My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 310 The Alchemy Boy
On the southeastern half of Yuquan Mountain, there is a cliff with a vertical drop of seventy or eighty meters.

On the open ground below, a group of men dressed in gray short-sleeved shirts were busy at work.

Some dug foundations, some erected wooden stakes, some carved doors and windows, and some built walls.

On the cliff face, five or six meters above the ground, caves of varying sizes have been carved out and are connected by one-meter-wide stone steps.

Inside a spacious cave at the top level.

"Junior Brother Chen?" Zhu Yi looked Chen Mu up and down.

He was in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a stern, old-fashioned air about him. He was the new head of the General Affairs Office of Yuquan Mountain, and Chen Mu's future superior.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master Zhu." Chen Mu respectfully clasped his hands in greeting.

"What kind of alchemical jade tablets should we study?" Zhu Yi asked.

The Jade Tablets of Alchemy? Are they going to interrogate us about the origins of alchemy?
"I have a summary of the Bigu Pill in my hand," Chen Mu said truthfully. "It was given to me by Elder Song Wuji."

Since his background is clean, he's not afraid of being investigated.

"Mastering a few techniques... never mind." Zhu Yi shook his head: "Since it's related to Uncle Liang, I won't ask."

What does that mean? Chen Mu was taken aback.

"It's alright if you don't know how to refine pills. Just stay at the Pill Treasure Pavilion and learn slowly," Zhu Yi said to himself.

Are they treating me like an incompetent nepotism hire?

Chen Mu was immediately left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Sect Master Zhu, I..."

"I know," Zhu Yi said with an understanding expression. "There must be people gossiping in the pavilion."

"But as long as you turn a deaf ear and don't cause trouble, they can't do anything to you."

"No, I really..." Chen Mu quickly explained.

"I know," Zhu Yi sighed. "There might be people in the pavilion who will try to trip you up."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the alchemy apprentice only earns thirty white jade coins a month. Obtaining this status is no easy feat."

“Those people are alchemy apprentices just like you, but each of them has put in a lot of effort and endured many years of hardship.”

"They inevitably harbor deep resentment towards those useless people who can easily enter the Pill Treasure Pavilion even though they can't refine pills."

Are you fucking insulting me?!

"If they dare to cause you trouble, come find me." Zhu Yi said seriously, "With me here, they won't be able to cause any trouble!"

"but I……"

"No need to say anything, I know!" Zhu Yi waved his hand and said earnestly, "In Danbao Pavilion, you have to rely on your skills to make a living. Being a slacker is indeed stressful."

"But it's safe."

"With the new construction of the Jade Spring Mountain Villa, it is the perfect time for expansion, but it is constantly threatened by unorthodox sects, strange beasts, and monsters."

"If you're sent out to fight, you're so young, wouldn't it be terrible if you ran into a tough opponent?"

"It's safer to just laze around in my Danbao Pavilion."

"What the hell do you know!" Chen Mu was almost laughing in anger.

"Sect Master Zhu, I can refine the essence of the five grains!" Chen Mu explained quickly, his face full of seriousness.

We can't let this guy with the thick eyebrows make wild guesses.

If I let him continue to fill in those thoughts, I'll truly become useless!

Zhu Yi paused upon hearing this. After carefully observing Chen Mu's expression, he suddenly understood.

"I see!"

Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief; the misunderstanding was finally cleared up.

Then he heard Zhu Yi say with admiration, "Even if you don't know, you have to pretend you do! That's the attitude you have to have!"

"This can prevent some unnecessary troubles from the root."

Chen Mu: “…”

No... why don't you believe me anymore?
"Let me think... Hmm... You have the outline of the Bigu Pill, so the basic task should definitely be to refine the essence of the five grains."

"You're planning to spend money to buy the essence of the five grains to complete the task, hoping to get away with it and silence the gossips in the pavilion, right?!" Zhu Yi nodded in agreement.

"good idea!"

"In the first year of alchemy training, a student only needs to hand over two hundred catties of the essence of grains each month to pass the test."

"The market price is 10 jin for two pieces of white jade, but if you go through me, I'll give you 20 jin for three pieces of white jade at an insider price."

"You get a monthly allowance of thirty, which is just enough to cover the rest of the month, so you don't have to spend any of your own money!"

