Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“One, two, three, four…”
Walking on the road, Tang Hao touched the crystals in his bag and counted them again and again.
There were only ten crystals, no matter how he counted.
“What can I do with ten crystals? I can only buy one or two stalks of medicinal herbs, or ten jars of liquor, or stay in an inn for about a fortnight!”
Tang Hao muttered worriedly.
He eventually found an inn and checked in.
He wanted to make the town his base. After all, the town was very close to the passage back to Earth.
Sitting in front of the window and looking at the night sky outside, he started to feel homesick. He also missed his phone, computer, and other high-tech products.
He would feel uneasy if he did not check Weibo for a day.
After daydreaming for a while in front of the window, he began to cultivate.
On Earth, the qi in the air was too thin. Meditating basically had no effect. However, it was different here. The qi in the air was abundant. After cultivating for a night, he could feel that his cultivation base had increased a little.
The next morning, he went into the forest.
“Don’t run, rabbit!”
“Stop running, you pig!”
Tang Hao ran around hunting animals. No matter how strange they were, he immediately rushed over and caught whatever he saw. They were all money on legs!
One animal might only be worth one crystal, but it would amount to a lot. He was not going to let go of the chance of making money.
In the evening, he dragged the small hill of animal corpses back to the town.
“F*ck!”
At the entrance of the town, many people were stunned.
It had been a long time since they had seen so many dead animals. Even though most of them were mundane beasts, it was quite impressive for someone to catch so many by himself.
“Bosses, oh, I mean, shopkeepers, come and see the goods,” Tang Hao yelled after stepping through the town entrance.
Immediately, several shopkeepers walked out. When they saw the small hill of animals, their eyes lit up.
They rushed over hurriedly.
“I want all the goods, young hero!”
“Go away! I want everything! Young hero, no matter how much he offers, I will top his offer by one crystal!”
“Give it all to me. I offer three more crystals!”
Several shopkeepers started to fight over the animals.
All of them were tempted by the big haul. Moreover, some of the animals were difficult to catch, and they could sell them for a good price.
Eventually, Tang Hao sold the entire haul for about 130 crystals.
Tang Hao was satisfied when he held the bulging money bag. He walked further into town and went into the medicinal herb store.
Now, he had more than 140 crystals on him, so he could buy some medicinal herbs and concoct some medicine.
Hunting was a valid way to earn money, but it was too inefficient and luck-dependent. It was far less profitable than selling medicine.
Before buying the herbs, he went to a few medicine stores and studied their products.
The variety was not great. There were two types of medicines: One to increase one’s cultivation base, and the other was to heal one’s injuries.
The first type was called the Qi Strengthening Pill. It was a popular pill among cultivators in the State of QI Channeling. However, its effects were far inferior to alchemical pills, which were much rarer and more expensive.
The second type was called Rejuvenation Pill. It was used to treat injuries, and all cultivators needed it.
Tang Hao bought one each to analyze its components.
Then, he began to create his own prescription.
To beat the other sellers, he had to achieve two objectives. Firstly, his medicines had to be more effective, and secondly, they had to be cheaper.
If he could concoct high-quality medicines at a low price, he would be able to corner the market.
With those two objectives in mind, Tang Hao thought for a long time and decided to make the relatively simpler Rejuvenation Pill first.
He wrote down the prescription for the Rejuvenation Pill, bought several portions of herbs, and returned to the inn.
It was very simple to concoct the medicine. First, he processed the medicinal herbs one by one and activated their potency.
Then, he mashed them up and kneaded a small amount into a ball with the juice. A Rejuvenation Pill was done.
A set of medicinal herbs cost ten crystals, and it could make four or five pills. It meant that the cost of each pill was about two crystals.
The Rejuvenation Pills on the market cost five crystals to make and sold for ten crystals.
In terms of price, Tang Hao’s pill had a huge advantage.
As for its effects, Tang Hao had great confidence in his product.
After processing the other portions, Tang Hao made more than twenty pills.
Tang Hao began to think hard as he looked at the row of pills on the table.
Those were cheap items with limited efficacy. It could only treat normal injuries slowly, and they would not work in an emergency.
“How about… making another high-end version?”
The more Tang Hao pondered, the more he felt that it was feasible.
Instantly, he ran to the medicine store again.
The high-end version would have a different appearance. It must look expensive and high-class.
After considering many options, Tang Hao finally decided on gold, the favorite color of windfall tycoons.
The pill that came out of the alchemical furnace was dazzlingly golden.
“Done!”
Tang Hao placed it in a container and began to meditate.
The next morning, he went to the street with the medicine stores and set up a makeshift street stall.
There were regulars who set up street stalls there, and they were all cultivators who knew how to concoct medicine. Their prices were cheaper than the stores, and sometimes people would patronize them.
These people were all familiar with each other. They were shocked when they saw Tang Hao.
“Where did this kid come from? I’ve never seen him before!”
“I don’t know him! He’s quite young!”
One after another, they sized up Tang Hao.
Then, they looked disdainfully at him.
“One look and you can tell he’s an idiot for setting up a stall here. I wonder if he can break even!”
They sneered in a low voice.
There were quite a lot of people who set up stalls in that area, and every newcomer would be their competition. They were quite unhappy about it and were prepared to watch him fail.
Of course, Tang Hao heard them. He shot them a glance and looked away.
He laid a big piece of cloth on the ground and arranged porcelain bottles neatly on it.
Then, he took out a board and placed it in front. On it was written: Rejuvenation Pills, 5 crystals per pill.
The crowd was in disbelief when they saw it.
‘Only five crystals per pill?
‘Are you sure? Are those even Rejuvenation Pills?’
The prices of Rejuvenation Pills on the market were all the same. The shops sold them for ten crystals each, and the street sellers sold them for eight crystals each. Any lower than that, they would not make a profit.
Selling it for five crystals each was the same as selling it at a loss.
“That kid is stupid!”
“I don’t think he’s stupid. There’s something fishy with that medicine. It’s probably of inferior quality. Think about it. If he’s selling it for five crystals, the cost must be three crystals maximum. That proves that the pills are inferior!”
Those people instantly burst out laughing.
Tang Hao pretended that he did not hear them. He continued to take out a few bottles and placed them on the ground.
Those bottles were golden and shiny. They seemed very high-class.
Then, he took out a board and placed it in front of those bottles. On it was written: Rejuvenation Pill Deluxe Version, 50 crystals per pill.
When the crowd saw that, they were immediately dumbfounded.
Many people even rubbed their eyes, thinking that they had seen wrongly. However, no matter how many times they looked at it, the number did not change. It was indeed fifty crystals each.
