GBP Chapter 211 Business 2
Chapter 211 Business 2
No sooner had Cheng Jiu and his group of four left than Huan Zhuo, who hadn't found anyone at the arena, arrived with his men.
It can only be said that the clan's tunnels were so extensive that the two sides missed each other again.
"Where is this?" Looking at the empty cave, Kunmu's eyes flashed with doubt: "How did Master Cheng end up here?"
"I remember this used to be where crystals were stored." Badger Zhuo was quite knowledgeable about the clan's affairs.
"Crystals? You also have business dealings with the mineral spirits." Kunmu understood.
“I was scammed at the previous auction by the Crimson Clan. They said they would put up three top-grade mineral veins for auction. You know how talented the Crimson Clan is. With their backing, I spent a lot of money to buy one.”
“I do know that. After all, it’s such a huge source of profit. But I haven’t heard anything about those three mines since. What’s wrong? Is there some other reason?” Kunmu asked curiously.
"That's a half-stone mine! Although it produces top-quality ore, it accounts for less than half of the total, but the Chiming Clan auctions off the entire mine. It's difficult to even break even after mining it all."
At this point, Badger Zhuo felt like vomiting blood. His clan was famous for its earth-burrowing techniques and was extremely skilled at mining. Unfortunately, they did not have the unique talent of the Crimson Bright Clan, and mining was basically a matter of luck.
Therefore, they would participate in auctions like these for mineral veins, especially the Chiming clan. As a large clan, they were good at finding mineral veins and thought that they wouldn't pay attention to small families like them, so they specially spent a lot of money to auction them off.
It turned out to be a semi-stone mine, but the vein was relatively good, as it was associated with this kind of crystal, although it wasn't worth much money.
However, their family had someone working in the Demon Affairs Bureau who specially introduced them to the Mining Spirit Clan, the only ones who needed crystal ore as their staple food.
All the crystals she mined were sold to the Mining Spirits, which finally allowed her to recoup some of her investment, but it was completely disproportionate to what she had put in.
This was her biggest blunder since becoming the clan leader, but fortunately the clan elders were all good at understanding demonic intent and did not blame her for it.
Now that the obstructive semi-stone mine is almost finished being excavated, there's nothing wrong with telling the demons.
"Wow, the Chiming clan really doesn't care about manners," Kunmu said with a hint of disdain.
"Anyway, the Crimson Clan will no longer exist in the future! Crystal, I heard that their young and tender girls love these sparkly things the most, no wonder Master Cheng likes them."
As soon as the chief of the Qimu tribe finished speaking, his reason convinced his two friends standing next to him.
Does Master Cheng like sparkly gems? Chief Badger Zhuo wondered if he should add some more when sending Cheng Jiu away.
A qualified clan leader must cater to the alchemist's preferences in order to befriend this young and promising alchemist and deepen their relationship in the future.
The three demons, each harboring their own ulterior motives, continued their journey back towards the arena without stopping.
As the chieftain of the badger clan, he had a certain degree of control over his clan's territory.
Cheng Jiu sat side by side with Gong Yu in the stands below the arena.
Cheng Jiu didn't want to go up and compete with these demons; she had already chosen several opponents. But as soon as she stepped onto the stage, the opponents immediately surrendered.
They must have been warned beforehand. If things get heated during the competition, wouldn't they offend this alchemist?
Moreover, they dared not fight this alchemist; if the clan leader and elders found out afterward, they would be in big trouble.
So Cheng Jiu could only sit at the same table as Gong Yu and obediently watch the competition on the stage.
The badger clan truly lives up to their warlike reputation; the clan leader's residence is already quite large, isn't it? It occupies an entire floor all to himself!
But this arena is five times larger than the clan chief's residence.
In the center is a large circular arena, with nearly twenty smaller arenas, meaning that twenty matches can be held simultaneously.
Next to the arena were tiered stands, with a dense array of holes at the top connecting to various parts of the badger clan.
The grandstand has ten steps, all paved with red stone. In other words, there's nothing special about it; it's all just stone!
In stark contrast to the stands, the arena below clearly shows that it was built at great expense; even the gold floor tiles were laid piece by piece using Crimson Meteorite Iron.
Crimson Meteorite Iron is a ninth-grade refining material, ranking among the top ten most difficult ores to refine. Its production is extremely rare, and it may only appear in a few mineral veins.
Cheng Jiu thought the person who proposed using crimson meteorite iron to pave the arena was simply a genius.
Most of the badger clan are fire-type demons, so they can compete to their heart's content on this arena without having to worry about damaging it.
The fire-based high-temperature tempering process is equivalent to refining Crimson Meteorite Iron, so there's no need to worry about the arena being damaged, and it can be replaced in a timely manner.
This refined ore, even if not used in weapon crafting, can be sold separately and its value multiplied several times over.
Look, we didn't lose anything, and we even made a profit.
