Ascending the Jade Palace Chapter 50: Wait, You Haven't Been Possessed by some Old Dem

The way Zhong Ningyao asked her question made it clear that Hongi had not told her what had actually transpired.

Looting the Golden Light Pavilion, harboring murderous intent toward his own disciples, attempting to give away his daughter, and ultimately being brought under control by Wang Xianmao...

Indeed, how could Hongi possibly confess such despicable deeds to his own daughter?

When it ca to having an unyielding resolve for survival, Hongi was the pri example. To save his own skin, he was entirely willing to offer his daughter to the Wang Clan.

His only miscalculation was allowing his murderous intent to slip for a single instant, which Yulou had imdiately picked up on.

Yulou invited Ningyao inside, offering a brief explanation at the sa ti.

"It is our fault. We have been far too busy lately."

Looking at the brand-new Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Ningyao nodded thoughtfully.

For the Wang Clan to open a new shop in Clear Stream Market in such a short amount of ti, it was only natural that Yulou and Yu'an would be called in to help.

"What kind of things do you sell here..."

She was just about to ask what the Hundred Treasures Pavilion specialized in, but when her gaze drifted toward the left side of the room, she froze completely.

Patriarch Mangxiang, True Person Xuanzhuan... For the first ti, she truly realized what kind of terrifying entity the Wang Clan actually was.

In the past, she had gotten along spectacularly with Yulou and Yu'an. Their relationship had always been one of equals, and she had never felt that the brothers were any different from herself.

But now, looking at the dense rows of longevity plaques, Zhong Ningyao felt a strange, complex emotion welling up in her heart.

Multiple ancestors had entered the lineage of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Purple Palace. Was this the true foundation of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom?

The Red Lantern Illumination Sect possessed countless vassal forces, but among them, the differences in status and power were astronomical.

The Wang Clan managed to have soone enter the Purple Palace lineage every few generations. Clearly, they were a far cry from ordinary subordinate families.

The young woman still had no idea that Patriarch Mangxiang was currently preparing to attain his Golden Core. If she knew that, she would likely be even more shaken.

"Just talismans and spiritual elixirs, though they are mostly geared toward Qi Refining cultivators. Senior Martial Sister, you could actually take a look at our talismans.

"For instance, this Golden Light Torrent Talisman can perfectly compensate for your shortcomings in water-attributed combat thods."

Seeing that Senior Martial Sister Ningyao was staring blankly at the longevity plaques, Yulou chose not to explain further and instead directly shifted into a sales pitch.

When Wang Rongsheng left Hidden Dragon Market, he had packed up and brought along everything from his old shop, including the Golden Light Torrent Talismans, which were a unique specialty of Golden Wall Cliff.

The spirit-attracting portion of this talisman utilized the unique spiritual energy from the Golden Wall Cliff's morning spiritual tides. Its raw power was a cut above ordinary torrent talismans, making it an absolute masterpiece for magical combat.

Zhong Ningyao possessed a fire, wood, and gold three-elent spirit root, leaving her severely lacking in water and earth thods. Yulou's recomndation was perfectly tailored to her specific needs.

She cultivated the Burning Mulberry Qi Gathering Scripture, which focused primarily on fire and wood. Naturally, there was no need for her to purchase any of the Wang Clan's nurous wood-attributed talismans.

"Hahaha, I ca here just to visit you, and yet you are imdiately trying to sell talismans. Yulou, you might turn out to be a business genius in the future."

Yulou's enthusiastic pitch broke Zhong Ningyao out of her daze, and she teased him playfully.

Scratching his head, Yulou offered a helpless smile.

"Senior Martial Sister, the clan needs the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to earn more spirit stones, so we naturally have to do our absolute best.

"However, this Golden Light Torrent Talisman is truly worth purchasing. After all, things have beco chaotic over at Hidden Dragon Market now.

"For a long ti to co, there might not be any new supply of these special torrent talismans. Every single one used will be one less remaining in the world."

'Just buy one, Senior Martial Sister. Once you step out of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, you really might never find this talisman again.'

Ningyao had no intention of buying talismans, but she was deeply curious about another matter.

"I asked my father about the situation at Hidden Dragon Market, but he refused to tell anything. What exactly did you all encounter over there?"

Zhong Ningyao turned her gaze toward Yu'an, who imdiately averted his eyes.

He knew that a thick, unspoken barrier had already ford between the two of them.

The Wang Clan had done nothing wrong, and Hongi had only gotten what he deserved, but Yu'an simply could not bring himself to look Ningyao straight in the eye.

