After careful consideration, Xia Qi'an said to Liu Qing, "The scented soap business has already been settled, so it really wouldn't be appropriate for you to get involved now!"
"However, I have another business that might be suitable for cooperation with your Snake Guard!"
Liu Qing's brows drew tightly together. She asked, "What business? How does it compare to the scented soap business?"
"It's even better! Just wait... I'll show you something..." Xia Qi'an said mysteriously.
Immediately afterward, Xia Qi'an went inside and brought out a blue-green ceramic jar.
He gently opened the jar and held it out in front of Liu Qing.
Liu Qing glanced at the snow-white crystals inside and said uncertainly, "This is... salt?"
"More precisely, it's refined salt... I purified it from a salt mine."
Because of the limitations of purification technology, most of the salt in this world was mixed with various impurities and was generally yellowish brown.
Not only did it look unsightly, but it also carried a strange taste.
The refined salt in Xia Qi'an's hands, white as snow and crystal clear, was something even the well-informed Liu Qing had never seen before.
Liu Qing dipped a finger into the refined salt and lightly touched it to the tip of her tongue.
Her eyes immediately lit up, and she became as excited as a child. "Wasn't your family once in the blacksmithing business? How do you know so many strange and wonderful crafts?"
"Why are you asking so many questions? Are you going to do this business or not?" Xia Qi'an was unwilling to explain further.
However, Liu Qing soon calmed down and said solemnly, "This refined salt is indeed a good thing... but salt is strictly controlled in every secular dynasty! The Wei Dao Si isn't allowed to get involved in things like this."
Xia Qi'an naturally knew that and hurriedly explained, "Of course I know the Wei Dao Si's rules... But my refined salt is far better than the coarse salt on the market. You can simply sell it to the imperial courts of the various countries. That shouldn't count as breaking the rules, right?"
Hearing this, Liu Qing felt that Xia Qi'an's proposal was highly feasible. She gave him a playful smile. "It's truly a pity that you didn't go into business!"
"All right! Give me this jar of refined salt. I'll have the brothers of the Snake Guard scout things out. Once we have some results, I'll come back to discuss it with you!"
After saying this, Liu Qing took the ceramic jar from Xia Qi'an and eagerly turned to leave.
Although the people in the Snake Guard had only average martial arts talent, every one of them was a capable hand when it came to handling this sort of matter.
At Liu Qing's command,
the Snake Guard investigated all the information about the various kinds of salt on the markets of every secular dynasty within a single day.
Their conclusion was that there wasn't a single kind of salt on the market whose quality could compare with the refined salt in Xia Qi'an's hands.
Thus, Xia Qi'an and Liu Qing struck a deal at once.
They began preparing to enter the salt trade.
On one hand, the Wei Dao Si would purchase salt mines from the local governments and transport the salt to Jinling City. The workers hired by Xia Qi'an would purify it, after which it would be handed back to the Snake Guard to sell to the imperial courts of the various countries. Those courts would then put it on the market for unified sale.
As for the technique for purifying refined salt, if Xia Qi'an could develop it, then the people of this world could naturally research it as well.
But with the Wei Dao Si's mighty banner behind them, ordinary secular dynasties and aristocratic clans naturally wouldn't dare interfere recklessly.
After all, this refined salt was sold only to secular imperial courts and wasn't put on the market independently. It therefore didn't count as breaking the rules; it could even be considered a good deed that benefited the common people.
In this way, Xia Qi'an gained two businesses that brought in a fortune every day.
He now had enough silver and time to focus on cultivation.
Time flew like a white colt flashing past a crack in the wall. A month later,
Si Nanyue summoned Xia Qi'an and Yang Wei to the manor. She was so furious that her hair stood on end, and she launched into a furious tirade the moment they arrived. "Xia Qi'an, what do you mean by this? You actually started the refined salt business without discussing it with me and went to cooperate with the Snake Guard instead? Are you still a Hound Guard? Do you even have any regard for me, your lord?"
"That's right, brother! You actually hid such a good thing as refined salt from us! That's pretty heartless of you!" Yang Wei chimed in.
Over the past month, Si Nanyue and Yang Wei had tasted enormous profits through the scented soap business.
Even they themselves had been stunned by the income from that month.
The scented soap alone brought in three hundred thousand taels every month.
Split evenly, each person could receive one hundred thousand taels of silver per month.
Even someone like Si Nanyue couldn't help being tempted by such a sum.
One had to know that the tax silver Jinling City paid in tribute to the imperial court in an entire year amounted to only five hundred thousand taels.
Of course, those five hundred thousand taels were not the Jinling government's total income, merely its tribute.
