The Long Journey to Immortality

After all, only the High Priest knows Han Lu's true identity in this state.

Han Lu didn't think Dongweng Shop had the ability to connect with the high priest who wanted to get closer to her and the Huanfeng clan, and find out Han Lu's true identity under the black skin.

It should be noted that even the Immortal Pavilion has not openly entered the Central Plains market in such a long period of time.

The later-established Dongweng Shop was even less likely to have any connections or dealings with the high-ranking officials of the Western Regions.

The fact that Han Lu is "wrapped" in an unbreakable fog is the source of her confidence to break the unspoken rules as an outsider.

It was a performance that could be considered a natural fit, and with prior preparation, it was naturally impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was completely unprepared and focused solely on business to see through the deception.

As soon as he sat down, the cultivator, who had served the Dongweng Shop for over sixty years, introduced himself, "I am the shop manager of this shop. I have been in this business for seventy-three years. My surname is Chen. I have met you here, Fairy."

"May I ask your name, where you come from, and what magical treasures and resources you are looking for in this shop?"

This is a big deal, and it's quite important for Manager Chen to investigate further and find out the identity and background of the exotic fairy in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu put on an act as if she didn't know much about the situation in the East China Sea, showing no airs of a Golden Core cultivator, and began to ramble on and on, asking Manager Chen for help.

"Manager Chen, you can call me by my Daoist name, Fairy Qin." When she spoke, Han Lu deliberately used a thick accent to make herself sound more like a cultivator from the Western Wilderness.

The Daoist name was naturally something Han Lu made up; it was simply a name she randomly chose based on her performance of playing the zither in her capacity that day.

“I am the second priestess of the Holy King Sect. I used to cultivate in the Western Regions. I came to the East Sea from the Western Regions mainly to help me and three friends purchase materials and magical treasures.”

"The specific list is contained within this jade tablet."

Han Lu took out a jade pendant from her storage bag.

To conceal her identity, she had already had her storage bag replaced by one made of animal hide, a style more common in the Western Regions, by Lü Zhi, without any Zhengyi Sect markings embroidered on it.

Han Lu regrets that she didn't take a few storage bags with her when she worked for the High Priest.

Otherwise, his appearance at this time would have made him look more like a cultivator from the Western Regions.

“I have visited two shops here, but neither of them had all the materials that my friends and I were looking for.”

"That's why I followed someone's advice and came here to try my luck."

"It is said that Dongweng Shop is the second largest merchant guild in the East China Sea, and it has the potential to surpass Xiange."

"I think it should be able to meet the needs of me and my three friends, and provide all the materials and magical treasures specified in this jade tablet."

"It's worth about 80,000 to 90,000 spirit stones in total. Please check carefully, Manager Chen, to make sure there are no omissions."

After saying that, Han Lu placed the jade pendant on the table and gently pushed it toward the other person.

Upon seeing the jade tablet, Shopkeeper Chen looked somewhat troubled and said, "Fairy Qin, I am only a Foundation Establishment cultivator and have no way to read the information in the jade tablet. I wonder if you could wait a moment while I use my magic artifact to read the information within before giving me a reply?"

“It doesn’t matter. I can stay in the East China Sea for up to a month on this trip, so it won’t make a difference.”

Han Lu raised her hand, indicating to Manager Chen that he could do as he pleased.

Store Manager Chen smiled slightly and quickly took out a stone book from his storage bag.

This stone book is a magical artifact, of only mid-grade quality, but it has the ability to read the information recorded in the jade tablet.

Although the information obtained may be slightly incomplete, it is an essential magic weapon for low-level cultivators when using jade tablets, an information carrier that can only be used by Golden Core cultivators.

Place Han Lu's jade pendant in the center of the stone book, where there was a gap about half the size of a palm. Shopkeeper Chen activated his magic weapon, and within a hundred breaths, he read and memorized the information in the jade pendant.

He casually picked up a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and quickly and neatly copied the contents of the jade tablet onto the white paper.

With just thirteen or fourteen lines of ink, Shop Manager Chen used his brush to write the information on the jade plaque into text that even ordinary people could read.

After explaining the flaws of the treasure to the "Fairy of the Qin," he handed her the paper with the list written on it, asking her to proofread it again to avoid any mistakes that might affect efficiency.

