Cui Dingyi is honest or not, Wang Yulu does not mind.
It is said that people's hearts are as deep as water, but water flows downward, yet the human heart is always a little higher, and wants to be even higher.
Everyone has the possibility of becoming an immortal, why not take risks and strive for it instead of being straightforward and being slaughtered?
No matter how many rules and restrictions there are, in the face of burning ambition, they are all just accelerants.
Not to mention, the existence of restrictions themselves provides meaning for deviant behavior.
"Be honest and do good work, and there will be no problem naturally."
Wang Yulu walked in front, and Cui Dingyi, whose face was constantly changing between sunny and stormy skies, followed behind. After pondering for a while, he smiled tentatively and tried to initiate a conversation.
"Yulou, you know me; I'm just a child from a fishing family."
I was able to reach where I am today, entirely thanks to the cultivation of our sect, and the trust of everyone.
"But I don't know why the Yulou Daoist suddenly doubts me?"
Actors in TV and movies can test very subtly, and characters in novels can have wisdom that will always prevail.
But Cui Dingyi's statement and exploration are the norm in reality. This has nothing to do with the high or low level of his experience and status. It is simply a way to maintain the power he already possesses within the framework of rules.
Yes, you Wang Yulou are not ordinary, but I old Cui have bled and sweated for the River Bend fishing village for so many years.
Yes, I have issues, but you can't just suspect me on the basis of being here for only two days.
If a disciple from the Blue Water Palace comes and is as domineering as Yulou, how can disciples from the Huachi Palace, such as Cui Dingyi and Zhang Xuewu, survive?
Sit at a table with those who have condensed their Qi?
Inappropriate!
Yulou did not immediately answer Cui's question. It seemed that he was very interested in the commercial form of the River Bend fishing village. He looked around left and right, wandering around.
Finally, Yulou sat down at a street-side dumpling shop.
Looking at Cui Dingyi standing by the side, Yulou smiled and said.
"No suspicion, but someone told me that your relationship with Xuewu is not harmonious, so I just want to know the situation."
Upon hearing the name Zhang Xuewu, Cui Dingyi seemed to find his backbone. After a moment of contemplation, he began to give a smooth and detailed explanation.
"Yulou Daoist, you must not believe the rumors. Although my cultivation is somewhat weaker than his, and he doesn't always respect me, our relationship is not like that."
But overall, they are still brother-in-law who learned together from the same sect, so it's impossible for them to have a bad relationship. They have no serious disagreements, just some minor differences in opinions during work.
However, Yulou Daoist, I fully support those things you mentioned, and I wholeheartedly support them!"
The first, my cultivation is weaker than Zhang Xuewu's, and any problems are caused by him using his strength to bully others.
Second, there is a conflict between us, but I am still a disciple of the Drip Cave, and I understand the big picture.
Third, I am willing to support Yulou Daoist, respect Yulou Daoist, and follow Yulou Daoist!
Is Cui Dingyi's response satisfactory?
Respectable, cunning and respectable.
However, he ultimately gave up the idea of resisting Wang Yulou's authority.
This round, it belongs to a tactical success in easing Wang Yulou's void creation cards, and a strategic total abandonment of initiative.
Respectable, but a complete defeat.
"Ha ha ha, that's right. I've always said that everyone is a fellow disciple, so there's no need for so much discord."
"What's the conflict between Dingyi Daoist and Xuewu Daoist? It's all incitement!"
Although investigations into Cui Dingyi have begun, it doesn't mean that Wang Yulou wants to do something to Cui Dingyi right now. There are still times when he needs to win over support.
Of course, if Cui Dingyi really doesn't know his limits, it is also Wang Yulou's responsibility as a disciple of the Azure Water Cave to weigh the public benefit and private gain of secretly intercepting the river crab fish in the River Bay fishing village.
At this time, the owner of the fish dumpling shop cautiously brought two bowls of fish dumplings over.
Pointing to the fish dumplings in the bowls, Yulou invited, "Have some of these fish dumplings."
"Come, Dingyi Daoist, I've never tried fish dumplings before. Let me have some with you, let me have some with you."
The fish dumplings are made from fresh fish just caught, so fresh that it seems like you're chasing the fish's tail in the water. The taste is endlessly fragrant and delicious.
Seeing Yulou enjoying his meal, Cui Dingyi wiped the cold sweat that had just appeared on his forehead, and the breath he had been holding in his chest finally released.
This surname Wang seems to be a young man, but he has fierce and ruthless ways in dealing with people and things. Although he's smiling, the things he says are step by step forcing Cui Dingyi to submit.
Looking at the fish dumplings, Cui Dingyi fell into a daze. It seems he was really frightened by Yulou.
A white sea bowl, pink fish dumplings, green scallions, and golden sesame oil – just from the appearance alone, these fish dumplings are quite nice. Otherwise, Yulou wouldn't have sat here.
"What? Do you not like it?" Noticing that the old Cui was in a daze, Yulou wondered.
"No, I grew up eating fish dumplings. My mother's handcrafting skill in making fish dumplings is very high. She would add some Sichuan pepper, um, it's been a while since I've had one."
"Ha ha ha, then eat more, eat more."
"Yes."
In fact, after Yulou condensed his Qi, he could live without eating food every day and simply absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth to make up for the physical energy needed by the body.
For the most opulent cultivators, their daily practice is all about eating, consuming all sorts of spiritual foods until they hit a bottleneck, and then they research how to break through.
Of course, such cultivators are not many. Maybe even Zhou Yingxiu couldn't do it. After all, Zhou Wujiu is like that, and the whole Zhou family is filled with decadence.
Leaving the fish dumpling shop, Yulou walked to a construction site on the left bank of the Dahong Creek. Here, his mansion was to be located in the future.
Accompanied by Cui Dingyi, Yulou briefly looked around and then sensed an issue again.
Those Qi-refining cultivators looked tired, and some of them even yawned.
This seems to be an exaggeration.
