Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 48 Opening of Fangshi

Song Xian hurried to the main hall and saw Zhong Wenyuan talking with a middle-aged man dressed in Qingyuan Sect clothing.

"Master, this is Fellow Daoist Feng Jian, the head of the External Affairs Peak of Qingyuan Sect." Seeing him arrive, Zhong Wenyuan stood up and introduced him.

"Master Song, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm following the order of our sect's master and have something to tell you." The man stood up and bowed.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, please take a seat. What can I do for you?"

"The market town of Bianxia has been completed and will be open to the public soon. The head of our sect would like to invite Headmaster Song to attend the opening ceremony of the market town. At that time, some forces in Bianxi City, such as Luoyun Sect and the Kong family, will send people to attend. This is the invitation from the head of our sect. Please take a look at it, Headmaster Song." The man took out a red invitation and handed it to him with both hands.

Song Xian took it, unfolded it, and took a look: "Please tell your sect leader that I will be there."

"I have other things to do, so I won't bother Master Song anymore. Goodbye."

"and many more."

"Master Song, what else do you want?"

"I'd like to ask if all the forces stationed in Bianxia Town accept invitations?"

"Yes, not only Bianxia Town, but also various forces in Bian Shang Town may participate."

"What about the Tianshan Sect? Did they also receive an invitation?"

"As far as I know, our sect did not give them an invitation."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Brother Feng."

"Goodbye." The man turned and left the hall, riding on a magic weapon and flew away.

"The market in Bianxia Town is about to open. What are your plans, Master? Are you planning to open a shop?" Zhong Wenyuan asked after seeing him walk away.

"To be honest, I'd like to open a shop in that market, but we have nothing and nothing to sell."

"You don't necessarily have to sell your own products to open a shop. Most shops don't have any business of their own and just make a profit from the difference in price."

"I understand that, but we don't have much capital on hand, so the price of a shop is definitely not cheap. Besides, Bianxia Town has a small flow of people. At most, the caravans will come here to trade. Opening a shop may not be cost-effective. What do you think, Senior Brother Wenyuan?"

Zhong Wenyuan pondered, "I can't say for sure, but I just think this might be a solution. We've been here for nearly a month, and we still haven't made any money. Although the headmaster has decided to go to the Muhe Grassland to do business, the matter is still undecided, and we don't know what the final results will be."

"Let's not even talk about whether we can get a pass to the Beast Tamer Sect. Even if we do, there's no guarantee everything will go smoothly. We can't put all our eggs in one basket. If we pin all our hopes on trading on the Muhe Grassland, and end up with nothing, or even losing everything, what will we do then?"

"We still have some talismans, elixirs, and magical instruments on hand. If we open a shop in the market, we can take these out and sell them slowly. If the trip to Muhe Grassland doesn't go well, selling these things can also support the sect's finances for a while."

"I think we can split the troops into two groups. The Sect Leader can take his own people to Muhe Grassland to do business, and send other people to run the shops."

"If the shop does well, the goods imported from Muhe Grassland can be sold directly in our shop in the future, and the price will definitely be much higher than selling to other shops."

Song Xian thought for a moment and said, "What Senior Brother Wenyuan said makes sense, but we don't have enough capital. It's almost the end of the month, and it's time to pay everyone their spiritual stone salaries. We also need to take out some money to do business in Muhe Grassland, so we definitely can't do it with less money. How can we spare the money to open a shop?"

Zhong Wenyuan said, "I've already thought about this. We can temporarily withhold the sect disciples' salaries and instead pay them every three months. We can just say that they're using the money to do business in Muhe. I believe all the fellow disciples will understand."

"As for the money for the shop, you don't have to take it from cash. Doesn't our sect still have a few magical instruments? Sell that top-grade one. If that doesn't work out, just sell a few more. That should be enough to open a shop."

"After all, the shops in the market are a source of income for the sect with a long history and are in line with the sect's long-term interests. Now that the market has just opened, if we are the first to move in and choose a good location, we will attract more customers."

"Shops in the market mainly rely on reputation and repeat customers. Arriving first will always have an advantage over arriving later."

"If all the good positions are taken, they'll have already built a reputation, become familiar with the merchants, and gained their trust. If we join Shanshan later, we'll be at a disadvantage."

Song Xian was originally a little hesitant and was still thinking about whether to open a shop in the market town. But after hearing what he said, he became more determined.

"Alright then! Let's do as Senior Brother Wenyuan suggested and set up a shop in the market. When the market opens in a few days, we'll go together."

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

Nanyuan Valley is located in the central part of Bianxia Town. Even when the weather is clear and the sun is bright, the entire valley is shrouded in clouds and mist, which is obviously the effect of some kind of formation.

Song Xian, Zhong Wenyuan and Zhang Ningyuan swooped down from mid-air on a flying magic vehicle, went straight through the clouds and mist, and came to the interior of the valley, where they saw a tall and magnificent city standing before them.

As soon as the three of them landed their magical instruments, the Qingyuan Sect disciples standing at the city gate immediately came forward to greet them, bowing and saying, "The market is not open to the public today. I wonder if you three fellow Taoists have an invitation?"

