Chapter 43: Peacock Feather, Reward, Rebellion!

After suffering a warning, Fengxi became much more composed when facing Kongxuan.

No longer discussing those ineffable topics, he shifted the focus to the future work of the little peacock.

——He still hadn't forgotten what was most important at present.

"As a trader who buys low and sells high, if you don't maintain good relations with the source manufacturers, how can you possibly succeed?"

"Moreover, best of all, we should also bring Kongxuan into our business organization……"

His eyes rolled, and Fengxi's mental abacus clacked away.

He spoke eloquently, persuasively, not to deceive but to lobby Kongxuan, sincerely inviting him to join the shell company just decided upon.

"Kongxuan ah!" Fengxi said solemnly, "Since you think you've grown up, when doing things you should first consider relying on your own ability to solve them, rather than constantly seeking help from family elders."

"To be a self‑strengthening, ever‑advancing spiritual powerhouse."

"But these aren't just empty talk."

"They must be proven by action."

"Prove? How to prove?" Kongxuan asked for instruction.

"For example…… start a business!" Fengxi followed the rhythm, saying, "You previously said that your uncles had suggested a job for you, managing the Fengqi market."

"I know, your background is deep; as the first‑in‑line heir of the Phoenix lineage, you will surely control immense wealth in the future… right now it's just a trial, and you already have this position."

"But, is just managing the market enough to satisfy you?"

"The wealth of the Phoenix lineage is yours, yet not yours… because it is the wealth your parents struggled to amass."

"If you merely manage, even if you do it perfectly, what does that prove?"

"At most you're just a maintainer, not a pioneer!" Fengxi said.

Kongxuan listened, seeming thoughtful.

"If you truly want to prove your ability, prove that you can gallop across the stage of this era, live well in this Honghuang, no longer relying solely on the shelter of your elders' wings… then you need to step out of the life path arranged by your family and forge a brand‑new road!"

"This road, even if rugged, may not be as smooth as a grand highway… but as long as you take even the tiniest step, it is a transformation and elevation of your personal ability."

Kongxuan was moved, being lured by Fengxi onto the path, "Then, what should I do? How to start a business?"

"Me alone…… really can do it?"

"At the start, the requirements naturally don't need to be that high." Fengxi wore an inexplicable smile, "You can seek partners and helpers, join a new group, feel the atmosphere of collective wisdom, first get familiar with the process……"

"Um…… like right now, there's a pretty good opportunity!"

Fengxi's smile was very radiant.

……

"I'll be waiting for your good news."

Kongxuan waved reluctantly, bidding farewell to Fengxi.

"Just rest assured!"

Fengxi made a solemn guarantee, "Next time we meet, we will all have a complete transformation!"

When Kongxuan's figure disappeared from Fengxi's sight, he opened his clenched fist.

In his palm lay a single feather.

——Peacock feather!

This is a token gifted by Kongxuan to Fengxi.

With it, one can purchase precious products from the Phoenix lineage at the lowest cost.

Many of these products are in short supply even on Fengqi Mountain, let alone for external sale.

Besides these, does it have no other function?

Of course that's impossible.

Although limited by Kongxuan's own prestige, his single feather can't play much role, nor can it truly let him participate in the Phoenix lineage's high‑level decision‑making to effect change.

He isn't even qualified to listen and understand.

But for the grassroots, it can serve a significant purpose.

For example, knowing some merchants who come and go to the Fengqi market, they fill in their origin, the general goods they purchase in the market, and their final destination when they leave.

As much as possible, avoid unnecessary product price competition, and fully exploit the principle that rarity brings value.

"Information is also a resource!" Fengxi sighed long, "These scattered bits, when combined, can unleash a power that leaves people stunned, boosting profits by several tens of percent!"

"After success, I'll give Kongxuan a big red envelope, a substantial commission……"

"Thank him for the tremendous help he brought me!"

He smiled narrowly, using that peacock feather, feigning the Wu Clan's peacock authority, wandering among many markets.

Knocking on the doors of these market administrators, one hand holding the feather, the other holding a gift…… with both approaches, what could not be obtained?

The market administrators' status is not low, but neither is it particularly high.

The Fengqi Mountain Range, using the combination of heavenly stems and earthly branches, marks and arranges the land, naming them as districts.

Jiazi District, Yichou District…… altogether sixty districts.

Each district has 129,600 markets!

That works out to several million markets…… unless it's the overseer of a major district, an ordinary market manager, facing the peacock feather, truly has little resistance.

Moreover, what Fengxi demands has little to do with the feathered clan; it's about making money from outsiders…… so he just let him go.

