Dao of Money-Chapter 66: Puppets and beer

Once the initiation class was over, Chen Ren sent everyone off.

Xiulan took charge of the mortals, leading them to another area where she would explain more about the sect—what they would do, what their duties were, and what they would learn.

Unlike normal sects, where disciples followed a master and learned directly from them, the Divine Coin Sect was different. It would teach through structured lessons, and everyone had to take part.

The lessons covered many things. Sales techniques that Chen Ren had written down, reading and writing, and even more math lessons than they expected. He didn't want his disciples getting tricked just because they didn’t know how numbers worked. He had already gone over all of this with Xiulan, and she was more than capable of handling it as the sect manager.

As for the cultivators, he kept them back a little longer. Instead of rushing them straight into training, he wanted them to think carefully about their path. What did they want to pursue? What was their Dao?

Of course, a part of this was because Chen Ren didn’t actually have any cultivation manuals to give them. The only one he had was the Chen clan's manual [Thunderstorm Sutra], and according to Yalan, none of them had lightning-aspected spiritual roots.

Zi Wen was fine—he still had his old manual from his previous sect, and Yalan could probably help him improve it. But Luo Heng needed a new one, and that was a problem Chen Ren would have to deal with soon.

After speaking with both of them, he turned to Hong Yi. Unlike the others, he wasn’t officially part of the sect yet. But if he could get him to join the sect, it would mean increasing the sect's average strength by a lot, excluding Yalan of course.

Chen Ren led him to the back of the building, toward a small clearing just before the mountains. Hong Yi silently followed him.

There, with the wind rustling the trees, he finally spoke.

“So? What did you think of the lecture?”

Hong Yi looked at him, clearly rethinking about it. Then, after a moment, he said, “It was... interesting.”

He paused, glancing at the sect buildings before looking back at Chen Ren.

“I’ve heard of sects with different branches, each focused on their own disciplines. But I’ve never heard of one focused on money.”

Hong Yi paused once again, as if gathering his thoughts. Then, he spoke. "As for the talk on Dao... I gained good insight from it. I think it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now."

Chen Ren studied him before asking, "You follow the Martial Dao, right?"

Hong Yi nodded. "Yes. I’ve followed it for the last three years, ever since I started cultivating. For a long time, it felt like my path. But... since I got the inheritance, I feel like something is clashing with it." He clenched his fists, frustration showing on his face. "I’m not improving as fast as I should. I don’t practice my martial arts much anymore. I only focus on my puppets. Because of that... I’m falling behind in the Martial Dao." His voice lowered. "And I’ve started to question if it’s truly the way for me."

Chen Ren crossed his arms, watching him carefully. "You’re still young. You haven’t gone too far into cultivation yet. I think you can still change to the path you truly wish to walk on." He let the words settle before continuing. "In the end, it’s more philosophical than anything. It’s in your mind. Your Dao has to align with what you want. If you can do that, I believe you’ll be fine."

For a moment, there was only silence. The wind whispered through the trees. The boulder nearby stood still, unmoving, as if it had been there forever. The air was peaceful, untouched by doubt or hesitation.

Chen Ren looked around before turning back to Hong Yi. "I don’t see your puppets. I thought I told you to bring them."

Hong Yi blinked. "I brought them."

"Then where—"

Before Chen Ren could finish, Hong Yi whistled. A sharp, clear sound cut through the air.

Chen Ren frowned, wondering what he was doing. Then, he noticed movement in the mountain.

A figure leaped out and landed lightly on the ground.

It was wooden. Not taller than three feet. Humanoid. Its body was shaped like a person, but its features were simple. Two eye-like shapes were carved into its face, but there was no mouth, no nose. It almost looked like a wooden statue.

Chen Ren raised an eyebrow.

"I hid it in the mountain," Hong Yi admitted. "I didn’t want to be seen with it."

Chen Ren looked at the puppet then back to him. "How does it work?"