"The Valley Spirit Sect shattered the defensive formations set up by Wondrous Peak Mountain, so we fled back. However, there is a piece of news here that you must absolutely not share with anyone else."

Noticing Yu'an's intense nervousness, Yulou quickly explained the bizarre and eerie situation concerning Wondrous Peak Mountain to Zhong Ningyao, successfully shifting her focus.

Frowning deeply as she finished listening to Yulou's account, Zhong Ningyao shook her head and sighed.

"It really is safest to just stay quietly in Clear Stream Market. At least we still have horse racing to watch. Oh right, today happens to be the day of the races. Are you two going?"

Over the past three years, Yulou and Yu'an had been restricted from leaving Clear Stream Market. Their sole entertainnt had been watching the spirit horse races, which they attended every single month.

"We aren't..." Hearing Senior Martial Sister Ningyao's invitation, Yu'an instinctively wanted to decline.

"We are going. Just wait until we finish reviewing the accounts, and we will head over."

Yulou's sudden response left both Zhong Ningyao and Yu'an thoroughly bewildered. In the past, the two of them had always been the main driving force behind seeking entertainnt, while Yulou usually just tagged along silently. Why was he being so proactive this ti?

The reason was actually incredibly simple.

Yulou's ntal age was far more mature, so he viewed re amusents very lightly. Compared to watching a chaotic spectacle, he much preferred spending his ti ditating or practicing the artificing path.

Yu'an and Ningyao had been sheltered excessively well by their elders, yet they were also forbidden from leaving Clear Stream Market, so they naturally loved watching the horse races.

The only reason Yulou suddenly acted against his usual nature today was because he had just thought of a highly unique marketing strategy.

The three-person ten percent discount promotion had yielded excellent results, but the limited-ti auction had ended up completely frozen. Yulou wanted to find a brand-new avenue to break through the current stagnation in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's business operations.

While this might not directly help increase Yulou's own cultivation base, many matters in life were actually deeply interconnected.

Yulou had been reborn into the Wang Clan, which allowed him to avoid much of the aimless drifting and hardships that ordinary rogue cultivators typically endured, ensuring his journey had been remarkably smooth.

In return for enjoying the protection of the Wang Clan, he naturally needed to contribute back to the family.

In the not-so-distant future, the Wang Clan would produce at least two brand-new Foundation Establishnt cultivators.

With the critical need to secure new sources of revenue in mind, Wang Xianmao had established this new Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Clear Stream Market.

Furthermore, he had intentionally placed Yulou in the position of shop manager to temper and train him.

After all, Yulou could only cultivate for three hours a day at his current level, leaving him with an abundance of spare ti that could be put to perfect use.

Given the clan's protection and the patriarch's profound trust, Yulou had no reason to shirk his responsibilities. In fact, he had absolutely no intention of doing so; his only thought was how to manage the Hundred Treasures Pavilion even better, nothing more.

"Reviewing the accounts?" Zhong Ningyao looked at Yulou in utter confusion.

"Senior Martial Sister, you don't know yet, but my brother has been officially appointed as the manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion by the patriarch himself," Yu'an said, a hint of pride clear in his voice.

His elder brother was deeply trusted and valued by the clan patriarch, and as his biological younger brother, Yu'an was naturally overjoyed.

"It will be very quick, just wait a mont."

Yulou carried the account books upstairs. After a brief, efficient exchange with Wang Rongsheng, he quickly walked back down.

"Let's go, we are officially done with the busy work for today."

Although he held the title of manager, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was hardly lacking in shop hands. With Uncle Rongsheng keeping a watchful eye on the premises, it made very little difference whether Yulou was physically present or not.

"How much did you two make today?" Zhong Ningyao walked side by side with Yulou, asking with a mixture of curiosity and a touch of eagerness.

Yulou was her martial brother, so Ningyao naturally harbored no jealousy toward him. Regarding Yulou's sudden stroke of good fortune, after her initial shock wore off, she felt nothing but pure support for him.

Of course, support was one thing, but getting her to spend her own money was an entirely different matter.

With Hongi backing her, Ningyao was never in short supply of talismans or spiritual elixirs.

"It is not that the two of us made money. We are simply helping to manage the shop. It is the Hundred Treasures Pavilion that earned the profit."

Yulou first made sure to clarify his stance as a re worker before continuing.

"Today is only the third day since our grand opening, so business has been a bit better than the first two days. We managed to pull in seventeen spirit stones over the course of most of the day."

Seventeen spirit stones in most of a single day ant roughly twenty pieces a full day, which translated to over seven thousand spirit stones a year.