Yulou's eyes narrowed slightly, without turning back, he just looked at the cultivators at the construction site and asked.
"Dingyi Daoist, did they work here last night?"
"Yes, I arranged it on the spur of the moment when I learned that you had a need."
Cui Dingyi answered respectfully. As for his current state of mind, how should I say...
It's like a little head who has finally encountered an inspection by his superior, and happens to do a good job.
But, the little head's fantasy hasn't materialized, and his leader opened his mouth calmly.
"These people may be lower in cultivation than me, but they are also my fellow disciples. Such an arrangement is not appropriate, don't you think?"
Looking at the construction site and then at Wang Yulou who had proposed to build a high platform for the new mansion, Cui Dingyi spread his hands wide and asked straightforwardly.
"If you say it's inappropriate, I'll change it right away!"
What can one do?
Wang Yulou has an extraordinary background.
Wang Yulou's strength is extraordinary.
Wang Yulou is terrifyingly young.
In Qingxi Workshop, in front of Jiang Baozhuan, Mu Chunze, and Zhou Yingxiu, Wang Yulou is just a pile of manure.
But in the River Bay fishing village, he is not just not a pile of manure; he is actually the undisputed person in charge.
"Old Cui, I need a high platform so that I can more easily support different areas within the River Bay fishing village."
But our main task as the town's cultivators is to prevent beasts from harming the villagers in the River Bay fishing village.
To have these fellow cultivators work all night to flatten the ground and build a high platform for me, isn't it weakening our forces to deal with the beasts?
Because of a small loss, Cui Dingyi, I think you're losing your mind!"
To be honest, since Cui Dingyi has already put his hands up and acknowledged his mistake, and agreed to change according to Wang Yulou's suggestion, wouldn't it be too harsh for Wang Yulou to scold him again?
No, after gaining the position of the person in charge, Wang Yulou made five requests to the two, using Qin Churán as an intermediary.
The first point, the spiritual fish, corresponds to obtaining benefits. Both of you have agreed to this point.
The second and third points, which seem to be about the location of the mansion, are actually giving others an opportunity to draw closer to Wang Yulou.
The fourth point, repairing the water gate, corresponds to introducing some new ideas in the position of the town's cultivator, which is a preemptive move for upward management.
The fifth point, collecting and organizing information, followed by training, is to seize the personnel rights of the River Bay fishing village under the pretext of fighting against beasts.
Among the five points, Cui Dingyi has already turned down two of them.
One of them is that his son's shop secretly collects spiritual fish, peeling the corner of the Drip Cave, and grabbing the cake of Wang Yulou, the leader of the River Bay fishing village.
The second is that Wang Yulou's attempt to change the location of his mansion gave others in the River Bay fishing village an opportunity to draw closer to him, but this matter was unnecessarily blown up by Cui Dingyi.
The Qi-refining cultivators won't care that it was Cui Dingyi who was playing tricks, they will only see that: On the first day Wang Yulou came, he didn't let them sleep even for a moment. He forced them to work all night to flatten the ground and build a high platform for his mansion.
Even Zhou Bapi allowed the long workers to sleep a bit before the midnight crowing.
What the hell, at Cui Dingyi's place, it's crowing instead of clucking?
It's completely unnecessary!
There's no need to sleep at all. Work through the night to flatten the ground and show loyalty to Yulou Daoist!
What kind of behavior is this?
It's either stupidity, badness, or both stupidity and badness!
Originally, Wang Yulou had wanted to hold back a bit.
But seeing Cui Dingyi acting so passive, playing dumb and obedient, he couldn't hold back any longer.
A warrior who has gone from a mortal to an Qi-refining cultivator in a hundred years can't be an idiot.
Cui Dingyi, this old fellow, was very skillful in dealing with Wang Yulou's difficulties.
He acts so passive and submissive?
No, Yulou has understood.
This old fellow is a case of a dog that doesn't bark but will bite!
Of course, as the son of the Wang family, the Prince of Anbei, Wang Yulou has inherited a family recipe and will not directly confront Cui Dingyi.
So, he uses the "anti-demon" flag as a tiger's skin and gives Cui Dingyi a hat of "sacrificing small for large" and "losing one's head."
With the right measure and the moral high ground on his side, no matter what Cui Dingyi says, he's still in the wrong.
Although it doesn't have any harmful intent, the fact that so many Qi-refining cultivators are working on the construction site, humiliating them enough.
Qi-refining cultivators are ants in the world of spiritual refinement, but each and every one of them is an intelligent creature, so naturally they heard what Wang Yulou said.
Cui Dingyi hadn't expected Wang Yulou to make such a statement. He understood that he wouldn't be able to easily wash this black pot off his hands.
However, this doesn't mean Cui Dingyi is mediocre. His ability to exaggerate things is still very exquisite.
To loudly support but use exaggeration to actually oppose, this method is both high and cruel.
If Wang Yulou were not a time traveler but a native, he might have been deceived by Cui Dingyi.
In that case, even if he had been secretly cheated by Cui Dingyi in a major way, he would have thought that Cui Dingyi was very kind-hearted.
Therefore, Yulou judged that Cui Dingyi was a dog that bites without barking, but just hadn't found the right time to do so in front of him.
"You are right, I should have thought about it more. How about this, Yulou Daoist, I let the others rest first. I'll personally build the high platform for you!"
Facing Yulou's challenge, Cui Dingyi replied with a sincere attitude.
Is it harsh or not?
Are you dissatisfied with my arrangements?
Then I'll personally mourn for you!
Yulou Daoist, this sincerity is enough, isn't it?
When his secret pitfall was exposed, Cui Dingyi immediately kneeled down without any hesitation.
To be honest, Yulou was even a bit afraid of this posture.
It's a simple logic - this child is of my kind, and it cannot be left alive!
As a time traveler, Wang Yulou knows what is good and evil, what is righteousness. Therefore, he will be painful because of the cruel world and the despairing reality that opens his eyes.
