The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

In the seaside courtyard, Mu Fangxu sat at the stone table, holding the bright orange pill in his hand, turning it over and over to examine it.

The pills are round and smooth, with a uniform color and excellent appearance.

How could such a small pill restore 30% of one's magical power?

Mu Fangxu brought the pill close to his nose and sniffed it. The fragrance was pure and clean, without a trace of impurity.

He put the pill back into his palm, his brows furrowed slightly.

It's not that he doesn't trust Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi had served as a retainer in the Mu family for over a decade. His alchemy skills were unmatched in the entire Xikou market. If he said it was possible, it was most likely true.

But this is just too unbelievable.

The Qi Gathering Pill restores 10% of the Qi, while the Yellow Sprout Pill restores 20%. This is the ironclad rule of Qi Refining stage pills.

There are people on the market who have tried to refine more effective pills, but either the medicinal power is impure and cannot be absorbed, or the cost is so high that mass production is impossible.

If Yun Dan succeeds this time, what does it mean?

This means the entire market for Qi Refining stage pills is about to be overturned.

Mu Fangxu became increasingly restless as he thought about it, so he got up and paced around the yard.

After walking around twice, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Cheng Yi arrived, followed by Li Ping.

Upon seeing Li Ping, Mu Fangxu paused, his gaze lingering on Li Ping's face before turning to Cheng Yi: "Guest Elder Cheng, is Yun Dan truly able to recover thirty percent of her magical power this time?"

Without wasting any words, Cheng Yi walked straight to the stone table, sat down, took out three porcelain bottles from his storage bag, and placed them on the table one by one.

"Refine three furnaces."

Cheng Yi pointed to the first bottle: "The first batch yielded six pills."

"The second batch produced seven pills."

"The third batch produced six pills."

He raised his head and looked at Mu Fangxu: "Every single one of you is like this."

Mu Fangxu reached out and picked up a porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and poured out a pill.

The pill rolled into my palm, still perfectly round, and its fragrance remained as pure as ever.

Without further hesitation, he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

The moment the medicine entered his stomach, Mu Fangxu's expression changed slightly.

A rich spiritual energy burst forth within his body, surging like a tidal wave to his limbs and bones.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the flow of spiritual energy.

After a short while, he opened his eyes.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Thirty percent." Mu Fangxu slowly uttered two words.

His cultivation level was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and his total magical power was much higher than that of the middle stage of Qi Refining.

Even so, his magical power had indeed recovered by 30%.

Mu Fangxu placed the porcelain bottle back on the table and remained silent for a moment.

Seeing his appearance, Cheng Yi did not urge him, but simply sat quietly.

After a moment, Mu Fangxu spoke.

"Guest Master Cheng, what is the cost of this elixir?"

Cheng Yi seemed to have anticipated his question and replied calmly, "There are only two ingredients for refining: Spirit Gathering Grass and Polygonatum."

Mu Fangxu was taken aback: "Just two ingredients?"

Cheng Yi nodded: "They are all first-tier medicinal herbs, which are very common in the market. Based on the price of buying them individually, one set of materials costs about fifteen spirit stones."

Mu Fangxu raised an eyebrow and began to ponder.

The retail price is the price that ordinary cultivators pay when buying medicine in small quantities at a pharmacy; it is the most expensive way to buy.

The Mu family owns a market town and has stable channels for medicinal herbs. By purchasing in large quantities, they can reduce prices by at least 20% to 30%.

In other words, the actual cost of a batch of Returning Cloud Pills is probably less than ten spirit stones.

Each batch yields six to seven pills.

The cost of one is less than two spirit stones.

On the market, a Qi Gathering Pill sells for one spirit stone, and a Yellow Sprout Pill sells for five spirit stones.

The effect of the Returning Cloud Pill is three times that of the Gathering Qi Pill, but the cost is lower.

The profit margin in this area is frighteningly large.

Mu Fangxu's breathing became slightly rapid.

He wasn't unfamiliar with spirit stones; the Xikou market was a goldmine, and he had handled hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

But this doesn't affect his judgment.

The business deal in Huiyundan is even bigger than that in Xikoufang Market.

The market was about making money by passing through; it was about scale.

The profits from elixirs come from exclusive rights and monopolies.

The two are worlds apart in importance.

Mu Fangxu took a deep breath to suppress the agitation in his heart.

He turned his head and looked at Li Ping, who was standing at the gate of the courtyard.

Li Ping hadn't said a word since he came in; he just leaned against the courtyard gate, arms crossed, a faint smile on his face.

Mu Fangxu looked at Li Ping, suddenly feeling somewhat troubled.

The prescription was brought by Li Ping.

The root of this business lies with Li Ping.

Logically, Li Ping should receive a share of the profits.

How many can it be divided into?

Giving too little would make the Mu family seem stingy.

If too much is given, there will surely be criticism within the clan.

Li Ping was a son-in-law who married into the Mu family, so his status in the family was not high to begin with.

