Chapter 575: Changes

Watching Qiu Tianshui depart with a delighted expression, Chen Che reached out, took out an Illusion Beast Fruit, and tossed it to the Little Chick, who had long been eyeing it greedily. The latter gulped it down in one bite, then stared longingly at the remaining fruit.

“Go digest the fruit’s medicinal power. The last one isn’t for you.”

Chen Che snapped the brocade box shut. Watching the Little Chick fly to a tree branch in the valley, turning its head back every few steps, he couldn’t help but click his tongue.

He had to admit, Qiu Tianshui’s gift had truly hit the mark. He himself didn’t lack Pills or Spirit Stones; what he lacked was a deep foundation. These Chiefs, who had been at the Core Formation realm for hundreds of years, had accumulated plenty of rare and strange treasures over the centuries.

Moreover, the gesture wasn’t just about mending their previous relationship; it was clear he had seen the value Chen Che possessed.

With all miscellaneous tasks complete, Chen Che left his Cave Mansion and headed for the Pill Hall.

Huang Baishong followed behind him.

The headquarters of the major Halls were located on the fourth level of Primordial Mountain.

Each Hall occupied a section of the mountain ring, operating independently. Aside from some overlapping tasks, they mostly did not interfere with one another. The originally lazy and sluggish atmosphere within the Hall had been swept away, replaced by the sight of disciples hurrying to and fro everywhere.

Even on the paths, disciples were eagerly discussing Alchemy, debating whose Alchemy Skill was superior and who was refining more Pills.

“Greetings, Chief. Greetings, Vice Chief.”

Any disciple who saw the two of them would stop and bow with hands clasped in respect.

“Mm.”

Chen Che nodded slightly and turned to a disciple who was bowing, asking in a gentle voice, “Last month, how much was your stipend?”

“Reporting to the Chief, one hundred and twenty contribution points. My group ranked second, and seventy percent of that came from bonuses. The Spirit Stones from the treasury made up the largest portion. According to the Vice Chief, we’ve taken on even more orders this month, so our earnings might increase by another thirty percent.”

The disciple answered honestly.

His clasped hands trembled slightly, betraying his nervousness.

“Not bad,” Chen Che said.

An ordinary Qi Refining disciple of the Primordial Sect only received a stipend of around thirty-odd points a month. For this disciple to earn three to four times that, he was clearly putting great effort into his Alchemy.

As they stepped into the Hall’s territory, a wave of heat washed over them with the wind.

Chen Che’s brow furrowed.

At this moment, all along the Hall’s plaza and up to the main palace, disciples could be seen occupying their own spots, each tending to a Pill Furnace with a roaring fire beneath it. Around them, Servant Disciples with baskets on their backs hurried about, replenishing the Medicinal Herbs for the Official Disciples.

The figures of several Chief Stewards and Stewards were also among them—at present, some of the more difficult, High Tier Pills required refining by these Chief Stewards.

“The division of labor is quite detailed. After the seven Chief Stewards formed their groups, the Official Disciples then found Servant Disciples to supply them with Materials,” Huang Baishong explained from the side.

“Chief…”

Someone with sharp eyes spotted the arriving Chen Che and was about to rise and bow.

Chen Che raised his hand and pressed down lightly, gesturing for them not to stand on ceremony. He then sniffed the air gently. The scorching air was filled with an indescribable smell; besides the Pill Fragrance, there was also a strong scent of something burnt.

“Doesn’t our Hall have any Alchemy Rooms?”

“We do, but most are old and flawed, and there aren’t enough to accommodate so many people for Alchemy. I was planning to wait for the Spirit Stones to arrive in the treasury and then build three hundred new Alchemy Rooms.”

A single Alchemy Room costs at least twelve hundred Spirit Stones to build. Everything from the stone, the Pill Furnace, the fire-starting mechanism, and even the Arrays requires Spirit Stones. When the old ancestor was around, quite a few were built, but after layers of exploitation, the budget for each was whittled down to only two or three hundred Spirit Stones.

Moreover, they even charged disciples to use the resulting Alchemy Rooms, so over time, no one was willing to go.

“More!”

Chen Che frowned and said bluntly, “Demolish the old Alchemy Rooms and rebuild them. We’re expanding by eight hundred rooms.”

“Yes, sir!”

Huang Baishong winced. Just like that, he had ordered the expenditure of a million Spirit Stones.

This meant that for a long time to come, the treasury’s Spirit Stones would have to be poured into this project.

