noffsinger Chapter 17 Money Makes Things Difficult
Chapter 17 Money Makes Things Difficult
On the second day after the new disciple began his studies, Shen Qing looked at the account books in front of him and felt a headache coming on.
The record showed all the sect's supplies coming in and going out. Shen Qing flipped through it from beginning to end, finally fixing his finger on a number.
Surplus grain: twelve shi of coarse rice and eight shi of mixed flour.
Seventy-three people consumed about one and a half shi of coarse rice and about one shi of mixed noodles every day.
This amount of food is only enough for ten days at most.
Shen Qing put down the account book, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes without saying a word.
All the magical artifacts in the miscellaneous affairs pavilion of Qingyun Sect that could be sold have been sold.
The three low-level magic artifacts that Zhou Bo and Lin Xiaoyue sold last time were exchanged for five hundred taels of silver.
Five hundred taels of silver was indeed a considerable sum in Qinghe County, but after spending money on grain, cloth, and hiring craftsmen, little was left.
Shen Qing finally understood the principle that making money is like picking up soil with a needle, while spending money is like washing away sand with water.
With only a few dozen taels of silver left, Shen Qing didn't know how many days it would be enough to feed seventy-three people.
Finally, Shen Qing's gaze fell on the long sword on the wall. It was the only relic left by the Taoist of Fushan in Qingyun, a mid-level magic weapon named "Qingyun".
It is considered the most valuable item in the Qingyun Sect and is also a token of the Qingyun Sect Master.
Shen Qing shook his head, ultimately abandoning the idea of mortgaging the sword.
Shen Qing stood up and walked to the window.
On the back mountain, with the addition of new disciples, Uncle Zhou was leading a group of new and old disciples to continue cultivating the wasteland.
From a distance, it presents a vibrant and lively scene.
Twenty acres of wasteland had been cleared from the back hill, and the seeds had already been sown, but crops cannot be planted today and harvested tomorrow.
From sowing to harvest, it takes at least three months. During these three months, how will we feed seventy-three mouths?
Faced with this situation, Shen Qing had to admit that his haste and overreaching had backfired.
But since things have come to this, he has to face the consequences of his own actions.
"system."
Shen Qing silently recited the command, and the system panel appeared before his eyes.
[Current number of bound disciples: 33]
[Host's current cultivation level: Peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining]
Thirty-three people—that's the current number of disciples bound to the group.
The loyalty of the forty newly recruited members varied greatly; some were just over fifty, while others were only in their early thirties, and none of them had reached the sixty-point binding threshold.
Shen Qing's second trip down the mountain to recruit disciples was all about getting the system's achievements.
When the number of disciples reached thirty last time, the system rewarded the user with a refined version of the "Qingyun Qi Guiding Technique" and thirty Qi Gathering Pills.
Those thirty Qi Gathering Pills covered all of Qingyun Sect's expenses for more than a month.
Some of the money was sold for silver, while the rest was used as rewards, which stimulated the disciples' loyalty and enthusiasm for cultivation.
At that time, Shen Qing was wondering if the system would reward him with another batch of pills or even higher-level resources if the number of disciples reached the next milestone.
Shen Qing, who had been badly burned by trashy web games in his previous life, was actually 80-90% certain about this conjecture.
Therefore, Shen Qing decided to gamble that the system's next achievement reward would be fifty, but he lost the gamble.
The new disciples lacked loyalty, so the system didn't recognize them.
Shen Qing turned off the system panel, turned around and walked back to the table, sitting down again.
Complaining is useless. If you lose a bet, you have to accept it and then find another way.
He picked up the ledger and looked at it again. His gaze lingered on the three words "Gathering Qi Pill".
There are currently twelve Qi Gathering Pills left, which is the last remaining asset of the entire Qingyun Sect.
Twelve Qi Gathering Pills are practically worthless to someone who has truly embarked on the path of cultivation.
Such low-grade pills are not very effective for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining.
However, in the mortal world, the Qi Gathering Pill still has some value, after all, it is a spiritual medicine, and one pill can sell for fifty taels of silver.