It also allows the clansmen to vent their pent-up energy to their heart's content; the phrase "win-win" doesn't even begin to describe it.
Who says demons are simple-minded and single-minded? Look at them, aren't they incredibly clever?
"Master Cheng Dan!"
When Chief Badger arrived, he saw the two siblings watching the intense competition on the arena and cheering for their senior brother.
She just left not long ago!
The clansmen on the arena were also putting in a lot of effort, after all, Cheng Jiu said that if they won the competition, they would be rewarded with a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills, and even if they lost, they would still receive one.
They can tell the difference between one coin and one bottle!
This is a rare opportunity to accumulate combat experience; the badger tribe truly lives up to their reputation for being warlike.
Each of them possesses an unparalleled wealth of combat experience, not to mention their blazing firewood, sharp claws, and immense strength.
This is all the reason why the badger clan has grown so powerful in just a few years.
However, every advantage has its disadvantage. Their powerful talents give them formidable fighting abilities, but compared to adult demons, the cubs of their clan are extremely fragile. Any slight disturbance could cause irreversible damage to the cubs.
Fortunately, they discovered that the Qi and Blood Pill could improve this shortcoming and enhance the cubs' physique.
After that, the badger clan slowly rose to prominence and gained a foothold among the demon race.
For this reason, the Badger Clan is considered the most steadfast supporter of non-war among the demon race.
"Master Cheng!" Huanzhuo called out softly to Cheng Jiu.
However, paired with her somewhat fierce face, it looked rather strange.
Cheng Jiu snapped out of his intense battle and said, "Chief Badger, you've arrived! These are the pills you entrusted to me! There are four hundred in total, please count them!"
Before Huan Zhuo could speak, Cheng Jiu tossed the storage bag to her with a graceful and decisive gesture, displaying the demeanor of a young alchemist.
Seeing Cheng Jiu's decisive and efficient actions, Huan Zhuo was incredibly excited and moved. No need for small talk, no need for pretense, no need for haggling and bargaining—this was the true essence of a young alchemist!
It was easier than expected, and Badger was somewhat flattered.
"Master Cheng, there's no need to count them. I trust you!"
"You should count them yourself! Counting them in front of them will prevent problems later." Cheng Jiu waved her hand. She knew that some alchemists disliked customers counting pills in front of them, as they would consider it a sign of disrespect.
This has led some unscrupulous alchemists to use this as an excuse to claim they are refining a certain number of pills for others, but in reality, they are delivering less.
However, due to the alchemist's transcendent status, if no one reports it, then they can only accept their bad luck.
In the cultivation world, there's the Medicine Alliance that can step in, but the mortal world and the demon world are havens without alchemists.
It's very troublesome to deal with these unscrupulous alchemists. As long as they don't offend the royal family, they basically can't be held accountable.
However, due to the strict management of the pharmaceutical alliance and other barriers, this kind of thing has not become too rampant.
"Three hundred high-grade pills! One hundred top-grade pills!" Upon hearing this, Huan Zhuo scanned the pills with his divine sense and almost jumped up in surprise. His tone was both joyful and hesitant: "Alchemist Cheng, do you think I gave you the wrong pills?"
She was well aware of the rules for alchemists. In the past, alchemists who hired her would usually pocket such high-grade alchemy, and she had never even seen such top-grade ones before. She could only occasionally obtain one or two when purchasing from Medicine King Valley.
However, for someone like her who is buying large quantities of pills, it's not that the price offered is low, but compared to auctions, it's still more about quantity and affordability. As for top-grade or rare-grade pills, that's something Xiao never even dreamed of.
I was just hoping to get a few more mid-grade pills, but I didn't expect this young alchemist to be so honest. Not a single pill he delivered was lower than top-grade!
This, this!
"Keep it. I remember you also said you would buy more of the Qi and Blood Pills I refined. I still have a hundred top-grade Qi and Blood Pills here. Do you still want them?" Cheng Jiu shook his head and asked in a calm tone.
"Yes, yes, of course I want it!"
For a moment, Chief Badger was overwhelmed with joy. With these pills, their Badger clan could cultivate several more generations of outstanding members. Who could stop their rise?
She remembered that Master Cheng Dan was introduced by Badger He!
A reward must be given generously!
We should also allocate more resources to the development of family members!
"Master Cheng, please wait here for a moment, I will go and prepare the resources right away."
Badger Zhuo instructed, "If you need anything, just let me know, and don't hesitate to ask! Treat this place like your own home!"
"Go ahead, I won't run away!" Cheng Jiu said helplessly. After all, she could only take a hundred Qi and Blood Pills back to exchange for contribution points, otherwise she wouldn't know who to give them to.
Qi and Blood Pills are basically for enhancing physical fitness and replenishing qi and blood.
If her senior brothers hadn't embarked on the path of body cultivation in their childhood, they could have eaten some.
However, now that their physical cultivation levels are all quite high, the Qi and Blood Pill seems rather useless, since there are better pills to assist in cultivation.
