Chapter 159

Not long after.

Hu Jiushisan again finished counting all the talismans Wang Ping'an had handed over; they were fewer than two hundred, but there were as many as one hundred eighty-nine.

Knowing that Wang Ping'an could not possibly bring out more talismans to sell, he breathed a sigh of relief, yet deep down he also felt regret.

Before and after, he produced stack after stack of talismans, a full seven hundred eighty-nine, completely exhausting the savings of himself, Niuda, and Zhu wu, these two poor devils.

If Wang Ping'an were to bring out even more talismans, they probably wouldn't have enough Low-grade Spirit Stones to purchase them.

Just that.

If Wang Ping'an had more talismans to sell, it could earn even more.

"You two poor devils, I really don't know whether doing business together with you is right or wrong!"

Hu Jiushisan put away the talismans in his hand, finished counting the low-grade spirit stones that Niuda and Zhu wu had combined; there were over a hundred, but not enough to reach one hundred eighty-nine.

Fortunately.

It still had some Low-grade Spirit Stones in its storage bag!

Hu Jiushisan gathered one hundred eighty-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones, likewise placed them in a cloth bag, handed it to Wang Ping'an, and said respectfully:

"Fellow Daoist, there are one hundred eighty-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones here; please count them!"

Before it even finished speaking, Wang Ping'an, just as he had done several times before, casually took the cloth bag it handed over, didn't even open it, let alone check the Low-grade Spirit Stones inside, and directly stored it in his storage bag.

To be honest, I've never seen such a magnanimous businessman as Wang Ping'an.

Unlike the merchants I've encountered before, whether human or monster, they are all nitpicky, grudging even to split a single Low-grade Spirit Stone into two.

However, upon thinking about it, the sheer volume of talismans Wang Ping'an produced—seven hundred eighty-nine—explains why he isn't petty.

For them, earning spirit stones is easier than eating!

How could they possibly care whether the Low-grade Spirit Stones are many or few?

Moreover.

If, in this transaction, it dared to tamper with the payment, given Wang Ping'an's temperament, not only would there be no next transaction with it, but it might even seek an opportunity to end its life.

Even two Evil Cultivators who dare to kill and plunder are no match for Wang Ping'an, let alone when the Evil Cultivators launch a surprise attack…

Although.

The surprise attack turned into a head‑on clash with the two Evil Cultivators; it's unclear whether they didn't take Wang Ping'an seriously or if Wang Ping'an's counter‑ambush skills are top‑notch.

Anyway.

No matter which scenario, the only possible outcome for it facing Wang Ping'an's attack is:

That is a dead end!

Hu Jiushisan watched Wang Ping'an put away the cloth bag and stride toward the market; if Wang Ping'an had no ill will toward it, it would almost wish to lie flat on the ground.

Let Wang Ping'an squander it!

At this moment, in its eyes, Wang Ping'an is like a wealth deity; being 'squandered' by a wealth deity—how could that be considered squandering?

That is purely a blessing!

Hu Jiushisan enthusiastically said: "Fellow Daoist, I, Hu Jiushisan, still have some reputation in this market; if anyone dares to bully you, just report my name, and even if my name isn't effective, I would even go beg the ancestors to make sure you aren't wronged."

As for the fee for Wang Ping'an to enter the market?

It wouldn't charge Wang Ping'an any fee; if Wang Ping'an were willing to come every day, it could even give him a fee.

Unfortunately.

It knows this is impossible!

Niuda watched Wang Ping'an's disappearing back and couldn't help but exclaim excitedly: "Hu Jiushisan, with so many talismans, how many Low-grade Spirit Stones do you think we can earn?"

"After deducting costs, you and Zhu wu each take ten percent of the profit; no matter how much you can earn, I'll make sure you don't lose out."

Hu Jiushisan said expressionlessly: "Ten percent?"

Niuda glared at Hu Jiushisan with a ferocious face, wishing to devour him alive, and shouted angrily:

"What gives you the right to take eighty percent? It's just a matter of talking to that fellow Daoist; there's nothing particularly strenuous about it—anyone could do it—so what qualifies you to take eighty percent?"

Zhu wu pulled Niuda aside, saying: "Niuda bro, Niuda bro, don't be like that; earning ten percent profit is already a gain, and Hu Jiushisan taking eighty percent is because he's capable."

"He's capable—what capability does he have? Is it just that he's good with his words?"

Niuda's inner anger flared instantly, and he said: "If it dares to take eighty percent of the profit, we'll settle for just ten percent to send it off; at worst, we'll fight to the death, and we'll see who loses."

"Fish die, net break?"

Hu Jiushisan let out a cold chuckle, as if hearing a heavenly joke, looked scornfully at Niuda, and mocked:

"You're not even worthy of a 'fish die, net break' with me; if you want to try, go ahead and see who loses; by then you won't even get that ten percent profit, I might not get the eighty percent either, but I'll definitely not lose out."

If yesterday, as it had guessed, Wang Ping'an might come to the Jiu tou shan ji shi market only once every one or two months, or even longer, it might genuinely have worried about Niuda's "fish die, net break" scenario.

But Wang Ping'an came yesterday and again today; yesterday he sold over a hundred talismans, and today he directly produced over seven hundred talismans for sale.

This shows that Wang Ping'an has a steady source of goods and treats this as a long‑term business.

This novel you have reached.

Over the next two or three months, selling large quantities of talismans at the Jiu tou shan ji shi market, its fellow clan members might grow envious, but they wouldn't say much.

Who doesn't have some way to make money?

But if it continues to sell large quantities of talismans over a long period,

if it doesn't inform the clan elders, it's likely that in the future it won't have any good outcomes.

During that time, it will inevitably have to pay some price!

If it weren't for the long‑standing friendship with Niuda and Zhu wu—of course, these two are also useful to it—how could it possibly give them only a ten percent share?

Yet Niuda still doesn't know what's good for him!

Looking at it this way, it seems to want a fifty‑fifty split, which is nothing short of daydreaming.

"Are you trying to scare me?"

Niuda let out a cold snort, turned around, about to leave.

"Niubro, Niubro, you must absolutely not act impulsively, you must absolutely not let both sides suffer total loss!"

Zhu wu hurriedly embraced Niuda, who was about to leave, knowing that he might have been provoked by Hu Jiushisan and was truly ready to let both sides suffer total loss.

Never would have imagined.

Hu Jiushisan would actually say such words!

Completely unconcerned about both sides suffering total loss.

In Zhu wu's mind, countless speculations surfaced, utterly puzzled—yesterday Hu Jiushisan clearly worried about both sides suffering total loss, yet today he didn't even take it seriously.

Suddenly.

A flash of inspiration crossed Zhu wu's mind, roughly understanding why Hu Jiushisan acted this way, and he said:

"Hu bro, how about this: we don't want your ten percent profit; you sell us talismans cheaply, we'll sell them ourselves, how many low-grade spirit stones we make and how much we earn is our own business—what do you think?"

"On what basis......"

Before Hu Jiushisan could speak, Niuda let out an unhappy snort; his words weren't even finished when Zhu wu, with a mournful face, said:

"Niubro, what else could it be based on? Naturally it's because Hu bro bears the surname Hu—this Jiu tou shan ji shi market belongs to the Hu family, so he naturally has the right to stand there and make money!"

(End of chapter)