Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 164 Three Years of Development
It was freezing cold in Bianxia Town in December, and the wind was as sharp as a knife, causing pain on people's faces.

The mud pool that Song Xian chose to raise black arrowfish is located about thirty miles away from Solitary Peak. The area of ​​this pool is five or six acres. Due to desertification, these mud pools are not only wide but also extremely deep, which is most suitable for black arrowfish breeding. If it is inland, it is not easy to find such a mud pool.

At this time, a thick layer of ice had formed on the surface of the mud pit, and many civilians around were pulling up tall silk nets to cover it to prevent birds from preying on it.

"In freezing weather like this, it's crucial to drill several large holes in the ice. Black arrowfish are different from other fish; they don't live entirely in the water and occasionally need to come ashore. If there aren't enough large enough holes, the fish will desperately crowd into one place, causing mass deaths."

Wang Jie, a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, is teaching Zhou Ren and others breeding techniques.

"During hot weather, you need to be more careful not to let the black swordfish die from the sun. They need to come ashore, and sometimes in hot weather, they can easily lose their strength under the scorching sun. Furthermore, when the water level in the muddy pond recedes in hot weather, they can't return to the pond and die from the sun on shore."

"Generally speaking, the black swordfish will return to the pond within half an hour of being brought ashore. If it takes longer than that, you will need to help release it back into the pond."

"Before placing the eggs, you need to clean this muddy pond thoroughly. Fish eggs on their own have little ability to survive. If there are other creatures in the muddy pond, such as frogs, they will feed on the eggs, and mud snakes will prey on black arrowfish."

"Spread the bait three times a day, assign more people, and spread it as widely as possible to avoid the fish being squeezed and killed."

……

With Song Xian's warm hospitality and repeated invitations, the three Beast Taming Sect disciples stayed at Solitary Peak for several days before leaving.

During this period, the black arrowfish eggs had been placed in the mud, and all the processes of the beast soul incense and Xuanpu spiritual liquid had been demonstrated repeatedly. Ding Yi and Wang Xiang's team also followed suit and successfully refined them once.

According to the agreement, Hunyuan Sect takes 80% of the profits from each industry every year, that is, 2,400 spirit stones from the black arrowfish industry, 3,200 spirit stones from the beast soul incense industry, and 5,600 spirit stones from the Xuanbu spiritual liquid industry.

In addition to the 3,000 spirit stones given as a tribute to Yang Jinzhang, 2,000 spirit stones given to Zeng Rou, and 4,000 spirit stones for material costs, the annual net profit should be around 2,000 spirit stones.

The profit is not much, but with these three industries, eleven monks have been recruited. Although these people are not responsible for other affairs and maintain a certain degree of independence, they will naturally come in handy when an emergency occurs.

After all, the dominant power lies in the hands of the sect. If they want to continue to accept this industry, they must obey the sect's arrangements.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a formal disciple of the sect or not, just having the title is enough. What’s more important is that both parties share a common interest.

.........

In the spacious and bright hall of Luoyun Sect in Bianxi City, Song Xian saw Xiao Ling coming in from outside and stood up to greet him with a smile on his face: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I'm sorry to bother you."

"Master Song, you're welcome. Please take a seat."

"This is something I bought while strolling around Qingfeng Market. It's not a gift." Song Xian flipped his hands and took out an exquisite wooden box.

"Master Song, you're too polite. It's really not necessary to spend money every time you come here."

The two of them sat down, host and guest respectively. "I heard that things have been very rough in Bianxia Town lately. The Qingyuan Sect has been losing ground and is almost being wiped out by the independent cultivators. I hope your sect is doing well!"

"Our sect has always maintained a middle ground between the two sides and has not provoked those independent cultivator forces. Therefore, we have not been attacked by them yet. Only a piece of spiritual farm that we originally took from the Qingyuan Sect was taken away by them."

Song Xian remained calm and looked up at Xiao Ling's expression.

He came to Luoyun Sect this time just for this matter.

The pursuit and encirclement of the Qingyuan Sect by the Loose Cultivator Alliance has been going on for several months and has not yet ended. The once huge Qingyuan Sect is now on the verge of extinction. There are only a dozen disciples left in the sect, who are hiding behind the mountain gate and dare not go out.

