roccoschili Chapter 160 - 138: Recruiting Guest Ministers
Chapter 160 - 138: Recruiting Guest Ministers
Inside the meeting hall, Fang Qingyuan sat in the main seat, waiting for the two parties to hand over a large sum of Spirit Stones as rent.
However, what they said next wiped the smile from Fang Qingyuan’s face. He heard Gao Shouli of the Vast Collection Pavilion say:
"I believe Master Fang misunderstands. The Vast Collection Pavilion opening a store in the Yuanling Square Marketplace won’t bring you much income in Spirit Stones. Rather, it will be beneficial in other ways."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan remained impassive. He glanced at Wan Bochong, the Cultivator from the Treasure Pavilion, and saw that he was smiling and nodding in agreement with Gao Shouli’s words.
’These two old foxes... when did they team up? Aren’t you two supposed to be at odds? Why are you suddenly acting like kindred spirits?’
Fang Qingyuan scoffed inwardly, but his expression remained calm as he asked:
"A marketplace’s most valued asset is shop rent. That’s how we make a living. If you won’t pay rent, how will you compensate us?"
At this, Wan Bochong chimed in.
"Has Master Fang perhaps noticed that while the Yuanling Square Marketplace has a good amount of foot traffic, the vast majority of its patrons are Qi Cultivation Cultivators? There are very few Foundation Establishment Cultivators."
Hearing Wan Bochong’s words, Fang Qingyuan recalled the Cultivators he had seen recently. After a moment of thought, he nodded and said:
"That’s true. So, what do you two have in mind?"
Gao Shouli stroked his beard and said with a smile,
"It’s because there is nothing in the Yuanling Square Marketplace to attract these Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The shops you currently run mostly deal in low-level items for Qi Cultivation Cultivators. There are very few second-tier or higher items, which is why Foundation Establishment Cultivators don’t bother stopping by."
Wan Bochong added from the side,
"Our two establishments are here to fill that gap. The Magical Artifacts and spiritual materials we sell are all second- and third-tier. We won’t compete with the existing shops for customers. On the contrary, we will attract Foundation Establishment Cultivators, which will in turn create opportunities for them to purchase other goods."
’This model is just like the new, large shopping centers from my past life. To get big-name brands to bolster their high-end image, they’d give them storefronts for free, sometimes even paying them subsidies.’ After hearing their arguments, Fang Qingyuan grew pensive.
Seeing Fang Qingyuan’s expression, Gao Shouli and Wan Bochong exchanged a glance and said,
"This way, we all gain something. You get Foundation Establishment Cultivator customers, while we find a place to open a shop and earn some Spirit Stones. It’s a win-win for everyone. What do you say, Master Fang?"
Fang Qingyuan patiently waited for them to finish before speaking slowly.
"I understand the logic, but I refuse."
At his words, the expressions of the two Cultivators changed. They stared at Fang Qingyuan in disbelief, seemingly baffled by his refusal. In other Marketplaces, they could name any terms they wanted. Why wasn’t it working here in Yuanling Square?
Concerned about their powerful backgrounds, Fang Qingyuan didn’t want to sour the relationship further. He needed to at least maintain appearances, so he explained,
"It’s true that Foundation Establishment Cultivators have greater purchasing power, but they also bring greater risks. The Yuanling Square Marketplace is understaffed. We can only maintain order among Qi Cultivation Cultivators. Every single Foundation Establishment Cultivator is a handful, and we simply don’t have the capacity to manage them.
Secondly, you came to our Yuanling Square Marketplace because you believe you can earn Spirit Stones here. If this location is so attractive to you, then even if you pass, someone else will see its value. And they will be willing to pay the fee.
So, if you truly want to open a shop here, let your Spirit Stones do the talking. And I’m only making room for one."
After he finished, Fang Qingyuan smiled at the two Cultivators. His attitude was firm; he genuinely seemed not to care if they stayed or left. At that, the tacit understanding between the two parties vanished, and a real competition began.
