Chapter Forty Two Dan Completed (1/2)
Chapter Forty Two Dan Completed
Zuo Mo held the fasting pill in front of him, his eyes filled with joy.
This was his fourth try and he finally succeeded!
The fasting pill was the size of a longan fruit, its color was an attractive blue-green, with a delicate fragrance being emitted. Just a look make one unable to resist wanting to eat it. Fasting pills were mostly prepared for those cultivators who were in seclusion and who had the money.
He didn’t immediately start making a second one. The success of this fasting pill meant that his direction was correct. With that in the front, what he needed to think about now was the success rate. There were only six portions of ingredients left. At the very least , he needed to make four fasting pills. In other words, he could only fail two more times.
In reality, on the third try, he had almost succeeded. However, he slipped up at a small place and everything failed. His consciousness could help him detect the changes of the herbs inside the cauldron and he could accordingly adjust his ling energy.
Spiritual power was really a good thing! Zuo Mo thought blissfully.
Other than dan-making, after he swept over the other spells with his consciousness and made adjustments, not only did his consumption of ling energy go down, the effects also greatly improved. He did have a few fractions of self-awareness. Even though spiritual power was amazing, but his own experience and knowledge was extremely limited. Even with the help of his spiritual power, the changes he could make were limited. But even those minor changes were very effective.
He mused that he should go to the records of the sect to take a look and see if he could find any jade sticks about this area. He was an inner sect disciple now, it would be dumb if he didn’t seek out some benefits for himself!
Ending up with a cold-faced master who couldn’t be relied upon. It was more realistic to rely on himself.
Sword cultivators might prioritize ling energy and not spiritual power, but Zuo Mo believed what Wu Kong Sword Sect had accumulated over the years definitely surpassed his aimless fumbles. Of course, that was for the future. Right now, he had many things to work on. Other than dan-making, taking care of the ling fields was also an important job.
Even more, for him who had no money at the moment, earning jingshi was the question he must consider at the present. It had been awhile since those ling grass and herbs had been planted. Some were nearing the harvest time. How to sell them off was also a headache for him. Before he entered zhuji, he didn’t want to go outside the gates of the mountain.
Suddenly remembering Master had said if he didn’t have enough materials, he had to use his own jingshi to buy, did that mean that the sect’s materials could be brought? Then did that mean he could sell them?
Zuo Mo walked out of his dan room. In the yard, a crowd of female disciples worked hard at preparing all kinds of herbs. Scanning around, Zuo Mo’s gaze landed on a female disciple. He remembered clearly that the first day he arrived, she was the first to greet him. She seemed to be quite authoritative among this group of female disciples.
She was dressed in cotton cloth and an apron, no makeup on, sweat beading her forehead.
“This Shimei,” Zuo Mo went to greet her. Even though his age was most likely smaller than the other, but due to the rules of the sect, he didn’t dare to overstep.
She saw Zuo Mo and hurriedly stood: “Zuo Shixiong.”
“I’ve just gotten here and do not know many of the rules in the yard. Master is focused on making dan, so I can only trouble Shimei.” Zuo Mo said warmly. But it was a pity that his face was frozen and it looked slightly frightening.
After the initial panic, the female disciples quickly calmed down and said: “Shixiong is too polite. What is Shixiong’s question?”
Zuo Mo asked her his question.
This female disciple brushed away the hair in front of her head and smiled: “Shixiong might not know but all the herbs in this yard belong to the sect. Other than a certain amount that can be withdrawn, all others need people to pay with jingshi. But the price is two tenths lower than the market price. Shixiong is a ling plant farmer. If you have ling plants and grasses, you can sell them to this yard. The purchase price of normal herbs are about two tenths lower than the market price but other than jingshi, Shixiong will receive contribution points to exchange for scriptures and other things. If it is rare and valuable ling herbs and grasses, our sect’s purchase price is the same as the market. In the future when Shixiong becomes accomplished at dan-making, the sect can help sell the dan that Shixiong makes. Our sect’s Yan Le Shishu is skilled at business and usually can sell them for a good price. He only takes two tenths as a commission. But like before, other than jingshi, Shixiong can receive contribution points.”
Finishing, she handed Zuo Mo a jade stick: “The price of ling grasses and herbs will change each month. Yan Le Shishu will order someone to make it into a jade stick. This is the inventory list of the prices for this month of ling herbs.”
Zuo Mo took it and gave his thanks.
“Shixiong doesn’t have to be too polite. Shimei is Xu Qing and the first seat of this yard’s outer sect disciples. In the future, Shixiong, please take care of me. If Shixiong has any questions, come find me. You can also find me if you need to purchase any materials.” Xu Qing said respectfully.
“Thanks, Shimei!” Zuo Mo said gratefully.
Taking the list, Zuo Mo went back to the dan room and studied the list. He calculated and found the cost of the raw materials for the fasting pill was about three pieces of second grade jingshi, and its price was only half a second grade jingshi over the cost of the materials. If the success rate was accounted for, there was basically no profit. As expected, it was basically impossible to rely on low level dan to make money. It really was just practise. But that was normal. If fasting pills were really that profitable, then countless people would be breaking their heads for a chance to learn how to make dan.
In the following days, Zuo Mo continued to make fasting pills. In the process, he had failed once, but as he became more familiar, it took a lot less effort.
Ten portions of materials, it made six fasting pills. This kind of result could only be called just passable. There was nothing that was worth being proud of. Other than leaving behind the five pills, the last one he sold to Xu Qing and received three pieces of second grade jingshi.
Adding on that he would have an allowance of twenty pieces of second grade jingshi, he finally wasn’t penniless.
In the ling fields of West Wind Valley, Zuo Mo carefully examined each stalk of ling herbs and grass. In the jade sticks of Elder Wei Nan, there had been detailed introductions of these herbs and the methods of cultivating them that he had found.