Chapter 17: Jealousy

"You've arrived just in time, the family has matters to discuss with you." As soon as Li Zhirui stepped into the storeroom, Li Shile grabbed him without a word and dragged him towards the main hall.

Li Zhirui, looking utterly confused, was pulled along the way, attracting the curious gazes of many clan members, each harboring their own thoughts.

Fortunately, the main hall wasn't far from the storeroom, and it took just a few minutes to arrive. As soon as the two entered, they captured everyone's attention.

Li Zhirui swept his eyes across the room and saw that all the senior members of the family were present. Even Li Shiren, who had been overseeing the Marketplace, had returned. Such a serious and formal gathering made Li Zhirui's heart fill with skepticism, unable to fathom what they were planning.

"Shiren, you tell us," said Li Shiqing, seated at the head of the table, after everyone had taken their seats.

Li Shiren nodded and said, "Last month, our family's shop in the Marketplace sold a total of one thousand five hundred Jade Spirit Pills, more than two hundred Talismans, eighteen Magic Artifacts, and two sets of Formations, with total earnings of five thousand six hundred and forty-nine Spirit Stones. After deducting all costs, the net income was three thousand one hundred and one Spirit Stones!"

"Wow—"

Although those present were senior members of the family and quite experienced, they couldn't help but gasp upon hearing the figures that Li Shiren reported.

Net income of three thousand one hundred and one Spirit Stones! This was just the income of one month!

Even if it was because they had just opened for business and the Jade Spirit Pills were in high demand, resulting in such high earnings, and even if sales might decrease once the craze died down, it was still a considerable income!

It's worth noting that when the Li family was in Bailang County, their annual income wouldn't exceed ten to twenty thousand Spirit Stones, but now, with just one grocery store, it would only take four to five months to rival that amount.

Furthermore, the Li family still had a large stock of Spirit Rice, eight kinds of Spirit Beast breeds, and a smattering of various Spiritual Objects yet to be sold.

While everyone was still in shock, Li Shiren continued, "In fact, the one thousand five hundred Jade Spirit Pills are far from meeting the market demand, as not long ago, some traveling merchants passed by and wanted to order three thousand Jade Spirit Pills."

"Hiss—"

The family members hearing this for the first time couldn't help but inhale sharply—it might be a large order and the price of Jade Spirit Pills could be lower because the traveling merchants were buying in bulk, but it was still a major deal worth seven to eight thousand Spirit Stones!

"No wonder, Ren Uncle, you suddenly came to me a few days ago, asking if I had any Jade Spirit Pills left," Li Zhirui realized.

Because of Li Shiqing's conservative approach, Li Zhirui hadn't made too many Jade Spirit Pills last month, and after completing the required number, he had moved on to other tasks.

But suddenly one day, Li Shile came to Li Zhirui, wanting to buy any surplus Jade Spirit Pills he had.

Li Zhirui naturally wouldn't refuse and sold the Jade Spirit Pills he had in hand to Li Shile. It was from him that Li Zhirui learned about the successful sale of the Jade Spirit Pills, meeting Li Shiqing's expectations.

This news made Li Zhirui very happy, as he could get the Water Refinement Pill Recipe and the related Alchemy materials from the family.

However, just a few days later, Li Shiren suddenly returned to the family and asked if he still had any Jade Spirit Pills, but left disappointed. This left Li Zhirui guessing the reason for a long time, never expecting it was due to a big business deal in the store!

As soon as Li Zhirui spoke, he drew the attention of everyone present, and in the eyes of many elders, there was an intense and expectant gaze.

But they were destined to be disappointed!

"I can't produce that many Jade Spirit Pills!" Li Zhirui was willing to refine some more Spirit Pills, as it would benefit him without hindering his own cultivation.

But this time it was genuinely impossible, the quantity was simply too much—Li Zhirui wouldn't compromise his cultivation time just for Alchemy!

That would be three thousand Spirit Pills! Even if Li Zhirui produced ten Spirit Pills per Alchemy session, he would still need to refine three hundred batches, which meant refining at least ten batches of Spirit Pills every day.

And that was the best-case scenario—in reality, Li Zhirui couldn't even achieve such a high success rate in pill-making!

"Spirit Stones are indeed important, but cultivation base is the foundation!" Li Shiqing spoke, his expression serious, "We mustn't oppress or even exploit our clansmen for the sake of profit!"

"If I ever find out that such things are happening within the family, then don't blame me for being ruthless!" In the end, Li Shiqing released his own pressure, as a warning to everyone not to touch the bottom line.

Li Shilian's expression didn't change at all, because he knew Li Shiqing would definitely not agree with the shortsighted thoughts of the other seniors; besides, it wasn't as if there was no other solution to such matters!

"Zhirui, you've been refining Jade Spirit Pills for several months now, so you must have some insights, right?" Li Shilian asked with a smile.

Li Zhirui was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood what his elder meant. Various thoughts surfaced before he made the decision that was most beneficial to himself.

"I'm willing to record my insights on the Jade Spirit Pill, submit them to the family, and even teach our clansmen how to refine them, but I can't guarantee that all of them will learn," he said.

Li Shilian watched Li Zhirui with a playful look, aware from previous interactions that this youngster would definitely not come up short, and there must be some conditions.

However, this time Li Shilian guessed wrong; he waited but didn't hear Li Zhirui speak again.

"That's it?" Li Shilian asked somewhat surprised.

Li Zhirui looked at Li Shilian with an innocent face, seemingly not understanding what he meant by that.

"Ahem!" Li Shilian cleared his throat awkwardly, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off—how could Li Zhirui just give away his alchemical insights for nothing?

Previously, when Li Zhirui was asked to spend more time on alchemy, he had set a condition for the family. Now, giving away his insights would seriously harm his interests, yet he did so calmly?!

There must be a specter behind an abnormal phenomenon!

Li Shilian pondered for a while before he realized why Li Zhirui was being so generous.

Bestowing favors! Li Zhirui was bestowing favors upon those clansmen, intending for those who learned alchemy to remember his kindness.

At the same time, he was letting the senior members of the family remember his sacrifices for the family's development.

Beyond these, there was something else Li Shilian didn't consider—Li Zhirui wanted to use this opportunity to dispel the envy in the clansmen's hearts toward him.

Although Li Zhirui spent most of his time in the small courtyard and seldom went out.

Every time he did come out, Li Zhirui could feel the jealousy hidden beneath the clansmen's flattery!

And why the jealousy? Was it not because the Jade Spirit Pills sold exceptionally well, leading many clansmen to believe that Li Zhirui had made a fortune in Spirit Stones, while they could only pathetically collect the meager monthly allowance given by the family?

Even though the wealth brought to the family by Li Zhirui had resulted in a slight increase in their monthly stipend.

But envy and resentment, like sparks among the stars, ignited in their hearts.

This was not a good sign. Li Zhirui had no intention of being chummy with the clansmen, but he didn't want to be isolated by them either.

If one day he teamed up with others for external training and encountered danger, there might not be any clansmen willing to take the risk to save him.

After noticing this tendency within the family, Li Zhirui had been considering how to resolve this issue, and now was the perfect opportunity!