The Round-Faced Daoist Nun frowned and immediately contacted Wang Quan. "You didn't use those kidneys?"
Wang Quan said, "I did!"
"You really did?"
"Mm... of course I had to. Wouldn't it be a waste of money otherwise?"
An idea stirred in the Round-Faced Daoist Nun's mind. "The kidneys you just returned are in excellent condition, as though someone specially maintained them."
"Now the cultivators supplying the kidneys can't wait to provide you with more!"
"So... I think we can push the rental price down a little!"
On the other end of the token, Wang Quan smiled. "Sister, handle it however you see fit!"
"I'm not short of money right now. Don't squeeze them so hard that I can't get any kidneys."
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun chuckled. "You can rest assured when I'm handling things!"
"Wait for my good news!"
The Daoist nun ended the conversation, then smiled at the Thin-Waisted Daoist. "I remember it costs you ten Green Beetles to maintain a pair of kidneys."
"The kidneys my client uses don't need any maintenance."
"So... the price needs to come down by ten Green Beetles!"
The Thin-Waisted Daoist bristled instantly. "Junior Sister, did you fry your brain while cultivating?"
"Ten Green Beetles? Impossible!"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun sneered. "If you won't agree, I'll get someone else to supply them!"
"You're not the only person in the Drowning Dao Lower Court who can supply over a thousand pairs of kidneys."
"Believe me, if I place an order in the Market Ward, someone will soon deliver ten thousand pairs!"
The Thin-Waisted Daoist's expression shifted slightly.
Just then, the other cultivators who rented out kidneys arrived as well.
They came carrying jars, boxes, gourds, and similar containers on their backs.
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun explained the situation in detail, then smiled. "Yesterday, he wanted a hundred pairs of kidneys. Today, he wants a thousand!"
"Perhaps tomorrow it'll be two thousand pairs, or even more."
"That client isn't short of money. Once he works out the maximum number of kidneys he can support, he'll absolutely take as many as he can handle!"
"This is a big deal!"
The cultivators were tempted. "Then will it be long-term?"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun hurriedly contacted Wang Quan and explained the situation.
Wang Quan pondered briefly. "I'll rent a thousand pairs of kidneys for at least ten days!"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun relayed this to the kidney cultivators.
The cultivators huddled together and muttered among themselves before finally nodding. "All right!"
"We'll supply the kidneys he needs!"
"As long as they're ordinary kidneys, we'll provide however many he wants!"
Ordinary kidneys relied on slim margins and high volume. At a thousand pairs a day, they could earn five thousand Green Beetles.
It didn't seem like much, but they were Kidney Harvesters. The kidneys in their possession had cost them nothing.
Besides, this rental would save them the time and effort of maintenance!
All told, their earnings would far exceed five thousand Green Beetles.
Soon, several cultivators supplied a thousand pairs of ordinary kidneys in excellent condition.
The slightly tipsy Red-Crowned Crane took the kidneys, soared into the air, and headed straight for Seven Maidens Mountain to find Wang Quan.
Seven Maidens Mountain:
Upon receiving the kidneys, Wang Quan immediately linked them up, then constructed a furnace for each pair. Since he knew that [Yang Qi Furnace] maintained the kidneys on its own while running, there would be no need to detach them and replace them with fresh kidneys the next day.
This would save him another great chunk of time.
The second day:
Wang Quan contacted the Round-Faced Daoist Nun and rented another thousand pairs of kidneys.
The third day:
His total number of rented kidneys shot straight up to five thousand pairs.
The fourth day:
Ten large vats hung behind Wang Quan, holding ten thousand pairs of kidneys.
Those ten thousand pairs brought him to the limit of what he could attach.
Seeing that Wang Quan was using more and more kidneys without mentioning any time limit, the Round-Faced Daoist Nun contacted him. "Junior Brother, your kidney rental fees alone are a hundred thousand Green Beetles a day."
"That's far too much money to waste!"
