It had been a week since Fang Shi upgraded the evaluation artifact, and he was impressed with the results. Thanks to the new functions, he had started gathering a stock on materials by recycling broken artifacts back to their raw materials. Unfortunately, because recycling broken artifacts was not a stable way to collect materials, one of the quest still stayed incomplete.
Fang Shi wanted to complete everything, but decided not to accept the rewards immediately. He felt it was better it slowly improve the store to not confuse customers, and also to give them some to looking forward to.
Tonight, Fang Shi was staring at his panel, deciding what to add tomorrow. First, Fang Shi accepted the reward for [Why don't you go get a job?], and heard from the system, "Affirmative, the system will instruct the host while he sleeps."
Next, Fang Shi four more puppets which caused several chimes to indicate that a few quests had been completed. When he looked, he saw the following quests complete:
[Fashion Week
Rodeo Drive
You actually believe in that!]
He accepted all three quests, and went to the map of his property to start the upgrade. He thought if he did not choose anything, the system would just building a fourth floor, and wanted to avoid that for now. So he designed two buildings that would run for the entrance of his land to his store. He also built a wall and a gate around his property, not to protect it since the system would, but deter others from approaching from an undesirable direction.
Fang Shi added two new shops but placed them in the new buildings he had created: a fabric and clothing shop, and a talisman shop. He placed the four puppets with three in the first shop, and one in the second. Because the scroll he had bought only consisted of beginner's knowledge of the four major professions, Fang Shi noticed that the talisman store would only sell materials and talismans of the 3rd order.
The arrangement of the two shops were simple, the clothing shop would consist of a store and a tailor. The store would sell bolts of fabrics, and clothing, and the tailor would repair clothes or make custom orders. The talisman shop would sell the talismans and supplies. Once he completed everything, he closed the panel, and had a normal night.
The next morning, Fang Shi followed his morning routine before heading down to the store. As he dismissed the puppet that was watching the store, he heard the crowd inside having conversations about the new additions to the store. Soon, he received a notification that made a sound he had not heard before. When he checked, he saw:
[Courier is in transit to pick up goods].
He opened his map panel in a spot when nobody would notice, and saw a dot moving. Pleased, he closed the map panel, and continued to help some customers he saw coming his way to checkout.
"It must have cost a fortune to invite an inscription master here, Owner Fang", one of the approaching customers said.
"Not as much as you might think", Fang Shi replied, "This is his first time working by himself since training under his mentor."
"It would seem you are lucky then, Owner Fang", the man chuckled, "The inscriber seems talented from that talismans and charms I observed in the window."
"It is only a temporary solution", Fang Shi admitted, "Unless my luck is good, and I can purchase higher grade talismans recipes, he will probably leave one day to try to become a 2nd rate inscriber."
"Well, we are thankful for his presence for now", the man responded as he completed the transaction, and left.
This made Fang Shi curious, 'System, this is a world that hoards knowledge to keep an advantage, how will I be able to upgrade the capabilities of not only the talisman shop but other shops as well.'
'Answer: The host can increase the capability of the stores by the items bought from others or bought by you', the feminine voice explained to him.
'I guess that make sense', Fang Shi complained a bit, 'A merchant system would revolve around making purchases.'
A two distinct, but familiar chimes went off, and Fang Shi was happy to see:
[Courier has returned successfully].
When he looked around, he saw that the store was emptier than normal as everyone was still looking at the new stores that opened today. So he took a quick glance around, and opened the system panel again.
This time there were two (!) marks, one on the task tab, and the other on the achievement tab. He picked the task tab first and saw [Bring the Hammer down!] had completed, but he had just opened shops today so he would wait seven or eights days before opening more stores. When he selected the achievements tab, he saw:
[New! Rock and Stone].
He opened the entry and saw:
[Rock and Stone
Obtain a regular source of mined resources (completed)
Reward: Mine. The mine can be used to collect any resources on any land that you own. Also, anything taken from the mine will have its quality upgraded over time.]
Fang Shi accepted the reward before closing the panel, and helping a few more customers who were walking over.
Lan Mingxue was walking toward the outer city today after hearing some rumors. She was the daughter of the owner of Lan Talismans in the inner city, and something was going on today. The normal full shop felt slightly emptier than usual, and as she sat behind the counter, she heard a few customers discussing something.
She remembered two woman standing close, and conversing. A woman in a red robe said, "I went to the Heaven and Earth pavilion yesterday, and they opened a talisman shop."
Another women in light blue robes seemed interested, and replied, "Heaven and Earth pavilion? Is this a new place in the inner city?"
