After finishing his cultivation, Ye Chen fell into a deep, restful sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he felt rejuvenated and refreshed. This was the first peaceful sleep he had since his transmigration.
After instructing the mortal maidservant to assist him with his morning routine, Ye Chen proceeded to dispose of the problematic Moonlight Roses and some other herbs with insufficient potency by throwing them into the alchemy furnace and burning them into ash. This would make it appear to outsiders that he had once again failed in alchemy.
Since he was already aware that the shopkeeper was keeping an eye on him, it was best to let them believe his failure. He would keep his true alchemy skills hidden for now.
...
Ye Chen had plans to head out that day to buy some new materials for refining Qi Gathering Pills. His predecessor had been inept at alchemy, wasting a considerable amount of herbs, and some of the materials had been tampered with. It was essential to purchase new supplies. This was also for the benefit of the steward, who knew full well that Ye Chen could not produce pills on his own.
Although Ye Chen could easily complete the task using his tenfold return system, handing over pills without explanation would only raise suspicion. Thus, he needed to purchase new herbs to serve as a cover.
Of course, his primary reason for going out was to see if there were any women at the Silver Moon Market with a higher multiplier. Though Lin Ke'er, the little green tea, granted him a tenfold return, Ye Chen was no true simp. If he encountered a better match with a higher multiplier, he would not hesitate to abandon Lin Ke'er. For him, profit always came first.
As soon as Ye Chen left the courtyard, Manage Zhang was immediately informed of his movements. After a brief moment of contemplation, he quickly deduced what Ye Chen was likely to do.
To be honest, Manage Zhang had already completely lost interest in wasting his thoughts on Ye Chen. With poor talent, low alchemy skills, and an inability to even distinguish basic herbs, Ye Chen seemed entirely hopeless. What was worse, his mind seemed fixated on women, constantly thinking of ways to gift them things. Such a waste of space, Zhang thought. Even without any interference from him, Ye Chen wouldn't stand a chance at getting the coveted position.
However, Ye Chen's background was a bit different. His father was a late-stage cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and apart from the family head, he was the strongest combat force in the Ye family. He was responsible for overseeing all the family's material transport.
Zhang knew Ye Chen might not be able to spot his methods, but Ye Chen's father was no fool. If he noticed any foul play, it would cause trouble. Moreover, if Ye Chen were deemed unfit early on, it could bring unnecessary retribution.
After a moment's thought, a smile spread across Manage Zhang's face. "This brat must have a decent amount of spirit stones. Since he's planning to buy pills from the outside to cover up his failure, why not let the profits stay within the family... Let me make some profit from those spirit stones, that'd be even better. It would save me the trouble of him gifting them to women and inflating prices..."
With this thought, Manage Zhang waved his hand and summoned a confidant, giving him instructions.
...
As Ye Chen stepped out of the courtyard, he surveyed the Silver Moon Market with a sense of disappointment.
The shop was located on the main street, so the ground here was paved with a layer of cobblestones, and the entire street appeared relatively clean. However, as Ye Chen looked further ahead, he saw that beyond the main street, much of the area was just a network of stone and dirt roads.
Most of the buildings seemed small and shabby, with a dull grayish color. This was nothing like the immortal aura Ye Chen had imagined a cultivation world would have. In fact, it resembled the villages Ye Chen remembered from his childhood, back in the year 2000. It seemed that the lives of most cultivators were indeed quite harsh.
"Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist..."
The sudden voice broke Ye Chen's thoughts. A cultivator with a sly look in his eyes appeared in front of him.
Ye Chen instinctively took a step back, immediately on guard, circulating his cultivation method.
"Fellow Daoist, are you in need of pills? My father is an alchemist, and I'm a bit strapped for cash lately, so I...borrowed some pills to sell. Low-grade Qi Gathering Pills. A full five hundred of them. If you're interested, I can sell them to you at a discount, but please—don't spread the word..."
Ye Chen's heart stirred with a hint of suspicion. Low-grade Qi Gathering Pills? Exactly what he needed to complete his task. But how was it that barely leaving the house, he ran into this?
Ye Chen was not the naive young man from his past life who stayed inside the family, uninterested in the outside world. He immediately sensed something was off. He waved his hand, signaling that he wasn't interested in engaging with the man any further.
The man, growing anxious, quickly began to glance around, whispering, "Fellow Daoist, the pills I have are genuinely cheap—thirty pills for one spirit stone. Though they're stolen, they're still genuine pills! The medicinal effect is guaranteed. One pill will accelerate your cultivation for nearly two months! You'd be making a profit buying these… And if you buy all of them, I'll give you a further discount. You can take the whole lot for just fifteen low-grade spirit stones."
Fearing Ye Chen wouldn't believe him, the man quickly pulled out a pill and showed it to him.
Ye Chen glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. With Ye Chen's current level of expertise, it was clear to him that this low-grade Qi Gathering Pill was of decent quality, at least better than the ones his predecessor had made.
Seeing Ye Chen's interest, the man hastily poured out a few more pills. They were all of a similar standard. Indeed, they were genuine Qi Gathering Pills, not fake ones. But that made the situation even more intriguing.
For pills of this quality to be sold at such a price, it was essentially charity. Such a cheap windfall had conveniently fallen into his lap? And most conveniently, there were exactly five hundred pills. What a coincidence!
At that moment, Ye Chen's mind involuntarily conjured the image of Manage Zhang's round, smug face. With just a little thought, he quickly pieced together what was going on.
Though it was only a guess, Ye Chen felt it was highly likely. It seemed Manage Zhang wasn't just trying to swindle him—he was aiming to squeeze him dry.
Knowing that Ye Chen couldn't make pills himself, he had sent someone to sell him cheap pills, just so Ye Chen could have something to hand over for the task. Money in, money out—all for Manage Zhang's benefit.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen would be the one constantly losing spirit stones to complete the task, until he was drained dry. In the end, with a little manipulation, Manage Zhang would have Ye Chen publicly attempt to refine pills, and when he failed, it would expose him. And with that, the Green Cloud Sect opportunity would be lost forever.
This Manage Zhang truly had a death wish. A wicked glint flickered in Ye Chen's eyes. In his past life, Ye Chen was no pushover—he lived by the principle of paying back grudges in full. This Manage Zhang had already sealed his fate.
Though Ye Chen's heart boiled with anger, he couldn't help but see the silver lining in this situation. The pills that had been delivered to his doorstep were, in fact, a blessing. Originally, he had to concoct a story to explain the source of the pills and cover his tracks. Now, by buying this batch at such a low price, he wouldn't need to pretend anymore.
After all, these pills had been secretly sold to him by the other party. It saved him time and effort. As for the cost? That was out of the question. With the Simp System and his top-tier alchemy skills, Ye Chen's spirit stones would only continue to increase.
So, without hesitation, he spoke: "Let me inspect all the pills. If everything checks out, I'll take them."
Upon hearing this, the sneaky cultivator's eyes lit up with joy. He immediately nodded and allowed Ye Chen to examine each pill. It took nearly half an hour, but the exchange of the five hundred low-grade Qi Gathering Pills was finally completed.
During this process, Ye Chen's suspicions were further confirmed. If these were indeed stolen goods, the seller would have been eager to offload them for cash, without wasting time for inspection. But when Ye Chen deliberately took his time examining the pills, the other party didn't rush him in the slightest. It could only be said: the acting was far too poor.