Chapter 131
**Chapter 138: Recommendation**
Real Master Qian from the Qian He Sect wore a serious expression as he pondered over Zheng Fa's words.
The Qian He Sect was also a member of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, but it was far less influential than the Jiu Shan Sect—after all, the Jiu Shan Sect boasted three Yuanying (Nascent Soul) masters, making it a major sect within the alliance.
In contrast, the strongest members of the Qian He Sect were merely at the Jindan (Golden Core) stage.
As a result, their market had never been as bustling as that of the Jiu Shan Sect.
The cost of the transport ship was already quite significant for the Qian He Sect's market—if, as Zheng Fa suggested, the Jiu Shan Sect had siphoned off all the surrounding clientele, then the transport ship would indeed be a losing venture.
However, the Qian He Sect had its own unique offerings.
They had considerable expertise in cultivating spiritual grains, particularly Huang Ya Mi (Yellow Sprout Rice), which had gained some fame within the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
"So, what kind of sales strategy do we have for our spiritual grains in the Jiu Shan Sect?" Real Master Qian mused for a moment, but he didn’t appear particularly pleased. He knew that Zheng Fa had sought him out for a reason, and it was likely to make some demands.
"Real Master Qian, I represent the Jiu Shan Sect's market and would like to propose a collaboration with your sect," Zheng Fa said with a smile. "As for how to sell, that will depend on your sect's choice."
"First, of course, your sect could rent a storefront in our market. You would sell there—this would require you to bear the profits and losses."
"Zheng Real Master, you have no idea how difficult it is to rent a storefront in your sect..." Real Master Qian replied with a bitter smile.
Zheng Fa was well aware of this.
Ever since the Jiu Shan Sect's market began to thrive, the rental prices had not yet started to rise, but the transfer fees had skyrocketed.
If the Qian He Sect wanted to find a shop, the costs would be considerable.
Moreover, the market was not devoid of vendors selling spiritual grains—renting a shop would be too risky for the Qian He Sect.
Zheng Fa was merely throwing out this option.
"Second, we could collaborate directly. We would purchase your Huang Ya Mi, and you would only need to focus on cultivation... You wouldn't have to worry about storefronts or profits and losses."
"..." Real Master Qian gradually understood Zheng Fa's intention: "So, we would only need to supply the Jiu Shan Sect in the future?"
"Exactly."
"What about the price?"
"One spirit stone for three stones of rice."
"That's unacceptable!" Real Master Qian's lips trembled. "That's the same price we have in our own market!"
"Then what? Is your market out of business?" Zheng Fa said quietly.
"..." Real Master Qian grew even angrier upon hearing this.
This was, of course, the truth. Zheng Fa was bringing in people by the boatload.
Even the disciples of the Qian He Sect were shopping at the Jiu Shan Sect.
What business did the Qian He Sect's market have left?
"Is there no room for negotiation?" Zheng Fa asked, noticing his anger.
"Absolutely none!"
Real Master Qian flicked his sleeve and attempted to leave.
"At least three hundred stones a month."
Real Master Qian's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
"At least... three hundred stones?"
"Not a single stone less."
Real Master Qian's expression became conflicted.
Three hundred stones was nearly a hundred spirit stones.
That amount was not insignificant even for the Jiu Shan Sect's market.
Let alone for the Qian He Sect, especially given their current difficulties.
Otherwise, Real Master Qian wouldn't have been thinking of sneaking in to learn from others.
"Zheng Real Master... this price is too low."
"Real Master Qian," Zheng Fa said with an air of authority, "the Hundred Immortals Alliance isn't solely reliant on the Qian He Sect for spiritual grain cultivation. I can find others."
"Wait!" Real Master Qian hurriedly replied. "We can negotiate. I'll report this to the Sect Leader; I'm sure we can come to an agreement!"
As Real Master Qian left, his expression was a mix of joy and sorrow—unsure whether he would be scolded or praised by the Sect Leader for bringing back such a significant order.
But both Zheng Fa and he knew that the Qian He Sect would have to agree.
The Jiu Shan Sect had nearly drained the local clientele.
If the Qian He Sect wanted to avoid losses, they could only become suppliers for the Jiu Shan Sect.
Though the profits would be smaller, they could still sell in volume.
Watching him leave, Senior Sister Yuan turned to Zheng Fa and asked, "Zheng Shidi, why are you so keen on ordering Huang Ya Mi from them?"
A few other senior brothers in the small building also looked at Zheng Fa, their expressions filled with curiosity.
"Our market's products are too limited; we need more attractive goods," Zheng Fa explained. "Besides, didn’t you say Huang Ya Mi is delicious, Senior Sister Yuan?"
