Seeing the ssenger pigeon fly away, Yulou spoke up after a mont of careful deliberation.
"Clan Uncle, Yulou has another immature little idea. I hope you can guide a bit."
Wang Rongsheng nodded in surprise. "You don't need to be so polite, Yulou. Feel free to speak your mind."
Yulou was a junior whom even the patriarch highly favored, well deserving of being praised as a Qilin child of the Wang Clan.
Therefore, even though Wang Rongsheng possessed a higher cultivation base and was much older, he still held Yulou in high regard. This respect was earned by Yulou step by step, through the gradual demonstration of his intelligence.
"It's still uncertain whether my plan to use horse racing to promote the Hundred Treasures Pavilion will go smoothly," Yulou continued. "Therefore, I've co up with a new idea."
Hearing that Yulou had yet another new idea, Wang Rongsheng felt a trace of helplessness in his heart.
The way of business emphasized genuine goods at fair prices, built upon long-term honesty and trust. Even when seeking to win through unorthodox strategies, one should mostly rely on orthodox thods, using fewer unconventional tricks to ensure stability.
This young man, Yulou, was thinking of ways to pull off unconventional tricks every single day.
In truth, this was not surprising. For Yulou, in this cage-like cultivation world, the best path of developnt he could currently see was to tightly bind himself to his family. Only when the clan prospered could he reap the benefits along with it. If the clan fared poorly, his weak fra would have a miserable ti surviving in this cruel environnt.
Thus, the sooner the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was successfully managed, the slightly better off the Wang Clan's developnt would be. Yulou's own future would also beco wider and smoother. Because of this, he was incredibly eager to do sothing to change the status quo and prepare for a future filled with uncontrollable variables.
Regarding Yulou's urgency, Wang Rongsheng had his reservations but was unwilling to voice them directly. After all, Yulou had no conflict of interest with him. Thus, he still smiled and asked, "Oh? What kind of idea?"
Yulou did not notice the underlying resistance in Wang Rongsheng's eyes, assuming his clan uncle still thought very highly of him.
"Clan Uncle, I intend to launch a special blind box gambling event in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to stimulate our custors' desire to buy."
Hearing the word 'gambling,' Wang Rongsheng beca even more vigilant. "Gambling? Gambling is no good. Our Wang Clan does not lack that bit of pocket money, so we must be cautious. Furthermore, what is this 'blind box' you speak of?"
"It's like this. Among the custors in Clear Stream Market, the ones with the highest cultivation base are rely at the Qi Refining stage. Moreover, most of them are rogue cultivators and cultivators from small families; as a whole, they are quite short on funds. However, they frequently go to the racetrack to watch the horse racing, and many of them have developed the habit of placing bets on the horses. Therefore, I thought of a special sales thod, which I call the 'blind box gamble.' We only need to..."
Following Yulou's explanation, Wang Rongsheng gradually understood what he wanted to do. After hesitating and pondering for a long ti, he spoke up. "Yulou, did you think of this yourself, or did so shady cultivator tell you about it?"
Hearing his clan uncle's words, Yulou was sowhat stunned. He realized that his clan uncle did not believe him.
"Clan Uncle, this idea is indeed a bit unorthodox. But looking at it from the custor's perspective, the goods inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's blind boxes will be worth at least half the value of the spirit stones they paid. This gives the purchasing custors a psychological sense of security. Beyond this security, if they happen to buy a blind box containing high-value items, they stand to make a massive profit. Although this sales thod is called a blind box gamble, it is fundantally different from regular gambling, where one frequently loses everything. Yulou would naturally never associate with shady cultivators. The idea regarding the blind boxes was entirely conceived by myself."
Having been personally appointed by the patriarch, Wang Rongsheng was currently the Wang Clan's supervisor in Clear Stream Market, holding a say in all of the Wang Clan's businesses within the market. If his plan did not receive Wang Rongsheng's approval, it could not be implented in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Therefore, Yulou's reply was very cautious and thorough.
