Chapter 7

I currently had 3 things business-related I was interested in.

The first started with the entertainment industry. I tough, if I could just copy novels and such things from my previous life, and pay mortals to create things for me, I could make a lot of money.

And as a Bonus for creating a formation with a big discount, I would receive a monopoly on the entertainment industry in Slow Sword City, which didn't mean much.

I just wanted to use it as a testing ground.

Because at that moment, it meant not really much since the entertainment industry wasn't very big. Maybe a novel publisher, an artist, and a poet were the only real things that could be considered entertainment.

I was actually quite happy knowing that Borhterls were widely banned over almost all kingdoms. Not because I was Anti-Sex work, but because such brothels all worked under coercive conditions and lots of girls were forced to enter, especially if you just read novels where brothers were mentioned.

I didn't mind making one in the future, but for now, it wasn't worth it.

But back on track, I was thinking about what novels I could sell, and suddenly realized, why keep it at only entertainment?

Sure, this may be a cultivation world, but why not mix it up with science? Even though I didn't know the exact science of making satellites, cars, or smartphones.

I could start it slowly and make other people develop such things for me, while only providing the ideas.

but then I realized, if I struck a gold mine, I would need to make sure to protect it.

Technology could make me a lot of money, so a cultivator who could destroy the entire kingdom I was living in with a snap, could easily steal all that from me.

This made me create Plan Secrecy. Something that is only known to my closest people. I would secretly start researching and developing science. So that when the time came I was strong enough, I could sell it.

And while it is a long-term, very long-term plan. My other 2 weren't so much.

My second business plan was something I called Plan Franchise.

It basically meant opening more shops in other Third-Grade Cities, of which there were 10 in Blossoming Sword County.

The plan had quick easy steps.

Buy a large batch of materials for a discount.

Create a large batch of Pills, Formations, and Talisman.

Open another branch in one of the 8 remaining Third-Grade cities in Blossoming County

Sell Previously created stuff for a low price, making a slight loss, and kill all other businesses in one of my 3 industries. And then when having a major part of the business, raise the prices to a level where I would make a profit.

In the meantime, search for a Medium Grade Alchemist, Medium Grade Formation Maker, and Medium Grade talisman drawer

Keep it till the industry was almost fully mine, before raising the prices again to a price that was good.

The idea was to open one every 4 months, and while I would maybe end up having a few months where I was making a loss, around the time I had 2 shops not making a loss anymore, I should be okay.

And the reason I only hire Medium grades was that they were much less expensive than the High grade. And secondly, because I didn't need a High-Grade worker. I and my woman could make those, ship them, and sell them. And we didn't even need to make that much because they didn't sell in large batches because of their prices.

And when it became too much, I could just hire one High-Grade worker for these 3 sectors to help. In this way, I could save thousands of spirit stones in wages yearly.

And my last plan was something I was already working on. And it was called Plan Caravan.

I wanted to start a caravan business, which would transport goods and people in Blossoming Sword County. And while at first, it would definitely be something that would be making a loss, it was something that would exponentially help me in the future.

Every time I transported something across towns or cities, it would have a chance to get robbed by bandits. And while weaker bandits weren't dangerous, there were bandits that were also cultivators.

And if one caravan got robbed, it could lose hundreds of spirit stones. And the only other solution was paying a lot of money to a caravan company for protection.

So by setting up a caravan, I could potentially make money, but my main reason is for myself.

I did the calculations, and in 1 year, I could potentially save 4K spirit stones if I didn't also calculate the losses I would make in the beginning.

And that was an estimated guess. In 2 years, it would probably already save me 7K per year. Because the amount I saved depended on how large my business grew, and even I couldn't fully know that yet.

All in all, these 3 plans were core parts of my future. And the future of my Li clan.

And while 2 of these plans seemed so close, I would need a lot of patience for them. Bearing the losses while keeping the future in my eyes.

1 year later

Year 202, and month 3 Of The Emperor Wu calendar.

The business was blooming, but the tension was high. I was fighting against a large alliance of shop owners in the 3 industries I worked in.

In total, 47 shop owners had banded together. it all happened when I wanted to enter Bloomed Flower City.

It was around 1 month ago, I had already entered 3 more cities. Firery sword City, Jing Hua city, and Liming Shi city.

