Chapter 574: The Caravan
Chapter 574: The Caravan
After several days, a caravan snaked its way forward.
The horses pulling the carriages were 'Dragon-Scaled Horses', a hybrid breed with several scales on their ribs, rumored to possess incredible endurance.
The carriages behind were filled with various items, from daily necessities to exotic cultivation artifacts, books, and spiritual tools, all emitting a radiant aura that was mesmerizing.
From above, the caravan's path wasn't a straight line but rather a winding one, sometimes detouring around seemingly flat land for no apparent reason.
This was because the seemingly solid ground ahead was actually a hidden marsh, and stepping into it could lead to a perilous sinkhole.
Some of the detours were to avoid lairs of ferocious beasts or places infested with terrifying venomous creatures.
Finally, ahead, a sloping land came into view, and faint silhouettes of bamboo trees could be discerned.
"This damned place, we've finally arrived... No need for detoxification pills anymore... These Green Spirit Bamboo are truly a blessing..."
Within the caravan, a young manager sighed, "Aside from here, only the Fei family has the means to cultivate these. Purifying with spiritual plants is a century-long strategy... The Xu, Yin, and White Bone Alliance all walk the path of evil, while the Song family is better, but their 'Fishy Willow' is still years away from being truly useful. Currently, they rely heavily on array support, and the pearl farming profits are almost entirely invested in it... From this perspective, the Song family's spiritual plant cultivation is inferior to that of the Poison Dragon Slope."
"Sixteenth brother, you speak wisely."
The leader of the Qiao family's caravan, Qiao Wuyong, turned to his clan's younger member, whom he had brought along to gain experience: "In your opinion, will the Poison Dragon Slope definitely develop better than Green Water?"
The sixteenth brother thought for a moment and shook his head, "I merely said that the Poison Dragon Slope has better spiritual plant cultivation... The Song family's Seven Brothers are quite similar to the Five Friends of Floating Clouds; they're all sworn brothers. But the Song family has already changed their surname to Song and established their own family, while the Five Friends of Floating Clouds remain scattered. There's even one who remains uninvolved. It's fine for now, but without significant changes in the next two to three generations, it's bound to fall apart... And by then, it'll be too late to try to reunite them."
"Indeed, indeed..." Qiao Wuyong nodded repeatedly, "As traveling merchants, we must maintain good relations with the local businesses in every place we go. In the Qingli Marsh, the first to befriend is the Fei family. The other five families currently need our help, which is why we can set high prices and earn substantial profits. If a place has great potential for development, we must not offend them too much, or it will reflect poorly on us in the future."
"So, for the sake of long-term income, we can slightly reduce our current earnings?" The sixteenth brother's eyes lit up.
"Hehe, no matter how low we set the price, we must make a profit, and it has to be a substantial one! Otherwise, who would bother with this trade?" Qiao Wuyong jumped off the dragon-scaled horse and stretched lazily.
To travel and trade across various regions, the caravan must have powerful protectors.
Qiao Wuyong himself was no ordinary man; he had reached the seventh level of Qi cultivation!
As Qiao Wuyong approached the front of the caravan, he saw a group of people coming from the direction of the Poison Dragon Slope. The leader had a head full of crane-like white hair and was dressed like a wealthy merchant. Qiao Wuyong immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists in greeting, and said with a smile, "I'm embarrassed to have troubled Elder Lyu to come and welcome us personally. It's truly an honor."
As the saying goes, 'Change of residence affects one's aura, and change of diet affects one's body.' The old man, Elder Lyu, no longer looked like the impoverished, disheveled figure from the market; instead, he exuded an air of dignity.
"I've already prepared a banquet; please!" Elder Lyu promptly invited Qiao Wuyong and several caravan managers into a refined cottage on the eastern peak.
Major transactions were also conducted here.
Additionally, the merchants from the caravan set up their stalls, hawked their goods, or engaged in buying and selling...
These were the miscellaneous businesses, some of which were side ventures by members of the caravan.
Some cultivators joined the caravan without a salary, relying solely on their own goods to earn spirit stones by traveling and trading.
Some even worked as hired laborers for the caravan.
...
Inside the hall, after the banquet, Elder Lyu had the maids serve tea.
Qiao Wuyong surveyed the room and asked curiously, "Where is Fellow Daoist Song? Is Fellow Daoist Fang not here? Last time, Fellow Daoist Song entrusted me with purchasing the 'Refining Qi and Rectifying Intent'... I haven't delivered it yet."
"The fifth sister is at home, teaching Yunyun to read..."
Elder Lyu sighed, "My sworn sister is great in every way, except for treating her daughter like the apple of her eye. I apologize for the embarrassment, Fellow Daoist. As for Fellow Daoist Fang, he doesn't like crowds. If you wish to do business with bamboo paper and strips, you can find him in the bamboo forest."
"I see. I've always admired Fellow Daoist Song's deep love for his daughter," Qiao Wuyong said, a glint flashing in his eyes.
After discussing a few major transactions with Elder Lyu and entrusting him with delivering the books, Qiao Wuyong made his way to the bamboo forest.
...
The sound of rustling leaves filled the air as the bamboo trees swayed gently, exuding a sense of tranquility that soothed the mind and banished worries.
As soon as Qiao Wuyong arrived, he spotted a thick black snake, as wide as a water bucket, slithering out.
"A Post-Integration Realm demon beast!"
Qiao Wuyong and the managers felt a chill, and then they heard Fang Xing's voice: "So, it's Manager Qiao who has arrived."
