Banshee Family Training Record

Page 85

"Oh, Chu'an, what's wrong with you?" She was extremely anxious. She came forward and held his shoulder with concern, unable to imagine what he had been doing these past few days.

"It's nothing, Fifth Sister." His eyes widened, his excitement startling. "Hey—I did it!"

These words made the fox spirit jump up and down in a panic: "What do you mean, 'become'?! I think you've gone mad! Stop talking, listen to your sister, come over here and lie down, let your sister see what's wrong with you!"

She was extremely anxious and couldn't even crack a joke. With her help, Yun Chu'an lay down on the recliner next to her, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself, "It's nothing, Fifth Sister, I just... haha, I studied the Thunder Technique that I tricked Huang Mang out of him a while ago and got some new insights, haha."

He couldn't even tell her the truth now, even though he was sure Hua Caiyan wouldn't betray him. He couldn't be sure if his mother-in-law would have some means to find out what she knew.

Hua Caiyan looked at him unfriendly: "So you ended up like this?"

Yun Chu'an closed his eyes and gave an awkward laugh: "Haha, I accidentally overdid it during practice and shocked myself twice, which is why I look like this. It's nothing, just a minor injury."

Immediately, the fox angrily cursed, "You're testing your new magic without even asking someone to protect you? So risky! Fine, go ahead and electrocute yourself. If you die, I'll be a widow with Meng Shen and Qi Qiao!"

She grumbled as she ran around, bringing him warm water and medicine to treat his wounds. Yun Chu'an closed his eyes, enjoying her care. Even though the little fox kept grumbling, his heart was warmed.

After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Fifth Sister, do you still have any spirit stones?"

Hua Caiyan was taken aback, then asked in confusion, "Yes, how much do you want?"

She really didn't understand. Hadn't he just made a fortune a few days ago? Why did he want something new now?

"I've estimated it, and we're still short 500,000 low-grade spirit stones," he said. "Fifth Sister, please help me out."

He needs to dissipate his cultivation and start anew, abandoning his current Pure Yang Technique and then cultivating the Divine Firmament Thunder Control True Technique (Part 1). This process requires a massive amount of spirit stones. According to the system's estimate, even with his current reserves, he would need another 500,000 spirit stones to complete the cultivation.

Upon hearing the number, Hua Caiyan jumped up in anger: "Five hundred thousand? What do you need so many spirit stones for?"

"It's useful. I need to practice something." He smiled, currently immersed in the joy of having mastered the technique, and didn't hide anything from her. "Fifth Sister, is it here?"

Hua Caiyan spat: "No, kill me and sell me by weight, sell as much as you can!"

Yun Chu'an sighed, "That's a bit troublesome..."

His face was filled with worry. Seeing him like this, Hua Caiyan, who had originally wanted to continue scolding him, softened her heart and her tone became gentle. She repeatedly advised, "Okay, okay, I know. Can you close your eyes and rest for a bit? I'll go ask Fourth Sister if she has any ideas. 500,000 low-grade spirit stones... Good heavens, even for those aristocratic families, that's not a small amount."

Yun Chu'an closed his eyes and reached out to hug her small waist: "Fifth Sister, you've worked so hard, sigh... ah..."

He sighed, and although he closed his eyes, his mind continued to work.

He actually had a way to make money, but it also carried huge risks.

After all, that member of the Gongsun family is playing a trick to artificially create scarcity, and the next step is to drive up prices, forcing independent cultivators to spend high prices to purchase life-saving magic weapons, pills and other items.

If he were to try and sell the Vajra Talisman at this moment, he would inevitably run into these guys' guns.

but……

Chapter 202 Today, I'm going to offend you all.

Looking at the cultivation techniques and incantations in the system, recalling the immense pressure You Wensi exerted, and thinking about the events that had happened in the family in recent days, Yun Chu'an couldn't help but sigh softly.

Even if you don't provoke trouble, will it stop coming to you?

There's no escaping it, and it's impossible to escape it. This isn't the past life; it's impossible to live a peaceful and tranquil life here.

The Gongsun family...

There's no way around it, this time I'm going to offend you all.

He had already made up his mind.

After working so hard for so many days, he was exhausted. Under Hua Caiyan's care, he quickly fell asleep and drifted off to sleep.

Around noon, he slowly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found Hua Caiyan and Liu Mengshen beside him, watching over him closely. Seeing that he had woken up, the two girls couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and then they complained.

Hua Caiyan had already prepared some food for him. After she finished complaining, she helped him wash up and asked Liu Mengshen to heat up the food. She then sat on either side of him while he ate.

