The Wizard of Fairy Tale World-Chapter 44Book 2: : Introduction

Vol 2 Chapter 44: Introduction

Zhenren Qian from Qianhe Sect pondered Zheng Fa’s words carefully.

Qianhe Sect was also a member of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, but it was nowhere near as powerful as Jiushan Sect. Jiushan Sect boasted three Nascent Soul cultivators and was one of the alliance’s major sects, while Qianhe Sect’s strongest cultivators were only at the Golden Core stage.

As a result, Qianhe Sect’s marketplace had never been as prosperous as Jiushan Sect’s.

The cost of operating reception boats was already a considerable expense for Qianhe Sect’s market. If what Zheng Fa said was true—that Jiushan Sect had already siphoned away the surrounding customer flow—then investing in reception boats would indeed be a losing proposition.

However, Qianhe Sect had its own specialties.

They were highly skilled in cultivating spirit grains, particularly Huangya Rice, which was well-known even within the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

“So, how would Qianhe Sect’s spirit grains be sold in Jiushan Sect?” Zhenren Qian deliberated for a moment. He didn’t appear overly pleased—he knew that Zheng Fa wouldn’t have come to him without expecting something in return.

“Zhenren Qian, I’m here on behalf of Jiushan Sect’s marketplace to propose a collaboration with your sect,” Zheng Fa said with a smile. “As for how to sell, that’s entirely up to you.”

“First, you can rent a storefront in our market and sell your grains directly. Of course, this means you’ll bear all the risks and costs yourself.”

“Zhenren Zheng, you have no idea how difficult it is to rent a shop in your sect’s market…” Zhenren Qian sighed bitterly.

Of course, Zheng Fa knew.

Ever since Jiushan Sect’s market had started booming, rental prices had yet to rise—but the transfer fees had already skyrocketed.

If Qianhe Sect wanted to secure a store, it would cost them a fortune.

Moreover, Jiushan Sect’s market already had vendors selling spirit grains—renting a shop would be a high-risk investment for Qianhe Sect.

Zheng Fa had only mentioned this option for the sake of formality.

“The second option is for our marketplace to partner with you. We’ll purchase your Huangya Rice directly. You’ll only need to handle the cultivation—no need to worry about storefronts or profits and losses.”

Zhenren Qian gradually understood Zheng Fa’s intentions. “So we would become a supplier, delivering spirit grains to Jiushan Sect?”

“Exactly.”

“And the price?”

“One spirit stone per three shi of grain.”

“Impossible!” Zhenren Qian’s lips twitched. “That’s the same price we sell for in our own market!”

“But isn’t your market struggling for customers?” Zheng Fa muttered under his breath.

“…”

Hearing that, Zhenren Qian grew even more frustrated.

He wasn’t wrong—Zheng Fa’s reception boats had drawn in crowds, even attracting Qianhe Sect’s own disciples to shop in Jiushan Sect’s market.

At this rate, Qianhe Sect’s market would have no business left.

“No room for negotiation?” Zheng Fa asked, seeing his anger.

“None at all!”

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhenren Qian turned to leave.

“At least 300 shi per month.”

Zhenren Qian’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

“Minimum… 300 shi?”

“No less than that.”

A conflicted expression appeared on Zhenren Qian’s face.

Three hundred shi was nearly 100 spirit stones.

Even for Jiushan Sect’s market, this wasn’t a trivial amount of money.

Let alone for Qianhe Sect, which was facing increasing financial strain—otherwise, Zhenren Qian wouldn’t have considered coming to Jiushan Sect to “borrow” some business ideas.

“Zhenren Zheng… this price is still too low.”

“Zhenren Qian,” Zheng Fa’s tone turned firm, leaving no room for argument. “The Hundred Immortals Alliance has more than one sect capable of growing spirit grains. If you refuse, I can always find another supplier.”

“Wait!” Zhenren Qian quickly relented. “Let me report this to my sect master—we can definitely negotiate!”

As he left, his face was a mix of joy and sorrow—he couldn’t tell whether his sect master would scold him or praise him for securing such a large order.

But both he and Zheng Fa knew that Qianhe Sect would inevitably agree.

Jiushan Sect had already drained the surrounding markets of their customers.