Hearing this, Senior Sister Yuan couldn't help but laugh.
Huang Ya Mi was indeed her carefully selected choice, and Zheng Fa found it quite tasty as well.
"But is three hundred stones a bit too much? What if we can't sell it all?"
Senior Sister Yuan still had some concerns.
"Senior Sister Yuan, have you calculated how much spiritual grain we consume in a month at the Jiu Shan Sect?"
"Hmm?"
"Excluding the family members and attendants of the disciples, we have about a thousand people," Zheng Fa calculated. "Each disciple consumes about five to six taels of spiritual grain a day, which adds up to about one-fifth of a stone per month. That means we need at least two hundred stones a month, and if we include those relatives, three hundred stones is definitely on the low side."
According to the calculations in the Xuan Wei Realm, one stone was roughly equivalent to nine hundred taels, meaning that the consumption of three hundred stones would be nearly exhausted.
"Are you saying... this spiritual grain is meant for the disciples?"
"Senior Sister Yuan, have you noticed that the price of spiritual grain in our market has gone up?" Zheng Fa said softly.
"This... seems to be the case." As a Jindan cultivator, Senior Sister Yuan wasn't particularly sensitive to this, but after thinking for a moment, she frowned and said, "Those unscrupulous merchants!"
"Not necessarily their fault," Zheng Fa shook his head. "During this time, everyone has been making money; it's not just spiritual grain—prices for other goods have also risen."
To put it dramatically, this was a small-scale inflation for the Jiu Shan Sect.
But it wasn't all bad.
After all, it was because the disciples of the Jiu Shan Sect had more money than before.
"I was thinking, not everyone has gotten rich. Some disciples, especially the newly admitted ones, are struggling to make ends meet, living off their monthly stipends," Zheng Fa explained to them. "These affordable Huang Ya Mi are exactly what they need."
Zheng Fa's order for Huang Ya Mi from the Qian He Sect was, of course, to solidify the Jiu Shan Sect's current advantage—having a flow of customers in the market required some flagship products; otherwise, it would be a waste of the drama Zheng Fa had created.
But the main reason was that he had noticed some lower-tier disciples who had not benefited from the Jiu Shan Sect's development.
In fact, they were finding it even harder to get by.
During this round of development for the Jiu Shan Sect, it was the large families behind the shops and the vendors with connections and capital who had profited.
However, the poorest group had hardly enjoyed any benefits.
Instead, they had to bear the brunt of rising prices.
Ultimately, this was Zheng Fa's version of the "vegetable basket" project.
Inside the room, the way the senior brothers looked at him gradually changed, their expressions tinged with a hint of resentment.
"Brothers, why are you looking at me like that?"
"…Shidi, you were born too late!" one senior brother named Yang suddenly exclaimed.
"?"
…
At Zheng Fa's home, he sat on a mat, preparing to condense his fifth Yuan talisman.
This time, he aimed to condense a Yin-type fire talisman—the Ju Xia Talisman.
Fire talismans were mostly offensive in nature.
Yet, Zheng Fa didn't particularly need that right now.
The Ju Xia Talisman, however, was quite suitable for him—this talisman allowed cultivators to transform into a streak of light, soaring through the air, which was convenient for modern travel.
After all, with modern technology like radar, other forms of flight might be mistaken for unidentified flying objects.
Having the cover of light made things much easier.
Now, he was quite familiar with the process of condensing talismans. After swallowing a Yuan Condensing Pill, within the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the Ju Xia Talisman appeared in his dantian.
What surprised him was that after the Ju Xia Talisman took shape, the five Yin talismans began to rotate together in his dantian.
A golden lotus platform emerged in his dantian, with the symbols for Zheng Li Wu Ying Talisman, Shuang Ren Talisman, Yang Shen Talisman, Chang Qing Talisman, and Ju Xia Talisman drawn on its petals.
But what caught Zheng Fa's attention the most was the illusory shadow of another lotus platform growing at the base of the lotus—though it was only outlined in faint golden lines, the shapes of the lotus seat and petals were quite distinct.
He couldn't help but recall what Senior Sister Zhang had told him about the mutual generation of Yin and Yang.
Just as his consciousness was immersed in his dantian, a cascade of five-colored light suddenly fell from the sky above his courtyard.
The radiant light surrounded Zheng Fa's meditation chamber, drawing the attention of nearby cultivators.
"Han Shidi, what's going on here?"
Senior Brother Li asked Han Qi.
Today was the day Han Qi planned to introduce Zheng Fa to others.
"It's nothing; it should just be that Zheng Shidi has made some progress in his cultivation," Han Qi replied.
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