Chapter 231: Management Framework

After finalizing the preliminary cooperation with Tong Yao, Jing Le, and Yan Zhenzhen, Hua Changxi parted ways with them and went directly to the Shennong Apothecary in Feng'an Ward, where she asked Pucao for a price list of spirit pills currently circulating in the market.

This list had been compiled by Yu Gui through the ten apothecary shops owned by the merchant Zhuo.

After looking at the price list, Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment.

The spirit pills currently traded on the market were mainly Grade 1 and Grade 2; not only were the varieties scarce, but the prices were exorbitant. Pills of Grade 3 and above were almost never seen.

Hua Changxi knew that the reason for this situation was primarily the extreme shortage of alchemists.

Cultivating an alchemist was no easy task; it required not only a lineage but also a vast amount of spirit herbs for practice. Even the Imperial family and major factions, who had seized cultivation resources first, did not necessarily possess many alchemists.

With few alchemists, the number of pills flowing into the market was naturally low.

"Sister Changxi, were you looking for me?"

Yu Gui walked into the shop with a smile. Although he addressed Hua Changxi as he always had, his expression was filled with respect.

The "Sister Changxi" of today was no longer the little menial from the Menial Hall who had needed his protection.

Hua Changxi looked at Yu Gui; she hadn't seen him for some time. She scanned his body-refining cultivation and said with a smile, "Not bad, you've reached the completion of Flesh Refining. You should be able to start the third stage of body refining—the Bone Refining chapter—very soon."

Yu Gui chuckled, "I owe my ability to embark on the path of cultivation entirely to your guidance, Sister."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hua Changxi began to inquire about the apothecary.

"I've been quite busy and haven't asked much about the shop's affairs. With the capital in such turmoil, is the shop's operation running smoothly?"

Yu Gui replied with a smile, "Everything is fine. Our shop primarily sells ordinary medicine on the surface, and the spirit pills required by cultivators are only sold to those we are familiar with, so we haven't encountered any trouble."

Back when Hua Changxi taught at the Menial Hall, she had trained a group of people; those with spiritual roots became Dharma cultivators, while those without became body cultivators.

After leaving the Medical Department, these people were all assigned to work in the apothecary, and they were now the backbone of the shop.

Among them, Zhou Qiuyu and others with a talent for alchemy were also alchemists. Although they could only refine Grade 1 spirit pills, it was enough for the shop's sales.

Hua Changxi nodded, "If you encounter any problems you can't solve in the future, send me a message immediately." As she spoke, she looked at the pill list in her hand.

"Are these really the only spirit pills on the market?"

Yu Gui replied, "These are indeed all that ordinary cultivators without background or connections can buy, but cultivators with connections and backgrounds have other channels to obtain pills."

Hua Changxi asked, "What channels?"

Yu Gui said, "Merchant Zhuo told me that some powerful factions have their own auction houses."

"It is said that life-saving spirit pills, breakthrough spirit pills, and pills of Grade 3 and above can all be found in these auction houses."

"However, there is a threshold for entering these auction houses, and one needs an introduction, so they are not suitable for ordinary cultivators at all."

"Besides auction houses, one can also take the risk of going to the Ghost Market, where spirit pills can also be exchanged."

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered. There were certainly auction houses in the capital, but she had never even heard of them. Aside from her narrow social circle, it was also due to major factions deliberately blocking the news.

"Brother Yu, do you know which auction houses are in the capital?"

Yu Gui looked embarrassed; if Merchant Zhuo hadn't told him about the auction houses, he wouldn't have been able to touch upon that level of existence either.

Seeing his reaction, Hua Changxi thought for a moment and said, "Keep an eye on the auction house situation for me, but don't be too obvious."

Yu Gui immediately agreed, "I will keep an eye on it."

Hua Changxi then asked about the spirit pill sales in other apothecary shops in the capital and learned that the shops currently able to sell spirit pills all had powerful figures behind them.

Yu Gui added, "The selling price of spirit pills is very high, but the price at which major shops purchase spirit herbs and plants is very low."

Hua Changxi replied, "This situation will not last long. Once there are more alchemists, the price of spirit pills will drop."

Yu Gui, however, was not very optimistic.

The alchemists cultivated by powerful figures generally only supply their own families, with only a small number of spirit pills flowing out.

Ordinary alchemists, due to a lack of spirit herbs to practice with, simply cannot grow.

It was hard to say how many years it would take for the price of spirit pills to drop.

Hua Changxi flipped through the account books Yu Gui had brought and, finding no issues, let him return.

After Yu Gui left, Hua Changxi took out her brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, preparing to set the price list for the spirit pills.

She had originally wanted to refer to the market price, but now that the spirit pills circulating in the market were almost monopolized by the powerful, the prices were very expensive and had no reference value at all; she had to set the prices herself based on the cost of alchemy.

If this cooperation experience went well, she could cooperate with Tong Yao, Jing Le, and Yan Zhenzhen for the long term.

She had to remember that she not only had the Divine Wood Secret Realm in her hands but also the Lingguang Hall and Mount Wuzhi.

Thinking of the Lingguang Hall and Mount Wuzhi that she had been leaving to fend for themselves, Hua Changxi felt a headache coming on.

At this moment, she clearly realized how limited one person's power was. She hadn't felt it while fighting alone, but to launch a project, without people and without help, she had to do everything herself.

"I'll practice with the Divine Wood Secret Realm first, then manage Lingguang Hall and Mount Wuzhi."

She could only take them one by one, otherwise, she feared she would work herself to death.

After careful consideration and weighing, Hua Changxi formulated a wholesale price for spirit pills.

The selling price was 50% lower than the market price, and the variety was much greater.

However, for Grade 1 and Grade 2 spirit pills, the purchase quantity for each type could not be less than 10,000; for Grade 3 pills, no less than 1,000 of each type.

This was set by Hua Changxi based on the output of the Shennong Cauldron. With the Shennong Cauldron, she could refine 10,000 Grade 1 or 2 pills per batch; for Grade 3 pills, she could currently only refine 1,000 per batch.

After setting the spirit pill prices, Hua Changxi began to think about the management of the secret realm.

The secret realm was so large that even if she only opened the first and second levels, it would require a large number of people.

She had to build her own management team!

Hua Changxi began to write and draw on paper, thinking for three days and nights before temporarily finalizing the framework for managing the secret realm.

Based on her experience from her previous life, she established eight management departments: Personnel and Administration, Finance, Mission Hall, Law Enforcement Hall, Logistics, Planting, Processing, and Pill Hall.

With the management framework set, she still had to set recruitment standards and corresponding labor compensation for each department, and then consider the arrangement and selection of management personnel...

Hua Changxi discovered that after solving one thing, another would follow; she was truly going to go bald from the stress.

When Pucao came to knock on the door and said it was already the sixth day of the first lunar month, reminding her that she should go to the Medical Department to report for duty, Hua Changxi immediately put away the management plan that had been spread all over the floor.

She would go to the Medical Department first to see how other secret realm masters managed their secret realms!