"Yulou, I naturally believe you, but how can you guarantee that the blind box sales plan won't lose money? You must understand that if we make a profit, it ans the custors buying the blind boxes are losing out. Once the custors lose once, twice, or at most three tis, they won't buy anymore, making the blind box sales unsustainable. If we don't make a profit and instead give up our margins to the custors, the blind box sales might beco incredibly popular, but it would be aningless to us."
Wang Rongsheng's understanding was simple. Yulou's plan sounded decent on paper, but its essence was a dead end where one side was bound to suffer a loss.
"Clan Uncle, aren't I discussing this with you precisely for that reason? Doing business always involves profits and losses. If you disagree, then just pretend I never brought it up," Yulou said helplessly.
The saying 'do less, make fewer mistakes; do more, make more mistakes' truly applied everywhere. He had only proposed a sche, yet it was instantly questioned by Wang Rongsheng. Wanting to get things done was never simple; the risk of failure and the pressure from superiors were all unavoidable obstacles.
Yet, perhaps one of his sentences had touched Wang Rongsheng, because this clan uncle—whom Yulou was still not very familiar with—ultimately gave his approval to the idea.
"Let's do this. I'll support you in using the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's spirit stones to try a blind box gambling event once. If the results are good, we will continue. If the results are poor, we will halt it after just one try. What do you think?"
Yulou could only agree.
In reality, what he did not know was that at the mont of making the decision, Wang Rongsheng was not thinking about whether the event would succeed, nor was he concerned about whether the Hundred Treasures Pavilion would turn a profit or suffer a loss. Whether the event succeeded or failed, and how much profit the Hundred Treasures Pavilion generated, had nothing to do with Wang Rongsheng. Yulou was the manager. If things went wrong, tall-headed Wang Yulou would take the bla.
The point Wang Rongsheng was actually considering was that Yulou seemingly wanted to use the public funds of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to purchase the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles from his own hands. That was why Yulou had co up with a new gimmick to try and convince him.
Regarding this matter, Yulou was the grand manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Purchasing the Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestles was a transaction that went through the accounts between the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Forge Peak Residence. It was procedurally sound, so why should Wang Rongsheng block it?
The Wang Clan had already provided him with all sorts of resources sufficient for him to cultivate to the Peak Qi Refining realm. Wang Rongsheng's most urgent matter right now was his cultivation; he had no need to go around offending people. As the saying goes, bully the old, but never bully the young!
—
The next day, at the Wang Clan's Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Clear Stream Market.
"Are you certain this thod will work?"
Brought along by Yulou, Bai Lu looked at the wooden boxes on the counter, her voice filled with skepticism. As an orphan who had been taken in and raised, she naturally lacked the courage to truly question Yulou. The only reason she asked was out of worry that Yulou's attempt might end in failure. As esteed children of the Wang Clan, Yulou and Yu'an did not look down on her, instead treating her as a friend. From a friend's perspective, Bai Lu was deeply concerned.
"The differences between cultivators and ordinary mortals are vast, but when it cos to human nature, many aspects are exactly the sa. Ordinary mortals succumb to greed—for beauty, wealth, and status... Cultivators likewise have their delusions, fantasizing about being blessed with profound destiny and achieving eternal life... As long as there is an opportunity, everyone harbors the possibility of believing that they are the chosen ones of heaven."
With several thousand cultivators in Clear Stream Market, and over a hundred thousand within its surrounding sphere of influence, could such a large population ever lack greedy fools?
The blind boxes of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion cost twenty spirit stones each, and they contained at least four different talismans, which carried a market value of ten spirit stones. If so clever fellow possessed good luck and bought a box containing a Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle, they could easily make a massive profit.
After being harvested by Hongdengzhao, the prices of all artifacts had surged significantly. A Purple Copper Spell-Breaking Pestle with four layers of restrictions was worth at least eighty spirit stones. Buying it ant making a fourfold profit!
An artifact like the five-layered restriction Purple Copper Bead was quoted at sixty spirit stones by Wu Jinyan, but he was forcing the price down to buy it. At the sa ti, bead-type artifacts lacked prestige, which is why its price was lower.
