Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 10 Tenants and Landlords

Although this world is a world of cultivation, based on Lu Xingzhou's observation and understanding over the years, he feels that it is at most a low-level Xuan or low-level immortal.

Lu Xingzhou, at his current seventh-grade Daoist level, was still a long way from being able to fly. Healing a mere broken leg was like dying... Those so-called moving mountains and filling seas were only legends, not to mention exploding stars and planes. The top practitioners were all striving for "ascension to immortality," the level at which they could be considered immortals.

Whether immortals have sects, or how they manage resources, remains unknown. However, at our current low-level immortal level, we're all just ordinary people, and gold and silver are still quite useful most of the time. Every sect or guild naturally needs to earn money and resources, and individuals also need to "work" to accumulate resources for cultivation.

Lu Xingzhou described it this way: guilds were like companies, and sects were like private universities. Disciples from the sects joined guilds or government departments, though many stayed on to earn positions or continue their studies.

The Chamber of Commerce is also a kind of gang. Its main business is to deal in the circulation of various resources. The high-end ones will involve rare materials and treasures.

Of course, these are all righteous sects. There are also demonic sects and gangs that engage in arson, murder, looting, or other shady activities. The principles of the two worlds can still be mutually intelligible.

Previously, Lu Xingzhou assisted Yuan Muyu in establishing the "Yanluo Palace", the most feared killer organization in Daqian today, which is a typical evil path.

The Yama Hall assassin who had suddenly come to assassinate him must have been hired by the Danxia Gang. If the enemies in Yama Hall wanted to kill him, they would definitely not send just a low-level assassin. Speaking of which, the Danxia Gang was quite interesting. They kicked the landlord, and hired an assassin to kill their own elders. These unlucky people were really lucky.

The Tianxing Sword Sect was a highly orthodox sword sect, with many of its disciples choosing to join the imperial court upon graduation. The swordsmen's training focused primarily on the Demon Suppression Division and the military. Therefore, the Tianxing Sword Sect had considerable influence within the official system, but superficially, it appeared relatively grassroots.

Shen Tang knew what Lu Xingzhou meant by "what kind of business model?", so he said, "The Tianxing Sword Sect used to be one of the imperial merchants, helping the royal family handle finances and operate private vaults."

Lu Xingzhou was extremely surprised by this answer, and something occurred to him: "So your so-called extermination of your family due to offending someone is actually due to you being involved in the royal family's succession dispute? I heard that the eldest princess disappeared last month. Is it related to this matter?"

Shen Tang's gentle smile finally froze. "You're quite well-informed. This matter hasn't been made public by the imperial court. How did you know?"

"I have my own channels. That's not important. What's important is whether you are involved in the royal family's succession dispute?"

"The reason is unknown, and the court is also investigating the case. In short, we dare not openly seek refuge in the capital, for fear that we will die in obscurity if we enter the capital." Shen Tang sighed: "At present, I am the only one who knows the channels to contact the royal family, so no matter how reluctant they are, they have no choice but to serve me as their leader. Otherwise, how could a cripple like me get a chance to do so?"

"This channel is not easy to conceal. The royal family sends goods to you, and you send money back. This line is too obvious."

Shen Tang had initially thought Lu Xingzhou's questioning about the heir apparent meant he was retreating, but seeing that his attitude wasn't the case, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Not only that, I don't want to be targeted by my enemies again. So, I won't be contacting them in the short term. I need to open up the situation myself first."

"At least clear out the inside first?"

"good."

"So your so-called Chamber of Commerce currently has no source of goods... Perhaps you have some money, so you plan to purchase medicinal herbs in Xiazhou and make your own pills, which is considered a new business. To this end, you specially hired Bai Chi, the alchemist from the famous alchemy sect Fenxiang Tower, and the next stage of your plan revolves around him. But in the end, they were intercepted by the Danxia Gang?"

"Yes." Shen Tang smiled bitterly: "Bai Chi is from Xiazhou, so he was originally a good match. But we didn't expect that he and Liu Yan'er were childhood sweethearts, and he was seduced by just a few words..."

Lu Xingzhou gently patted the armrest of his wheelchair and said thoughtfully, "The Danxia clan has its own medicinal mountain, but you need to purchase medicinal materials. The cost of refining pills is not on the same level as yours. If you compete with them from this perspective, you will definitely lose. If you believe me, then my advice is to abandon the alchemy plan and find another solution."

Shen Tang sighed, "I know that too... but we really don't have any other options available in the short term."

"Since I've mentioned this, I naturally have another plan to help you gain a foothold. In fact, there are too many people in Xiazhou doing this kind of business. Even if Bai Chi was still here, at most you could become the second Danxia Gang. What's the point of that... Your original plan was wrong."

Shen Tang nodded. "We understand the logic. We originally just wanted to settle down first. Now that we've arrived in Xiazhou, of course our first thought is about medicinal herbs."

"This is a misconception. Who says that places with abundant medicinal herbs must engage in medicinal herb-related businesses?"

"But if you want to do something else, why choose Xiazhou?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "Xiazhou is one of the Daqian medicinal material bases, but there are not many skilled alchemists here. Do you know why?"

Shen Tang said, "Of course it's because the medicinal materials here are just ordinary crops. They are only suitable for refining low-grade pills. High-level alchemists don't look down on this place."