After a long pause, Wan Bochong of the Treasure Pavilion secured the right to open a shop in the Yuanling Square Marketplace for an annual fee of fifty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. As for the people from the Vast Collection Pavilion, they stormed out in a huff.
It wasn’t that the Vast Collection Pavilion couldn’t afford the Spirit Stones. They felt that having to pay to open a shop here was humiliating enough. If the price had been any higher, Gao Shouli would have lost all face back at the Vast Collection Pavilion.
After Gao Shouli left, Fang Qingyuan said to Wan Bochong,
"Congratulations, Elder Wan, on pushing out the Vast Collection Pavilion. We’ll be neighbors from now on, so I’m sure we’ll have plenty of dealings with each other."
Looking at Fang Qingyuan’s radiant smile, Wan Bochong also offered a genuine smile and said,
"You’re a remarkable junior. If we hadn’t started bidding just now, would you really have sent us away?"
Fang Qingyuan laughed heartily and replied with even greater sincerity,
"Absolutely. I’m a timid person, you see. I hate trouble more than anything."
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s explanation, Wan Bochong felt a bit more at ease. He nodded and asked,
"Shall we discuss the location for the Treasure Pavilion’s shop now?"
"Of course. But before we do, would Elder Wan mind settling the first year’s payment in Spirit Stones?"
.......
After settling the matter of the Treasure Pavilion’s new shop, Fang Qingyuan took Yuanling Mountain’s share of the profits and returned to the mountain from the Marketplace.
After the Treasure Pavilion paid its fifty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, Fang Qingyuan withdrew forty thousand Spirit Stones from the Marketplace for the month. In total, since the Yuanling Square Marketplace opened half a year ago, it had brought Yuanling Mountain an income of over eighty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.
In addition, Yuanling Mountain’s earnings for the past six months included a share from the Crimson Iron Ore mine. Its two-percent stake translated to an income of seventeen to eighteen thousand Spirit Stones over that period.
Furthermore, there was revenue from the sale of three thousand mu of tobacco leaves, the products from the Spirit Beasts raised in the four mine pits, and Zhang Yuan’s Spiritual Material Store. All told, Yuanling Mountain’s income over the past six months had reached a staggering one hundred and ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.
With the Treasure Pavilion’s annual rent already paid, Fang Qingyuan projected that since opening the Marketplace, Yuanling Mountain’s income for the year would be around two hundred thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.
Two hundred thousand a year. Jiang Kui probably couldn’t even dream of it. During her years as Mountain Master, Yuanling Mountain had scraped by on mining, earning just over twenty thousand Spirit Stones annually. Now, in a mere three or four years, that income had increased tenfold.
Thinking of Jiang Kui, Fang Qingyuan sighed. He went to the Yuanling Mountain Storage Room, deposited all the Spirit Stones, and then took out thirty thousand Spirit Stones and put them in a storage bag.
This was Jiang Kui’s share of the profits. Fang Qingyuan planned to have Zhang Yuan deliver it to her. Jiang Kui was recuperating in the Qi Yun Territory on her own and had no source of income. This sum of Spirit Stones should be enough to cover her expenses for a while.
After setting aside Jiang Kui’s share, Fang Qingyuan counted out another five thousand Spirit Stones for Zhang Yuan. As for himself, he only took ten thousand.
After he took the shares for the three of them, seventy to eighty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones remained in the Storage Room. Moreover, another hundred thousand were expected in the second half of the year.
Looking at the Spirit Stones before him, Fang Qingyuan felt he couldn’t just let them lie idle in the Storage Room. With matters growing more complex, it was time to press forward with recruiting Guest Ministers.
....
「Two months later.」
In the main hall of Yuanling Mountain, Fang Qingyuan sat high upon the main seat. Liu Xun and Qu Wujie, two of his young disciples, stood to the side holding ceremonial items.
In the hall, there were also many Cultivators. Among them, She Xi Yu, Patriarch of the She Family, and Wan Bochong of the Treasure Pavilion were also present. These two were here to act as witnesses. At this moment, three Qi Cultivation Cultivators stood in the center of the crowd with various expressions, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Of the three Cultivators, the oldest, a man who looked like an old farmer, was named Nong Shouyuan. He was nearly seventy, at the Late-stage Qi Cultivation. Barring any miracles, he would never reach Foundation Establishment in this life.
