Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 335 The Buddha's Treasure Shattered Lotus.

Let's talk business, and drink with courtesans.

The banquet only ended when the moon rose in the east.

A single night of drinking and revelry cost him eight spirit stones; the cost of living in Wanghai City is astonishingly high.

Feng Bo'e, who had been comfortably served by several female cultivators, hadn't taken out a single coin. After sobering up, a cool breeze blew on him, and when he saw Su Qing and her gang of bears, dogs, and bears staring at him menacingly, he immediately shuddered.

"Fellow Daoist Su has spent money again. It's alright. No matter how many spirit stones you spent, just put it on my tab, Feng Bo'e, and add it to the 150 spirit stones. Once I've sold all the treasures I have, I'll definitely send them back to you in full!"

Su Qing wasn't sure how many treasures were in Feng Bo'e's storage bag, but judging from his evasive eyes, there probably weren't many genuine items. If he let him go today, he might not be able to find this fellow Daoist in Wanghai City tomorrow!
"A few spirit stones, you can repay them whenever you want. I have already transferred this debt to my subordinate, the War Bear. You will need to sign a new contract with this War Bear. I will not worry about it then."

"I've acquired a plot of land in the inner city and already placed a second-tier spirit house there. I'd appreciate it if Fellow Daoist Feng could accompany me. I have some matters to discuss with you!"

As soon as Su Qing finished speaking, Feng Bo'e saw a fierce-looking man holding two red flower sticks, who didn't look like a good person, pressing the sticks against his back, not giving him a chance to refuse.

The pack of bears, wolves, and dogs was right in front of them. The man looked ferocious, and the dogs looked menacing. What was most terrifying was the war bear, which was whistling and looking at them with the same eyes that Hei Qingtian looked at them, as if it wanted to devour them alive!
As a tomb raider, Feng Bo'e was quite bold, but upon arriving in Wanghai City, he was first captivated by the gentle charms of Hongxiu Tower, spending all his savings on flowers and tips. Without money to back him up, he lost his heroic spirit. He was also frightened by Qingtian Wuchang, which made him realize the dangers of cultivation and the fact that people on the ground are more ferocious than corpses underground.

Feng Bo'e, unwilling to accept the consequences of his actions, was carried in front of Li Hailang, his head drooping, as he followed Su Qing into the place where the cultivators were settled.

This place was purchased from Langya Workshop by Qinghe and others with spirit stones and through Rao Tingshan's connections, when Su Qing was working hard day and night in Hongxiu Tower. It was intended for the cultivators to settle down and build their careers in this city in the future.

This place is located in the most prosperous area of ​​the inner city of Wanghai.

The neighboring Langya Ward, after all, this land originally belonged to them, but because they are no longer as powerful as before, they are easily bullied and were taken over by Qinghe and others.

According to Qinghe, there is an acquaintance in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion next door. Tong Xin, the Daoist who fled Baiyun Immortal City before, is now the manager of the pavilion on the first floor. When I have time, I will visit him and reminisce about our old friendship.

Directly opposite them, across the wide white jade street, was the Duan family's puppet shop. If they were to open a shop here in the future, the two families would be locked in a fierce battle, which would surely be quite lively. Rao Tingshan was full of wicked schemes, and he probably chose this location for them intentionally, hoping that they would compete with the Duan family's shop.

Let Li Hailang take Feng Bo'e to the spirit house in the backyard to await his fate.

Su Qing summoned Liang Haishun, Shao Delong, Qinghe, and others to discuss the matter of opening a shop.

"Fellow Daoist Su, please don't worry about me. I don't have your abilities to open a gold-level shop, but with Yunxian's connections, getting a silver-level license is not difficult!"

Although Liang Haishun had been indulging in wine and women these past few days, he hadn't forgotten his business. Thanks to his relationship with Bai Yunxian, he had already obtained a license from Yuanlailou. Once he chose an auspicious day, he could open for business.

In contrast, Shao Delong, who was always quite confident in his armor-making skills, seemed rather dejected.

"These past few days, Delong, Huodan, and Xiong Er have been running around the market all day, checking the market conditions. Although there aren't many armor shops here, it's because Jia Tianxia has a monopoly. They not only forge armor for people and demons, but they even take on the business of plating armor for treasure ships. They don't give any work to other armor masters."

With such competition from other shops, Delong's armor business in this city won't be easy. There's no need to trouble Fellow Daoist Liang and Fellow Daoist Su to prepare a silver-level license for Delong; he can't even afford the deposit. He'll start with a bronze-level license, and the spirit crystals he earns will be enough to pay Xiong Er's interest!

Delong was heavily in debt and dared not invest too much. In addition, after awakening his love for bombing, he preferred being an aerial bombardier to a mech pilot. He no longer studied mech skills as much as before and had no confidence in making a living in the mech world. He was content with opening a bronze-level shop.

Seeing that these two fellow Daoists were aware of the situation, Su Qing had no intention of interfering with them. Although the group traveled together and considered each other friends, they were not a unified entity. They could not be compared with Qinghe, Ge Ling, and the others who had signed indentures or Daoist servant contracts with him.

