After Hu Tu arrived at Xuanhua Spirit Incense Shop, despite his efforts, the shop was located in a remote area and there weren't many people on this street, leading to subpar sales.

Yuan Ming could only adjust his sales tactics.

First, he drew a portrait depicting Immortal Xuanhua with an ethereal and wise appearance and hung it in the center of the main hall. In front of the portrait, he placed an ordinary incense burner and lit a stick of Qingxuan Incense.

Then he instructed them as follows: if they encountered cultivators representing a sect for purchases, they could offer a rebate. If a customer referred another customer, they would give a rebate to the old customer. Both Mu Yang and Hu Tu were clever and grasped the concept immediately.

After giving these instructions, Yuan Ming went to the back room, took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod, inserted the Qingxuan Incense into it, and lit up the spirit smoke. Under his urging, the fragrance spread out into the street.

Two cultivators walking along the street smelled the incense and felt an immediate boost in spirit. They talked for a while and sought out the source.

At a tavern, several cultivators were drinking but then set down their cups and hurried down the stairs.

...

Soon, the store gathered dozens of cultivators inquiring about Qingxuan Incense, keeping Mu Yang and Hu Tu suddenly very busy.

Hu Tu even pulled a cultivator aside and whispered in secrecy.

That day, they sold all of their stock.

Subsequently, the first month's profit reached over a thousand Spirit Stones, the second month even reached one thousand two hundred, and then it stabilized at around 1,500 Spirit Stones each month.

Seeing the business flourish, Yuan Ming felt much relieved; he rewarded both Hu Tu and Mu Yang with a bottle of elixirs for Qi Refinement, and even set aside an evening to clarify their doubts and answer their questions.

He then purchased some Dan Recipes, improved a few new types of Spirit Incense, and based on one of the Beauty Pill recipes, created a Beauty Incense that helps enhance facial beauty and whiten skin. Once displayed on the shelves, under Hu Tu's slick salesmanship, it also became popular among female cultivators, further increasing the profits.

Things were also going smoothly for Hua Zhi; the territory expanded significantly, and the supply of spiritual materials increased every month.

Every month, spending on purchasing spiritual materials, making incense, and buying elixirs was huge, but the Spirit Stones in the Storage Ring also increased.

The situation was very favorable at the moment, yet the only thing that troubled Yuan Ming was that the incense ashes, which had the best possession effect from inside Xuanhua Temple, were almost used up, and only those from Jiuli Temple were left in his hands.

Having been accustomed to high-quality incense ashes from inside the sect, he had started to disdain mundane substances.

...

Two months later.

Inside Xuanhua Incense Shop, Yuan Ming sat in a chair, flipping through the store's ledger, grinning from ear to ear as he read.

"Hu Tu, Mu Yang, this month has been good," Yuan Ming said, setting down the ledger while smiling.

"Mainly it's because the boss has good methods; Spirit Incense has selling points, and here in Little Lake City's Square Market, it stands alone; purchases by sects make up the bulk," Hu Tu, who had genuinely admired Yuan Ming for some time, continuously flattered.

Yuan Ming pointed to the newly written signs outside and said, "Hang up these two signs."

The two eye-catching wooden signs hanging outside the shop read:

"Qingxuan Incense available in limited daily quantities of one hundred sticks, buy quickly."

"Beauty Incense rare, available by appointment only."

"The boss's tactics are really clever; the scarcer it is, the more they are willing to buy. With this, the orders for next month should be no worry," Hu Tu chuckled, rubbing his hands and said.

Yuan Ming glanced at Hu Tu, feeling that this fellow, with a pig-like face, was indeed suited to be a shopkeeper.

Hu Tu, with his bushy brows, big eyes, and dark skin gave anyone the impression of a straightforward and honest person from Southern Border, yet he possessed a sharp business acumen deep inside.

"It's only Qingxuan Incense and Beauty Incense; one is used to aid in cultivation, and the other targets the psyche of female cultivators with high demand. We can only run promotions like this with these products. Other types, we haven't reached a point where everyone is scrambling to buy," Yuan Ming said, "so we're going to bundle sales from now on. For those familiar customers, we'll make a points booklet. Buying incense can earn points, and those with high points get the privilege to purchase Qingxuan Incense and Beauty Incense first."

"Boss, is this really okay?" said Mu Yang.

"Senior Brother Mu, why wouldn't it be? High point holders also get discounts. Doing business is just about giving a little here and taking a little there, everyone understands," Hu Tu said.

"Where did the boss learn these tricks?" Hu Tu asked.

"I figured them out myself; before, I owned a bookstore. When business was bad, I thought up these methods. Later, the bookstore got a partner and became famous, and gradually didn't need to use these tricks," Yuan Ming recalled and smiled, saying, "Doing business is all about tricks, but you just focus earnestly on your major cultivation path."

"Okay, boss, I'm actually quite content with how things are now," Hu Tu sincerely said.

"How is your Biluo Skill coming along?" Yuan Ming asked.

Hearing this, Hu Tu's face showed an embarrassed expression and said, "I can barely sense the existence of Mana, which should be equivalent to the Qi Refining First Level mentioned in the cultivation technique."

