Peacock Feather, Reward, Rebellion!

After receiving a warning, Feng Xi became much more composed when facing Kong Xuan.

He no longer discussed unspeakable topics, shifting the conversation towards the younger Kong Xuan's future work.

He hadn't forgotten the most important matter at hand.

'As a merchant who buys and sells, how can I not maintain good relationships with the manufacturers at the source of the supply chain?'

'And it would be best, absolutely best, to pull Kong Xuan into our commercial organization too...'

His eyes darted around as Feng Xi calculated in his mind.

With his eloquent speech and persuasive skills, he began to fool, no, persuade Kong Xuan, sincerely inviting him to join the shell company he had just decided to establish.

"Kong Xuan!" Feng Xi said with a solemn and serious expression, "Since you feel you've grown up and want to solve problems using your own abilities instead of always relying on family and elders..."

"You want to be a strong person, striving for self-improvement and always moving forward."

"But these things aren't just words."

"You need to prove it with actions."

"Prove it? How?" Kong Xuan asked.

"For example... starting a business!" Feng Xi smoothly guided the conversation. "You mentioned earlier that some uncles suggested work for you, managing the Phoenix Perch Market."

"I know you have a strong background. As the first heir of the Phoenix Lineage, you'll definitely control immense wealth in the future... this is just a trial run, and you already have such a position."

"But, are you satisfied with just managing the market?"

"The wealth of the Phoenix Lineage, it's yours, yet it's not yours... because it's the wealth your parents worked hard to earn."

"If you only manage it, even if you do the best job possible, what does that prove?"

"At best, you're a preserver, not a pioneer!" Feng Xi stated.

Kong Xuan listened, deep in thought.

"If you truly want to prove your abilities, prove that you can thrive on this era's stage, live well in this Primordial Era, and no longer have to rely on the protection of your elders' wings... then you need to forge a brand new path outside the life trajectory your family has planned for you!"

"This path may be rugged and not as smooth as a highway... but even the smallest step taken is a transformation and sublimation of your personal capabilities!"

Kong Xuan was moved, swayed by Feng Xi's words and getting on board. "Then, what should I do? How do I start a business?"

"Can I... really do it alone?"

"In the beginning, the requirements don't have to be that high," Feng Xi said with an inexplicable smile. "You can find partners and helpers, join a new group, experience the atmosphere of collective wisdom, and get familiar with the process first..."

"Hmm... there's a very good opportunity right now!"

Feng Xi's smile was brilliant.

"I'll be waiting for your good news."

Kong Xuan waved goodbye to Feng Xi reluctantly.

"Don't worry!"

Feng Xi promised confidently, "When we meet again, we will both have undergone a brand new transformation!"

After Kong Xuan disappeared from Feng Xi's sight, he opened his tightly clenched fist.

In his palm lay a feather.

--A Peacock Feather!

This was a token of trust given to Feng Xi by Kong Xuan.

With it, he could purchase valuable products from the Phoenix Lineage at the lowest possible cost.

Many of these products were in short supply even within Phoenix Perch Mountain, let alone for external sale.

And were there no other functions besides these?

Of course not.

Although limited by Kong Xuan's own prestige, a single feather couldn't exert much influence, nor could it truly allow him to participate in the high-level decision-making of the Phoenix Lineage and bring about change.

He didn't even have the qualification to listen and understand.

However, for the lower levels, it could serve quite a few useful purposes.

For example, knowing the information merchants who frequented the Phoenix Perch Market filled in when registering their origins, the general goods they purchased in the market, and their destinations upon departure.

This would allow him to avoid unnecessary price competition for goods and fully leverage the principle of scarcity driving value.

"Information is also a resource!" Feng Xi sighed. "These scattered pieces of information, combined, are enough to unleash astonishing power and increase profits by several more tenths!"

"After this is done, I must give Kong Xuan a big red envelope, a generous commission..."

"To thank him for the great help he's brought me!"

He smiled, using the Peacock Feather, borrowing the peacock's prestige like a witch borrowing a tiger's might, to wander through various markets.

Knocking on the doors of market managers, holding the feather in one hand and gifts in the other... with both approaches, what couldn't he obtain?

The market managers, their status wasn't low, but it wasn't particularly high either.

The Phoenix Perch Mountain range uses combinations of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to mark and arrange territories, naming them districts.

Jiazi District, Yichou District... a total of sixty districts.

Each district has 129,600 markets!

