Chapter 231: Management Framework

After finalizing the preliminary cooperation with Tong Yao, Jing Le, and Yan Zhenzhen, Hua Changxi parted ways with the three and went directly to the Shennong Medicine Shop in Feng'an Ward, where she asked Pu Cao for a list of current market prices for circulating spirit pills.

This list had been collected by Yu Gui through the ten medicine shops owned by the great merchant Zhuo Da.

After reviewing the spirit pill price list, Hua Changxi fell somewhat silent.

The spirit pills currently circulating and traded on the market were primarily Grade One and Grade Two; not only were varieties scarce, but prices were exorbitant, while Grade Three and above were virtually unseen.

Hua Changxi knew that the main reason for this situation was the extreme scarcity of alchemists.

Training an alchemist was no easy feat; it required not only a lineage of transmission but also vast quantities of spiritual herbs for practice, so even the imperial court and major powers, who had seized cultivation resources first, did not necessarily possess many alchemists.

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

"Sister Changxi, you were looking for me?"

Yu Gui walked into the medicine shop with a smile; although he still addressed Hua Changxi as before, his expression revealed deep respect.

The Sister Changxi of today was no longer the minor servant from the Miscellaneous Duties Hall who had once needed his protection.

Looking at Yu Gui, whom she had not seen for some time, Hua Changxi scanned his body-refining cultivation and smiled, saying, "Not bad; you have already reached the peak of Flesh Refining and should soon be able to begin the third realm of body refinement—the Bone Refining stage."

Yu Gui chuckled, "I was able to step onto the path of cultivation entirely thanks to Sister's support."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yu Gui, Hua Changxi began asking about the medicine shop's affairs.

"I have been quite busy and haven't paid much attention to the shop; with the capital city in such turmoil lately, has the business been running smoothly?"

Yu Gui replied with a smile, "Everything is fine; most of what we openly sell in the shop are mortal medicines, while spirit pills needed by cultivators are sold only to acquaintances, so we haven't encountered any troublesome incidents."

Back when Hua Changxi taught classes in the Miscellaneous Duties Hall, she trained a group of people; those with spiritual roots became Dharma cultivators, while those without became body cultivators.

After leaving the Medical Bureau, all of them were assigned to work at the medicine shop, and nowadays they form the backbone of the establishment.

Among them, individuals like Zhou Qiuyu, who possessed considerable alchemical talent, became alchemists; although they could only refine Grade One spirit pills, this was sufficient for the shop's sales.

Nodding, Hua Changxi said, "If you encounter matters you cannot resolve in the future, send me a message immediately," as she looked at the pill list in her hand.

"Are these truly the only spirit pills available on the market?"

Yu Gui replied, "Ordinary cultivators without background or connections can indeed only obtain these, but cultivators with connections and backing have other channels to acquire pills."

Hua Changxi asked, "What channels?"

Yu Gui answered, "The great merchant Zhuo Da told me that some powerful factions operate their own auction houses."

"It is said that auction houses carry life-saving spirit pills, realm-breaking spirit pills, and even Grade Three pills and above."

"However, there are thresholds for entering these auction houses, and one requires an introduction, making them entirely unsuitable for ordinary cultivators."

"Besides auction houses, one can also take risks by visiting the Ghost Market, where pill exchanges can also be conducted."

Hua Changxi's eyes flashed; there must be auction houses in the capital city, yet she had never heard of them, a fact due not only to her narrow social circle but also to the deliberate suppression of information by major powers.

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

Yu Gui looked embarrassed; if the great merchant Zhuo Da had not told him about the auction houses, he would never have been able to touch upon such a level of existence.

Seeing his reaction, Hua Changxi thought for a moment and said, "Keep an eye out for news about auction houses, but do not force the matter."

Yu Gui immediately agreed, "I will keep watch."

Hua Changxi then inquired further about spirit pill sales in other medicine shops across the capital, learning that every shop currently selling spirit pills had figures of power and nobility standing behind them.

Yu Gui noted, "The selling price of spirit pills is very high, yet the offers made by major medicine shops when purchasing spiritual herbs and plants are extremely low."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi said, "This situation will not last long; once there are more alchemists, the selling price of spirit pills will drop."

In his heart, however, Yu Gui was not optimistic.

Alchemists trained by the nobility generally supplied only their own families, with only a few spirit pills leaking out.

Ordinary alchemists, lacking spiritual herbs for practice, simply could not grow and develop.

For the price of spirit pills to drop, one did not know how many years or months would have to pass.

Hua Changxi flipped through the account books Yu Gui had brought, found no issues, and then dismissed him.

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

She had originally intended to reference market prices, but now, with the circulation of spirit pills on the market nearly monopolized by the nobility and prices exorbitant, there was nothing to reference; she could only set the prices herself based on alchemical costs.

If this cooperation proved satisfactory, she could establish a long-term partnership with Tong Yao, Jing Le, and Yan Zhenzhen.

After all, she possessed not only the Divine Wood Secret Realm but also the Lingguang Hall and Mount Wuzhi.

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

At this moment, she clearly realized how limited an individual's strength was; working alone had not felt so burdensome, but when launching projects, having no one to help meant she had to do everything herself.

"I'll start by practicing with the Divine Wood Secret Realm, and only then manage the Lingguang Hall and Mount Wuzhi."

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

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

The selling prices were fifty percent lower than the market rate, and the variety was much greater.

However, for Grade One and Grade Two spirit pills, the purchase quantity for each type could not be less than ten thousand pills; for Grade Three pills, each type required a minimum of one thousand pills.

This was determined by Hua Changxi based on the pill output of the Shennong Cauldron; using the Shennong Cauldron, she could refine ten thousand pills per furnace for Grade One and Grade Two, while currently, she could only refine one thousand pills per furnace for Grade Three.

Having established the spirit pill prices, Hua Changxi began contemplating the management of the secret realm.

The secret realm was so vast that even opening just the first and second layers would require a large workforce.

She would also need to build her own management team!

Hua Changxi began writing and drawing on paper, thinking day and night for three days before temporarily finalizing the framework for managing the secret realm.

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

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

Hua Changxi realized that solving one problem only led to the next; she was truly on the verge of pulling her hair out.

When Pu Cao knocked on the door to say it was already the sixth day of the first lunar month and reminded her that she should report for duty at the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi immediately gathered the business plans spread across the floor.

She would go to the Medical Bureau first to see how other Secret Realm Masters managed their realms!