"Candied hawthorns! Handmade candied hawthorns! If they don't taste good, you don't pay!"
"Perfect for young and old alike! No cheating, not even children!"
Across from Jian Shan's pill stall, Chen Xian had been hawking his wares with all his might for a quarter of an hour.
Unfortunately, it had done little good. He hadn't sold a single skewer.
"Could the price be too high?" Chen Xian wondered as he watched the stream of people, pondering his pricing.
But that couldn't be it. That stinking little swindler across from him had sold two bottles of Qi Induction Pills!
Granted, both had gone for half price, but that was still a whopping eight hundred Contribution Points—five times his cost!
So the price definitely wasn't the problem.
As Chen Xian pondered how to make his first sale, a man with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks walked past with a noblewoman who looked to weigh at least a hundred and sixty pounds.
Seeing how the man looked pale and drained, with his kidney essence depleted, Chen Xian's eyes lit up.
He understood!
It was all about demand. Only by understanding and meeting customers' needs could he sell his products more effectively.
So he changed his sales pitch.
"Medicinal cuisine from the Xuanyun Sword Sect's granduncle-master! Blood Sugar Hawthorns are now on sale!"
"Eat one skewer to whet your appetite, strengthen your body, and boost your virility! Eat five to aid your cultivation and nourish your meridians! Limited supply, available only while stocks last!"
Sure enough, the moment he changed his pitch, quite a few people gathered around.
After all, anything from Xuanyun was bound to be top quality, and the old man standing before them even claimed to be the granduncle-master of the Xuanyun Sword Sect.
As for whether he was telling the truth, the Xuanyun disciples nearby weren't calling him out, so the rogue cultivators and other outsiders passing through already believed him nine-tenths of the way.
It was just that there was nothing about this item that looked like medicinal cuisine.
At a glance, it was obvious that the ingredients used to make these candied hawthorns were ordinary fruits from the foot of the mountain.
If they just wanted a common snack, they could buy one at the foot of the mountain.
Most people who came up here were rogue cultivators or mortals hoping to cultivate. They only wanted to buy things that could help with cultivation.
So there were plenty of onlookers, but few who actually wanted to buy.
And those with a little spare money who wanted to give it a try turned on their heels as soon as they heard the price.
Ten taels of Dao Silver for one skewer!
For that price, they could buy a Qi Induction Pill.
Even if he was the granduncle-master of the Xuanyun Sword Sect, he couldn't fleece people like this!
"Duan Cui, do you think Granduncle-Master will make any sales today?" Jian Shan asked as dusk fell. He packed up his stall and chatted with the companion beside him.
"I doubt it. If Granduncle-Master sold them for one Contribution Point a skewer, he might manage to sell a few on the strength of his reputation."
Duan Cui tucked his hammers one by one into his Mustard Seed Bag, his tone far from optimistic.
"Oh well, he is Granduncle-Master, after all. Once we've packed up, let's go over and show our support."
Jian Shan pondered for a moment, weighing the heavy Dao Silver in his hand as he spoke.
Meanwhile, Chen Xian was starting to get anxious.
He'd even brought out the title of granduncle-master of the Sword Sect. Why were these people still only looking and not buying?
Just then, the man who'd looked drained dry by the noblewoman came back from the opposite direction.
Chen Xian's thoughts whirled. He hurriedly called out, "Candied hawthorns blessed by Granduncle-Master! Replenish your qi and blood, strengthen your kidneys and virility! Come get them while they're hot!"
Sure enough, when the drained man heard "strengthen your kidneys and virility," his ears twitched.
He immediately turned around with the noblewoman and squeezed into the crowd.
"Do these candied hawthorns really have the...uh, the effects you mentioned?"
The Kidney-Deficient Man looked curiously at the candied hawthorns on the straw stick and asked about the thing he cared about most.
He'd come up the mountain this time to find pills or food that could replenish his qi and blood and nourish his kidneys.
Unfortunately, all the pills sold by Xuanyun Sword Sect disciples were completely respectable. He'd asked around everywhere, but no one had any kidney-tonifying pills.
Now that he'd finally found something, he had to give it a try.
Otherwise, he'd sooner or later be drained dry by the insatiable fat sow.
Chen Xian studied his dark circles, which rivaled a panda's, and stroked his beard with a smile. "Of course. The effects I've described are all true!"
"These candied hawthorns were made using the Medicinal Cuisine Divine Pot, reserved exclusively for Inner Sect disciples. I spent forty-nine days refining them with medicinal herbs, then added carefully selected large fruits."
