One thousand taels is wealth that an ordinary family of three could never earn in a lifetime.
"Alright, Mr. Cheng will first buy three portions."
Su Mu originally intended to buy ten portions to practice his skills, but now plans to buy three portions to test the effects.
"Very well, Mr. Cheng can come in two days, but a deposit of one-tenth of the cost must be paid first."
A deposit of one-tenth is not much; the cost for three portions is four thousand five hundred taels. Su Mu promptly paid a deposit of four hundred and fifty taels, and Steward Fang saw Su Mu off, with a glint of interest in his eyes.
After leaving Qiancao Hall, Su Mu confirmed there was no tail following him and nodded secretly. Then he went to the brokerage, spending half a day traversing the streets and alleys of the southern city.
The medicinal herbs would arrive in two days, and Su Mu had to address the issue of securing a residence. Alchemy could not be conducted in an inn, especially since his martial arts training also required a separate compound.
Both alchemy and martial arts training would create considerable commotion, so the compound needed to be large and preferably in a quiet, secluded place.
"Mr. Sun, what do you think of this compound?"
The middle-aged man from the brokerage had roughly understood Su Mu’s requirements and diligently showed him more than ten different residences.
"This compound... barely acceptable."
Su Mu stood with folded arms, glancing over the compound with a detached gaze.
The blue brick walls before him were taller and larger than the compounds on Yanque Street in Qingyun City, located at the end of an alley in the southwestern civilian district, secluded and rarely frequented by passersby, just to his liking.
"The walls are high enough."
Su Mu was quite satisfied but feigned a frown, pretending to be reluctant.
"It’s just the location..."
The middle-aged man noticed Su Mu finally showing some interest and immediately spoke.
"Mr. Sun, don’t be fooled by the current dilapidation of the compound. This house once housed a scholar, but times have changed... How about this—I’ll rent the compound to you for thirty taels a month, charging only ten months’ rent per year, making it three hundred taels annually?"
Three hundred taels a year, which in the Qingyun Three Counties would be enough to buy a decent house.
"I don’t like renting."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed, knowing he had encountered a distinguished customer, so he spoke more respectfully, "In that case, how about three thousand taels?"
"Too expensive, two thousand taels."
"Two thousand five hundred."
"Deal."
Two thousand five hundred taels is about eight years’ worth of rent. Su Mu planned to spend this money to directly purchase the house. This sum seemed substantial but was actually less than the silver required for two portions of medicinal herbs—it was a small expense compared to the financial demands of alchemy.
Next, he started managing the compound. There was no need for Su Mu to tidy up personally; Li Lu single-handedly did an initial cleaning of the compound, handling three rooms and a kitchen for cooking.
During these two days, Su Mu focused on acquiring furniture and equipment for cultivation and alchemy.
Two days passed in a flash, and early in the morning, Su Mu set out for Qiancao Hall.
"Mr. Cheng, the medicinal herbs you required are all prepared."
Within Qiancao Hall, Steward Fang welcomed Su Mu into a private room, "Quickly bring the medicinal herbs for Mr. Cheng to inspect."
The herbs were soon brought, classified and arranged, with century-old ones stored separately in sandalwood boxes, while others were kept in ordinary bamboo and wood containers. Su Mu casually opened a few sandalwood boxes; the quality of the herbs inside was excellent, and the storage and handling were meticulous.
Su Mu nodded in approval, recognizing the depth in the details; surely, Qiancao Hall earned its reputation under the name of Pill Cauldron Pavilion.
"A pleasure doing business."
Su Mu readily paid the remaining four thousand and fifty taels, and Steward Fang watched Su Mu’s figure gradually disappear in the distance, murmuring to himself.
"This person has an extraordinary demeanor. The medicinal herbs he purchased are for refining elixirs like the Qi and Blood Pill required for Third Grade Martial Artists. Even at its lowest, a Qi and Blood Pill is an Eighth Grade Elixir... this person might have a freelance alchemist backing him."
"Steward Fang, should we send people to..."
"No need; sometimes less is more."
Steward Fang waved it off.
An alchemist, it can be frankly said, is a profession forged with money, requiring the lavish use of herbs and silver to hone alchemy skills. Ordinary families and small powers find it difficult to cultivate an alchemist, let alone the efforts of an individual.
"Without the support of significant powers, a freelance alchemist can’t go far, but we can keep an eye on him. If he shows potential, we might bring him into our Pill Cauldron Pavilion..."
Steward Fang wasn’t optimistic about Su Mu.
...
In Huai’an Square, old locust trees cast their shade.
The twisted branches of the ancient locust tree blocked out the sun, and beneath the tree was the realm of storytellers.
Frequently, townsfolk and Jianghu Wanderers gathered at the alley’s entrance to listen to stories. The tales spun by the old storyteller were captivating, leaving the listeners with a sense of tranquility and ease, slowly earning the place the name Huai’an Square.
The vibrancy of Huai’an Square was confined to the alley entrance; the deeper in you went, the fewer people there were.
No one noticed the new occupants at the alley’s end—a master and apprentice, one male and one female. The master was in his early thirties, the apprentice fifteen or sixteen.
The compound had six rooms. Today, Li Lu planned to tidy up the remaining three rooms while Su Mu stayed indoors, reading through the "Ten Elixir Herbs Manual."
At the Wang family’s place, Su Mu had only skimmed through the Pill Book hastily; today was the first time he examined it carefully.
After reading through it once, Su Mu was filled with astonishment.
"This alchemy skill is indeed profound, no less than forging, and some steps even more complex... Previously, my alchemy was only superficial, like gazing at the moon from within a well!"
Su Mu’s eyes burned with enthusiasm. The "Ten Elixir Herbs Manual" not only contained the formulas for nine types of pills but also elucidated various techniques, theoretical knowledge, and insights from alchemy through these nine types of pills.