Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 12 Layout
"Young lady, you've set up such a big bet in the hall. Are you just hoping that I can come up with some advice?" Lu Xingzhou laughed. "I don't believe that you dare to make such a bet without your own confidence."

Shen Tang didn't hide the fact: "I have some ideas, but they're not very solid. Since you're the one who brought this up, you must have a more comprehensive consideration. We're two people better than one."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at the hall and gestured, "Let's talk somewhere else, please."

Anuo has a headache.

She can't push two wheelchairs by herself because her arms are too short.

The good news was that Lu Xingzhou didn't let her push him, but the bad news was that he and Shen Tang rowed away chatting and laughing.

The abandoned An Nuo stared blankly at the two of them pushing the wheelchair together, and suddenly a strange idea came to her mind - if these two were dating, how would they kiss... She couldn't imagine that scene.

But Anuo knew that the master did not mean that.

Now the master is probably not interested in anyone anymore and doesn’t dare to have any thoughts easily.

After all, the one who falls in love first is always the first to get hurt.

Anuo put his hands behind his back, sighed, and staggered back to the house.

The two of them arrived at a small garden in the back, which had a small pond. They stopped by the pond and sighed in unison, "This is so inconvenient."

After saying that, they were both stunned for a moment, as if they were surprised at the synchronization between the two parties. Then Lu Xingzhou fell silent, and Shen Tang also lowered his head and looked at the pool water without saying a word.

The water in the pool had not been cleaned and was very turbid, unable to reflect the two people's shadows.

After a long while, Shen Tang finally said, "It's difficult to ask swordsmen to do business. In the past, we had established channels and everything was laid out, but what everyone actually did was just to serve as escorts. This time, I asked them to be responsible for promotion, but I knew it wouldn't be effective."

Lu Xingzhou said "hmm".

In fact, he originally thought that Shen Tang would not be able to do it, but now it seems that Shen Tang is different from ordinary swordsmen.

Shen Tang said, "It's impossible to sell this kind of thing on your own. The people of Xiazhou don't have this awareness, and their minds can't be changed by sales. Therefore, this matter must be pushed down from the government. A word from the Medicine Bureau is more effective than anything else. But no one has thought of this, and they actually sell it one by one..."

Lu Xingzhou turned around and looked at Shen Tang in surprise. This kind of thinking mode is not something that can be attributed to the swordsmen under your command. Most people would not think this way. This is really the perspective that only those who are used to being royal merchants would think.

He nodded calmly, "One of the reasons you chose to come to Xiazhou is because you have people in the Xiazhou government. Many of the disciples who once graduated from the Tianxing Sword Sect are now working at the grassroots level in various places. Xiazhou must be one of your bases."

Even Sheng Yuanyao's choice of Xiazhou to gild her reputation might have something to do with your background. This was just speculation, and Lu Xingzhou didn't say it out loud.

Shen Tang smiled and said, "You've already thought of this, so you gave me this idea and thought it was suitable for us to do? Besides this, do you have anything else to add?"

"There's no technical barrier to this. While the Sword Sect is more suited to it, it's not impossible for others to do it. There are also many powerful forces locally. Don't let the government push it forward, only to lose market share and end up being reaped the benefits."

"That's a real question. What are your thoughts?"

"We need to quietly stockpile large quantities of our medicines. Once the official push comes, we can immediately seize the market on a large scale and catch others off guard. Of course, if you have the ability to become an official designation, that would be best. If you can't, you should also take the opportunity to sign long-term contracts with major medicine shops. Once others want to do the same, only a scattered market will remain."

Shen Tang pondered: "So actually our main customers are those in the medicine industry, not the general public."

"That's right. Once the official push comes, the pill shops will definitely stock it first and sell it bundled with the pills. No one is stupid, this is a huge business for nothing."

Shen Tang smiled slightly: "Hearing you say that, the direction is a little clearer."

Lu Xingzhou said casually, "As for the follow-up... in fact, there will be a new incident later."

"what?"

"Different elixirs, due to the different raw materials used, naturally have different toxicities. Since the public has to pay this extra expense to treat elixir poisoning, they will naturally be more resistant to highly toxic elixirs in the future. However, the general public doesn't know much about such technical details, so we can secretly promote scientific knowledge. For example, the 'Shenqi Pill' that the Danxia Gang has been promoting recently is 70% to 80% more toxic than ordinary Qi-boosting pills."

Shen Tang's expression became very strange. He squinted at Lu Xingzhou's nonchalant expression, not knowing how to describe it.

Are you waiting here?
Bai Chi wasn't just some empty promise; he was a seventh-rank alchemist. Liu Yan'er's claim that he was "striving for seventh-rank" simply meant that, like Lu Xingzhou, he hadn't been formally certified and wasn't recognized in the "job market." His seventh-rank skills were real. After taking over the position of Danxia Gang's Chief Alchemist, he achieved significant success within a few days.

Originally, Lu Xingzhou’s main focus in the Danxia Gang was refining the most common Qi-boosting pills on the market, which were in demand by almost everyone. With high quality as his selling point, the Danxia Gang gained a foothold in the pill market.

The so-called Qi-invigorating pills are used to assist in the recovery of spiritual energy, and can greatly increase the speed of spiritual energy recovery, which means they belong to the category of continuous recovery.

The quality of instant recovery medicines is very high, and most ordinary practitioners can only use Qi-boosting pills, which require a huge amount.

