Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 387 Business Rivals
Looking at the spirited Li Yunjing, Feng Xueting felt quite complicated. The young man they had chased back then, with his Qi Refining Realm cultivation, had killed over a hundred of them!

Previously, we needed to control her through a contract!
Now, even if Li Yunjing terminates the contract, I probably wouldn't dare to have any disloyal thoughts.

What a glorious title it is to be a true disciple of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" in the cultivation world of the Ming Dynasty!
In addition, Madam Xing and Madam Yue at the "Star Moon Trading Company" treated her well and gave her high pay. Feng Xueting accepted her fate and obediently stayed at the "Star Moon Trading Company," becoming the manager of the "Ten Thousand Swords City" store.

Joining the "Star Moon Merchant Guild" provides abundant resources and access to numerous secret manuals. As a result, Feng Xueting's cultivation has greatly improved, and he is now a cultivator at the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Cong Rujin is also quite good. Starting from nothing, he has worked hard for many years and has now become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, no longer the lower limit of the Foundation Establishment realm.

He just lacks too much.

To this day, he is still stuck at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. It would take him at least ten or eight years to advance further.

This already made Cong Rujin very satisfied!
His cultivation speed is faster than those of the scattered Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Li Yunjing first inquired about their situation and then checked their accounts. Basically, it was acceptable, and they had met Li Yunjing's minimum requirements.

The two shops, "Red Sun Market" and "Ten Thousand Swords City," handed over a total of one million low-grade spirit stones, twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and three pieces of third-tier materials to Li Yunjing.

Li Yunjing briefly explained the situation in the East China Sea to the two of them.

"Feng Xueting, your position remains unchanged, but your salary will be increased by 50%!"

After informing the two of Xing'er and Yue'er that they had left, Li Yunjing planned to improve their treatment.

"Thank you boss!"

Feng Xueting was overjoyed. From now on, she would have great power in "Ten Thousand Swords City" and her treatment would be improved. It was a good thing no matter how you looked at it.

Cong Rujin, standing to the side, revealed a hint of envy.

"From now on, Cong Rujin, you will be the manager here, and your salary will be increased by 50%!"

Li Yunjing then looked at Cong Rujin and said with a smile.

"Thank you, boss! I will definitely work hard!"

Although she had her suspicions, the confirmation still made Cong Rujin ecstatic.

Previously, Lady Xing and Lady Yue were too responsible; he was practically an assistant.

Now that's great, I can finally take control of the power!
"You two are both veterans of the Star Moon Merchant Guild, so serve the Star Moon Merchant Guild well! I will give you even more benefits!"

Li Yunjing continued, "In Donghai, there are two more shops opening, and both of them are a hundred times larger than the shops you are currently managing!"

"I expect you to demonstrate your abilities, and only then will I give you a chance to go further."

This is just empty promises Li Yunjing is making to the two of them!
Whether they eat it or not is up to them.

For the time being, Li Yunjing is short of manpower. Once he has the time to recruit a few people, he will no longer be in such a predicament. Right now, he just needs to stabilize the situation and let Feng Xueting and Cong Rujin take care of the house for him.

Li Yunjing doesn't need to worry too much about Feng Xueting.

Since Cong Rujin is located in the territory of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", once I give the order, Cong Rujin will not have the opportunity to take away my resources from the "Xingyue Trading Company".

Yes! We will definitely work hard!

Feng Xueting and Cong Rujin repeatedly gave their assurances.

"Once you've handled things well and satisfied me, I'll terminate the contract and give you your freedom!"

Finally, Li Yunjing secretly transmitted his voice to Feng Xueting, which gave Feng Xueting even more motivation.

In the following days, Xing'er and Yue'er took charge of the work below and handled the handover; Fang Yuxuan also found eleven fellow cultivators who were willing to serve at the "Shenxiao Temple".

Once everything was settled, everyone boarded the "Azure Cloud Boat" and followed Li Yunjing to the East Sea.

When they passed by Yingtian Prefecture, the eleven fellow disciples were released and allowed to go to their posts.

The "Azure Cloud Boat" sailed eastward and finally entered the sea. There, the sea and sky merged into one, and the vast blue waves stretched out before them. On the boundless sea, a few cultivators' ships occasionally passed by, appearing extremely small.