If Qianhe Sect wanted to avoid losses, their only option was to become Jiushan Sect’s supplier.

While their profit margins would shrink, selling in bulk would still ensure a steady income.

Watching Zhenren Qian’s departing figure, Senior Sister Yuan turned to Zheng Fa and asked, “Junior Brother Zheng, why are you so insistent on sourcing Huangya Rice from them?”

Several senior brothers in the pavilion also looked at Zheng Fa, their expressions filled with curiosity.

“Our market’s product selection is too limited—we need more diverse and attractive goods,” Zheng Fa explained. “Besides, wasn’t it you, Senior Sister Yuan, who said Huangya Rice was delicious?”

Senior Sister Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at that.

It was true—she had carefully selected Huangya Rice, and Zheng Fa had also found it quite tasty.

“But isn’t 300 shi a bit much? What if we can’t sell it all?” she asked, still a little worried.

“Senior Sister Yuan, have you ever calculated how much spirit grain Jiushan Sect consumes in a month?”

“Hm?”

“Excluding the disciples’ families and attendants, our sect has about a thousand people,” Zheng Fa began to break it down.

“Each disciple consumes roughly five or six liang of spirit grain per day. That’s about one-fifth of a shi per month.

“Even just considering the disciples alone, that’s over 200 shi per month. If we include their family members, 300 shi is actually on the low side.”

In the Xuanwei Realm’s measurement system, one shi equaled approximately 900 liang.

Given Jiushan Sect’s monthly consumption, those 300 shi of spirit grains would be used up in no time.

“You mean… these spirit grains are for the disciples?”

“Senior Sister Yuan, have you noticed that the price of spirit grains in our market has gone up?” Zheng Fa asked softly.

“…Now that you mention it, I think so.” As a Golden Core cultivator, Senior Sister Yuan wasn’t particularly sensitive to such things. After thinking about it for a moment, she frowned and muttered, “Those greedy merchants!”

“It’s not necessarily intentional,” Zheng Fa shook his head. “Everyone’s been making money lately—not just spirit grains, but everything is getting more expensive.”

To put it bluntly, Jiushan Sect was experiencing a small-scale inflation.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After all, it meant that the sect’s disciples were wealthier than before.

“But not everyone has gotten rich,” Zheng Fa continued. “Some disciples—especially the new ones—can’t earn money yet and rely solely on their monthly stipends.”

“These affordable Huangya Rice grains are exactly what they need.”

Ordering Huangya Rice from Qianhe Sect was, of course, part of Zheng Fa’s strategy to solidify Jiushan Sect’s dominance in the market. A thriving market needed flagship products—otherwise, it would just be the same old talismans circulating among buyers. That would be a waste of the bustling commerce he had cultivated.

But more importantly, he had noticed that while some people had profited from Jiushan Sect’s economic growth, others had actually suffered.

The ones getting rich were the powerful families behind the shops, the vendors who already had connections and capital.

The poorest disciples, on the other hand, had gained little.

Worse still, they had to bear the burden of rising prices.

In essence, this was Zheng Fa’s version of a "food security project."

Inside the pavilion, the senior brothers looked at him with shifting expressions—some even seemed a little resentful.

“Senior brothers, why are you looking at me like that?”

“…Junior Brother, why were you born so late?!” One senior brother, surnamed Yang, suddenly sighed.

“?”

—

Back at his residence, Zheng Fa sat on a meditation cushion, preparing to condense his fifth Yuan Talisman.

This time, he was condensing an Yin-aligned Fire-element talisman—the Soaring Radiance Talisman.

Most Fire-element talismans leaned toward offensive capabilities.

But Zheng Fa didn’t need attack talismans right now.

Instead, the Soaring Radiance Talisman was perfect for him—it transformed the user into a streak of radiance, allowing for high-speed flight. A great travel tool.

After all, in the modern era, there were things like radars. Other flight methods might risk being mistaken for an unidentified flying object.

A light-emitting escape technique was much more convenient.

By now, Zheng Fa was highly skilled in condensing Yuan Talismans. After swallowing a Condensing Yuan Pill, it took less than an incense stick’s time for the Soaring Radiance Talisman to form in his dantian.

