Great Wilderness Demon Lord

The next morning, Xiao Yunlan summoned Steward Wu and handed him a carefully considered list. It listed the most basic supplies for pioneering and building a camp: thick linen, fine iron nails, sinew rope, coarse salt, commonly used medicinal herbs, tanned leather... The quantity of each item had been calculated to ensure that there was enough while avoiding waste.

Steward Wu took the list and examined it carefully. He pondered for a moment and said, "The items listed by the young master are all practical. However, if they are all purchased through the manor's public account, all specifications and quantities must be reported, which is time-consuming and expensive. Some items that are specially needed in the north may not be fully available in the manor's treasury."

"Are you familiar with the 'miscellaneous market' in the south of the city?" Xiao Yunlan asked directly.

Manager Wu's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice, "This old servant knows a little about it. There are a few warehouses there that specialize in business with the northern regions. Their goods are genuine and their prices are fair. However, cash transactions are required, and one must be knowledgeable in the trade to avoid being cheated."

"You will come with me today." Xiao Yunlan stood up. "Take Tieshan with you. The budget... start with 1,500 taels."

Manager Wu clicked his tongue inwardly—this amount was not small for a second son who had just been adopted, but it was by no means enough to prepare all the necessary belongings for pioneering in just one month.

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An hour later, at the "Changlong Goods Store" in the south of the city.

The shopfront was inconspicuous, but the backyard was piled high with goods from the north. The shopkeeper, surnamed Li, had met Manager Wu a few times. Seeing that the newcomer was dressed plainly but had a calm demeanor, and that the guards behind him were elite, he knew that he was no ordinary merchant.

"Manager Li, this is my young master," Manager Wu introduced. "He wants to purchase some goods that Shuofeng Plain will need."

Manager Li cupped his hands in greeting: "The north wind plains are bitterly cold, and ordinary goods cannot withstand the sand and dampness there." He took the list and glanced at it, his expression becoming serious—this list was extremely professional, with each item being an essential item for building a camp, and the quantities were calculated just right.

He picked up his abacus: "Three hundred bolts of thick linen, which need to be soaked in tung oil to make them windproof and waterproof. Each bolt costs two taels and two mace, so I'll give you two taels, making a total of six hundred taels."

Xiao Yunlan shook her head: "One tael and eight mace. I want practicality, not fancy patterns."

Shopkeeper Li raised an eyebrow: "Young master, this price doesn't even cover the cost of production..."

"I know that Changlong's goods are always 30% thicker than others," Xiao Yunlan said calmly. "But the quantity is large, and they pay in cash. One tael and eight mace. If that doesn't work, I'll look elsewhere."

The two men stared at each other for a moment. Manager Li finally gave a wry smile: "Alright, consider it making friends. Two hundred catties of fine iron nails, half long and half short. The market price is three and a half qian per catty, I'll give you three qian."

"Two mace and eight fen," Xiao Yunlan said. "I want the full weight of refined iron, not inferior goods mixed with impurities."

"This..." Manager Li wanted to say something, but seeing that Xiao Yunlan's expression remained unchanged, he could only nod, "Alright. Fifty coils of ox tendon rope, four taels and five mace per coil."

"Four taels." Xiao Yunlan stood firm. "I've inquired, and the purchase price in the Northern Army is only three taels and eight mace."

After some haggling, Manager Wu watched in admiration. The young master was so familiar with prices, managing to keep everything within the other party's bottom line, neither pushing for excessive discounts and damaging the relationship, nor compromising expenses to the maximum extent.

In the end, all the bulk supplies were agreed upon: 300 bolts of thick linen, 200 catties of fine iron nails, 50 coils of cowhide rope, 20 shi of coarse salt, 300 catties of commonly used medicinal materials, 100 tanned sheepskins, 50 cowhides... totaling 1,180 taels, saving nearly 300 taels compared to the initial quote.

