From a carp to a dragon god

Chapter 175 Before the Gambling Fight Begins
On the night of August 15th, one hundred and sixty-four bonfires were set up, and for a moment, the small temple of the God of Goods was as bright as day.

Originally, it could be illuminated by casting a spell, but performing opera at night was originally a community sacrifice, so the bonfire was lit as usual.

There is naturally no shortage of snacks and small vendors in the Water Market. Tens to twenty thousand people gathered in the Small Temple Square. Even the Water God of Fuling Lake came. Many vendors selling snacks moved here to do business.

At night, Li Zhen and Cao Baotou were sober, and the four monsters went to the small temple of the God of Goods to watch the show.

"Brother Cao, has it been announced tonight? Is there no news at all now?" Huang Wenxun asked as usual.

Cao Baotou also shook his head. He was just a small water merchant in the north. Apart from having a few more ships, he had no say in the water transport meeting.

"The conference has been going on for more than ten days, and there's still no news. I'm worried. Most of my business depends on the water market."

"It doesn't mean we'll have a result tonight. Whether it's good or bad, we'll just have to wait and see. As the saying goes, if an enemy comes, we'll fight him with our army; if a flood comes, we'll block it with earth. We can always solve the problem."

Yu Shuyang had no choice but to counsel his eighth brother-in-law and Cao Baotou. The two were just worrying too much. Even if the water market was gone, could the business still stop?
It's nothing more than a cooperative relationship. It has been dispersed from the water market. The old relationships are still there, and business transactions are still carried out as usual, but there are a few more procedures.

There were seats reserved in front of the stage, all for members of the Five Elements and Eight Societies. Led by the leader Cao, Yu Shuyang and his friends also managed to find a seat among the dozen or so tables of the Cao Society.

Before the show started, there was a sound of gongs and drums. After that, a man in a black robe walked out from the stage. He had a cloth hat on his head and his face was not painted with any pastel or ink.

"Isn't this the chief manager of the Salt Association? Why is he taking the stage now?" Cao Baotou said in confusion.

The person on the stage was the person in charge of tribute salt - Liu An.

"Everyone, the big show is about to begin. We, the young and old masters of the Five Elements and Eight Societies, have decided to hold the show for a few more days.

Everyone knows that there has been trouble in the north recently, and Shui City has also suffered a disaster. So far, some things have not been settled.

However, one thing can be made clear first, that is, the market will not be closed, and everyone can do business with peace of mind.

We're having a big show these days, so everyone can have some fun."

After Liu An finished speaking, he left the stage. Then the big birthday celebration began. All the actors from the three troupes took turns to go on stage and sing congratulatory speeches.

At this time, the 20,000 to 30,000 spectators in the audience were in an uproar, discussing all kinds of things. People in warehouses and workshops were all happy because not closing the city would not affect them.

The only ones who were dissatisfied were the merchants at the Huaishui Market. They had just stretched their necks and listened for a long time, and in the end they were told that the market would be postponed for a few days, but there was no mention of closing the market, and they became restless and dissatisfied.

At the Caohui table here, Huang Wenxun was half sad and half happy. He made a living by allocating goods from the big market and taking individual orders from workshops.

Saying that the city will not be closed now is like leaving him half a chance to survive. The problem is that the Danhuang Dongtian stronghold is temporary. When he leaves, he can't take anyone with him except his wife and children.

"Brother-in-law, isn't this good enough right now? Besides, you still have a large warehouse. Don't you understand the principle of stockpiling and trading?"

Yu Shuyang smiled and teased his brother-in-law. He had given Bai Dan's Yunmen Water Palace to his eighth brother-in-law, who melted it into the space in the belly of the Bashe.

It can be said that Huang Wenxun is a huge walking warehouse. The space of 800 miles in radius is a good way to stockpile goods and sell them.

"Ninth brother, you are right." Huang Wenxun understood what his wife's brother said. When he started his business earlier, he did not have enough capital, so he did not engage in the stockpiling of goods.

