"I've heard that many cultivators, upon arriving in Yu County, make it a point to try our Chen family's Azure Spirit Fish."
Elian smiled as he listened, starting to harvest the spiritual peaches.
The peach tree had grown quickly and had now reached the top grade of the first tier, producing over 160 spiritual peaches this year.
He harvested 130 peaches, planning to store 30 in the family treasury, sell 100 at Yuyang Market, and keep the remaining 30 for his cultivation and entertaining guests.
The next morning, Elian bid farewell to his uncle and the two siblings and joined Chen Changlu and the others on their journey away from Linghu Isle.
Because they had to transport live fish to Yuyang Market, they used rented Firecloud Horses to pull carts, which made the journey slow. It took over ten days to reach Yuyang Market.
Yuyang Market was the only cultivation market within tens of thousands of miles in Yu County. Hundreds of cultivation families and thousands of unaffiliated cultivators relied on this market for trade.
The market had traditionally been jointly managed by six Foundation Establishment clans, including the Chen family.
However, 60 years ago, the Chen family suffered a significant decline and could no longer station Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market. As a result, they lost their share of the market's tax revenue.
The profits of Yuyang Market were immense. The annual tax revenue alone exceeded 5,000 spirit stones. Even when split among the six clans, each still earned nearly 1,000 spirit stones.
However, due to the high stakes involved, the market often attracted the attention of demonic cultivators and outsiders, necessitating strong defenders. The other five clans each stationed a Foundation Establishment cultivator to guard the market, leaving the Chen family without any share of the lucrative tax revenue.
This was Elian's first time visiting Yuyang Market, and he looked at it with curiosity.
Seeing his expression, Chen Changlu explained, "Don't underestimate Yuyang Market."
"It's guarded by five Foundation Establishment cultivators and over 500 Qi Refining cultivators. Together, they can activate the Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon Array, capable of deterring even Purple Mansion-level demons and monsters."
As they chatted, they soon arrived at the Chen family's Evergreen Tower.
The Chen family currently owned three shops in Yuyang Market, one of which was leased to a smaller cultivation clan.
The other two were the Evergreen Pavilion, which handled the sale of alchemical pills, artifacts, and other cultivation supplies, and the Evergreen Tower, one of the market's three inns.
Since the Chen family began cultivating Azure Spirit Fish at Linghu Isle over a decade ago, the Evergreen Tower's business had flourished, surpassing its two competitors.
In recent years, as the production of Azure Spirit Fish increased, the Evergreen Tower alone had generated over 300 spirit stones annually, accounting for 30% of the family's income.
With the addition of increased spiritual rice yields and the gradual maturation of the family's centuries-old spiritual herb gardens, the Chen family had begun to eliminate its debt. They were now not only breaking even but also saving a small surplus.
Had the Qingyuan Mountain spiritual vein not been mortgaged, and the family still able to trade Five Elemental Essences with Tianxu Mountain, the family treasury might have accrued a yearly surplus of 700–800 spirit stones.
"This year's harvest looks promising."
After delivering the fish to the Evergreen Tower, the Second Elder came out to greet them with a smile.
He directed the group to release the fish into the inn's backyard pond, as the fish weren't sold all at once.
Compared to regular monster meat, Azure Spirit Fish were not only delicious but also freshly slaughtered, making them far more desirable.
Many cultivators in Yu County longed to taste this delicacy. However, due to the limited supply, the Evergreen Tower only sold the fish on a scheduled basis, meaning they were unavailable outside designated days.
After storing the fish, Elian visited the Evergreen Pavilion, consigning 100 spiritual peaches for sale, which fetched 450 spirit stones.
This arrangement had been in place for several years. Though Elian gave up 10% of the peaches' profits to the family, he saved himself the trouble of selling them individually and helped expand the family's business—a mutually beneficial trade.
After completing this, Elian arranged for an acquaintance to guide him to Xuanming Pavilion.
Xuanming Pavilion was owned by the Mu family, one of the six great cultivation clans in Yu County. The Mu family was the oldest clan in the region, with a lineage spanning over 600 years.
While the Mu family had never produced a Purple Mansion ancestor, they consistently had Foundation Establishment cultivators in every generation. Over time, they developed the largest spiritual herb garden in Yu County.
It was said that their spiritual herb garden spanned nearly 100 acres, far surpassing the Chen family's. With their centuries-old cultivation and resources, the Mu family had nurtured Yu County's only second-tier upper-grade alchemist.
Even top-tier cultivators like Jiang Daoren of Tianxu Mountain and the elders of Qingyang Sect occasionally sought their high-grade herbs.
Thanks to their influence, the Mu family always had access to Foundation Establishment Pills. Including their three Foundation Establishment members within Qingyang Sect, the Mu family boasted seven Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Their patriarch, Mu Xuanming, was an eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, second only to the Lin family, Yu County's strongest immortal clan.
Elian, needing a supplementary herb to enhance his alchemical skills, immediately thought of Xuanming Pavilion.
With his extraordinary looks, dressed in snow-white robes and exuding a noble air, Elian naturally attracted attention upon entering Xuanming Pavilion.
Much like Tianxu Pavilion, Xuanming Pavilion rarely saw more than a few customers a day. Most herb buyers were regular patrons. At the moment, the shop was occupied by only a single shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper, a middle-aged female cultivator, brightened upon seeing Elian, mistaking him for an important client. She hurried over to greet him.
"You seem unfamiliar here, Daoist friend. Is this your first time in Yuyang Market?"
"Yes," Elian nodded. "I am a disciple of the Chen family of Qingyuan Mountain. This is my first visit to Xuanming Pavilion, and I'm here to purchase some herbs."
"So, you're from the Chen family. My apologies," she said, her initial enthusiasm dimming slightly.
Families like the Chen clan typically had their own herb gardens and rarely purchased herbs from others. When they did, it was usually either high-grade herbs or to fill a specific shortage.
High-grade herbs, often tier-two and above, were rarely sold by the Mu family. Meanwhile, minor purchases of lower-tier herbs weren't particularly profitable.
Despite her mild disappointment, the shopkeeper maintained her polite smile.
"What herbs are you looking for?"
"My pill requires a portion of Lingxin Grass."
"Please wait a moment while I fetch it."
The shopkeeper left to retrieve the herb from the back room.
While waiting, Elian sat in the main hall sipping tea. Shortly after, a boy of about 17 or 18 entered the shop.
The boy was clearly an inexperienced itinerant cultivator, with a cultivation level of only the second stage of Qi Refining. He entered the shop nervously, his gaze darting around.
Noticing Elian's distinguished appearance and profound aura, the boy mistook him for the shopkeeper and cautiously approached.
"Shopkeeper, do you accept pill recipes?" he whispered.
...
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