"Is it possible to find a contract manufacturer?" You You asked. As long as they can refine the Bone Forging Pill, they're willing to spend any amount of money, since they have money now.
Ling Qi was even more conflicted. He shook his head and explained, "Sect Master, alchemists have always been scarce, and top-tier alchemists are even harder to find. Only low-level alchemists will accept commissions from others. Nowadays, alchemists above the seventh level are all from first-class immortal sects like the Three Gates and Six Schools. They would not easily send their disciples to refine pills."
"It's getting cold!" You Youyue felt this was getting difficult. "Is there really no other way?" Are wet nurses in this world really that hard to find?
Ling Qi pondered for a moment, then said hesitantly, "There is one person... we could give it a try!"
"Who?" You You's eyes lit up.
“Kui Bi Daojun of Qingjing Valley,” Ling Qi explained. “Although he is only at the Golden Core stage, he is already a sixth-level alchemist with extremely high talent. He was originally a disciple of the Ziyun Sect. After the Ziyun Sect’s Heavenly Maiden fell fifty years ago, all the major sects tried to recruit him, but for some reason, he refused to join any of them and voluntarily became a rogue cultivator.”
"A rogue cultivator?" You You was taken aback. "Didn't they say that once the Heavenly Maiden was gone, all the cultivators from the sects would form aristocratic families?"
Ling Qi shook his head. "Only a few cultivators can establish aristocratic families. After all... noble ladies are rare in this world, and female cultivators are even rarer. So not every cultivator can do it..."
Got it! He's just a single guy without a girlfriend!
It makes sense. With so few female cultivators, it's already difficult for disciples to find partners. If they were to look for ordinary noblewomen, the lifespan of cultivators differs from that of mortals, making it even harder to find a suitable match. As for extraordinary individuals… this world seems to have a deep-seated racial prejudice against them, believing that even if extraordinary individuals awaken their spiritual roots, their overall aptitude is inferior to that of those from noble families. Generally, cultivators wouldn't choose this path unless absolutely necessary.
So, unable to reach the high or the low, they naturally ended up alone! Establishing a powerful family or something like that became impossible.
"So this single dog... oops, I mean, this Wei Bi would be willing to take on outside orders?" Youyou asked.
Ling Qi nodded. "I think it's worth a try."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find him!" You You was about to leave when Feng Rong pulled her back.
"Wait a minute!" He rolled his eyes at her. "Why do you need to do this kind of thing? Do you even have the self-awareness of a sect leader?"
“This matter does not require the sect leader to personally intervene.” Ling Qi nodded quickly and said, “A letter will suffice, and a disciple will be sent to Qingjing Valley.”
"Okay! Let's do it that way then." You You made the decision.
Since the matter concerned the cultivation paths of forty-six new junior sisters in the sect, Ling Qi acted swiftly, sending one of his most skilled sword-wielding disciples to Qingyou Valley that very day. They received a reply on the third day, but the result was somewhat different from their expectations. They agreed, but…
"What? He wants to refine a Breakthrough Pill!" You You was completely stunned. She had expected the other party to haggle, and was even prepared to ask for an exorbitant price, but she never expected him to haggle like this! It was like they clearly wanted to buy an orange, but the other party insisted on selling them a durian. "I want a Bone Forging Pill, why is he refining a Breakthrough Pill?"
"Perhaps he wants to try refining a ninth-grade pill. Alchemists have always improved their cultivation by refining pills of a higher grade than themselves and comprehending the Dao of Alchemy in the process," Ling Qi guessed. "He probably wants to take it a step further, and since the Seven Spirit Leaves are so rare, he made this request."
“That’s true,” the returning disciple replied. “Kui Bi Daojun also said that only half a Seven Spirit Leaf is needed to refine the Barrier-Breaking Pill. If we also need the Bone-Forging Pill, he can use the remaining half to refine another batch.”
“You can do it this way!” Youyou turned to look at Ling Qi, but only saw him shake his head.
"Sect Master, while it's true that a single batch of Bone-Refining Pills doesn't require the entire Seven-Heart Spirit Leaf, half a plant can only yield a maximum of twenty-five pills, while the junior sisters in the sect awaiting treatment..."
Youyou's face fell. There were forty-six people who needed the Bone Forging Pills, including Shuiyan. One batch was definitely not enough!
"What should we do then?" Youyou felt a bit of a headache. Unfortunately, there was only one Seven Soul Leaf. If there were extras, she would give them all, not just half a leaf. "Can't we give them some spirit stones or something? Magic artifacts would also work!" After all, they had just finished ransacking the house.
"Whenever I ask an alchemist to refine pills, I always prepare an extra set of materials as payment, unless otherwise agreed upon beforehand," Ling Qi replied. After all, alchemists also need to cultivate, and it was quite normal for Wei Bi to ask for half a Seven Spirit Leaves to refine the Barrier-Breaking Pill.
You You scratched her head in frustration, realizing she was stuck again. Where could she find another Seven Heart Leaves in the near future? She glanced at her father, wondering if she could ask Yuan Qi to tidy up the herb warehouse again and maybe find another one.
As if noticing her gaze, Yuan Qi turned to look at her and smiled reassuringly, "Xiao You, there's no need to be in such a hurry. Since the other party is only trying to advance their cultivation, it's not like they absolutely need the Seven Soul Leaves."
Youyou was taken aback. "You mean, we can give you something else?"
Yuan Qi nodded and looked at Ling Qi, reminding him, "I remember seeing some decent spiritual plants among the pile of spiritual plants in Mingyou Valley that day."
Ling Qi was taken aback, but then he realized what was happening. He pulled out a thick ledger from somewhere and started flipping through it. After a while, he said with a look of surprise, "Yes, yes, yes! There are six more high-grade spiritual plants in the spirit storehouse."
As he spoke, he immediately turned to the disciple who had reported back and said, "Go to Qingjing Valley again and ask Daoist Kui Bi if, in addition to the Seven Spiritual Leaves, other spiritual plants such as Tianyuan Dragon Bamboo, Ice and Fire Crystal Flower, and Xuanyu Grass are acceptable?"
"Yes!" The disciple accepted the mission and immediately set off for Qingjing Valley once again.
Sure enough, the message came back in less than half a day. Wei Bi agreed. Not only did he agree, but he also repeatedly instructed them not to move those spiritual plants easily. He would come to Zhenyan Sect to refine pills himself, so as not to damage the original spiritual energy of the spiritual plants and make it difficult to form pills.
Since the other party offered to provide door-to-door service, You You naturally had no objections and even saw it as an opportunity. After all, healers are a rare profession; even Ling Qi said that high-level alchemists are a rarity. Although this guy named Wei Bi is somewhat eccentric, preferring to remain a rogue cultivator rather than join another sect, perhaps he's come to his senses.
So he repeatedly instructed his disciples to treat the guests well and make sure they were satisfied. He also temporarily salvaged the best set of alchemy equipment from the pile of supplies and magical artifacts confiscated during the raid… oops!
Everything is ready; we're just waiting for them to come to us.
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