It seems that he will have to take advantage of this matter in the future, just like his wife's cousin Li Zhen, and run out the surrounding big and small families, and make money by reselling them back and forth.

On the other side, Li Zhen was standing next to Mr. Shang. He ran over to discuss the handover of goods between the two parties and asked about the next cooperation.

He could see that, apart from drinking and making friends, Cao Baotou, the eldest brother, pushed all the rest of the worldly affairs to Shang Shiye and Bai Zhishan. "Mr. Li, we can't do this business for long. The business in the East China Sea is handled by several large families along the northern coast.

If you can divide the cargo on your ship among the merchants on both sides of the Jishui River, the business can be handled quietly if you open up your business.

Cao Baotou can't hold on any longer. If those immortal families start to make trouble, it will be too much trouble."

Mr. Shang did not hide it and told Li Zhen directly that there were wealthy families doing maritime business all over the coast, just like the salt and tea parties, outsiders were not allowed to interfere.

"Master Li, you don't have to worry about this. We have five associations and eight trades in Shuifu. If you find a few more companies, you will definitely be able to make your business flourish.

What's more, there are 100,000 shops in Shuishi. Even if you throw your goods in, it won't make a splash. I heard that there have been some accidents at sea recently.

If you no longer do business with the big merchants, you can pick it up and the big merchants won’t be able to make trouble.”

The white paper fan at the side offered some advice. He was paying close attention to the changes in the north. Nowadays, several companies doing maritime business no longer sell rice.

After some inquiries, I learned that several large grain-producing islands on the sea had stopped doing business with merchants, and that the north would be short of rice in two years.

When Li Zhen heard this, he realized it. Yes, the Qingqiu Fox Kingdom, the Dongling Island, and the Yazhou Demon City should all reduce their interactions with sea merchants.

"That's great! Next time, I'll bring a boatload of magical rice. I wonder if you can eat it?"

Bai Zhishan looked around, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, it was Shang Shiye who spoke: "There are guilds for salt, tea, grain, and medicine.

If it's just a one-time thing, like this time, we can still help share the burden. If it's a long-term thing, we can do it.

You'd better go to the grain association, where we all eat from the same pot, and it's not good to break the rules."

Li Zhen nodded. He also knew the details of the Caohui. They made a living by transporting goods. They usually collected goods and brought them back to sell along the waterways. Basically, they would not do anything that violated the taboos of the association.

The same reasoning went along with the fact that Luang Phor from the Salt Association introduced them to the head of the Cao Association. Their Salt Association only dealt in salt business and didn't touch anything else.

Now that he understood the rules, this matter became easy. It was just a matter of finding the right way to do business. So Li Zhen began to inquire about the business of the five associations and eight trades.

While the drama was going on here, at the other side in the Temple of the God of Goods, a group of managers were arguing loudly since Hai Damu brought back the news.

First, there was a quarrel about recruiting thirty-six disciples. How to choose them? With the Eastern Demon Sect in such a state now, who would be willing to have their own child picked away?

Later, someone said, what if the Demon Sect does not choose children who have not practiced cultivation, but instead allows those who have practiced cultivation to practice the Demon Sect's techniques?

This statement caused another uproar. Yes, if the Eastern Demon Sect went out, they would have to go to war with the Wenxiang Sect. Taking in thirty-six children would not be as suitable as taking in those with cultivation.

Anyway, there were endless arguments. Some said there would be no gambling and they wanted to just talk about the selection of thirty-six disciples, while others said what if they just had three bloody fights.

As the old saying goes: A scholar cannot succeed in a rebellion even after three years. When these merchants sit together, apart from doing business, they can't even act like one.

Liu An, despite having a slight advantage in the Salt Association, was unable to subdue the other families and could only join in the quarrel for three days, but it was estimated that there would be no result in the end.

　I originally wanted to write a chapter of 4200 words, but I found that the protagonist's finishing work in the water market has not been discussed yet, so I can only put the gambling fight in the next chapter. This structure is too bloated.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)