Opening Upheaval

Although the Wang family became an affiliated family of the Netherworld Sect, they were not direct descendants. For three hundred years, they had been suppressed by the direct descendants of the Netherworld Sect. Their sphere of influence was also encroached upon by the Liang family, established by Elder Liang Liang of the Netherworld Sect. In Qingli Market, only one shop remained – the Jade Spring General Store.

It was only in the last thirty years that the three major sects engaged in internal strife, and the Netherworld Sect was busy fighting for territory. The main force suppressing the Wang family, the ancestor of the Liang family, was also transferred to the front line, and the suppression of the Wang family was relaxed, allowing the Wang family's business to pick up slightly.

Currently, the Wang family has over sixty cultivators and more than a hundred thousand mortals, and they have just acquired a new shop.

The Jade Spring General Store was in an excellent location, situated upstream of the Sancha River intersection. To the left was the Qingli River, to the right was the Qingxi River, and behind it was where the two rivers converged. A main road ran in front of the shop. For the convenience of transporting goods, the Wang family built a small dock on the left side of the shop.

The spirit ship sailed into Qingli Market and stopped at the small dock. Everyone disembarked.

Wang Zhide introduced, "This is our family's only shop. There are thousands of shops in Qingli Market, but none are larger or in a better location than our Jade Spring General Store."

Upon hearing this, Wang Daoyuan looked around. The entire Qingli Market was divided into three parts by two rivers. The part where the Jade Spring General Store was located was the earliest developed and most prosperous part of Qingli Market, with over six hundred shops, known as the Old Market.

Downstream of the Sancha River intersection, the left side was called the Left Market, and the right side was the Right Market, each with about two hundred shops.

The Left Market and Right Market were built by the Netherworld Sect after the decline of the Wang family, and all the shops belonged to the Netherworld Sect.

In the Old Market, there were over three hundred shops that the Netherworld Sect seized during the purge of the Zhao family's affiliated forces. Only a little over three hundred shops did not belong to the Netherworld Sect.

The Netherworld Sect occupied seventy percent of the entire Qingli Market, while other forces occupied thirty percent.

Wang Zhide continued to introduce, "The new shop our Wang family has acquired is adjacent to the general store. In the future, the family will transfer the talisman, pill, and spirit herb business of the Jade Spring General Store to the new shop. The Jade Spring General Store will specialize in the business of stone materials, ores, and spirit wood. For the time being, Wang Zhihe will serve as the shopkeeper, and you all must follow his arrangements."

Everyone agreed, and Wang Zhide led them directly to the new shop.

The new shop's doors, windows, beams, and pillars were all painted with new paint, and a plaque covered with red cloth hung above the door.

A person walked out from inside to greet Wang Daoyuan and his group.

This person was Wang Zhihe, ranked tenth among his peers, with a cultivation base of Qi Condensation seventh layer. True to his name, he was very amiable to everyone.

Wang Zhihe was methodical in his work. Whether managing the transport of goods or entertaining guests in the shop, there were no oversights, but also no outstanding contributions. It took him fifty to sixty years to become a shopkeeper.

He looked around forty years old, but his actual age was over eighty.

Everyone respectfully called him Tenth Uncle and Tenth Uncle-in-law and paid their respects to Wang Zhihe. After the group entered the backyard of the shop, compared to the slightly cramped storefront, the backyard was very spacious, covering about ten mu of land.

Wang Zhide and Wang Zhihe chatted for a while before taking their leave.

Afterward, Wang Zhihe assigned tasks and accommodations to everyone.

As a talisman master, Wang Daoyuan received preferential treatment and lived alone in a spirit-rich cave dwelling. The cave dwelling was backed by the Qingxi River, making it a good spot for fishing.

At the entrance of the cave dwelling was a mu of spirit field. Compared to the spirit fields in the Spirit Pearl space, the spiritual energy here was slightly more concentrated.

To avoid suspicion, he planted Yellow Cloud Grass and Red Blood Ginseng in the spirit field. This way, when he took out talismans or Red Blood Brew in the future, it wouldn't seem too abrupt.

Wang Daoyuan's task was to provide talismans. Each month, the family would provide three hundred sheets of talisman paper and sufficient spirit ink. He was to deliver one hundred and twenty low-grade first-tier talismans to complete his task.