But this was still enough to show just how enormously profitable the scented soap business was. It was practically a business that made a hundredfold return on every investment!
If it were sold throughout all of Da Li, or even throughout all of You Province and the other provinces,
the profits would be simply unimaginable.
That was why Si Nanyue and Yang Wei had become so tense when they learned that Xia Qi'an had another refined salt business.
"Uh... I originally only intended to dabble in the refined salt business, selling it within Da Li and then stopping. After all, the Wei Dao Si doesn't allow this sort of thing, so I sought cooperation with the Snake Guard..." Xia Qi'an spoke vaguely, attempting to force out an explanation.
"Then do you know how much impact this business has had? Even my father has been asking me who created the refined salt. How am I supposed to answer him?"
"Did the higher-ups blame us? That shouldn't be... Since the refined salt is only sold to the imperial courts, it shouldn't count as breaking the office's rules, right?" Xia Qi'an lacked confidence, and his voice grew quieter and quieter.
"That isn't what the higher-ups meant! They want the technology for purifying refined salt and intend to take complete control of this business within the Wei Dao Si. Since you used the Wei Dao Si's banner as a tiger's skin to make the business grow, the higher-ups naturally want a share of the pie!"
As Si Nanyue spoke, Liu Qing entered under the guidance of the maid Qiū Dōng.
"What happened?" Xia Qi'an asked when he saw Liu Qing arrive.
He had been busy cultivating recently and had rarely concerned himself with business matters.
"The Snake Guard's Grand Commander from You Province came to see me! He told me to hand over the technology for purifying refined salt to the Wei Dao Si headquarters!" Liu Qing spread her hands helplessly.
Xia Qi'an asked again, "How much did the refined salt trade bring in this month?"
"One million three hundred thousand taels!" Liu Qing held up one finger after another as she spoke.
"Hiss."
Yang Wei drew in a sharp breath. As though his backside had caught fire, he hurriedly returned to his seat and picked up his tea to calm himself.
Yang Wei had always dealt with silver, so he naturally knew what more than a million taels of silver a month meant.
Si Nanyue was equally stunned. Her mouth hung open, but she couldn't say a word.
Xia Qi'an rubbed his forehead. "No wonder it alarmed the Wei Dao Si headquarters! Looks like this business can't be kept!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qing fell silent as well, like an eggplant beaten down by frost.
Clearly, she had tacitly accepted this outcome too.
But after recovering, Si Nanyue suddenly said, "Perhaps I can preserve this business!"
Xia Qi'an couldn't help asking, "How can you preserve it? Although Lord Sinan's father is a Tiger Guard, I'm afraid that still won't be enough!"
Si Nanyue let out a light snort. "You only know that my father is a Tiger Guard, but did you know that my mother is also a Tiger Guard? My grandfather is a Tiger Guard as well, and he's even a personal guard of the Kirin Guard! He's also a close friend of Lord Baili of the Kirin Guard!"
"Throughout the entire Wei Dao Si of You Province, our Sinan family still carries some weight!"
"Ah!"
This time, it was Xia Qi'an's turn to stare in astonishment with his mouth hanging open.
It turned out that the Sinan family was an inherited aristocratic clan within the Wei Dao Si. Ordinary aristocratic families simply couldn't compare.
"But... if we hand over the technology for purifying refined salt, then we'll have nothing to do with this business anymore. We won't even get a bowl of soup in the future!" Xia Qi'an said hesitantly.
"Don't worry! I can make the decision in the Sinan family. From now on, this business will operate under my name. Your share of the profits won't be reduced."
"But if you hand it over to the Wei Dao Si headquarters, then you really won't even get a bowl of soup!"
Xia Qi'an suddenly understood. So that was Si Nanyue's plan.
Still, Si Nanyue was fairly decent.
The people present would continue operating the business together in the future.
It was just that their shares of the profits would be much lower than before.
But this way, they wouldn't need to hand over the technology for purifying refined salt.
They only needed to send a fixed amount of silver to Si Nan Manor every month.
Naturally, this sort of task would be handled by Yang Wei and the other members of the Snake Guard.
Thus, the matter was settled.
Most troubles in business arose because profits were distributed unfairly.
Now that the Sinan family had stepped forward to shoulder the burden, the matter of the refined salt was essentially settled.
From then on, as long as Xia Qi'an stayed at home to cultivate, a large stack of silver notes would be delivered to his door every month.
And now that Xia Qi'an no longer lacked silver,
the first thing he did was purchase a large residence.
He hung up a plaque bearing the words "Xia Manor."
Before you continue