If people knew that he was a son-in-law who could collect thousands of spirit stones every year while lying down, how could the direct descendants be convinced?

In the end, instead of sending spirit stones to Li Ping, we'll be sending him trouble.

Mu Fangxu pondered for a long time before raising his head: "Please trouble Guest Elder Cheng to go back first. I have something to say to Brother Li."

Cheng Yi glanced at him, then at Li Ping, nodded, and got up to leave.

Only two people remained in the courtyard.

Mu Fangxu pointed to the stone bench opposite him: "Sit."

Li Ping walked over and sat down. Mu Fangxu poured him a cup of spiritual tea and, without beating around the bush, directly explained the distribution of the pills and his concerns.

Finally, Mu Fangxu added, "Therefore, I plan to report to the family and give you 20% of the proceeds from this pill. However, this 20% cannot be placed in your name; it must be placed in Mu Yuebai's name. As for how you two divide it, that's your business. Is that acceptable?"

Li Ping picked up the spirit tea and slowly took a sip.

He understood Mu Fangxu's concerns.

Elixirs are a long-term business.

Once the market opens up, Huiyun Dan will be invincible among Qi Refining stage pills.

There are no competitors, and the profits are high.

How much do you earn in a year?

Li Ping did some mental calculations.

Taking Xikou Market as an example, the sales volume of Qi Gathering Pills and Yellow Sprout Pills alone can reach about two thousand spirit stones per month.

Huiyundan is more effective, and if the price is set appropriately, selling three thousand a month shouldn't be a problem.

That's about 30,000 a year.

Two-tenths is about six thousand spirit stones.

This doesn't even include the amount of goods distributed to other markets.

If the entire Mu family's distribution channels were fully established, the profits would be unimaginable.

When the disciples of the Mu family found out, it would be strange if they weren't envious.

Therefore, Mu Fangxu's suggestion was not to guard against Li Ping, but to protect Li Ping.

Mu Yuebai is at the Foundation Establishment stage, and she takes 20% of the profits. No one in the Mu family dares to say a word against it.

As for who ends up with the spirit stone, that's a private matter.

Li Ping put down his teacup and laughed, "You've come to the same conclusion as me."

Mu Fangxu was initially worried that Li Ping wouldn't understand and would think that the Mu family was trying to take advantage of him.

Hearing this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't known Li Ping for long, but he knew the man's temperament.

He is insightful and quick to understand.

"Then it's settled." Mu Fangxu nodded, then said seriously, "Once the pills are officially on sale, I will have someone deliver the spirit stones to Elder Yuebai at the end of each month."

Li Ping waved his hand: "No rush."

Mu Fangxu was taken aback: "Not in a hurry?"

"The pills haven't sold yet, it's too early to talk about this," Li Ping smiled, then changed the subject, "How do you plan to sell them?"

Mu Fangxu straightened his expression and explained his thoughts.

He plans to sell them at a low price, one spirit stone per bottle for now.

Firstly, it can attract cultivators to the market and change its reputation.

Secondly, the price is low enough to quickly open up the market for Huiyundan.

Once the cultivators have experienced the benefits of the Returning Cloud Pill, they won't have to worry about selling it even if the price returns to normal.

This method is standard and there's nothing wrong with it.

But as long as you get through the initial stage, the profits will be continuous.

After listening, Li Ping shook his head: "Since you're already selling it for one spirit stone, why not be even more ruthless?"

Mu Fangxu paused, his hand still holding the teacup. "How much more ruthless can you be?"

"We can't just give it away for free."

He stopped abruptly as soon as he spoke.

Mu Fangxu raised his head and looked at Li Ping.

Li Ping was also looking at him, a smile on his face.

"What's free is often the most expensive."

Li Ping put down his teacup and said slowly, "The most important thing about new pills is not making money, but opening up the market. As long as cultivators know the benefits of the Returning Cloud Pill, we won't have to worry about not being able to sell them in the future."

"Besides, if you want to attract people to the market, you need a big enough gimmick. A spirit stone is far less effective than the word 'free'."

The more Mu Fangxu listened, the brighter his eyes became.

Yeah, wouldn't it be better to just give it away for free?

The cost of one pill is no more than two spirit stones.

The cost of delivering one bottle to each person is only ten yuan.

These spirit stones attracted people to the market.

This deal seems like a great deal no matter how you look at it.

In the past, some monks have used the gimmick of free services to attract people, but most of them only waived the entrance fee or gave away some worthless trinkets.

There are no free pills like this.

Because the cost of the elixirs is so high, no one can afford to give them away for free.

But the Returning Cloud Pill is different. It is cheap and affordable. Even if it is given away for free, it will only result in a loss and will not cause serious damage.

Once cultivators understand the benefits of this elixir, will they still be afraid of not being able to earn back their spirit stones?

"Yes, yes, yes!" Mu Fangxu stood up and paced back and forth in the courtyard, muttering to himself.

"Deliver for three days first, no, deliver for seven days straight."

