Chapter 391: Nine Stages of the Blood River Realm, Luo Chen Squeezed Dry (II)

"The Luo Tian Society is on the rise, but it's still in its early stages. The spirit fields haven't yielded any profits yet. The Artifact Hall's enchanted artifact business is still running off stockpiles, and the commissions from Biyou Valley's market will take time to grow. In other words, what's really supporting the Luo Tian Society is still the pills that you make. In these circumstances, supporting four or five Foundation Establishment cultivators, maybe even more later, would put immense pressure on our finances!

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"From what I know, any force that can sustain more than five Foundation Establishment cultivators usually has at least several thousand Qi Refinement cultivators under its banner, but we only have about two hundred. In other words, President, you're the one being squeezed dry instead!"

Murong Qinglian spoke slowly, and by the end, her tone was extremely heavy.

As Luo Chen listened, his expression shifted from thoughtful to grim. He remembered that, back in Dahe Market, Mi Shuhua had relied on thousands of Qi Refinement cultivators just to support him. Wang Haichao had done the same.

Thanks to his alchemy skills, he'd always had it easier than most. But even so, one person couldn't support so many Foundation Establishment cultivators forever. If things kept going like this, it wouldn't be them supporting Luo Chen. Instead, it would be Luo Chen supporting all of them!

In the end, the Luo Tian Society had simply grown too quickly, especially after absorbing that group of elite Qi Refinement cultivators at Dahe Market. On top of that, he'd been too generous; when they reached a resource-rich place like Tianlan Immortal City, it had triggered a sudden surge in Foundation Establishment breakthroughs.

Thinking of the future scenario Murong Qinglian had described, Luo Chen's heart felt heavy. He had really been putting the cart before the horse!

Seeing Luo Chen deep in thought, Murong Qinglian knew he'd taken her words to heart. She sighed. "It's only after serving as Merit Hall Leader for a while that I noticed this flaw. But to solve it, that's something for you and Director Sima to discuss."

Luo Chen forced a smile. "Thanks, Sister-in-law. Even though you should be worrying about your own breakthrough, you're worrying about these things instead..."

"It's just part of my job, no need to thank me."

"I'll keep your warning in mind. But right now, I need to get going. If you need anything, just have Big Brother Qin come to Cave Residence Bing Seventeen."

Luo Chen left the cave and flew upward on his flying boat.

Standing on the boat was another person.

Seeing Luo Chen's tightly furrowed brow, Gu Caiyi bit her lip lightly, her eyes flashing.

***

Not long after, the two of them stepped into the cave residence.

Bai Meiling floated out of a small side room where ghost mill was stored and greeted Gu Caiyi. She seemed a bit distant, but Gu Caiyi didn't mind. She knew that Bai Meiling had changed dramatically after treading the ghost cultivation path, so it wasn't that she disliked her; it was just part of who she'd become.

"Caiyi, come with me," Bai Meiling said in a light tone as she led the way. "Here are all the Jade Essence pills Master has refined over the past six months."

She drifted ahead, guiding Gu Caiyi into a large pill storage room.

Gu Caiyi had come here specifically to pick up this batch. Luo Chen now spent nearly all his time inside the cave residence, even refining pills here rather than elsewhere. Once they were ready, someone would come to collect them. As the Hall Leader of Gold Hall, stationed at Danxia Hall in the city, she was the best person for the task.

Before entering the pill room, she glanced instinctively at Luo Chen. He was pacing around the main hall with small steps, a furrow of worry still etched into his brow.

Inside the pill room, countless Jade Essence pills were neatly packed into storage pouches. Gu Caiyi carefully counted them; she needed to know the exact count, since they'd be bottled and sold later and every single pill had to be accounted for.

Bai Meiling squatted on the floor, idly drawing circles with a stick.

"Little Ling," Gu Caiyi called softly.

"

Mm?

"

Bai Meiling didn't look up.

"Is he usually like this?"

"Him? Oh, you mean Master!" Bai Meiling stuck out her long, somewhat unsettling tongue. "Usually, he's not like this. He's always busy cultivating or reading. I almost never see him just standing around like that."