Who would have thought that just half a year ago, the Qingyuan Sect was still the dominant force in Bianxia Town, forming alliances and making allies, feeling quite invincible, but now it has fallen to this point.

Witnessing the process of the Qingyuan Sect building a tall building to entertain guests and then the building collapsing, Song Xian gained a clearer and deeper understanding of the cruelty of this war between sects.

Once it starts, it will be either you die or I die.

The Qingyuan Sect took the initiative to provoke a war with the independent cultivator forces, but could not stop when it wanted to.

It's exactly what I said.

War is a matter of great importance to a state, a matter of life and death, and the road to survival or destruction. It must be carefully considered.

The Loose Cultivator Alliance is determined to eradicate the Qingyuan Sect. Even though the Qingyuan Sect has reached this point, they still refuse to give up.

Outside the mountain gate of Qingyuan Sect, several teams from the Loose Cultivator Alliance took turns guarding it and have been besieging it for two months. They could not attack the mountain gate, but they could choose to surround it without attacking, trapping the disciples of Qingyuan Sect inside.

Although cultivators are superior to ordinary people, they still have mortal bodies and cannot avoid eating, drinking, defecating and urinating every day. The Loose Cultivator Alliance wants to force the disciples of the Qingyuan Sect into a desperate situation. When their food runs out, the disciples of the Qingyuan Sect who are hiding in the mountain gate will have to leave the mountain gate and fight with them. They can't just starve to death.

All internal and external exchanges of Qingyuan Sect were intercepted by the Loose Cultivator Alliance, and food could not be delivered at all. Fortunately, there were a lot of food reserves inside the mountain gate of Qingyuan Sect, which could still hold on.

However, if this trend continues, one day the food stored in the mountain gate will be eaten up.

To be honest, the ruthlessness and determination of the Loose Cultivator Alliance taught Song Xian a lesson.

He had always thought that he was protected by the rules of the Qianqing Sect, and as long as he hid in the mountain gate, others would not be able to do anything to him. No matter how bad the situation became, there was always a way out.

But now what happened to Qingyuan Sect broke his naive cognition. It turned out that this was possible.

The Loose Cultivator Alliance did not violate the rules of the Qianqing Sect, but it forced the Qingyuan Sect disciples who were hiding in the mountain gate to a point of certain death.

Because of this matter, he ordered a large-scale purchase of food for the sect. Originally, the sect had enough food in stock for two months, but now he required that everyone in the sect be guaranteed at least two years of food.

On the other hand, the Loose Cultivator Alliance's treatment of the Qingyuan Sect also put him under immense pressure. After dealing with the Qingyuan Sect, would the Loose Cultivator Alliance follow suit and use the same method against the Hunyuan Sect? This was his biggest concern.

If the Loose Cultivator Alliance were to go after him, they would definitely start with the Yuxiang Pill and cut off his source of income. His purpose in coming here was to provide security for the Yuxiang Pill.

"That's good. I don't want to affect the sales of your sect's Yuxiang Dan." Xiao Ling nodded.

"I'm here for this very purpose. Our sect plans to open two more shops in Fengyuan Town Market and Xuanhuan Town Market by the end of the year to sell Jade Fragrance Pills. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xiao would like to station someone in those shops?"

The Qingfengfang shop was supervised by people from the Xiao Ling faction, who were counting the number of Yuxiang Pills sold.

Since the cooperation between the two parties is a private agreement based on profit-sharing, someone must be assigned to monitor the situation, otherwise the accounts cannot be reconciled.

"Oh? You're finally opening a new shop! That's great news. Have you chosen a location yet?"

"It's already been chosen, and it will open in a few days."

"Okay, I'll send someone over. Why are there only two? Besides Qingfengfang in Bianxi City, the five towns below it all have their own markets, as well as Bianshang Town. Why not open some at the same time?"