"Fellow Daoist Fang... You?"
Qiao Wuyong looked at Fang Xing with a mix of surprise and uncertainty, "Have you made another breakthrough in your cultivation?"
Between the realms of Qi, the strength of their mutual sensing is quite vague, unless one cultivates some special kind of Heavenly Eye technique.
However, since Qiao Wuyong has traveled far and wide, he must have cultivated some unique abilities.
At this moment, he senses something extraordinary about Fang Xing. His Qi is incredibly vigorous, lush, and even condenses into a snake-like form!
"Not bad, I've recently made some progress in my cultivation..."
Fang Xing smiles in acknowledgment, causing Qiao Wuyong to become more solemn.
Among the five families cultivating in the Qingli Marsh, there are only one or two members in each family who have reached the seventh level of Qi cultivation and possess the corresponding combat strength.
But now?
'Du Longpo actually has three cultivators at the advanced stage of Qi cultivation. If not for the Fei family holding them back, they would have likely attempted to annex the other families long ago...'
Qiao Wuyong thought to himself.
Weakness, internal strife... In the face of absolute power, none of that matters!
Du Longpo has three advanced Qi cultivators, while the Song family has only one. This means Du Longpo has a brighter future!
Fang Xing didn't think too much about it. He led Qiao Wuyong to a storage room filled with stacks of bamboo paper.
These bamboo papers were pure white with a faint green glow, suitable for cutting and using as talisman paper, or for practicing the art of origami.
The art of origami is widely known, and although the Blood Shadow Sect's techniques are the most authentic, wandering cultivators also possess a basic understanding of this art.
Just like alchemy and talisman drawing, both righteous and evil cultivators dabble in these skills.
In addition to the bamboo paper, there were bundles of bamboo strips, which could be used as frames when making paper figurines.
Fang Xing wasn't concerned about these goods falling into the hands of the Blood Shadow Sect. Aside from the long distance, he wasn't afraid of any competition.
The Blood Shadow Sect's 'Blood Paper' was far superior to bamboo paper, and even their talisman paper was a cut above the rest.
Moreover, the Blood Shadow Sect was one of the top ten sects, and no one knew how many Nascent Soul True Immortals they had. Would they even care about the resources of a mere Qi cultivator?
"Excellent, my dear brother. Your bamboo paper and bamboo strips are of good quality and reasonably priced, and they sell well everywhere."
Qiao Wuyong smiled and said, "Give me another hundred healing berries. It's a pity that these berries have a limited shelf life; otherwise, I could sell as many as you provide!"
Fang Xing smiled but remained silent, as he had already developed a prototype for the corresponding 'Berry Wine.'
However, as he often said, small-scale production was fine, but mass production would be a different story. It would not only steal the spotlight from high-level alchemists but might also attract the attention of the Green Peak Sect. With his current strength, he couldn't afford to attract such attention.
"According to our previous agreement, ten talismans for a stack of bamboo paper and five talismans for a bundle of bamboo strips, the total is..."
Qiao Wuyong counted the inventory and quoted a price.
Fang Xing nodded in agreement after hearing the price.
This price was definitely cheaper than selling in the market, as he had come to their doorstep, and they should make a profit.
"Last time, I asked you to keep an eye out for a few items. Have you heard anything about them?"
Fang Xing casually inquired.
"Of course."
Qiao Wuyong solemnly replied, taking out a grayish-brown beast skin bag from his pocket, "This is a 'Flying Mouse Bag' made from the skin of a spiritual mouse. It can hold objects the size of a square table..."
Fang Xing took the bag and infused it with a strand of his spiritual power, immediately sensing a space the size of an eight-person table: "It's a pity it's still a bit small..."
"Hehe, these 'Flying Mice' are quite rare. The storage artifacts made from them are expensive, and only Qi cultivators at the advanced stage can afford one or two..."
"However, I've heard that if a 'Flower Fox Sable' is born from the bloodline of these flying mice, the storage artifacts made from them would have an enormous internal space. But at least a Foundation Establishment or even a Nascent Soul True Immortal would be needed to use them..."
"This Flying Mouse Bag is sufficient for now. Thank you, Qiao. As for the price, let's settle it with this batch of goods."
Fang Xing played with the gray beast skin bag, feeling a sense of accomplishment: 'Finally, I've managed to obtain a storage artifact...'
"Excellent. Here's the 'Qi Gathering Technique' you requested last time. With that, you'll need to pay an additional five hundred and seventy-two talismans."
Qiao Wuyong chuckled.
Fang Xing was speechless. This was the agricultural-industrial price gap. He picked up a handful of berries and handed them over, "Is this enough?"
"Yes, that's enough."
Qiao Wuyong happily accepted them and chatted for a while before suddenly hinting at something, "Do you know... that the Fei family is about to change its patriarch?"
"Oh? What about Fei Tianbao?"
Fang Xing remembered meeting him five years ago, and he didn't seem like someone with a short lifespan.
"Hehe, the Fei family has a rule that when the patriarch cultivates to the ninth level of Qi and circulates the Primordial Qi throughout their body, they must step down and devote themselves to establishing a foundation. This is a difficult task, and one wrong step could lead to their demise."
"Therefore, the Fei family is preparing to change patriarchs, and there are several candidates vying for the position."
The Fei family's change of patriarch was a significant event for the five pioneering families.
Qiao Wuyong had just leaked some information and done him a favor.
(End of Chapter)
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