Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 648 Peace Talks
Ji An wondered if the attack back then was related to several shops. It was an unsolved case. Back then, he would never have held back against an enemy at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

The enemy was dead and his soul was gone. Whether someone had ordered it or not was unknown. Fortunately, the harvest was plentiful, which offset his resentment at being ambushed. He wished he could encounter two such lucky charms every year.

The fact that several elixir shop owners have now met is likely to discuss their future relationship and decide whether to continue their covert struggle or reconcile. This outcome is something the shops have fought for by surviving the most difficult times.

Master Moyun didn't urge him, quietly sipping his tea. He really was just relaying a message on someone's behalf.

The message has been conveyed; the outcome and any twists and turns involved are none of his concern.

Ji An collected his thoughts, put away the brocade box, and thought, "Why not take it if it's free?"

“I agree to talk. Since you fellow Daoists have chosen a place, I will set a time: three days from now, around noon.”

Both parties determined the time and place separately, which made it seem like they had equal say.

Master Moyun nodded, "I will convey your reply to them."

He changed the subject and said:

"I've heard that the Star Soul Tree has rather special environmental requirements, so you should consider this carefully before planting it, fellow Daoist."

The Star Soul Tree seed was the only spirit seed he could find that he could present as a presentable gift. If the other party failed to plant it, it would make him seem like he had no taste in choosing a gift.

Ji Anwen smiled gently, "Before planting, I will try my best to find the planting experience of predecessors."

He silently prayed, 'Please forgive me for lying.'

What he likes most now are spiritual plants that require special growing environments, which are used to cure all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases in the gourd world.

We need to figure out as soon as possible what kind of pills can be made from the Star Soul Fruit once it matures, so we can make preparations early.

Half an hour later, the guest got up to take his leave, and Ji An took out a white porcelain jar:

"I really like the spiritual seeds you sent, fellow Daoist. There's a little bit of Cloud Peak Silver Needle Tea in here. Please take it back and drink it."

The tea is of medium grade, grade three, and weighs one ounce.

"Haha, I would be too kind as to refuse, I will accept it with my utmost respect."

Watching Master Moyun depart, Ji An activated a golden communication sword to explain the situation to his junior sister and ask her to arrange a banquet.

Then he returned to his cave and entered the gourd world, where he planted the Star Soul Tree and the Night Tree, and activated the Azure Dragon Water Moon Technique.

Three days later, Dingxiang Pavilion, Room No. 1 (Tianzi).

There were still two quarters of an hour until Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and Han Yan asked with a slightly unsure voice:

"Senior brother, have you inquired about the forces behind a few of the pill shops?"

Opening a pill shop in such a huge immortal city is no easy task. The variety of pills sold by the several large shops is far superior to that of the Crimson Flame Pavilion.

Ji An shook his head, "The relationships behind these shops are complicated. Asking the wrong person is pointless."

What do you think we should talk about?

"They're just subtly trying to persuade us not to escalate the conflict. They're saying we can all make money together with the spirit stones. Junior sister, don't worry. The fact that they're willing to talk is a good sign. It means everything is negotiable."

A moment later, several cultivators filed in. Ji An had met them before when he bought materials.

The group exchanged contact information and got to know each other anew.

Ji An ordered the restaurant to serve the dishes, the two main dishes being meat from Golden Core stage demon beasts, which was quite rare.

At first, everyone was just saying polite things, and things seemed amicable.

Master Changqing was the manager of Yunhai Pharmacy, possessing a cultivation level of late-stage Golden Core. After several rounds of drinks, he coughed lightly and began to speak:

"The four most important skills in the cultivation world are alchemy, weapon crafting, formation, and talisman making. Cultivators with three of these skills have an extreme thirst for the spiritual fire of heaven and earth."

The Azure Lotus Burning Heart Flame is comparable to a powerful innate spiritual treasure for alchemists, and for you, fellow Daoist, to have obtained it is truly like adding wings to a tiger.

Ji An knew the main course was coming, and his expression became more serious as he replied:

"It was just luck; I've always been lucky."

"Haha, in our cultivation of immortality, luck also accounts for three-tenths. Fellow Daoist's luck is the envy of all alchemists."

Master Changqing changed the subject and tentatively asked:

"Fellow Daoist comes from the Golden Spirit Sect of the Western Continent. Since you have established the Crimson Flame Pavilion, does your sect intend to be stationed in Cloud Sea Immortal City for a long time?"

The implication is that I know your background.

Ji An smiled slightly, "We have discovered that the gap between ourselves and the forces in the Central Continent is enormous, and we deeply feel that our own foundation is shallow. Therefore, we plan to send our fellow disciples to be stationed in the Central Continent for a long time to facilitate communication."

Only the merchant fleets of the Merchant Alliance can reach the Western Continent, which is why they set up their base in the Immortal City.

Being away from home is quite different from staying in the sect; everything requires resources. To ease the burden, we took over a shop.

From now on, we'll stay here. Let's speak frankly and openly.

Master Changqing and the others exchanged glances and smiled:
"Welcome! With a fellow alchemist like you joining us, the Merchant Alliance will prosper even more."

We're all just trying to make a living, so let's discuss avoiding cutthroat competition, because that would be a loss for everyone.

