NOVEL NEXT Ch. 16
Chapter 16: The Angel Investor Has Arrived!
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Under Chu Feng’s dual incentives of “Contribution Points” and “Promotion Channels,” the organizational framework of the Ascension Group was established at an astonishing speed.
The once chaotic Chores Courtyard had now become orderly and disciplined.
On the eastern side of the courtyard was the newly founded “Procurement and Appraisal Department.”
A dozen disciples with some knowledge of pharmacology sat in a row before long tables, appraising and scoring the medicinal herbs brought by members for “delivery.”
The scene resembled the agricultural purchase stations from the previous world.
To the south was the largest division — the “Primary Processing Department.”
Over a hundred members worked here, washing, drying, and cutting the sorted herbs. Though the atmosphere remained noisy, everyone stayed busy at their station, achieving remarkable efficiency.
On the western side lay the core — the “Advanced Processing Department.”
Leng Yanran personally oversaw it, commanding a thirty-person alchemy production line.
The number of pill furnaces had increased from three to twenty, blazing without pause for twenty-four hours a day.
The yellowish Mass Edition Qi Nourishing Pills were produced as if they cost nothing, piling up in the warehouse nearby.
Meanwhile, at the north end, the Warehouse Department and the newly established “Logistics Department” were distributing pills and maintaining order.
The entire Chores Courtyard had completely transformed into an efficiently running, clearly divided, and self-sufficient “Pill Factory.”
Every person within it wore an expression of enthusiasm and hope that had never appeared on their faces before.
Because everything they did could now be converted into tangible Contribution Points, which in turn could be exchanged for the pills and cultivation resources they had always dreamed of.
Chu Feng stood atop a high platform, looking with satisfaction upon the “prototype empire” he had built with his own hands.
This — was the power of a system.
It could make a disorganized crowd unleash productivity far exceeding that of so-called elites.
However, such great commotion naturally drew the attention of observant individuals.
That day, as the production line ran at full throttle, a slightly plump figure with a goat-like beard entered the courtyard, under the reverent gazes of the Chores Courtyard disciples.
The visitor was none other than the Ascension Group’s “Angel Investor” — Liu Changqing, Elder Liu.
“Liu… Elder Liu!”
Leng Yanran, who was directing production, was startled upon seeing the visitor.
She quickly stepped forward to bow in greeting.
The others in the courtyard also stopped what they were doing, bowing in unison, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Liu Changqing’s gaze swept across the entire courtyard.
When he saw the twenty blazing furnaces and the mountains of herbs and finished pills, his calculating eyes widened in disbelief.
What… what had he just witnessed?
Only a few days had passed!
That kid, whom he had casually tossed thirty worthless pills as “seed capital,” had created this out of it?
Was this still that lifeless Chores Courtyard where everyone muddled through their days?
No — this was clearly… a super workshop that could generate gold by the day!
His heart began to pound violently.
He had struck gold!
This time, he had truly struck gold!
That seemingly casual “investment” he made earlier might just be the wisest decision of his entire life!
“Where is Chu Feng? Tell him to come see me!”
Suppressing the ecstasy surging in his chest, Liu Changqing put on the airs of an elder and spoke in a deep voice.
“Elder Liu, what kind of wind brought you here today?”
Chu Feng descended from the platform with a cheerful smile and cupped his hands. “You honor us with your presence!”
Liu Changqing looked at Chu Feng, his expression extremely complicated — greed, shock, apprehension, and even a trace of… awe that he himself had not noticed.
He realized that he could no longer see through the young man before him.
“Chu Feng, with all this commotion, aren’t you afraid the Sect will hold you accountable?”
Liu Changqing tried to put on a stern face to intimidate Chu Feng.
“Accountable?”
Chu Feng smiled.
“Elder Liu, what are you saying? I’m merely responding to your call and conducting a ‘Sect Reform Pilot Program.’ Look — not only have we solved the cultivation problem for over a hundred Chores Courtyard disciples, but we’ve also achieved self-sufficiency without adding any burden to the Sect. That’s a great achievement! The Sect should reward us, not hold us accountable.”
With just a few words, he firmly bound himself and Liu Changqing together.
Liu Changqing was briefly stunned, then coughed awkwardly twice.
Indeed, he realized that his words were unnecessary — now, he and Chu Feng were in the same boat. If Chu Feng went down, he would not fare any better.
“All right, enough with the glib tongue.”
Liu Changqing changed the topic, showing his true concern. “Tell me, how’s the ‘profit’ these days?”
“The profit? Naturally, it’s excellent.”
Chu Feng smiled mysteriously, taking out a booklet from his robe and handing it over.
“What’s this?”
Liu Changqing asked curiously as he accepted it.
“The Ascension Group’s very first Financial Report, specially prepared for you — our ‘Founding Partner.’”
Chu Feng explained.
Financial Report? Founding Partner?
Another string of unfamiliar words — but Liu Changqing was already used to that. He eagerly flipped the booklet open.
【Ascension Group First Quarter (Trial Operation) Financial Report】
Core User Growth: Total members increased from 42 to 257, with daily active users (DAU) stable above 95%.
Core Product Data: Mass Edition Qi Nourishing Pill V1.1 — cumulative production of 21,350 pills, with daily capacity exceeding 6,000.
Supply Chain Data: Through the “Points-for-Pills” model, over 30,000 jin of low-grade herbs were collected from the back mountain, establishing a preliminary stable supply chain.
Asset Evaluation: ……
Future Profit Forecast: ……
There were no pills, no spirit stones — only rows of dizzying numbers and beautifully drawn charts depicting infinite potential and growth.
The more Liu Changqing read, the more shocked he became. His breathing quickened.
He didn’t understand what “DAU” meant, but he understood “257 members” and “6,000 pills per day”!
What a terrifying rate of expansion and production capability this was!
This was no longer a small-time mutual aid association — this was a monster that laid golden eggs!
Gulp.
Liu Changqing swallowed hard and looked up at Chu Feng, his voice trembling. “Chu… Chu Feng, tell me honestly, is… is all this real?”
“Absolutely real.”
Chu Feng looked sincere. “And this is only the early stage of our development. Right now, we’ve hit a bottleneck.”
“What bottleneck?”
Liu Changqing asked urgently.
“The site is too small, the equipment too poor, and our resource channels unstable.”
Chu Feng sighed. “The Chores Courtyard is too limited. The furnaces are all outdated, and the herbs rely solely on disciples’ collection efforts — it’s far too inefficient. If only… if only we had a larger site, better pill furnaces, and a stable channel for acquiring the Sect’s discarded herb residues…”
Chu Feng didn’t finish the sentence — he merely looked at Liu Changqing with eyes full of expectation.
The meaning was clear.
It was time for another investment, my Angel Investor!
Liu Changqing’s heart bled.
He knew the boy was asking him for resources.
But when he looked again at that Financial Report, at the “hundredfold, thousandfold” future profits depicted within, his greedy heart began to beat wildly once more.
Gamble! He had to gamble!
If he missed this opportunity, he would regret it for the rest of his life!
“Fine!”
Liu Changqing gritted his teeth, slapped his thigh, and made his decision. “Site, furnaces, herb residues — I’ll handle it all! Within three days, I’ll get it done for you!”