Nong Shouyuan was a Spirit Plant Cultivator who had long made his living growing Spirit Plants for Cultivation Clans and Cultivation Sects. He had been recommended to Fang Qingyuan by She Xi Yu. Nong Shouyuan’s former employer, a Cultivation Clan, had suffered a devastating blow during the Barbaric Wilderness campaign launched by the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. Most of its members, including the Patriarch, were devoured by demonic beasts. The clan’s strength plummeted, its branches fell to infighting, and in the chaos, Nong Shouyuan was caught in the crossfire and ultimately cast out.
Nong Shouyuan and She Xi Yu were old acquaintances. She Xi Yu had considered taking him in, but just then, Fang Qingyuan was making inquiries everywhere in search of Guest Ministers. Seeing an opportunity to easily grant a favor, She Xi Yu recommended Nong Shouyuan to Fang Qingyuan.
After learning Nong Shouyuan’s history, Fang Qingyuan sent someone to make discreet inquiries with Nong Shouyuan’s former clan. Confirming that Nong Shouyuan was a steady and reliable person, he accepted him, intending to put him in charge of the three thousand mu of tobacco leaves and all the other Spirit Plants on Yuanling Mountain.
Besides Nong Shouyuan, there was a shrewd-looking middle-aged Cultivator in his forties. This was the Chief Shopkeeper Fang Qingyuan had recruited to run the Spiritual Material Store. His surname was Jiang, his cultivation was at the Mid-stage Qi Cultivation, and he was a kinsman Jiang Kui had summoned from the Qi Yun Territory. Lured by the high salary Fang Qingyuan offered, this relative of Jiang Kui’s was willing to leave the prosperous heart of the Qi Yun Territory for the desolate Southern Border to serve as a Chief Shopkeeper.
There was one more person, also an old man. He came from White Mountain and was named Liao Wenlamp. He was at the Late-stage Qi Cultivation. This person looked even older than Nong Shouyuan, but he was not yet sixty years old.
His current appearance was the result of numerous severe injuries sustained over years of constant battle. Liao Wenlamp was a quintessential White Mountain Cultivator and the Clan Leader of a small Cultivation Clan. Back in White Mountain, he had grown accustomed to fighting for his life from time to time.
But ever since Wei Tong arrived in White Mountain, the intensity of the conflicts had escalated. In the span of a decade, Liao Wenlamp’s clan had been on the brink of annihilation three times. The war in the Southern Border was now over, but in Northern White Mountain, after the Wei Family finished their fight with the Luo Family, they had started another one with the Artifact Talisman Alliance.
After much deliberation, Liao Wenlamp finally spent a large sum of Spirit Stones to call in a favor with Zhao Liangde and moved his entire family, young and old, to the Southern Border.
Zhao Liangde had intended to place Liao Wenlamp’s family in the newly cleared Wilderness Forest. However, that Land Realm had been developed for less than a year, and the conditions were extremely harsh. When Liao Wenlamp learned of this, he adamantly refused to go. Having accepted the Spirit Stones, Zhao Liangde couldn’t just wash his hands of the matter. When he heard Fang Qingyuan was hiring, he asked if he would be willing to take them in.
Fang Qingyuan was pleased with this development. Although Liao Wenlamp brought his entire family, which included seven or eight Qi Cultivation Cultivators, he wouldn’t dare entertain thoughts of rebellion as long as Yuanling Mountain remained under the Beast Taming Sect. Even if he did, the people around him would surely talk him out of it.
In this way, Fang Qingyuan gained a source of cheap muscle and labor, while Liao Wenlamp found a powerful backer. Both parties were quite satisfied.
With the sound of a gong, the ceremony for recruiting Guest Ministers at Yuanling Mountain officially began. After everyone had gone through the ceremonial procedures, the three men came before Fang Qingyuan, bowed their heads deeply, and said in unison:
"We, your subordinates, greet the Mountain Master!"