Chapter 130: Why Do Spirit Stones Run Out So Fast? (I)

In the end, Luo Chen successfully developed a milk tea recipe that cultivators in the cultivation world could enjoy.

After countless failed brews, endless note-taking, and nearly poisoning his friends, he finally perfected a milk tea recipe tailored to the unique tastes—and constitutions—of cultivators.

The final version used Fu Zhu Deer milk as the base, blended with tea leaves picked from century-old spirit tea trees. To that, Luo Chen added a specific mixture of medicinal ingredients that not only neutralized the gamey flavor of the beast milk but also gave the drink a gentle, nourishing quality.

With this combination, he created a rich, creamy milk tea with a slightly mild flavor, which he called Fu Zhu Milk Tea.

Once the milk tea was prepared, Feng Xia tried it, Luo Chen tasted it, and even Dongfang Liang was forced to test it.

After drinking it, all three agreed it was quite good. It contained trace amounts of spirit energy and could be consumed multiple times without causing any digestive discomfort. As a leisure drink, it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary spirit tea or even spirit wine.

With the recipe perfected, the next steps were relatively straightforward.

The milk would be sourced from the Beast Hall of the Poshan Gang.

The tea leaves came from the century-old trees discovered by the Medicine Hall in the Ancient Plains. Though the name sounded prestigious, in truth, century-old tea trees were the lowest grade of spirit trees in the Eastern Wilderness. Those trees were usually picked by poor rogue cultivators from the Poshan Gang for a casual cup of tea.

In fact, the real spirit energy in Luo Chen’s milk tea came from a select medicinal ingredient in his secret blend—one he couldn’t just skim them off from the Alchemy Hall this time. The volume required was too large. He’d have to purchase it through proper channels.

That, fortunately, was where Feng Xia came in. Having worked at the Hall of Hundred Herbs for years, she was more familiar with the procurement and pricing of medicinal ingredients than anyone.

“Let’s set up the stall in a few days,” Luo Chen told her. “I’ll have Xiaoyue help you.”

He handed her a small scroll with some basic instructions. “Since the Fu Zhu Milk Tea is served hot, you’ll need to use the Fireball frequently. You’re good at controlling flame intensity, right?”

Feng Xia nodded confidently. In her early years, she had been a test subject for medicine, but later transitioned into a helper who processed medicinal materials. For certain medicinal materials requiring high heat, they primarily relied on manually casting Fireball. Hence, she was still very confident in her ability to control the intensity of the Fireball.

"Do you know how to brew tea?" Luo Chen asked.

"Not a problem. When we didn’t have customers in the past, Little Ling and I would often drink tea with Shopkeeper Liu to pass the time." she said in her hoarse voice.

Luo Chen nodded and thought for a moment before saying, "Make your movements a bit flashier when the time comes. Try to attract as much attention from passersby as possible."

After sizing Feng Xia up, he added, "Also, you’ll need to change your style of dressing."

"Okay, how should I change it?"

"You dress too plainly now. Learn a thing or two from Sister Caiyi." Luo Chen suggested.

Feng Xia froze for a moment, thinking about Gu Caiyi’s usual attire, and felt a little uneasy. To be honest, Feng Xia’s appearance was rather ordinary, but her figure was exceptionally curvaceous. However, her conservative choice of clothing typically concealed these natural advantages under a dull gray daoist robe.

In fact, Luo Chen hadn’t noticed it before. But after he achieved Perfected Mastery Spirit Eyes and rooted in his vision, he inadvertently noticed the difference.

"Everything is for the sake of the business, for earning spirit stones to cultivate!" Luo Chen was afraid she might not understand, so he offered this particular explanation.

Feng Xia shifted her posture slightly and softly responded with a hum.

Hearing her hoarse voice, Luo Chen instinctively frowned.

In business, shouting out promotions was always an important skill.

But Sister Xia’s voice?

Luo Chen wondered.

***

"Someone good at singing?" Luo Chen asked.

Gu Caiyi didn’t look up immediately. She was seated by a table, rubbing her wrist with an expression of fatigue. Luo Chen hadn’t gone to the Alchemy Hall that day, leaving her to manage all sorts of trivial matters in his place. She’d been running around since morning and was clearly exhausted.

When Luo Chen asked, she answered without hesitation: "There are plenty. Back when I was at the Feather Garment Pavilion, there were many sisters with beautiful voices in the Heavenly Melody Pavilion next door.

"What’s the matter? Got some spirit stones now and looking to indulge a little?" she teased.

Luo Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Get out of here. Your mind is filled with nothing but indecent thoughts all day long."

"Ugh, gross!" Gu Caiyi spat lightly in mock irritation.

"Help me arrange a meeting with a sister who has a sweet voice and knows music. I’ve got a big business deal to discuss with her!" Luo Chen said.

"How big of a deal?" she asked curiously.

