Chapter 563: Chapter 562: What Talk Is There of Stealing Business?

In Xu Chi and Si Shuo’s Sumeru Spaces, a great number of Wild Beasts had been stored following two large-scale expeditions into the Southwest Forest Secret Realm and the Southern Continent Secret Realm.

They hadn’t had time to process most of these Wild Beasts, simply tossing them directly into their spaces. The haul from several thousand people over ten months, even just a fraction of it, was a very considerable amount.

Even with their hearty appetites, Si Shuo’s family could never finish it all in a lifetime. Besides, the meat of some Wild Beasts wasn’t very tasty, and the texture and color of their pelts weren’t great either. Instead of letting them be an eyesore cluttering up their space, it was better to set up a stall and sell them.

So, their family opened a butcher shop. Next door, they sold pelts, and the shop beside that offered various items sewn from Beast Skins, such as clothing, hats, Beast Skin Bags, boots, gloves, and earmuffs.

Their mid-range quality made them perfect for the Beastmen living on the outskirts of the city.

One section of the butcher shop was also used to sell roasted meat.

The area around Nanye City was a vast fruit orchard. They had dried most of the fruit they collected, leaving some as snacks for the young women and children, while preparing the rest for sale.

Ji Liang whispered to Wei Ce, "Now that the Iron-eating Beast Clan has members with the Teleportation Ability, they can travel to various places to gather resources and make purchases."

"For fruit, we can go to Nanye City. If we’re short-handed, we can buy directly from the local Beastmen. Drying the fruit makes it easy to store and less likely to arouse suspicion."

"When the weather gets warmer, we can sell some fresh fruit..."

Xiao Cheng also leaned in and added with a smile, "We can also go to the Border Cities in the Central Continent. Of the game the Beastmen there hunt, a small portion is shipped inland and they eat some themselves, but most of it goes to waste because of problems with transportation and weather."

"We can buy it cheap there and sell it for a high price here..."

Si Shuo’s eyes lit up as she added, "We can also see what specialties the Yongchang Continent has and sell them in the Central Continent. In any case, I can purify any kind of Crystal Stone!"

By buying low and selling high, their assets would multiply.

Ji Liang nodded. "As long as we get all this sorted out, we’ll create a virtuous cycle. With a steady flow of buying and selling, the Iron-eating Beast Clan will be able to establish a firm foothold in Beiping City and develop rapidly."

"We’ll no longer have a weak foundation, forced to act timidly and second-guess our every move."

"Oh, and the clan members with the Teleportation Ability aren’t just for making purchases; they can also gather intelligence. Being well-informed will allow us to seize the initiative and plan ahead..."

With a stable source of income, an expanding network of contacts, substantial assets, clan members boasting high cultivation and formidable Combat Power, and access to timely information, there was no reason the Iron-eating Beast Clan couldn’t put down roots here!

They immediately put their ideas into action. Ji Liang, having been to many places in the Central Continent, took the clan members with the Teleportation Ability to scout out various locations and familiarize themselves with the routes, making future trade more convenient.

However, the temperature had plummeted. Winter was coming, and snow had begun to fall outside the forest. All the Beastmen and Wild Beasts had started holing up for the season, hiding in their caves to endure the long, cold winter. Not a soul was to be seen.

For now, the members of the Iron-eating Beast Clan focused on selling woven bamboo goods, processing Wild Beast carcasses, tanning pelts, sewing items from Beast Skins, and helping Si Shuo’s family sell meat and dried fruit.

With supplies scarce and the weather frigid, their low prices on essential goods meant that the Beast Skins, meat, and dried fruit were selling like hotcakes!

The surrounding vendors watched, green with envy.

Xiong Ding, who sold Beast Skins nearby, shot to his feet, picked up a stone stool, and slammed it onto the ground. The THUD was like muffled thunder, cutting through the market’s clamor and making everyone’s heart skip a beat.

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look. Si Shuo, sitting cross-legged on a blanket on the second floor, was also craning her neck to watch the commotion while nibbling on some corn.

Seeing he had everyone’s attention, Xiong Ding shot a cold glare at Ji Liang. Over the past two days, he’d figured out that Ji Liang was the one managing Si Shuo’s family’s public affairs.

"Hey, you outsiders! Are you trying to stir up public outrage? You just got here and you’re already making a big show of stealing our business. Heh, you think just because you defeated the Red-winged Black Oriole Beastmen and scared off the City Lord’s Wife, you can do whatever you please?"

"If you’re not going to leave us a way to make a living, aren’t you afraid we’ll band together and run you out of town?"

As soon as Xiong Ding finished speaking, the other vendors nearby immediately chimed in.

"That’s right! You’ve lured all the customers over to your stall! We can barely afford to eat! You have to answer for this!"

"Hmph. We all sell Beast Skins, meat, and dried fruit, but by selling so cheap, you’re basically declaring war on every other merchant in Beiping City..."

Ji Liang arched a brow, letting them rant. His expression was nonchalant, showing no trace of anxiety or fear.

The men protested for a good while, venting all the resentment they had built up over the past two days. When they saw that Ji Liang was simply ignoring them, they grew indignant and glared at him furiously.

Xiao Cheng, sitting beside Si Shuo, smirked. "So?"

Xiong Ding frowned. "What do you mean, ’so’?"

"After all this fuss, what is it you want us to do?" Ji Liang asked with a casual smile. "You must have some demands, right?"

At this, someone immediately shouted, "Give up the guest caves... or move out of here..."

"Share the Crystal Stones you’ve made from stealing our business..."

"You have to raise your prices..."

Xiong Ding nodded as well. "That’s right. You can’t break the rules. There are set prices for certain goods."

Xiao Cheng scoffed. "With brains like yours, it’s no wonder you can’t earn any Crystal Stones. All you can do is blame others for being successful."

"Let me ask you, before we set up shop, were there many Beastmen coming here to buy things at this time of year?"

"Don’t think you can fool us just because we’re from outside the forest; we know what things are like around here."

"Your goods are expensive, and the quality is decent. Our items are of slightly lower quality, but our prices are cheap. Our customers are the ones who aren’t particularly wealthy."

"Our customers aren’t even in the same league. In other words, even if we weren’t here, those Beastmen wouldn’t be buying your products anyway!"

"So how can you possibly claim we’re stealing your business?"

The vendors were taken aback. They looked closely at the Beastmen lining up to buy things and realized they were indeed the plainly dressed types who usually just browsed their shops without ever making a purchase.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about! All I know is you stole our customers!" How many of these merchants were actually fools? In a place like this, you couldn’t survive as a business owner without a sharp mind.

They quickly understood what Xiao Cheng was saying, but they couldn’t admit it. Now, they were like a pack of ravenous wolves, hoping to use their numbers to tear a piece of flesh from Si Shuo’s family!

"Sister, what do you think we should do?" Xiao Cheng asked, turning his head to look at Si Shuo.

Si Shuo chuckled. "It’s simple. Since they don’t welcome us here, we’ll just find a new spot."

"This afternoon, a few women invited us to set up our stall next to the East Gate. Their clan is willing to trade guest caves with us..."