Chapter 172: Pill & Artifact Pavilion (Celebrating Silver Alliance Leader! )
Chapter 172: Pill & Artifact Pavilion (Celebrating Silver Alliance Leader! )
Azure Wave Cavern.
Fang Xi stretched languidly.
"Brother Fang. . . Xing Ling has a proposal."
Ruan Xing Ling was dressed in casual home attire, her hair loosely tied, adding a touch of languidness to her.
"Oh? What might that be? " Fang Xi asked casually.
"Ever since achieving Foundation Establishment, Xing Ling's 'Xuan Yin Gong' has progressed slowly. . . According to the cultivation method, it's quite common for cultivators with superior-grade Spirit Roots to cultivate for thirty to forty years in the early Foundation Establishment stage. If they unluckily encounter a bottleneck, it might even take sixty to seventy years to advance to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."
And that's still considered good. Those with mid or low-grade Spirit Roots, even if they're lucky enough to achieve Foundation Establishment, would likely remain at the early Foundation Establishment stage for their entire lives without special opportunities or the aid of Spirit Pills.
Historically, most who manage to form a Core in the nearby Three Kingdoms possess Earth-grade or even Heaven-grade Spirit Roots. Otherwise, cultivation sects wouldn't place such importance on Spirit Root aptitude.
Ruan Xing Ling's delicate brows furrowed slightly, a hint of worry in her expression.
"Although one can still consume Spirit Pills to increase cultivation, spiritual herbs older than several centuries are extremely hard to find. . . and it's even less possible to use them for daily consumption. " Fang Xi also sighed.
The cultivation resources in these nearby Three Kingdoms are indeed not great; they're quite meager.
Even for him, holding a large quantity of Spirit Stones, it's not guaranteed he could purchase enough Spirit Pills to rapidly advance his Foundation Establishment stage cultivation.
"Hmm. . . if we want to accelerate our cultivation, we must accumulate resources. " Ruan Xing Ling fully agreed.
"Oh? Could it be that Xing Ling has found a solution? Don't tell me it involves hunting demon beasts in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range. . . or exploring ancient ruins. . ."
Fang Xi would never engage in such activities; the risks are too high.
"Of course not. . . " Ruan Xing Ling chuckled. "Xing Ling and Brother Fang are both artisans; naturally, we'll accumulate resources through our craft. . . But waiting daily in the cavern for customers to come is indeed a bit slow. How about. . . we open a joint shop?"
"Open a shop? That's certainly an option. . ."
Fang Xi fell into contemplation.
Indeed, cultivators tend to trust merchants with established shops more, and keeping the doors open to attract business naturally leads to higher transaction volumes.
Seeing that Fang Xi didn't object, Ruan Xing Ling became even more energized. "Xing Ling has investigated. Rents in the inner city are expensive, and competition is fierce. . . it would be difficult for two Foundation Establishment cultivators like us to establish ourselves there. But in the outer city, our strength is perfectly sufficient to open a shop. . ."
After all, shops like Myriad Ocean Pavilion and Ming Qing Pavilion are merely supported by Foundation Establishment forces.
In terms of second-order inheritances, they might not even compare to Fang Xi and Ruan Xing Ling.
"Of course, shop property is expensive, but we can lease one first instead of buying. . . Selling just artifacts and Spirit Pills might not allow us to compete with those long-established merchant houses. However, if we combine forces and sell together, it will have some appeal. And if we occasionally release some small, exquisite items, the Spirit Stones we earn should be enough to slightly cover our daily cultivation needs. . ."
Ruan Xing Ling smiled charmingly, "And. . . we can also let Ruan Dan, Wang Xiao Hu, and the others serve as shop assistants, saving another expense."
"That's not bad."
Fang Xi weighed the idea in his mind, feeling there shouldn't be much problem. "Since you dared to propose this, Xing Ling, you must already have a few preferred locations in mind, right?"
"Precisely! " Ruan Xing Ling's eyes sparkled. "Brother Fang, when do you have some free time? How about accompanying Xing Ling on a trip to scout them out?"
"Excellent, let's make it today."
Fang Xi had nothing else to do, so he agreed.
After all, he also wanted to earn more Spirit Stones, and the progress of his 'Green Wood Longevity Art' was somewhat slow. It was indeed time to occasionally prepare some Spirit Pills to consume and enhance his magic power.