Calculating it this way, millions of markets... Unless it's a supervisor in charge of a large region, the average manager of a single market would not have much ability to resist a Peacock Feather.

Moreover, what Feng Xi is asking for has little to do with the Feathered Clan; it's about earning money from outsiders... so they'll just let him do as he pleases.

After walking around, the jade slips used to record information were filled with tens of thousands of entries.

Feng Xi was impatient to deal with all this—he had people behind him!

With hundreds of thousands of Witch Clan elites there, how could he not use them?

He sent the information from the jade slips, uploading it directly to the public network, letting those skilled in planning and data processing take charge.

The Witch Clan had these people, and many of them.

After all, this was a clan that gathered the achievements of the Human Race's elites; any individual was definitely above the Human Race's average capability!

Everyone had their own specialties; some had even left their names in history, renowned through the ages!

At this moment of need, nearly ten thousand people stepped forward instantly, silently deducing and calculating.

Soon, a plan would be ready.

Within it, by summarizing the information, many hidden details could be deduced from the slightest clue, which would then be used to infer market conditions in various regions. The travel routes of the Witch Clan were the most crucial part.

"With this information," one said, "our business can be done more than once."

"Right... we can snowball!"

"Buy a batch of goods, sell them off completely in the next place, then restock there and sell to the next location..." someone said, "Originally, we didn't know which goods would sell better in a new place, and with time and situational constraints, we couldn't investigate on the spot... but?"

"These merchants who transfer here and restock, the goods they sell to the Phoenix Perch Mountain range, the routes they've taken, the goods they buy when leaving... they've already exposed all the information to us!"

"Haha... a beautiful future is beckoning us!"

"Our team, every time we reach a new place, it means our wealth will multiply several or even tens of times!"

"Although top-tier resources often can't be bought with low-level money, usually exchanged for equally precious items... I'm satisfied with just this."

"For a Golden Immortal to advance to Grand Unity, they need resources to fill an entire small thousand world before their life essence can advance, allowing their bodies to be on par with the universe... and now, hope lies before us, allowing the accumulation for this stage to be quickly gathered by several tenths!"

"This is a path of diplomacy, and also a path of wealth!"

Many were rejoicing, feeling they saw a bright future.

Feng Xi was even more so.

He sighed that everyone has their specialty, and the Witch Clan never lacked elite talents, capable of expanding profits to such an extent.

At the same time, he took the opportunity to formalize the newly established alliance.

What does formal mean?

Strict and orderly, with leaders, a middle layer, and the basic units at the bottom.

With tears in his eyes, Feng Xi ruthlessly slashed his future, yet-to-be-earned profit share.

These slashed profits were rewards and commissions for the elites currently processing the information... How could others who poured their hearts into contributing to the organization not be rewarded?

However, when distributing, Feng Xi played a trick, marking it as a reward funded by himself, rather than a fair division written in the contract.

'Not being stingy with rewards is the way to win people's hearts—this is the principle of widespread support.'

Countless historical examples show that leaders who are generous, willing to let others share the meat and drink the soup, can achieve great things.

Some founding emperors, in terms of governance, were not as capable as their ministers—those were historical figures; in terms of military command, they were not as skilled as their generals—those were generals with brilliant achievements, praised throughout the ages.

But why was it him who ultimately smiled and sat on the throne?

There were many reasons, but being sufficiently generous, with rich and fair rewards, was definitely a very important one.

Of course, being generous is fine, but the key is to let others know—

'This money, I rewarded it!'

At this moment, even though Feng Xi was nominally equal to other Witches... with this move, he could best rally people and build a team.

'One day, if I want to do something... with this team, creating momentum, one leading ten, ten leading a hundred, spreading like contagion, perhaps I can pull the entire lower echelons of the Witch Clan to support me...'

"Slap!" Feng Xi smacked his own head, chuckling softly, and muttered, "What am I thinking?"

"If I really went to such lengths, mobilizing the entire lower echelon of the Witch Clan... wouldn't that be like starting a rebellion?"

Facing external enemies—the Demon Clan—Feng Xi didn't need to do this. The Ancestral Witches took the lead in resisting.

Only when dealing with internal matters would such an action have meaning!

And internally... besides overthrowing the rule of the Ancestral Witches, were there any other possibilities?

Feng Xi was a good citizen of the Houtu tribe; how could he do such disrespectful things?

Let alone doing it, he didn't even dare to think about it!

He lacked the courage!

Unless, some supreme giant lent him the courage of the heavens!