Chapter 122

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Chapter 122: The Corrupt Dealer and the Deceitful Merchant

Medicine City

Inside a house, Lin Jiang walked in and there were already five disciples from the Five Elements Sect waiting. When they saw Lin Jiang, they smiled.

"Brothers, our lucky charm has arrived."

"Brother Zhao, you’re teasing us. I’m not a lucky charm, you guys are."

Lin Jiang chuckled and said. This is Brother Zhao, who previously worked with me to earn Merit Points. He’s a disciple from the Five Elements Sect’s Talisman Hall named Zhao Jiang.

"Brother Zhao, let’s not waste time on small talk. Let’s divide the spirit stones. I still have to go back to my duty."

"Same here, dividing the spirit stones is important."

The rest of the group were a little nervous, tonight they were going to divide the spirit stones.

"Okay, let’s divide the spirit stones. Today we have a total of twenty stalls, and we sold…"

Zhao Jiang took out the books and read them to everyone.

Lin Jiang didn’t just cooperate with Yue Qing, but with several others too. Zhao Jiang and his group of Talisman Makers were included. Almost five months ago, Lin Jiang convinced them to join him, and their goal was to create spiritual talismans.

They received discounts when purchasing materials for drawing symbols within the Five Elements Sect. The prices were much lower than the market outside. Even in the Talisman Hall, they had extra materials. Because of the success rate, they required thirteen materials to draw ten symbols.

Lin Jiang convinced them to buy a large amount of materials and then sell the symbols at a low price. The Five Elements Sect had a constant influx of newcomers, and Lin Jiang convinced them to teach talisman techniques. The condition was that they had to sell all their spiritual talismans, except those needed for sect tasks, at cost price to Lin Jiang within six months.

Lin Jiang personally guided them in teaching talisman techniques. With his level of expertise, it was more than enough to instruct these first-level Talisman Makers. Eventually, they didn’t even need to find people; others came to them.

As a result, ordinary disciples learned more talisman techniques, while Lin Jiang and his group accumulated a large number of spiritual talismans. So many, in fact, that they couldn’t fit them all in several storage bags.

At the current Medicine Conference, they hired disciples in the Qi Refining Period to help them sell spiritual talismans. They had a total of twenty people, and they obtained the best locations in the market of Medicine City.

The result, just as Lin Jiang expected, was very good. The spiritual talisman sold very well, and within one day, they sold seven to eight thousand of them.

"Wow, no wonder Senior Brother Xiao is called the God of Wealth. In just one day, we’ve almost earned back our investment. Tomorrow we’ll definitely make a profit, and the day after, it’ll be pure profit. This is more than what we earn in a whole year at Talisman Hall."

"Are you dreaming? Talisman Hall can only earn a few spirit stones. But Senior Brother Xiao is really a God of Wealth. Senior Brother Xiao, after the Medicine Conference is over, I’ll treat you to a drink. You can’t refuse."

"Me too! I’ve lived for thirty-five years and never earned this many spirit stones. Senior Brother Xiao, from now on, you’re like a big brother to me."

After dividing the spirit stones, everyone became excited. According to the investment ratio, even the lowest amount they received was seven or eight hundred spirit stones. They would make back their investment in just two days, and after that, it would all be profit.

"Brothers, we still have plenty of time left in the ten-day Medicine Conference. During our Qi Refining Period, we can go without sleep for three to five days. Let’s spend some time drawing more talismans and earning a little more."

"Senior Brother Xiao is right. I’m going to leave first. I don’t need to be on duty today. I plan to stay up all night drawing talismans."

"I’m going back to the sect and get another batch of talisman papers. I’ll make those disciples work all night drawing talismans for me. This time, I’ll make a killing."

Some people were determined to stay up all night drawing talismans, while others were eager to convince others to stay up all night too. Everyone was as excited as if they had taken a stimulant.

Zhao Jiang wanted to drink with Lin Jiang, but it seems like they can’t drink now. They decided to meet up and have a drink after the Medicine Conference. Everyone dispersed immediately.

But Lin Jiang didn’t go back to his own place. Instead, he went to another courtyard where a few people were waiting for him. The leader was Zheng Yi, whom Lin Jiang had been working with for many years. Even though decades had passed, Zheng Yi still had not achieved his goal. He had missed the opportunity to build a foundation, but he had gotten married and had children. His two sons and one daughter all had special abilities. Lin Jiang took advantage of this and convinced Zheng Yi to invest his wealth with him.

"Senior Brother Xiao"

"Senior Brother Xiao"

"Senior Brother Zheng, how is the situation?"

"There are good and bad aspects. Which one would Senior Brother Xiao like to hear?"

Zheng Yi said that Lin Jiang had approached him for a business project in the "residential" sector of the "food, clothing, shelter, and transportation" industry. Lin Jiang remembered the crowded situation at the major inns in Yunzhong City back then, and that some people even stayed overnight in rented yards as independent cultivators.

