The morning sun was rising, casting the early dawn over Clear Stream Market.
Wang Yulou grabbed two servings of donkey at pastry and headed over to Great Goods Store with Wang Yu'an.
As a prominent example of business innovation within the forces under the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, Great Goods Store being taken over by the sect actually ca as quite a surprise to Yulou.
He had anticipated that it might be seized by rivals—snatched away by all sorts of greedy hands—but he had never expected the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to actually pay compensation to take it over.
This developnt was rather fascinating, revealing at least two key insights.
First, there was an active drive for expansion within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Second, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect maintained a relatively fair attitude toward the subordinate forces within its own system.
As for how much the influence of Patriarch Mangxiang attaining the Golden Core stage played into this, it was difficult to tell; no one could truly calculate it.
"Why are we arriving so early?" Yu'an asked, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
Yulou opened the main doors of the shop. Golden sunlight flooded the floor as he stepped into the war materials contract exchange that he had established with his own hands.
Though the na was Great Goods Store, its actual operations revolved around contract trading.
"Do you know why Great Goods Store was taken over by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect?"
Yulou had always placed great importance on this younger brother of his.
Their bond was deep, and Yu'an possessed decent talent, aning he could beco one of his greatest pillars of support in the future.
If Wang Yu'an's father, Wang Rongwen, could successfully achieve Foundation Establishnt, then Yulou's future standing within the Wang Clan would carry trendous weight.
While the position of the next patriarch would certainly have nothing to do with Wang Yulou, he would undoubtedly command a massive share of the decision-making power within the Wang Clan in the future.
"Because it can earn a lot of spirit stones?"
Yulou shook his head.
"Hmph. Is the Red Lantern Illumination Sect short on the ager amount of spirit stones we make?
The profits of Great Goods Store aren't even the highest in Clear Stream Market.
And the Red Lantern Illumination Sect controls over a dozen markets just like Clear Stream Market!
Not to ntion the rchant groups managed directly by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and the continuous output of spiritual resources from the sect itself. When you add it all up, Great Goods Store is nothing more than half a hair on nine oxen.
What is half a hair?
It doesn't even count as a single strand!"
Now it was Yu'an's turn to feel slighted. Following Wang Yulou to generate revenue in Clear Stream Market ant he had been driven like a beast of burden; the success of Great Goods Store and Hundred Treasures Pavilion was built on Wang Yu'an's sweat.
"Big Brother, you are incredible, but saying that the Great Goods Store we built together doesn't even amount to a single strand of hair is a bit too much, isn't it?
That can't be true. From its inception to the present day, our Great Goods Store has already earned nearly twenty thousand spirit stones.
Big Brother, that is no small sum. It is enough to purchase a slightly lower-quality Foundation Establishnt Pill."
A short while ago, three sub-par fire-attribute Foundation Establishnt Pills had leaked into the ghost market of Clear Stream Market. Good heavens, the rogue cultivators had bid the price of those items up to eighteen thousand spirit stones each.
Yu'an's heart had pounded wildly at the sight. In the past, he had believed that he would achieve Foundation Establishnt sooner or later in his life.
But now, seeing the cost of Foundation Establishnt resources soaring into the heavens, how could his heart not fill with panic?
However, this also solidified his conviction—he had to tightly grasp his big brother's thigh!
"Haha, yes, we earned a fair amount, but the Red Lantern Illumination Sect does not lack spirit stones; they lack resources.
The most valuable aspect of Great Goods Store, or rather the part most favored by the sect, is its target audience and business model.
This setup represents a completely novel concept that the entire Red Lantern Illumination Sect has never encountered before. Furthermore, it possesses the unique value of stabilizing price fluctuations and protecting sales profits.
Because of this, we were able to attract the sect's attention, leading to the arrival of the seniors from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Comrce Hall of Elders today."
Yulou's explanation was simple and easy to understand. Yu'an grasped it perfectly, but his amazent only grew.
"Are you saying this shop is the only one of its kind across the entire Red Lantern Illumination Sect?"
"Of course not. Several nearby markets have already copied it. Once we started earning spirit stones, others saw it and learned from us.
But we were the very first, there is no doubt about that.
Alright, let us drop this topic and rehearse our script. You will play the senior from the Comrce Hall of Elders, and I will introduce the business model of Great Goods Store to you."