...
Three days later.
White Peace Immortal City, Outer City.
Small Talisman Hall.
This shop was located in a relatively secluded spot among the shops in the Outer City streets. Its main business revolved around selling talismans and dealing in talismans, cinnabar, and similar items.
It originally belonged to a Foundation Establishment family named the 'Dongmen family. ' Later, when their Foundation Establishment Ancestor passed away, the business gradually declined.
Fang Xi and Ruan Xing Ling surveyed the area for a few days, chatting with the owners of several shops, and ultimately settled on this location.
"I am Dongmen Ying; I pay my respects to both Seniors."
Inside the Small Talisman Hall, a young cultivator, neither humble nor arrogant, bowed to Fang Xi and Ruan Xing Ling.
He had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, an excellent appearance. Crucially, he was truly young and full of vigor.
Furthermore, his cultivation had reached the late stage of Qi Refinement, eighth level, making him quite a young genius.
"Young friend Dongmen, we are quite satisfied with this shop. However, regarding the lease. . . one year is too short. How about changing it to ten years?"
Ruan Xing Ling took a sip of spiritual tea, negotiating the price unhurriedly.
Although Dongmen Ying's tone was respectful, his back was straight, showing a certain confidence.
After all, his Dongmen family had been residents of White Peace Immortal City for generations, possessing many connections. Moreover, fighting was prohibited within the Immortal City.
"Although my shop's business isn't great, it can still sustain itself. . . Truthfully, if I weren't eager to focus solely on cultivation rather than spending time on management, I wouldn't rent it out so easily. . ."
After another round of bargaining, both parties agreed to sign a five-year lease, with an annual rent of one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, with half paid upfront.
Once the contract was sent to White Peace Immortal City's official archives for record, and the Spirit Stones exchanged, the Dongmen family began to move out.
Fang Xi and Ruan Xing Ling stood beneath the Small Talisman Hall, gazing at its old and faded plaque.
"It's time for a new name. Brother Fang, why don't you come up with one?"
Ruan Xing Ling said with a charming smile.
"Since we've decided to sell Spirit Pills and artifacts, let's just call it 'Pill & Artifact Pavilion'. . ."
Fang Xi's unimaginative naming made Ruan Xing Ling secretly roll her eyes.
...
As the Pill & Artifact Pavilion prepared for its grand opening, Wei Yi Xi and Wang Xiao Hu were both very active.
In Wei Yi Xi's words, they were finally not freeloading off 'Uncle' anymore.
Wang Xiao Hu, though silent, worked very diligently.
Clearly, Wei Yi Xi was, after all, Fang Xi's niece, making his position as an outsider even more awkward, so he could only work like mad.
As for Ruan Dan and Jin Ling, they lacked a bit of drive.
However, Fang Xi wasn't overly demanding either.
This is the cultivation world, after all; as long as one possesses cultivation, that's enough. There are no "customer is king" clauses here.
Normally, as long as Ruan Dan was stationed at the shop, her late Qi Refinement stage cultivation was sufficient to deter ordinary rogue cultivators.
For many cultivation forces, the dynamics of their highest-cultivated individual directly determined the family's future development plans.
For example, Dongmen Ying of the former Dongmen family.
In reality, many in this small family disagreed with renting out the Small Talisman Hall, as it was, after all, a goose that laid golden eggs.
However, Dongmen Ying was determined not to deal with customers, intending to go into seclusion for arduous cultivation and breakthroughs. In that case, no one could stop him. . .
Who could stop him when Dongmen Ying was not only the clan head but also possessed the highest aptitude and cultivation?
"In the Pill & Artifact Pavilion, we'll still need to refine a batch of Spirit Pills and artifacts. . ."
Ruan Xing Ling looked at the rows of brand-new wooden shelves, calculating. "Low-grade and mid-grade artifacts and Spirit Pills don't yield high profits and consume too much energy; we can simply abandon them. . . We'll specialize in superior-grade artifacts and Spirit Pills, occasionally releasing exquisite items. . . At the same time, we'll accept pre-orders for second-order, low-grade items."
"Very good, very good. You can manage these matters. Just show me the account books at the end of each year."
Fang Xi, drinking spiritual wine, wore the expression of a hands-off boss. "Apart from that. . . I'm not planning to sell the batch of special array-patterned artifacts you suggested last time. . . One always needs to keep a trick up their sleeve, you know."