If all twelve Qi Gathering Pills were exchanged for silver coins, it would be enough to feed seventy-three people for two months.
But this is like drinking poison to quench thirst.
If the pills are sold out, what will we use to reward the disciples in the future?
Without rewards, the incentive effect of the Immortal Affinity system will be greatly reduced.
Loyalty increases more slowly, cultivation progresses more slowly, and the total amount of spiritual energy extracted increases more slowly, affecting the entire virtuous cycle.
But if they don't sell, seventy-three people will go hungry in ten days.
Shen Qing closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he decided to sell half and keep the other half.
Six Qi Gathering Pills, exchanged for three hundred taels of silver, plus a set of supplies for the new disciple, are barely enough to last a month.
A month later, the new disciples' loyalty should have increased, and then we'll see if we can achieve the next stage of the system achievement.
Moreover, the first crop planted earlier will be harvested in a month, and things should get a little easier.
Shen Qing went to the front yard and found Uncle Zhou, who had returned from the back mountain: "Uncle Zhou."
"metropolitan."
Shen Qing handed him six small porcelain bottles: "Sell these six Qi Gathering Pills when you go down the mountain today. As usual, sell them in batches, and don't attract attention. Use all the money you get to buy grain."
Uncle Zhou took the porcelain bottle, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded and carefully put the porcelain bottle into his pocket.
He walked to the door, then stopped. "Sect Master, does our Qingyun Mountain really have no secrets?"
Shen Qing glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Uncle Zhou sighed, turned around, and went down the mountain.
Shen Qing stood in the courtyard, watching the old man's figure disappear into the morning mist, a bitter feeling rising in her heart.
Whether Qingyun Mountain holds any secrets is a question he doesn't know either, but Shen Qing thinks it's highly unlikely.
Fifty-six years ago, he came into this world and heard that there were immortals in this realm. He wandered around for many years, but to no avail.
He was later caught up in the conflict between the canal gangs and nearly died, but was fortunately rescued from the Qinghe River by the Taoist priest Fushan.
From that day on, he lived on Qingyun Mountain.
Over the course of fifty years, he traveled to every inch of Qingyun Mountain.
It can be said that he knows everything about Qingyun Mountain.
Qingyun Mountain is just an ordinary mountain, with a spiritual energy concentration that is barely enough to support cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
The so-called secret of "continuously producing Foundation Establishment cultivators" simply does not exist.
The reason why the Taoist of Mount Fu was able to establish his foundation was because he had decent aptitude and had some opportunities when he was young, having wandered around Fenglin County.
Mo Wentian was able to establish his foundation because of his extraordinary talent. He was born with two spiritual roots and a clear sword heart, which would allow him to soar to great heights anywhere.
As for the earlier Foundation Establishment predecessors of Qingyun Sect, Shen Qing had consulted the sect's ancient texts in order to establish his foundation. Those predecessors either obtained external opportunities or had outstanding aptitude. None of them were due to the so-called "secret" of Qingyun Mountain.
Qingyun Mountain has never had any secrets, but Shen Qing knew that no matter how he explained, no one would believe him.
The Huang family wouldn't believe it, the magistrate of Qinghe County wouldn't believe it, and neither would those who coveted Qingyun Mountain.
It is against common sense in the cultivation world for a sect to produce Foundation Establishment cultivators continuously without any external resources.
They preferred to believe that there was a secret hidden in the mountains rather than that it was just a coincidence.
A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Qingyun Mountain has no treasure, but others think it does, so it has one.
Shen Qing pulled herself out of her thoughts and stopped thinking about these things.
Whether or not there are secrets is not important; what matters is how to survive.
On the fourth day after the new disciples began their training, Shen Qing summoned all the disciples to the training ground after the evening class.
The new disciples, now dressed in their new uniforms, stood in six rows alongside the older disciples.
The inner disciples, dressed in blue robes, led the way, while the outer disciples, dressed in gray robes, followed behind.
Shen Qing stood at the very front, dressed in white as snow.
"I have gathered everyone here today to discuss a few things."
As Shen Qing's voice carried on the night breeze, the training ground fell silent.