Chapter 732

Chapter 732: Willow Shade

By evening, Wang Chen and Su Ziling had bid farewell to their last customer.

They closed the door and exchanged a knowing smile.

In accordance with the customs of Qianxing Immortal City, new shops only operate during the day on their opening day, reserving the evening for tallying accounts.

Su Ziling eagerly produced the account book, which detailed every transaction of the day.

The final tally brought a radiant smile to her face: “Master, we’ve earned five hundred seventy-four thousand spirit stones today!”

Wang Chen chuckled, “That’s not profit, though.”

The five hundred seventy-four thousand spirit stones represented only the turnover; factoring in costs, including rent, they were still far from breaking even—indeed, selling all their goods wouldn’t cover their expenses.

Still, recovering such a sum was a positive outcome. He tousled the girl’s hair affectionately: “Not bad at all. I’ll treat you to a feast tonight. What would you like to eat?”

Su Ziling smiled coyly, “I’d like some ice cream.”

She had watched Wang Chen craft the freezer for making ice and observed the entire process of mixing and preparing the ice cream, being the first to taste it as well.

From the very first spoonful, Su Ziling had been enchanted by the sweet, delightful treat!

Amused by her request, Wang Chen was about to reply when a gentle knock sounded at the shop door.

“Who could that be?”

Su Ziling hurried to open the door.

There stood an elderly cultivator with snow-white hair, leaning on a cane adorned with a dragon’s head.

Su Ziling exclaimed, “Old Local Head, what brings you here? Please, come in!”

This venerable man was the former local head of the street.

The role of local head is akin to that of a village chief, typically elected by the residents of one or several streets, serving as a semi-official figure.

Their duties include maintaining local security, mediating disputes among townsfolk, and acting as a liaison for communication.

Generally, only those of high moral standing and esteemed reputation are deemed worthy of the position.

This former local head had served for a full fifty years before resigning a few years ago due to his advancing age.

Despite his retirement, he still commanded great respect.

Both Wang Chen and Su Ziling recognized him and respectfully ushered the old man inside.

Wang Chen instructed Su Ziling to boil water for tea while he prepared to arrange some fruits and snacks, but the Old Local Head stopped him.

“No need to trouble yourself.”

The old cultivator gestured for Wang Chen to sit, then glanced at the items on the nearby shelves and inquired, “Shopkeeper Wang, will you continue to offer these magical instruments and spirit tools at a discount tomorrow?”

Wang Chen, thinking the old man wished to make a purchase upon hearing the news, smiled and replied, “Yes, Old Local Head. If there’s anything you fancy, I can fetch it for you right away.”

“This old man has little time left; I’ve grown indifferent to such material possessions.”

The Old Local Head shook his head and said, “I merely came to advise you. It’s acceptable today, as it’s your opening day, but you mustn’t continue to sell your goods so cheaply tomorrow. Otherwise…”

Otherwise, it would disrupt others’ businesses, and Wang Chen would find himself in serious trouble!

Wang Chen was momentarily taken aback.

He genuinely considered offering discounts for three consecutive days to clear out all the stockpiled goods.

Then, he planned to procure new materials to venture into high-end business.

For instance, customized creations!

In this realm, Wang Chen harbored considerable confidence.

While his skills might not be the pinnacle in all of Qianxing Immortal City, his innovative thinking surpassed that of most weapon refiners.

These ideas were born from another world, rich in technological advancements!

Yet, at that moment, Wang Chen was reminded by the Old Local Head, realizing he had erred.

Straying from the norm under a legitimate guise once isn’t a grave matter, but to do so repeatedly? Did he truly believe others were fools?

Wang Chen promptly nodded, declaring, “I understand. I will revert to the original prices tomorrow!”

The Old Local Head smiled, “That’s for the best.”

After sharing a few cups of tea with Wang Chen, he courteously took his leave.

Following the Old Local Head’s departure, Wang Chen and Su Ziling adjusted the prices of the remaining items in the shop.

Was this merely following the trend, or was it a wise adaptation to the circumstances?

However, Wang Chen was once again overwhelmed when, the very next day, a crowd surged in as soon as he opened the door.

These individuals weren’t there to purchase spirit tools but to indulge in free ice desserts!

Wang Chen found the situation both amusing and exasperating; he had no choice but to enlist Su Ziling’s help to explain, “The promotion has concluded. Please return tomorrow!”

They couldn’t afford to give away more; otherwise, Wang Chen would be spending his entire life crafting ice desserts.

Unsurprisingly, his business took a nosedive, with only a handful of items sold over the next two days.

Yet, people continued to inquire about the ice desserts.

“Master, perhaps we should pivot to selling ice desserts?”

After two days, even Su Ziling grew weary and urged Wang Chen, “I believe we can turn ice desserts into a thriving business!”

Wang Chen chuckled, “I have it under control.”

How could he overlook something even Su Ziling had noticed!

In fact, he had been contemplating it for the past two days.

This treat, designed solely to delight the palate, was indeed immensely popular.

Apart from the first day, many had come asking about the ice desserts in the subsequent days.

After some deliberation, Wang Chen decided to craft a new freezer, enabling both machines to produce ice desserts simultaneously.

This handcrafted freezer didn’t demand much technical expertise; the challenge lay in perfecting the flavors. However, with the assistance of high-level Golden Core or even Yuan Ying cultivators, replicating it would be a breeze.

Wang Chen didn’t expect others to refrain from imitation; after all, this world lacked patent laws.

To prevent opportunists from reaping undue benefits, Wang Chen went all out, creating over a hundred boxes of ice desserts, each with unique styles and flavors.

After individually packaging them, he displayed them on the counter for sale.

A box of ice desserts was priced at one spirit fragment!

This price was not low, indeed quite steep, especially considering not all ingredients were spirit herbs or plants.

But Wang Chen introduced novel flavors, and to his surprise, they sold remarkably well.

He decided to entrust the task of making ice desserts to Su Ziling.

After all, it didn’t require much technical know-how.

Su Ziling threw herself into the task with boundless enthusiasm. She urged Wang Chen to continue making new freezers and to procure large quantities of materials, thereby increasing production manifold.

Wang Chen was astounded that despite the massive output, the ice desserts continued to sell like hotcakes.

The fame of the ice desserts even spread across half the city, drawing many to purchase them out of sheer curiosity and admiration.

Spirit stones cascaded into Wang Chen’s coffers like a waterfall.

Truly, it was a case of planting flowers with care but reaping no blossoms, while inadvertently nurturing willows that provided ample shade!

However, such prosperous days were short-lived.

After all, this was Qianxing Immortal City, a renowned City of Merchants, and soon enough, imitators emerged.

Wang Chen’s ice desserts were, in fact, quite easy to replicate.

Moreover, these competitors produced in larger quantities and offered lower prices, swiftly undermining his business!