Chapter 12: My Great River Market Has Its Own National Conditions

Before a bluestone slab, an old man held a piece of spicy beef jerky, his eyes filled with an irrepressible thirst for knowledge.

Standing before him was a tall, handsome, and dashing man. With one hand behind his back and the other holding a long strip of beef jerky, the man spoke with eloquence and ease.

"Don't understand? I'll teach you!"

"So-called brand value is the additional value artificially added to a commodity on top of its inherent value."

"Still don't understand?"

Seeing the old man’s bewildered expression, Luo Chen sighed and gestured with the beef jerky toward the loose cultivator market.

"In this market alone, there are at least three people who sell low-grade talismans long-term, right?"

"Mm-hmm, Lu Heng, Crow Mao, and then me—we are the ones who sell talismans long-term," Old Man Chen replied quickly, seizing the chance to chime in.

"Then how do you view them? And how do you view yourself?"

Old Man Chen gave a disdainful laugh. "That brat Lu Heng lacks skill; he even sources his talisman paper from me. Not worth mentioning!"

"And Master Mao?"

"A latecomer to the craft. His skills are on par with mine, but he’s ninety-three years old—just a withered bone in a grave!"

"And what about you, Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Old Man Chen stroked his graying beard and said confidently, "I started as a chore boy at the Divine Talisman Pavilion at twenty, learned the art of making talisman paper in five years, and entered the path of talismans fifteen years after that. Since putting up my sign, I’ve been setting up this stall for twenty-five years. I am in my prime, and my skills are nothing short of divine. If loose cultivators enter the market and want to buy talismans, they must come to me first to take a look!"

*Clap, clap, clap!*

Luo Chen clapped his hands, a gratified smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, that’s exactly it. Your talismans already possess a basic brand value, formed by your experience as a chore boy at the Divine Talisman Pavilion, your twenty-five years of unwavering reputation in wind and rain, and the stable quality of your talismans."

Old Man Chen felt quite proud, but after a moment of thought, he felt something was off.

"But for these decades, I haven't been able to sell my talismans at a high price, have I?"

"High prices are indeed rare, but compared to others, aren't your prices generally a bit higher?"

"I suppose that's true, but I still can't compare to the Divine Talisman Pavilion. Customers who want to buy large quantities of talismans still prefer to go there."

Luo Chen rolled his eyes. "The Divine Talisman Pavilion is backed by the Far East Six Domains, one of the six great upper sects—the Divine Talisman Sect. Their brand value is bestowed by Golden Core masters and Nascent Soul true lords. You’re comparing yourself to them?"

"That’s true, too." Old Man Chen finally regained his self-awareness.

"So, you see, the brand value of this stall of yours has hit its ceiling; it can't grow much larger. In this situation, you need to find another way out!"

"For example?"

"Bestow brand value upon your individual products."

"Be more specific!"

"Give them a story!"

Chen Xiuping was stunned. "Zhongmiao Pills? Cloud Crane? The Cloud Crane Master of the Hehuan Sect?"

"A student worth teaching!"

*Hard!*

*Hard!*

The fist was hard again!

After the hardness passed, Old Man Chen fell into a state of enlightened sage-like clarity.

"You mean to say that I need to tell stories about my talismans, just like you do?"

"Mm."

"It’s that simple?"

"It’s that simple!"

"Then why did you ramble on so much before, about this and that!"

"If I hadn't said enough, I would have felt bad about your fifty spirit stone loan!"

*Hoo! Haa!*

Taking a deep breath, Old Man Chen decided not to get angry. He was already sixty-five; he had to take care of his health.

"But how should this story be told?"

Luo Chen looked at his stall. He knew the types of talismans Old Man Chen sold like the back of his hand.

There were six in total: the lowest-grade Cleansing Talismans and Wind-Riding Talismans, mid-grade Fireball Talismans and Earth Spike Talismans, as well as Earth Wall Talismans and Breath-Concealing Talismans.

The best sellers were the Fireball and Earth Spike talismans, but the unit price was very low—one and a half spirit stones each.

The highest-priced were the Earth Wall and Breath-Concealing talismans. The former went for two spirit stones each, while the latter started at three, and could sell for five or six or even more when demand was high.

Talismans had a strong market among low-grade cultivators.

They were slightly less powerful than spells, but they were fast to cast and consumed very little spiritual energy.

Especially those related to defense and life-saving—they were very popular.

Pointing at the Breath-Concealing Talisman, Luo Chen’s mind raced. Combining it with the *Records of the Six Domains* he had read before, he came up with a story outline for him.

However, the specific details would have to be filled in by Old Man Chen himself; he had seen more of the world than Luo Chen.

Luo Chen also gave him a suggestion: tell stories to new customers, but keep the old ones as they were.

However, the Breath-Concealing Talisman needed a makeover. It couldn't look so dusty anymore; without affecting its function, he should draw two gold borders on it.

This way, even without telling a story, he could try to raise the price for old customers.

After giving his advice, Luo Chen could no longer contain himself.

Like a gust of wind, clutching his massive wealth, he rushed into the loose cultivator market.

Shopping! Shopping! Crazy shopping!

Night had fallen, and the moonlight spilled onto the ground, bright and clear.

A young man carrying two huge snakeskin bags walked quickly along the road.

The bags were made of real snakeskin—tough and spacious!

Because he had to sell the Zhongmiao Pills and talk to Old Man Chen, he had been delayed for a long time during the market day.

By the time he finished shopping in the evening, it was already this late.

Walking on the dried-out dirt road, Luo Chen’s breathing was a bit heavy.

Although his feet moved quickly, his eyes constantly scanned the shadows between the wooden houses.

The Dahe Market strictly forbade fighting, but that was limited to the inner city.

The loose cultivators in the outer city were left to their own devices.

The spirit stones collected every month were only for the big shots in the inner city to intervene when spirit beasts charged in.

As a result, strongmen often blocked the road in the outer city to rob and kill for treasure.

It was fine during the day, but at night, such things happened one after another.

One could only say that the Dahe Market had its own "national conditions."

Luo Chen didn't have a single spirit stone on him right now; his entire net worth was in the two large snakeskin bags on his back.

But to put it bluntly, the value was only a hundred spirit stones.

Moreover, it was all scattered items, making it very troublesome to sell again.

But what he thought was one thing, and whether someone would be tempted by greed was another.

"Damn it, once I have spirit stones, I must move to the inner city!"

Luo Chen cursed under his breath, walking along the dirt road with his heart in his throat.

Perhaps it was the bright moonlight tonight, or perhaps it was because he was dressed in rags, and even the two snakeskin bags on his back looked so ugly.

In any case, Luo Chen returned home safely.

Sometimes, when a person is humble to a certain degree, even robbers don't bother with them.

Luo Chen didn't feel bitter. After catching his breath, he sorted the various materials from the bags and placed them on the shelves.

With one hundred spirit stones, he had purchased nineteen sets of raw materials for the Zhongmiao Pills, costing ninety-five stones.

Of the remaining five spirit stones, he spent three on materials for Bigu Pills. Based on his success rate, he could refine at least thirty bottles. If he sold them at one stone for five bottles, he could earn six spirit stones—a net profit of nearly half, three stones.

Of the other two, one was spent on ten catties of spirit rice, and the other went to the City Lord's Mansion to pay two months' rent.

Yes, his house on the outermost edge cost half a spirit stone per month, so he paid every two months.

Pouring the spirit rice into the rice jar, Luo Chen slumped onto the wooden stool in the living room. Smelling the medicinal herbs filling the room, he grinned.

Although he was very tired, he was in a great mood.

Tomorrow, he could start expanding production!

(End of chapter)