He posted a bounty at the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and learned that two late-stage Golden Core cultivators had received the mission and later appeared to have engaged in battle with them.

The current situation is that two late-stage Golden Core cultivators have died, while the other side is still alive and kicking.

He didn't know how the other party did it, or what price they paid to win, but he knew the other party wasn't made of clay, and that trying to solve the problem through physical elimination would be too costly.

His consistent approach was to use force first, then diplomacy. He only took a step back to show goodwill after the other party had proven their strength to sit at the negotiating table. Master Changqing understood how to please others, and he facilitated peace talks by simply offering a pill formula and a spirit seed.

At this moment, he felt very pleased and a little proud. Although he was lucky because he came from a poor family, he really didn't have much experience and could be easily appeased with a few gifts.

While the Soul-Refining Pill of the Dark Night is excellent, this type of pill, which enhances the soul, cannot withstand the yang fire of the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame.

Ji An was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"That's what I think too, but I'd appreciate your guidance on how to do it."

The mutual obstruction has indeed had a negative impact on the development of the Crimson Flame Pavilion. This is not the Western Continent, and he is willing to tolerate some things.

Even though he has broken through to become a Nascent Soul cultivator, in the Central Continent, he still needs to keep a low profile and be humble when necessary; bowing one's head is also a strategy.

Master Changqing's smile grew even more amiable. "We should have sat down and chatted together a long time ago. It's so relaxing talking to you, fellow Daoist."

He was afraid of encountering arrogant cultivators, who were used to smooth sailing and always thought they could handle everything.

"I was supposed to visit some fellow Daoists, but I felt that my status was too low and I was unable to do so."

Everyone carries the sedan chair, and since they've already received benefits, saying some flattering words isn't shameful.

Master Changqing felt even more comfortable and said:

"It's actually very simple. Fellow Daoist, the quality of your refining is good enough. You just need to raise the price a bit to differentiate the grades."

Good products should be sold at a higher price so that those of us with lower quality products can also sell them.

Ji An pondered and said:
"I've been thinking about the price of pills, so our pills are priced a bit higher than the normal market price."

"But it still doesn't match the quality of your pills!"

"The price has already been set. We are a new store, and raising the price rashly would seriously damage our reputation."

Without the advantage of offering good value for money, our little shop simply couldn't survive.

Changqing Zhenren's smile faded considerably. "Doing this will have a negative impact on other shops."

Ji An shook his head slightly and said:

"There will be a slight impact, but it will definitely not affect your shops."

First of all, our shop has a very narrow business scope, selling only a few kinds of pills at the Chaoyuan stage and a kind of Fire Yuan Pill used by cultivators in the early stage of Golden Core.

Secondly, we lack a stable supplier of elixirs, resulting in limited production of pills.

If you immediately give in when someone makes a suggestion, it will only make people think you are easy to bully and that they will take advantage of you.

“Fellow Daoist, if this continues, your actions will impact the entire market.”

"Given enough time, the number of pills you sell will reach a very large figure."

The others tried to persuade him, using both soft and hard tactics, but Ji An remained unmoved.

The situation reached a stalemate, and the smile on Changqing Zhenren's face completely disappeared.

Feeling that the time was right, Ji An coughed and said:
"I understand your concerns now. Let me take a step back. After three years, the only pills sold by Crimson Flame Pavilion for the Chaoyuan stage will be Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pill, Jade Flower Pill, and Earth Origin Soul-Soothing Pill."

Therefore, our pill shop will only sell four types of pills that enhance cultivation.

He laughed self-deprecatingly, "A pill shop that only sells a few types of pills will have a hard time surviving if a risk arises."

I have already stepped back, which can be considered as repaying Danfang's favor.

The Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame has the greatest enhancing effect on the three types of pills, including the Vermilion Bird Flame Grass Pill, and must be preserved.

In addition, the shop can also sell Vajra Pills and Precious Pills.

The current concessions are only temporary; the business scope can be gradually expanded in the future.

Master Changqing was not too satisfied with the result. The quality of the Azure Treasure Light Pill refined by the Crimson Flame Pavilion was only slightly better than the pills in their shop.

The other party only conceded one type of White Tiger Profound Gold Pill. The ingredients for this pill are quite rare, and it's impossible to refine more of it.

But he also knew that simply making empty promises to get the other party to concede was the minimum he could hope for; to get more, he needed to offer something tangible.

He raised his glass and smiled:

“We appreciate your sincerity, fellow Daoist. From now on, we will both restrain ourselves and try our best to avoid friction.”

Ji An also raised his glass, "I just hope that we don't encounter many cultivators hoarding pills in our shop, then I'll be satisfied."

"Haha, as long as a pill shop sells pills, it can make a profit. Why would it be afraid of others hoarding pills?"

"The shop's foundation is too weak, and its reserves of pills are insufficient. These people have hoarded the pills, so cultivators who really need them can't buy them, which affects its reputation."

Master Changqing's face was solemn as he said:

"In this sense, such cultivators can indeed have a negative impact."

I know some cultivators in the Immortal City's law enforcement team; I can help you report the situation and warn those cultivators who are maliciously hoarding.

"Thank you so much, fellow Taoist."

Ji An scoffed inwardly, 'The concession wasn't for nothing.'

(End of this chapter)