Discussion

Baixi Mountain, Zhou Family Courtyard

"Building a market town?"

Zhou Ping frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Half a month ago, he had declined the Huang Family's offer, keeping only four vines. He had originally thought the Huang Family would use that refusal as a pretext to cause trouble. Who could have expected that Huang Zhengqi's visit this time would not only be devoid of malice, but that the man would be so courteous, speaking soft words to discuss establishing a so-called market town.

"That's correct, Senior."

Huang Zhengqi smiled and said, "The immortal clans of our few counties are far too isolated. We don't even have a place to discuss the Dao and exchange ideas, forcing us all to work behind closed doors."

"The elders of my family are deeply concerned about this. Wishing to benefit all our clans, they plan to establish a market town at the foot of Pingyun Mountain. This will allow the immortal clans of the surrounding counties to engage in trade, balancing each other's needs and complementing our respective strengths. It will be a win-win situation for all the immortal clans in the southern Zhaoping region."

Zhou Ping nodded slightly. What Huang Zhengqi said was indeed true.

His own family had been an immortal clan for over six years now. Yet, aside from the Immortals' Directorate coming every three years to collect tribute, they spent the rest of their time living like secluded old farmers. Even if they discovered some spiritual items, they could only hand them over to the Immortals' Directorate in exchange for merits, or else let the goods rot in their hands.

If a market town truly existed, the Zhou clan could sell their surplus or exchange it for treasures they actually needed.

Certain cultivation techniques that did not involve a clan's core inheritance might even be obtained there, and at a much lower price than what the Immortals' Directorate charged.

After all, once these immortal clans had mastered low-level techniques, keeping them was useless. Selling them allowed them to turn waste into treasure and recover some of their costs.

This was especially true for consumables like talismans and pills. While the quality produced by individual clans was far inferior to that of the Immortals' Directorate, they would naturally be much cheaper.

Though inferior, buying them could still save a life in a pinch.

The Zhou family was currently severely lacking in both techniques and consumable talismans and pills. Zhou Ping had never seen the descendants of any other immortal clan look so impoverished.

On the other hand, they possessed several magical artifacts. It was the very definition of lopsided development.

Zhou Ping had previously thought about going to a market town to pan for gold, but the nearest ones were located in the central regions of Zhaoping Prefecture, several hundred li away. He could not rest easy sending his son so far with a pouch of spirit stones, so he had simply stuck to his old ways.

Now, if the Huang Family established a market town, it would be barely a hundred li away, which offered far more security.

Standing to the side, Zhou Minghu asked, "How will the safety of the market town be guaranteed? If demonic cultivators run rampant, robbing and killing, we cannot just resign ourselves to fate, can we?"

Huang Zhengqi naturally knew who was truly asking the question. He smiled respectfully at Zhou Ping and said, "Senior, rest assured. My family happened to obtain a Small Five Elements Array, which will serve as the grand protective formation for the market town."

"As long as one is within the market town, demonic methods will certainly find no foothold."

"Furthermore, within a three-li radius of the market town, my Huang Family will dispatch personnel to patrol and ensure the safety of all families."

When Zhou Ping heard mention of the Small Five Elements Array, he was momentarily stunned.

He remembered Zhang Ting telling him that in the northern part of Qingshui County, there had once been an immortal clan. On the night after their sole Qi Condensation cultivator passed away, they were massacred by demonic cultivators. All one hundred and thirty-seven members of the clan perished, and the treasures within their clan were completely plundered.

He simply had not expected that the protective mountain formation of that fallen clan had ended up in the Huang Family's hands. In fact, it was entirely possible that the Huang Family itself had been the one to slaughter them.

"Senior, our two families are the only immortal clans of Qingshui County. If your esteemed clan is willing to join the market town, I can promise on behalf of my elders to gift you a shop plot, completely free of charge for seventy years."

In the early stages of establishing the market town, the Huang Family naturally had to find ways to entice other immortal clans to settle there, even going so far as to promise free storefronts.

Only when these established clans took up residence would ordinary low-level cultivators dare to do business there, which would in turn attract more immortal clans and rogue cultivators.