“Since you two have decided to open a shop, you must also know the rules of this city. This place is different from other places. Reputation and credibility are the most important things in doing business, and it is not easy to cheat people!”

Su Qing emphasized that when these people were hanging around in Yunshan Immortal City, they were relatively honest in doing business. However, after arriving in the Desire Demon Immortal City, they were influenced by the demonic cultivators and had long since become accustomed to spouting nonsense and believing that they couldn't do business without deceiving people.

This habit is bad and must be changed in this city.

Otherwise, if their reputation is ruined, that's one thing, but if they get complaints from customers and fall into the hands of the law enforcement department, besides compensation of three times the amount for counterfeit goods, who knows what other troubles await them.

"I know, I've always been honest in business, Fellow Daoist Su, just be careful!"

"Understood. Although the Heavenly Silkworm Armor of Delong is not of high grade, its quality is very solid. There is no fear of customer complaints. Fellow Daoist Su, just restrain yourself!"

Even if Su Qing didn't remind Liang Haishun and Shao Delong, they would have reminded Su Qing anyway.

In their view, although Su Qing's puppets were all wonderful, they were mostly several times more expensive than other puppets of the same level. Before, in the Cloud Mountain Immortal City, a group of rogue cultivators were forced into a corner by demonic beasts and demonic cultivators, and the two powerful old evils. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it. In the Demon Smoke City, with the witch backing them up, the demonic cultivators also had to accept their fate and be slaughtered.

If Su Qingruo remains as ruthless as before upon arriving in Wanghai City, the cultivators there may not accept his actions. Even if he obtains a gold-level license, it is highly likely that his business will fail within a few years!
"You get what you pay for. My puppets are all valuable. I know exactly how to price them."

Qinghe and Geling, however, need to be careful. The sales pitches they used in Demon Smoke City are no longer valid. I'll have Hongshang prepare new ones, and you two should practice them until they're perfect before the shop opens. Make sure the customers can't find any loopholes!

Su Qing turned to Qinghe and Ge Ling and gave them a word of advice, and also reminded Xiong Er that he must not do the things he used to do in Demon Smoke City, such as lending money, speculation, lock picking and burglary, in this city.

"Waaaaah (I can't do any of these things, what did you bring me here for? A hero with no place to use his skills, this bear would rather stay in Demon Smoke City!)"

Xiong Er, who was eagerly hoping to make a fortune in the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom, never expected that his wings would be broken as soon as he arrived full of hope. He whimpered and wanted to run away from home to continue being a happy bear in the Demon Smoke City.

The puppet had grown wild with age, and Su Qing had to coax and trick it to stay in the city, letting it practice swordsmanship and pestle-wielding with Tiger Egg. She promised that once Su Qing had earned enough spirit stones and was ready, she would take it to sea to make a fortune. After calming Xiong Er down and having Fire Egg keep an eye on it, Qing He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and took out a pile of talismans from her storage bag, asking Su Qing to sign them one by one.

Su Qing glanced at it and saw that it was an unranked Dao Contract Paper. The effect of this paper was extremely simple. After signing and sealing it, the binding force of the Dao Contract could be exerted.

Although it would be difficult to have a direct impact on him, a third-tier body cultivator, this contract was signed and endorsed by many forces doing business in Wanghai Immortal City, such as the Earthly Treasury Evil Kingdom and the Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom. It was not easy to break the contract, lest it ruin his reputation.

"Master, according to Miss Qin Cao, if you want to open a top-notch puppet shop, the puppets you can sell in the shop should either be large and comprehensive or small and exquisite. Which path should my Su's Puppet Shop take, and which puppets should we report to the higher authorities?"

Wanghai Immortal City is awash in gold and silver, and Qinghe asks with great enthusiasm.

"The raw materials for the Lizard series are temporarily unavailable, the Air Combat series is not showing its power in the West Sea, the city is dominated by a culture of pleasure, and few cultivators fight to the death, so the Explosive series is probably not going to sell well either."

First, submit the Princess series puppets and the Explosive Bear series puppets. Then, grant permissions for Sea-Controlling Puppet, Armored Puppet, and Treasure Ship Puppet types. It won't be too late to research and refine them after I've investigated the market.

Furthermore, we will be launching a custom-made Tier 3 high-end puppet service. From now on, my Su Ji Puppet Shop will only serve the mid-to-high-end market, primarily selling Tier 2 and 3 puppets. The Tier 1 puppet business will be left to the bronze and silver medal shops!

Su Qingxian had clearly considered this beforehand, and said in a deep voice. Qinghe nodded silently in response.

The city has extremely strict price controls. A first-tier puppet can not exceed one spirit stone, which is 25,000 spirit crystals. Even if Su Qing's skills are superb, there is not much profit to be made.

