Now that the Li family had already freed itself from the control of the Beast Taming Sect, there naturally was no need to focus on selling raw materials for meager profits.
After Li Zhirui put forward his idea, everyone present began to ponder it. They couldn't deny being quite tempted by the proposal, after all, who wouldn't want to earn more Spirit Stones and ensure better development for their clan?
However, there were certain concerns about this matter, one of which was that the Li family did not have recipes for making Spirit Food.
Just like refining pills requires Pill Recipes, Artifact Refining needs blueprints, and Formations need Array Patterns, Spirit Food also requires a cookbook, and cannot be made casually like how mortals cook dishes.
Even after acquiring the recipes, that was just the first step. Just as nurturing Alchemists requires constant practice, so too must Spirit Chefs keep practicing to be able to create a qualified dish of Spirit Food.
In this process, a significant amount of Spirit Stones would inevitably be consumed. If successful, these costs could eventually be recouped, but the fear was that no one in the family possessed the talent for it.
As for how to acquire recipes? Yunping State was not like Bailang County, where many things were monopolized and prohibited by the Beast Taming Sect. The Li family could simply purchase Spiritual Cookbooks at the marketplace and then arrange for the clan members to study, concentrating resources to train them and help them become Spirit Chefs as quickly as possible.
Although the Li family had a heritage of more than three hundred years and had some foundation, their development in Cultivation Skills was quite average, only having second-tier inheritance in Beast Taming, Formation, and Spirit Plant cultivation. Disciplines such as Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and talisman making only had a first-tier inheritance.
As for non-mainstream skills like Spirit Chef and Puppet Master, they had no inheritance whatsoever.
Therefore, many high-ranking clan members had their doubts, worried about investing a large amount of Spirit Stones without seeing any sign of success.
"What do you all think of this idea?" Li Shiqing's question sparked a fierce debate among them, but Li Zhirui, the proposer, stood silently in the corner.
Li Shiqing didn't intervene, but when the supportive side began to gain the upper hand, he suddenly tapped on the armrest to interrupt the argument.
"Since the majority supports this initiative, let's give it a try."
Li Shiqing's identity was not only that of a Clan Leader; he was also the strongest member of the family and the hero who had saved the clan. Thus when he spoke, the opposition immediately shut their mouths.
"Let Shiren and Zhirui take charge of purchasing the Spiritual Cookbook from the marketplace," said Li Shiqing with a smile, looking at Li Zhirui. "You are responsible for this matter."
Li Zhirui was taken aback as he looked up. He truly hadn't expected Li Shiqing to entrust him with such an important matter, rendering Li Shiren, a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, merely an accompanist.
The other members were also surprised by Li Shiqing's decision but due to his authority, they didn't speak out against it, creating an odd atmosphere all of a sudden.
"Zhirui will not let the family down!" Knowing there was no way to refuse, Li Zhirui decisively accepted the task without demur.
The following discussions revolved around minor issues, so the meeting soon concluded.
After everyone had dispersed, Li Zhirui approached Li Shiren and asked, "Uncle Ren, shall we go to the marketplace tomorrow?"
"Sure," agreed Li Shiren readily.
With his disposition, he didn't feel any negative emotions at being seen as less than Li Zhirui in this matter. In fact, he felt a bit proud!
Li Zhirui had been under his guidance all these years!
Now that Li Zhirui was achieving success and was valued by Li Shiqing, he, as both an affordable master and an uncle, naturally felt honored.
...
After returning to the newly built courtyard, Li Zhirui went first to check on the status of the Cloud Fish. He noticed that although they still appeared somewhat listless, they were much better than the day before, which finally put his mind at ease.
To ensure that these two pairs of Cloud Fish could survive, Li Zhirui had specially built the courtyard in a shady part of the mountain, thus distancing it from the family's communal area. He also went to Li Shiren asking for help in setting up a Cloud Mist Formation.
"According to the record on the Jade Slip, Cloud Fish can mature in a year, and each breeding cycle won't yield more than ten offspring, so in order to maintain a certain scale, we'd need at least two years before we can enjoy the Cloud Fish..."
Thinking of the delicacy described in the records, Li Zhirui's heart was stirred with eagerness, but thankfully his self-control was decent. He reluctantly pulled his gaze away and entered the meditation room to start today's cultivation.
——
The next morning, as soon as Li Zhirui arrived at the agreed spot, Li Shiren appeared.
"Let's go," said Li Shiren, not one to waste words. He released his Spirit Beast, the Jade Beak Eagle, and carried Li Zhirui toward Yunqing Marketplace.
The Jade Beak Eagle, a second-tier Spirit Beast in the Foundation Establishment Stage, was also Li Shiren's only Spirit Beast.
It is said that when cultivating the Wanling Sutra, breaking through each major realm allows you to contract a Spirit Beast, which brings certain benefits to the cultivator.
However, very few cultivators actually do so because raising a Spirit Beast requires consuming a large amount of spiritual objects. If cultivators themselves can't get enough resources, how can they spare many resources for nurturing Spirit Beasts?
As far as Li Zhirui knew, among the Li family members who reached the Foundation Establishment Stage over the last three hundred years, besides a few ancestors, none had raised a second Spirit Beast.
The flying speed of the Jade Beak Eagle was extremely fast. They covered a distance of two hundred li in just about fifteen minutes.
"Hard work," Li Shiren patted the Jade Beak Eagle and fed it a strip of Spirit Fish Jerky as a reward before putting it in the Spirit Beast Bag.
Meanwhile, Li Zhirui stood by, watching cultivators coming in and out of the Marketplace's main gate, gaining a more accurate understanding of the bustling degree of the market.
Truth be told, Li Zhirui had not been exposed to much of the world since not one of the several marketplaces of the Beast Taming Sect could compare to the liveliness and prosperity of the Yunqing Marketplace.
"Uncle Ren, there are quite a few cultivators coming and going to the marketplace. If we really start a tavern business, we'll surely earn a lot of Spirit Stones!" said Li Zhirui excitedly.
Li Shiren smiled and replied, "The family doesn't even have a recipe or a Spirit Chef yet, and here you are, thinking of starting a tavern."
While they talked, the two entered the marketplace and immediately saw various shops on both sides of the road. Looking at the signs, they could generally tell what was being sold.
After looking around, the two entered a store named "Xuanfa Pavilion," which seemed to be selling cultivation techniques or various cultivation skills.
As soon as they entered, a cultivator in a long robe greeted them warmly, "What do you two esteemed customers need?"
"Do you have any Spiritual Cookbooks?" Li Shiren asked.
The cultivator was taken aback, probably not expecting someone to ask for such an obscure item. However, his professionalism was high, and he quickly replied, "Yes, our Xuanfa Pavilion has twenty-seven first-tier cookbooks and eight second-tier cookbooks."
As for higher-tier cookbooks, those were extremely rare items that this shop might not be able to provide, and the Li family wouldn't be able to use them anyway.
"Let's take a look at all the first-tier cookbooks," Li Shiren said.
"Please follow me," the man said and led the way.
He took the two into a small room and poured them each a cup of clear tea before going to fetch the menu and introduction of the Spiritual Cookbooks.
A moment later, he returned with a Jade Slip and said with a smile, "The items that you two esteemed customers requested are all here."