Chapter 53: Forcing Normal Cultivators to Dance with Rogue Cultivators |
Just as Yulou was finalizing the horse racing partnership between Hundred Treasures Pavilion and Clear Stream Market, their competitors were treating them like a formidable enemy, pondering how to deal with the pavilion.
"They are going too far. Copying our name is one thing, but selling talismans too? This is blatant bullying."
In the backyard of Hundred Talisman Hall, a Qi Refining cultivator from the Che clan, dressed as a shopkeeper, was complaining. He was the manager of Hundred Talisman Hall, Che Zengye.
The market for Qi Refining stage talismans in Clear Stream Market was only so large. Through generations of effort, the Che clan had established the reputation of Hundred Talisman Hall, allowing it to capture a third of the market.
One-third might sound small, but in a highly competitive business district, such dominance was quite significant.
Yet the Wang Clan had suddenly erected Hundred Treasures Pavilion out of nowhere. The name was strikingly similar to Hundred Talisman Hall, and their businesses overlapped heavily. How could Che Zengye not be anxious?
"If they really are bullying you, what can you even do about it? Zengye, let us discuss how to respond instead. I did not make a special trip to Clear Stream Market just to hear you complain."
The Patriarch of the Che clan, Che Zengshu, spoke to his younger brother with a hint of exasperation. He strongly disagreed with Che Zengye's earlier remarks.
The Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom was a massive enterprise; they would not intentionally copy the Che family's shop name. However, figuring out how to handle the aggressive challenge posed by Hundred Treasures Pavilion was indeed a difficult problem.
But if they took a few more bites, the Che family's Hundred Talisman Hall would get a few bites less. That was a huge problem!
How could Che Zengshu not be worried? That was exactly why he had rushed over in such a hurry.
"Patriarch, we can also organize a ten-percent discount for groups of three to snatch customers away from Hundred Treasures Pavilion."
Che Zengye had no qualms about copying Hundred Treasures Pavilion's strategies. After all, Hundred Treasures Pavilion had copied the name of Hundred Talisman Hall first.
"You are oversimplifying things. Our model relies on buying low and selling high. We purchase talismans in bulk at low prices from independent cultivators and small families, then slowly sell them off.
"Hundred Treasures Pavilion's model involves the Wang clan drawing their own talismans and selling them through their own shops.
"Hundred Talisman Hall cannot compete with them in a price war! If we try to lower our prices, we will undoubtedly lose. We need to think of other methods."
A speck of dust from an era became a mountain when it fell on an individual's shoulders.
In order to attain Golden Core, Patriarch Mangxiang relentlessly pushed pressure down through the hierarchy of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
As a vassal of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and a minor faction within the Behemoth Lineage, the Wang Clan was forced to make deep sacrifices.
Amidst these changes, to ensure the family's revenues and expenditures remained balanced, Wang Xianmao established Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Clear Stream Market.
As a result, the Che family's Hundred Talisman Hall found itself stuck in a difficult position.
The cost of Patriarch Mangxiang's actions was naturally borne by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
When the Red Lantern Illumination Sect faced pressure, they could directly order their numerous vassals to share the burden.
The pressure faced by the Wang Clan could then be passed down to independent cultivators and small families through various means.
But what could a tiny Qi Refining family like the Che clan do?
The tides of the era cascaded down layer by layer, and by the time they reached the Che clan, the Hundred Talisman Hall they had spent years painstakingly building proved as fragile as a sheet of paper.
The disparity between the Che clan and the Wang Clan was enormous. Many methods that might have worked in the past were utterly useless against Hundred Treasures Pavilion, which had the Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, the Wang Clan, standing behind it.
Che Zengye thought for a long time before lowering his voice.
"Patriarch, do you not know a few rogue cultivators? On the surface, their identities are completely unrelated to one another. We could use these people to spread rumors that Hundred Treasures Pavilion's talismans are ineffective, ruining their reputation!"
Che Zengshu jumped in fright. He looked left and right, quickly realizing it was just the two of them, and his suspended heart finally settled.
Leaning closer to Che Zengye, he suppressed his voice and scolded him.
"Do not speak nonsense! Supplying goods to those people is just supplying goods. At the end of the day, that is a normal business interaction. If we hire those people to do things for us, would that not mean we are mixing with rogue cultivators?"
