Cultivation begins with harvest.

Chapter 237 Each Gets What They Need

Upon reaching the second floor, however, there was only a corridor and a few enclosed rooms, with even simpler decorations.

The tall and slender Chan Zhi stepped forward, smiling broadly, and bowed gracefully to Chen Guang: "It is truly an honor for me that you, sir, have graced my Jin Yu Zhai with your presence. And I am fortunate to have lived up to your expectations and have already made progress in capturing the wood juice."

Chan Zhi took out a jade bottle. The spiritual liquid inside emitted a unique mixed aroma, confirming to Chen Guang that it was indeed the elixir of the Capturing Wood: "How much did you obtain?"

"We have more than enough for one side. If you need anything else, please wait another month or so," Wen Zhi said without hesitation.

"You've certainly put in a lot of effort to obtain this 'Capturing Wood Juice' in just one month. Do you know where this 'Capturing Wood Juice' comes from?" Chen Guang asked.

"Please come this way, sir. I have prepared some fine spiritual tea to welcome you. I hope you will not find it offensive," Chanzhi replied as she led the way. "As far as we know, this kind of spiritual liquid is only available at specific times..."

A special kind of spiritual liquid is produced when certain types of spiritual wood are combined with the aura of birds and demonic beasts. This liquid has a remarkable effect on treating birds. As long as one controls a region of spiritual wood, the supply of this "Capturing Wood Juice" will be inexhaustible. This is what we know.

"Who is in charge of that area?"

Inside the private room, Chen Guang took a sip of tea. The tea leaves were pale purple, and the water rippled even without wind, with tea leaves slowly rising and falling within it—a characteristic of [Purple Crane Tea]. It could soothe fatigue and relax the body, making it a valuable treasure for cultivators undergoing intense body tempering.

"It's the Sword Sect. Although the Sword Sect has a bad reputation, because this spiritual land is deep in the wilderness and quite rugged, the Sword Sect was the first to control it. Later entrants have almost never been able to break their monopoly. Moreover, the Sword Sect is also divided into many factions. The faction that controls this spiritual land seems to have an unclear relationship with some black cultivators, and it also has a deterrent effect because they are willing to provide the Capturing Wood Juice to the outside world, and they are extremely discreet. Unless you specifically look for it, you can hardly find out that there is such a spiritual item as Capturing Wood Juice. That's why things are peaceful." Chan Zhi was obviously very well-investigated and answered all questions.

"Hmm." This is similar to Chen Guang's own deduction.

"Black cultivators" is a term used to describe a group of cultivators who are dangerous, lack a solid foundation, and band together due to their numerous misdeeds and non-conformity to mainstream perceptions. In the eyes of almost all forces, they are beings that need to be suppressed, monitored, or even eliminated.

If one had to describe him, Chen Guang would call him a rogue among cultivators—ignorant and incompetent, less intelligent and ruthless than demonic cultivators; less upright and hardworking than those on the righteous path; and prone to bullying the weak and betraying principles for personal gain.

Their defining characteristics are insatiable greed and operating in the gray area.

No wonder the Taoist priest in the Sutra Repository knew the whereabouts of the Wood-Capturing Scheme. Some spiritual creatures are produced in fixed areas. For example, the Crimson Jade Wine Mushroom is only found in areas where snake-like demons are active, and so is the Wood-Capturing Sap. Moreover, since the Black Cultivation Sect, the Sword Sect, is in charge of this area, this faction is deeply involved, so it is only natural that it has been noticed.

The fact that these cultists are still able to roam freely is most likely because Lu Tang is trying to wipe them out in one fell swoop and is still investigating.

Black cultivators are mostly henchmen of demonic cultivators. Even if they are not, a certain number of black cultivators will naturally oppress and destroy the surrounding scattered cultivators. As long as they gather in groups around the sect, Qingheng Sect will pay attention and eliminate them in time.

"You've got a good idea. Jin Yu Zhai is indeed struggling. Although the storefront is still presentable, other shops still have some treasures on the second floor. You only have the first floor left to make a living. I think the spiritual items there are all pretty common, and the prices are lower than the market price. There aren't many truly high-grade items. If this continues, you'll lose customers." Chen Guang suddenly changed the subject and looked at Chan Zhi.

"Your Excellency is wise, but that's how business is. If we can't even maintain the most basic dignity of this shop, the wandering cultivators will be too ashamed to even bother visiting once they see the dilapidated storefront. And if they see that the goods are scarce, the prices are high, there are no rare items, and there's no profit to be made, then it's truly beyond repair. We can only offer them discounts to maintain circulation. Even if we can't retain the large suppliers, we still need to have the small, scattered supplies to barely keep the shop afloat, but we're still constantly losing money." Chan Zhi sighed, revealing her family's true financial situation completely.

