Chapter 112: Trade and Plunder

At the instant the blood curse was generated, the dragon spat out a mouthful of true water to isolate it. Although it could not be completely erased, it at least severed the curse's function. While Fu Bo could still sense the presence of the blood curse, he knew that if he were to truly trigger it, it might not have the intended effect.

"From now on, you are a core member of Lingbo Tower."

Fu Bo clapped his hands, and several figures suddenly appeared on the third floor.

"You should already know Cui Shan, the Procurement Deacon; Liu Ding, the Inspection Deacon; and Lu Tai, the Alchemy Deacon."

Fu Bo then pointed to a Taoist priest with blood-red eyes and a chilling, baleful aura, followed by two stern-faced middle-aged men. "This is Ji Yan, the Logistics Deacon, and these are Wu Li and Wu Hu, the Quartermaster Deacons."

These were all masters who had at least attained the stage of Condensing Sha; in total, there were six of them. Among them were even Gang-practicing cultivators at the late stage of Spirit Nurturing, such as those in charge of logistics and quartermaster duties. For Lingbo Tower, nothing was more important than its merchant ships and warehouses, so it was only natural that they be managed by those with profound cultivation. Beyond these, two or three other deacons handling external affairs were not present. The assistants and managers under these deacons were also cultivators who had reached the Spirit Nurturing or Blood-Refining stages.

The entire Lingbo Tower, including Fu Bo, was perhaps slightly stronger than a single hall of the Tongyou Temple. However, why go to such lengths just to plant a blood curse?

A strange light flashed in Fu Bo’s eyes. "Since everyone is here, I shall make an announcement: I am appointing Yu Long as the Deputy Alchemy Deacon, in charge of the Alchemy Garden and the inspection of the alchemy treasury. His monthly salary will be two hundred Dharma coins, one grade-one, single-aperture pill, and materials worth up to two hundred Dharma coins."

As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of those present shifted, looking toward the Taoist Lu Tai with a hint of mockery. The alchemy room had indeed performed poorly this time. First, the manager was killed, then the envoy assembly yielded nothing, and two managers were lost. The only gain had been the thirty percent interest collected from Yu Long.

"Many thanks, Tower Lord," Lu Qian said with a bow, ignoring the murderous glare from behind Lu Tai. He already had bad blood with the man, so a little more hardly mattered. However, he had not expected Fu Bo to intentionally stir up internal strife among his subordinates; it was quite peculiar.

"Lu Tai, take Yu Long to have a look and familiarize him with the environment."

"Yes!"

After the two left, Fu Bo’s expression darkened as he looked at the others. "Has Lu Qian still not been caught?"

"This subordinate is incompetent; I truly have no news of this person. I have even sought out cultivators skilled in divination, but I still cannot find him," Liu Ding said, sounding ashamed.

*Boom!*

A powerful wave of pressure descended, sending Liu Ding and several surrounding deacons flying, shattering several chairs in the process.

"Hmph, who was it that swore so confidently that they would definitely find the killer?"

Fu Bo’s true form manifested—a monster with a single head and ten bodies staring intently at the two. "With your level of competence, you probably wouldn't notice someone standing right under your noses. Keep searching!"

"Yes!" Liu Ding, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, bowed his head.

On the other side, Lu Qian followed Lu Tai to the sixth floor. The floor was completely empty, save for a pool of murky green water. The water was shallow, barely covering their ankles.

"Hold your breath and focus your mind; guard your spirit center."

Lu Tai, along with his two subordinates, dove into the water. *Splash!* Lu Qian followed. Instead of hitting the floor, it felt as if they were passing through a thin membrane. When he regained his senses, he found himself standing before a massive warehouse.

There were over a dozen rows of shelves, each five levels high. Upon them were various boxes containing medicinal gold, yellow powder, green-wood gold, yin-gold, yellow cinnabar, and more used for alchemy. There were also finished pills, and a heavy medicinal fragrance filled the air. Behind the warehouse lay a vast expanse of land, home to strange spirit herbs and creatures: spider flowers, snails with shells shaped like human heads, and evil peonies growing out of the seven orifices of human corpses. Dozens of acolytes and Taoists were tending to them; they bowed as the two approached, though not a single one bowed to Lu Qian.

"This is the Alchemy Garden and warehouse you are to inspect. Should anything go missing, it will be your responsibility," Lu Tai said coldly, followed by a sinister laugh. "Also, do you really think the Tower Lord will back you up? Heh heh."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Tai vanished. Lu Qian ignored the threat; after wandering for a while and finding it boring, he returned the way he came.

"My lord, the Tower Lord is truly too cold and ungrateful, deliberately arranging for such a person to disgust us," one of his subordinates grumbled in the shadows.

Lu Tai sneered, "That man is suspicious by nature and loves to play these games of checks and balances. For someone who wouldn't even spare his own son, is it really any surprise that he would use such tactics?"

"Then what shall we do about this person?"

"Wait a while, then we shall do this..."

Over the next few days, Lu Qian actually found himself with more free time. His duties as Deputy Alchemy Deacon involved very little actual alchemy. Furthermore, since no one in the alchemy room bothered with him, he spent his days wandering around and then returning to condense his Sha and refine his sword pouch.

One day, Lu Qian woke from his meditation. "Without spirit-enhancing pills, the progress is indeed ten times slower," Lu Qian exhaled, releasing a breath of murky air.

The main ingredient for spirit-enhancing pills is 'spirituality,' while the supplementary ingredients vary; generally, the higher the quality, the more potent the medicine. Although he no longer had the Earth-Sha exotic beasts, ordinary two-aperture spirit-enhancing pills still greatly accelerated his progress in condensing Sha. With enough pills, Lu Qian estimated he would enter the Condensing Sha stage within one to two years.

Thinking of this, Lu Qian’s Yin-spirit left his body once more. He still had a total of two thousand Dharma coins, enough to buy three portions of spirituality and some alchemy materials. It would be enough to support his cultivation for a month or two.

In the cavern, ghosts and mist swirled, and shadows were everywhere. At the furthest cave, the stall owner was dozing off. At that moment, a figure in a cloak arrived at the stall.

"Friend, I need three more portions of spirituality," a young male voice said.

"Hmm? You again?" Laughter emerged from the darkness. "You’ve come at a good time; I just received a new batch of goods. Heh heh."

Three translucent, murky green beads flew out.

"Where do you get all these things?" Lu Qian probed.

"That's a secret," the stall owner gave a sinister laugh. "You don't have much money left on you, do you?"

"That is not the case," Lu Qian denied.

In truth, the stall owner had hit the nail on the head. Spirit-enhancing pills were very expensive, and with other supplementary materials, each one cost around seven or eight hundred Dharma coins. Without sufficient resources, it would be difficult to complete the Condensing Sha stage in a year or so, let alone refine his sword pouch to the third level. He had to find a way to make money quickly.

In fact, the alchemy room was a lucrative spot, but Lu Qian was certain that countless eyes were watching him, waiting for him to slip up. He was already hiding his identity, so he naturally did not want to draw too much attention.

"Perhaps; tomorrow at the Hour of the Rat, at the Broken Wave Reef in the east, there will be a cargo ship exchange between the Smoke Cavern and the southern forces. If you are interested... heh heh."

"Aren't you afraid I might report you?" Lu Qian asked with a faint smile.

"Please, feel free. Heh heh... by the way, this information is free. Next time you want to know a location or the specific details, you must first hand over thirty percent of your gains." The cave entrance slammed shut; the stall owner had closed shop early.