"The Song Family's model?"
Lin Changheng looked thoughtful.
"That's right, but they won't expand everywhere the way the Song Family has. Instead, they'll pick promising new Market Wards and open shops there. As for the old ones, they may have plenty of foot traffic, but they're already saturated with shops, and the customer base is practically fixed. There isn't much profit to be had, so they'll only select a few."
The shopkeeper was well-informed and good-natured, but he was also a chatterbox. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop, explaining everything in detail.
"Thank you for telling me all this, Shopkeeper. But have you heard which new Market Wards the Sun Clan has chosen?"
After thanking him, Lin Changheng continued asking questions.
"I haven't heard anything specific, but the Liu and Xu families' new Market Ward in Dustless Valley is in an excellent location, with plenty of untapped potential. There's a fair chance they'll choose it."
The shopkeeper offered his own guess based on what he had heard.
Then he noticed the black-robed cultivator before him freeze. Assuming the man hadn't quite understood and wasn't familiar enough with the new Market Ward in question, he explained his reasoning: its advantageous location, the substantial resources invested in its construction, and so on.
What he didn't know was that Lin Changheng had frozen because of one thought: It's actually Dustless Valley!
It wasn't unfamiliar to him. It was all too familiar!
He also thought to himself that if the Xu Family's new Market Ward truly opened and prospered, and the Sun Clan really did open a shop there, he would have to secure a posting there, whatever it took.
A pavilion beside the water really did have the easiest view of the moon.
"Thank you for telling me, Shopkeeper."
Lin Changheng chatted