"It’s... hard to explain," Hong Yi said. He walked over to the puppet and placed a hand on its shoulder. "It’s like a soul link between me and it. The puppet understands basic commands. I made them respond to whistles since I was always good with them. And because it’s hard for enemies to figure out what I’m doing."

Chen Ren nodded slowly. "So it’s a bit like programming."

Hong Yi tilted his head. "Programming?"

Chen Ren thought for a moment. How was he supposed to explain this?

Finally, he said, "Think of it like giving someone commands, but in a really specific way. Each command makes for a specific effect. If you want to program it to fight, you will do a specific command. If you want it to walk, you will do a specific command. Like that." He frowned. "I don’t know how to explain it further, but... it’s like that."

Hong Yi nodded slowly. "I believe I get the gist of it."

Chen Ren smiled before pointing at the puppet once again. "How strong are they?"

Hong Yi smirked. Instead of answering, he stepped back and whistled again.

The wooden puppet moved. Its joints clicked slightly, but its steps were steady. It walked towards the boulder at the center of the clearing, raised its fist, and punched.

Boom!

A deep dent appeared in the stone.

Chen Ren’s brows lifted in surprise.

Without hesitation, the puppet drew back its arm and struck again. This time, the entire boulder cracked and crumbled into chunks.

Chen Ren blinked. That’s stronger than I expected.

Hong Yi looked proud. "This one is in the fifth star of the body forging realm. I haven’t been able to ‘program’ martial techniques into them yet, but they’re still formidable."

Chen Ren nodded. They were much stronger than he’d expected. "I can see that." He glanced at Hong Yi. "How many do you have?"

Hong Yi hesitated. He pressed his lips together, looking as if he didn’t want to reveal the number. After a moment, he sighed. "...Twelve right now. I’ve hidden them in the mountains, mostly. All of them range from the third to fifth star of body forging."

Chen Ren hummed. That was more than he expected.

"Can you make them stronger?" he asked.

"Yes," Hong Yi said immediately. "But it depends on materials. Spirit wood is especially important. If I want them to have elemental affinities and be smarter, I’d need more resources—and someone with knowledge of arrays and runic symbols."

Chen Ren raised a brow. "Arrays?"

Hong Yi nodded. "Apparently, I can engrave arrays into their cores. If I place elemental beads around the array, they can use elemental techniques." He frowned slightly. "It’s a bit hard to describe. Even harder to do."

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Chen Ren stayed quiet, his mind already spinning with possibilities.

Puppets like these… They wouldn’t just be useful for defending the sect. He could send them with his sales teams to different cities when they moved to expand. The Kalian Empire was a dangerous place. Beasts roamed freely alongside bandits, and traveling long distances wasn’t something ordinary people did. Even merchants had to hire guards—sometimes even rogue cultivators at the body forging realm.

But with these puppets, I might be able to solve that problem.

Not just for himself, but for the people too.

His gaze returned to Hong Yi. "I’m impressed by the puppets. And honestly, I’m impressed by you." He exhaled and said, "So, once again, I’d like to offer you a place in the Divine Coin Sect."

Hong Yi’s expression shifted. He still looked uncertain. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. Chen Ren didn’t know he was holding his breath until the man in front of him opened his eyes. The eyes; they were filled with a ‘sorry’ to come. He was about to reject the offer again—

But before he could, Chen Ren spoke.

"I know your hesitation. You don’t think the Divine Coin Sect will be able to protect you against your former sect." he pursed his lips. "That’s your biggest concern, isn’t it?"

Hong Yi stiffened. Then, slowly, he nodded.

Chen Ren smiled slightly. "Then what if I can solve that?"

Hong Yi's eyes widened. For a moment, a flicker of hope crossed his face—but it was quickly replaced by doubt. He shook his head, concern evident in his gaze.

"I don’t think it’ll work," he muttered. "The sect leader of Blood Iron Sect himself is a meridian expansion realm cultivator and Master Yalan might be able to deal with him, but there's hundreds of cultivators under him."

Chen Ren shook his head. "No, I don’t plan on asking Yalan to negotiate with them or protect you." His expression turned serious. "I know their manpower is too much for us to handle head-on."