Many inner disciples of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" have never seen the vastness of the ocean.

Many people appeared on the deck, gazing at the view they had never seen before.

Even the peregrine falcon, Little Yellow, was released by Li Yunjing, allowing it to soar freely over the sea.

"finally reached!"

Ma Xingyuan said excitedly, "The East China Sea truly lives up to its reputation; just this sight alone is enough to stir one's heart!"

Li Yunjing smiled slightly and said, "The East Sea is far larger than we imagined. You need to be even more careful from now on, after all, it is a place where all sorts of people mingle and various forces are entrenched. If you are not careful, you may get into trouble."

"I will follow Senior Brother Li's teachings!"

Everyone nodded to show that they understood.

This voyage is close to the mainland and is very safe.

Along the way, no one caused any trouble, and the "Qingyun Boat" arrived at "Shenxiao Island" smoothly.

This was the territory of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect". Li Yunjing directly piloted the "Qingyun Boat" to the market on the island without stopping.

On Shenxiao Island, many cultivators knew whose vehicle it was, and no one dared to intercept it.

Li Yunjing swaggered into the market with his men.

The market was bustling with people.

The streets were lined with stalls selling unique spiritual herbs, materials from monsters, and all sorts of strange and wonderful treasures from the East Sea.

Ma Xingyuan, Fang Yuxuan and their group walked down the street, all extremely excited and curious about everything they saw. Many of the items from the East China Sea were things they had never seen before!

Everyone sighed inwardly, realizing that they had made the right choice to come here with Senior Brother Li!
Moreover, Shenxiao Island used to be a training ground for Golden Core cultivators, where sects were established. The spiritual energy on the island is extremely rich, and apart from the mountain gate of Shenxiao Dao Sect, Chiri Valley is simply no match for it.

Everyone was naturally very happy and felt that the trip was worthwhile.

Li Yunjing and his group naturally aroused the curiosity of the island's residents, and many people watched them and discussed among themselves.

Li Yunjing didn't spoil everyone's fun. He didn't urge them on, and led them to stroll around the market.

Before long, the group arrived at the most prominent building in the market.

"Star Moon Trading Company" is the largest trading company on "Divine Firmament Island," with magnificent architecture and an extraordinary presence.

A huge plaque hangs in front of the gate, bearing the four characters "Xingyue Trading Company" in vigorous strokes, exuding an air of majesty.

The person who picked up the pen was none other than a Nascent Soul Realm expert, the Five Elements True Man!

For this, Li Yunjing paid a writing fee!
"Brother Yunjing, is this our shop?"

Xing'er's voice trembled slightly.

The little girl could hardly believe her eyes. This nine-story giant tower was where they would be staying from now on.

Reality is far more exaggerated than we imagine!

"Such a big store!"

Yue'er rubbed her eyes, equally excited.

Ma Xingyuan, Su Guo, Jin Shouyun, Yue Zhouwang, Wang Yun, Fang Yuxuan, and more than a dozen others stared blankly at what was happening before them.

These people originally came from the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" and thought they were from a big place, so they went to a remote rural area. Little did they know that when they actually arrived here, they would realize how wrong they were!
These people were like a bunch of country bumpkins, clueless and somewhat at a loss.

The reason for this is not that the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" is incompetent, nor that the cultivation environment of the Ming Dynasty is inferior to that of the East Sea.

Rather, these people are too weak. They are mostly at the Qi Refining Realm, and the few who have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm have only just broken through and have not had any in-depth experience.

They have yet to witness the wonders of the cultivation world in the Ming Dynasty!

Seeing his fellow disciples looking so cowardly, Li Yunjing couldn't help but cough. He laughed and said, "Have some backbone! Don't act like country bumpkins who've never seen the world. Otherwise, the people of the East Sea will think our 'Shenxiao Dao Sect' is hidden away in some remote corner!"

"Hehe! Senior Brother Li is right!"

Upon hearing Li Yunjing's words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. They quickly composed themselves, straightened their backs, and became spirited.

"Everyone, come in with me!"

Li Yunjing led the group into the "Star Moon Trading Company," where a shop assistant immediately came forward and respectfully asked, "Boss, you're back!"

