Chapter 83: Talk Business

Leaving the Coffin Shop, Chen Wuji went to the Yangji Tiejiangpu.

Yang Tiejiang was off today, sitting on the threshold turning a Knife over and over. When he saw Chen Wuji approach, he glanced at the arrows bound with Chen Wuji's bow and said, "Arrows aren't used the way you do! How deep is your family's coffers that you'd shoot them out and never retrieve them?"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't dare to retrieve them; a band of Bandit Refugees chase and slash at us, how could I turn back to collect the arrows?" Speaking of it, Chen Wuji felt a painful tightness in his chest; arrows that cost a hundred silver each vanished before they even warmed up.

Yang Tiejiang looked surprised and asked, "How many did you kill?"

"I can't count, but probably four or five," Chen Wuji replied offhand.

Yang Tiejiang got up, went into the shop, and handed five arrows to Chen Wuji, saying, "Four hundred fifty silver!"

"I need more today; things have been unsettled lately, so prepare extra. Give me twenty. You don't have to discount; just throw in an Arrow Quiver." Chen Wuji said with a smile.

Unexpectedly, the usually fierce, distant Lao Yang showed a soft heart; he didn't even haggle and actually lowered his price on his own.

"You're sharp, but two hundred silver can't buy my Arrow Quiver!" Yang Tiejiang said, then grabbed an Arrow Quiver from the wall and tossed it to Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji collected the Arrow Quiver and bow; with this pairing, he finally looked like someone who plays with a bow.

"Pay up, no credit," Yang Tiejiang glanced and said.

"Hold on, I still need to discuss a business with you," Chen Wuji said. "I need a pot. The design is basically a Cauldron with the rim on the handle removed, and with two protruding ears that can be lifted."

"Something that hasn't existed before?" Yang Tiejiang asked.

"Hmm, can you make it?" Chen Wuji asked. "Either casting or forging works, but it can't be too thick—about half the thickness of a Cauldron is enough. Oh, and the small pot needs a handle."

Yang Tiejiang listened intently, his heavy brows slightly furrowed, and asked, "How is the forging done?"

"It should be shaping iron sheets by forging; I'm not too familiar with that, but you're an experienced master, so you should have a way," Chen Wuji said. "Casting is easier—just make a good mold."

Yang Tiejiang let out a light hum, "That sounds easy, but it's not a simple job. First draw me a shape, annotate all dimensions clearly, and I'll see if I can forge it."

"Alright."

Xu Zengyi fetched a wooden board.

Chen Wuji, from memory, sketched the pot's shape and dimensions on the board with a charcoal pencil.

Yang Tiejiang watched for a while, then said, "This thing is more convenient than a Cauldron; if we forge it, many will want to buy. Let's set a rule—we won't take advantage of you for free."

"You said exactly what I was thinking," Chen Wuji laughed. "Once the pot appears, as long as the price is comparable, it will surely replace the cumbersome Cauldron."

Chen Wuji wasn't arrogant; the pot's history evolved just like that.

The ancient Huaxia could make such a choice; it makes no sense that people of the Dayu Dynasty cling stubbornly to the heavy Cauldron instead of opting for a lighter, more useful pot, persisting in tradition by continuing to cook with Cauldrons.

"I won't charge you for this; once sold, I'll give you a share—how about thirty percent?" Yang Tiejiang calculated in his mind and quoted Chen Wuji the figure.

That was what Chen Wuji wanted to discuss, but unexpectedly gave Yang Tiejiang the initiative.

A merchant's eye can be impossible to contest.

"I have no problem; you set the price," Chen Wuji nodded. "But regarding sales, I have an idea: Yang Shopkeeper should hire a few errand boys or apprentices to help sell this."

Before Chen Wuji could finish, Yang Tiejiang proudly interrupted, "My reputation in all of Yunan is unmatched; if anyone comes, I'll make them buy."

"That's small‑scale, can't earn big money," Chen Wuji shook his head.

Yang Tiejiang's thinking was still shallow.

"Why not hear what I have to say first," Chen Wuji continued.

"The hired errand boys are split into two groups. One sets up a stall in East Market to sell stir‑fried dishes; I'll tell you how the dishes are cooked once the pot is forged. Using cooking to showcase the pot in the city first, building some reputation."

"The other group assists you in the early stage to speed up progress. Once the iron pot gains some fame in Yunan City, we'll immediately sweep the streets."

"Sweep the streets? What does a blacksmith do sweeping the streets?" Yang Tiejiang asked, puzzled.

"'Sweeping the streets' means sending apprentices door‑to‑door to persuade households to trade in their old Cauldrons for a new pot. That way we save a lot on raw materials; one Cauldron can yield two pots, no problem. Yang Shopkeeper, with such a simple operation we can profit purely from each pot." Chen Wuji explained.

Yang Tiejiang's expression went blank.

When a man with a fierce face shows a blank stare, it looks oddly amusing.

"You really are a hunter?" Yang Tiejiang asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm a hunter, but that doesn't make me foolish," Chen Wuji corrected. "What I just said isn't finished; the iron pot has a companion item called a pot spatula."

Chen Wuji picked up the charcoal pencil and drew the pot spatula's shape on the board. "This item is easy to forge and can be bundled with the pot—like three pots with a spatula, or ten large pots with a small pot plus a spatula, and so on."

Yang Tiejiang asked puzzled, "Why would a household need so many pots?"

"We don't sell all of them to households; caravans are our main customers," Chen Wuji said.

"A merchant's eyes are sharp; you just saw that the pot will sell well later, wouldn't traveling traders notice that too?"

"Oh…" Yang Tiejiang suddenly understood, nodding heavily, "I see now."

"In that case, I really need to bring some apprentices; tomorrow I'll return home and pick people from the Clan Interior. Also, don't keep listing your items now—I can't remember them all, and even if I do, I might not follow through. Let me forge the pot first; later you can handle those details yourself; letting me do it would surely cause trouble."

"... Alright."

Chen Wuji nodded; saying so much now was indeed a bit premature.

The fierce, big blacksmith was left stunned by him; by then, it might truly be unmanageable.

Yang Tiejiang glanced at the Knife on Chen Wuji's body and suddenly asked, "You clearly know a better blacksmith; why come to me for this good opportunity?"

"The lineage was broken," Chen Wuji shook his head. "This Knife has been with me for years."

"Old Lao Yang, don't be stingy with funds early on; recruit as many apprentices as possible. We need to stock up from the start; this thing is so easy to copy that once people see its profit, soon every street will be filled with pots. We must seize that first‑mover advantage."

"If you're worried, I'll cover the apprentices' wages for the first few months and the iron ingots."

Yang Tiejiang was taken aback by Chen Wuji's address, then waved his hand and said, "No need. When you come to sell the pots, just sit and collect the money; I still have that daring!"

"You provide this item, agree to cooperate, and pour out your thoughts to plan, and I give you silver—what does that make me?"