What surprised him, though, was that after it took shape, his five Yin-aligned Yuan Talismans merged together and began rotating within his dantian.

A golden lotus platform appeared inside his dantian.

On its petals, he saw inscriptions of his previous Yuan Talismans: the True Form Shadowless Talisman, Frost Blade Talisman, Nourishing Spirit Talisman, Evergreen Talisman, and now the Soaring Radiance Talisman.

But what truly caught his attention was a faint golden lotus shadow growing at the base of the platform.

Though it was just a vague outline of golden lines, the structure of the lotus seat and petals was unmistakable.

He couldn’t help but recall what Senior Sister Zhang had told him about the cycle of Yin and Yang giving birth to one another.

As he immersed his consciousness into his dantian, something unusual happened above his courtyard.

A cascade of five-colored radiance suddenly descended from the sky, surrounding the meditation chamber where he was cultivating.

Nearby cultivators all turned their heads in astonishment.

“Junior Brother Han, what’s going on?”

Senior Brother Li asked Han Qi.

Today was the day Han Qi had planned to introduce someone to Zheng Fa.

“Nothing to worry about—Junior Brother Zheng has probably made another breakthrough.”

Han Qi’s face showed a hint of pride. “Even though Junior Brother Zheng has dual spiritual roots, I’ve heard his cultivation speed is the fastest among all the new disciples—not inferior to those with single spiritual roots.”

Senior Brother Li nodded but looked even more apprehensive.

The more talented Zheng Fa was, the more he worried—

Would Zheng Fa even bother looking at him?

After so many years of being ignored in Jiushan Sect, he had nearly lost all confidence.

Han Qi seemed to understand his unease and suddenly asked, “Senior Brother, you even bought a new outfit today?”

Senior Brother Li chuckled awkwardly. “The market had a special deal on Huangya Rice, so I saved a bit of money and figured I should dress properly. I didn’t want Junior Brother Zheng to think I was being disrespectful…”

“That Huangya Rice? That’s something Junior Brother Zheng specifically arranged for our disciples.”

“Ah?”

Han Qi smiled. “I don’t know if Junior Brother Zheng will be interested in your Talisman Printing Technique, but one thing is certain—he’s not the type to look down on people like us.”

Senior Brother Li glanced down at his new robes.

After a moment of silence, he finally smiled—a little more at ease.

—

“Junior Brother Zheng, this is Senior Brother Li Nuo.”

Han Qi introduced Senior Brother Li to Zheng Fa.

“Senior Brother Li, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Seeing how nervous Li Nuo seemed, Zheng Fa took the initiative to greet him first.

Li Nuo was momentarily stunned, then hastily cupped his hands in return, as if he wasn’t used to being addressed with such respect.

“Senior Brother Han, you brought Senior Brother Li here because…?” Zheng Fa prompted.

Han Qi glanced at Li Nuo. “I think it’s better if Senior Brother Li explains himself.”

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“I… I’d like to ask Junior Brother Zheng to lend me some spirit stones.”

Zheng Fa blinked.

Borrow money?

He glanced at Han Qi in confusion—Is this guy your relative or something?

“…” Han Qi was speechless. “Junior Brother Zheng, please don’t misunderstand. Senior Brother Li isn’t borrowing money for personal use—he needs funding for research.”

“Research?”

Now Zheng Fa was intrigued—researchers were rare in Jiushan Sect.

Looking at Li Nuo, who was struggling to find the right words, Zheng Fa asked, “What kind of research?”

“Talisman Printing.”

Li Nuo pulled out a blood-colored block, engraved with the markings of a Golden Armor Talisman.

“Talisman Printing?”

Was this talismanic printing technology?

Zheng Fa took the block, his eyes gleaming. “Is this the only one?”

“This is the only successful one. The others… explode.”

Zheng Fa’s hand trembled.

You should’ve mentioned that earlier!

Li Nuo’s expression darkened. “My father died in an accident while researching Talisman Printing.”

“…” Zheng Fa took a deep breath. “Senior Brother Li, do you have a courtesy name?”

“My courtesy name is Shicheng.” Li Nuo answered blankly.

Thank goodness.

At least his name wasn’t Gutenberg.