Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 236 Market Plan
The next day, in a spacious and bright living room, Jiang Feng sat opposite a thin man, with delicacies on their tables.

"Junior Brother Fang, you've worked hard on this trip. I'd like to offer you a toast."

"Brother Jiang, you're too polite. We're all working for the sect, so it's not that hard."

The two men drank the wine in their cups. Jiang Feng gave a look and Xu Hao took out a high-level storage bag from his sleeve. He bowed and handed it to Fang Qian respectfully with both hands, "Uncle Fang, thank you for your hard work. This is a small gift from our disciples. I hope you don't mind it."

"I don't accept rewards without merit. How can I accept this?"

"Brother Fang, since you're back at the sect, please say a few kind words for me. I'd be incredibly grateful. It's just a small gift, so why refuse it? Don't you even give me a little bit of face?"

"Then I'd be honored to refuse it." Fang Qian took the storage bag, probed inside with his spiritual sense, and put it into the bag calmly.

"Junior Brother Fang, I heard that you personally went to the inspection areas of Sunset Ridge and Ziwu Ridge in Bianxia Town this time. Does the sect have any opinions on the Tianshan incident?"

"I don't know if they have any opinions. But someone did mention the Tianshan incident, so I went to check it out. As for who it was, I'm not in a position to reveal it."

Jiang Feng nodded: "I understand. To be honest, I am also walking on thin ice in this position."

"I don't ask who brought this up. I'd like to take this opportunity to explain. Please ask Junior Brother Fang to convey this to the sect for me."

"I had just arrived and hadn't been in office long, so I didn't know much about the situation inside Tianshan. Somehow, two factions in Tianshan started fighting. Both leaders were dead, and the internal conflicts were like fire and water. If I didn't do anything and let them fight like this, both sides would suffer losses."

"Tianshan is our sect's watchdog, responsible for checking the trade of the caravans. If there's any problem, it will definitely affect the trade of spirit beasts."

"That's why I let the neighboring Hunyuan Sect take charge of Tianshan's affairs, to prevent the conflict between the two fighting factions from further intensifying."

Fang Qian smiled and said, "I have learned everything about the Tianshan Sect, and I will report this matter truthfully. I have also personally visited the two inspection areas, and they are doing quite well, with order within them."

"I heard that since the establishment of this inspection zone, the number of traveling merchants has not decreased, but has increased. This proves that this move is wise."

"In fact, it doesn't matter who leads Tianshan. The higher-ups won't care about such a small matter. As long as there is no chaos and the tasks assigned by the sect are completed, that's all that matters."

…………

The sky was dark and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

In the Tianshan Mountains and Puqing Peak, as sad music sounded, coffins sank into the pits one after another.

Song Xian stood in front of the tombstone with a solemn expression, and the others stood behind him.

"This funeral is to commemorate the brothers who unfortunately died in this mission. May their souls rest in peace." After the coffin was buried, Song Xian bowed and personally shoveled a handful of soil for the graves of several victims.

Immediately afterwards, the people behind him also came forward to pay their respects and cover the grave with soil.

After the ceremony, Song Xian announced that the relatives of each victim would receive an additional compensation of one thousand spirit stones, and other people on the mission would be rewarded with five hundred spirit stones each.

.........

In the silent and deserted secret room, Song Xian sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his palms facing upwards, his knees slightly tilted back, his legs and soles slightly facing upwards, maintaining a five-heart upward posture, which was exactly the requirement for practicing Xuantian Ronghuo Jue.

Following the key points of the mental method in the book, he controlled his breathing and let the spiritual veins in his body flow along the eight extraordinary meridians. He felt his body getting hotter and hotter, as if he was in a furnace.

He decisively stopped practicing his skills, and when he opened his eyes, he found that his whole body was red, as if it was about to catch fire.

This scared him really much. No wonder he felt so hot and stuffy. Fortunately he stopped in time, otherwise he might have turned into a ball of fire and burned to ashes.

Unexpectedly, practicing the Xuantian Ronghuo Jue would be so dangerous. Song Xian gasped for breath, and hot sweat poured down his head like rain.

After a long time, his red body slowly returned to normal.

What was going on? Could it be that there was something wrong with his cultivation method? He was somewhat suspicious and took out the Xuantian Ronghuo Jue book and read it carefully again.

That’s right! That’s what happened.

Song Xian was completely confused, but with the mentality of giving it a try, he closed his eyes again and practiced breathing according to the method described in the book. Soon, he felt as if his whole body was placed in flames.

How could this happen? He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at his own red skin, frowning tightly.

