Chapter 248: He Knows Marketing

Five days of Fire Energy is way too expensive—Medicinal Aid's Third-Rank Elixirs are only two days of Fire Energy per pill.

Exactly! Even high-grade Third-Rank Elixirs are only three days of Fire Energy per pill—this is way too greedy.

At the square beside the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, Xiao Yan's stall was already surrounded by people; upon hearing his price, everyone frowned.

Five days of Fire Energy—some weaker students need half a month to earn that much, and this small jar of Spirit Liquid costs five days of Fire Energy; many wanted it but couldn't bear to part with it.

Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with the cunning light of a merchant; he grabbed Lin Yan and pointed at him: "Who he is, I don't think I need to introduce further."

"The ninth-ranked warrior on the Strong List, suffering for years from Fire Poison—otherwise, I'm certain Lin Yan's strength would far exceed ninth place; Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing aren't his match."

Lin Yan stared in horror at Xiao Yan: Don't drag me into your bluffing!

"You only know his Fire Poison has been cleared, but you've forgotten how much precious time he wasted because of it."

"And I'm sure everyone here knows how much Fire Energy Lin Yan spent to purge the Fire Poison from his body."

Four hundred—exactly four hundred Fire Energy, and that doesn't even count the Fire Energy he spent earlier hiring Alchemists from the Alchemy Division.

Instantly, Xiao Yan cried out in anguish, tears streaming: "Back then, Lin Yan had no choice—the Inner Court had no one capable of crafting such Spirit Liquid."

"But now! You can choose to be good—buy Marrow-Washing Cold Spirit Liquid to purge Fire Poison before it enters your body. Five days of Fire Energy? Worth every bit."

The crowd around them looked at Xiao Yan's sincere expression, then at Lin Yan, and some were swayed. After all, who in the Inner Court wasn't afraid of Fire Poison—even Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing, ranked second on the Strong List, dared not stay long in the cultivation chambers.

Lin Yan hugged Xiao Yan and whispered: "Hey hey hey, you're putting me on display like this? Unfair! And my Fire Poison wasn't cleared by this Spirit Liquid."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow: "That's because your Fire Poison had sunk deep into your five viscera and six bowels. If caught early, this Spirit Liquid would've sufficed. Just be my 'spokesperson,' and I'll brew you a higher-grade Spirit Liquid."

"Deal."

They exchanged glances, both hearing the same "Jie jie jie" laughter inside their minds—a perfect pair of crooked merchants.

At that moment, someone just emerged from the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta walked up and asked: "Is this Spirit Liquid usable by everyone?"

Xiao Yan explained: "If you've been inside the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta for less than a month and are below the fourth level, soak in the Spirit Liquid diluted in water for one hour to purge Fire Poison—you can re-enter immediately."

"If you've been inside for more than a month but less than two, you'll need three jars—use them consecutively for three days."

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly, sounding regretful: "I know the Strong List Conference is only months away, and everyone's rushing to cultivate. But alas, the medicinal materials for this Spirit Liquid are hard to find, and brewing takes immense time—I can only produce ten jars per day."

Scarcity marketing? Xiao Yan knew how to do it!

Hearing this, many who had already wanted to buy a jar felt their resolve strengthen.

"I'll take one jar!"

"I'll take one too!"

"Me me me! I want one too!"

Xun Er, behind Xiao Yan, covered her mouth and giggled—she had at least hundreds of jars of Marrow-Washing Cold Spirit Liquid stored in her storage ring, since Xiao Yan had spent a thousand Fire Energy and nearly cleared out the Inner Court's medicinal materials.

Seeing the business booming, Xun Er, the boss lady, stepped forward, tugged Xiao Yan's sleeve, and spoke softly with tender compassion: "Brother Xiao Yan, since everyone wants the Marrow-Washing Cold Spirit Liquid, why not also release the jars we brewed earlier as rewards for Xiao Palace disciples?"

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up; he secretly gave a thumbs-up. Xun Er winked her left eye, sending him a covert flirtatious glance.

Not of the same family, not entering the same door.

Soon, Xiao Yan sold thirty jars of Marrow-Washing Cold Spirit Liquid, earning one hundred and fifty Fire Energy.

After selling thirty jars, Xiao Yan packed up, claiming he was out of stock and promising to return to the same spot tomorrow once more was brewed.

He left behind a crowd of students wailing in despair—completely under his control.

"You damn Xiao Yan!! You tricked me!" At dusk, Hu Jia stormed through the gate, furious; seeing Xiao Yan flirting with Xun Er, she immediately shouted.

Xiao Yan glanced at Hu Jia indifferently, sipping his hot tea: "What's wrong? Sold out all the Elixirs?"

Hearing Xiao Yan mention Elixirs, Hu Jia's anger boiled over; she stomped on a chair: "You tricked me!! How did you sell all those hundreds of Qi-Replenishing Pills?!"

Hu Jia was stunned—when she opened her storage ring to sell, she found dozens of Pill Bottles, each holding ten Qi-Replenishing Pills.

Remember, the entire Inner Court has only hundreds of students—you've got more than enough for everyone to get one; how could you possibly sell them all in such a short time?!

