the food.

If they hadn't known that both groups shared the same master, the snakes would have likely fled far away, let alone had the luxury of watching the ants eat.

Luo Mu frowned. It seemed he would have to feed them separately in the future to avoid a situation where some were stuffed while others starved.

In the blink of an eye, the five White Jade Ants had devoured the meat. Seeing them still looking unsatisfied, Luo Mu cursed them as "gluttons" in his heart and, whether they liked it or not, shoved them all back into the Spirit Beast Bag.

Sighing, Luo Mu tossed the last of the monster meat to the Plum Blossom Snakes. Once this was gone, he would have no more. It seemed that if he didn't want his little ones to starve, he would have to make a trip to a restaurant; they should have monster meat for sale.

That was yet another expense!

With no source of income and several bottomless pits to feed, Luo Mu felt the pressure mounting like a tidal wave, leaving him struggling to breathe.

"It seems that raising spirit insects really is impossible without spirit stones." Aside from sighing and venting his frustration, he could find no other way to ease his mind.

Once the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes had finished eating, Luo Mu released the five White Jade Ants again. After ordering them to stay within the confines of the shop, he walked toward the wooden bed, looking utterly exhausted.

The travel over the past few days had truly worn him out.

Before resting, he specifically warned the White Jade Ants not to eat anything in the shop. Only after giving this instruction did he feel safe enough to sleep.

Luo Mu didn't want to wake up and find his newly purchased shop reduced to ruins. If the White Jade Ants got hungry enough, there was no telling what they might do; he felt it was better to be cautious.