Chapter 10: Medicinal Workshop Major Revision

The Yellow-grade Medicinal Workshop was about the same size as the Artifact-Refining Workshop. It was divided into an outer room and an inner room. The outer room held the counter and medicine cabinets, and there was a shed by the door for decocting medicine and processing medicinal ingredients. The inner room held the alchemy furnace. Since they had no medical cultivator, the alchemy furnace could only refine some low-grade blood-replenishing and qi-replenishing pills according to fixed prescriptions. It could not refine higher-grade pills such as spirit-replenishing pills.

Chi Yixuan thought it over, then spent another hundred points to expand the Medicinal Workshop.

Unlike the cheap but grand-looking starter house for players, buildings like this, which could bring him large amounts of points, also required a great many points to build. One hundred points was only enough to add one room to the Medicinal Workshop, plus some ordinary furniture and ordinary medicinal ingredients.

For now, it was enough to handle ordinary injuries or minor illnesses and aches.

The reward points were issued very quickly.

[You have established a Yellow-grade Medicinal Workshop and gained 5,000 points.]

[You have met the work needs of one thousand people. You have gained 10,000 points.]

[You have met some medical needs and gained 2,000 points.]

Compared to the hard work of fighting monsters, the points from infrastructure were far too many and far too easy to earn, Chi Yixuan thought, feeling a little light-headed with success.

Chi Yixuan withdrew the points, and his cultivation reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Outside the window, some of the freed slaves were peeling the shells off Mystic Armored Beetles, while others carefully shaved the spines off cacti and used the remaining flesh to make food. They bustled about, each of them receiving corresponding food as payment for their work. The people who had once been violent quieted down, and light gradually returned to the eyes of those who had once been numb.

Chi Yixuan watched through the window and felt that this world finally had the tiniest shadow of his old home. But he was not happy about advancing, because next came another bottleneck.

Today was the third day. Strange Treasure Hall’s mission to transport human sacrifices had already ended. From now on, it would no longer increase his population or deliver Yellow-grade materials and horses to him. Most of his previous points had come from unlocking workshops, but if he wanted to unlock the next workshop, his cultivation had to enter the next stage: perfected Qi Refining.

He still needed seventeen thousand points!

After doing so many things before, he had only earned a little over twenty thousand points in total. Where was he supposed to find points now?

Chi Yixuan was somewhat troubled.

Before long, Guo Qianshan and the others returned from hunting. Aside from Mystic Armored Beetles, they had unexpectedly hunted down a wild beast today. They skinned it, boiled the lean meat, and the main hunters ate more than usual. The former slaves were also given a bowl of meat soup each, so it could be considered a happy outcome for everyone.

Chi Yixuan quietly watched for a while. Before long, Guo Qianshan, Ma Hongxuan, and the others came over. Guo Qianshan held a basin of meat soup in his hands, while the others followed behind him.

The meat of that wild beast was rather tough. This basin of meat soup used the tenderest and best parts, and they had even used some of the few seasonings they had left. It was already the most sumptuous meal of the night. However, as food being offered to an immortal master, it was inevitably far too crude.

Because of that, the few of them all looked somewhat uneasy. But this was already the best thing they could offer at present.

Chi Yixuan’s eyes lit up. Good thing I have Digestion Pills!

After eating Fasting Pills for several days, he had long since grown sick of them. Now that there was a basin of carefully cooked meat soup in front of him, how could he possibly let it go? He immediately ate it all.

However, because of his upbringing, no matter how eager he felt inside, he still ate in an unhurried and refined manner, without the slightest hint of rudeness.

This was not for the sake of seeming elegant. It was simply that one truly should not wolf down food. It was very easy to choke, and it could also damage the stomach and intestines.

Of course, bottom-level people like menial laborers certainly did not have this kind of upbringing. The slaves who had been given meat soup tonight nearly had green light shining from their eyes. Now, seeing Chi Yixuan eat so slowly, they only thought the food did not suit his taste. Yet even so, the immortal master still finished it.

Ma Hongxuan thought, How could there be such a person in this world? He should clearly be high above the clouds, yet without a word, he cherishes every bit of sincerity we offer. What virtue or ability do rough men like us have to deserve this?

