Chapter 6: Delivering the Elixir

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(The ending of the previous chapter has been slightly altered; no time has passed yet, three days remain.)

Alchemical Pavilion.

Three attendants sat below, watching Manager Wu with some concern.

Another steward sat alone at one side, a smile lingering in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, there are still three days left. It’s normal for the alchemist to be in seclusion, delivering pills once a month,” Manager Wu said calmly, appearing unhurried.

But inside, he felt somewhat uneasy.

The Nine Cauldrons Guild was not just one man’s enterprise; the boss oversaw the Jinhuang Immortal City branch and had to report to headquarters.

As the manager of the Alchemical Pavilion, Wu was responsible for its operations.

One key evaluation criterion was the delivery status of the guest alchemists employed by the pavilion.

Li Jian’an was the boss’s designated guest alchemist, but it was naturally impossible for the boss to sign the contract openly. As a subordinate aligned with the boss’s faction, Wu was expected to shoulder some of the burden and, if necessary, take the blame.

On paper, Li Jian’an was a guest alchemist signed by Wu himself.

Granted, with the boss backing him, even if Li Jian’an failed to deliver as required, it wouldn’t affect his standing with the boss — just a minor setback to bear.

However, the situation now was that headquarters kept sending personnel to this branch. Wu feared a leadership change.

If the boss withdrew, his own position would be precarious.

“Manager Wu, for senior boutique alchemists, even those of second level, monthly deliveries are normal. After all, funds are ample and there’s no rush to liquidate. But this Li alchemist, as far as I know, is only a sixth-level Qi refiner. Under normal circumstances, his resources shouldn’t be that abundant. Ordinarily, even if he produced a batch, he’d sell it immediately. Nearly a whole month without delivery… Could it be he has yet to produce qualified pills?” Steward He, newly sent from headquarters, asked with a pointed smile.

Manager Wu sipped his spirit tea lightly. “Steward He means to say I misjudged him?”

“Heh, not at all. I’m only concerned about this month’s evaluation and wish to ease your worries,” He replied with a friendly grin.

“You wish to ease my worries? Fine, Xiao Zhao, register Li alchemist under Steward He’s name,” Wu ordered directly.

He almost jumped to his feet, his amusement gone. “Manager Wu, this is no joke.”

He had only been in Jinhuang Immortal City for half a year, signed two boutique guest alchemists, and already delivered pills worth nearly a thousand spirit stones this month — a commendable record.

He was very strict about signing guest alchemists.

Though the guild allowed some flexibility — if a cultivator showed potential but was not yet qualified, they could be signed as an investment, with each steward allowed a certain risk buffer — He was always rigorous. He privately raised the minimum monthly delivery value for his signed alchemists to 350 spirit stones and publicly insisted on safeguarding the boss’s interests.

Manager Wu sneered and ignored him, already plotting how to handle this matter.

Such a trivial issue couldn’t be reported to the boss. He might tell Zhao Shuyao or privately arrange with Li Jian’an to cover it himself for now…

“Sister Zhao is always prudent; she wouldn’t be like this…”

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“Manager Wu, Guest Alchemist Li has arrived!”

Just then, a server reported from outside.

Wu’s eyes widened. Could it be I underestimated him?

His three trusted attendants immediately perked up, some with anticipation.

Only Steward He frowned slightly, disbelief plain on his face.

“Please, invite Guest Alchemist Li in,” Wu said with a smile, rising to meet him at the door.

Coincidentally, Li Jian’an approached, and Wu greeted him warmly, “Guest Alchemist Li, please come in.”

“Manager Wu, I’m here to deliver the pills,” Li said straightforwardly.

“Oh? Good, good. Let’s go to a private room so I can personally inspect the pills,” Wu said, thinking it over and leading Li aside.

Before Li could follow, Steward He quickly interjected, “Hey! Why bother with such fuss? Manager Wu, Xiao Zhao and the others are here. A group inspection will be faster. After all, Guest Alchemist Li only delivers once a month, so surely he brought a large quantity?

Moreover, since we’re all here, if anyone doubts the pill quality, they can consult us anytime.

Of course, if Manager Wu has other ideas, I defer to you.”

Wu frowned slightly, looking at Li Jian’an with some uncertainty.

Li nodded lightly, “I’m fine with whatever Manager Wu decides.”

Seeing Li’s clear, calm eyes, Wu felt considerably reassured.

“In that case… let’s proceed,” Wu said, leading Li back.

“Please, have a seat.” After seating Li at the large table, Wu returned to his managerial seat.

Steward He looked at Li Jian’an, barely able to contain his amusement.

Sure enough, a brief aura check confirmed Li was indeed a sixth-level Qi refiner, just as he had heard.

And so young… Tsk tsk, old Wu is truly bold to sign such an alchemist.

“Guest Alchemist Li, why not show us the pills you’ve accumulated over the past month?” He said with a beaming smile.

“Thank you,” Li replied without fuss, pulling jade bottles from his storage pouch.

“Whoa~ That’s a lot!”

Twenty jade bottles in all.

“Pfft!” He had just sipped spirit tea and choked a bit at the sight of so many bottles at once.

“Good, good, Guest Alchemist Li, I knew you were deliberately saving up for a monthly delivery,” Wu said, eyes bright with joy.

At least there was quantity, and the attitude wasn’t bad.

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“Guest Alchemist Li, the pavilion isn’t just about quantity. Manager Wu should have explained clearly when he signed you: for large-category pills, the minimum standard is mid-level Qi refinement and above, and top grade; for smaller categories, at least mid-grade,” Steward He said after composing himself, masking his earlier embarrassment.

Li Jian’an nodded. “Manager Wu explained everything clearly.”

“What are you waiting for? Check the quality!” He ordered the other attendants sternly.

The attendants ignored him, all looking to Manager Wu.

Seeing Li’s calm demeanor, Wu’s eyes gleamed with hope.

“Proceed,” he said.

The attendants began opening the jade bottles.

“Premium Qi Condensing Pills!” The first attendant poured out the first pill and looked at Wu with surprise.

“Excellent!” Wu was elated.

“Still premium!”

“This entire bottle is premium!”

“Wow! This bottle is also full of premium pills, and they’re the rarer Pulse Suppressing Pills!”

“This is… top-grade Spirit Calming Pills! A whole bottle!” Such pills affect the soul; even experienced alchemists often fail to guarantee yield or quality, making them rare and valuable.

“Premium! This too is all premium!”

…

Wu’s mood transformed from initial worry to growing anticipation, finally breaking into an unstoppable smile.

Clearly, Li Jian’an had delivered an immense surprise.

In the end, the total evaluated value of Li’s batch was 1,080 spirit stones — more than the combined output of two so-called senior boutique alchemists under Steward He.

Amid Wu’s somewhat exaggerated praise, Li humbly shook his head.

Boutique pills were mostly mid-level, not highly valuable, and some were difficult to produce with varying yields, so actual profit wasn’t huge.

As for the Spirit Calming Pills, his current alchemical fire was barely sufficient; that bottle was actually at a loss, but he had intentionally experimented to refine it further.

Several late-stage pills were decent, but unfortunately not premium, otherwise profits would have been much higher.

Overall, this batch yielded about a 30% profit margin — not his highest, but sufficient for his cultivation plans for now.