On the other hand, as the son of the Wang family and with the protection of Yuyi, Yulou naturally has enough room and time to remain calm.
But Cui Dingyi doesn't have that luxury, and both of them act in similar ways. How could Yulou not be afraid?
A person who has no principles, only interests, and only wants to go up is the most terrifying.
Cui Dingyi's background and upbringing shaped him, which is fortunate because he is now successful. It is also unfortunate because during that process, he may not have had a choice.
Yulou knows that he cannot change a cultivator who has advanced step by step for a hundred years and has reached where he is today.
So, Yulou is very vigilant!
In the face of Cui Dingyi's complete surrender, Yulou did not make a statement immediately. He hasn't decided yet how to deal with this special fellow cultivator.
"All of you, come. You've worked hard all night, come. Each of you gets two spiritual stones. Go and rest."
Qi Daoist misunderstood my intentions, which led to this misunderstanding.
Beasts are not to be prevented at all costs!
Our River Bay fishing village is such a good place, we cannot let beast harm it.
To prevent beasts, I plan to build a high platform. However, this matter can come slowly. Everyone, please go back and rest first!”
Behind Yulou, Cui Dingyi's face was as ugly as if his entire family had died.
He was certain that he had been targeted!
Trouble, trouble, big trouble.
He really hasn't made many mistakes; it's just that Yulou is too cautious.
Even if it's tomorrow, she couldn't have imagined that Wang Yulou could gain the position of leader in just one day and use Qin Churan to seize power.
This can be accepted. After all, Yulou gained the leadership by killing beasts and using the aura of two foundation establishment cultivators.
But Wang Yulou conducting a visit and investigation the next day is a bit too down-to-earth and overly cautious.
In this case, Cui Dingyi's exaggerated act of loyalty was not covered up.
It's not that Cui Dingyi is mediocre, but that the education, methodologies, and behavioral patterns Wang Yulou has accepted, absorbed, and implemented are quite unique.
Like now, when Cui Dingyi just said he sent these people away, and Wang Yulou didn't even acknowledge it.
He personally went forward, giving spiritual stones, explaining the original circumstances, and persuading people to leave - no Qi-refining cultivator would be able to do this.
The River Bay fishing village loses an average of two Qi-refining cultivators each year. How much power do the Qi-refining cultivators who guard this place have?
Facing Qi-refining cultivators, if they want someone to die, that person will definitely die!
Send them to patrol in more dangerous areas, when encountering beasts, slow down the action of rescuing them slightly, slightly deviate the artifact's flight direction - certain death.
But Yulou treats these Qi-refining cultivators as somewhat equal to himself, and performed a move to win their hearts.
This is not because Yulou is simply reciting the "Unity is Strength" scripture. In the world of cultivators, strength determines most things. A group of weak chickens united doesn't have much power.
But the subtlety of practical models and methodologies lies in the fact that if the person who is the subject of action can update them in time, they can indeed have a great impact on practice.
Yulou has the educational foundation from his previous life, and in this life, he has built on the platform of the Wang family of Anbei Kingdom, seeing the vastness of the world of cultivation and the methods and tactics of great cultivators.
Such Yulou can make today's actions, discover Cui Dingyi's hidden ambitions and problems, and it is also not surprising.
Watching the Qi-refining cultivators leave joyfully, Cui Dingyi walked forward with a complex expression, feeling restless.
"Yulou Daoist, I."
Wang Yulou turned his head, staring directly at this ambitious person, conveying pressure with his eyes.
"I understand your thoughts, Cui Daoist. In the future, I will only look at your actions."
The River Bay fishing village is just a place I stop by briefly. We have no major conflicts, are we not?"
After speaking, he didn't wait for Cui Dingyi to say anything more and conjured a flying boat back to the mansion.
Standing in place, Cui Dingyi looked at the medium-quality magical flying vessel beneath Yulou's feet, harrumphed coldly, and cursed at the warrior beside him.
"You bunch of idiots, what are you standing there for? Qi-refining cultivators don't have to do it, but naturally, it should be your job!"
In front of Wang Yulou, he was meek and submissive. But when it came to the lower-ranking warriors, Cui Dingyi could naturally play it cool.
——
Returning to the mansion, Wang Yulou's heart couldn't calm down for a long time.
He paced in the yard for a long time and then sat in front of the immortal figure of the "Divine Respect" in the meditation hall, continuing to think.
After much thought, he still couldn't come up with a method to handle Cui Dingyi properly.
This fellow cultivator is from the River Bay fishing village, with a deep foundation and temporary cultivation level higher than him. His methods are also quite formidable.
No matter how you look at it, it's difficult to deal with.
The only thing that can be determined is that Zhang Xuewu's level isn't much higher than Cui Dingyi's - his so-called discord with Cui Dingyi is purely that he was played to distraction by Cui Dingyi.
Old Cui Dingyi treats him like a toy, but Zhang Xuewu still thinks that he is on par with Old Cui Dingyi, unaware of the fact that he is being played by him.
For this Cui family member, direct killing seems satisfying, and Yulou can also do it.
But they are fellow cultivators, and Yulou can't be a killer forever, wherever he goes.
There are so many great cultivators in the world, and each one is more and more black. With just himself, how many can Wang Yulou kill?
It's still necessary to coexist with the dust of light for the time being, waiting until the right timing arrives for me, and then in the midst of a meeting of fates...I can't think too far ahead; I need to be grounded.
Therefore, one still needs to deal with it within the system of the Drip Cave.
If one says that the bottleneck in cultivation is blocking the path of cultivators to advance.
That is, Cui Dingyi is similar to the first bottleneck that Yulou encountered in his work and life. It's the path that completely controls the River Bay fishing village.
You said that Cui Dingyi has bowed his head, taken action, and submitted?
Ha, in the cultivation world, there are no shortcuts where one can pass by bowing one's head. Everyone is a cultivator. Wang Yulou must be cautious.
In the end, Yulou decided to wait for Hè Lǎosān to return and have him take a letter to ask for help from the clan leader.