This task was relatively easy. An ordinary low-grade first-tier talisman master could produce over ten talismans a day without much pressure, let alone him, a mid-grade talisman master, for whom producing thirty a day was not difficult.

Upon completing the monthly task, he would receive a salary of five spirit stones per month.

For any talismans produced beyond one hundred and twenty, the family would repurchase them at a price of six talismans per spirit stone. If he failed to complete the task, the losses would be deducted from his salary.

This repurchase price was quite good. Cultivators in the early Qi Condensation stage had little spare spirit stones and used them to improve their cultivation, so few were willing to buy talismans. The price of low-grade first-tier talismans was not high either; the shop's selling price was five talismans per spirit stone.

The next day, the new shop opened. Several well-connected families sent people to congratulate them. Wang Zhihe received these guests, and Wang Daoyuan only needed to be a silent presence.

When most of the guests had arrived, Wang Zhihe personally removed the red cloth from the plaque. The plaque read "Jade Spring Pill and Talisman Pavilion" in five large characters, with strong and vigorous strokes yet without being ostentatious. It was clear at a glance that it was the work of Ninth Uncle-in-law.

Talisman masters generally had good calligraphy, at least that's what Wang Daoyuan believed.

Shops in the cultivation world relied on accumulated reputation over the years. There were no grand opening promotions or opening ceremonies.

After the plaque was unveiled, it was considered officially open. The host family would then host a banquet to entertain the congratulatory guests, and that would be the end of it.

These matters were arranged by the shopkeeper and the greeters. Wang Daoyuan, as a technical talent, did not need to participate.

Just as he was preparing to return to his cave dwelling, a young master arrived at the door. He was dressed in fine brocade robes, wore a jade crown, and led a large yellow dog, followed by several servants.

This young master had a good appearance, but he looked at people with his nostrils flared, exuding an air of arrogance.

The group walked along the street, and pedestrians on the street quickly made way for them.

The young master in brocade robes led the dog through the main entrance, becoming the first customer of the Pill and Talisman Pavilion. He loudly shouted, "Get some spirit pills for this young master's dog."

This was clearly an attempt to cause trouble. If they were genuinely here to do business and buy pills for a spirit beast, they would have directly stated which pills they wanted to buy, rather than saying "get some spirit pills for my dog."

The first customer coming to buy pills for a dog was not only an insult to the Pill and Talisman Pavilion but also a slur against the subsequent customers, implying they were all dogs.

Although they were troublesome guests, they were still guests and could not be directly turned away. If they were received normally, it would imply that the Wang family was admitting defeat.

This young master in brocade robes was no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. Among the Wang family members in the Pill and Talisman Pavilion, except for Wang Daoyuan and Wang Daocheng, they were all elders. Their involvement would be considered bullying the younger generation.

Wang Daocheng, as the greeter, was the most suitable person to step forward at this moment. However, he had not experienced such a situation before and could not gauge the right approach. If his counterattack was too weak, it would be an embarrassment to the Wang family; if it was too aggressive, it would make the Wang family appear intolerant.

Wang Daocheng's goal was to become a shopkeeper. If anything went wrong at this juncture, it would be difficult for him to advance in the future. He was sweating profusely with anxiety.

As Wang Daocheng's biological grandfather, Wang Zhide naturally could not stand idly by. He transmitted his voice to Wang Daoyuan, "Daoyuan, that young man is Liang Zilong, the son of the Liang family head. He's a complete prodigal son, and he's here to cause trouble for us.

Your fourth brother is the greeter, and it should be his responsibility to handle this, but it's a difficult situation. Whether he handles it too lightly or too harshly will cause trouble. His future path is to become a shopkeeper, which requires good relationships and reputation. If he messes this up, his future will be ruined.

You haven't reached adulthood yet. Whether you suffer a loss or gain an advantage, it can be dismissed as childish mischief. Afterward, a simple 'young and reckless' can cover it up. If we elders step in, it would be considered bullying the younger generation.

You've been clever since you were young. Step out and resolve this for your fourth brother. I'll allow you to redeem two low-grade second-tier talismans afterward."