Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 57 Giving advice
Song Xian continued to ask, "Has the shop made any income in the past three months?"

"So far, I've only sold one mid-grade magical weapon, one low-grade magical weapon, five talismans, and seven bottles of elixirs, totaling 1,730 spirit stones. I've put them all in my account."

"Have you handed over the spirit stones to Senior Brother Lu Yuan?"

"Last time Senior Brother Lu Yuan came, I gave him all the third-level spirit stones and some second-level spirit stones, a total of one thousand spirit stones. The rest are all with me. If we don't leave some in the shop, if someone comes to buy something and takes out a third-level spirit stone, we won't even be able to make change. That would be embarrassing."

"Where did you find these women in the shop?"

"These were all recruited through the Market Management Office. The monthly salary was eight taels of silver. Since the shop is small, I didn't hire many, only five."

“Do these people understand what we sell?”

"I've taught them everything. I've ordered a brochure of our product names and given it to them to read."

"Brother Ning Yuan, I have something to advise you on. When we came in just now, those women were all sitting lazily on the side. This is not good. Look at those big shops and attics. As soon as customers enter, someone will immediately come to greet them. Our shop should learn from them."

Zhang Ningyuan explained, "It's because there haven't been any guests these past few days, and I was sharp-eyed, so I spotted the Sect Leader right away and went to greet him first. They didn't move, but normally, if there were guests, they would still go up to greet them."

Song Xian shook his head and said, "It's not enough to just greet customers! We need to have a sense of service. Our store is located in a remote area, and our products can't compare to those big stores. If we don't improve the quality of our service, how can we compete with others?"

"I have a few suggestions. First, recruit five more girls. They should be young, beautiful, smart and sensible. Each girl only costs one spirit stone a year. There's no need to save this little money."

"Secondly, at all times, there must be two girls dressed appropriately, standing at the entrance of the shop. As soon as a customer enters, they must bow and greet them. Someone must immediately greet them and ask if they need anything. They must be polite, approachable, and smiling."

"Third, there must always be good tea and snacks in the shop. Whenever a customer comes in, they must be served tea and snacks, regardless of whether they buy anything or not."

"Fourth, put more tables and chairs in the shop so that customers can have a place to sit and rest even if they don't buy anything."

Zhang Ningyuan nodded and said, "Okay. I'll arrange it right away."

Song Xian said, "Since we've already talked about this, don't blame me for saying a few more words. Senior Brother Ning Yuan, the shop carries the hope of our sect's development and is of paramount importance. I didn't send anyone else but asked you to come because I trust and rely on you. I believe you will do your best to develop the shop."

"Some time ago, I was on business in Muhe Grassland and couldn't spare the time. Once I have dealt with the affairs of the sect, I will come to the shop in person to take charge of the overall situation."

"Whether our sect can survive and continue to thrive depends on this battle. We can only win this battle and not lose. To achieve this, we must fight with all our might."

Zhang Ningyuan was also moved by his solemn expression and sincere words, which came from the heart. His face became serious, and at the same time he felt a little ashamed of his own laziness. "I will do my best to assist the master and run this shop well."

"Actually, I've been thinking of a more comprehensive system that can inspire the enterprising spirit of shop managers and sales staff. I'll propose it at the sect meeting. I'll give a portion of the profits from the shop sales to the shop itself through a profit sharing or commission system. In the future, the more the shop earns, the more you managers will get."

Zhang Ningyuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Master, you are very far-sighted. I have had this idea for a long time, but I was embarrassed to bring it up, lest my fellow disciples think I was seeking personal gain. Especially now that the shop has had a bad start and is stagnant, with only a few items sold, if I bring it up, I will surely be suspected and attacked."

"These days, I've also gotten to know the operations of those large retail lofts. Their owners have a great deal of autonomy and can adjust product prices independently, quoting prices based on different circumstances. In addition, the shops also have some additional revenue, which greatly boosts the enthusiasm of the staff."

Song Xian nodded and said, "I will consider this matter and come up with a set of management rules. Let's not talk about this for now. The most urgent task at the moment is to develop the Yuxiang Pill. Junior Brother Qi, if you need any spiritual medicine, please write a list to Senior Brother Ning Yuan and ask him to buy it."

"No, I have Carissa to help me, so there's no need to bother Senior Brother Ning Yuan. Also, I don't know what spiritual medicine to add to refine it. I need to experiment step by step. If I need it in the future, I will contact the sect."