After glancing at the ink characters on the Xuan paper, Han Lu picked up the brush that Manager Chen had just used and crookedly added a few more characters in a few places.

Although most of the cultivators from the Western Regions also understand the Central Plains script, writing the characters incorrectly is the most fitting way for Han Lu to portray her current identity.

Although his speech was slurred and awkward, he still managed to express Han Lu's meaning clearly.

After Han Lu put down her pen, Manager Chen immediately helped her dry the ink, called over a supervisor, and took the list to the warehouse to check the inventory and retrieve the goods, to see if their store could actually close this big deal.

While waiting, Manager Chen naturally chatted with Han Lu about the transaction.

"Fairy Qin, this place is not far from the Dragon Head Islands. Why don't you go to the Dragon Head Islands to make your purchases, and instead come to my poor, remote place?"

"Most of the magical treasures and materials on your list are rare. Our shop can only barely provide one to two tenths of the items on the list for the fairy to consume at the first opportunity."

This was a major loophole. Han Lu had come up with a pretty good excuse on her way to the Star Islands, and it just so happened that she could use it now.

"Isn't it because I'm short of money?" the Fairy Qin sighed.

"On the Dragon Head Islands, we did try to purchase these materials from the Immortal Pavilion. They had them, but it would cost nearly 110,000 spirit stones to procure them all."

Han Lu claimed that she was on a shopping trip to help others, and that there was no question of her helping others lose money.

"Later, I heard from someone that I could get discounts by buying from large shops in some remote areas, so I came to the Star Islands to see if I could strike it lucky."

"Manager Chen, do you have any discounts here? If not, then I'll have to try my luck elsewhere."

The Star Islands are not in a remote location, but because they are too close to the Dragon Head Islands, they have been exploited, which is why their business is so poor.

Such unspoken rules do exist in the business world of Donghai.

Store Manager Chen, who held this authority, naturally nodded without hesitation and said "yes," determined to firmly grasp this big business deal.

Chapter 842 Big Business

The eight shops under Lan Ya Gongzi's name are poorly located, and have been more or less drained by the second branch on the Dragon Head Islands.

Even in the best years of a "bull market," after deducting all sorts of expenses, the eight shops could only bring Dongweng's shops a profit of around ten thousand spirit stones a year.

Due to the poor location and poor business, Manager Chen's annual earnings were less than what Manager Li of the Immortal Pavilion, whom Han Lu had met, earned in half a year.

Naturally, the "big business" on Han Lu's list at this time was incredibly attractive to Manager Chen.

According to Manager Chen's estimate, even if Han Lu were given a very attractive discount, his shop could still earn at least three or four thousand spirit stones from this transaction.

If he achieves this, he can show off at the regional conference at the end of this year, and maybe his boss, Young Master Lan Ya, will take a different view and entrust him with important responsibilities.

"I'll get an excellent rating, win an award, and earn nearly a hundred spirit stones," Manager Chen envisioned the future. "If all else fails, at least I can be transferred from this godforsaken place to a better place where money grows on the ground."

Facing the God of Wealth, Manager Chen was extremely respectful, and every few words he couldn't help but praise "Fairy Qin".

They either praise her looks, her origins, or even the magical and combat power of the "Fairy Qin".

With malicious intent, Han Lu naturally wouldn't get carried away by those few words.

She continued to play the role of a Western Region cultivator who came to the East Sea to help her friend buy things, but whose storage bag was not very rich in spirit stones.

When pressed about the exact amount of the so-called discount, "Qin Fairy" seemed more concerned with business and prices than with other trivial matters.

Seeing that the "Fairy of the Qin" from the Western Regions wasn't buying his pretense, Manager Chen reverted to his honest self and began trying to come up with a win-win solution to keep this big business in his shop as much as possible.

"How much discount does Fairy Qin want?" Manager Chen thought, trying to turn the tables.

Han Lu had no intention of spending money to buy the goods.

With the intention of getting a "free meal," she naturally had little patience during negotiations.

However, in order to bring out the "poor" characteristics of the character she was playing, she still haggled over every penny, haggling with Manager Chen over specific discounts.

Finally, after about a hundred sentences, Han Lu negotiated a good and relatively favorable deal.