Yulou had arrived so early precisely to prepare in advance, so he could properly present everything once the representatives from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect arrived.
Yulou was a mber of the Anbei Kingdom's Wang Clan, the Wang Clan was a vassal of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, and the Comrce Hall of Elders was a core departnt under the sect.
Preparing a proper report was a fundantal part of managing upward in the workplace. It might seem like re formalism, but the prevalence of formalism existed because it possessed its own objective value.
The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's purpose in absorbing Great Goods Store was simple: to adopt the model of contract futures trading from Great Goods Store, thereby creating greater value for the sect.
As long as Yulou delivered an excellent presentation today, if he chose to advance within the system of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect in the future, this would serve as a bridge of goodwill that might co in handy one day.
As midday approached, Bailu had already been standing guard at the entrance of Great Goods Store for half the morning.
In order to give Yulou a brief mont to ntally prepare for the arrival of the sect's Foundation Establishnt cultivator, she had kept her eyes glued to the road outside all morning.
Details did not necessarily dictate success or failure, but paying attention to details always added a few more margins of certainty; there was absolutely no doubt about that.
When it ca to details, the Wang Clan never fell short, and Wang Yulou was even more ticulous.
It appeared to be a trivial matter, but the principles of conduct hidden within small matters were the precise thods required to achieve great endeavors.
This was known as entering the ga with one's own body, forging ahead through hardships.
"They are here!" Bailu called out, and Yulou quickly placed the account books, which he had checked four tis, onto the edge of the counter.
At the sa ti, he stepped out from behind the counter and stood before a display board.
On the display board was a simple line graph showing the revenue streams and profits of Great Goods Store over the past few years.
"Daoist Liangzhuo, Yulou was sent to Clear Stream Market to learn trade at a young age. As a youth raised amidst the marketplaces, he naturally possesses a keen interest in the ways of business.
Because of this, he established Great Goods Store and managed to achieve so negligible results, fortunately drawing the attention of the sect," Wang Xianmao said humbly.
Zhou Liangzhuo thought to himself, 'This isn't rely drawing the attention of the sect; it's because your Mangxiang Lineage is acting far too greedily!'
'The sect master was elevated to his position by your faction, and now he is indiscriminately issuing sect master decrees to channel benefits to your Wang Clan. Forget it, it has nothing to do with anyway.'
'Regardless, I sent my disciples to sweep up a massive batch of purchase contracts two days ago, so we will certainly earn a fortune in the future.'
'That is enough. While the Wang Clan eats the at, I, Zhou Liangzhuo, will drink the soup. Neither of us can criticize the other.'
It could only be said that the patriarch understood the art of concealing his brilliance perfectly. Because he acted so humbly, Zhou Liangzhuor actually believed him, which played right into Wang Xianmao's hands.
Yulou was indeed a true prodigy, but a true prodigy often needed to be carefully hidden away rather than exposing his sharp edges too openly.
After all, a prominent tree was easily blown down by the wind, and excessive rigidity led to breaking.
"Oh? This arrangent is quite interesting. Xianmao, Patriarch Mangxiang must be revered. Your Wang Clan is doing well, very well."
Upon stepping through the doors of Great Goods Store, Zhou Liangzhuo of the Zhou family was initially taken aback by the longevity tablet dedicated to Patriarch Mangxiang inside.
He hastily bowed three tis before offering a veiled remark.
"Haha, our Wang Clan naturally dares not forget the teachings of the Patriarch. This youth here is Yulou.
Yulou, co forward and greet Senior Zhou Liangzhuo."
After the group exchanged pleasantries, Yulou was about to begin his explanation.
However, Zhou Liangzhuo waved his hand dismissively. Under Yulou's perplexed gaze, he spoke cold words.
"There is no need to speak so much. The Comrce Hall of Elders will naturally comply with the sect master's orders. Let us leave it at that; you may depart.
We will arrange for our own people to handle the subsequent managent of this shop."
Yulou and Yu'an exchanged glances. Yu'an even felt a surge of resentnt in his heart, though he did not allow it to show on his face.
Wang Xianmao understood Zhou Liangzhuo's mindset perfectly, so he extended an invitation.
"Very well. In that case, Daoist Liangzhuo, shall we head directly to a banquet?
