CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 0035: CONTRACTING MANTOU RIDGE, SETTING UP THE GATHERING WATER ARRAY_1

Zhang Bin set down his wine glass and laughed. "Village Chief, I’m going to open a pharmaceutical factory to produce Weight Loss Pills. I need Xiao Fang to manage it."

"What? A pharmaceutical factory? Do you have the formula for Weight Loss Pills?" Cheng Youtian asked in surprise.

"Yes, it’s a formula my master developed. The weight loss effects are astonishingly good," Zhang Bin said with complete confidence.

Having obtained the Jade Scroll Simple left behind by Daoist Elder Taiqing, he naturally possessed the Pill Recipes for several Elixirs, including the one for the Gathering Qi Pill.

Refining the Gathering Qi Pill required medicinal herbs that were at least several decades old, so it was very difficult to produce. However, Zhang Bin had Spiritual Water, so he could cultivate the required medicinal herbs quickly. Then he could refine Gathering Qi Pills, which were essential for his cultivation.

If an ordinary person took the Gathering Qi Pill, it would be a miraculous weight-loss drug. Of course, an ordinary person would only need a very small dose to achieve their weight loss goals. After all, the Gathering Qi Pill worked by converting fat into True Qi. Since an ordinary person’s Dantian hasn’t been developed, any minuscule amount of True Qi that was converted would naturally escape the body. It had no impact on their health whatsoever.

"That’s great!" Cheng Youtian said excitedly. "Xiao Bin, where do you plan to build the pharmaceutical factory?"

"Right here near our village, of course," Zhang Bin said with a smile. "Additionally, I want to lease Mantou Ridge to cultivate the medicinal herbs I need. That way, I can be self-sufficient."

His plan went beyond just producing Weight Loss Pills. He also wanted to research the properties of various herbs from Earth to find replacements for some that were unique to Xuanwu Star. That way, he could recreate many Pill Recipes and refine numerous miraculous Elixirs. The recipes could be used to treat a multitude of diseases, and the Elixirs were indispensable for his cultivation.

Mantou Ridge was a broad mountain, nearly a kilometer high and shaped like a steamed bun. Since the mountain was very rocky and the soil wasn’t particularly deep, Large Trees couldn’t grow there, nor was it suitable for planting food crops. However, it was perfectly suited for cultivating medicinal herbs. After all, herbs generally don’t require very deep soil. Besides, with his Spiritual Water, nurturing them would be a piece of cake for Zhang Bin.

"Lease Mantou Ridge? How many years do you want to lease it for?" A delighted look appeared on Cheng Youtian’s face. Mantou Ridge belonged to Sanchahe Village, but it was a barren mountain that brought the villagers no benefits. If Zhang Bin leased it, it would bring the villagers at least some small benefit.

"I’m thinking of leasing it for fifty years. Village Chief, what do you think the annual fee should be?" Zhang Bin asked.

"I’ll ask the villagers..." Cheng Youtian immediately had someone fetch a loudspeaker from his house. He then stood under the banyan tree and called out, gathering most of the villagers. After some careful discussion, they finally set the price: two thousand yuan a year, for a total of one hundred thousand yuan over fifty years.

This is a bargain. Zhang Bin rejoiced inwardly and signed the contract on the spot.

The villagers were also ecstatic. They all crowded around Zhang Bin to curry favor, asking to plant herbs for him or work in his pharmaceutical factory, saying they didn’t require high wages.

"Everyone, please rest assured," Zhang Bin said, moved as he looked at their simple, honest faces. "If I ever need to hire, villagers from our own Sanchahe Village will have priority. And I guarantee the salary I offer will be more than satisfactory!"

That very afternoon, Zhang Bin went to the bank, withdrew the money, and gave it to the village chief, who immediately distributed it to every household. From that moment on, the usage rights for Mantou Ridge for the next fifty years belonged to Zhang Bin.

Father Zhang and Mother Zhang didn’t object. After all, it was only one hundred thousand yuan, and they still had over three million in the family account. Besides, they had plenty of other cash cows.

However, Xiao Fang had a different take. She found Zhang Bin and said, "Brother Bin, Mantou Ridge isn’t suitable for planting herbs! There’s no water on the mountain, and it’s so high. How will you get water all the way up there?"

"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?" Zhang Bin laughed.

"I just thought of it now," Xiao Fang said glumly. "Why did I only just remember?"

"Don’t worry, there might just be water on Mantou Ridge after all. Come on, I’ll show you a miracle," Zhang Bin said.

"You can’t possibly conjure water out of thin air, can you?" Xiao Fang asked, her face a picture of disbelief.

"Your husband is capable of anything," Zhang Bin said proudly before grabbing a hoe and leading Xiao Fang up Mantou Ridge.

He chose a high spot and said with a grin, "Wouldn’t it be convenient if a spring appeared right here? We could use pipes to run the water anywhere we want, right?"

"You wish! How could there possibly be a spring up here?" Xiao Fang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she looked at Zhang Bin like he was a fool.

"You’re about to witness a miracle," Zhang Bin said with a mischievous grin. He then began digging vigorously. He quickly excavated a small pool about two meters deep. Whenever he hit a stone, he used brute force to smash it and toss the pieces aside.

Naturally, the hole remained dry.

"Alright, done." Zhang Bin dusted off his hands and climbed out. He found a flat, firm bluestone slab. He took out his dagger and began to carve it carefully, quickly etching a complex pattern of grooves that made Xiao Fang’s head spin just looking at it.

Zhang Bin then plucked a handful of pine needles from a dwarf pine. He carefully stimulated them with his Longevity Qi, causing them to grow and merge perfectly into a large circle. He then carefully embedded the connected pine needles into the grooves he had carved in the bluestone, pressing them in place with mud.

Finally, he infused the pine needles with Longevity Qi.

Something magical happened. The bluestone immediately grew moist, and then water began to seep out of it.

"What kind of immortal spell is this?!" Xiao Fang’s eyes widened in amazement.

"This is a formation called the Gathering Water Array," Zhang Bin said with a smile. "My master taught it to me."

The formation, of course, came from Xuanwu Star. It possessed a miraculous ability to make Longevity Qi circulate endlessly within the circuit formed by the pine needles, continuously absorbing moisture from the surrounding air.

"This is too incredible... Is your master an Immortal?" Xiao Fang asked in surprise.

"He was merely a Cultivator, not an Immortal." Zhang Bin couldn’t help but think of the late Daoist Elder Taiqing. How many people on Earth have achieved immortality since ancient times? Besides Laozi and Bodhidharma, haven’t they all just turned into white bones?

Then, Zhang Bin buried the bluestone slab at the bottom of the pool and secured it with another slab on top.

He added, "This is just a very rudimentary Gathering Water Array; it probably won’t last more than two years. A proper one must be made with steel, and its circuit must be fused from jade needles to be durable. That’s because jade can store Spiritual Energy or True Qi indefinitely without it dissipating."

By the time Zhang Bin climbed out, the soil of the small pool had already become moist. Water began to appear, rising rapidly as if a natural spring had just burst forth.

"That’s unbelievable," Xiao Fang said, looking at Zhang Bin with pure admiration.

"Keep this a secret from the villagers. Just tell them I dug and found a spring," Zhang Bin said with a laugh.

"Okay, okay," Xiao Fang nodded repeatedly, hugging Zhang Bin’s arm tightly.