During the process of sending him to the Drip Cave, the elder clan leader was sometimes cold to him and sometimes overly warm, which Yulou simply regarded as the elder clan leader being late in menopause.
Sending a request for help letter can also comfort the old clan leader's heart.
"Gaaaaaa!"
Just as Yulou thought of Hè Lǎosān, it turned out that Hè Lǎosān had actually returned.
However, Yulou's mind was immediately stirred. He noticed that there was a Qi-refining cultivator standing beside Hè Lǎosān, floating in mid-air on a boat.
Yulou stood up and walked into the courtyard. Looking up, he noticed the disciple robe of the Li Shui Palace on the cultivator.
"Cultivator, why have you come?" Yulou first gave a slight bow and then asked.
This unfamiliar cultivator with higher Qi-refining cultivation than him can be called a cultivator, but some form of polite respect is still required.
Yulou had just arrived, and he could act high-handed in front of Cui Dingyi, Zhang Xuewu, and the like. After all, they held positions as his subordinates.
But this unfamiliar Qi-refining cultivator was unknown to Yulou, and he had come along with Hè Lǎosān.
Yulou worried that it might be something that Hè Lǎosān had caused outside!
With Hè Lǎosān's unreliable personality, it's hard to say~
"Hahaha, are you Cultivator Yuku?"
"I am Wu Faxian, a staff member of the Jingong Palace. After receiving your letter, I have specially come here to offer you spiritual rice and cultivation pills."
The attendant personally comes to deliver the pills?
Wang Yulou's eyebrows slightly arched, then he smiled and raised his hand to dismantle the array of the courtyard.
"I didn't expect Wu Daojie to personally deliver the pills. In a hurry, Yulou didn't prepare anything. He can only offer you spiritual tea. Please forgive him."
Wang Yulou, from a powerful family, is dignified. Wu Faxian, the staff member of the Jingong Palace, is even more dignified. He lands in the courtyard and points to the walls of the small courtyard and asks.
"Arched Yu Daoist, you are too polite. This small courtyard is made entirely of spiritual wood, which must have been expensive."
Wang Yulou extends his hand to invite Wu Faxian into the main hall, explaining at the same time.
"It's not expensive, about seven or eight thousand pieces of spiritual stone."
He wasn't sure of the actual value, so he just gave a random price. After all, there's also the array.
"Just maintaining this small courtyard's array requires nine spiritual stones per week from Yulou."
Nine spiritual stones per week!
Wang Xianmao truly is generous. This kind of array can even fend off some weak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Of course, it can't stop Wang Xianzhou.
So, when Yulou reported seven or eight thousand, it was far from exaggeration and was even on the lower side.
"Wow... Cultivator Yuku's spiritual tea..."
Wu Faxian originally wanted to praise the spiritual tea from Yulou as good, covering up the surprise he felt when hearing the value of the small courtyard.
But he just realized that the spiritual tea Yulou treated him was like a mixture of ordinary tea and spiritual tea.
It has spiritual energy, but not much. It's good to drink, but there's nothing to praise.
"This tea is our Wang family's cultivation, and it will become a nine-taste spiritual tea in a few years. If there's an opportunity in the future, we can invite Wu Daojie to taste it."
Wu Faxian immediately showed deep respect, took a sip of the tea slowly, and then, with a look of enjoyment, said.
"The aroma is clear and cool, sweet and refreshing, indeed extraordinary."
After exchanging a few words and expressing their intention to make friends, Wu Faxian then finally realized that he had taken out the bottle of Ling Rice Cultivation Pills.
"See, I was so caught up in our conversation with Cultivator Yuku that I completely forgot about the main matter. Here are the Ling Rice Cultivation Pills you requested."
But I have also heard about the situation of Daoist. If Daoist wants to exchange spiritual stones for merit points to exchange for items in the short term, we can bear a ratio of 15 to 16."
However, this price is too low, and if it continues like this, even if I am willing to help Daoist make connections, it may be difficult to sustain."
Ling Rice Cultivation Pills, fifteen merit points, equivalent to seventy-five spiritual stones. Yulou's offer of eighty pieces implies a hidden ratio of fifteen to sixteen.
Wu Faxian's words imply that he is willing to sell well, but Wang Yulou cannot continue to take advantage of the situation indefinitely; he needs to stop when he is full.
"I thought for a while, and after confirming the array again, Yulou whispered, " "
"Do you guys accept spiritual fish?"
Spiritual fish?
Wu Faxian quickly reacted and explained with a smile.
"Cultivator Yuku is not aware that the ninth-level spiritual fish, Li Shui Palace, does not accept. They can only be exchanged for merit points of Qing Quan Palace. However, Qing Quan Palace merit points"
He smiled in a suggestive manner, and Yulou nodded understandingly.
He thought of the Yuan family. If it weren't for the Yuan family seizing his position as a mining town guard cultivator, he wouldn't have to deal with such worthless people as Cui Dingyi, and he wouldn't have only this tiny income from spiritual fish.
The governance system of Drip Cave is set up very tightly. The town guard cultivator can make a profit, but the transmission channel of the sect blocks the possibility of the town guard cultivator directly cashing in.
Therefore, Cui Dingyi can run a secret business of exchanging spiritual fish for resources, and there must be other underground markets supporting it.
"I understand. I will quickly solve the problem of merit points."
After sending off Wu Faxian, Yulou shook his head, opened the bottle of Ling Rice Cultivation Pills, poured one into his palm.
The Ling Rice Cultivation Pill is a beige color, about the size of an egg, and although it is called a pill, it looks more like a large meatball in texture.
Yulou gently squeezed it, then smelled the fragrance left on his fingers, and nodded satisfactorily.
Good pill, the refining level is not low, fifteen merit points per bottle, one pill equals eight spiritual stones, the price is still fair.
Entering the meditation room, Yulou took the Ling Rice Cultivation Pill and began to refine the medicine's power meticulously.