Changze inford of your arrival, so I specifically had a fresh donkey sent from our estate."
"Your hospitality is difficult to turn down, but I truly have pressing matters. A cauldron of pills is currently being refined, and I must return to the sect imdiately."
Seeing that Zhou Liangzhuo showed so little regard for courtesy, Wang Xianmao naturally refrained from pressing him to stay.
Once this Foundation Establishnt senior had departed, Yu'an finally let out a long, heavy sigh.
He knew his big brother had prepared exhaustively, yet no one expected that all those preparations would prove completely useless.
"Do you two feel sowhat at a loss?"
Wang Xianmao, on the other hand, maintained an exceptionally calm composure, even finding the leisure to tease the younger mbers of his family with a smile.
"Are all the cultivators from the great clans within the sect like this?" Yulou asked reflectively.
He felt that Zhou Liangzhuo was sowhat lacking in maturity. This was not rely a matter of posture, but rather an excess of overbearing arrogance.
Compared to this individual, Jiang Baobian and Mu Changze seed considerably more reasonable.
"These people, you see, have been protected far too well. Since you prepared so much today, why don't you present it to this patriarch instead?"
The patriarch looked at the two young prodigies of his family with a beaming smile. Yulou was a true genius, while Yu'an could be considered half a genius.
"Let us forget it. However, I am not optimistic about Great Goods Store outperforming its competitors in the neighboring markets under the sect's managent."
Yulou understood the patriarch's intentions; the older man simply did not want the children of the clan to feel disappointed. Yet, he and Yu'an had ceased to be children long ago.
Of course, in the patriarch's eyes, most mbers of the younger generation were still children, which was also true in its own right.
"Let us not discuss them. If they wish to ruin it, let them ruin it. Moving forward, do you have any new business plans?"
As the children grew older, they seed less inclined to rely closely on him, causing the old patriarch to feel a brief pang of lancholy, though he quickly adjusted his mood.
"The achievents Yulou has made over these years are actually the realization of the family's long-term accumulation.
Hundred Treasures Pavilion represents a material realization, while Great Goods Store represents a realization of reputation and prestige.
At the sa ti, we were fortunate to capitalize on the disappearance of Hidden Dragon Market and the various impacts brought about by the war, allowing us to achieve such significant success.
This sort of montum has actually reached its absolute limit. The only reason it has persisted for so long is entirely due to the war between Wondrous Peak Mountain and Valley Spirit Sect.
Therefore, regarding other new business plans, Yulou truly has none left.
In the future, as long as Hundred Treasures Pavilion successfully hosts the Clear Stream Market Talisman Master Competition and elevates our renown, business will naturally remain prosperous for a long ti to co."
Wang Xianmao pondered for a mont before asking, "You have invited three Qi Refining cultivators to serve as judges. The competing talisman masters might not accept their authority. Why don't I, Daoist Changze, and Daoist Jinyan serve as the judges instead? What do you think?"
The patriarch's words were indeed logical, but Yulou had his own financial considerations.
"Patriarch, I spent six hundred spirit stones to invite Hongi, Uncle Rongsheng, and Zhou Yingxi to serve as judges.
If we were to invite Senior Changze and Senior Jinyan, the expenses for the competition would skyrocket. When factoring in the rewards for the victors, the total cost of hosting it would be far too grand."
Managing accounts was the core elent of organizational work. As the organizer of the competition, Yulou had to calculate every expense with absolute precision.
"Hmph, that wretched scoundrel Mu Changze—our Wang Clan has invested heavily into the racetrack, and Great Goods Store was managed exceptionally well.
These establishnts have drawn a vast number of new custors to Clear Stream Market. As the Town Guardian Cultivator, even if he does not receive a single spirit stone, he ought to co and repay you for your contributions to Clear Stream Market.
As for Daoist Jinyan, he should not refuse my invitation. Therefore, this ti you can switch to three Foundation Establishnt judges, and you won't have to spend a single spirit stone instead."
When it ca to driving a hard bargain, the Wang Clan was entirely professional.
To Yulou's absolute astonishnt, the patriarch demonstrated to him the absolute pinnacle of negotiation.
This ti, Mu Changze and Wu Jinyan were cut down so thoroughly by the patriarch that they didn't even have their heels left.
To be precise, they would not receive even half a strand of hair in compensation!
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