Good heavens. There was a reason why Hundred Talisman Hall's business stood out so uniquely in Clear Stream Market.
Apart from normal storefront sales, the Che family also operated a special, clandestine distribution network dedicated solely to providing talismans to rogue cultivators.
"Patriarch, Hundred Treasures Pavilion is pressing us at every step. Backed by the Wang Clan, the quality of their goods is quite high. Moreover, they supply various spiritual pills. With their rise and our decline, Hundred Talisman Hall's business is in danger. We must take action! When it is time to be decisive, we must sever the knot!"
In Che Zengye's eyes, there was helplessness, struggle, and madness, but there was absolutely no hesitation.
Hundred Talisman Hall's business was a matter of life and death for the Che family. He had to protect it!
Under his brother's intense gaze, the Patriarch of the Che clan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"I will make the arrangements. Do not concern yourself with this matter. Oh, and tell the shop assistants I just came to stay for a single day."
The 'Immortal Alliance - Ten Sects' system had merely mobilized a little, yet it had forced normal cultivators to dance with rogue cultivators.
In recent years, many things were different from before.
Compared to Jiang Baobian, who at least cared about appearances and etiquette, the new Town Guardian Cultivator, Mu Changze, was so corrupt he would water down pure water.
Watering down pure water—this was something an ordinary person could not even fathom.
Otherwise, how could he have taken a Purple Palace realm cultivator as his master?
Yulou had originally planned to wait until Hongmei had thought things through before returning to Forge Peak Residence to continue studying the artificing path.
After all, Hongmei was currently facing immense psychological pressure. Yulou was worried that this master, who had a kind face but a black heart, might snap at them.
But Senior Martial Sister Ningyao had come to visit them yesterday, which indicated that Hongmei had likely already adjusted his state of mind.
Therefore, Yulou and Yu'an arrived at Forge Peak Residence bright and early today.
"Is my master here?" Yulou asked the shop assistant in the front hall.
"He went out early in the morning. Immortal Maiden Ningyao is here, though. She is in the side hall discussing a custom spiritual artifact with a female customer."
Hearing the assistant's reply, Yu'an looked at his older brother.
"Brother, let us take this opportunity to forge the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle."
The two brothers still owed Wu Jinyan a debt and needed to pay it back as soon as possible.
Although Yulou was currently the manager of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he could not casually touch the spirit stones in the pavilion's accounts.
Without disturbing Ningyao, the two went to the artifact refining furnace.
Yu'an tended the fire, and Yulou fetched the water. They were quickly ready.
"This is our first time refining an artifact by ourselves. Yu'an, how about you go first?"
Yulou's request was somewhat baffling. Yu'an was puzzled for a moment but did not refuse.
In truth, Yulou's reasoning was that his own attainments in the artificing path were higher than Yu'an's.
If he went first and failed multiple times, it would affect him, and it would impact Yu'an's state of mind even more.
Letting Yu'an go first, with his competitive youthful nature, would make him forge with greater focus.
At the same time, having Yulou—someone with higher artificing attainments—backing him up would greatly reduce the pressure in Yu'an's heart.
With these two factors combined, the value behind the decision to let Yu'an go first became clear.
Yulou was just this meticulous in his calculations, which was why he had spoken up to let Yu'an take the lead.
Cultivating immortality was just like this.
Two pieces of purple copper alone cost nearly three hundred spirit stones in material fees. Factoring in the various supplementary materials, completing the refinement would cost at least three hundred and ten spirit stones.
Three hundred and ten spirit stones to forge six Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles meant the cost of each one was around fifty-two spirit stones.
A single failure meant fifty-two spirit stones down the drain. How could Yulou not be careful?
It seemed like he was merely fussing over a tiny detail.
Even if Yulou sold two hundred Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles, the spirit stones he earned would not be enough to buy the mid-grade spiritual artifact belt around his waist.
However, a massive tree grows from a tiny sprout, and a nine-story terrace begins with a pile of earth.
One must be resolute, for the burden is heavy and the road is long.
Neither Yulou nor Yu'an lacked grand ambitions, but the youthful Yu'an clearly did not understand Yulou's deeply hidden perseverance.
He simply stood before the artifact refining furnace, casually tossing the purple copper into the furnace without even looking, and said,
"I feel like I can forge five layers of restrictions into it. Brother, can I try?"
Clearly, Yulou had accurately guessed his competitive spirit.