"If you're going to use them long-term, shall I find some Kidney Harvesters to get you some kidneys?"
"Or you could hire a group of Waist Tenders? Or simply buy a batch of kidneys?"
Wang Quan was taken aback. "What are Waist Tenders?"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun said, "Within ten thousand li of the Drowning Dao Lower Court, ordinary people are as plentiful as hairs on an ox."
"Many ordinary people can't survive for one reason or another."
"You spend money supporting them and have them practice cultivation methods that maintain their kidneys."
"After they die, you can recover high-grade kidneys. There's even a chance of getting refined-grade kidneys."
"You can sell their other parts, too."
"In short, apart from taking a little longer to yield returns, it won't lose you any money overall. You'll even turn a small profit."
"Or you could buy ordinary kidneys outright."
Wang Quan pondered for a moment. "How much does a pair of kidneys cost to buy?"
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun said, "The price isn't fixed. When they're expensive, it's eight hundred to a thousand Green Beetles. When empires go to war, it's a hundred Green Beetles a pair."
"Actually, if you want your future cultivation to be easier, you'd be best off supporting some people."
"They can practice martial arts while they're alive and contribute to you after they die."
Wang Quan thought it over. "Help me keep an eye out for cheap ordinary kidneys."
"If the price seems right, get me a thousand pairs first."
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun said, "All right!"
"By the way, a few cultivators wanted me to ask whether you'd sell the spell you're currently cultivating!"
"They've taken an interest in this spell that doesn't damage kidneys. They want to study it."
Ordinary limbs and organs suffered some degree of wear when used to assist cultivation.
Unless someone expended considerable effort and hired people specifically to maintain them.
Otherwise, the limbs and organs used as cultivation aids would soon become useless.
Wang Quan's spell, which caused no wear to the organs, truly made them green with envy.
If they could thoroughly unravel the mysteries of Wang Quan's spell and apply them to other spells, the wear on all sorts of limbs and organs would decrease drastically.
Wang Quan smiled. "Every spell I know is available in the Drowning Dao Lower Court."
"If they want them, they can go study in the Technique Transmission Hall and the Transmission Hall!"
"They might even work out something better!"
Pfft!
The Round-Faced Daoist Nun shook with laughter like a flowering branch trembling in the breeze. "All right, understood!"
After ending the conversation, Wang Quan looked at the ten large vats suspended in the air. The corners of his mouth lifted in amusement. "The Great Tomb General in the second-layer world existed for over a thousand years, perhaps even several thousand, and none of you dug into him."
"Now that I've worked it out, you come asking me for it?"
"Where in this world would you find such an easy bargain?"
He gathered his thoughts and continued studying the Daoist scriptures.
The crow flew and the rabbit ran, and time slipped by:
Qian Xiuyue's Manor took shape day by day.
Fifteen days after Wang Quan's first arrival, the Manor was finally completed.
It was finished a few days later than expected.
During those few days, everyone had thought the Drowning Dao Lower Court was about to undergo a great upheaval. Their hearts were unsettled, and no one had any mind to work.
Once the truth was revealed, the conflict between the New Method and the Old Cultivation Method quietly diminished considerably.
Qian Xiuyue and Zhao Hongyi also reached certain cooperative agreements, ultimately adding several more functional buildings.
Thus, it took a little over half a month from start to finish to complete the Manor.
On the day the Manor was finished, Qian Xiuyue beamed with delight. She ran up to Wang Quan, her small hands tucked behind her back, and said happily, "Tomorrow at noon, I'll put on a grand banquet so we can celebrate properly."
Wang Quan shook his head. "Is that really necessary?"
Qian Xiuyue smiled. "Of course it is!"
"Lots of cultivators will be coming tomorrow."
"They're all proper cultivators from the Lower Court: some from our Star Alliance, some from other organizations, and plenty like you. If you run into trouble cultivating in the future, you can reach out and help one another!"
Wang Quan nodded.
Before you continue