Song Xian pulled out a red invitation from the Qingyuan Sect. "I'm Song Xian from the Hunyuan Sect. These two are my senior brothers." The disciple glanced at the invitation and said, "So this is Sect Master Song. I'm sorry, but please follow me."

The three of them followed him into the city. At a glance, they saw straight bluestone streets stretching as far as the eye could see, with attics and shops lined up on both sides.

The layout of the market towns is similar, the only difference is the size and quality of the shops.

The Qingyuan Sect disciple led the three people to a majestic hall. Two men were standing guard in front of the hall. One of them stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I wonder which guest is visiting? Please allow me to announce it."

"This is Master Song of the Hunyuan Sect, and these two are his disciples." Before Song Xian could answer, the disciple of the Qingyuan Sect who led them spoke first.

"Master Song, please wait a moment." The man turned back to the front of the hall, pushed the door open and walked in. Soon, he came to the three people again.

"Please come in, Master Song. I'll have to ask you two fellow Taoists to rest in the side hall for a while."

Song Xian nodded to the two of them and followed the man into the inner room.

"Master Song is here, please take a seat." Hu Yingquan, the master of Qingyuan Sect, who was sitting in the main seat, said with a smile when he saw him come in.

Song Xian turned his head and saw that there were already three people sitting there, including Mao Jie, the head of the Rising Sun Sect whom he had met before, and two others.

One had slightly gray hair and a thin figure, while the other had a leopard head, round eyes and a burly figure.

"Master Song, let me introduce you." Hu Yingquan continued, "This is Fellow Daoist Liu Yong, the Master of the Zhenjiang Liu Sect nearby."

"This is Fellow Daoist Mao Jie, the headmaster of the Rising Sun Sect in Bianxia Town."

"This is Fellow Daoist Chen Gongzheng, the head of the Chen Mansion in Bianshan Town."

Song Xian nodded to the three of them one by one, then sat down on the side. "Master Hu, I wonder how many sects will be attending the market opening ceremony today?"

"The grand opening ceremony will be held tomorrow. We invite everyone today mainly to have fun together. Our sect has sent invitations to all the sects stationed near us and those nearby. As for how many people will come, I don't know."

A few people started chatting, and as time went by, more and more people arrived. By noon, more than ten people had arrived, all from various forces stationed in Bianshang Town and Bianshang Town.

Hu Yingquan said some polite words. His disciples had already prepared the banquet. Each table was filled with spiritual wine and spiritual food. There was also a group of young women dancing, and musicians playing stringed instruments beside them. Everyone ate and drank while appreciating the beauty and listening to the melodious music. Two elders of Qingyuan Sect were also at the banquet, frequently raising their glasses to clink glasses with everyone.

After the banquet, Hu Yingquan got down to business. The reason why he invited various sects to come was certainly not just for the fun, but mainly to attract them to open shops in the market.

This can not only increase the management income of the market town, but also make the market town more prosperous and conducive to its development.

"Everyone, look here. This is the layout of the market town." Hu Yingquan pulled open the red brocade cloth on the stone wall. A huge picture was hung on it, and he pointed at the picture.

"The streets to the north are for those independent cultivators who come to trade."

"To the south is where the market management staff live. There are inns, rooms for refining medicine, refining equipment, and making spiritual wine and spiritual food."

"The east and west streets are the main commercial areas. We have built 120 shops, and currently 13 of them have moved in, including the Beastmaster Sect, the Luoyun Sect, the Dingyuan Sect, the Kong Family, the Yu Family..."

"These shops circled in red have been reserved, and the remaining shops are available for everyone to choose."

"This area is priced at one thousand spirit stones per year, this area is priced at one thousand five hundred spirit stones per year, and this area is priced at two thousand spirit stones per year..."

“The reason for the different prices is not only because of the good location, but also because of the size of the shops.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mao Jie, the head of the Rising Sun Sect, intervened, "Headmaster Hu, can we discuss the price of this shop in your market? To be honest, our sect does intend to open a shop in the market, but we are financially strapped. We all migrated from far away, and we have no property in our jurisdiction. Our sect is living off our savings every day, so how can we have that much spare money?"

"Besides, this town is sparsely populated. Apart from our sects, there aren't many cultivators here. Opening a shop here might not be profitable. Sect Leader Hu, can you offer a lower price?"

Hu Yingquan smiled and said, "Isn't this price cheap? Besides, I don't have the final say in this market. You all know that my sect is only responsible for the security and management of the market. The real owners are the major sects. How can I decide the prices of the shops in the market?"

"As for what Sect Leader Mao said about Bianxia Town being sparsely populated, that's certainly true, but that doesn't mean the market is less populated. Our Bianxia Town is a major transportation hub, the only way to the Muhe Grassland. Most of the teams from Xijiang County that trade with the Muhe Grassland pass through Bianxia Town."

"Within a thousand miles, we are the only market. If the caravans don't trade here, where else can they go?"

"In terms of geographical location, our market is blessed with unique advantages. Otherwise, we wouldn't have already had over ten shops before the market even opened. You all may not believe that I, Hu, can do it, but don't those major sects also believe in our vision?"

"I dare to bet with you all that once the market opens, it will be packed with people and horses. All the factions from the surrounding towns will flock here. If you don't act now, you won't be able to get a good shop in the future, even if you fight your way through it."

After Hu Yingquan finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

(End of this chapter)