"For any cultivation problems in the future, you can also ask Mu Yang; I have taught him the Biluo Skill as well," Yuan Ming said.

"Boss, after I switched to practicing the Biluo Skill, I honestly feel it's better than the cultivation technique my master passed down to me," Mu Yang also said.

The origin of the Biluo Skill was unknown, but since Xi Cangqiong had made it the main technique of Biluo Cave, it was indeed much better than the techniques of ordinary Loose Cultivators, which is why Mu Yang had such a comment.

Upon hearing this, Hu Tu said, "I feel like I'm wasting these Qingxuan incenses now."

"Nearly half a year to reach the Qi Refining First Level is quite normal, slower than some who may take several years to develop any mana at all. Since you already have a Spirit Root, you naturally have a bit of a fairy fate. The lifespan of a small cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm can't be much, but if you're lucky enough to reach Foundation Establishment, living more than two hundred years won't be a problem." Yuan Ming rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Two hundred years? I will cultivate diligently!" Upon hearing this, Hu Tu immediately changed his tone.

After chatting idly for a moment, Yuan Ming resolved some of their cultivation confusions and then left his own Spiritual Incense Store, heading straight for the shop of the Shengye Sect.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, his speed in practicing the Nine Elements Technique had greatly decreased. Over the past six months, the elixirs he had saved up were all used up, and his progress in cultivation was minimal, still far from mid-stage, necessitating another purchase.

He headed straight to Qingmu Building, bought ten bottles of the Four Spirits Pill, and then left.

On the way back, Yuan Ming took a detour, coming to the Treasure Spirit Pavilion once again.

After observing and visiting covertly over this period, Yuan Ming had grasped some understanding of the reputation of Treasure Spirit Pavilion, and considering its fair and upright actions, he decided to send his egg there for help with hatching.

As soon as Yuan Ming stepped into the Treasure Spirit Pavilion, the steward who had served him last time immediately came to greet him.

"Honored guest, I've been waiting for you, come, come, please follow me to the private room on the second floor," the steward urged Yuan Ming upstairs without further ado.

While Yuan Ming was still confused, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside.

"Fellow Daoist…"

Accompanied by a familiar voice, a dark-skinned old man with an arm missing and a face marked by the years, looking much like an old farmer from the fields, walked in from outside.

Upon seeing each other, both of them couldn't help but size each other up for a moment.

The one-armed old man then asked somewhat uncertainly, "Could it be Fellow Daoist Hagon?"

"Fellow Daoist Gu," Yuan Ming smiled and nodded.

When they had met in the Ghost Market back then, one had worn a cloak to conceal his aura, and the other a mask to hide his true face, neither knowing how the other really looked.

"It's been years, Fellow Daoist Hagon's aura and demeanor have completely changed, almost making him unrecognizable," Gu Qiuming exclaimed in surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Gu still retains his youthful grace," Yuan Ming replied with a smile.

"When I came back, the steward mentioned someone was looking for me, but no matter how much I guessed, I couldn't imagine it being you, so I asked him to watch for you coming again, and unexpectedly you really did show up. What brings you to the Thunder Continent?" Gu Qiuming and Yuan Ming sat down opposite each other and served tea for one another.

"It's all destiny," Yuan Ming smiled.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Hagon is visiting, do you have some good items to sell, or do you wish to buy something?" Gu Qiuming didn't beat around the bush and directly asked.

"Now that you, Fellow Daoist Gu, are here, things will be easy. I came to the Treasure Spirit Pavilion because I have a spirit beast egg that I would like your help in checking," Yuan Ming said.

"Let's have a look, let's have a look," Gu Qiuming's eyes brightened as he hurriedly replied.

Yuan Ming waved his hand, and a bowl-sized blood-red avian egg appeared in his hand.

He handed the Blood Egg to Gu Qiuming, who did not take it but stretched out his single arm to tap on the tabletop, indicating that Yuan just needed to place it on the table.

After Yuan Ming did as told, Gu Qiuming moved his chair closer and began to examine it carefully.

After a while, he didn't say a word, but his brow furrowed more and more.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, what's the matter, is there something wrong with this egg?" Yuan Ming asked with a frown.

Gu Qiuming didn't respond but took out an oval transparent crystal stone from his sleeve, placed it before his eyes to look through, and closely reexamined the Blood Egg once again.

"Such a peculiar thing…" Gu Qiuming shook his head and said.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, don't keep me in suspense, what's the matter?" Yuan Ming asked, his curiosity growing.

"This Blood Egg, judging by its size, shape, surface patterns, and the texture when touched, should be an egg of the Winged Bird spirit beast. However, the problem is that Winged Bird eggs are usually sky blue or dark blue; I have never heard of any being blood red," Gu Qiuming said.

"It was like this when I acquired it, could this red possibly be a dye?" Yuan Ming, knowing the origin of the Blood Egg, instinctively thought that the color might have been stained by long-standing immersion in blood.

"What a joke, the shells of Winged Birds have faintly winding patterns and a gentle luster; coloring is impossible. Besides, I observe that this red color clearly penetrates deep into the shell, identical to the inside creature," Gu Qiuming said.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, then what could be the reason for this?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Hard to say, it could be a mutation or perhaps other reasons," Gu Qiuming nodded.

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