If even the Zhou Family from their own county refused to attend, how could they expect other clans to show up? If the market opened to an empty valley, the Huang Family would become the laughingstock of the region.

Huang Zhengqi looked at Zhou Ping with an obsequious smile. "I wonder if Senior is satisfied with this arrangement?"

His mention of seventy years was deliberate; it happened to match the remainder of Zhou Ping's estimated lifespan. Given Zhou Ping's prudent nature, he would likely live out his days in peace. By then, if the Zhou Family had no worthy successor, the Huang Family could rightfully kick them out. If the Zhou clan did produce a successor, they could simply renegotiate.

Zhou Ping remained silent for a moment before speaking, "A plot of land fifteen zhang in length and width. The location must be in the central area, and my family will construct the building ourselves."

Huang Zhengqi was stunned. Inwardly, he cursed Zhou Ping for opening a lion's mouth; he was already offering a prime location, yet the old man demanded such a massive plot of land. Truly insatiably greedy, especially considering the Zhou family had absolutely nothing of value to sell.

But no matter how much he cursed internally, he could only force a bright smile onto his face.

"No problem, Senior. We will definitely reserve the best spot for you."

Not long after, Huang Zhengqi took his leave from the Zhou Family and hurried back toward Pingyun Mountain.

Meanwhile, other cultivators of the Huang Family were traveling across the four surrounding counties, negotiating with the various immortal clans.

They even sent someone to visit Zhang Ting's family. Although the Zhang Family was merely a minor mortal clan, Zhang Ting was a Fourth Layer Qi Condensation cultivator and an official of the Immortals' Directorate. It was well worth giving him face.

The Huang Family's grand construction project quickly spread through the surrounding counties. Even the Immortals' Directorate caught wind of it, though they paid it no mind.

The Immortals' Directorate was a government institution acting under imperial decree, originally established to facilitate the growth of newly founded immortal clans. Since a local clan was building a market town, the Directorate would naturally not obstruct it.

In fact, the formation master the Huang Family hired to set up the Small Five Elements Array was an official from the Immortals' Directorate.

Even with the formation flags and formation plates already provided, the master still charged the Huang Family thirty spirit stones for the labor, which pained the Huangs deeply.

Yet there was no alternative. Among the hundred crafts of cultivation, the four paths of alchemy, weaponsmithing, formations, and talismans were the most difficult to master. However, once a cultivator achieved competence in them, they would be treated as an honored guest wherever they went, and earning gold daily would be a trivial matter.

Upon receiving word that the Small Five Elements Array had been successfully deployed, Zhou Ping finally felt completely at ease.

"Minghu, sort out everything in the storehouse. We will be opening a shop soon, and we cannot look too shabby."

"Spiritual rice, talisman paper-prepare a plentiful stock of both."

As Zhou Ping spoke, he realized that his family's foundations were truly too shallow. They lacked anything truly remarkable to display, forcing him to say helplessly:

"There is still half a year before the market town officially opens. Take some of our mature ginseng and lingzhi and plant them next to the Purple Gold Vine. Use this remaining time to accelerate their growth properly."

Since they could not compete with others in terms of refined crafts, Zhou Ping could only blaze a different trail, leveraging the unique properties of the Purple Gold Vine to sell high-grade medicinal herbs.

"When the time comes, we will exchange these herbs for spiritual plant seedlings or new techniques. We cannot remain this impoverished forever."

"I understand, Father," Zhou Minghu replied with a bitter smile.

"In the early days, the market town will be a mixed bag of dragons and snakes. I will only feel at ease if you go personally. Once the situation stabilizes, we can have Dashi take over to keep watch."

Wang Dashi possessed mediocre talent, making it highly unlikely he would ever betray the Zhou Family, and he was naturally amiable and tactful. Zhou Ping planned to let Wang Dashi manage the shop once the market town settled down, and then hand it over to the grandchildren a few years later.

Of course, Wang Dashi would not be alone; Zhou Hu and several trusted servants would accompany him.

"Rest assured, Father. I know what to do."

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2