I was practicing according to the book! I didn't make any mistakes, so why did this happen?
Song Xian's mind raced. He Andao's autobiography did not mention this situation, which meant that he had not encountered such a thing, or had already solved it.

Thinking of this, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

He recalled the scene when the ghost general jumped out of the sarcophagus when he broke into the hall. Obviously, the ghost general was hiding in the sarcophagus to practice. Could this be related to the Xuantian Ronghuo Jue?

Song Xian looked at the sarcophagus beside him, opened the lid, carefully took out the Netherworld True Flame that was sealed by the thousand-year-old ice soul inside, then sat in it himself, closed the lid again, and began to practice according to the key points of the technique.

This time, the burning sensation in his body was gone. After a long time, he opened his eyes from his meditation, and a look of joy flashed across his face.

I didn't expect that this sarcophagus made of thousand-year-old Xuanyin stone has such a function. It can not only isolate the cold air, but also remove its own heat. It really kills two birds with one stone.

Of course, it is also possible that the densely packed, ghostly-like talismans in the sarcophagus took effect. Song Xian discovered that when he was practicing this technique, the talismans on all four sides of the inner wall of the sarcophagus were emitting a faint light.

No matter what, the problem of cultivation has been solved.

When he emerged from the sarcophagus, he felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. The entire room was covered in frost, the result of the icy aura of the Netherworld True Flame. He hurriedly and carefully carried the Millennium Ice Soul back into the sarcophagus for safekeeping.

After returning to the mansion, he saw a maid helping Su Zhirou walk around the courtyard. Song Xian quickly walked over, sent the maid aside, and picked her up by the waist: "Didn't I tell you to rest? Why are you still moving around?"

Su Zhirou laid her head in his arms and muttered, "I'm so bored staying in the room all day. My husband is not here, so I'll have someone help me out for a walk."

The two returned to the room and Song Xian put her back on the bed.

"Zhirou, don't follow me on such dangerous trips in the future. Luckily, nothing serious happened this time. If something really happened, what would we do?"

Su Zhirou held him in her arms, her tone gentle: "Anyway, wherever my husband goes, I will go."

Song Xian stroked her black hair, and recalled the scene at that time, still feeling a little scared: "I was almost scared to death at that time."

"Husband." Su Zhirou raised her head, her eyes flickering with affection. "Hmm?"

"Let's get out of here! Let's stop worrying about this and find a quiet place, okay?"

Song Xian looked at her gentle eyes, and his heart moved. He almost agreed, but he opened his mouth and still didn't respond: "Where in this world is there a quiet place?"

Su Zhirou rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes yearning: "Let's go to a deserted place and live a free life. We don't have to worry about the sect's affairs, and we don't have to take risks to fight for those things. How wonderful it is."

This was not the first time she had suggested leaving Bianxi City. She had mentioned it before attacking Tianshan.

After experiencing the disaster of the ghost general this time, Song Xian brought it up again. She knew that she was afraid that she would encounter such danger again in the future.

"You! You always think about these unrealistic things. Even if you don't cause trouble for others, others may not necessarily cause trouble for you. Besides, if we leave here, how can we practice cultivation? How many years can we live? How long can we stay together?"

"As long as I can be free from disasters, illnesses, dangers and troubles, that's enough."

Song Xian gently pointed at her forehead and said, "Big breasts but no brains, long hair but little knowledge. You have both. With our limited cultivation, if danger really comes, we won't even be able to fight back. If you want to be truly safe and secure, you need to become a top cultivator in the world, so that others can't afford to offend you. Only then can you live a truly free life."

.........

The moon was rising above the willows on Qiyuan Mountain. In the spacious and bright hall, Song Xian sat in the inner room, waiting. Seeing Xu Hao enter, he quickly stood up and bowed, "Fellow Daoist Xu, I'm sorry to bother you."

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

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and sat down as host and guest.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Xu had sent someone to our sect to instruct them on the reception of your sect's inspectors, so I came here to listen to your instructions."

"It's nothing serious. The sect sent people to inspect the affairs of Bianxia Town and wanted to take a look at your newly established inspection area. So I sent someone to remind you to prepare early to avoid any chaos."

"Could it be that your sect has any doubts about the matter of Tianshan?" Song Xian asked immediately.

The inspection personnel went to Sunset Ridge and Ziwu Ridge specifically to check. It must be because Tianshan's change of flag attracted the attention of the Beastmaster Sect. For the Hunyuan Sect, this matter is a top priority that concerns the foundation of the sect. If the top leaders of the Beastmaster Sect are unhappy and order the Hunyuan Sect to withdraw from Tianshan, then it will be all over.