"No, it on the outskirts of the outer city", the woman in red said, "I will take you there after we finish our business here. Not only does that place have high quality spirit rice and fruits, but also a restaurant that uses the best ingredients. One meal from there has the same amount of Qi as a Qi nourishing pill, is easy to absorb, has no impurities, and is reasonably priced. I wanted to see the talismans and robes, but it was too busy, so I decided to wait."
The woman in light blue looked shocked, and then looked in her hands. She picked up the talismans she wanted, and put the rest back.
"I have some time, so let's head over now", she said as she paid Mingxue the amount owed.
With the memory fresh in her thoughts, she had taken the afternoon off to scout this new competitor. She was upset to see her father's business lose customers. He was only one of two 2nd rate inscription masters in the area. Hearing that another place had somehow drew their customers over 3rd rate talismans hurt her pride slightly.
Mingxue had lived a somewhat pampered lifestyle, she had many suitors trying to attract her attention, a strong spiritual root, and an elder at the Azure River sect had made some inquiries about recruiting her. She had trained in drawing talismans from her father, and she was disappointed some of their regular clients were speaking well of a different shop.
As she made her way towards the gate between the inner and outer city, when she spotted someone she knew but did not wish to speak with.
Another woman was walking ahead of her, wearing a black set of robes in a manner that attracted attention. It was obvious from the stares and quick glances from the men in the area, that they appreciated her style.
"Mei Lianhua", Mingxue almost spat out.
This woman was the daughter of the owner of the 'Lotus Seal', the only other 2nd rate inscription master in the city.
The other woman turned when she heard Mingxue say her name, and smile as she walked toward her.
"Mingxue, what a coincidence", Lianhua said, "Mei Mei was out on some business, but did not expect to you. Are you free? I heard about a new clothing store, and wanted to see their skill."
Mingxue had a bad feeling, "I do not have the time now. A new talisman shop opened, and I believe it might affect business, so I must scout it out."
"Then let's go out together next time, Xue'er", Lianhua looked amused before walking away.
Mingxue was angry, anyone could call her Xue'er except this woman, but she called down and continued on her way. Twenty minutes later, she knew where her bad feeling came from as she and Mei
Lianhua were still heading towards the same direction.
Farmland was everywhere, and Mingxue was starting to doubt if a store really was open out here. She was about to suspect this was a trap, but a large and beautiful wall came into view. This piqued her curiosity, and she walked to the gate alongside others as she viewed a signed that said 'Heaven and Earth'.
"With a sign like that, I can only hope they can deliver", Lianhua mused.
Mingxue hated to admit, but she agreed with her rival.
"First time here?", an older man spoke to the two of us.
"Yes it is", Lianhua immediately replied, "Fellow Daoist, can you describe how it is inside?"
The man seemed to enjoy the attention from
Mei Lianhua, but he answered, "The rice and the fruits are real though an old man like me cannot afford them. The food served upstairs is so delicious, and beneficial to cultivation. I have no interest in clothes, and I have no need for talismans for now, but I will no doubt come here if I do. I should not take up any more of your time."
The old man turned and walked away, but Mingxue still had the feeling this man was someone who was paid to bring in customers. It was not intentional, but both woman entered the gate to verify if the rumors had merit.
Peng Hui had been hearing the words of Fang Shi since their last encounter, and kept contemplating whether what he said was correct. Peng Hui had noted that his cultivation had become faster, but something made him think it was the spiritual fruits that was responsible. When he used the cultivation method given to him by the sect, he had to admit that it felt lacking. What surprised Peng Hui was that the elder of the outer court, Elder Wuying had called him.
Peng Hui made his way to the building that the Outer court Elder worked from, and entered. He made his way to a door upstairs, and knocked three times.
"Enter", he heard, so he opened the door and walked in.
The man Peng Hui saw was not only Elder in title but in age. His hair and beard were grey, and Peng Hui could guess he only had a decade left. This was not strange however, the outer court elder was usually a loyal cultivator that failed to build a foundation.
Peng Hui bowed, "The elder request my presence?"
"It has come to my attention that you had visited the Blue Moon pavilion recently", Elder wuying stated before asking, "Usually, I would not pry into your business, but if you have done something unforgivable, such as sharing the sect's secrets with them, you will be punished."
"Elder, I assure you that I did not do anything of he sort", Peng Hui felt relief, "I was purchasing cultivation methods, not selling."
Peng Hui waves his hand, and three scrolls appeared. The Elder took the scrolls from the young man, searched them using his divine sense, and gave them back.
"It is good that nothing bad happened", the old man said, "Why have you bought these, and how did you have the funds to do so?"