With that explanation, he'd added a story to the value of the candied hawthorns in his hand.
The Kidney-Deficient Man listened impatiently. "Enough talk. Give me one skewer to try. How much?"
"Ten taels of Dao Silver a skewer. Buy five, get one free!"
As soon as Chen Xian finished speaking, the Kidney-Deficient Man pursed his lips at the noblewoman beside him. "Give him ten taels."
"Of course, Feng Bao~"
The Fat Lady replied obediently in a coquettish voice, her tone completely at odds with her figure.
Chen Xian and the people around them instantly got goosebumps.
He quickly plucked a skewer of plump, round candied hawthorns from the straw stick and handed it to the Kidney-Deficient Man.
The Kidney-Deficient Man accepted it with trembling hands and began eating under everyone's curious gazes.
After one, nothing happened.
After two, he suddenly went, "Huh?"
He shoved three and four into his mouth together and swallowed them whole. Then he let out a breath of hot air. "Incredible! I feel a warm current coursing through my whole body. It's wonderful!"
To everyone's astonishment, the man's face, pale as a corpse, had miraculously regained a touch of color.
"Four more skewers!" His face lit up as he held up four fingers to Chen Xian.
"Pay up."
"Of course, Feng Bao~~" The noblewoman pulled out another forty taels of Dao Silver and handed them to Chen Xian.
"Buy five, get one free!"
Chen Xian hurriedly pulled another five skewers off the straw stick and stuffed them into the Kidney-Deficient Man's hands.
The Kidney-Deficient Man ate them right there, just as before.
"Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!" The only sound in the crowd was the crisp crack of the sugar coating. It made many people's mouths water, and some began to waver.
Forget the effects. This thing looked pretty tasty!
After six skewers, the Kidney-Deficient Man's condition visibly improved.
His hands stopped shaking, his face turned rosy, and even his dark circles quickly faded. Apart from his still somewhat hollow cheeks, he looked almost indistinguishable from a healthy person.
"Burp~" He let out a sour belch, feeling full of energy.
He looked at the noblewoman. "Pang Bao, when we get back, I'll let you try the new moves I've learned. I feel like I could go another thirty rounds!"
"That's wonderful, Feng Bao! W-wah, you're finally better! I thought I'd drained you dry for good!"
The Fat Lady wept tears of joy, feeling that a happy sex life was finally within her reach.
She looked gratefully at Chen Xian. "Senior, what's the difference between the candied hawthorns made with these different fruits?"
Chen Xian shook his head. "None at all. They just taste different."
The noblewoman nodded, then waved her plump hand and handed him three hundred-tael banknotes. "Then give me a bit of every flavor. Pack up thirty skewers for me!"
"I'm rich!" Chen Xian exclaimed delightedly. He took the banknotes, counted out the candied hawthorns, packed them into a paper bag, and handed it over.
"Buy five, get one free. Thirty-six skewers in total. Here you are, Madam!"
"Come back when you've finished them~"
The noblewoman left happily with her Feng Bao.
Only after the two had gone did the onlookers come to their senses.
Someone slapped their thigh. "Good heavens! Amazing!"
"The effect is immediate! And it's medicinal cuisine, not pills—no side effects!"
"Granduncle-Master's goods really are top quality!"
"Ten taels of Dao Silver is a bit pricey, but I've got money to spare! I'll take five skewers too!"
The crowd that had been watching moments ago immediately surged forward to buy. Most were wealthy mortals; the cultivators still didn't think much of these effects.
Within minutes, Chen Xian's straw stick was completely bare.
If he hadn't set a few skewers aside to give away, the people might not have left a single one.
"Senior, are there really none left?" Those who hadn't managed to buy any were still reluctant to give up, their eyes fixed on the few skewers tucked against Chen Xian's chest.
"None left, none left! Come back next time! These few aren't for sale."
Chen Xian hurriedly waved them away, then looked up at the sky, now completely dark. It was time to go.
"Today's a good day~ Everything I wished for came true~"
He stuffed a thick stack of banknotes into his pocket and ambled toward the place where he could exchange them for Contribution Points.
He didn't know that not far behind him, Jian Shan and Duan Cui were staring at the bamboo skewers scattered all over the ground, dumbfounded.
What had they just seen?
Granduncle-Master had sold every last candied hawthorn!
That bulging pocket of banknotes—damn, he'd made a fortune!
The two exchanged a glance and spoke in unison. "Your grandpa is still your grandpa."