"Firstly, our sect has spent too much this year and is running out of financial resources. Secondly, our production may not be able to keep up, so we decided to open two shops first to test the waters. If the situation is good, we will open shops in other towns and markets next year. But our sect is worried..." Song Xian looked embarrassed, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

"Master Song has something to say."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao is also aware that the independent cultivators in Bianxia Town have been very active this year. Four of the sects in Bianxia Town have relocated, the Rising Sun Sect exists in name only, and the Qingyuan Sect is in danger of extinction. Although my sect has always maintained a neutral attitude, it is better to be kind than to hurt others. I am worried that the Independent Cultivator Alliance will target my sect next, which may affect the Yuxiang Pill industry. Therefore, I would like to ask for a favor from Fellow Daoist Xiao."

"Master Song, do you want me to mediate the relationship between your sect and the independent cultivators?"

Xiao Ling put away her smile and frowned slightly. Song Xian had mentioned this matter last time and she had expressed her attitude. She didn't expect him to bring it up again today. It was so inconvenient that made her a little unhappy.

Although she received money from Hunyuan Sect, she didn't want to always have to deal with such matters for Hunyuan Sect.

Besides, her 30% investment wasn't for nothing; it was for helping Hunyuan Sect deal with Yuyuan Sect. It was an equal exchange. She had no responsibility, let alone obligation, to resolve other problems for Hunyuan Sect.

Seeing her displeasure, Song Xian quickly explained, "Our sect has never had any conflicts with independent cultivators. We're just worried they might be greedy. What I'm most worried about is the Jade Fragrance Pill being looted during transportation. After all, it's thousands of miles from Bianxia Town to Bianxi City." "If it's convenient, could you please send a disciple to accompany the shipment? With your sect's disciples here, we don't have to worry about the items being looted by independent cultivators."

"Of course, our sect will not let your disciples work in vain. We are willing to pay a sum of spirit stones to compensate for the lost time in cultivation."

Xiao Ling's expression softened a bit. "Sending someone to escort us is not out of the question. I suggested to Sect Leader Song last time that we simply move the Alchemy Hall to Bianxi City. Wouldn't that be much more convenient?"

"Our sect recently built an alchemy hall at the main gate. This hall is specifically used to refine the Jade Fragrance Pill. It would be a shame if it were abandoned. Furthermore, building an alchemy hall in Bianxi City would not only cause trouble for your sect, but would also cost you a fortune in spirit stones and be a waste of time."

"Okay! Next time you need help, I'll send someone."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xiao."

.........

The Hunyuan Pavilion in Fengyuan Town Market and Xuanhuan Town Market opened as scheduled. During this period, Song Xian was not idle. He ran around to the places where the scattered cultivators from all over the two towns gathered to spread the news that Hunyuan Sect opened in this market to sell Yuxiang Dan.

The shops in Fengyuan Town’s market are managed by Jiang Zichen, while the shops in Xuanhuan Town’s market are managed by Xu Ning.

As for the shop in Bianxia Town, it has been decided not to renew the contract and will be closed.

Because Bianxia Town is sparsely populated, it is difficult for shops there to do business. In addition, the situation in Bianxia Town is turbulent this year, and the number of customers in the market has dropped sharply. As a result, the shops there have only sold more than 160 Yuxiang Pills this year, with a total income of more than 1,300 spirit stones.

Therefore, Song Xian resolutely decided to close the shop in Bianxia Town and focus his energy on the two newly opened shops in Bianxi City. At the same time, he also transferred Xu Ning, who was previously in charge of the Nanyuanfang shop in Bianxia Town.

Although the shop's revenue dropped sharply after he took over and suffered losses for the first time, this was due to objective factors. The chaos in Bianxia Town was the main and direct cause of the sharp drop in customer flow to the shop.

After working in the two markets for a while and finishing all the work, Song Xian returned to the mountain gate.

.........

It was the end of another year, and as usual, the sect held a financial meeting.

This year's expenses have completely exceeded expectations.

Let’s talk about the income first. The total annual income is 42,000 spirit stones.

The main source of income came from Qingfengfang Hunyuan Pavilion, which sold a total of 3,020 Yuxiang Pills. In addition to handing over 30% to Luoyun Sect, the company earned more than 22,000 spirit stones.

Nanyuanfang sold a total of 160 Jade Fragrance Pills, totaling more than 1,300 spirit stones.

In addition, when attacking the Yunfeng Trading Company's headquarters, the Qingyuan Sect paid 10,000 spirit stones, and the various magical instruments and other items seized from killing the fleeing disciples of the Yunfeng Trading Company were worth a total of 8,000 spirit stones.