Fragrance, it is the fragrance of spiritual rice, sweet, it is the sweetness of spiritual honey in the pill.
In addition to spiritual rice, the Ling Rice Cultivation Pill also contains various different medicinal materials and auxiliary materials.
With a single pill swallowed, the essence of spiritual rice and the essence of spiritual medicine spread throughout Yulou's body.
The depletion of essence and decline in state caused by the practice of the Guan water retracing veins was quickly restored at a visible speed under the effect of the Ling Rice Cultivation Pill.
Seeing the remarkable effects of the elixir, Yulou's face showed joy.
Practicing is difficult, and even Guan water retracing veins caused him significant loss of essence and decline in state.
It is difficult to practice, and without the addition of Drip Cave, how much effort and spiritual stones a normal cultivator would need to buy Ling Rice Cultivation Pills is not said.
Reaching cultivation is also simple, it's just a matter of accumulating resources. As long as there are enough of various resources, there will always be a way to practice quickly.
Like Yulou, facing the side effects of Guan water retracing veins, if he can exchange this pill for merit points or spiritual stones, he can naturally find a way to cope with it, thus improving the retracing veins speed.
After about a dozen minutes, Yulou had completely refined the effects of the Ling Rice Cultivation Pill, and his condition had recovered by more than half.
This makes Yulou somewhat difficult to decide. If he takes another Ling Rice Cultivation Pill, his condition can be fully restored, but the cost of cultivation will be much higher.
One Ling Rice Cultivation Pill requires eight spiritual stones, two per day, which is a sixteen spiritual stone expenditure.
Yulou currently has 6,500 spiritual stones, of which the 5,000 given by the family leader takes up a large portion. The rest of the spiritual materials and artifacts can also be exchanged for spiritual stones.
But no matter how to calculate, he currently only has 6,500 spiritual stones.
With a cultivation cost of sixteen spiritual stones per day, plus other miscellaneous items (arrays, spiritual scents, etc.), estimated at two spiritual stones each, Yulou's spiritual stones can only support his practice for one year.
This pace of consumption is something Yulou finds difficult to bear.
So, before finding a new stable income, Yulou cannot take two pills per day.
Recover half, that's fine. It's not like I can't make do.
After giving it some thought, Yulou lit a spiritual incense and began the practice of Guan water retracing veins.
The fragrance of plum blossoms is bitter.
Halfway through reciting in his mind, Yulou noticed something was wrong again.
He had clearly absorbed the power of an entire Ling Rice Cultivation Pill, and his essence and state had actually recovered by more than half.
But why is it still so clumsy when he channels the Guan water qi retracing veins?
In the meditation room, the divine dignitary's avatar before him sent up a wisp of blue smoke, which floated in the air and painted a misty and mysterious picture.
Under the picture, was Yulou's face with an uncertain expression.
Known that Guan water retracing veins is effective, the Guan water qi retraced meridians indeed become wider, and the method of Guan water retracing veins is definitely reliable.
Just that, during the practice, a certain amount of essence and overall condition is also consumed, but the Ling Rice Cultivation Pill is extremely effective, and Yulou's condition has already recovered by more than half.
Then what's the problem?
Yulou gritted his teeth, looked very painful and took another Ling Rice Cultivation Pill.
Over-treatment!
I don't believe that I cannot normally trace veins when the state is fully restored!
Yulou's pain is real physical pain, and he is really reluctant.
Two Ling Rice Cultivation Pills, sixteen spiritual stones, compared to the profits he earned at Qingxi courtyard, this seems like just a hair.
But at the beginning, Yulou was standing on the platform provided by his family, running the profits of the Qingxi Pavilion under the red lanterns as store profits.
The actual amount Yulou could take was not much; over the years, he had only saved about fifteen hundred spiritual stones – which is a lot for an ordinary cultivator.
But even ordinary cultivators find it difficult to afford the luxury of taking two pills a day for cultivation.
However, after half an hour, the wisps of blue smoke couldn't hide Yulou's darkening expression.
Sixteen spiritual stones, a splash and gone!
But the problem Yulou now faces is that he can't find the source of the problem.
He had recovered his essence completely and his overall condition was very good, but the reason why he couldn't trace the Guan water qi in the meridians was still a mystery. Every time he controlled the Guan water qi to trace the meridians, it would suddenly lose control.
Tracing Guan water qi is a common practice in Drip Cave, but ordinary cultivators cannot bear the pain of tracing veins, nor can they afford the spiritual pills to repair meridians, so there is no relevant experience passed down.
Yulou thought alone for a long time and used the method of elimination to rule out various possibilities, finally thinking of a point that might be the cause.
That is, yesterday's tracing process was too painful, and his spirit or will fell into a low state that he couldn't consciously realize.
This low mood cannot be restored by the Ling Rice Cultivation Pill, nor can it be ignored by just giving oneself a boost of morale.
Therefore, it's why he lost control of the Guan water qi as soon as the pain began.
With the problem in cultivation, Yulou Wang's subjective initiative has reached its limit.
He thought for a while and took out the transmission note left by Yushi.
An hour later, he received a message from Yushi, and Yulou immediately rode on a spiritual crane and flew directly to Drip Heaven.
Of course, Yushi's cave is not located in Drip Heaven, but there are many other palaces and mountains around Drip Heaven, known as the Palace of the Celestial Master.
After searching through the clouds for a long time, Yulou finally found the ancestral home of Yushi and met his longing for his uncle Yushi.
"Yulou, I just inquired about the problem of tracing the Guan water qi for you. There aren't many cultivators in the sect who practice this ancient method of refining qi. You should also feel it, the progress of practicing Guan water qi cannot be directly increased by pills and other things."
Yushi doesn't understand why Wang's family would send Yulou to practice the outdated Guan water qi in Drip Cave, but he chooses to respect their decision.
"Unable to be directly increased by pills or other things?" Yulou hadn't noticed this yet.
Yushi shook his head and, with a serious tone, began to explain to Yulou.