"How much did you spend on the wood-capturing juice? I, Gao Yicheng, accepted it all." Chen Guang nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

Kan Zhi hesitated for a moment before saying, "The purchase cost a total of five thousand yuan."

Chen Guang couldn't help but stare at Chan Zhi for a while longer. Seeing that her expression was normal, he felt more appreciative. The price the Taoist from the Scripture Pavilion offered him was four thousand yuan per cubic meter, but that was a Taoist from the Qingheng Sect. Transportation costs and negotiation prices were not a concern. Four thousand yuan was a true break-even point for the Taoist from the Scripture Pavilion.

But Chanzhi is different. She is a descendant of a fallen, scattered cultivator family. On the one hand, she supports the operation of Jinyuzhai, and on the other hand, she has to spare people to gather information and go deep into the wilderness to complete transactions. In terms of price negotiation, it is impossible for her to ask for 5,000 silver dollars. She has achieved such a level in a month, but she is still unwilling to make money in this area. This price is not even her cost price.

"My lord, you may not know this, but the method of capturing wood is hard to find. We have paid a heavy price, and our only request is that we can settle the bill without paying with Sui Yuan?" Chan Zhi stood up and quickly said, looking at Chen Guang's face. "I wish to reopen the second floor. A single floor is too shabby. Without any valuable items, the customers' opinions will decline. In the long run, the meager profits alone will not be enough to attract customers with high cultivation levels. However, having only some materials and trivial spiritual items on the second floor is lacking in quality and will only make people resentful. It would be great if we could have some pills and spiritual artifacts. I am willing to pay 15% above the market price. If you agree, my lord, I will humbly offer this portion of spiritual liquid as a congratulatory gift."

After speaking, he stood with his head down, seemingly awaiting his fate.

Chen Guang tapped the table for a while before sneering, "Are you trying to trick me into buying treasures from the sect's market, or from fellow disciples, to supply you? A 15% profit margin, how tempting!"

Chan Zhi gritted her teeth, just about to say something, when she saw Chen Guang flip his hand and place four spiritual items on the table.

"It is absolutely impossible for me to resell sect items! The sect has decreed that the discounts in the sect's markets are for the benefit of sect disciples, not for personal gain." Chen Guang's tone changed from high to low. "However, I am not heartless. I am personally skilled in some esoteric arts and alchemy. Here I have healing pills like Bone Cleansing Pills, mana-replenishing Star Leaf Powder, flying needles like the Cotton Fire Needle, and Blood Shadow Bee Eggs. I can supply you with the first two types of pills monthly, but the latter two are only so much of my stock. Take it or leave it."

"Let me make this clear: I want you to acquire it at 10% above the market price. If the cooperation goes well, I'm not unwilling to give you some more profit. That's all I can do."

Chanzhi's mood fluctuated wildly, far exceeding the fluctuations of the Zihe tea leaves in the water. She even felt that Chen Guang had a bad sense of humor, insisting on scaring her like that. But in the end, she was filled with gratitude.

After expressing his deepest gratitude to Chen Guang, he cautiously approached and, after obtaining permission, carefully examined the four spiritual objects.

Flying needle magical artifacts are rare, and few use them, but just having them around is a signboard; these two kinds of pills are also scarce on the market, and in terms of quality and efficacy, they are definitely top-grade in their category. I am fully confident in raising the price to sell them, making them the signature products of my Golden Jade Pavilion, with profits greater than five or six other kinds of pills. Most importantly, there are Blood Shadow Bee eggs. Rogue cultivators love raising insects and beasts as their helpers. When they are lonely and helpless, they prefer living creatures that can provide companionship!

Chanzhi went from being happy to being somewhat apprehensive. What Chen Guang gave her far exceeded her expectations. Apart from the cotton fire needle, the other three types of products she offered were 15% more than the acquisition margin. These were products that would elicit a strong market response as soon as they appeared, yet she only wanted 10% of the price.

"Of course, I am not without desires. In return, I have a list here, which is a list of spiritual soil and spiritual plants. As long as it is not spiritual soil, spiritual plants and related cultivation books on this list, you must do your best to search for them for me. If anyone is selling them in your shop, you must do your best to acquire them. As long as you can do this, I can continuously supply you with pills."

"

Chen Guang sat in his chair and gave orders without any politeness. Although Chan Zhi was taller than most men, including Chen Guang, he could still feel his imposing stature and authority, and he agreed willingly.

Chen Guang naturally wouldn't believe it so easily, and would naturally have to use the Spirit Contract.

This thing isn't very comfortable to use, but there are indeed many occasions where it's needed. This has led Chen Guang to start wondering if he should find a more advantageous means from other skills to replace the spirit contract. Naturally, the fewer constraints like the spirit contract he has, the better.