"But correspondingly, low-grade alchemists like me flock here in droves. The production of low-grade elixirs here is unmatched in Daqian, and the prices are driven down by competition. Many chambers of commerce purchase elixirs from here and resell them elsewhere to profit from the difference, and local cultivators even eat low-grade elixirs like candy." Lu Xingzhou blinked. "The question is, if the people of Xiazhou consume so many elixirs, why aren't they cultivating faster than those in other places?"

Shen Tang blurted out: "First, if you take too many similar pills, the effect will be reduced. Second, they have too much accumulated poison!"

All medicines are poisonous to some extent, and the same goes for elixirs.

The reason why top-grade, superior-quality elixirs are more valuable than standard, good-quality ones is not because they are more potent; the real key is that they produce less leprosy. Top-grade elixirs are virtually free of leprosy and are a rare commodity. However, given the scarcity of top-grade elixirs and the high cost of premium elixirs, most people still rely on standard, good-quality elixirs. Elixirs elsewhere are much more expensive than those in Xiazhou, and even good-quality elixirs are rarely consumed in excess, as leprosy can generally be eliminated on its own, making it a minor problem. However, the people of Xiazhou consume excessive amounts, accumulating some leprosy deep within their bodies. However, due to the prevailing atmosphere, few people reflect on this fact.

In fact, it wasn't just the people of Xiazhou; the vast majority of Daoists were extremely dependent on elixirs, willingly using them even though they knew they were poisonous. On the other hand, sword cultivators were even more averse to this.

Sure enough, Lu Xingzhou said, "The Sword Sect values ​​purity above all else. Their swords are as pure as jade and their hearts are clear. They disdain relying on drugs and are more adept at expelling these messy impurities than other sects. If your sect uses some special mental method to achieve this, could this technique be engraved on a talisman or magical instrument, so that people can carry it long-term to purify the poison?"

Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, and after thinking it over in his mind, his eyes gradually became bright.

Erysipelas can certainly be cured by detoxifying pills. If the poison accumulates seriously, high-quality detoxifying pills can be used. It is not a difficult problem. The problem is that it is expensive.

This kind of purification sword talisman is very cheap, but it needs to be carried for a long time and is not as effective as the detoxification pill. It is just right for Xiazhou's situation.

This idea sounds simple, and many sects, not just the Sword Sect, could implement it. However, unlike Xiazhou, where low-level elixirs are consumed like candy, elixir poisoning isn't a major concern, so naturally, no one studies it. This is a strategy specifically tailored to Xiazhou's local conditions, but the people of Xiazhou simply don't have the awareness to implement it!

In other words, they will be the first to do this business, and as long as it can be promoted, it will be a profitable business.

Shen Tang took a deep breath and couldn't help asking, "Actually, using our resources to refine the elixirs and compete with the Danxia Gang would be more satisfying for you, wouldn't it? Why do you always refuse to do that, and instead give me this priceless idea?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled. "You haven't realized that this alchemy competition isn't about competing against the Danxia Gang, but about being caught up in the vast ocean of competition for elixirs across Xiazhou. For the Danxia Gang, at most, it'll just make them feel a little uncomfortable, but it won't have any practical significance."

Shen Tang asked curiously, "Are you really not going to pay any attention to them?"

"I've already gotten rid of my anger. If they don't bother me, I really wouldn't bother with them." Lu Xingzhou smiled warmly, "But now that they don't want me to survive in Xiazhou, I have no choice but to make sure they don't survive."

Shen Tang clearly saw that the man had a smile on his face, but a frightening murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Does he want the Danxia Gang to die?

His cultivation is not very high, how can he do it alone with a child?

Shen Tang hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Given our current situation, it's difficult for us to engage in armed conflict with other gangs."

"When did I ever say I needed you to resort to violence..." Lu Xingzhou's murderous intent had faded, and he continued to smile: "If Miss Shen thinks my idea is worth some money, why not help me purchase a batch of Han Ying grass, the more the better."

Hanying grass is quite effective in removing dead tissue and promoting flesh growth. It is often crushed and applied externally to treat skin ulcers, corrosion, burns, etc. Since it is not often used in alchemy, there are not many people growing this in Xiazhou, and the price is not high.

Shen Tang didn't know why Lu Xingzhou needed this for alchemy, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded and said, "I will raise the funds. Thank you for your guidance, sir."

After saying that, he turned in his wheelchair and went out.

Lu Xingzhou watched her slowly walk away without saying a word for a long time.

At this moment, Ah Nuo's voice rang out from beside him: "Master, what are you doing? Master? You actually started teaching..."

Lu Xingzhou came back to his senses and said with a straight face, "That gentle look, those words of accommodation and understanding... I'm clearly the landlord, but she acts like she took me in. Isn't that infuriating?"

Ah Nuo shaved his face and said, "If the result of being angry is to give the other party an idea worth a million dollars, then please, Master, be angry with me."

Lu Xingzhou stretched out his hands and grabbed both sides of her face and pulled them sideways, then suddenly let go. She bounced back with a "thump" sound, and her fat flesh trembled.

Under An Nuo's resentful gaze, Lu Xingzhou remained expressionless: "That just allows me to regain my high position. This idea sounds simple, but in reality, they probably can't implement it on their own. They will have to ask me for help later."

Ah Nuo sighed: "Why bother, Master..."

Lu Xingzhou said coldly, "Because I never want to experience the feeling of living under someone else's roof again in my life."

Ah Nuo said quietly, "Master, you understand the human heart game so well, so you must have many girlfriends, right?"

"Bang!" The little Taoist boy was rolled into a ball and thrown out the door.

(End of this chapter)