"Brother Ning Yuan, let's go to the Alchemy Hall first. Please clean up a room as soon as possible."

Song Xian got up and left the shop, going straight to the Alchemy Hall on Fangshi South Street.

In the spacious and bright hall, there was only a man dressed in Luoyun Sect's attire sitting at the desk, flipping through a miscellaneous book in his hand boredly.

"Fellow Daoist, we need an alchemy hall. How much does it cost?"

The Luoyun Sect disciple glanced up at him, then continued flipping through the book. He said lazily, "The Alchemy Hall rents for one month, one hundred and fifty spirit stones per room. An additional two hundred spirit stones deposit is required."

Qi Xiaobai asked, "Excuse me, fellow Taoist, what kind of fire is used in these alchemy rooms?"

"First-grade, top-grade Earth Flame Vein." Qi Xiaobai nodded slightly to Song Xian.

"We want to rent it for three months." Song Xian took out 650 spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them to the Luoyun Sect disciple.

The man pulled out several files from the bottom of the desk, asked Qi Xiaobai to sign and seal them, took the spirit stone, and led several people through the hall, walked through several corridors, and came to a stone chamber. He took out a stone tablet in his hand and inserted it into the depression of the stone chamber. The two fit perfectly. With a turn of his hand and a light push, the stone door opened.

Inside was a clean and bright room, about ten square meters in size, with some cabinets on both sides and a green three-legged tripod standing in the center.

The man demonstrated how to start a fire and how to control the size of the flame, and then gave him the stone tablet to open the room.

"After three months, return the stone tablet to me. Any damage to the alchemy room will be your responsibility."

After saying that, he turned and left the alchemy room.

"Junior Brother Qi, you are well aware of our sect's financial situation. Money is a bit tight right now, so we need to save some spirit stones for emergencies. I will rent it for three months for now, and then I will renew it."

"I see."

"You are the key to our sect. I'll trouble you to work hard during this period and strive to develop the Jade Fragrance Pill as soon as possible. Whether you need people or money, I will fully support you."

"Master, rest assured, I will do my best."

"Then I won't bother you anymore. Senior Brother Zixiang and I will go back to the mountain gate first and come back in a few days."

After leaving the market town, Song Xian and Lin Zixiang rode their magic tools towards Guzi Mountain.

It was already late at night when I returned to the sect. After more than two months, the mountain gate had changed a lot. There were several more houses on the top of the mountain, and some of them had lights on.

"Master, you are back." Jiang Zichen was on duty today. He was lying on a chair in the main hall with his eyes half open. When he heard footsteps, he opened his eyes and saw that it was Song Xian who had returned. He immediately perked up and came forward to pay his respects.

Song Xian nodded: "During this period, has the mountain gate had any important matters?"

"It's all right, Master, don't worry! The most important thing is that the mansion supervised by Senior Brother Xu Ning is almost complete. Everyone has moved in, so we don't have to squeeze into this shabby room anymore. Look! The tallest and most spacious mansion in the middle is reserved for Master."

"You should rest too! Before noon tomorrow morning, inform all fellow disciples to come and discuss matters."

Song Xian gave an order and returned to his original room, where he fell asleep. He had been running around for days and had little sleep. Now that he had returned to the mountain gate, he felt physically and mentally exhausted and fell asleep in a short while.

The next day, before he woke up, he heard a knock on the door. He opened his eyes drowsily, rubbed them, got up from the bed yawning, and stretched. This was the most comfortable sleep he had had in more than two months.

After the room was opened, Zhong Wenyuan stood outside: "Master, all the brothers have arrived and are waiting for you."

Song Xian yawned again and said with a smile: "I overslept. Let's go!"

"Master, I'm sure you've been very busy lately. I wonder how your trip to Far East City went? Did it go smoothly?"

"It's going well, but it's hard to explain. We'll talk about it later!"

The two men arrived at the main hall, where everyone was already seated and waiting. When they saw him coming, they all stood up and saluted.

Song Xian waved his hand and motioned everyone to take a seat.

"After returning this time, most of us feel refreshed. Finally, we brothers no longer have to squeeze into one room and listen to the sounds of others grinding their teeth, farting, and snoring."

Everyone chuckled.

(End of this chapter)