Ruan Xing Ling was speechless regarding Fang Xi's caution.
...
For cultivators, time always passes quickly.
If one focuses solely on seclusion, several years can pass in the blink of an eye.
Spring came and went, autumn passed, winter arrived.
In the blink of an eye, a year quietly slipped by.
Peach Blossom Pavilion.
Fang Xi completed his daily cultivation and emerged from his seclusion chamber.
In the courtyard, there were already several small puppets he had made, such as wooden horses and mechanical tigers. They looked somewhat crude, but their aura was all around the first-order level.
"Puppetry is profound and extensive, but I'm still better at making wooden puppets. . ."
Compared to the incredibly complex art of puppetry, Fang Xi indeed preferred simple methods: whether it was a cultivator or a demon beast, he could control them with just a single tree seed.
Of course, while the puppets made this way were good quality, inexpensive, and astonishingly numerous, they could only be indirectly controlled through the Demonic Tree Tattoo, which was indeed somewhat cumbersome.
According to Fang Xi's experiments, among the eight demon beast puppets, if he controlled two main combat puppets, they could defeat four or five other wooden puppets!
"Or. . . I could abandon the most difficult part of puppet creation and just learn how to repair them, along with the final puppet control technique. . ."
As he pondered, Fang Xi arrived at the 'Pill & Artifact Pavilion'.
This small shop had a low-key opening, experiencing dismal business for the first few months, and only recently began to improve.
Through word of mouth among Qi Refinement cultivators, this 'Pill & Artifact Pavilion,' where small, exquisite items could occasionally be found, gradually gained a reputation.
Fang Xi walked into the shop and saw Ruan Dan, like an ice mountain, standing behind the counter.
Wei Yi Xi was organizing the Spirit Pill shelves, while Wang Xiao Hu was moving artifacts.
"Uncle. . ."
When Wei Yi Xi saw Fang Xi arrive, her eyes lit up. Wang Xiao Hu and Ruan Dan also quickly bowed in greeting.
"Hmm, carry on with your work. I just came to take a look. . ."
Fang Xi casually picked up the account book, did a quick calculation, and was left speechless.
'This Pill & Artifact Pavilion has been open for a year, and after deducting various raw materials and labor costs. . . it barely made just over a hundred Spirit Stones? '
'Though it's due to being a new shop, with several price reductions and promotions to capture market share, and thus sacrificing profits, it's truly. . . dismal! '
'Deducting the annual hundred Spirit Stones for rent, it's almost like working for free. . . '
'Fortunately, starting next year, profits should rebound and eventually stabilize at the level of several hundred Spirit Stones. . . '
Seeing Fang Xi's troubled expression, Ruan Dan and Wang Xiao Hu couldn't help but feel uneasy.
It was Wei Yi Xi who was quick-witted. She grabbed Fang Xi's arm and recounted many amusing anecdotes.
"Since opening the shop, I've really met quite a few friends."
"There were also a few cultivators who would always come up to strike up acquaintances, then boast about their rich harvests from wilderness explorations and hunts."
"Xixi has always kept Uncle's advice firmly in mind, never stepping a single foot out of White Peace Immortal City!"
Wei Yi Xi was deeply impressed by Fang Xi's stories about 'luring dogs out to kill them'.
Because of this, she would only reveal her innocent and carefree side when in front of Fang Xi, maintaining a natural wariness towards other cultivators.
"Oh, Shopkeeper Fang is actually here today! How rare, how rare. . ."
An old Daoist walked into the 'Pill & Artifact Pavilion'. He wore a snow-white crane cloak, with three strands of long beard hanging down, his complexion rosy, giving him a distinct aura of an immortal master.
"So it's Daoist Crane Transformation!"
Fang Xi slightly cupped his hands. This was a Foundation Establishment cultivator he knew.
"It's good that Shopkeeper Fang is here. This old man wishes to commission a batch of second-order Spirit Pills. . ."
Daoist Crane Transformation chuckled as he discussed the business. Both parties signed a contract and paid a deposit. . .
After all this was settled, the old Daoist Crane Transformation invited, "Daoist Fang. . . This old Daoist found an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling outside. Its restrictions are quite formidable, making it difficult to enter alone. . . I wonder if you might be interested?"
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