To show his sincerity, Manager Chen added, "If possible, I will give Fairy Qin a discount when the transaction takes place, for the sake of friendship between the East Sea and the Western Regions."

Manager Chen had a long-term plan, hoping that after "Fairy Qin" returned to the Western Regions, she could promote Dongweng's shop on the Star Islands, so that he could receive more new customers at the Golden Core level, expand the market, and improve performance.

Han Lu understood what he meant, and naturally agreed with Manager Chen, saying, "Manager Chen is too kind. If the cooperation goes well, I will definitely tell my friends about it when I return to the Western Regions, and ask them to come to Manager Chen's shop next time they come to Donghai to make purchases."

Upon hearing this, Manager Chen exclaimed inwardly, "I never expected that cultivators from the Western Regions would be so adventurous."

As they were talking, the steward who had been entrusted with the inventory task returned to the private room to report.

Unfortunately, the news he brought was not good.

After listening to his subordinate's report, Manager Chen, holding a list marked with many red dots, smiled and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint Fairy Qin. Of the many materials on the list, our store only has a small portion, worth about five thousand spirit stones."

"Ah, only this much..." This was all within Han Lu's expectations. She gained a deeper understanding of the accuracy of Lü Zhi's information. "Then I'll look for other places. After all, it's impossible to negotiate terms and get discounts when buying things in small quantities."

Upon hearing the word "discount," Manager Chen, who had already prepared a plan to mobilize resources for restocking, immediately fell into the trap.

In order to retain a major customer, he hurriedly promised, "How about this, if Fairy Qin buys about five thousand spirit stones worth of materials from our store, I will give Fairy Qin a 10% discount."

Han Lu pretended to be interested, "What about the other things? You don't have any here."

“I don’t have them here, but the branches on Dragon Head Islands have them all,” Manager Chen said with a smile, determined to get a share of the profits from the big shots on Dragon Head Islands in order to boost sales. “If Fairy Qin has the patience, I can arrange all these supplies over in three days, and then I can sell them to you at a more favorable price and complete this transaction.”

Despite being offered a discount, Manager Chen was still somewhat uneasy, fearing that "Fairy Qin's" already dark face would become even more gloomy, and she might just turn and leave.

Hearing this, Han Lu knew that the matter was 70% complete, and she felt completely at ease.

Pretending to ponder and hesitate, Han Lu, playing the "Fairy of the Qin," finally replied after about ten breaths, "Then, Manager Chen, the final discount price can't just be empty words."

"Absolutely, absolutely, I'll make sure Fairy Qin is satisfied." Shopkeeper Chen was secretly delighted and made his assurances repeatedly.

"What about the time? Three days will be enough?"

"This..." Manager Chen knew that getting the branch in the Dragon Head Islands to allocate such expensive materials would definitely require Lan Ya Gongzi's involvement, so he couldn't say for sure how long it would take to resolve the supply issue.

"We will definitely dispatch all the goods that the fairy requests within three days at the fastest and five days at the longest."

After making another promise, Manager Chen was certain that his superior, Young Master Lan Ya, would help make the matter happen.

“Okay,” Han Lu nodded and said, “Let’s finish the transaction of these five thousand, no, four thousand five hundred spirit stones first. I’ll wait around here and come back to complete the transaction with you, Manager Chen, in five days.”

“Great! I’ll have someone bring the fairy’s things right away.”

Worried that the Qin Fairy, whom he had only known for a short time, might breach the agreement, Manager Chen added, "If the Qin Fairy doesn't mind, she can stay at one of the hotels under my Dongweng Shop for free for the next few days."

“Okay,” Han Lu couldn’t be happier to have another alibi. “Since it’s free, I won’t be polite.”

After waiting in the private room for less than a quarter of an hour, a storage bag was passed through two layers of intermediaries and arrived in Manager Chen's hands.

So, before enjoying the free meal, Han Lu happily acquired a bunch of supplies at a low price.

After completing this small transaction, Han Lu checked into a hotel under the guidance of a manager.

Immediately after Han Lu left, Manager Chen tried to contact Young Master Lan Ya to share the good news and seek his support, hoping to leverage his connections to close this big deal.

Chapter 843 Taking on Everything