But Luo Chen wasn't standing around idly, he was deep in thought, contemplating the future of Luo Tian Society.

Gu Caiyi shook her head, realizing she wouldn't get much information from Bai Meiling.

Before long, she had finished counting. In six months, a full twenty thousand Jade Essence pills had been produced. If sold, without factoring in costs, they could bring in one hundred seventy thousand low-grade spirit stones.

That was a huge profit. But compared to Luo Chen's peak, it was a bit less. He'd spent half his time on cultivation and refining other pills, and without the support of the Alchemy Hall, he was far from optimal output.

But that was just relative to the ideal case. Thanks to his divine soul evolving to be on par with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, plus the second-tier earth fire and the Ice Emperor Cauldron, his refinement efficiency had actually increased substantially. Luo Chen had only spent half the time working, yet his output had still increased by ten percent.

Gu Caiyi didn't know that part, but she wasn't the pampered girl from Tianxiang Tower anymore. After serving as the Hall Leader of Gold Hall, she had a deep understanding of Luo Tian Society's internal finances and everyone's salaries. She quickly calculated that, after deducting costs, Luo Chen's net profit would be somewhere between thirty and sixty thousand spirit stones. Even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that was a massive amount.

Yet she also knew that his needs were equally staggering. For one thing, this second-tier top-grade cave residence alone cost forty-eight thousand spirit stones per year.

"No wonder Sister Qinglian said the Luo Tian Society is starting to drain Luo Chen dry..." she muttered under her breath.

She tucked the storage pouches away safely. Then, as she emerged from the pill room, she approached Luo Chen and said hesitantly, "President, there's something I'd like to say, but I'm not sure I should...."

Luo Chen looked up, exasperation clear on his face. "Then just say it. Don't expect me to grant you immunity first!"

"

Pfft!

"

In spite of her worries, Gu Caiyi couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter. That single line had instantly eased the tension that had been hanging in the air.

"I think you're treating everyone a little too well," she said.

Luo Chen tilted his head, thinking it over.

Huh... I suppose I am...

Gu Caiyi settled across from him in an elegant posture, with her hands resting lightly on her lap.

"It's well known that you're good to everyone," she continued. "But sometimes you're a little

too

good. From what I've seen, the benefits that the Luo Tian Society provides are unmatched by any small faction near Tianlan Immortal City. In fact, they're comparable to some medium-sized forces that have been around for centuries. But more isn't always better. You know what they say: A bushel of rice earns you gratitude, a bucketful earns you resentment. And now, since you refine the pills yourself and we handle the sales, a lot of the middleman costs are gone. In my view, some people's salaries should be reevaluated."

Luo Chen lowered his head and fell silent. After a long pause, he looked up at the bright and composed woman before him. "You know," he said suddenly, "if anyone else heard what you just said, the low-tier cultivators would curse you behind your back."

Gu Caiyi's mouth fell open slightly. "I...I just—"

"I know you're looking out for me." Luo Chen smiled. "But be careful with your words. Some responsibilities aren't yours to shoulder, and even if you tried, you might not be able to handle them."

Gu Caiyi nodded, but she couldn't help but press on. "You should really think more about yourself. Actually, even if you earned a bit more, the people below wouldn't say a word."

Of course not. What could they possibly say? They didn't have his cultivation or his strength. Besides, he had brought them from the backwaters to Tianlan Immortal City; he'd given them a new home and a powerful community to rely on.

Some things, though, weren't about what people said on the surface.

"Alright," he said at last, his tone turning cold. "I appreciate your concern, but don't worry about these things in the future."

The shift in his voice startled her. Gu Caiyi couldn't quite understand the change, but she'd already collected the Jade Essence pills, and there was no reason to stay any longer.

"Then I'll head back to Danxia Hall," she said quietly, rising to leave.

She had just reached the cave entrance when Luo Chen called out. "Wait!"

Looking at the confused woman, he let out a sigh, for no apparent reason.

"Have you finished all the Jade Dew pills I gave you last year?"