So as soon as he heard the news, he immediately rushed over to find out more.

"Don't worry, we're just checking the situation."

"Currently? So, there are different opinions within your sect regarding the Tianshan matter."

"How could the sect pay attention to the personnel changes in a small Tianshan? However, someone did mention this matter. I can't tell you too much about the sect's internal affairs. You just need to do your own thing. As for the sect, my master is here!"

Song Xian felt relieved after hearing what he said. "I wonder if Senior Jiang is free? I have something I want to report to you in person."

"what's up?"

"I want to build a market town in Tianshan, and hope to get the support of Senior Jiang." Song Xian stated his purpose.

He had long intended to build Tianshan into the most prosperous trading market between Qin State and Muhe Grassland, but because the time was not right, he did not take action.

Now that two inspection areas have been built in Tianshan Mountain and have been put on track in recent years, it is time to build a market town.

The reason for coming to Bianxi City this time was, firstly, to solve the matter that the Beast Taming Sect had sent people to investigate, and secondly, to make preparations for the relocation of the market town.

If you want to relocate the market, you must get the support of the Beast Taming Sect and the Luoyun Sect. Once you can deal with these two, things will be much easier.

"Doesn't Bianxia Town already have a Nanyuan Valley market? I'm afraid you're planning to build one in Tianshan. It's been the rule for many years that each region has one trading market."

"Of course I know this rule. Wouldn't it be enough to just move the Nanyuan Valley market to Tianshan? Tianshan is located at the junction of the Muhe Grassland and the Qin State, and is the only way for bilateral trade teams to travel. This geographical location is much better than Nanyuan Valley. I guarantee that if the market is moved to Tianshan, its benefits will be much better than Nanyuan Valley."

Xu Hao smiled and said, "You want the right to manage the market, right? Why go through so much trouble? If you want to squeeze out the Ding family, you'll have to convince the Luoyun Sect and the Kong family. Besides, the management of the market isn't the responsibility of my master. You've got the wrong person."

"I understand that Senior Jiang is not directly responsible for the management of the market. However, as the head of Bianxi City, Senior Jiang also has a certain say in this matter. If Senior Jiang speaks up, I believe there will be no problem. In addition, I am not raising this matter in order to squeeze out the Ding family and gain management rights in the market. I have a plan that I would like to report to Senior Jiang in person. I hope Fellow Daoist Xu can inform him."

"My master should still be in the training room now, let's wait a little longer!"

"Thank you, fellow Taoist."

Xu Hao chatted for a while and then got up and left.

After waiting for about an hour or two, he came back with a reply, asking Song Xian to go with him to see Jiang Feng.

The two of them came to a room in a mansion, and Jiang Feng sat in the inner room.

"Junior greets Senior Jiang." Song Xian bowed respectfully.

"Tell me! What are your plans?" Jiang Feng glanced at him and spoke concisely and straight to the point.

He knew that Song Xian was a man of strategy and talent, as could be seen from the series of plans and arrangements that enabled the Hunyuan Sect to defeat the strong with the weak and take control of Tianshan. He had indeed done well in recent years. After the establishment of the inspection area, more and more caravans came to trade, and the income was higher every year.

So when he heard that Xu Hao had a plan to build a market in Tianshan and wanted to report it to him in person, he became curious and decided to meet him.

Song Xian said slowly, "Although Qin and Muhe Grassland have signed a peace agreement, the trade markets on both sides are still not fully open. Qin's sectarian forces cannot open shops in Muhe Grassland's market. Muhe Grassland forces are also unable to open shops in Qin. This has led to a certain price difference between the two sides."

"Tianshan lies between the Muhe Grassland and the Qin State. It serves as a barrier between the two regions and doesn't belong to either faction. If we can establish a market in Tianshan, we can not only invite businesses from Xijiang County to settle there, but also businesses from various factions in the eastern region of the Muhe Grassland."

"If the Muhe Grassland forces also opened a shop in Tianshan, they wouldn't have to travel thousands of miles to Dongluo City to buy and sell monster materials and other supplies."

"It's conceivable that the Tianshan market will become the most prosperous place between the two regions. This will not only bring huge profits, but also benefit both sides."

"The most important thing is that, in this way, the two inspection areas set up by our sect can also play a greater role."

"Whether it's the Qin State's supplies entering the Tianshan Trade Shop or the Muhe Grassland's supplies entering the Tianshan Trade Shop, they all have to pass through the Sunset Territory and Ziwuling Inspection Areas."

"As usual, we collect 10% of the spiritual stone tax. You can imagine how huge the profit is."

(End of this chapter)