A Change of Perspective
Sun Yigao has been busy refining pills with Senior Liao in the Alchemy Chamber these past two days.
Yesterday, as soon as the high-grade Spirit Absorption Pill was produced, he was pulled away by the excited Liao Pantu to think about refining the top-grade Spirit Absorption Pill. He didn't have time to talk to Lin Xiao at all, and only mentioned it to him briefly when Liu Yunan was handling miscellaneous tasks with the Alchemy Chamber.
"What is it?" Lin Xiao, somewhat curious.
"Yigao said he's been considering cooperating with the imperial court to open a few more Lingxian Academy in other locations," Liu Yunan replied.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao became very interested. "Oh? He has already chosen a suitable candidate?"
Liu Yunan nodded:
He said he could look after several students and rotate them, and that teaching them would be even more beneficial to their spiritual practice.
"As long as someone is chosen, we can find some time to plan this carefully later," Lin Xiao said.
Liu Yunan nodded, sipped his tea, glanced at Lin Xiao across from him, and couldn't help but voice his doubts about completely entrusting the matter of foreign trade to the Li Imperial Clan:
"Brother Xiao, is it really okay for us to just hand over all the management power to the Li Clan like this?"
It wasn't that Liu Yunan didn't trust the Li Clan, with whom he had cooperated for several years; it was just that even someone as young as him knew that money could be a powerful motivator.
Although they had handled the goods traded with the three major sects in the past, the quantities were those that their sects could afford to lose, and were not very large. Even if something really went wrong, they could see through the Li Clan and sever ties with them.
But things are different now.
Allowing the Li Clan to take over the Trade Affairs Center and manage all foreign transactions carries enormous risk.
Moreover, with the presence of these skilled sects from the three major sects, they have increased the types of orders they can produce for external clients. From now on, the amount of materials and Spirit Stone handled by the Li Clan family each month will be far greater than in the past.
If the Li Clan has any ulterior motives, it could be a real problem.
Liu Yunan secretly hoped that everyone could work together harmoniously, so he was somewhat worried.
Lin Xiao was naturally aware of his concerns.
"Yunan, you need to change your perspective," he said.
"What's your opinion?" Liu Yunan asked, puzzled.
Lin Xiao then asked him, "If this matter were handled by Jianghe, would you still have this worry?"
"That's definitely not the case." Liu Yunan shook his head decisively.
"Yes, you won't, because you consider Jianghe one of your own and completely trust him." Lin Xiao pointed to a few drops of tea and drew a circle on the table. "This is our current circle. Everyone in this circle is one of our own, someone we can trust to take care of."
"But if we want things to develop according to our plan, we can't rely on ourselves forever," Lin Xiao said, looking at Liu Yunan, word by word.
"Delegating power to the Li Clan does indeed carry risks, but it also has benefits. The risks are that we might lose Dayi resources Spirit Stone, and we'll gain an adversary. The benefits are that we might gain an ally willing to help us wholeheartedly, and we might even be able to develop into a fellow traveler."
Lin Xiao drew another circle next to the one on the table, and then used his Spiritual Power to merge the two tea circles into one large circle.
"Although Li Clan is sometimes a bit too cautious in his actions, he is also reliable and steady, and can be considered a trustworthy person."
He smiled and said, "After our cooperation over the past period, the Li Clan is clearly a worthwhile partner to take a chance with."
--
The discussions in the conference room of the Trade Affairs Center continued until evening.
Even someone as experienced as Li Clan was busy for a long time.
Because there are so many sects involved in this transaction, and the Lingxian Sect has increased the types and quantities of goods offered for the transaction.
There are also orders to process.
Other sects and the royal family were dealing with these orders for the first time, and some had no experience whatsoever in production, unlike the three major sects of the Pusi Kingdom.
Fortunately, Li Zhanying brought two clansmen with him this time. They were usually responsible for trading with the three major sects. Otherwise, he would have been too busy to handle everything, as he usually only took care of the general direction and left the details to his clansmen.
After receiving these preliminary supply lists and the reservations for many basic supplies needed by their respective sects, people from all the major sects and the royal family were filled with excitement.
If all of this is true, then that's Dayi of supplies!
If the trading post in Xiushui City can continue to operate, what will they have to worry about in their future cultivation!
Holding the roughly agreed-upon lists, the members of various sects and royal families carefully stored them into their own Storage Bag.
Many people also recalled what Elder Liu of the Lingxian Sect had said about the shops in the Xiushui City commercial district before the auction began.
Judging from the current situation, this rent-free shop for a year might actually be a great thing.
However, after leaving the conference room, they wanted to ask someone at the Trade Affairs Center about the shop, but were told that because it was Lunar New Year's Eve, all departments of Xiushui City would be closed from the afternoon until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, so all official business would have to wait until after the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.
These words left the cultivators completely bewildered.
It's one thing for mortals to celebrate festivals, but why do the cultivators of the Lingxian Sect also have to celebrate?
However, since they had already said that, they couldn't say anything. They could only ponder whether to go back to their sect first and come back after the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, or stay here until then.
However, as they walked out of the Trade Affairs Center, the Lingxian Sect disciple who had seen them off smiled and said to them:
"Our elders left a message saying that if any of you Daoist masters have free time in the coming days, you may stay in Xiushui City for the New Year."
The Lingxian Sect's hospitality in welcoming guests from afar to celebrate the New Year and other festivals demonstrates their commitment as hosts.
Whether they want to stay or not is none of their business.
The cultivators were quite surprised by the disciple's words.
They never expected that someone would invite them to spend the Chinese New Year here.
To be honest, they haven't done this kind of thing for Chinese New Year in a long time.
Although they didn't know what was so great about this mortal festival, they readily agreed, considering that they were planning to discuss a year of rent-free shops with the Lingxian Sect.
The sect leaders and elders returned to their lodgings in Xiushui City and privately reviewed their experiences and observations during their Xiushui City.
Night fell.
Although it was a cold season, the wind in Xiushui City was not biting.
The villagers living in their newly renovated houses—now, the residents of Xiushui City —initially thought it was because the weather had warmed up early this year, and were even considering whether to plant seeds and start seedlings earlier.
But when they went outside wearing only light clothing and got used to the indoor temperature, they were surprised to find that the cold wind outside made them shiver, realizing that it wasn't that the weather had warmed up, but simply that the temperature inside their house was comfortable.