"Of course you can. But if it explodes, we lose fifty-two spirit stones. Go ahead and try. Fifty-two is not much; it is merely two and a half years of our clan allowance."
With Yulou phrasing it like that, Yu'an naturally did not dare to act arrogantly and take risks.
Thus, Yulou took charge of the fire, while Yu'an handled the refinement.
Under the brothers' careful cooperation, the first Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle was quickly forged.
However, the pestle Yu'an forged only possessed three layers of restrictions.
The design called for four layers: three basic restrictions and an additional spell-breaking restriction.
But clearly, when Yu'an reached the fourth layer, his abilities fell short of his desires.
It was too small. The volume of a third of a piece of purple copper was simply too small. He could not manage it.
"Who was it just now that said they could forge five layers into it?"
Yulou placed the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle into mandrill blood to soak, smiling as he answered his own question.
"Oh, I cannot quite remember. It wasn't me, anyway. Haha."
Mandrill blood could enhance spell-breaking power. Yu'an's Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle was forged mediocrely, but the nature of purple copper dictated that it naturally possessed a certain degree of spell-breaking ability.
It was the same logic as before. If a spell powered by ten points of magic power was fired over, a Purple Copper Dharma Sword with five layers of spell-breaking restrictions could directly shatter it using only three points of magic power.
When breaking through various defensive spells, the advantage was as easy as slicing melons and chopping vegetables.
This botched version of the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle could break a ten-point spell using eight points of magic power. Considering this, it still held value.
Having been teased by Yulou until his face turned bright red, Yu'an stopped talking.
He calculated the magic power within his body and tossed another small piece of purple copper into the artifact refining furnace, his eyes full of solemnity.
'This time, I will definitely forge a Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle with four layers of restrictions!'
The fact that Yu'an could refine black jade into an embryo for a mid-grade magical artifact showed that he had some talent in the artificing path. Of course, this might also be due to Yulou's urging and guidance.
Just as Yu'an was mobilizing his magic power to contend with the purple copper in the artifact refining furnace, Senior Martial Sister Ningyao led a veiled female cultivator into the back hall.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, our Forge Peak Residence truly does not accept orders for wooden magical artifacts. My father specializes in metals and stones, and the fire-based artificing path is not suitable for wooden artifacts.
"However, I can recommend a suitable place for you. Look, they are sons of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom. The Wang clan's expertise in wood arts is famous within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect."
Senior Martial Sister Ningyao seemed to be introducing the Wang Clan to this female customer?
Yulou did not have time to pay attention to the two women; instead, he looked at Yu'an.
Good, good, good. This kid Yu'an truly had a bit of an astute mind.
With two female cultivators right beside him, he did not even cast a glance their way. His artifact refining techniques remained as steady as ever.
'Yu'an, you kid are destined for great things!'
Yulou had originally planned to wait until Hongmei thought things through before returning to Forge Peak Residence to continue studying the artificing path.
After all, Hongmei was currently under immense psychological pressure, and Yulou worried that this master with his kind eyebrows but black heart might just explode on them.
However, Senior Martial Sister Ningyao had visited them yesterday, indicating that Hongmei had likely adjusted his mindset.
Therefore, Yulou and Yu'an arrived early at Forge Peak Residence today.
"Is my master here?" Yulou asked the assistant in the front hall.
"He went out early this morning. Immortal Maiden Ningyao is here, but she is currently in the side hall discussing custom magical artifacts with a female client."
Hearing the assistant's answer, Yu'an looked at his older brother.
"Brother, we should take this opportunity to finish refining the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle."
The two brothers still owed Wu Jinyan a debt and needed to pay it back as soon as possible.
Although Yulou was now the shopkeeper of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he could not arbitrarily touch the spirit stones in the pavilion's accounts.
Without disturbing Ningyao, the two went straight to the artifact refining furnace.
Yu'an tended the fire while Yulou fetched water, quickly getting everything ready.
"This is our first time refining an artifact entirely on our own. Yu'an, how about you go first?"
Yulou's request was somewhat baffling. Yu'an looked confused for a moment but did not refuse.
In truth, Yulou's reasoning was that his own attainments in the artificing path were higher than Yu'an's.
If he refined first and failed multiple times, it would affect his own mindset, and it would impact Yu'an's state even more.
Letting Yu'an go first would make the competitive youth take the process far more seriously.