...............

The expenditure was as high as 74,000 spirit stones.

In the battle to attack Lingyun Mountain, the sect rewarded each disciple with 10,000 spirit stones.

The fee for the Nanyuanfang shop is one thousand spirit stones.

The Qingfeng Shop costs 3,500 spirit stones. The alchemy room costs 1,800 spirit stones. The raw materials for the Jade Fragrance Pill cost 3,000 spirit stones.

The cost of the Alchemy Hall is 15,000 spirit stones.

He took over the Beast Taming Sect's business, paid a deposit of 10,000 spirit stones, gave 3,000 spirit stones to Yang Jinzhang, 2,000 spirit stones to Zeng Rou, 4,000 spirit stones for buying materials, and 1,000 spirit stones for fish eggs.

Zhang Ningyuan had previously gone to Pingyuan County to receive funding of 1,000 spirit stones. After returning, he reported the intention of the Qingyun Sect disciples to surrender, and then went there with Zhang Yi to receive another 2,000 spirit stones.

It cost 1,300 spirit stones to give Zeng Rou a robe, 600 spirit stones to take care of the three disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, and 900 spirit stones were provided as support when the alliance was first established.

The materials for refining the puppet cost 1,500 spirit stones.

The other travel expenses and rewards for the disciples' missions totaled more than a thousand spirit stones.

The cost of two shops in the market is four thousand spirit stones.

The disciple’s salary is 5,500 spirit stones.

.........

If you calculate carefully, this year's expenses are almost three times that of last year.

Last year's total expenditure was only 26,000 spirit stones, but this year it is as high as 74,000.

You should know that during last year's financial meeting, the expenditure budget for this year was 37,000 spirit stones. Now it has doubled, exactly 37,000 spirit stones, with an overspending of 37,000 spirit stones.

The reason for this is the huge turmoil in Bianxia Town this year. When the financial agenda was discussed at the end of last year, no one could have imagined that such a big thing would happen this year.

For example, in the battle to attack Lingyun Mountain, the sect rewarded each disciple with 10,000 spirit stones, but this expense was not included in the budget.

In addition to this, there was another large expense, which was the Beast Taming Sect's assets. In order to take over this asset, a full 20,000 spirit stones were spent.

These two expenses alone amount to 30,000 spirit stones, and these are necessary expenses.

It goes without saying that rewards for disciples are important, and clear distinctions between rewards and punishments are the rules and regulations on which the sect relies for its development.

If the Beast Taming Sect's assets are not taken over now, they will soon be snatched away by others, so there is no time to lose.

If we remove these two expenses and deduct the cost of 4,000 spirit stones for adding two new shops, the budget will not be exceeded by much.

Last year, the sect's treasury had a total of 28,000 spirit stones, plus this year's income of 42,000 spirit stones, a total of 70,000 spirit stones. Fortunately, Zhong Wenyuan lent 5,000 spirit stones to the sect, which allowed them to successfully overcome this difficulty.

Otherwise, not only would we not be able to open the two shops by the end of the year, it would be difficult for us to even take over the Beast Taming Sect’s business.

Since this year's income and expenditure were negative, the dividends for all members of the sect were cancelled.

Only a portion of the spirit stones used to sell Jade Fragrance Pills were allocated to the shops and the Alchemy Hall.

.........

After calculating this year's income and expenses, everyone discussed next year's budget, which was estimated to be about 22,000 spirit stones.

Among them, the material budget for Yuxiang Dan was increased to 6,000 spirit stones in order to expand production.

Because the puppet was successfully refined, the material budget was increased to two thousand spirit stones.

There is also the Qingfengfang shop fee of 3,500 spirit stones.

The disciples' salary expenses will increase dramatically due to the arrival of fourteen disciples from Qingyun Sect, and are expected to be 10,000 spirit stones.

After the financial meeting, everyone gathered in the hall for a banquet. Even the sect's registered disciples, including Ding Yi and Zhang Miao's team, participated. Everyone was laughing and chatting, and the atmosphere was relaxed and happy. This was how they spent the sect's third year.

This is the 160th year of the third Jia of the Taoist calendar.

(End of this chapter)