Hong Yi frowned. "Then what—?"

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Chen Ren raised a hand. "I’ll tell you soon. I’m still fine-tuning the plan. But if I manage to do it, will you join the Divine Coin Sect?"

There was no hesitation in Hong Yi’s response. "If you can do it, I’ll happily join—if my inheritance stays with me."

Chen Ren smirked. "It will. I wouldn’t ask for something that personal." He crossed his arms. "But I’ll need information on your former sect. I’ll be traveling soon.”

Hong Yi raised an eyebrow. "For me?"

Chen Ren chuckled. "That, and for the next step of Divine Coin Sect’s expansion, basically to set up the supply chain for our next product."

***

Chen Ren wiped the sweat from his brow as he carefully hoisted another earthen pot filled with fermented mash, setting it down near the crude distillation setup he had pieced together. Copper tubing, sealed joints, and a few makeshift condensers lined the back of the house, where he had been experimenting for the past few days.

As he adjusted one of the tubes leading to a collection container, testing the seal, he heard Yalan’s voice from behind him.

"So, this is going to be your next big product?"

He glanced at her, then back at the equipment. "Yes. One thing the Kalian Empire has a massive market for is alcohol. And all the ones we tasted on our trip to this village…" He frowned. "They were weak. There’s definitely a gap for something stronger."

Yalan stepped closer, examining the setup with mild curiosity. "So you're making this—moonshine—just for that reason?"

"Not just moonshine." Chen Ren grinned. "Homemade cider, bathtub gin, and whatever else I can get working. My father was a big fan of alcohol, so I know a bit about the stronger stuff."

Yalan didn’t even blink. "So he was an alcoholic."

Chen Ren let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah. The local pubs loved him. He was basically their best customer." He paused for a moment as old memories surfaced, but he quickly pushed them away, refocusing on his work.

He checked the tubing again, watching as the first trickles of liquid began to move through the still. The vapors condensed, dripping steadily into the container he had set up. It wasn’t perfect yet—he’d have to distill it at least twice to get a high enough concentration—but it was a start.

"If this works," he muttered, more to himself than to Yalan, "I’ll start testing rice wine and other variations. If moonshine doesn’t sell well, something else will." He smirked. "But I have a good feeling about this. A little trial and error, and we’ll have something strong enough to shake up the market."

Chen Ren carefully adjusted the flame beneath the pot, watching as the liquid inside began to simmer. Thin tendrils of vapor curled upward, traveling through the coil of copper tubing toward the collection container. The first clear drops of alcohol began to drip, and he exhaled in satisfaction.

As he worked, Yalan fell into an unusual silence, watching him like a hawk. And he could tell that the wheels of her brain were spinning.

"You do know that getting into the alcohol business means more trouble, right? It’s an established market, like you said."

"I know," Chen Ren replied without hesitation. "And trouble is something that’s going to follow me no matter what I do." He straightened, wiping his hands on his sleeves. "Even then, I don’t plan on fighting other clans for their businesses. I’ll just be the supplier instead of creating my own pubs. I don’t have the money to buy properties for that."

"Then how do you plan to make money from it?"

"Once we refine the formula, I’ll travel to form contracts with major pub businesses. Sell it directly to them instead of competing. That’ll be the first step in developing something even bigger—spirit alcohol."

At that, Yalan actually laughed. "Spirit alcohol? That’s a secret recipe. Only a few sects know how to make it, and even then, it’s not easy."

Chen Ren shrugged—not new to this piece of information. "I know. I’ve heard. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try. If I can infuse my qi into these spirits properly, I might be able to figure out the formula myself. When I go back to Cloud Mist City, I’ll ask Qing He about it, too. She might know something."

"Maybe," Yalan conceded, stretching lazily in the sunlight. "But even if you do get the process down, you’d still need spirit materials. Spirit rice, at the very least. And I don’t see anyone growing that around here."

