"...I see! Arrange things according to your Legalism, Martial Uncle, and not only can we raise the price, people will flock to buy it!"
Inside the Natural Grand Formation, Yuan Quan had somehow struck up a conversation with Hongyuan about business.
He was an Outer Disciple of Kongtong Mountain. Though his cultivation had stalled at the Dao Foundation stage, without even reaching its peak, he had spent his life managing the sect's outlying enterprises. He had amassed a considerable fortune, becoming a wealthy man and local magnate in the Mortal World, while also gaining a wealth of experience in managing money.
After Hongyuan shared her ideas about running a sect, Yuan Quan exchanged a few words with her. The conversation soon turned to commerce and management, and his mind opened to new possibilities.
Hongyuan spoke with easy confidence. "You're a merchant of great wealth now. With Kongtong's resources, you can even procure tribute for the Qi Royal House. That's a mark of strength, and it brings prestige. The Literati cultivate prestige to gain office and establish Aristocratic Clans. The restrictions of your sect and cultivation method keep you from entering the imperial court, but you can use that prestige to set the stage—sell your name and reap the profits."
The more they talked, the more they found themselves of one mind.
"...Take the same bolt of cloth and call it tribute, and a tenfold price increase is nothing. Better yet, you can set fashions and stir up rivalry, then add lending to the mix. Nothing will stand in your way."
Listening beside them, Chen Cuo immediately recognized the method: selling luxuries to make money. At its root, it was much like the methods of those wicked groups in later ages. Hongyuan handled the subject so deftly that she seemed to