Bai Chi, hailing from the prestigious Fenxiang Tower, possesses a unique elixir formula unseen outside. Their latest specialty is the "Shenqi Pill." This pill, while still only an eighth-grade elixir, instantly restores a small amount of spiritual energy, which then continues to recover. While the instantaneous return is minimal, in a truly dangerous situation, this tiny amount could potentially save a life or even turn the tables, making it one of Fenxiang Tower's signature products.

Its cost is about 30% more than that of Yiqi Dan, but its selling price is double that of Yiqi Dan. It is still very popular in the market and caused a sensation in Xiazhou soon after it was launched.

Bai Chi's efficiency in refining these pills was similarly high, producing five pills per furnace, with both high-quality and low-quality pills. While not as stable as Lu Xingzhou's, his advantage was the huge profits, indeed higher than when Lu Xingzhou was there. Of course, a guild couldn't survive solely on the small number of pills refined by the chief alchemist. The apprentices Lu Xingzhou had trained, who refined large quantities of simple ninth-grade Qi-recovering and Qi-refining pills, generated greater profits. The chief alchemist's creations were considered his signature dishes.

But if the signature dish is boycotted, the reputation of the elixirs produced by the entire faction will be in jeopardy...

The poison in this Shenqi Pill is indeed much more serious than that in the Yiqi Pill.

So when Lu Xingzhou proposed the plan to purify the poison, he had already laid the groundwork to deal with the Danxia Gang?

However, it seems that this can only hit the Danxia Gang in the face, but it is not fatal. After all, there are so many Bai Chi Dan recipes. If there is a problem with this one, just change it.

Shen Tang didn't think much about it, just smiled and said, "That's great. It takes time for public opinion to form a large scale. I can send people to spread it secretly now... This turns it from you coming up with an idea to us helping each other."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Yes, it's a mutual assistance."

…………

The two of them separated. Shen Tang asked the entire sect to work overtime to make the sword talisman, and he himself wheeled his wheelchair out to the City Lord's Mansion.

The real backer of Tianxing Sword Sect is Xiazhou City Lord Xu Bingkun, so they came to Xiazhou.

In the world of cultivation, the gap between city lords may be greater than that between humans and dogs.

If there is no particularly strong force in the local area, the city lord will naturally have great authority.

If there is a powerful sect within the jurisdiction, it is basically difficult for the city lord to have a say. It is even possible that the city lord is directly from the sect and has to obey the orders of the sect lord.

But even in the latter case, these sects themselves are subject to the Daqian Immortal Dynasty, and few dare to secede and rebel.

After all, the royal family needs to be strong to become the emperor, and they also rely on the Tianyao Holy Land to suppress the world.

There are many other distant realms in the world, all of which are roughly similar. Although there is competition between the realms, it is not fierce. After all, all humans have a common enemy: demons and monsters.

Xiazhou City is not a city with particularly strong forces, and the words of the city lord Xu Bingkun carry great weight.

"This proposal is firstly for the health of the people of Xiazhou, and secondly, it gives me a political achievement. It also gives Sect Master Shen face. How can I object?" Xu Bingkun was extremely polite to Shen Tang, smiling broadly. "I thought Sect Master Shen came to Xiazhou to start a medicine business, but I didn't expect him to take a different approach. He is truly a gifted talent. I am relieved that Sect Master Shen will take over the Tianxing Sword Sect."

He was a disciple of the Tianxing Sword Sect, a peer of Master Shen Tang. Once a disciple, he was no longer considered a member of the sect, but more like a "matrix." However, this relationship was much closer than the alma mater relationship of modern society. While Shen Tang couldn't directly command him, he still had to give the sect leader face in terms of social consensus, otherwise he would be criticized by the world.

Shen Tang, however, showed no pretense and bowed slightly in greeting, "City Lord Xu, your generosity is great. Shen Tang would like to express his gratitude."

"Very good, very good. I will have someone inform the Medicine Bureau and ask them to cooperate. Sect Master Shen, why don't you stay for dinner?"

Shen Tang was stunned. He originally wanted to ask if he could specify the supply, but the other party started by saying that he wanted to leave, making it difficult to say anything.

There's no point in saying you're afraid, so why bring shame upon yourself?

She quickly regained her smile and said, "The sect has just been established, and there are many things to deal with. I won't bother you any more. I'll go to the Medicine Bureau and discuss the matter with them in detail."

"Okay." Xu Bingkun smiled even more amiably. "If you have any questions in the future, just send a message. Sect Leader Shen is not very mobile, so why bother making a personal trip..."

"How can I be rude when meeting the City Lord?"

Xu Bingkun laughed heartily: "Come here, escort Sect Master Shen to the Alchemy Department."

"No need." Shen Tang smiled politely: "I have guards."

As the words came out, the room seemed to get several degrees colder, and a white-haired girl suddenly appeared beside him.

Xu Bingkun's expression changed slightly: "This is..."

"My bodyguard, Dugu Qingli."

Xu Bingkun looked at Dugu Qingli with some fear, but continued to smile and walked him out the door.

Dugu Qingli didn't say anything until he pushed Shen Tang two blocks away. Then Shen Tang sighed softly, "The Imperial Master is right. Human hearts are treacherous, no less treacherous than demons."

Dugu Qingli whispered, "Are you saying that Xu Bingkun also has ulterior motives?"

"Yes." Shen Tang sighed slightly: "Fortunately, Lu Xingzhou has a contingency plan... Let's go to the Alchemy Department first."

(End of this chapter)