"Chief Badger, won't you help us introduce ourselves?"
Kunmu's mind went blank from the news he had just heard, and he didn't want to disturb him. But now that he saw Badger was about to leave, he immediately spoke up.
There was no one to introduce him, so how could he open up and communicate with this Master Cheng Dan?
Who are these two?
Cheng Jiu looked at the demon who spoke, and the smiling female demon beside him.
I initially thought they were demons brought by Badger Zhuo, but now that I see their identity and demeanor, they don't seem like them at all.
The one who spoke was a male demon with delicate features and captivating peach blossom eyes. What was most striking was that green vines grew around his ears, binding his hair tightly. His entire demeanor exuded a natural freshness and a non-human aura befitting a demon.
As for the succubus beside her, she possessed a noble and elegant temperament, and her appearance was also of first-rate beauty. Her inorganic pink eyes exuded a bewitching charm, and purity and allure were perfectly blended in this woman.
Seeing Cheng Jiu look at her and then give her a charming smile with her eyes crinkled, Cheng Jiu was startled and quickly looked away.
Cheng Jiu's heart was pounding. If he hadn't firmly believed that he only had the Great Dao in his heart and no other thoughts, he would have almost thought that he had fallen for the other person.
"Can you please tone down that stench? I'm being suffocated by it right next to you! You scared Master Cheng!" Kunmu rolled his eyes at Qimu beside him. This guy was using his talent to seduce people again.
"I apologize! Master Cheng, this is an innate talent of my eyes that I cannot control. Please forgive me if I have offended you!"
Qi Mu also realized something was wrong. Her eyes weren't a charm, but an illusion. The charm was something she was born with. If they were of the same cultivation level, it wouldn't be a problem, but Cheng Jiu's cultivation level was too low, so he was easily affected by her eyes.
A sweet, coquettish voice reached Cheng Jiu's ears. Although it was an apology, it sounded like a coquettish plea. Cheng Jiu felt a tickle in her ears; it was so pleasant to hear!
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiu turned his gaze to Gong Yu.
"Junior Sister, what's wrong?" Gong Yu looked at Cheng Jiu, puzzled.
She was completely unaffected by Senior Brother Gong Yu's clear eyes; it was only her lack of self-control that made her feel this way.
Cheng Jiu shook his head: "It's nothing! It was unintentional, I don't mind!"
"These two are clan leaders who are on good terms with my Badger Clan. They have also come to ask you, Master Cheng, for elixirs."
This is Kunmu, the patriarch of the Azure Deer clan, and this is Qimu, the patriarch of the Rainbow Fox clan.
If they are foxes, it's no wonder their eyes possess an innate allure.
"You two have come with sincere intentions, but I'm sorry, we haven't been out long. I need to go back to the Demon Emperor's Palace with my senior brother to see our master, so I won't have time to refine pills for you two."
Cheng Jiu shook his head regretfully and cancelled the two orders that had been delivered to his door.
Several days have passed, and the negotiations should be completed by then. I'll have to ask my master whether to stay in the demon realm or return to the Yuan Sect.
"It's nothing, it's nothing!"
The two demons spoke urgently. Although they regretted missing the chance to invite Master Cheng, they still wanted to befriend this young and prolific genius alchemist. They were the ones who came to ask for the pills; how could they let Master Cheng apologize?
Upon hearing this, Huan Zhuo simply left his two friends behind and went to gather resources instead of leaving himself.
Time waits for no one. What if Master Cheng leaves?
The Kunmu clan is most skilled at cultivating spiritual plants, and their specialty is the Green Wind Vine that grows on their bodies, a symbiotic spiritual mushroom.
The Wood-Wind attribute also has powerful healing effects, compared to the Green Wind Vine that grows in the wild.
The Qingfengteng that grows alongside the Kunmu clan is of higher quality and has better medicinal effects.
It is popular not only in the cultivation world, but also in the demon world. Moreover, this kind of spiritual medicine with simple healing power is already in short supply in the demon world, and very few of them flow into the cultivation world.
However, the Kunmu clan chief was generous and offered to trade with Cheng Jiu for the Green Wind Vine that grew on their people. In order to befriend Cheng Jiu, he even offered to trade the Green Wind Vine from their ancestor if Cheng Jiu wanted it.
Although it is said that the best Qingfeng vine is the ten-year-old variety, not only the cultivated ones, but also the wild ones and those that grow alongside them, the ten-year-old Qingfeng vine has the best medicinal effects.
But as the saying goes, time is the best enhancer. Once something like the Green Wind Vine exceeds a thousand years, its rarity skyrockets. However, healing herbs have always been delicate.
If the conditions are slightly unsuitable, this spiritual herb will not grow, and those that do grow rarely live for more than a thousand years. Therefore, thousand-year-old Green Wind Vine in the wild is extremely rare, and those that grow alongside it are even more precious.