Without realizing it, the corners of their eyes all grew damp. Wan Tianyou even turned his head and wiped at his eyes.

They were truly far too quiet, not making a sound. Chi Yixuan naturally was not sensitive enough to notice every one of their emotions. Besides, he was still worrying over points right now!

After finishing the meat soup, his craving for food was satisfied, and Chi Yixuan was in a very good mood. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, “None of you popped out of rocks, right?”

Everyone hurriedly shook their heads.

Chi Yixuan found that strange. “Then why haven’t I heard you mention your families?”

Under the candlelight, Guo Qianshan and the others looked ashamed. Their group had already burdened the immortal master just to survive. How could they have the nerve to drag their families along too? In truth, they were also worried that their families would be implicated by Strange Treasure Hall, but they had only thought of secretly bringing their families nearby. They had not dared to say it outright.

Chi Yixuan nodded. “Then can you bring all your families here?”

“Yes! Of course we can!”

After receiving a definite answer, Chi Yixuan’s mood improved greatly. Even if each of these menial laborers could only bring back one pair of elderly parents, that would still be equivalent to adding sixty-two people to his population. And if they could one day use the old bringing in the new to bring over all their neighbors and relatives, then…

While making calculations in his heart, Chi Yixuan said aloud, “The same goes for those slaves. Ask around over the next few days. If possible, bring their families over too so they can reunite.”

If every person brought over an average of two people, then his Zhaoge could add another two thousand people. At that point, if he found a way to solve employment for those two thousand people, that would be another twenty thousand points. He would no longer need to worry about advancing to perfected Qi Refining.

No, no, wait. Population migration was not something that could be done in just one or two days, and he only had two days left. How was he supposed to earn the thirty thousand points for Foundation Establishment within two days?

Just as he was worrying, he suddenly heard sobbing beside him. Chi Yixuan raised his head and saw several tall, burly men looking at him through tear-filled eyes.

Wan Tianyou choked out, “Once I bring my parents here, I’ll definitely tell them that we met a true immortal.”

Chi Yixuan: …

Thank you, but that’s really not necessary.

…

Chi Yixuan knew perfectly well that having no real combat ability would not do, so although he was worried about points, he did not forget to secretly familiarize himself with spiritual power and train his body inside the house.

Fortunately, the house was soundproof. Otherwise, if they knew he was clanging and banging around at home all day, who knew what they would think of him.

Chi Yixuan trained for the entire night, then buried his head in training again the next day. By the time he came back to himself, it was already dark.

What woke him was a reminder from his life-bound artifact.

[You have met the residential needs of one thousand people and gained 10,000 points. Your remaining points are…]

“Wait!” Chi Yixuan said in shock. “When did I meet their residential needs? I didn’t build them houses!” He had no unlock opportunities at all right now! It couldn’t be that he had sleepwalked in the middle of the night and accidentally tapped the wrong thing, using up his remaining precious points to build houses, right?

But that was not right. He had been cultivating through the night these past two days and had not had any chance to sleepwalk at all!

The life-bound artifact sighed faintly. [You have not paid attention to Zhaoge for some time.]

As it spoke, the scene within the valley appeared before Chi Yixuan almost at the same time. From a bird’s-eye view, he saw that a cluster of sheds had appeared in the valley at some point. They were called sheds, but in truth, they could only be considered thatched shelters.

The spaces were cramped. If one adult lay inside, both feet would stick out. At the same time, quite a few people were still sorting thatch and shaving splinters off wooden blocks. It was obvious they were preparing to expand the thatched shelters.

Looking at the once-desolate valley, now covered with thatched shelters of all sizes, and seeing everyone bustling about, full of the breath of life, Chi Yixuan felt warmth rise in his heart without realizing it, and his eyes brightened. “They…”

[This morning, Guo Qianshan ran to a place farther away and brought back a large amount of lumber and thatch. They built shelters for themselves.]

Chi Yixuan could not quite understand it. It was not as if he had not looked at them before. Although some of the slaves had begun to regain a little humanity because of their temporarily stabilized lives, most of them had still been in a numb state. “How did they regain the motivation to live so quickly?”

