Chapter 98: Business Methods

After Yan Buji obtained the Fire Bear Sect's employment documents, he saw the boss's surname.

"Wei Zifeng? So you're Boss Wei, I'll look forward to your guidance." Yan Buji clasped his hands and smiled.

"Your name is Yan Buji? Quite a loose name, but you're quite smooth." Wei Zifeng gave Yan Buji a strange look, then smiled and said.

"By the way, Boss Wei, are there any rules that shops in the market must follow?"

"The rules? Just don't cause trouble and don't affect the normal street vendors outside."

"If normal business activities affect the outside vendors' livelihoods, it shouldn't cause any trouble, right?"

"Naturally not, as long as you don't resort to violence or bully others using your influence, no one will intervene."

"That's great." Yan Buji chuckled.

Such a business environment offers far more opportunities than Lin Shan Cheng could.

Seeing Yan Buji's cheerful smile, Wei Zifeng always felt this guy was hiding something mischievous.

However, since he's willing to entrust the Hundred Treasures Shop to Yan Buji to manage, he naturally believes this person's conduct won't affect him; precisely because Yan Buji is so confident, Wei Zifeng is also willing to trust him.

"Boss, I need to check the inventory; could you please show me around?"

"Sure."

Yan Buji followed Wei Zifeng back to the Hundred Treasures Shop, locked the door, and began taking stock of the goods.

Indeed, Wei Zifeng seems no ordinary person either; this tiny Hundred Treasures Shop actually holds third‑tier spiritual materials and several finished accumulation devices, which really opened Yan Buji's eyes.

"Strictly speaking, spiritual materials above third tier and accumulation devices cannot be sold on this street; moreover, these were bought at a discount as collateral. If the debtor fails to redeem enough spiritual stones after the term expires, they become mine." Wei Zifeng said proudly.

"Aren't you afraid of losing money, Boss?"

"Losing money? Even though I spent a lot of spiritual stones acquiring those accumulation devices, selling them always yields a profit. Don't underestimate how much cultivators crave an accumulation device!" Wei Zifeng snorted.

Yan Buji took notes: "So finished accumulation devices are very expensive, and the same goes for higher‑tier spiritual materials; naturally, various pills refined from spiritual materials are likewise costly."

"Exactly."

"Oh, I see."

Yan Buji put away his notebook, looked at the shelves outside, and said: "I want to clear all shelves holding non‑medicinal spiritual materials here; please have the boss take them away."

"Huh?"

"Give me the purchase prices for these medicinal herbs, Boss, and we'll review again in a month."

"Do you recognize these medicinal herbs?"

"I know a little; among these herbs, three are second‑tier, the rest are first‑tier not over a hundred years old. There are also a few rare first‑tier herbs over a hundred years old, though few people would have use for them."

Yan Buji pointed to several vividly colored, unusual medicinal herbs on the nearby shelf, chuckled, and said:

"You seem quite confident; do you think I never considered just opening a herb shop back then?" Wei Zifeng raised an eyebrow and said dismissively.

"Boss, don't you want to see my business methods?" Yan Buji asked with a smile.

"Whoa!"

"Interesting!"

One day later.

Suddenly, a sign appeared at the entrance of the Hundred Treasures Shop reading: "New customer welcome—all items 10% off!"

The large, eye‑catching red characters immediately drew the attention of passing cultivators and stall vendors, who looked puzzled:

"Wei Pangzi is being so generous? Not pressing prices when buying, yet offering discounts?"

"Come on, let's go see what new tricks Wei Pangzi has cooked up for us."

Upon entering, they saw Yan Buji in a new outfit, who came out smiling, clasped his hands, and said: "Welcome, fellow cultivators, to the Hundred Treasures Shop—I'm the shop assistant Yan Buji; nice to meet you both!"

"Huh? Wei Pangzi even knows how to hire helpers? Where is he?"

"The boss is away on business for a month, so he's temporarily put me in charge of the Hundred Treasures Shop." Yan Buji gave a wry smile.

"Huh?"

The two cultivators exchanged a glance and curiously looked at the surrounding shelves.

"Huh? What happened to all the miscellaneous items on these shelves? Now there's only spiritual materials and herbs."

Yan Buji hurriedly explained: "It's like this—the boss said he needed those things for some errands, so he left only this much. But rest assured, before he left he marked the prices: everything is sold at 90% of market value! If you need to purchase, I can also raise the price appropriately."

"Oh?!"

The two cultivators glanced at each other, walked up to a spiritual material, and asked: "Is this White Bright Flower really only ten spiritual stones?"

"Yes."

"That's really cheap!"

The price of first‑tier spiritual material varies with age, usually ranging from five to thirty spiritual stones; even a particularly rare specimen won't exceed a hundred spiritual stones.

"This White Bright Flower has a full fifty years of potency; used in pill‑making it can slightly boost efficacy, yet it costs only ten spiritual stones—that's quite a bargain!"

"What do you two think?"

"Sounds good, I'll take it."

"All right, please come this way."

Yan Buji smiled, placed the medicinal herb into a special storage box, handed it to the cultivator, and collected ten spiritual stones.

The two cultivators looked at Yan Buji in surprise; Wei Pangzi wouldn't just give away that special herb‑preserving box for free. Although the box isn't costly to make, being able to preserve the potency of a first‑tier spiritual herb means it's worth about one spiritual stone.

All things considered, that's equivalent to saving two or three spiritual stones!

Getting it means you've gained!

After seeing off the two cultivators, Yan Buji quietly waited for more customers.

By day's end, Yan Buji had closed ten deals.

At night, Yan Buji carefully tallied up the accounts.

"I lost twenty spiritual stones—not much."

Yan Buji smiled.

Since it was initially to attract customers and make a name, it naturally required operating at a loss.

Others aren't unaware of this principle; they just lack the mind and capital to run it, not knowing how to use customer flow to make money!

What Yan Buji is doing isn't a simple spiritual herb business; he's eyeing the connections among loose cultivators!

By building good relations with these loose cultivators and securing a steady flow of customers, even if they won't repeatedly purchase spiritual materials in the short term, as long as the Hundred Treasures Shop's reputation spreads, there's no fear of not making money one day!

And how could Yan Buji have only this trick up his sleeve?

That would be seriously underestimating a merchant who rose from nothing to become the richest man in Lin Shan Cheng.

Doing business requires honest management; even though Yan Buji has no plan to raise prices in the short term, his anticipated source of income isn't these spiritual materials and herbs.

"As long as Wei Zifeng doesn't come looking for trouble over the shop's losses, with such a good location, once we get it running we'll make money—it won't even take a month." Yan Buji chuckled.