I now was in 5 Third-Grade cities, where 4 of them were making profits. And 3 were making big profits. This had already brought fame to my Li shop, which meant that when I entered Blommed Flower City, they were prepared.

They had gotten not only all shop owners inside the city but also the shop owners of 2 other Third-Grade cities and a few nearby villages.

They banded together, not wanting to lose against the big bad wolf. So pooling together their resources, spirit stone, and connections. They were fighting against me.

And to be honest, they were doing better than I had expected.

Bloomed Flower City was the battleground where everything was going on, and in the fight, the economy of the city had actually grown a bit.

The prices had grown so low, that a lot of cultivators came to buy stuff here. And I had tried using the Mayor to end this war, but he said he wouldn't do anything. That little prick, so currently, I was going to his boss.

"Hello Governor Feng, it is nice to meet you again". I said smiling while shaking the hand of the middle-aged man before me.

"Hello Daotist Li, it has been a while till we last met. I want to thank you for taking care of my son again". A big reason for our good relationship was Mayor Feng, my friend and business partner.

Slow Sword City was originally a normal town, and while it had a future. No one would have ever thought that it would grow into what it was today.

And I was someone who probably the biggest reason for that. And even today, I was using money to keep the city growing. Upgrading infrastructure and making it easier for novice cultivators to enter the city.

I didn't do this for profit but for my connection with the Feng clan. Mayor Feng was someone who was born from the current heir and the heir's third son.

He was loved, born by the main wife, but wasn't super talented in cultivation so became a Mayor, despite his young age. He was put in a place where he lived comfortably, but not really with a high chance to become something bigger.

But with the amazing growth Slow Sword City showed in the last few years, Mayor Feng had become someone respected within the Feng Clan. So, for the heir of the clan, with few flaws.

Having one of his sons, who used to be his weakness, turn into his strength. He would of course be grateful to the man that did this.

"Governor Feng, I assume you already know why I am here". I sat down and said with a serious tone.

"You want me to use my power to force Mayor Jian to strike down on the shops inside Bloomed Flower City". Governor Feng knew all that was going on, befitting of being the governor.

"You must know that the war is benefiting Bloomed Flower City. So I don't have a reason to help you". He looked me into my eyes, saying "Why should I help you"?

"I know that this would help Bloomed Flower City. But I would like to focus my attention more on Slow Sword City". I said striking, I hadn't come here empty-handed.

"I heard Mayor Feng was interested in clearing all Golden Core Demonic Beast in the nearby forest, hoping to make it a good place for young cultivators to grow". I said continuing. "But for that, he needs a lot of money. And I was thinking of investing, about 50K spirit stones".

And before he could say something, I continued. "But for this, I think I would also need access to the other Third-Grade cities. Y 50K spirit stones are quite a lot after all". My face was filled with pain like I just couldn't pay 50K spirit stones. "But I think it is worth it, this could make Slow Sword City a Second-Grade city after all".

Governor Feng remained silent for a while. "Hahah, young people will truly surpass the old. Let's help each other since cooperation brings fortune".

We shook hands, both immediately doing what we promised the other one.

And to be honest, I didn't even need to ask for him to take care of the 2 other Third Gate cities. Because Bloomed Flower City acted as a kind of battlefield, but also a gate for the shopkeepers' alliance. They, poured in all of their resources, hoping to scare me to go away. Meaning that the other 2 cities were just shallow shells that would easily fall.

But I had asked for it because I had bled quite a lot in this war, so I could save a lot if it was also taken care of in the other 2 cities, making me not need to lower my prices as much at the beginning.

And while it cost me 50K, it wasn't like that was totally used only for this. That 50K not only gave me a closer connection to Governor Feng. But it spread my existence further in the Feng clan. And also made me become an even more influential person in Slow Sword City than before. And slow Sword City was currently where my most profitable shop was located. But it was also a city that was slowly but surely growing into a Second-Grade city.

And since I had already expected this outcome, I already had transported 50K spirit stones to Slow Sword City and gave them to Mayor Feng, who was all too happy to accept them.

But of course, a lot more than only Li shop had happened. A lot had happened this past year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------Please a review oor collect if you enjoyed it. like always, if you have any ideas, please tell me.

Author-Chan out.