So, after convincing Zheng Yi to invest, Lin Jiang started planning three months ago in Medicine City. He secured the rights to use five inns and hundreds of houses for a period of four months, at a slightly higher price than the market value.

At that time, people in Medicine City didn’t know what the Medicine Conference would be like. When they saw that Lin Jiang was offering a higher price than the market, they mostly agreed.

In the first three months, they rented out these inns and houses for short stays, at the same price as usual. They made a little less profit, but then Lin Jiang made a request. He said that no matter who came to rent, they would not rent to them in the five days before the Medicine Conference, because prices would go up.

So, their real money-making time started five days ago. As cultivators from various places arrived one by one, the accommodation prices in Medicine City increased daily. They weren’t being unfair – they raised prices just as much as others did. Today, the prices have doubled compared to normal, and they will continue to increase tomorrow.

"I guess the bad news is that the landlords of these inns and houses are not happy, right?"

Lin Jiang said, as expected. It’s human nature – how could they know that the Medicine Conference would be such a scene? Naturally, they covet the income of Lin Jiang and the others.

Actually, not many people expected this. Only the higher-ups know some details. Because this time, the Five Elements Sect has really put in a lot of effort. There are 5,000 types of spiritual herbs and 5,000 types of elixirs. It’s uncertain if they have that many. But the Five Elements Sect has made it clear that just their sect alone will auction off 200 Building Foundation Pills this time. This is a fatal temptation for independent cultivators and cultivators from smaller factions. It’s really difficult for them to get even one Building Foundation Pill on regular days.

"Senior Brother Xiao predicts things accurately. It’s indeed so. Most of the landlords are going to break the contracts. Senior Brother Xiao, do you have a way to remedy this?"

"What about the previous contracts?"

"They are with me."

"That’s good. These customers and landlords have different backgrounds. We treat them differently. If they are weaker than us, we can use our power to pressure them and make them reconsider. If they are stronger than us, then we can take legal action. Whether it’s the administrative office of Medicine City or the Law Enforcement Hall of the sect, we have a solid case. We’re not afraid of making a big fuss. If they insist on taking it back, then we’ll compensate them according to the contract."

Lin Jiang said, they are in the right in this matter. Lin Jiang is not afraid of causing a scene. They need to uphold the appearance of fairness in both the sect and the city.

"Senior Brother Xiao, this might offend many people."

"Senior Brother Zheng, if we are afraid of offending people, then we won’t make this money. We live our whole lives, can you guarantee not offending anyone?"

"No, we can’t."

"Then it’s settled. Let’s all work together. Those with connections should use them, and even if you don’t have connections, you should act confidently. We are poor people, and this is our chance to turn the tables. Whoever dares to stop us, we’ll fight them to the end."

Lin Jiang encouraged loudly. In fact, they had carefully chosen the patrons and landlords. They wouldn’t dare to accept anyone with a strong background. The powerful people here were only slightly stronger than them, not to the extent that they wouldn’t dare to resist.

Lin Jiang’s words made many people’s eyes turn red. Those in the room were mostly part of Zheng Yi’s professional team, which consisted of poor people in the sect. They had been poor for decades, and now they had a chance to turn their lives around. If anyone tried to stop them, they were ready to fight to the death.

"Senior Brother Xiao is right. I’ve been farming for decades, but I haven’t made as much in the past half month. Anyone who dares to stand in my way, I’ll fight them."

"I feel the same. I haven’t started a family anyway. I’m just a bachelor, hoping to live a carefree life with these spirit stones. If I have to suffer for decades, I might as well die."

"My son is close to completing the Building Foundation stage, and I hope to use this money to buy the Building Foundation Pill. Anyone who dares to stand in the way of my son’s future, I will fight with all my might."

Several people expressed their opinions, saying that they had endured years of poverty and now the opportunity to become wealthy was right in front of them. They would not miss this chance again.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. We’ll deal with them tomorrow. For now, let’s divide the spirit stones."

"Senior Brother Xiao, the spirit stones have all been divided. Here is the account book, and here are the spirit stones. Your share, please check it."

"No need, I trust Senior Brother Zheng. There will be more people tomorrow, and there will also be a rise in bandits outside the city. The property prices will increase. You all have to resist the temptation and not raise the prices prematurely, especially for those who have booked for many days. Don’t increase the prices at the last minute and provoke the anger of the people."

"Understood, Senior Brother Xiao."

"If you want to make more money, you can think of other ways, such as those residential houses with yards. You can build a few more rooms in the yard and leave a pathway. After all, it’s only for a few days, so the prices can be a bit lower. Don’t worry, there will be tenants."

Lin Jiang continued to teach them various tricks. Whatever kind of trick there was for subletting, he would teach them. Safety and comfort weren’t considered, as it was only for a short period, around ten days.

This time, he was not only a profiteer, but also a dishonest merchant, a merchant without morals.