Chapter 51: Chapter 51: The First Day of Setting up a
Stall—1
Translator: 549690339
After leaving school, Chen Mobai headed for Evergreen Pharmacy.
His original intention was to lend a helping hand, but Qing Nu wanted to perform the final step of Water Method Alchemy by herself -undisturbed and focused, which ensured high efficiency.
With no other option, Chen Mobai could only wish her good luck before taking
his leave.
Since he was not needed here, he decided to go and make some money in the
Tianhe Realm instead.
Upon returning home, he unboxed the package delivered to him. As he anticipated, it contained the Spirit Talismans he had purchased from the Wood Spiritual Talisman store. The shopkeeper had sorted them neatly by type and placed them in an exquisite wooden box.
Chen Mobai drew one talisman from each type to sense them, confirming their quality before happily acknowledging receipt on his phone.
With a click, he was transported to the Water Mansion.
It had been a while since he last cultivated here and he curiously noticed the Spiritual Energy seemed to have become denser.
Yet now that he had mastered Divine Sense, he could concentrate on his Five Elements Cultivation. He had also brought with him the unopened vial of Qi-replenishing Spirit Water that he had purchased.
However, upon checking the time, he decided to visit Southstream Market first.
As the market closed at night when cultivators preferred to meditate and cultivate, no one squandered this golden time on business.
Once again at the market, Chen Mobai bumped into Qi Er at the entrance. Seeing him, Qi Er came over to greet him and ask about his plans to set up a stall.
-If senior wants to set up a stall, you need to apply to the market manager first, pay a Spirit Stone processing fee, receive a blanket, then find your spot according to the blanket’s number, and then you can start your business,” he explained.
After listening to Qi Er’s explanation, Chen Mobai understood that setting up a stall wasn’t as free and easy as he had thought, and was still under the market’s administration.
Moreover, one Spirit Stone only navigates the administration for one month. After a month, if you wish to continue, you must pay another Spirit Stone.
The only positive, however, was that no deposit was required. After all, most of the people in Southstream Market were Loose Cultivators with limited resources. Having acquired some goods from various undisclosed sources, they set up their stalls to sell their items. Usually, in just a month, most of the goods would be sold out.
After earning Spirit Stones, they would retreat to their rented cave dwellings to cultivate until their Spirit Stones were used up, upon which they would return to the market to restock and set up their stall again.
Hearing Qi Er describe the cultivators’ way of life, Chen Mobai couldn’t help but marvel at the live-for-the-moment mentality of cultivators in the Tianhe
Realm.
Market stall management was overseen by Wu Hong, a cultivator with Qi Cultivation’s ninth stage from the Wu family, one of the four major Cultivating families in the local area.
To someone of his stature, running stalls was an insignificant matter. Therefore, after Chen Mobai paid one Spirit Stone, he was immediately handed a blanket.
“Senior Wu is the least fond of troublemakers among the six managers of Southstream Market. However, if things get out of hand on a vendor’s stall, he is known to be cold and ruthless. He would directly expel the troublemakers from the market. Moreover, those without a strong background, typically disappear without a trace after being expelled from the market,” said Qi Er, seemingly oblivious to Chen Mobai’s silent shock.
[This Tianhe Realm really is in disarray.]
Having grown up in a place full of order like Dili Elementary School, Chen Mobai always felt out of place in the cultivation environment of Tianhe Realm.
However, he could only reassure himself by minding his own business, honestly doing business here, without making trouble or meddlesome where it is not wanted.
“Senior, I have one more question. Are the Spirit Talismans you’re selling made by yourself or did you purchase them from somewhere else?
As Qi Er led Chen Mobai towards the Talisman sales stalls, he asked this question while they were walking.
“They are for sale on behalf of a friend.”
“I see. Each line of business in the market has a stall owner. The owner of the Spirit Talisman business is named Jia Sui. He himself is a remarkable Talisman Maker. If you want to sell a Rank-1 high-grade Spirit Talisman, it’s best to notify him first.”
Although Qi Er didn’t make it explicit, Chen Mobai understood the implications after some contemplation.
Rank-1 high-grade talismans are always traded in Spirit Stones. The market for them was clearly dominated by someone. If Chen Mobai wanted a slice of the pie, it was better to make his intentions clear upfront to avoid any confusion.
“Do we know anything about the background of this Jia Sui?
“He used to be an assistant in the Divine Wood Sect’s Talisman Paper Shop. After his master returned to the sect, he started his own stall. Owing to his past relations, he gets talisman paper, talisman skins, and spiritual ink at cost price. Any cultivator in the market who makes their talismans usually buys from him. It is said that he gives kickbacks to each successive shopkeeper of the Talisman Paper Shop, so we treat him as a representative of the Divine
Wood Sect.”
After hearing this, Chen Mobai fell silent.
Should kickback arrangements be talked about in public?
“Senior, we’ve arrived, here it is.”
At this moment, Qi Er pointed to a corner on the eastern side street of the market.
The edge of the cobblestone-paved pathway had a rectangular outline drawn in white. In the middle was written “East 19”.
Chen Mobai spread out the blanket he had rented for a Spirit Stone on the white rectangle. It fit in perfectly within the lines, not a millimeter out of place.
Next to him, three other vendors were also selling Spirit Talismans. The two men and one woman, all cultivators, focused their attention on him.
“Ahem, my name is Chen Guixian, a newcomer trying to make a living. I look forward to your guidance in the future,” Chen Mobai introduced himself using a name he had thought of earlier. He raised his hand in greeting to the surrounding sellers of Spirit Talismans, eliciting three rolled eyes.
“Senior, I’ll take my leave now. If you need anything, you can find me at the market’s entrance,” said Qi Er after completing his task of guiding Chen Mobai. Seeing this, Chen Mobai immediately handed him to taels worth of gold. Money from selling the Hand Crossbow was exchanged for banknotes worth 400 taels, with 50 taels in ready cash left for daily expenses. He had spent 30 taels on books yesterday, leaving 20 taels remaining.
Qi Er made no further courtesies and happily accepted the offering.
Chen Mobai stood on the street and displayed two each of the five different types of Rank-1 lower-grade Spirit Talismans he had purchased from the Wood Spiritual Talisman shop, before placing a Rank-1 intermediate-grade Green Arrow Talisman on top.
He had initially wanted to put up the Wood Armor Talisman too, but after a second thought, decided to hold off on it. He would unlock those talismans once business picked up.
Moreover, that was a life-saving talisman. He reckoned it was best not to reveal it just yet.
However, it turned out he had worried for nothing.
By sunset, the three vendors next to him had packed up for the day, but he had not sold a single talisman.
On his first day of setting up shop, Chen Mobai made nothing, swept up his talismans in dejection, and rolled up his blanket. With his head hung low, he left the market.
But upon returning to the Water Mansion, his spirits lifted.
After taking the Qi-replenishing Spirit Water, he began the long-awaited meditation for Qi cultivation.
Under his control, the multi-colored adaptive Spiritual Power corrected minute deviations and pathways. Following the tips provided by Qing Ping’s teaching material, his Spiritual Energy followed the Grand Circulation cycle. The pale blue Spiritual Energy, resembling water mist, wafted around the center of the grand hall in the Water Mansion, surrounding Chen Mobai. It gave him the appearance of being an immortal bathing in the glow of dawn..