Thinking of the future scenario described by Murong Qinglian.
A heavy feeling settled in Luo Chen’s heart.
It was definitely a situation where things were being done backwards!
Seeing Luo Chen deep in thought, and truly taking her words into consideration.
Murong Qinglian let out a sigh, "It’s only after spending a long time in my position as the Merits Hall Master that I realized what was wrong."
"As for the solution, it still needs to be discussed and decided by you and Chairman Sima."
Luo Chen managed to squeeze out a forced smile, "Indeed, thank you, my sister-in-law, for worrying about all these issues before Establishing your Foundation."
"It’s part of my duties, no need for thanks."
"Well then, I’ll have to leave first. If you need me, you can send Big Brother Qin to find me in the Yi Seventh Cave Mansion above."
Luo Chen left the mansion and took a flying boat upwards.
On the flying boat, one person still stood quietly.
Seeing Luo Chen’s furrowed brows, Gu Caiyi lightly bit her red lips, her eyes flickering.
...
Not long after.
The two entered the mansion.
Bai Meiling floated out from the small bedroom where the Ghost Mill was kept and greeted Gu Caiyi.
Her manner was a bit estranged and indifferent, but Gu Caiyi didn’t mind.
She knew that Bai Meiling had changed dramatically since becoming a Ghost Cultivator, it wasn’t because she disliked her.
"Caiyi, come with me, this is all the Jade Marrow Pills that the master has refined over the past six months."
Bai Meiling floated ahead, leading them into a large pill cultivation room.
Gu Caiyi came here to "pick up" the medicines.
Luo Chen now basically never leaves the mansion, and all his pill refining is done inside.
After the pills are refined, someone comes to collect them regularly.
As the Hall Master of the Golden Hall and the person in charge of Danxia Hall in the city, Gu Caiyi is the best choice to collect the pills.
Before entering the pill cultivation room, she subconsciously glanced at Luo Chen in the living room.
He paced slowly, with lingering worries on his face.
Inside the Pill Cultivation Room.
Dense and numerous elixirs were stored in several storage bags.
Gu Caiyi carefully counted them.
She needed to keep track of the number of pills and later pack and sell them, recording each transaction’s income.
Bai Meiling sat on the floor and drew circles with a twig out of boredom.
"Xiao Ling."
"Hmm?"
"Is he always like this?"
"He? Oh, you’re talking about the master!" Bai Meiling stuck out her long tongue, somewhat creepy, "The master is not usually like this, he’s always either cultivating or reading, he seldom looks as idle as he is now."
This was not idle, but pondering the future of Luo Tian Creed.
Gu Caiyi shook her head. She concluded that she could not get any information from Bai Meiling.
Soon!
Before nightfall, Gu Caiyi counted the exact number of Jade Marrow Pills.
In half a year, a total of 20,000 pills!
If they were sold, disregarding various costs, they could bring in an income of 170,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
This was a huge income.
But compared to Luo Chen’s peak period, it was reduced.
This was due to him splitting half of his time between cultivation and refining other elixirs.
And the lack of support from the Pill Hall’s logistical cultivators.
So the production decreased.
In reality, it actually improved slightly.
This was due to the advancement of his Divine Soul to the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Layer, as well as the increase in elixir production rate due to Second Order Earth Fire, and the Ice Royal Tripod.
Luo Chen only spent half the time, yet he improved by ten percent compared to the original production.
Gu Caiyi didn’t know the latter reason, but she was no longer the naive girl from the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion who didn’t lift a finger.
A long tenure in a high position had given her a profound understanding of the salaries of cultivators at all levels within the Luo Tian Creed.
After running some calculations on the profits of this batch of elixirs, taking into account all costs, she estimated Luo Chen’s earnings.
"About thirty to sixty thousand spirit stones!"
This amount of profit was an unreachable fortune for any Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator.
Even for Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, this was an income that was usually hard to come by.
But Gu Caiyi knew that Luo Chen’s demand for resources was also immense.
Not to mention anything else!
The rent for this Second Order Ascendant Grade Immortal Mansion alone was forty-eight thousand spirit stones a year.
"No wonder Sister Qinglian said that the Luo Tian Creed is going to start exploiting Luo Chen in return."
After some thought, she carefully stashed the storage bags close to her body.
Gu Caiyi left the Pill Cultivation Room.
"Chairman, there is something I am not sure whether to say or not."
Luo Chen lifted his head, answering silently, "Just say it. I can’t very well grant you immunity first, can I?"
Pfft!
Gu Caiyi, previously burdened with worry, couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
However, this eased the atmosphere a little.
"I think, the benefits you provide to everyone are too substantial."
Luo Chen tilted his head, considering this carefully.
It indeed seemed too substantial.
Gu Caiyi sat down opposite him, her hands resting on her lap, her demeanor dignified and composed.
"Everyone knows how good you are to us."
"But it is somewhat excessive."
"As far as I know, the benefits Luo Tian Creed’s cultivators receive are unparalleled among the small factions around Tian Lan Immortal City. They even surpass those of the medium-sized forces that have been in business for hundreds of years."
"However, sometimes it’s not always better to give more. You must understand the idiom – ’a small favour breeds gratitude, a large favour resentment.’"
"Moreover, right now you are refining pills by yourself, and we help you sell them. The labor cost for some of the intermediary links has actually disappeared."
"In my opinion, the conditions provided to some people should be reassessed."
After listening to all this, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.
After a good while, he raised his head.
Looking at the brightly captivating Gu Caiyi, he said, "You know, if your words just now were heard by others, you would get stabs in the back from those other lower-order cultivators."
Gu Caiyi’s mouth fell open a little, somewhat taken aback.
"I, I just..."
"I know, you’re considering it from my perspective." Luo Chen smiled, "But still, you should be cautious with your words. Some responsibilities aren’t meant for you to bear, nor capable of being borne by you."
Gu Caiyi nodded, but couldn’t help asking, "You should also consider yourself sometimes. Actually, even if you earn a bit more, those below wouldn’t say anything."
Right!
What could they say?
They were outclassed and lacked confidence.
After all, Luo Chen had brought them all the way from the backwaters to the Tian Lan Immortal City.
They had settled in a new home, and had a force to rely on.
But some things were not about whether they were said openly or not!
"Alright, I understand your good intentions, don’t worry about this in the future."
His attitude became somewhat colder out of the blue.
Gu Caiyi didn’t know why.
But as she had already received the Jade Marrow Pills, she no longer had a reason to stay.
"Then I will head back to Danxia Hall first."
She stood up and walked towards the exit of the mansion.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Luo Chen stopped her.
Looking at the woman who turned back, appearing somewhat bewildered, Luo Chen inexplicably sighed.
"The Jade Dew Pills I gave to you last year, you must have used them all, right?"