"Hmm!" Li Yunjing smiled slightly and said calmly, "These are all disciples of the 'Shenxiao Dao Sect,' my friends. They will help out in our business in the future; they're all family. I'll show them around first. Go and call Li Linzi and Shi Huilan over; I have something to tell them!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the waiter responded with a nod and nodded to the crowd.

As he was about to leave, Li Yunjing pointed to Xing'er and Yue'er beside him and said, "These are Madam Xing and Madam Yue, the mistresses of this place! They represent me in every way!"

"Greetings, Mrs. Xing!"

"Greetings, Madam Yue!"

The commotion also alerted many of the staff on the first floor. Upon hearing Li Yunjing's words, everyone's expressions tightened, and they immediately gathered around, calling for help.

"Okay! Feel free to take a look around!"

Li Yunjing nodded in satisfaction, waved for the staff to disperse, and then continued speaking to the people around him.

As soon as Ma Xingyuan, Fang Yuxuan, and the others entered the trading company, they were attracted by the dazzling array of treasures.

Each counter was filled with all sorts of spiritual herbs, pills, magical treasures, and even some rare monster materials and ancient cultivation manuals.

"Senior Brother Li, look at this!"

Ma Xingyuan pointed to a spiritual herb that emitted a faint glow and said excitedly, "This is the 'Moonlight Grass,' which is said to be able to be picked only on the night of a full moon. It is extremely precious!"

Li Yunjing glanced at it and nodded, saying, "It is indeed 'Moonflower Grass,' but its quality is average. If it is used to refine pills, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

"What a sword!"

Fang Yuxuan was drawn to a magical artifact, a flying sword that shone with a blue light. The sword was covered with complex runes and faintly emanated spiritual energy.

"Senior Brother Li, this flying sword looks quite nice. I wonder what the price is?"

Fang Yuxuan asked.

Li Yunjing glanced at it and said indifferently, "This flying sword is called 'Azure Rainbow.' It is a top-grade magic weapon, suitable for cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm. However, it is quite expensive, costing at least 1,500 low-grade spirit stones."

"It's much more expensive than where we live!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuxuan immediately felt discouraged.

Although he had some savings, 1,500 low-grade spirit stones were still a huge sum of money for him, and Fang Yuxuan was reluctant to spend it on them.

"This sword is not suitable for you!"

Seeing this, Li Yunjing patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "If you successfully establish your foundation, I will give you a low-grade spiritual weapon flying sword!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother Li! I will definitely work hard and achieve Foundation Establishment as soon as possible!"

Fang Yuxuan's eyes lit up, and he thanked him repeatedly.

You should know that a low-grade spiritual artifact is worth more than 10,000 low-grade spirit stones. Senior Brother Li gave him seven or eight times that amount of benefit all at once!

How could Fang Yuxuan not be happy?

"And all of you, work hard and break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. I will reward you all!"

Overjoyed, Li Yunjing smiled and encouraged everyone.

Anyway, there are only about twenty cultivators and about 300,000 low-grade spirit stones right now. Li Yunjing doesn't care about them at all. As long as they break through their cultivation levels, everyone will be rewarded!

"Thank you, senior brother!"

"We'll fight to the death to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

"Yes! It's really unacceptable not to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

……

Li Yunjing's words inspired everyone's fighting spirit!
Just then, some people came down the stairs inside the shop.

The people in charge were Li Linzi, Shi Huilan, and the heads of each floor.

Upon hearing that the boss had returned, and that he had brought his two wives with him, no one dared to be negligent.

Li Linzi strode forward, his face beaming with a respectful smile, and said, "Senior Brother Li, you're finally back! Although the business has been operating smoothly these past few days, everyone has been hoping for your return to make decisions."

"Yes! Everyone is hoping that Uncle Li will take charge of the overall situation!"

Shi Huilan followed closely behind, bowed slightly, and then looked at Xing'er and Yue'er. Only then did she realize that Uncle Li's Daoist partner was such a divine figure.

"These must be Lady Xing and Lady Yue! Your disciple pays respects to the two ladies!"

Shi Huilan's words reminded everyone, and Li Linzi and the others bowed to Xing'er and Yue'er.

"Excuse me!"

