Chapter 3979 — Xu Lingchong Comes Knocking
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Anyone who was not utterly ungrateful would hold such a favor close to heart—and hold it willingly, without the slightest discomfort. Over time, a vast and dependable network of connections would naturally take shape.
"More friends, more roads"—in the world of cultivation, that saying was pure gold. And for a merchant like Hong Zhong, who lived by his connections, it was doubly true.
One could only say that a man like Hong Zhong was bound to achieve great things no matter what he turned his hand to. Strength was only one part of it; his character and his wisdom in dealing with the world were just as indispensable—and often more useful than brute power.
Wei Zhao could not help but feel once again, and deeply, that cultivating ties with a figure like Hong Zhong would surely bring great benefit and play a great part in his own future.
"Steward Hong, you have already helped me beyond measure. How could I presume to ask for more and borrow spirit jade from you as well?" Wei Zhao said with a faint smile. "Truth is, the reason I'm bringing back so many spirit herbs and materials this time is that I mean to fire up my furnace and refine pills. When I bring them back to sell to you next time, I expect that will be enough to cover the auction's needs."
"Excellent, most excellent. Then this old man shall wait and see what Young Hero Lin can produce," Hong Zhong said, his eyes lighting up as he nodded in approval.
After taking his leave from the Hong Merchant Guild, Wei Zhao did not linger outside. He headed straight home. The matter of artifact-forging would have to be set aside for now; with two stalks of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass in hand, the priority was plainly to refine the Foundation Establishment Golden Core first.
Strictly speaking, it had not been long since Wei Zhao advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Until he had thoroughly consolidated and mastered his realm and strength, he would not take a Foundation Establishment Golden Core even if he had one on hand. Haste makes waste, after all—doing so would easily produce the side effect of an unstable foundation.
So for the short term at least, Wei Zhao had no use for Foundation Establishment Golden Cores. But provision averts peril: he was only at mid-Foundation Establishment now and would remain in the Foundation Establishment realm for a long time to come. For him, Foundation Establishment Golden Cores were a case of the more the better—there was no such thing as too many.
The night passed without a word. Wei Zhao was already thoroughly practiced in pill refinement, and with the Divine Farmer's Cauldron assisting him, mishaps were essentially impossible. This time was no different.
Wei Zhao had assumed he would produce at least three Foundation Establishment Golden Cores this time, just as before—after all, both stalks of Heart-Devouring Linglong Grass had been gathered in the wild by others, not mass-cultivated in a spirit herb garden with their innate flaws, so their quality was somewhat better than last time. Reality, however, proved otherwise: this time he succeeded in refining only two Foundation Establishment Golden Cores.
Still, inside the Divine Farmer's Cauldron he also discovered two spoiled pills. In other words, had everything gone smoothly, he ought to have produced four Foundation Establishment Golden Cores in one batch. Instead, half had withered on the vine—a loss to make any man sigh.
There was no helping it. No alchemist could maintain a hundred percent success rate, and Wei Zhao, even with the Divine Farmer's Cauldron's aid, was no exception. Spoiled pills were unavoidable; beyond lamenting and sighing, one could only accept reality.
Wei Zhao was not greedy, however. Producing two Foundation Establishment Golden Cores this time left him thoroughly satisfied. As for whether two would be enough for him to later charge at the peak of mid-Foundation Establishment—that would have to wait for another day.