Chapter 421: Cheap Goods, No Good

"Little Nightingale, hurry over, the tower's water is gone, why are you slacking again!" A plump woman stomped "boom boom boom" out of the inn's main gate, her face displeased.

"Got it, Sister Ling, I'm on my way!" Thus line: Ye Ying replied promptly.

Then, she said apologetically, "Fellow cultivators, you go ahead, I have business to attend to!"

Wei Yuning opened his mouth but held back, waved his hand and bid Thus line: Ye Ying farewell.

When Thus line: Ye Ying walked away, Ji Qiuhe sighed, "We need to make money quickly!"

Fire Cloud Daoist also nodded repeatedly.

The three no longer had any desire to stroll and admire the beautiful legs and jade feet of female cultivators, and set off along the road.

Their main base was in the outer district, so the ideal restaurant location should be as close to the teleportation array as possible. This time, they paid close attention, observing each shop's condition and the bulletin board.

Buying a shop outright was impossible; as they traveled, they had already noticed the asking price—30,000 low‑grade spirit stones could only buy the poorest little shop, and that shop wasn't even adjacent to the lakeside scenic avenue, but one row away.

The most important factor in business is location; being one row away makes a difference as stark as heaven and earth.

So, all they could do was rent a shop.

"It must be near Lake Bay, must have a beach, must have heavy foot traffic; the size of the shop doesn't matter, the location must be good..." Wei Yuning said while walking, bragging about his business acumen.

"Pure Demon Cultivator, you should revert to General Wei's appearance; the way you look now, I just don't trust you!" Ji Qiuhe couldn't help but tease.

"Exactly, I feel the same! Lord Wei, you did see the price on the bulletin board; shops in the Lake Bay District have a minimum annual rent of 1,200 low‑grade immortal stones, and more importantly, we only have a little over 700 immortal stones left, not even enough for rent—how can we do business?" Fire Cloud Daoist added.

"There... there will always be a way; maybe we'll come across a cheap one!" Wei Yuning brushed his drooping bangs, wearing a flippant, lecherous expression, "Again, unless there's a special circumstance, I won't revert to my Jade Dragon Mountain looks. Haven't you noticed that female cultivators have been giving me extra glances along the way?"

Ji Qiuhe shook his head helplessly, "Whatever you want; whether our group can stay in Immortal City in the future depends on you!"

"Hold on, there's actually a cheap shop here—Shuiyun Blue Bay No. 9, nine‑foot prime shop, annual rent three hundred. Interested parties, negotiate!" Fire Cloud Daoist exclaimed excitedly.

Wei Yuning and Ji Qiuhe hurried over, and at a corner of the bulletin board, a small advertisement was posted, containing exactly what Fire Cloud Daoist had said.

"How big is nine feet?" Ji Qiuhe asked, gesturing with his hand.

Fire Cloud Daoist's expression changed; a shop one zhang in length and width—could this even be called a shop?

"Let's go take a look!" Wei Yuning's face didn't look too bad; on Earth he'd seen even smaller shops, so this was nothing.

"Really going to check it out? What could we possibly sell in such a tiny shop?" Ji Qiuhe looked puzzled.

"We could sell a lot!" Wei Yuning led the way.

Fire Cloud Daoist and Ji Qiuhe exchanged glances, shook their heads simultaneously, and followed.

Along the shore of Gem Lake, besides a Scenic Avenue, there was also a lakeside Scenic Path. The foundations of these roads were made of timber and connected to the trunks of giant trees, said to be the work of a powerful wood‑spirit root cultivator.

Gem Lake also experiences tides, so the Scenic Path is not exposed all day; at least half the time it is hidden beneath the water.

Shuiyun Blue Bay No. 9 was situated on a reef beside the Scenic Path. Upon seeing the actual structure, the group was stunned—it was a pavilion.

The reef was quite high, over a dozen zhang, with a shepherd's trail leading up to its top; at the summit there was nothing but a four‑sided, breezy pavilion.

"Great spot, a perfect place for viewing!" Wei Yuning praised repeatedly.

"Lord Wei, even the finest scenery is of no use—are we supposed to charge people to come up? I have no idea what business this shop originally ran. Let's leave; it's not suitable for us!" Fire Cloud Daoist advised.

"Though it's just a tiny pavilion, this is the best view of the lake bay, and the reef is ours—we have great potential!" Wei Yuning examined the reef closely.

The reef's diameter is five zhang at its widest and three zhang at its narrowest—quite a sizable area.

"What does that mean?" Ji Qiuhe asked curiously. "The area around Gem Lake belongs to Green Forest Wei City's high‑end leisure zone; all constructions here are planned, with a uniform requirement not to alter their shape. Even if the reef is ours, we can't do anything!"

"Outside obviously we can't, but inside there should be no regulations, right?" Wei Yuning smiled mysteriously.

Just as they were about to ascend the steps, a disheveled, barefoot middle‑aged cultivator emerged from a nearby house and shouted, "Fellow cultivators, this Turbulent Pavilion is private property and not open to the public!"

"Sir, are you the owner of this Turbulent Pavilion? We came here after seeing the rental notice!" Wei Yuning asked.

The disheveled cultivator was startled; he hadn't expected the person in charge to be this young master, who looked barely in his early twenties, standing crookedly with no composure. He instantly realized this must be a scion of some great clan or sect.

"I'm not, but the pavilion's owner delegated this to me; if you truly wish to rent, just deal with me!" The disheveled cultivator stepped closer, his gaze at Wei Yuning turning solemn as he sensed a faint pressure. "I am the Shaking Head Lion of the Crazy Lion Clan; young master... are you of dragon lineage?"

"I indeed have dragon blood, but I'm not a dragon descendant. You may call me Wei Yuning, or simply Daoist Wei; how should I address you? Shaking Head Daoist?"

"Ah, I see. Daoist Wei's talent is admirable!" The Shaking Head Lion shook his fluffy head, his expression returning to normal. "People here call me Lion Head, some call me Lion, but Shaking Head Daoist works too—it's up to you!" He opened his mouth wide and laughed.

"Shaking Head Daoist, are you selling this pavilion?" Wei Yuning asked, astonishingly bold.

Fire Cloud Daoist and Ji Qiuhe felt a tightening in their chests, nearly simultaneously clenching their fists. This Lord Wei truly is daring, to utter such words.

The Shaking Head Lion paused, then said, "That senior entrusted me with full authority; selling isn't impossible, but the pavilion's location is superb and the senior likes it, so the price can't be too low!"

Cultivation starts from menial work /book/84054/