"The goods will be delivered to the Yongchang Goods Store in the West City in three batches within three days," Xiao Yunlan said. "That's a Xiao family property; the handover will be conducted with my seal."

Manager Li nodded in agreement—using his own warehouse as a transit point would be both safe and save on warehousing costs; this young master had considered everything thoroughly.

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After leaving Changlong Warehouse, the three visited several other shops, buying odds and ends such as flint and steel, oil lamps, and pottery jars. Xiao Yunlan carefully selected each item, repeatedly comparing prices and quality.

As he reached a corner of an alley, Xiao Yunlan suddenly felt a slight movement in his dantian—a faint, almost imperceptible pull from the Plague Demon. Following his senses, he saw some bottles and jars on an inconspicuous stall, among which a jar of dark purple powder caught his attention.

"Old man, how much is this purple powder?" he asked.

The stall owner, an elderly man wrapped in a thick coat, looked him up and said, "Bone-corroding vine powder, made from a poisonous herb unique to the Great Wilderness. One pound and four ounces."

"Half a catty," Xiao Yunlan said, "one and a half taels."

"Sir, this price is too low..."

"I recognize this stuff." Xiao Yunlan pinched a little powder and rubbed it between his fingertips, feeling the slight tremor from the Plague Demon. "The quality is so-so, with quite a few impurities. One tael and fifty cents, or I'll leave."

The old man stared at him for a moment, then finally sighed, "Fine, half a catty and a half ounces."

Then, at a secondhand stall, Xiao Yunlan's gaze fell upon the half-bronze tiger tally. The sense of Yongjue Mo was clearly transmitted, but the use of this thing was unknown, yet its price was exorbitant.

"Sir, how much is this?"

"A fragment of the tiger tally from the previous dynasty, two hundred taels." The stall owner was a thin, old man.

Xiao Yunlan stroked the broken part: "What use is half left? Fifty taels."

"Sir, this is the real deal..."

"Eighty taels." Xiao Yunlan put down the broken talisman. "Not a penny more."

Seeing that he was really about to leave, the old man hurriedly said, "One hundred taels! That's the lowest I can offer!"

Xiao Yunlan paused, pondering for a moment. Yong Juemo's senses wouldn't be false; this thing might be of some use. But one hundred taels was no small sum; enough to buy ten shi of coarse salt.

"And this bag of rusty arrowheads too." He pointed to a pile of scrap metal in the corner of the stall. "One hundred taels in total."

The old man looked distressed, but finally nodded.

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It was already afternoon when I returned to Tingzhuxuan.

Manager Wu carefully checked the accounts and whispered, "Young master, today we purchased 1,180 taels of bulk supplies, 47 taels of miscellaneous items, 2 taels of bone-corroding vine powder, and 100 taels of tiger tally. The total is 1,329 taels, with 171 taels remaining."

Xiao Yunlan nodded: "Keep the remaining money for future use. Once the medicinal herbs and hides arrive, you shall personally inspect them. If any are of inferior quality, return them immediately."

"I understand." Steward Wu bowed. "I will arrange reliable people to receive the goods at Yongchang Warehouse and transport them back to the manor's warehouse in batches."

"Keep a low profile," Xiao Yunlan advised. "No need to make a fuss."

After Steward Wu left, Xiao Yunlan sat alone in the room and took out the half of the tiger tally. The verdigris gleamed with a dark luster in the afternoon light, and the broken part was old, as if it had witnessed a long time. He held the tiger tally in his palm and could clearly feel the resonant fighting spirit emanating from Yongjue Demon—this thing might really have some history.

The autumn wind swept past the window, causing the bamboo shadows to sway.

Fifteen hundred taels of silver bought him the foundation for a stable life in the wilderness. Every penny was spent wisely, and every item was personally selected by him.

There are still more than twenty days until departure. The supplies are already on their way, and the road ahead is in sight.

Xiao Yunlan put away the tiger tally, his gaze calm.

Careful planning and meticulous execution—that's the only thing he can do now.