[Because Zhaoge gave them hope.] The life-bound artifact’s tone was gentle. [They originally thought they had come here to become human sacrifices. But after arriving here, not only are they alive, not only do they not have to face the Sea of Suffering Path, they can also rely on labor to obtain the same food as everyone else. In their eyes, menial laborers like Guo Qianshan are a rank above them and could freely curse and whip them. But they did not. They and the menial laborers used the same labor to obtain the same food. To them, this is fairness they have not seen in a very long time. That bowl of meat soup last night ignited their hope even further.]

The word “fairness” was extremely ordinary in Chi Yixuan’s world, but to these slaves who were used to humiliation, it was the dignity of being human that they had not felt in a long time.

Chi Yixuan was silent for a moment, then sighed.

[You currently have 13,527 points.]

Chi Yixuan let out a breath. Perhaps it was because he had only been transported here a short time ago. Perhaps it was because the life-bound artifact he had summoned was the game he had made before. Although it had already been localized to this world, compared to immortal cultivation, it felt more like playing a game to him. Looking at the familiar panel, and hearing the life-bound artifact remind him every time his points increased, he felt even less of a sense of reality.

Because of that, although he did not show it on the surface, deep in his subconscious, he had gradually begun to treat it as a game. Especially every time he went outside, those people were all terrified and reverent, which made him even less willing to go out. He often only used the life-bound artifact to check the situation inside the valley, and that feeling was almost no different from playing a game through a computer screen. So, without realizing it, he had started treating the living, breathing people in the valley as NPCs.

That was why he had overlooked their human initiative. He had never considered that they would take the initiative to build their home themselves. He had thought on his own that these people would be like programs set by a game, and that without houses, they would only wait for him to build houses for them. Because of that, when he saw that they had built sheds, he was shaken. At last, he realized his thinking had gone off course.

Although the life-bound artifact took the form of a game, he was not truly playing a game. Zhaoge was also not his world alone. It was everyone’s home. He could make Zhaoge develop better through infrastructure and gain points that way, but the people’s own participation in construction was also a part of developing this home. So, it could also earn points.

When he realized this, Chi Yixuan suddenly felt his state of mind clear. In some unseen way, he sensed that his connection to the life-bound artifact had become even closer. For example, before, if he wanted to call up the panel, he needed to say something to the life-bound artifact. Now, with just a flicker of thought, the panel unfolded in front of him.

Countless ideas surged into his mind in an instant, and the buttons on the panel flickered, opened, and closed according to his thoughts. His gaze turned deep as he looked at the four options: clothing, food, shelter, and travel.

There were many contents waiting to be unlocked, such as restaurants, general stores, cloth shops, and so on. But a real world was far more than these things.

Chi Yixuan’s eyes shone brightly. Immortal Dynasty Simulator had already told him the method plainly through its title. As long as he did things beneficial to this dynasty, he could level up! And the method was not limited to the things unlocked on the panel. It was not limited to meeting the people’s needs. As long as it was a measure that could make the dynasty develop in a better direction, he could earn points!

He no longer tangled himself up over how to unlock workshops. Instead, he called over a menial laborer and assigned some work.

Very soon, the people in the valley began moving one after another. They picked up stones of similar sizes and paved a road about a thousand meters long from inside the valley to outside it. Another menial laborer built a crude sign at the valley entrance, carved the words “Zhaoge” on it, and nailed it above the mouth of the valley.

[Roads and names are the beginning of communication with the outside world. Although this is a very crude beginning, you have indeed taken an important step for this dynasty’s emergence into the present world. Congratulations. You have gained 10,000 points.]

Ten thousand points came down easily, and he had not needed to gather special materials or unlock a workshop. All it cost was some manpower and stones that could be found everywhere on the ground.

Chi Yixuan was somewhat excited. One flash of inspiration after another popped into his mind. He thought that in another day or two, he would be able to reach Foundation Establishment! At that point, who cared whether they were Strange Treasure Hall or Slop Hall? He would make sure none of them came back alive!

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