"Three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones! I can take three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Talismans in one go!"
Cheng Daqi gritted his teeth and looked at Zhao Huaian with a determined expression.
He had spent many years scraping by in the Greenwood Sect's Outer Sect, so naturally, he had built up quite a bit of savings.
These three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones were only a portion of his savings, which he was willing to invest as a trial run.
If it worked out, things would be much easier for him from then on. He could focus on being a middleman, buying low and selling high.
If it didn't, he could keep the Spirit Talismans worth three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones as a trump card, using them all if he ever found himself in danger.
"Three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones?"
At those words, the cool expression on Zhao Huaian's face vanished, replaced by a warm smile.
"That's right. To start with, I can buy three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Talismans from you, young friend. If they sell well, I can take all the Spirit Talismans you produce off your hands."
Cheng Daqi nodded, looking at Zhao Huaian with anticipation. "Of course, the price will have to be a little lower. After all, if our partnership works out, you won't need to man a stall anymore. You can focus on cultivating without a worry."
"That's certainly possible, but let's discuss the details after sunset. For now, we should focus on the business at hand!"
Zhao Huaian nodded. He glanced at the bustling street but didn't immediately discuss prices with Cheng Daqi, putting it off until the market closed at sunset.
After all, he had already paid the stall fee for the day, and with so many people around, he naturally wanted to earn a few more Spirit Stones first.
"Of course, of course. You go ahead and get back to it, young friend!"
Hearing Zhao Huaian's words, Cheng Daqi didn't press him. He nodded quickly and returned to his own stall.
Zhao Huaian, meanwhile, threw himself into attracting customers with even more energy and enthusiasm.
Cheng Daqi was an old hand, too. Once he realized he might have a long-term partnership with Zhao Huaian, he eagerly helped promote Zhao Huaian's wares.
With Cheng Daqi's help, Zhao Huaian's stall grew more and more popular, and he sold an ever greater number of Spirit Talismans.
Time flew by. The sun sank in the west, and dusk fell.
As the Market grew quieter, many of the stallholders had already packed up and headed home.
"Young friend, time to pack up!"
Cheng Daqi had packed up early. He hurried over to Zhao Huaian, his face full of eager smiles.
"That's right. We should talk over the details of our deal."
Zhao Huaian stretched, then smiled at Cheng Daqi's eager expression.
After spending the afternoon together, he had warmed to the old man considerably.
When Zhao Huaian had been busy, Cheng Daqi had even put his own business aside to come help him.
Cheng Daqi had truly paved the way to a wider road for himself.
"Young friend, let's talk prices. We should go over everything carefully." Cheng Daqi looked at Zhao Huaian, brimming with anticipation.
Zhao Huaian considered it for a moment. "How about a ten percent discount? I'll sell them to you at ninety percent of the current price. You know the quality of my Spirit Talismans. The Water Arrow Talismans practically sell themselves, and the quality of my other talismans will only keep improving."
Ninety percent of the price was certainly not Zhao Huaian's bottom line.
But when you were negotiating a deal, you had to haggle. There was no way he'd reveal his lowest price right off the bat.
"Ninety percent?!"
Cheng Daqi's eyes widened. He stared at Zhao Huaian in disbelief. "I bought more than thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Talismans from you here before, and you gave me a ten percent discount. You're still offering the same discount now? That hardly seems fair."
"But you know how popular my Spirit Talismans are. Sell them a few times, and you'll have plenty of repeat customers. They'll even boost sales of the other goods at your stall."
Zhao Huaian's tone stayed even as he regarded Cheng Daqi.
"Twenty percent off! I'm buying three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Talismans, after all. And if customers want to buy a larger quantity, I'll have to give them a discount, too. If I only get ten percent off, there's hardly any profit in it for me."
Cheng Daqi held out his fingers and carefully walked Zhao Huaian through the costs and considerations involved in selling from a stall.
Although twenty percent off was Zhao Huaian's bottom line, he wasn't about to give in easily.
Otherwise, once Cheng Daqi got a taste of the profits, he'd try all sorts of ways to drive the price down again the next time they made a bigger deal.
They went back and forth, talking up a storm as each tried to feel out the other's bottom line.
After a long round of haggling, they were both worn out. In the end, they struck a deal at fifteen percent off.
Zhao Huaian was delighted.
He was confident that once Cheng Daqi sold the Spirit Talismans, he'd come back to buy wholesale from him again.
That would save Zhao Huaian a great deal of time he'd otherwise waste. He could focus on cultivating and drawing Spirit Talismans in peace.
Cheng Daqi was delighted, too.
At his age, making further progress in cultivation was incredibly difficult. His time wasn't worth much.
The only thing he could do now was earn more Spirit Stones and make sure his grandson, who had Three Spiritual Roots, could enjoy more resources.
The two completed their transaction.
Zhao Huaian sold a large number of Spirit Talismans at a fifteen percent discount and received three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones from Cheng Daqi.
Just as the deal was done and Zhao Huaian was about to leave, Cheng Daqi suddenly called out to him from behind. "Young friend, this is my Communication Talisman. If the business goes well, I'll contact you with it next time, and we can meet to trade again."
As he spoke, Cheng Daqi took a Communication Talisman from his Storage Bag. It gave off a faint Spiritual Energy.
As a Spirit Talisman Master, Zhao Huaian naturally recognized the Communication Talisman.
Communication Talismans came in different grades.
The lowest-grade ones, like the one Cheng Daqi had handed him, allowed the two users to contact each other from hundreds of miles apart.
The highest-grade Communication Talismans could even connect people separated by tens of thousands of miles.
Communication Talismans had quite a market, and they sold for a high price. Even the lowest-grade ones cost ten Low-grade Spirit Stones.
Even so, plenty of people bought them, especially those with a wide circle of connections.
Unfortunately, Zhao Huaian didn't know the Drawing Method for Communication Talismans. Otherwise, he would have brought them to the Market to sell long ago and made a fortune.
"Sounds good! We'll keep in touch by Communication Talisman!"
Zhao Huaian laughed heartily, took the Communication Talisman, and vanished into the fading glow of the setting sun.
"Did I forget something?"
After leaving Greenwood Market, Zhao Huaian couldn't shake the feeling that he'd overlooked something.
He went over the day's events in his mind.
Suddenly, Zhao Huaian slapped his thigh.
"Damn it! Ever since I learned the Art of Drawing Spirit Talismans, I haven't gone to the Incense Hall to report it and collect my stipend. I'm still getting the same two Low-grade Spirit Stones as before."
The moment he remembered, Zhao Huaian felt a pang of regret.
He hadn't gone to the Incense Hall to collect his stipend or report his cultivation for about eleven months.
That meant his stipend at the Incense Hall had remained at two Low-grade Spirit Stones all that time. He must have lost at least twenty or thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones.
"Even a mosquito's meal is still meat! What a waste!"
Zhao Huaian sighed and shook his head, then changed direction and headed for the Incense Hall.
By then, he had already taken off his Human Skin Mask. With the help of the Concealment Talisman, his cultivation was still concealed at Qi Refining Layer Four.
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