CHAPTER 347: CHAPTER 347: HU JIU GIRL’S LITTLE CALCULATIONS

With a meal and more than a dozen Spirit Stones, Jiang Yuan was able to get a general idea of the situation in Cloud City.

The rumor about the City Lord’s failed promotion and impending doom was merely hearsay, yet the years of strong leadership maintained a relatively simple customs among the residents here.

As Mist Cloud Hunters, most cultivators, like Song Zhi, had no foundation or inheritance, lacking any special skill and could only venture into the unknown for some benefits.

Their strength was not formidable, and fearing the City Lord’s thunderous methods of punishment, they stayed respectful to each other, avoiding conflicts even when chasing Mist Clouds on the prairie.

"It sounds like the living environment in the city is quite nice, with large trading places. These Mist Cloud hunters occasionally find Spirit Medicine to sell, no wonder I couldn’t find a single one..." Saying goodbye to Song Zhi, he rode a paper crane back to his courtyard and looked afar at Cloud City, feeling slightly frustrated.

The city is strictly managed, making it impossible for a ’sneaker’ like himself to enter.

Song Zhi explained clearly that after reaching Cloud City via the Teleportation Array, one must undergo a screening, filtering out Evil Cultivators, and those with unknown identities and backgrounds. After the screening, one can obtain "identity verification" at the administration, which acts as official authentication allowing access through layered arrays to enter and exit the city.

Without registration, he would be directly barred from entering the city.

"The system map only displays the Cloud Prairie area. Without finding other cities or forging identity, there’s no way to enter Cloud City through official channels." Jiang Yuan looked at the Teleportation Scroll, showing Cloud City in grey, indicating teleportation was impossible. He glanced at the system map and sighed heavily.

Song Zhi probably did not lie, considering the city prohibits the use of Teleportation Scrolls, it seems the City Lord goes all out to protect the city, allowing entry only through the Teleportation Array for immediate preliminary inspections, which is a good thing for the safety of city residents.

The city is so close but unreachable; the plan to acquire Spirit Medicine can only be temporarily shelved.

Back in the courtyard, he immediately collected the finished products in the workshop and added raw materials to continue processing. He glanced and found everyone except Yun Shu was in cultivation and did not disturb them, turning into the grocery shop.

Without current orders and no impact from seasonal wilderness shifts, the Floating Market alternately allowed seamless switching between Cyan Fish Mountain and Golden Carp Lake Market as before.

Jiang Yuan put Yun Shuhua’s beginner-level talismans on the Cyan Fish Mountain Market window. As the window quietly opened, the grocery shop officially started its business while he turned to a new task in the newly opened instance.

"Sniff, sniff!" Hu Jiu, feeling idle, was playing with a tobacco pipe on the rooftop, blowing a smoke ring that formed into a faint cloud with a gentle poke by the brass tobacco pipe’s end when she suddenly smelled the familiar scent of talismans with her keen sense!

"The young lad’s shop has new items!" She finally found some fresh gossip, gleefully floated down from the rooftop. Underneath her pink palace dress, her fluffy white fox tail wagged excitedly.

Three elder sisters supervised her cultivation last time; she succeeded in Foundation Establishment after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. The overly thrilled third elder sister gifted her with many good things, including plenty of practical talismans.

These are excellent items!

Especially for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm with limited means, a few talismans can sometimes save a life.

A single beginner-level talisman costs only dozens of Spirit Stones, which for a Demon Cultivator like her, with a backing of elder sisters and ample funds, is considered very worthwhile. Yet this is the young lad’s business, and according to the third elder sister, he spends significantly and needs more ways to make money to balance the inflow and outflow.

Hu Jiu’s cultivation might be lacking, but she had been doing business at the Cyan Fish Mountain Market for many years, and an idea formed with a roll of her eyes.

"Wow, there are so many talismans?" With sharp senses, she immediately noticed the grocery window began selling, promptly rushed forward and with some heartache bought the whole thick batch of beginner-level talismans.

Totaling five hundred in full, all kinds of talisman types complete, spending nearly thirty thousand Spirit Stones for exclusivity.

"Teleportation Talisman costs 50 Spirit Stones, retail should go for at least 70 Spirit Stones. Palm Thunder costs 20 Spirit Stones in price, sell for 25 Spirit Stones. Calculating this way..." Hu Jiu saw the grocery window closed, ending the sales before shaking her fluffy tail and returned to her shop, calculating the profit.

"Two hundred Teleportation Talismans, in price ten thousand Spirit Stones, sold for fourteen thousand, making a pure profit of four thousand Spirit Stones on that alone. Coupled with other talismans, upon selling five hundred talismans, I can earn a profit of fifteen thousand!" After the calculations, she smiled broadly, "Wouldn’t it prove my ability to negotiate cooperation if I handed these Spirit Stones to the young lad through the third elder sister, showcasing my talent in sales?"

The brass tobacco pipe slowly tapped on the table, her fluffy big ears wiggled as her little brain engaged in a brain storm.

The young lad was busy, so he had no time to sell talismans at a higher price one by one, but I have plenty of time! As long as this sales campaign performs well, it could lead to business talks with the young lad!

One Teleportation Talisman, he sells for 50 Spirit Stones at the window, I could offer it at 65, and monopolize the talisman market at Cyan Fish Mountain, selling at 70 a piece for pocket money.

This way, the young lad is worry-free and gains profit, while I have the chance to frequently interact with him by periodically sourcing more goods.

Moreover, the third elder sister said the young lad’s courtyard products are abundant, rare in the market here, so why not leverage my connections at the market to move his products?

For instance, fruits and vegetables, what’s most prevalent at Cyan Fish Mountain Market? Naturally the restaurants! If I could link up and sell those high-priced fruits and vegetables from the young lad’s farm...

Hu Jiu’s thoughts grew increasingly delightful, deciding to start with talisman sales!

She wanted to prove through action that she was not just adept at acting sweet and cuddly, but also a capable business aid, fostering affection through long-term interaction; the more business entanglement, the easier it would be to form a dual cultivation partnership, wouldn’t it?

"I’m truly a genius!" Puffing out a smoke ring, Hu Jiu couldn’t suppress her smile as she bounced out of her cloth shop.

The neighboring shop owner quickly asked, "Yo, why are you so happy today? Had something good happen? Tell us, won’t you?"

The entire Cyan Fish Mountain Market knew Hu Jiu as the wealthiest and idlest lady, known for her insider knowledge and love for gossip; through her, you often heard the freshest news.

"I encountered a great joy today, Boss Hao..." She bounced over and raised her brows, lowering her voice: "Interested in talismans? We’ve been acquainted for years, guaranteed discount!"

The other party’s eyes brightened immediately, "What kinds of talismans do you have? Do you know I heard about a fire sale from the grocery shop a few days ago and rushed over, only to find second-hand dealers had snatched them all up.

They raised prices at the Black Market, hearing many inquiries but few purchases, unsure if they sold them or kept them for themselves, anyway I didn’t get any good deals, tell me, isn’t that unscrupulous?"