The price of a second-tier puppet fluctuates freely between one hundred and two hundred and eighty spirit stones. If it's too low, it might disrupt the market; if it's too high, it might cheat customers. The profit margin is relatively large. Selling one second-tier puppet can earn more than selling hundreds of first-tier puppets.

As for third-tier puppets, since there are very few puppeteers who can create such puppets, and even fewer wealthy customers who can afford to buy them, they are not subject to market price controls and are priced entirely based on individual skill, with no upper limit on the price.

Su Ji's shop chose to focus on second and third-tier puppets, which was within Qing He's expectations. After all, compared to top-tier shops like Duan Family Puppet Shop, which are family-run and have hundreds of low-level puppeteers working together to refine puppets and supply goods, Su Ji's shop is different.

Su's shop only has Su Qing as the sole puppet maker, so it's a real waste of his time to spend crafting first-tier puppets.

He chatted with Qinghe and the others again about the relevant matters of opening the shop, and asked Li Hailang to go to Baibaoge, Yuanlailou and other shops before the shop opened to buy more general materials for refining second and third-tier puppets as a precaution.

How much cash does the store have left?

After Liang Haishun and Shao Delong turned and left, Su Qing asked Ge Ling another question.

Although Qinghe is the shopkeeper, the spirit stones do not pass through her hands. All the spirit stones earned by the shop in Demon Smoke City were kept by Ge Ling for future expansion and strengthening.

"Originally there were 5,682 spirit stones. The purchase of the land cost 450 spirit stones. The public relations expenses for Rao Tingshan and others cost 36 spirit stones. Sister Qinghe also purchased a second-tier gilded phoenix hairpin for Fellow Daoist Qincao, which cost 14 spirit stones. According to the master's instructions, the master's expenses at Hongxiu Tower and Huodan's food expenses were also recorded in the shop's accounts."

Currently, there are 5,347 spirit stones left in the account. Fellow Daoist Li will need to spend another 1,000 spirit stones to go shopping at various shops, or hire Xiong Er's Explosive Bear Team for escort, which will also be an expense.

Over the years, Ge Ling has been tempered and refined. The cute little girl has now become a cute young woman. Even though she manages so many spirit stones and works alongside the two villains, Qing He and Xiong Er, she has never been tainted by any evil. She protects the store's public property extremely well, and Su Qing can rest assured about her character and actions.

"Give me another three thousand spirit stones. There are some materials I need to buy myself, and there are some people I need to meet in person."

"Shouldn't you be doing something important, Master? Don't end up like Fellow Daoist Feng, wasting spirit stones at the Red Sleeve Pavilion. Before we came, Sister Guo told Ling'er that the female cultivators in the Western Sea are wild and dirty. If you really want to have fun, just play with Sister Qinghe! She doesn't charge you!"

"What are you talking about? What's so fun about Qinghe? Bah! I can earn money at Hongxiu Tower without spending any money. But this time I'm really doing something important. Langya Fang mainly sells precious materials from the Western Sea, which are perfect for refining the third-tier puppets that the cultivators in this city like. I plan to go there tomorrow to take a look!"

After receiving the spirit stone from Ge Ling, Su Qing told the two women to go back to their rooms to rest or cultivate. He himself went to the inner courtyard with great anticipation, ready to give Feng Bo'e, who was locked up in her room, a good pampering.

Outside, it was the dead of winter; inside, it was as warm as spring.

Knowing he couldn't resist, Feng Bo'e focused on enjoying himself and was currently messing with his treasures inside the spirit house.

To be honest, it's really unfair that he was accused of fraud by Hei Qingtian.

Because in his view, everything in his storage bag was real!

At least, the price he paid when he bought it was genuine!
What Su Qing and the others didn't know was that this third-level tomb raider would quickly sell off the treasures he plundered as soon as he left the tomb, rarely keeping them on his person.

So when he was expelled from the Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom, he had no ancient treasures on him and it was difficult to make a fortune in Wanghai City. Therefore, he spent money to buy these ancient treasures from several heroes who had been with him for many years to raid for gold, so that he could buy them low and sell them high in Wanghai City.

"But I never expected that those fellow Daoists who called me brothers and acted so honestly underground would even deceive me. They not only cheated me with fake goods, but I was also deceived by them. In their eyes, my professional competence is so low. After so many years of tomb raiding, can't I even distinguish between real and fake treasures?"

Not only was she cheated out of her money, but she was also looked down upon for her professionalism. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, she poured out her grievances to Su Qing, who had just entered the room.

However, from the moment Su Qing entered the room, her divine sense immediately fell on a piece of broken lotus that Feng Bo had discarded like trash and thrown on the ground.

Bang bang bang!
His heart pounded along with the Buddhist masters inside the storage bag, even more violently than when he first encountered the Vajra. Without much thought, he knew that the fortune contained within this broken lotus was far greater than that of the Vajra!
The tomb raider Feng Bo'e spends his days digging for treasures underground. How could he distinguish between real and fake Buddhist treasures? How could he understand the power of ancient Buddhist treasures? This good fortune is rightfully his to Su Qing!

(End of this chapter)