"Look how wonderful it is!"

Thank you so much!
……

Chen Mu was completely bewildered as Zhu Yi escorted him out of the cave.

I really do absorb the essence of grains. Maybe in a few days I'll even be able to practice fasting pills!
However, Zhu Yi was convinced that he was someone with connections.

Chen Mu even insisted on demonstrating it to him in person.

Zhu Yi, however, expressed his appreciation, saying that his performance was realistic and urged him to keep it up.

Hey!
Chen Mu had no choice but to give up. He followed one of Zhu Yi's servants, who was over sixty years old, to a cave on the western edge of the cliff.

It is said that this place is in a remote and quiet location, but the spiritual energy inside the cave is not bad. Moreover, it is far away from the caves of other alchemy disciples, so there is little interaction and a lot of trouble can be avoided.

I thanked the old servant for showing me the way and then sent him away.

Chen Mu looked around the cave dwelling, which was over 100 square meters in size and had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, with a wry smile.

"This is a huge misunderstanding."

"Never mind, I'll clarify it in a few days."

I'll just bring a bag of rice over and demonstrate it in person, then there won't be any misunderstandings.

Chen Mu then began to look around each room.

The stone table, stone chairs, and stone bed, apart from a thin layer of dust, all exude a newly built appearance.

Black smoke billowed and churned all around.

The entire cave was quickly transformed.

"I'll be living here from now on."

……

at dusk.

Chen Mu had already arranged all the pots, pans, bedding, and sheets.

Moving frequently does have its advantages. At least it helped him develop a moving kit.

It comes fully equipped with all kinds of daily necessities. You can just take out one set when you arrive at a new place and move in immediately.

Chen Mu hastily steamed ten arm-length alien beast sausages and cooked a pot of vegetable soup with dried vegetables. He then held a bowl of yellow sprout rice and ate heartily.

"Due to limited resources, this is the only way we can have our first meal after moving in."

……

After meal.

Chen Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at the skill panel and planning his schedule.

"I've already mastered more than half of the Wind and Fire Cardinal Spell; let's practice it to its limit first."

This thing is related to whether or not one can cultivate the Bigu Dan (a traditional Chinese medicine formula for fasting).

"I was so focused on arguing with Zhu Yi today that I forgot about the Daoist cultivation method," Chen Mu shook his head.

"Let's stabilize for a few days first, and then find an opportunity to probe further."

Liang Yi only said that there had been a change in the matter of exchanging alchemy for Dao cultivation, but that didn't mean that alchemy could no longer accumulate Dao cultivation. "It's probably just that something went wrong with the Bigu Pill," Chen Mu frowned slightly.

It's impossible for Danbao Pavilion to only produce one type of pill.

According to Master Hao, the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Pill that Shang Huan ate when he was a child was actually made by the Pill Treasure Pavilion of the Upper Academy.

"At worst, we'll find a way to learn how to refine new pills."

……

For five consecutive days, Chen Mu stayed in his cave, engrossed in gaining experience points.

The Wind and Fire Cardinal Spell gained over 1,300 experience points.

It was probably because he had been using the Listening Technique to gather information that the Listening Technique had unknowingly broken through to the fifth level.

He looked at the experience on the gray wall.

Listening Method: 86/10000/Sixth Level;

"It hasn't reached its peak yet?"

This truly surprised Chen Mu.

Listen carefully!

He immediately put himself into the Listening Technique.

The sounds of carpenters sawing wood on the construction site below, the thud of hammers striking wooden stakes, the boisterous chatter of the apprentices, and the chirping of insects and birds in the mountains and forests further away.

Despite the various sounds entering his ears, Chen Mu felt no sense of noise or confusion.

The breakthrough in secret techniques clearly involved some modifications to his body.

It allows him to tolerate a variety of sounds, both loud and soft, and to freely select the sounds he wants to hear.

"This distance..."

Chen Mu arrived at the cave entrance and looked into the distance.

It must be four or five hundred meters, right?

He looked up at the sky again.

The emerald green bird that had been swift as the wind just moments before swept across the sky. Chen Mu easily caught the sound of its wings flapping.

"It's still spherical." Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

"This is only passive eavesdropping; what if it were actively triggered..."