After making the rounds, the jade slips used to record data were filled with tens of thousands of entries.

As for these, Fengxi lacked the patience to process them——he had people behind him!

With hundreds of thousands of Wu Clan elites there, how could they not be deployed?

He sent the information on the jade slips all at once, directly uploading it to the public network, letting those adept at planning situations and handling data take charge.

These people, the Wu Clan has them, and indeed many more.

After all, this is a group that gathers the outstanding achievements of humanity; every individual is absolutely at or above the average human ability!

Everyone has their own strengths; some have even left their mark in history, astonishing both ancient and modern eras!

At this moment, when there was a need, nearly ten thousand people stepped forward instantly, silently carrying out calculations and deductions.

Soon, a plan would be completed.

Within it, by summarizing the information, a few clues would reveal many inner workings, from which the market conditions of various regions could be inferred, and the travel routes of the Wu Clan became of paramount importance.

You say a word, I say a word—these elites were very enthusiastic and excited.

"With this information, our business won't be a one‑time deal."

"Yes… we can snowball!"

"Take a batch of goods, sell them off at the next place, then restock there and move on to sell elsewhere…" someone said. "Originally we didn't know which goods would sell better in new places, and with time and situational constraints we couldn't possibly conduct on‑site investigations… but?"

"The merchants who come here to transship and restock—the goods they sell to the Phoenix‑Crest Mountain Range, the routes they travel, the purchases they make when leaving—have already exposed all this information to us!"

"Haha… a bright future is beckoning to us!"

"Our team, whenever we reach a new place, means our wealth will multiply by several times, even up to tens of times!"

"Although top‑tier resources often cannot be bought with petty money, and are usually exchanged for equally precious items… even just that satisfies me."

"A Golden Immortal wishing to advance to Taiyi needs resources piled up to fill an entire small thousand‑world in order for the life origin to achieve advancement and reach parity with the cosmos… and now, hope lies before us, able to quickly raise a significant portion of the accumulation needed for this stage!"

"This is a path of diplomacy, and also a path of wealth!"

……

Many people felt delighted, as if they had seen a bright future.

Fengxi was no exception.

He lamented that expertise has its specialties; the Wu Clan never lacks elite talents capable of wildly expanding profits to such an extent.

At the same time, he seized the opportunity to formalize the alliance that had just been established not long ago.

What does 'formal' mean?

It means being orderly and disciplined, with leaders, a middle tier, and the most basic units at the bottom.

With tears in his eyes, Fengxi carved out a few portions of the future profits he had not yet recorded and gave them to the ruthless.

The profits from those cuts were prepared as rewards and commissions for the elites currently processing the information…… How could one not reward those who pour their heart and blood into the organization?

However, when distributing the rewards, Fengxi played a trick, marking them as his own personal funding rather than a fair division written into the contract.

"Generous rewards win hearts——that is the way of gaining much support."

History shows countless examples: a leader who is generous, willing to let others have the bones and soup while he eats the meat, can accomplish things.

Some founding emperors, in terms of governance ability, are inferior to their ministers—those are the outstanding figures recorded in history; in terms of military command, they are inferior to their generals—those are the illustrious, eternally praised war saints.

But why, then, is it he who laughs last and sits on the throne?

There are many reasons, but sufficient generosity, bestowing rich and fair rewards, is certainly a crucial point among them.

Of course, being generous is not a problem; the key is also to let others know——

"This money is what I am rewarding you with!"

At this moment, even though Fengxi is nominally equal to other Wu Clan members…… this move, however, best wins hearts and builds a core team.

"One day, if we want to do something…… using this core, we can create momentum, one leading ten, ten pulling a hundred, spreading like contagion, perhaps able to drag the entire Wu Clan's base forces along to follow me……"

"Slap!" Fengxi smacked his own head, chuckling a bit, muttering lowly, "What am I thinking?"

"If we really go to such trouble, mobilizing the entire Wu Clan's base forces…… wouldn't that become a rebellion?"

When facing external enemies—the Demon Race—there is no need for Fengxi to do this; the ancestral witches take the lead and resist at the front.

Only when dealing with internal matters does such action make sense!

And when dealing with internal affairs…… besides overthrowing the rule of the ancestral witches, are there any other possibilities?

Fengxi is a law‑abiding citizen of the Houtu tribe—how could he do such an irreverent thing?

Let alone doing it, he doesn't even dare to think about it!

He lacks the courage!

Unless, some supreme giant lends him the courage to bear the heavens!

(End of chapter)