"The prosperity of the Five-Soul, Five-Color, and Five-Tone Law is because such new methods can all be quickly cultivated through special means."
The progress of Guan water qi cannot be quickly cultivated, and the greatest effect, the so-called Guan water retracing veins, has not been practiced in Drip Cave for a long time.
In the end, for foundation-cultivating cultivators, what matters is the number of orifices and the quality of their dharma foundation, not the thickness of their meridians.
Therefore, there is actually nothing to deal with the difficulties of tracing veins within the sect.
But if you need it, I can contact the Merit Hall of the Bishui Palace for you to switch to a water law path.”
Wang Yulou was lost in thought, his spiritual root was water four and fire six, so in order to achieve root qi harmony, he needed to practice water law.
The current Guan water qi seems not to be very good, so should I switch to another method?"
Cannot switch!
In a flash, Yulou made his decision. This path was recommended by Danyue the Immortal, and with Danyue's knowledge and experience, Yulou naturally had to follow the advice.
"I don't want to switch paths, Zhuoqi senior, do you know about the kind of medicine that can suppress pain?"
"Medicine to suppress pain?"
Yushi understood. Wang Yulou wanted to force the practice of retracing the veins. Well, as an outsider, he couldn't say much about Wang family's arrangement.
"Well, I have to say, I'm not good at refining pills. You might ask Xianmao brother, Wang family's level of refining pills is actually quite high."
The sect might have pills, but they require merit points. For you, it's better to leave more merit points. In the future, your foundation material for solidifying your foundation has the opportunity to be solved in Drip Cave.
Even with many merit points in the Bishui Palace, it's not guaranteed that they can be exchanged for foundation material, but without them or not having enough, it's absolutely not acceptable."
Yulou nodded, and Zhuoqi senior's words can be said to be completely considering his perspective.
Especially for the statement about the merit points, it fully demonstrates wisdom.
——
Having flown away from Drip Heaven, Yulou rode on the spiritual crane and descended along the way, his expression heavy.
Cultivation is so troublesome, or is it just the Guan water qi path that is particularly special?"
It might be because the path is special. Any path recommended by Danyue must have extraordinary qualities.
Thinking of this, Yulou gained motivation. It's just messing around, I Wang Yulou can afford it!
Back in the mansion, he took out a red lantern from his storage bag.
He ignited the spiritual qi, causing the red flame within the lantern to spread outwards, and then placed the scales of the humanoid snake spirit onto the fire—beginning to refine!
Thinking about the cost of spiritual pills required for cultivation, Yulou felt a sense of eagerness to hurry up and refine the materials obtained from defeating the human-headed snake spirit, so as to make up for the shortfall in pill materials.
Choosing the scales of the snake spirit with only inferior magical artifact potential as the object of refinement is because Yulou currently has no suitable magical refining furnace.
The Red Lantern with 88 layers of restriction is a fine upper-grade spiritual artifact, but its role in refining is merely that of a furnace, providing spiritual fire, but not assisting in qi cultivation.
Under such conditions, even if some materials have the potential to be refined into middle-grade magical artifacts, Yulou cannot refine them temporarily.
Moreover, each snake spirit scale is as large as a fist, and with Yulou's refining skills, he can do at least five to six layers of restrictions on each piece - even with a conservative estimate, each finished product can be sold for at least fifty spiritual stones, right?
Snake scales, though produced by demon beasts, are not as compatible with Yulou's specialized jade and stone refining art as he had hoped.
But with the An Ning manuscript and the foundation of jade and stone refining art, refining the scales into inferior magical artifacts is not difficult.
Controlling the red flame requires the consumption of spiritual power, maintaining the position of snake scales for better refinement also requires the consumption of spiritual power, and recording restrictions is even more demanding.
Without a refining furnace, the process of refining snake scales by Yulou consumed about twice as much spiritual power as usual.
In the end, he only refined six pieces of snake scales and stopped, but this was not because his spiritual power ran out. Instead, there were not enough corresponding auxiliary materials.
Processing the snake scales requires a certain amount of auxiliary materials, and the process of refining them into magical artifacts also needs additional materials. Six small snake-scale shields had already consumed Yulou's already limited corresponding auxiliary materials.
Of course, Yulou still had the auxiliary materials for refining gold and stone magical artifacts, and in great quantities.
Picking up a small snake-scale shield, Yulou touched the sharp edge and smiled slightly.
As a mid-stage small demon beast in the realm of humans and serpents, its strong defense comes from two points: one is the glue on its body, which cannot be collected after death.
The other is this hard yet flexible snake scale.
In the refining process, Yulou noticed that the properties of the snake scales could potentially be refined into an attack magical artifact. Therefore, he added a layer of sharpness to the restrictions on the snake-scale magical artifact.
Now it looks quite effective.
Although it's a low-grade magical artifact and quite small, it has both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Buying two more to wear, they won't require spiritual power to activate and will provide defensive effects. Overall, it gives off a sense of being a jack-of-all-trades.
They should sell well.
However, the most important thing is that the snake scales shield refined this time are a free business.
The snake scales belong to the human-headed snake spirit. The human-headed snake spirit has cooled down beyond repair, so it's not reasonable for them to charge Yulou.
This is also why so many people, knowing the danger of the Western Sea's hunt for demons, still choose to go voluntarily.
They can earn spiritual stones! A lot of them!
Under the rule of the Immortal Alliance, everyone must follow the rules. If a marauder is caught, they are executed.
But when you reach the Western Sea, everything you kill, from the meat to the bones, skin to fur, all becomes your loot.
As long as you win, repeatedly winning down, is the road ahead——Muyunan smiled without saying a word.
This son-in-law of the Zifu family who waters water in the water is a killer who came out of the Western Sea.
However, looking at the snake scales shield in front of him, Yulou found himself in a difficult situation.
How to sell them is a big problem.
The Bishui Palace only accepts high-grade magical artifacts, which blocked his possibility of using it to raise his refining proficiency.