"Forty... no, fifty spirit stones!" Luo Chen bit his lip and added, "Not a penny more. Even a landlord’s family can’t have endless reserves!"

The tea wouldn’t cost too many spirit stones, but the beast milk and medicinal materials were the main expenses. Setting up his milk tea shop would require a significant initial investment. At the very least, it would cost over a hundred spirit stones!

Gu Caiyi agreed with a smile. It had been a while since she’d seen Luo Chen act so frugal and stingy.

Honestly, it was kind of adorable!

The truth was, when a wealthy man was stingy, it was called being frugal and virtuous. Every action had a touch of charm. But if a poor man was stingy, well, that was just being cheap.

When did the cultivation world’s morals start to degrade like this?

The next day, Luo Chen arranged a meeting with Ke Yuelin, the Hall Leader of the Beast Hall, through his bodyguard, Zhou Yuanli.

The two met at a small tavern in the inner city. The tavern was newly opened, located in Whitestone Plaza, catering specifically to spectators and participants of the Debate Platform.

At first, the atmosphere was far from amicable. Ke Yuelin had long since parted ways with Qin Liangchen and his wife, choosing to fully align himself with Mi Shuhua. Otherwise, Luo Chen wouldn’t have gone through Zhou Yuanli to arrange the meeting; he could have just asked Qin Liangchen to invite Ke Yuelin over to his house.

After the initial meeting, the atmosphere became much more pleasant.

"A five hundred spirit stone deal every month—I’m really taking a loss here. But since you’re Big Brother Liangchen’s junior, I’ll take the hit," Ke Yuelin said with a wide grin.

"Pay the deposit first!" Ke Yuelin’s face was all smiles.

Luo Chen cursed silently.

Fu Zhu Deer were valuable for their meat, but no one wanted their milk. However, the milk source was critical. Aside from the Poshan Gang, only the Nangong family raised Fu Zhu Deer on a large scale.

It made no sense to go out of his way, so he had no choice but to let Ke Yuelin benefit.

He handed over a pouch of spirit stones to Ke Yuelin.

After briefly counting them, Ke Yuelin's expression immediately shifted.

"Wasn't it supposed to be three hundred a month? Why are there only fifty spirit stones here?" he demanded.

"It's a deposit. Who pays the full amount upfront?" Luo Chen rolled his eyes and continued, "I obviously need to try it out for a few days. What if it's not popular and people accuse me of using fake milk?"

Ke Yuelin’s face flickered between emotions before he finally nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Fine, I'll arrange for someone to milk the beasts for you, but Beast Hall is short-staffed. No one will deliver it to you," he said before sweeping his sleeve and leaving.

Promised three hundred spirit stones a month, only to get fifty. It was no wonder he left so bitterly.

Luo Chen grumbled as he paid the bill. What does he mean by arranging someone to milk for me?

Though he grumbled, his mood was undeniably good. The milk supply issue was finally resolved.

Now, everything was ready except for the final push!

And that push came on the same day, brought by Xiaoyue.

"Brother He agreed to rent us the small shop directly across from Fallen Phoenix Mountain at Whitestone Plaza. But the rent is ten spirit stones a month, non-negotiable, and it has to be a year-long lease," Xiaoyue reported.

"Ten spirit stones? Why doesn’t the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion just go rob people instead?" Luo Chen snapped.

Yuan Xiaoyue patiently explained, "It's a proper shop, not like the rogue cultivators' stalls, and there are plenty of people vying to rent it."

The "Big Brother He" she referred to was He Youjun, the cultivator Luo Chen had once gifted ten years' worth of pineapple wine. At the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, his status was second only to Miao Zhen, the Foundation Establishment cultivator currently stationed at Dahe Market, and the elder Sun Shou.

He was currently in charge of managing the miscellaneous affairs of Fallen Phoenix Mountain’s Debate Platform and the shops and stalls at Whitestone Plaza.

Due to the long-standing habit of delivering wine to him, he had taken quite a favorable stance toward Luo Chen’s business.

The last time Xiaoyue reported an issue, he had dispatched the enforcement team to sweep through all the stalls, collected a round of fines, and established new regulations. Since then, Xiaoyue had secured the best stall location and established the Chen Yue Snack Stall brand.

Now that he needed to rent a storefront, even the smallest one, Luo Chen would certainly have to approach him.

Luo Chen, feeling helpless, followed Yuan Xiaoyue to meet He Youjun.

Previously, he thought the initial investment would only require around a hundred spirit stones, but now it seemed far more than that. Renting a shop costs ten spirit stones a month, with a mandatory one-year lease, directly consuming over a hundred.

Purchasing tea brewing equipment and custom-made milk tea cups would cost another hefty amount. Then there was the meeting with the Heavenly Melody Pavilion lady in the afternoon—labor fees would undoubtedly need to be paid.

Oh, and he still had to visit Treasure Pavilion later to buy a low-grade enchanted artifact.

Why do spirit stones get spent so quickly

! he muttered in frustration.