At the same time, having someone with higher skill like Yulou backing him up would significantly reduce the pressure on Yu'an.
By combining these factors, the inherent value of letting Yu'an refine first became clear.
Yulou calculated things down to the finest detail, which was why he suggested Yu'an take the lead.
Cultivating immortality was just like this.
Two pieces of purple copper alone cost nearly three hundred spirit stones in material fees. Factoring in various miscellaneous auxiliary materials, the total cost of refining would be at least three hundred and ten spirit stones.
Using three hundred and ten spirit stones to refine six Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles meant each one cost fifty-two spirit stones.
Failing once meant losing fifty-two spirit stones. How could Yulou not be careful?
It seemed like he was just agonizing over a tiny detail.
Even if Yulou sold two hundred Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles, the spirit stones he earned still would not be enough to buy the mid-grade spiritual artifact belt around his waist.
But a tree thick enough to embrace grows from a tiny sprout, and a nine-story terrace begins with a pile of earth.
One must be broad-minded and resolute, for the burden is heavy and the road is long.
Neither Yulou nor Yu'an lacked grand ambitions, but the young Yu'an clearly did not understand Yulou's deeply hidden perseverance.
He simply stood before the artifact refining furnace, tossing the purple copper directly inside without even looking, while stating, "I feel like I can refine five layers of restrictions into this. Brother, can I try?"
Clearly, his competitive spirit had been perfectly predicted by Yulou.
"Of course you can, but if it blows up, we lose fifty-two spirit stones.
Go ahead and try. Fifty-two is not much, just our clan allowance for two and a half years."
With Yulou saying that, Yu'an naturally did not dare to act arrogant and take such a risk.
Thus, Yulou took charge of the fire, while Yu'an focused on the refinement.
Under the brothers' cautious teamwork, the first Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle was quickly forged.
It was just that... the pestle Yu'an refined only had three layers of restrictions.
The design called for four layers: aside from the three basic restrictions, an additional spell-breaking restriction was supposed to be added.
But evidently, when Yu'an tried to refine the fourth layer, his abilities fell short.
It was too small. A piece made from just a third of a block of purple copper was simply too tiny for him to handle properly.
"Who was it just now that said they could refine five layers into it?"
Yulou placed the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle into mandrill blood to soak, smiling as he teased.
"Oh, I cannot quite remember. Anyway, it was not me, haha."
Mandrill blood could enhance spell-breaking power. Yu'an's Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle turned out rather mediocre, but the innate properties of purple copper meant it naturally possessed a certain degree of spell-breaking ability.
It followed the same logic: if a spell powered by ten parts of magical energy struck, a Purple Copper Dharma Sword with five layers of spell-breaking restrictions could slice through it using only three parts of magical energy.
When breaking through various defensive spells, the advantage was as easy as chopping melons and slicing vegetables.
Even this subpar Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle could use eight parts of magical energy to shatter a ten-part spell. From that perspective, it still held value.
Blushing heavily after Yulou's teasing, Yu'an fell completely silent.
He calculated the magical energy within his body, tossed another small piece of purple copper into the artifact refining furnace, and his eyes filled with absolute solemnity.
'This time, I will definitely succeed in refining a Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle with four layers of restrictions!'
Given that Yu'an could refine black jade into an embryo for a mid-grade magical artifact, he certainly possessed some talent for the artificing path. Though, naturally, this might also be due to Yulou's pushing and guidance.
Just as Yu'an was mobilizing his magical energy and wrestling with the purple copper inside the artifact refining furnace, Senior Martial Sister Ningyao led a veiled female cultivator into the back hall.
"Fellow Daoist Yingxi, our Forge Peak Residence truly does not accept orders for wooden magical artifacts. My father excels in metal and stone, and fire-based artificing methods are not suitable for wooden magical artifacts.
However, I can recommend a suitable place for you. Look, they are sons of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom. The Wang Clan's expertise in wood techniques is well-known even within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect."
Was Senior Martial Sister Ningyao introducing the Wang Clan to this female client?
Yulou did not have time to concern himself with the two women; instead, he looked at Yu'an.
Good, good, good. This kid Yu'an truly possessed a focused mind.
With two female cultivators standing right beside him, he did not even cast a glance their way. His artifact refining techniques remained as steady as ever.
Yu'an, kid, you are destined for greatness!