Xing'er and Yue'er remained calm and composed. After years of hard work, the two girls were no longer clueless young girls.

The two women encouraged everyone a few more times, which greatly excited Li Linzi, Shi Huilan, and the others.

"All right!"

Li Yunjing smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Has anything unusual happened at the trading company during this time?"

Upon hearing this, Li Linzi's expression tightened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Boss, it's nothing serious. It's just that a new shop opened on the next street, and it seems to be taking away a lot of our business. Their supply seems to be plentiful, and their prices are very low, attracting many of our old customers."

Li Yunjing frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "Oh? Is that so? It seems this newly opened trading company is quite powerful, daring to steal business from my territory."

“Uncle-Master, they are an old-established chamber of commerce in the East China Sea called the ‘Four Seas Chamber of Commerce’. These people have not directly opposed us. In fact, they even sent us congratulatory gifts before the opening of the business, and they have been very accommodating to our company in daily life!”

Shi Huilan interjected, "However, I feel they have ulterior motives and are trying to use subtle tactics against us! They appear to respect us on the surface, but in reality, they have already begun commercial competition!"

"Yes! Yes! Huilan is absolutely right, that's what I think too!"

Li Linzi then spoke.

Li Yunjing glanced at Li Linzi without showing any emotion. It was obvious that this guy had a very poor business sense and was ignorant. If Shi Huilan hadn't explained it so clearly, he wouldn't have understood anything at all!

As for Shi Huilan?
During the time I was away, Shi Huilan did not discuss it with Li Linzi, which clearly showed that she had selfish motives and was unwilling to share the credit. Instead, she wanted to wait for me to return so that she could take credit in front of me!
However, Li Yunjing was quite dissatisfied with this kind of behavior that disregarded the interests of "Star Moon Trading Company"!
It doesn't matter if a person's abilities are low, but he can't accept someone who is ambitious and sacrifices the interests of "Star Moon Trading Company".

"Fortunately, I brought Xing'er and Yue'er with me this time. Otherwise, wouldn't the solid foundation I laid for 'Xingyue Trading Company' have been ruined by these two mediocre people?"

Thinking this to himself, but remaining outwardly calm, Li Yunjing turned to Ma Xingyuan, Fang Yuxuan, and the others beside him and said, "You've all heard it, this is the challenge we face. I've brought you here to maintain the operation of 'Star Moon Trading Company,' and I hope you can make it even better!"

"We understand!"

Ma Xingyuan, Fang Yuxuan, and the others nodded, their eyes filled with determination: "Don't worry, senior brother, we will definitely not let you down!"

Upon hearing this, Li Linzi and Shi Huilan both turned pale.

They both knew perfectly well that Li Yunjing was dissatisfied with them!
Shi Huilan, in particular, secretly regretted that she shouldn't have been so clever and ended up ruining her image in Uncle Li's eyes!

Li Yunjing nodded in satisfaction, then said to Li Linzi and Shi Huilan, "Go and organize the recent accounts for me. I want to see how much of an impact this newly opened business has had on us. Also, send someone to investigate their background and find out who is backing them."

"Yes! We'll get on it right away!"

Li Linzi and Shi Huilan accepted the order and left.

Li Yunjing then led the two proprietresses and a group of fellow disciples on a tour of the entire "Star Moon Trading Company," arranged accommodations for them, and provided them with top-notch treatment.

He has already begun arranging for people to take full control of the "Star Moon Trading Company".

These newcomers, having interned at the "Red Sun Market" for a few days, were extremely efficient under the guidance of Xing'er and Yue'er, putting a lot of pressure on the original staff.

The Star Moon Trading Company offers extremely high salaries, and no employee wants to be kicked out!

Meanwhile, inside the newly opened "Four Seas Chamber of Commerce," a mysterious man in black robes sat in the main seat, coldly looking at the intelligence about Li Yunjing that his subordinates had brought to him.

"Hmph, Li Yunjing, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. But this is just the beginning. I'd like to see how capable you are of withstanding the pressure from the business world."

The man in black robes curled into a cold smile, his eyes flashing with an eerie light.

Business is business!

I sell things cheaper than you, but I buy them for more. Let's see if I can outmaneuver you!
　The next chapter will be in thirty minutes. I was a little slow writing today.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)