The Inner Court is a vast market; Medicinal Aid already sells medicine here, and now Xiao Palace has appeared with such massive quantities—market supply has clearly oversaturated demand.

Worse, Xiao Yan and his group are selling on their first day—without reputation, who would buy?

Xiao Yu and the others selling Healing Pills face the same problem—without reputation, their Elixirs are like counterfeits; everyone keeps their distance.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged glances; Xun Er smiled: "Don't worry—tomorrow, sales will pick up."

As Xiao Yan had predicted, the Xisui Han Spirit Liquid spread like wildfire through the Inner Court the same day—even several Elders had heard of it.

"Look! I soaked in the Xisui Han Spirit Liquid for an hour yesterday—the water was milky white, but turned blood-red, sucking out all my Fire Poison!"

"My god, you really have no Fire Poison left?!"

Liu Elder walked over to the student who claimed to have used the Spirit Liquid, placed his hand on the student's wrist, and his eyes flickered with surprise: "Indeed, no Fire Poison remains."

Elders have a duty to prevent students from entering the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta too frequently—to guard against Fire Poison—so each day, Elders check students for Fire Poison.

Hearing Liu Elder's words, all students understood: Xiao Yan's Xisui Han Spirit Liquid actually worked!

"Quick, go buy it! I heard only ten jars are made per day!"

"Where do I buy it?!"

"Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan of Xiao Palace! Go find Xiao Yan!"

"Let's go! Find Xiao Yan!"

At dawn, Xiao Yan stretched and rose from his bed; just as he was about to wash his face and brush his teeth, he heard a clamor from below the tower.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Yan merely smiled—exactly as he'd expected.

He walked downstairs; everyone from Xiao Palace was waiting for him in the Hall.

He smiled faintly, waved his hand, and said: "Go ahead—let's open for business."

This was Xiao Yan's plan: use the Xisui Han Spirit Liquid to promote himself, build his reputation, then begin selling Elixirs within Xiao Palace's territory.

After all, some prime locations in the Inner Court charge fees.

Xiao Yan was aiming to steal Medicinal Aid's business.

Fire Energy is the Inner Court's unique currency, but in reality, Gold Coins and other items can also be used for Transactions.

In fact, the Inner Court's market is far larger than it appears; the White Gang, for instance, is backed by the Bai family, to which Bai Shan and Bai Cheng belong, and Liu Qing of the Crack Mountain Gang also has a family faction behind him.

Otherwise, how could Liu Qing possibly earn his Fire Energy on his own? He can bring in resources from outside the Inner Court to exchange, or even trade directly with Jia Nan Academy.

So many people have Fire Energy.

"Everyone, no need to rush—Xiao Hall's Elixirs are delivered daily, fair to young and old, and their quality is definitely better than what's available outside."

"Soul-Replenishing Pills and Minor Blood-Restoring Pills are still in stock, and we guarantee we will never raise prices!"

Within three days, Xiao Hall's Elixirs had become known even in the Outer Court and the Black Horn Region; a genius Alchemist had emerged overnight in the Inner Court.

Some students in the Inner Court also avoid entering Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta for Cultivation, choosing instead to exchange their Fire Energy for resources and resell them in the Black Horn Region for profit.

On a slope at the back of the Inner Court, beneath the shade of a large tree, Xiao Yan was chewing on a stalk of Green Grass, his head comfortably resting on Xun Er's thighs, savoring that unique softness.

Xun Er gently stroked Xiao Yan's hair and said softly, "Brother Xiao Yan, don't you need to buy more Medicinal Material? After these days of sales, our Elixir stock has dropped by a quarter. We've already recouped our Fire Energy and made a good profit."

Xiao Yan, still with his eyes closed, replied calmly, "Are you worried that the Medicine Gang will use their capital to crush us—drive up the price of Medicinal Material and monopolize the Inner Court's market so we can't obtain anything for Spirit Refining?"

"Mm."

Xiao Yan smiled slightly and said, "Xun Er, have you forgotten what happened to those who tried to monopolize Medicinal Material in Wutan City? That so-called Medicine Gang is no different from those two families—just petty clowns. When there are no tigers in the mountains, monkeys become kings. If they behave themselves, I'll stop producing so many Elixirs once I've earned enough Fire Energy and leave them a little broth to sip."

"But if they're foolish enough to provoke me, don't blame me."

No sooner had Xiao Yan finished speaking than a cool breeze blew, and a dark shadow swiftly flew toward them.

"Why are you still lying around here? The Medicine Gang has come to cause trouble!" Xiao Yu arrived, her Thunder Bat Heavenly Wings spread wide.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes and saw Xiao Yu's long, pale, beautiful legs right before him; slowly looking up, he smiled, "I saw it."

Xiao Yu's face flushed red; she clutched her skirt and kicked at Xiao Yan with gritted teeth, furious: "You big pervert, how can you still have the nerve to joke around!"

Xiao Yan sidestepped the kick, then sprang up with a fish-leap motion and said, "It's just the Medicine Gang—do you really expect me to take them seriously?"

"Besides, you're the one flying around in front of me wearing a skirt—I wonder if you're deliberately tempting me."

(End of Chapter)