If he sells these small snake-scale shields to the Qingyuan Palace through cultivators at the peak of cultivation, considering the conversion loss, Yulou felt that it was too expensive.
Clutching the snake-scale shield in his hands, the coldness of the snake scales permeated through his fingertips, giving Yulou a cool sensation.
"Cui Dingyi, Cui Dingyi, raise your underground trading network from that fish shop, where is it exactly?"
Yulou is currently facing several urgent problems and needs to solve them as soon as possible.
Firstly, he needs to repay the merit points he owes to the Bishui Palace.
Secondly, he needs to obtain a decent refining furnace so that he can fully display his refining skills and support the purchase of auxiliary elixirs for cultivation.
There are refining furnaces on the merit points exchange list of the Bishui Palace, but to change them, it requires a considerable number of merits. Jade stones can also be used as a currency, but Yulou is not willing to spend too much.
These two points are interrelated, making it difficult to break through the deadlock. Therefore, after much thinking, Yulou still thought of Cui Dingyi.
At the end of the day, problems and issues related to cultivation may be troublesome and important, but they are not urgent.
Understanding the underground trading network behind Cui Dingyi and obtaining full control over the spiritual fish, is an urgent and crucial problem.
Here, there might lie the key to Yulou breaking the deadlock, so he can only wait and see what actions Qinchu Ran will take next.
Shaking his head, Yulou straightened out his thoughts and took out a piece of silk, starting to write a letter to the family head.
Dear family head, Yulou is now facing some issues and hopes to get your guidance.
Soon, the letter of assistance was finished, and Yulou called for the third son.
The third son heard that he had to run nearly two thousand miles and immediately felt a bit discouraged.
Long-distance driving is no easy job, and even the spiritual crane fears long journeys!
After Yulou tricked it with a drop of spiritual blood pill, the third son skipped away happily with the letter.
It will first go to Wu Jinyan, then leave the cave, and finally return with the family head's guidance.
In the letter, Yulou asked for help on two matters.
One was how to deal with or take down Cui Dingyi, of course, ideally without causing any conflict.
Laodi is a local of the River Bay Fishing Village, if he is provoked, Yulou's future work will be more difficult.
The essence of it requires the wisdom of the respected elder.
The other matter is about the pursuit of qi in the Zhi water realm. The depletion of essence and the low state can be solved by spiritual pills, but the decline in spirit and willpower is more difficult to handle.
The Bishui Palace can exchange for spiritual pills to improve spirit and willpower, but after looking through, Yulou found that these are all used for battle or during the breaking of a bottleneck, not for pain relief, and none of them can provide long-term pain relief.
Yulou needs a spiritual pill that can provide long-term pain relief to reduce the pain caused by retracing veins, thus preventing the decline in spirit and willpower resulting from retracing veins.
This is something that the Wang family should be able to help with, as they have been in existence for a long time and might have some related experience tucked away in the depths of their heritage.
——
In the evening, Qinchu Ran arrived at the mansion, looking exhausted but incredibly energetic.
Seeing that Wang Yulou was stroking the snake tooth without speaking, she thought he was deep in thought and stood silently for a long time.
Actually, Yulou was just studying the structure and material of the snake tooth.
There are many materials of magical beasts of the spirit level in An Ning's journal, but people-faced snakes are too weak, only in the middle stage of small demon realm.
Compared to the information and key points of the great demon beast teeth left by An Ning, the teeth of people-faced snakes are quite different in many places.
Therefore, Yulou needs to carefully consider how to deal with it in the future.
The potential of the snake tooth itself is probably between mid-grade and high-grade magical artifacts, with the potential to be refined into a high-grade magical artifact, but the potential is very low.
After all, the snake tooth of the human-headed snake is just one of its many attack methods, not its strongest.
At that time, the red ox antler dagger used by Wang Rongyuan's fire ox was the most powerful attack method of the fire ox, so it had the potential to be refined into a high-grade magical artifact.
However, the alchemists of the Wang family eventually only refined it into a mid-grade magical artifact to make it more 'convenient to use'.
Unlike spirit artifacts, cultivators have an upper limit to the number of magical artifacts they can manipulate during the Qi Refining stage, and this limit is not high.
Therefore, the gap between high-grade magical artifacts and mid-grade magical artifacts in terms of fighting is not absolute, and systematic cooperation will have remarkable effects.
The mid-grade magical artifact-level fire ox antler dagger is particularly suitable for combat.
However, the most frustrating thing for Yulou is that the snake tooth of people-faced snakes indeed carries the talent law of the snake spirit, but it is the Tao Mist Law——the application of this law is quite awkward.
The fire ox antler dagger carries the flying flame technique, which is very effective when used unexpectedly in combat.
Tao Mist Law is a technique that can help enemies escape if released.
The enemy ran away, only to turn around and thank you again. It's a bit heartbreaking just to think about it.
Putting aside the awkward snake tooth, Yulou turned to Qinchu Ran and asked.
"What's the situation?"
Not knowing which situation Yulou was referring to, Qinchu Ran first reported the most important one that Yulou cared about——the issue with Cui.
"I've made contact with the person, but I thought that if I brought him to your mansion, he might be watched by someone with ill intentions, so I took the initiative and didn't bring him here."
While speaking, Qinchu Ran lowered his head somewhat nervously.
Yulou was momentarily stunned and stood up with a smile.
"Good, good, it was my oversight, you did the right thing! You did the right thing!"
Next, he took out a small snake scale shield and threw it to Qinchu Ran.
"Qinchu Ran, similar to making decisions without thinking about the consequences, next time you want to do something like that, just directly remind me before you do."
This small snake scale shield is made from one of the largest six snake scales on the chest of the people-faced snake spirit, with seven layers of restriction, both offensive and defensive. It's a reward for all your hard work over the past two days!"
The snake scale shield is very dark in color, ugly as can be. Moreover, the basic material used is the scales of a snake, which would probably directly result in the girl being added to the blacklist if given as a gift in Yulou's world.