This figure was simply too astronomical, causing Zhong Ningyao's mind to grow slightly dizzy as she did the math.

"That is nearly ten thousand spirit stones a year! Yulou, the business at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion is vastly superior to Forge Peak Residence."

"How could it possibly remain that high? When a shop first opens, custors naturally spend far more heavily. This is rely because we are satisfying their long-held needs with high-quality goods, effectively releasing their pent-up desire to spend.

"As ti goes on and the regular custors have purchased everything they need, the profits will naturally begin to taper off."

This was precisely the reason why Yulou wanted to diversify and find a breakthrough as quickly as possible. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion could not afford to halt its montum, and marketing strategies had to keep pace with the changes.

"Even if your annual profits cut completely in half, you are still making an absolute fortune..."

Yulou could only flash a bitter smile.

"The profit margins and the turnover rate are the true keys to success. The goods in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion are all of exceptionally high quality. Even if they weren't sold directly through this storefront, the Wang Clan would still rake in the exact sa profits by moving them through alternative channels.

"The patriarch handed the position of manager over to because he naturally hopes I can generate even greater returns. To be completely honest, the pressure on my shoulders is imnse."

Ningyao could easily understand the concept of profit margins, but she was completely baffled by the term that followed.

"What on earth is a 'turnover rate'?"

Yulou pondered for a brief mont before offering a helpful explanation.

"Well, you can think of it as the total amount of ti it takes for a product in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to go from being placed on the shelf to being successfully sold. When the turnover rate is high, the shop can sell a vastly larger volu of goods within the exact sa tifra.

"If we want to earn more spirit stones while ensuring our retail prices do not increase, we have to find a way to manipulate the turnover rate to our advantage."

Yu'an had already completely transford into Yulou's number one admirer, and he instantly chid in with praise.

"Brother, you truly are a business genius!"

Yulou hurriedly waved his hands in dismissal.

"What does this amount to? I am rely repeating the wisdom of those who ca before ."

Zhong Ningyao considered herself soone who had rubbed shoulders with all sorts of people while following Hongi around, and she had certainly seen and heard far more than Yulou. Yet, she had never once heard of a turnover rate or any similar concept.

"You are simply far too fond of hiding your light under a bushel, Yulou. You don't possess even a shred of the sharp, competitive arrogance typical of young n your age."

This ti, Yu'an found himself completely disagreeing with his senior sister's words.

'Yes, you are indeed the goddess of my dreams, but I, Wang Yu'an, am absolutely no mindless sycophant!'

'Right is right, and wrong is wrong!'

"Arrogance? What use is arrogance? Can it be spent like spirit stones?"

The Wang Clan's thods for raising and educating their younger generations were undeniably far above the average standard. The sole reason they had managed to endure for so many centuries was certainly not just because of their powerful backing.

There were countless Foundation Establishnt families that relied on the Purple Palace for protection, but very few could boast a seamless, uninterrupted inheritance spanning over a dozen generations like the Wang Clan.

Even soone as flighty and impulsive as Yu'an could gradually absorb the clan's deep teachings, slowly coming to realize what the truly vital things in this world actually were.

Finding herself completely choked for words, Zhong Ningyao felt a surge of mild annoyance and shot a sharp glare at Yu'an.

"In the past, it was only Yulou who acted like a little old man, but now you are starting to sound exactly like a little old man too."

The young maiden's display of petulant anger was incredibly captivating. It left Yu'an's heart feeling as though it were being scratched by a hundred tiny claws, throwing him into a state of intense excitent. However, the mont the image of Hongi flashed through his mind, his high spirits instantly evaporated into nothingness.

'Master, Master... Oh, what am I to do with you? Sigh.'

"Hahaha, Senior Martial Sister, when have I ever looked like a little old man?"

Yulou firmly believed that at a re sixteen years of age, he was in the absolute pri of his youth. No matter how one looked at it, he could not possibly be associated with an old fogey.

'This is slander, pure slander against my character!'

"You look like one in every single aspect. Wait, you haven't been possessed by so old demon, have you?"

Zhong Ningyao teased him with a playful smile, using the joke to jab at him.

"What nonsense. If I had truly undergone body usurpation by an old demon, the clan patriarch would have seen through it a long ti ago."

As they strolled all the way toward the racetrack, the trio chatted and laughed rrily, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

As for Hongi, not a single one of them paid him any mind.

The mont one allowed murderous intent to take root, they had to be prepared to bear the consequences. The Wang Clan was no benevolent deity, and they possessed no superfluous kindness to waste on a traitor.