Yulou believed that since so many people were willing to gamble on horses, there would definitely be people willing to buy blind boxes! Even if they failed to sell within ten days, once the next horse racing competition began and Yang Qi put up the advertisents, the accumulated stock of blind boxes would surely be cleared out by the gamblers who loved betting on horses. This was the precise source of confidence that allowed him to bring up the blind box plan to Wang Rongsheng! Wang Yulou was no fool; how could he blindly launch an event?
"Then do you consider yourself a chosen one of heaven?" Bai Lu did not understand how thoroughly Yulou had prepared. She was simply curious about how a child of the Wang Clan viewed himself.
Yulou froze for a mont, letting out a bitter laugh. "A chosen one of heaven? Hahaha, what kind of chosen one loses both parents at a young age and grows up just in ti to face such a terrible era? Perhaps the children of the Wang Clan seem very fortunate in your eyes, but in front of true, absolute authority, the Wang Clan is rely a slightly larger ant."
Wang Xianmao had worried that Yulou's extre brilliance would harm his longevity, but his worries were entirely superfluous. Yulou knew exactly where he needed to go and how he should act. Therefore, he would not fall into confusion.
Since this world was so cruel, and the control exerted by the Ten Sects of the Immortal Alliance could be described as exploiting ruthlessly, then he would climb to the absolute peak—to a summit where no one could ever oppress or control him again. To cultivate, to cultivate within the mortal realm, to cultivate amidst hardships and danger, and to cultivate in loneliness. Since he had arrived in this world where one could cultivate to beco an ancestor or grand-master, Wang Yulou naturally did not wish to waste his entire life wallowing at the bottom. He was unsure if he possessed a grand, heroic spirit, but he possessed the courage to directly face the climb. That was enough. It was enough for him to set off.
As for how to set off? He would start by managing the Hundred Treasures Pavilion well and stabilizing his position within the Wang Clan!
"A slightly larger ant? How could that be?"
Bai Lu could not see the thousand-year-old, unaging Danri, nor could she comprehend the cruelty of Patriarch Mangxiang squeezing Hongdengzhao dry from top to bottom just to attain the Golden Core realm. In her eyes, the Wang Clan was not only far from being an ant, but was instead one of the thickest thighs to lean on in Clear Stream Market—a Foundation Establishnt Immortal Clan in the eyes of rogue cultivators.
"Hahaha, let's not talk about this anymore. Co, arrange all the blind boxes on the shelves in front of the counter, and then open up the doors. I hope we have a few more custors today."
Following Yulou's command, Bai Lu and the shop hands bustled into action, so opening the doors while others organized the goods.
The early morning sunlight stread through the main doors of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, casting a golden glow over the white jade floors as custors began to trickle in.
Yulou did not proactively step forward to promote the blind boxes, choosing instead to watch Bai Lu and the others attend to the guests. He was the manager and could not possibly do everything himself. Only by properly delegating work to others could he clear out enough ti for his own cultivation.
Although the upper limit of daily cultivation during the Qi Induction realm was locked down by the high-stage cultivators, Yulou still had many areas he needed to study and practice beyond raising his cultivation base.
To Yulou's surprise, there were actually more custors today than yesterday, and once they entered the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, they refused to leave. They didn't browse the goods, nor did they call for the shop hands. They simply stood in front of the display stands designated for the ti-limited auction, their eyes glued to the items on display.
As it turned out, these custors had long set their sights on the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's ti-limited auction event. They were rely unwilling to place their bids early, specifically waiting until the final day to show up. How should one put it? Such behavior possessed a certain beauty, reminiscent of loitering around a supermarket's seafood section waiting for the fish to turn their bellies up.
The unease in Yulou's heart completely dissipated.
Ever since he assud the role of grand manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, both events he introduced—the three-man ten percent discount group buy and the ti-limited auction—had achieved resounding success. Just look at the crowd squeezing in front of the auction stands; the custor-attracting effect was visibly excellent. With such feedback, Yulou's confidence in the blind box event grew even stronger.
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