But Qinchu Ran, looking at the snake scale in his hand, felt as if he couldn't hear anything at all. This was due to excessive excitement causing an increase in intracranial pressure.
She had already heard about the incident this morning where Wang Yulou sent spiritual stones to the Qi Refining cultivators. At that time, she thought that it was normal for someone of Wang Yulou's high birth and considerable wealth to do so.
However, in her world where she had never encountered such a thing, it was difficult for her to understand the behavior of giving out common magical artifacts as rewards casually – that was too harsh!
"Splash!"
The girl once again knelt down before Yulou.
In reality, Yulou's heart is only filled with helplessness.
It's just that Qinchu Ran's tendency to kneel down at any moment makes him seem like some strange person.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The kneeling female cultivator bowed three times.
When she looked up again, her forehead was already a blood-red color.
However, seeing her such 'sincere,' Yulou first thought of something ungraceful.
Is she trying to play me? Trying her best to manage me excessively?
Probably?
Through this method, is she trying to evoke my sympathy, as well as a man's sense of control and protectiveness?
Qinchu friend, did I guess correctly?
I, Wang Yulou, am not a legendary naturally handsome man, a reborn saint, or the son of destined fate.
In my eyes, there are no double pupils, and in my body, there is no Supreme Bone. My parents are not any kind of already deceased, unparalleled strength. And even if my only golden finger were to be like that, it would still require constant effort to accumulate golden light.
A small cultivator I've only met a few times is already so obedient to me?
Be cautious!
That's just to say, Zhou Yingxi calling Wang Yulou a dog thing is not without reason.
Under the influence of the Wang family, with their cautious nature, Yulou's symptoms may be subtle, but also quite serious.
" Elder Wang, Qinchu Ran, Qinchu Ran..."
Wang Yulou furrowed his brow, he didn't like being someone who is being given loyalty.
Whether it's true or false, how much of Qinchu Ran's words are true, Yulou doesn't want to think about it.
Unlike the boar elephant and its ilk, Yulou may lack the cold-heartedness that is necessary to become a great cultivator.
Great cultivators can be cold-hearted and regard everyone as a means to an end, so they don't care about the truth of loyalty, only the results – they wouldn't really care about the fate of their disciples.
Yulou can't do it.
"All right, there's no need to say more. It's just a low-grade magical artifact; just do your job well."
Tell that person, if he can investigate the store of Cui Dingyi's son, I will also give him a magical artifact as a reward!"
Regardless of how to deal with the old Cui, it is still quite important to first figure out what he has done.
This thing, if described with a different word, can be called a "grasp" or "handle."
Grasp, grasp, as long as you grasp the handle, you can grab the other person!
"You can actually meet him. Tomorrow, he will patrol the north shore of Lake Huxi."
As long as you go for a round under the pretext of inspecting the lake shore, you can confer with him personally."
Yulou's eyes are somewhat profound, and he becomes more and more certain that the female cultivator with her face covered in blood is not ordinary.
Yes, if someone were not clear-headed, how would they withstand the pressure from Cui Dingyi?
I didn't expect that a small river bend fishing village would have such talents as Cui Dingyi and Qinchu Ran.
Perhaps, there are countless talents and jade in this world, which forces those great cultivators to jointly change the rules of the world and restrict the lives of most people.
"That's another good suggestion, Qinchu Ran. Come on, get up."
Take out a white silk, Yulou personally cleans the blood on Qinchu Ran's face with his hands.
He furrowed his brow slightly, took out a small Yi Xu Dan, and worryingly reminded.
"Yes, come on, take this elixir to recover faster."
You play me, and I'll play you.
If you want to play the loyal minister, I can also be a enlightened sovereign.
As long as you handle the matter well, I, Wang Yulou, will naturally give you proper treatment!
"Elder Wang, it's too precious, I can't accept it."
"Eat it, or else when we go out, others will think I'm a bad person. Hahaha."
Wang Yulou made a joke, but the content didn't sound like a joke at all. Naturally, Qinchu Ran dared not refuse any longer.
After she calmed down and her forehead returned to normal, Yulou asked about another thing.
"Tell me about the progress of collecting information about Qi Refining cultivators. This is also very important."
The demand for the spirit fish is a test of the distribution of benefits, corresponding to wealth and power.
Finding out the problem with Cui Dingyi is a surprise.
But the most important of the five things Wang Yulou proposed is the fifth one—personal affairs management rights.
Human resources, which means power.
Using the pretext of preventing and defeating demons and spirits, first collect information on the Qi Refining cultivators in the fishing village, and then organize them for practice in preventing demons and spirits.
By these actions, Yulou can naturally and steadily take control of the human resources.
"There are currently twenty-three Qi Refining cultivators in the river bend fishing village, including four at the late stage of Qi Refining, eight at the middle stage, and eleven at the early stage."
"However, Elder Wang, I've roughly calculated that among these people, how many have a relatively close relationship with Cui Dingyi, do you want to know?"
When Qinchu Ran said this, Yulou felt at ease again.
This girl, yeah, she's quite good, she has ideas and ambition, but
Um? Is she deliberately hiding her abilities?
Thinking about it, Yulou suddenly smiled. It made Qinchu Ran feel flustered – did I say something wrong?
Of course, she hadn't said anything wrong. Instead, Yulou realized that he was affected by the pressure from the old Cui.
Qinchu Ran handles things diligently, pays attention to details, and thinks carefully. He is clearly an excellent candidate for cultivation.
But due to the influence of the old Cui who hides his true abilities, Wang Yulou feels a sense of caution when looking at Xiao Qinchu Ran.
Practicing cultivation is so difficult!
Thank you, North Brother for being the leader. There's no need to say anything else. North Brother has supported me for so long and knows my character.
As always, I will never compromise, never give up on my own demands. I will always pursue the holy grail of creation, and do my utmost to ensure that I won't disappoint you!
(End of this chapter)