"Each person is limited to one bottle per day, and you can use it in the market."

"You'll know how good it is once you use it, and once you know how good it is, you'll want to buy it."

"Waiting for a seven-day free period...tsk tsk, they'll even ask people to cancel their shop reservations?"

Thinking it over, he couldn't help but clench his fist.

Then he ran back into the house, took out paper and pen, and spread them out on the stone table.

His thoughts flowed like a spring, and his pen moved swiftly and freely, producing a long and eloquent piece.

After a short while, Mu Fangxu smiled and said, "Brother Li, come and take a look."

Li Ping walked over and took the paper.

The above strategy is not complicated; it all revolves around the word "free".

Two core points.

First, any Qi Refining stage cultivator can receive one bottle of Returning Cloud Pill for free every day for seven consecutive days.

Secondly, all shops in Xikoufang Market that have renewed their leases for more than one year will be exempt from three months' rent, and shops newly leased during the free period will be exempt from six months' rent.

After reading it, Li Ping nodded: "No problem."

Mu Fangxu solemnly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you very much this time."

Li Ping did not refuse and accepted the bow without hesitation.

……

……

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but people were already walking on the bluestone streets of Xikou Market.

The shouts of boatmen unloading cargo came from the direction of the dock, and several tea shops set up their stoves, the aroma of fine tea wafting far and wide along the alley.

As usual, the monks in the market set up their stalls and made purchases.

No one noticed that the Mu family disciples left home before dawn, in groups of three, carrying wooden tables and porcelain bottles, and set up stalls at several checkpoints in the market.

Mu Fangxu stood on the watchtower in the center of the market, his hands behind his back, watching his disciples bustling about below.

"How many do you think we can send out today?" Mu Fangxu asked.

Li Ping leaned against the railing, his gaze sweeping over the sparse pedestrians below: "In the first hour, it would be good if we could give away ten bottles."

Mu Fangxu frowned slightly: "So little?"

"No rush," Li Ping smiled. "Once the first person finishes eating, the rest will be quick."

Mu Fangxu didn't say anything more, he just stared down.

At the dock, Mu Tong, along with two disciples of the Mu family, set up a stall by the ferry crossing.

This is a good location; any cultivator embarking or disembarking can see it simply by looking up.

A red cloth was spread on the wooden table, on which more than twenty white porcelain bottles were neatly stacked.

A wooden sign stood nearby with eight large characters: "Return Cloud Pills can be claimed for free."

Mu Tong straightened his collar, cleared his throat, and began to shout.

There weren't many people at the dock at the moment. A few cultivators waiting for their boats glanced at the wooden sign and then at the porcelain bottle on the table, but they didn't stop walking.

"What good stuff can you get from something that's given away for free?" muttered a rogue cultivator carrying a long bundle, and walked straight past.

Mu Tong wasn't annoyed; he just stood there and waited.

As the sun rose higher, more and more people appeared on the dock.

A middle-aged man dressed in a gray cloth short-sleeved shirt walked over, carrying two bags of spirit grain on his shoulders. He was probably a shop assistant.

He saw the wooden sign, paused, and leaned closer to ask, "Are the pills free?"

"It's free." Mu Tong nodded.

The middle-aged man put down the spirit grain, wiped his sweat, and examined the porcelain bottle on the table: "Returning Cloud Pill? What's its origin? Never heard of it."

"This is a newly refined pill from the Mu family. Taking one will restore 30% of your mana." Mu Tong said, picking up a bottle, pouring out one pill, and showing it to him in his palm. "The pill has very little toxicity, and you don't have to worry about it accumulating in your meridians even if you take it for a long time."

Before the middle-aged man could speak, a sharp-faced female cultivator leaned over and scoffed, "The Yellow Sprout Pill only restores 20%, and your Cloud Returning Pill can restore 30%? There's a limit to how much you can brag."

Mu Tong turned his head and looked over. The female cultivator looked to be in her early thirties, with a Qi Refining level of four. She was wearing a faded blue robe and had an old storage bag hanging from her waist. She looked like a rogue cultivator who was not doing very well.

"If you don't believe me, you can try it," Mu Tong said with a smile. "It's free. You'll know the truth once you try it."

The female cultivator took half a step back, crossing her arms: "Who knows if there's anything wrong with your pills? What if they cause illness? Who will we turn to?"

As soon as she said this, several cultivators who had gathered around nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, who would dare eat something they've never heard of before?"

"The matter with the Mu family isn't over yet, and now they've come up with a new elixir..."

"Never mind, let's see how it goes."

Mu Tong listened to these words without changing his smile.

Mu Fangxu had anticipated these reactions.

Before we came, I specifically told them that if anyone said they were worried about food safety issues, I absolutely could not make any guarantees.

The reason is simple: if someone deliberately comes to cause trouble, and you say "I guarantee there won't be any problems," then they lie down on the ground and say they have a stomachache, and you'll have to suffer in silence.