"What a wonderful secret technique!" Chen Mu's lips curled up slightly.

"The six siblings of Wushan are truly admirable."

He made up his mind. Once the alchemy business was on track, he would copy the secret techniques of the six people one by one.

"There might be an unexpected surprise."

As he was pondering the Heart-to-Heart Mantra, the Heart-to-Heart Rope on his head suddenly trembled, and Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

"Shang Huan?"

……

Chen Mu closed his eyes and activated the Heart-to-Heart Mantra.

Amidst the hazy mist, the jade of Shanghuan variety appears even more rounded and lustrous.

"It seems he has successfully cultivated this jade seed."

Then he was drawn to another pearl.

"Wu Ruo has actually achieved spiritual enlightenment?" Chen Mu asked in surprise.

Are the six siblings of Wushan truly gifted, or is the Seven Sons United Gu a miraculous cure?
It's highly likely that it's a combination of both.

"Mr. Gongsun, I apologize for disturbing you!" Shang Huan's cautious voice rang out.

"What is it!" Chen Mu made his voice indifferent and calm, and began to play the role of Gongsun Sheng.

"I've discovered a great business opportunity and I'd like to offer it to you?" Shang Huan's voice was filled with excitement, respect, and flattery.

Good business?
Dedicated to me?
Bullshit!

If Chen Mu hadn't known what was really going on, he almost would have believed it!

"Insect repellent incense?" Chen Mu said indifferently, "Now that Mo Wuzhou's name is no longer intimidating, are you scared?"

"It's insect repellent incense!" Shang Huan showed no embarrassment at being exposed.

His voice grew even more assertive: "It was just a small-scale incident before, and anyone could have easily subdued it. I really didn't want to bother you."

“Now, Yuquan Mountain is in dire need of reconstruction, and every day ordinary martial artists are brought over from the Great Qian Dynasty to help with the reclamation.”

"There are at least five or six thousand people in the five camps at the foot of the mountain now."

"If everyone gets one, that'll be five or six thousand pieces of white jade coins a month!" Shang Huan exclaimed passionately. "Such a large transaction absolutely needs your presence to oversee it!"

Chen Mu was also taken aback.

I spent half a month at the foot of the mountain and did see the Cloud Bat Flying Boat being used to deliver people.

I never expected it to have grown to such a scale.

Judging from the situation, it seems that the number of people will need to be increased.

Shang Huan is exaggerating; it's impossible for so many people to all need insect repellent.

But if even half of the people buy it, this little insect repellent incense can be quite a business.

The total amount involved each month is around two thousand white jades. After deducting labor and material costs, there is a profit of about one thousand.

"There are quite a few, but for Yuquan Mountain, where opportunities abound and white jade can be earned almost everywhere, it's not much."

"Chen Mu's identity seems to be useful as well."

Chen Mu, a young alchemist at Danbao Pavilion with the cultivation level of Breaking Illusion, can still keep this business in check.

Of course, risks still exist.

Even a small mosquito is still meat; greedy people are capable of anything.

But considering the price of the Qi Condensation Secret Technique, which starts at 100,000, Chen Mu no longer hesitated.

"I can't personally intervene, but I can find you someone to back you up," Chen Mu said calmly.

"That's great!" Shang Huan exclaimed with delight.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely save your share for you!"

Doing one job but getting paid twice?
Chen Mu opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

After all, they offered it to me willingly, it would be impolite to refuse!
"Mr. Gongsun, I wonder how capable the gentleman you recommended is?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that things are a bit chaotic in the lower house."

"A good friend of mine named Chen Mu just disappeared without a trace!"

"I've been looking for him for three days and I still can't find him!" Shang Huan's voice was tinged with sadness.

"I haven't been able to eat or drink anything these past few days!"

Chen Mu felt a warmth in his heart.

I left in a hurry and didn't have time to say goodbye. I didn't expect this fat guy to actually look for me. That's good.

"You have no idea, he's an amazing cook."

"Without him, I can't even eat. How am I supposed to live?"

Chen Mu: "..." So you were thinking about my food all along?
What a waste of my emotions!

"Don't worry, you'll see when you meet him. It'll be a big surprise," Chen Mu said, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a sinister tone.

(End of this chapter)