Chen Ren exhaled, shaking his head. That was another complication. Every business in this world—especially those tied to cultivation—was filled with hurdles. Even the simplest resources required spiritual properties, and that meant they were expensive.

Pushing the thought aside for now, he turned back to the distillation process, monitoring the slow drip of liquid into the container. But as he worked, his gaze flickered back to Yalan, who sat basking in the sun, seemingly unconcerned with anything at all.

That reminded him—there was something he had wanted to ask her.

Chen Ren wiped his hands again and glanced at Yalan. "By the way, there’s something I need to show you."

She tilted her head. "What?"

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out the small egg he had taken from the Soaring Sword Sect’s treasury and handed it to her. "I found this when I was in the sect. The elder let me take it, and said it was a dead egg. Do you think we can make use of it in some way?"

Yalan took the egg and inspected it carefully, her claws brushing over its surface as she concentrated. After a moment, she hummed. "I don’t know what beast this egg belonged to. A lot of eggs look like this, and it’s really small, so it can’t be from anything huge." She flipped it over using her small paws, eyes narrowing. "It is dead, like the elder told you, but there are some faint traces of qi lingering inside."

Chen Ren’s eyes lit up. "So it might still be useful?"

"Depends," Yalan said dryly. "Might make for a good breakfast if it’s not poisonous from being dead for so long. You should throw it away."

Chen Ren sighed as she set the egg down on the grass. He reached over and picked it back up, tucking it back into his robes. "I don’t really want to. Don’t you think it might turn into some hidden treasure or something?"

Yalan squinted at him. "Why would you think that?"

"Cultivation logic," he declared. "The way I found it. It was just sitting there in a treasury, untouched amidst far better treasures. Even the elder didn't know what it was doing there. Everything in my being said that there's a reason why a dead egg is there. It's fate basically.”

As he finished the explanation, Yalan stared at him like he was an idiot. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and Chen Ren, too, kept staring—waiting for her to speak her mind.

“What?” he finally asked.

"I don’t know why you think the world works like that. It really doesn’t."

Chen Ren opened his mouth to defend himself, but movement caught his attention. His eyes flicked to the distillation setup, where the first proper bowl of alcohol was filling drop by drop. He quickly picked it up, bringing it close to his nose. The scent was sharp and unrefined, and when he took a sip, it burned down his throat in a way that wasn’t entirely pleasant.

He smacked his lips, frowning. "Needs work."

Still, he was making progress. With the mortal members in the sect now and the base alcohol being cheap, he was confident that once he got the right formula, he’d be able to build a proper foundation for a brewery. A brewery that could eventually supply the strongest alcohol in the region. The profits would be huge.

But just as he was thinking that, something moved in the trees beyond the house.

His head snapped up, and he saw Yalan shift slightly, eyes narrowing as she, too, noticed the movement.

Chen Ren tensed, glancing at Yalan. "A wild beast?"

"Maybe," she murmured, eyes scanning the treeline. "Nothing too strong, though. The forest around here doesn’t have many beasts you can’t handle."

He nodded, keeping his senses sharp. Then, the sound of rustling grass grew louder—something was moving fast, weaving through the undergrowth like a darting shadow. Chen Ren barely had time to react before a small head poked out from the foliage. His eyes widened.

White fur, soft and rustling in the wind, covered a small, sleek body. It had large, sharp front teeth, a bushy tail curled slightly at the end, and small claws that looked deceptively delicate. Its eyes, bright, flickered between them before its little nose twitched. The beast resembled a squirrel but had an oddly refined presence, almost as if it was more aware than a normal beast.

Chen Ren relaxed slightly. "Just a squirrel—"

Before he could finish, the creature froze, its gaze locking onto the bowl of distilled alcohol in his hand.

Chen Ren hesitated. What’s it—

Then, in a blur of motion, the squirrel bolted forward, a streak of white fur crossing the distance in an instant.

"Hey!" He barely had time to react before the creature skidded onto the table, stretched up on its hind legs, and—before he could pull the bowl away—took a big sip of the freshly distilled alcohol.

***

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