"I think it best to answer the elder's second question first", Peng Hui suggested, "There is a store in the outer city of Blue Moon that will purchase artifacts of any quality, including broken. I sold some artifacts that had been broken during my last exploration into a ruins. In turn, I used that to purchase these cultivation method."
Elder Wuying was surprised, 'why would a shop buy broken artifacts?' He dismissed these thoughts and asked, "Why buy these methods? Our sect's cultivation method is superior to these."
Peng Hui decided to say the inspiration for these events, and tell the Elder about the conversation he had with Fang Shi.
"Why would the words of a mere Body Perfecting stage cultivator hold meaning?", Elder Wuying became curious.
"It is because of the cultivator that protects the shop", Peng Hui admitted, "The senior is definitely at the Foundation Establishment stage, and I took Owner Fang's words as the seniors words."
Elder Wuying was bewildered, 'a Foundation Establishment cultivator established a store in the weakest part of the city?'
"Can you show me where this store is at?", Elder Wuying requested, "I have not left the sect for awhile, and I think I need to get out and take a walk."
Soon the pair found themselves at the Heaven and Earth pavilion, and Elder Wuying eyed everything with scrutiny. They walked in the gate, and Peng Hui's eye lit up.
"They have added new shops since my last visit", he said as he went to the talisman shop first. The elder followed behind, observing everything, but when he viewed the talismans on displayed, he stopped.
The elder mumbled to himself, "Even though every talisman is 3rd ranked, they are all perfect."
Elder Wuying did not practice inscription, but he could still evaluate the quality of the product. His eyes widened even more when he saw the price, and he couldn't help but wonder why the owner would sell them at that price. Making a mental note to mention this once he returned to the sect, he suddenly realized something else as well. The Qi in the air was easily enough to support his 9th level of the Qi Gathering realm, which was surprising considering how weak it felt on the way here.
The Elder saw Peng Hui enter the main store, so he followed the disciple and was quickly taken back. Everything on the shelves was rich in Qi or vitality, and he could tell this was not a scam.
"Elder", Peng Hui called out, "Please follow me."
Elder Wuying was so overwhelmed, he could only nod and ascend to the next floor.
"Excellent", Peng Hui declared, "They still have tables open."
Peng walked up to the puppet that appeared as a young woman in a fox mask.
"A table for two", Peng Huo requested.
"This way", the waitress stated, and guided the two to an open tatami booth.
The two sat down, and Peng Hui picked up a strange artifact before asking, "Would Elder Wuying have tea?"
"Yes, but what is this thing you are holding?", the elder questioned the younger man.
"It's a menu that that allows the guests to order what they wish", Peng hui said as he demonstrated how to manipulate the artifact.
Peng Hui ordered a few dishes, and soon the waitress returned to deliver their order. After she left, Peng Hui drank his tea and started eating. Elder Wuying was at a loss, he didn't remember the last time he ate. So he picked his tea cup, and when Elder Wuying drank the tea, his mind achieve a level of clarity that he never imagined.
Next, he took a bite of a slice of meat with a mixture of spiritual herbs. It was so delicious, and soon he was quickly finishing the meal set in front of him. He was brimming with strength, his dantian felt uncomfortably heavy, and his mind still seemed razor sharp.
"Disciple Peng", the elder said, "I think I can understand why you made the choices you did, and I find no fault…"
The elder stopped because he felt something he'd never though could happen, the bottleneck that never budged had slightly shifted.
"Elder Wuying, are you well?", Peng Hui inquired.
"I feel better now than I have for a long time", the elder smiled, "Shall we greet the owner?"
Peng Hui nodded, paid the bill, and both of them went back downstairs only to hear a commotion.
When Peng Hui looked over, he saw two young women upset as they spoke to Owner Fang.
"Why can't you just let us meet the inscription master that works for you?", the young woman in black asked.
"Do you freely let people meet with your best inscription masters without an appointment?", Fang Shi roared at the two woman.
Both of the ladies suddenly became embarrassed, and the one in white softly said, "No."
"Then do not expect at my shop", Fang Shi already had enough of these two spoiled girls, "If you dare to mention again, I will kick you out, and ban you from the store for a week."
The two girls became angry, but just left the store causing everyone to laugh.
Peng Hui and Elder Wuying made their way to Fang Shi, and the elder was shocked seeing a twelve year old boy at the late stage of the Body Perfecting realm.
Peng Hui bowed towards Fang Shi, "Owner Fang, it seems we have arrived at a bad time."
"Daoist Peng, I don't think that's true at all", Fang Shi responded, "I would rather have a discussion with you, than deal with those two."
"Then let's speak more about that now then", Peng Hui replied.