Secondly, as Zhao Ya said, it’s somewhat wasteful for someone at the Holding Core Realm like him to use the Second Grade Tai Sui Pill.
After replenishing the One Dantian Gang Qi with a single elixir, most of the rest would be wasted.
Furthermore, Chen Jie had his own small idea: he wouldn’t need so many Tai Sui Pills and could exchange some for other things.
Chen Jie said to Zhao Ya, "Lord of the Commandery, I agree to this deal, but, Lord, I have a small condition."
Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said, "Speak."
Chen Jie said, "Out of the one hundred and eighty Tai Sui Pills, I only want one hundred. I would like to exchange the remaining eighty for something else, if the Lord agrees?"
Hearing this, Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and asked, "What do you want to exchange for?"
Chen Jie replied, "Lord, I would like to exchange them for elixirs that advance someone to the Wolf Smoke Realm."
Chen Jie put forth his idea, and narrowing her eyes, Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said, "The Breakthrough Pill for the Wolf Smoke Realm."
Chen Jie confirmed, "That’s right."
Zhao Ya laughed, "Elixirs are precious. You think to exchange them for just eighty First Grade Tai Sui Pills?"
Chen Jie said, "These one hundred could be added as well."
Zhao Ya replied, "Forget about it. I don’t have ready-made Breakthrough Pills for the Wolf Smoke Realm. Elixirs of this level need court approval before I can grant them. Without approval, I can’t get them."
"This is a tightly controlled resource."
After hearing this, Chen Jie considered for a moment and said, "If there are no ready-made elixirs, an elixir recipe would also suffice."
Narrowing her eyes, Zhao Ya said, "Chen Jiusi, don’t you lack the Chang Chun Valley sect’s heritage? You know how to perform alchemy too?"
Chen Jie replied, "Ha, Lord, you jest. My master is a disciple of Divine Doctor Anderson, who is an expert in alchemy, so my master learned some basics."
The Lord said, "I never expected you were a disciple of Divine Doctor An. I was severely ill as a child, and it was Divine Doctor An who saved me."
As they talked, it turned out they even had a connection. This also clarified why Chen Jie wanted the elixir recipe.
The Lord thought for a moment and said, "It’s not impossible to part with the recipe, but eighty Tai Sui Pills are insufficient for the elixir recipe of the Wolf Smoke Realm."
"Insufficient? Then, Lord, how many would I need to purchase it in the market?"
"You can’t buy them in the market. Elixir recipes of this level are considered treasures by both the court and sects, and they aren’t easily sold."
Chen Jie said, "What if someone is willing to sell?"
The Lord replied, "Then forty Second Grade Tai Sui Pills should suffice."
Chen Jie said, "Lord, you just said you wanted to buy my Second Grade Tai Sui Pills at a price of one for two, but now I want to use forty to buy the Wolf Smoke Realm Breakthrough Pill recipe from you."
Hearing this, the Lord frowned and said, "Chen Jiusi, so you were waiting for me here. But you can’t calculate it this way. If you do, I wouldn’t make any profit."
"Moreover, with just forty Second Grade pills, you can’t buy it either. If I agree, it’d be a huge loss."
Frowning, Zhao Ya realized that Chen Jie had outmaneuvered her.
Seeing her expression, Chen Jie said, "How could you lose, Lord? Even if I get the recipe and advance to the Wolf Smoke Realm, I would still serve under you, Lord. It’s like you are cultivating your own subordinate, and you also get forty Second Grade Tai Sui Pills for free. It’s a huge profit!"
Zhao Ya was struck by Chen Jie’s words, even feeling his argument made sense. Chen Jiusi wasn’t her subordinate; as a subordinate, shouldn’t she cultivate him a bit?
Moreover, once he grew stronger, he could also help her. It seemed like killing two birds with one stone.
Chen Jie also congratulated himself on his clever argument.
Zhao Ya thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I agree to give you the Wolf Smoke Realm recipe."
Hearing this, Chen Jie bowed and said, "Thank you, Lord."
Zhao Ya thought for a moment and said, "However, you’ll have to wait, as I don’t have the recipe. I need to request it from the Huangzhou Prefecture."
Chen Jie responded, "I trust in the Lord."
Hearing this, Zhao Ya said, "Good, in that case, I’ll just give you one hundred Tai Sui Pills."
"Hold on, Lord. I want to ask about the herbs listed in the Wolf Smoke Realm recipe, do you have them?"
Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said, "The ingredients vary by recipe. Generally, there’s no stock available. It needs to be applied for from the court."
Chen Jie thought for a moment and asked, "What about the herbs for Energy Transformation and Holding Core Realm?"
Zhao Ya replied, "The court doesn’t lack these in its stores. What do you need?"
After hearing this, Chen Jie considered for a moment and said, "I’ll make a list for the Lord, and you could give me a good price."
Chen Jie thought about it and compiled a list, consisting mainly of items related to the Spirit Transformation Pill.
The most important of these was the Spirit Transformation Grass.
After glancing at the list, Zhao Ya immediately said, "Thirty pills, I can prepare these items for you."
Chen Jie slightly frowned and then bowed, saying, "Lord, twenty pills."
Zhao Ya said, "Chen Jiusi, you are the first person to haggle with me."
"Thirty pills is already my cost price."
Chen Jie smiled and said, "Lord, how about twenty-five pills? Would that work?"
Seeing Chen Jie , Zhao Ya couldn’t help but say, "Chen Jiusi, which part of this resembles a master’s demeanor? If your subordinates saw this, they’d be greatly disappointed."
Chen Jie replied, "Lord, Chen Jiusi is merely a commoner. What kind of mastery can I claim? I’m no different than any peddler or runner in the streets. Therefore, please accommodate me, Lord."
Zhao Ya said, "Alright, I usually don’t haggle, so let’s settle it this way. I will get you these things within three days."
"Good. Then, Lord, shall I also deliver the Tai Sui Pills to you in three days?"