Next, Chen Che toured the other areas of the Hall.

Although he wouldn’t overtly change the Pill Hall’s Cultivation methods, he could still improve the disciples’ living environment and Alchemy conditions. He issued one new regulation after another, leaving the following Huang Baishong completely astonished.

Those in high positions would naturally know a little about the plight of ordinary disciples.

But knowing and being willing to make a change were two different things. Very few were willing.

However, Chen Che was different. He was deeply concerned about these matters.

‘This is an enlightened leader,’ Huang Baishong thought, making his assessment.

After all, these improvements cost real money—and these Spirit Stones came from the treasury, an amount not everyone could afford to spend. He couldn’t speak for the other Halls, but for the current Pill Hall, a revival was only a matter of time.

It wouldn’t even be difficult for the Pill Hall to become the number one Hall in the Primordial Sect in the future.

During their tour, they ran into Duobao again. It didn’t look like a chance encounter. He was accompanied by two clansmen, who were conspicuously holding brocade boxes.

“Ch-Chief Chen, are you busy?”

Duobao forced a smile onto his pudgy face and stepped forward to greet him.

There had been many guests at Qiu Tianshui’s birthday celebration, so the matter of Huang Baishong presenting the Pills could not have been kept completely secret. Duobao had been entrenched in the Primordial Sect for hundreds of years and had numerous spies; he probably even knew the Pill’s effects by now.

Duobao was originally the Chief of the Sacrificial Hall, and later served as the Interim Sect Leader. Now that Wei Yanzhou had come out of seclusion, he had naturally returned to his original post.

“I am.”

After replying and seeing the smile on Duobao’s pudgy face widen, Chen Che simply waved his hand dismissively.

“Fellow Daoist, I am still handling internal affairs for my Hall. If you have some matter to discuss, please bring it up again later.”

Cutting the other man off without ceremony, Chen Che walked straight past him.

His outstretched, clasped hands were left hanging awkwardly in mid-air. The smile on Duobao’s face gradually turned cold. Beyond the irrepressible humiliation, there was an unspeakable fury. He had chosen to bow his head and seek peace time and time again, but the other party had given him no quarter.

And now, he wouldn’t even deign to speak another word to him.

“Ancestor…”

The clansman behind him noticed his fury and asked quietly, “Should we go to the Hall and wait for him?”

“Idiot!”

Duobao turned and slapped him. “I’m not some prostitute in a brothel to be so debased! He’s rejected me repeatedly, so why should I keep trying to curry favor when I’m only given the cold shoulder? It’s not like all the other Pill Masters in the world are dead and he’s the only one left!”

“Issue a notice immediately! Recruit Pill Masters from all over! I’ll cultivate a few of my own!”

‘So this means becoming complete enemies with the Sacrificial Hall.’

Glancing back at the already-departed Duobao, Huang Baishong now understood. ‘Duobao has sent people to deal with the Chief multiple times. To think the rumors were actually true…’

Living in the Sect, he had heard some turbulent rumors, but they always concerned those in high positions, so most were vague and few people dared to discuss them privately.

The thought turned over in his mind.

He was now seventy to eighty percent convinced.

Afterward, Chen Che made a few more rounds within the Pill Hall, asking some questions, which Huang Baishong, following behind, noted down one by one, promising to dispatch people to handle them at the earliest opportunity.

Back in his Cave Mansion, he poured himself a cup of tea. Recalling Duobao’s earlier posture, his eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Thinking of currying favor only now? Isn’t it a bit late for that?’

In fact, in his opinion, Duobao was much smarter than Qiu Tianshui. His actions were always pre-emptive, aimed at completely nipping any threat in the bud, thereby greatly reducing unnecessary trouble down the line.

But once such a decisive method failed, it meant a relentless, life-or-death struggle.

Chen Che understood this clearly.

Had it been anyone else, Duobao’s subsequent retaliation would have been endless; he might have even acted personally. Unfortunately for him, after the battle in Primordial City, Chen Che had become the Chief of the Pill Hall. In the entire Sect, the only one with the power of life and death over a Chief was Wei Yanzhou.

Personally visiting to apologize and smooth over relations with someone you couldn’t kill might work on others, but not on him. It was no use!

…

「In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed.」

「On this day.」

Chen Che had just finished his inspection of the Pill Hall and returned to his Cave Mansion when his brow suddenly twitched.

He saw a streak of light fly over at high speed and land in front of him.

It was none other than the Little Chick, which had finished absorbing the Illusion Beast Fruit.