Chapter 47: Wealth Plan

“Poisonous?!” Chen Mobai looked utterly bewildered. This was clearly a Yuan Gathering Pill, used for advancing cultivation realms. How could it possibly be poisonous?

“The concentration of pill toxins is far too high. Let me see which pharmacy produced this. I should report them as a concerned citizen,” Qingnu said. She checked the bottom of the pill bottle, and indeed, various details were engraved there: “Lu Yuxuan, Outer Disciple of Huixiangu.”

“Huixiangu? Is that the Huixian Grand Pharmacy from Kuocang Cave Heaven? But aren’t they specialists in refining spiritual water?” Qingnu looked utterly confused. Chen Mobai quickly wiped sweat from his forehead and immediately changed the subject, wanting to prevent her from investigating further and uncovering the truth.

“What does it mean for the pill toxin content to be excessive? Are all these bottles of pills defective?”“The Immortal Sect’s Pharmaceutical Administration has regulations: all pills produced must have a pill toxin content below 0.1%, meaning it should be undetectable by standard equipment. Cultivators who take pills meeting this standard can easily neutralize the toxins just by circulating their own spiritual energy. However, the pill toxins in your three bottles are far beyond the limit, nearly 5%. While they still offer realm advancement effects, consuming them would leave you weakened for at least ten days to half a month.”

After hearing this, Chen Mobai felt incredibly fortunate. It was a good thing he was cautious and didn't consume pills of unknown origin. However, a thought then saddened him for the cultivators in the Tianhe Realm. Even these kinds of pills cost one spirit stone per bottle and were still highly sought after. Clearly, his home planet, Diyuan Star, was far superior.

“This bottle has slightly less pill toxin, only around 2%. It’s probably just for recovering spiritual energy, so its medicinal properties are milder.” Qingnu then opened the bottle of pills Chen Mobai had obtained from the Flying Needle Sect disciple. This bottle had no labels whatsoever—it was a product without any identifying information. She took a small amount with a tiny spoon, put it into her mouth, and used her tongue to discern its medicinal effects and toxin content.

“Aren’t you afraid of the pill toxins, doing that?” Chen Mobai’s eyes widened at her actions.“A small amount is harmless. Besides, most alchemists also cultivate as pharmacists. We deal with pill toxins our entire lives and specialize in detoxification cultivation methods.”

Among the hundreds of cultivation professions, one is the pharmacist, specializing in identifying pill information, providing medication prescriptions based on a cultivator’s spiritual root and physique, and assisting in breakthroughs and realm advancements. Generally, excellent alchemists are also excellent pharmacists. Qingnu’s proficiency in this area seemed quite high. After tasting, she took paper and a pen from the wall and quickly scribbled several lines.

“Here, these are the potencies of the two pills I identified. You’d best not take them; it’s better to just throw them away.” In Qingnu’s eyes, these two types of pills were defective products from a pharmaceutical factory that should have been destroyed but were instead taken by unscrupulous merchants and dumped onto the market.

“Alright, I’ll dispose of them when I get back.” Chen Mobai naturally nodded in agreement, then asked if the raw materials for the Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water had arrived.“Four auxiliary ingredients have arrived, and one of the three main ingredients. The other two will arrive tomorrow. Would you like to come in and see the extraction process?”

Qingnu invited him. Chen Mobai had always been interested in alchemy, so he nodded and followed her to the back of the pharmacy. Unexpectedly, he felt a slight nervousness inside.

Inside was an open-air courtyard with eight large vats, half of which were covered.“Here.” Qingnu handed him a package. Chen Mobai saw it was a face mask, nodded, and dutifully put it on.

“The Atractylodes have already started soaking. All their medicinal properties should be extracted overnight. I also need to pour the liquid into the cold extraction machine for concentration before my teacher arrives tomorrow morning.” Chen Mobai followed Qingnu to a sealed vat. She opened the wooden lid, the sealing spell instantly deactivated, and a strong medicinal scent, accompanied by a waft of vapor, rose from within. However, the mask was truly amazing; it completely isolated the unpleasant medicinal smell from his nasal passages, making it impossible for him to detect anything.

“Is the water used for soaking special, or is it just ordinary Sky Stream Water?”“It’s Sky Stream Water.” Qingnu was a little surprised that Chen Mobai even knew this specialized term.

“My teacher mentioned in class that this water has the lowest cost, and its effect for soaking and extracting medicinal liquid is also quite good,” Chen Mobai said. He glanced at the large vat of soaking herbs, nodded, and gestured for Qingnu to quickly cover it. “Even though I can’t smell it, I still feel a bit uncomfortable inside...”

Before he could finish speaking, a bell hanging from the eaves of the courtyard suddenly chimed.“A guest has arrived. I’ll go out and attend to them first.” After covering the vat, Qingnu gestured for Chen Mobai to sit on a rattan chair in the courtyard for a while, then hurried towards the front of the shop.

Less than two minutes later, she returned.“Oh, that fast?”“It was a former classmate of my teacher’s. They were in Danxia City on business from Huayang Cave Heaven and stopped by to visit. Since my teacher isn’t here, I didn’t dare give out their contact information directly, so I asked them to leave a business card for me to give to my teacher tomorrow.”

As Qingnu spoke, she took out an elegant jade business card with black lettering on a blue background, which looked almost like a work of art. Chen Mobai glanced at it, reading the two lines of text: “Lan Haitian, Tier 2 Pharmacist.”

For some reason, he recalled the young man he’d met asking for directions last night. Could it be him?“It’s pretty much as you described. Although he looks young, you can tell he’s a rather conservative person.” Qingnu nodded, confirming Chen Mobai’s suspicion.

Tier 2 pharmacists were almost certainly Foundation Establishment cultivators, so Chen Mobai simply noted it and put it out of his mind.“Well then, I’ll be going now. If there’s anything you need help with, just say the word.”

The two had already added each other as friends and were now in the stage of building trust, both wanting to show their best side. Qingnu nodded gently and saw Chen Mobai out.

After returning home, Chen Mobai placed an online order, spending nearly half of the more than three thousand merit points remaining on his card. He was stocking up. After two days of on-site investigation in Nanxi Market, he had a preliminary plan to get rich.

Diyuan Star had advanced technology, while Tianhe Realm was rich in resources. If he didn’t become a middleman, it would be a complete waste of this unique difference between the two realms.

As for what to sell, he made a decision after much deliberation. Pills and spiritual water needed to be produced by large pharmacies in both realms for cultivators to dare buy them. Although he knew that the quality of pills and spiritual water from Diyuan Star far surpassed those from Tianhe Realm, precisely because they were *too* superior—too high in quality—he didn’t dare sell them.

Qingnu didn’t know the origin of Huixiangu, but he had read about it in an introduction to the Great Eastern Wild factions. It was one of the seven great sects and the foremost alchemy sect in the Eastern Wilds. Even pills produced by Huixiangu contained such levels of toxins. The pills he possessed, however, were almost entirely free of toxins. Cultivators would immediately notice this upon consumption. If it caused a sensation, it would certainly invite suppression from Huixiangu. This did not align with his principle of low-key development in the Tianhe Realm.