As Yun Chu'an ate, he refined his plan. He inquired about the whereabouts of his fourth sister, Hua Caiyan, and learned that she was not even in her cave, but had probably gone to take care of his eldest sister, who was still hiding.

Knowing how busy she was, and that he couldn't rely on this woman for the time being, he immediately made a decision.

“Then let’s not look for Fourth Sister,” he said. “Fifth Sister, we’ll figure out the 500,000 spirit stones ourselves.”

"Tonight, let's go back to the Field Mouse's house first. They've already trained a group of very skilled cultivators there. Now that we have plenty of spirit stones and materials, let's open the seal!"

……

A few more days.

Weihe Fangshi.

Gongsun Yong sat in front of his regular stall, a smug look on his face.

Today, the prices of various life-saving magical artifacts, elixirs, talismans, and other items in the market have increased by at least three times, and there is no market for them, with huge potential for further price increases.

Many independent cultivators, though eager to venture into the mountains to slay the snake demon and earn merit, faced utter insecurity regarding their lives and livelihoods. Helpless, even with these items being extremely expensive, they could only grit their teeth and endure their frustration as they came to the Gongsun family to purchase them.

Gongsun Yong then took the opportunity to adopt a scarcity marketing strategy, selling only a limited number of life-saving magic treasures each day, which caused the rogue cultivators who wanted to go into the mountains to slay the snake to scramble for them, and the price could be sold even higher.

In just the past few days, thanks to the inflated prices, he has been earning tens of thousands of spirit stones every day, and that number is still rising.

Based on this trend, it's expected that in a few days, daily income will exceed 100,000, which will be no problem at all!

"Young master, you have truly remarkable skills! We are extremely impressed. How could you come up with such a brilliant idea!"

Behind him, a group of servants flattered him, making him even happier. Recalling the hardships of the past few days, he let out a long breath. Since he could now earn back many times over, all his previous massive investments, the favors he owed, and the tireless work day and night were all worthwhile!

I've gone to such lengths to buy goods and keep the news under wraps; these spirit stones are all rightfully mine!

He thought to himself, feeling smug, but as he recalled these past few days, a face suddenly popped into his mind, making him feel extremely uncomfortable and nauseous.

"What a pity about that guy selling Vajra Talismans that day!" he gritted his teeth in resentment. "How come I never knew he existed? He made me lose so much face!"

Behind them, the servants looked at each other, then said one after another, "Young master, please don't mind. That person is probably from out of town, and we don't know him."

“In business, such accidents happen often, and presumably he only has that much stuff on hand. He sold it all at once, so he doesn’t pose any threat to us now.”

As they spoke, they all laughed: "Young master, your plan, overall, was fraught with danger but proceeded quite smoothly."

After a round of flattery, Gongsun Yong's expression finally softened. He nodded slightly in agreement, saying, "Hmm, he probably has no other tricks up his sleeve. Luckily, he didn't ruin my plans, otherwise, I wouldn't have let him off the hook!"

As he spoke, he suddenly frowned, glanced around, and muttered to himself, "Strange, why are there so few visitors today? No, the demand for life-saving tools among rogue cultivators shouldn't be this low..."

Before he could finish speaking, one of his attendants suddenly appeared from a short distance away, walking on water and rushing to his side in a panic. He said hurriedly, "Young master, something terrible has happened! That guy who sold the Vajra Talismans the other day, he's here again!"

Upon hearing this, Young Master Gongsun's expression changed drastically: "What?!"

He couldn't believe his ears: "How many did he bring?!"

The man swallowed hard: "At least, there should be another five hundred..."

This number caused Gongsun Yong's heart and lungs to stop. Although drawing talismans is slightly simpler than making magic weapons, it's impossible for a Qi Refining stage cultivator to produce another five hundred Vajra Talismans in just a few days, given their powerful effects!

This guy is definitely not alone. There must be some kind of family behind him deliberately targeting his business, trying to make him lose everything!

He glanced at the stalls behind him. Although they had made a lot of money in the past few days, they had invested a total of over a million low-grade spirit stones in order to clear out the market, and they had not yet broken even.

If he were to let the other party sell their products now, and the independent cultivators had developed ways to protect themselves and stopped buying from him, then he would have lost everything!

We can't even pay back the debts we incurred for this trip!

"Damn it!"

Gongsun Yong's eyes burned brightly, as if they were engulfed in raging flames: "Where is he now? You go first and keep an eye on him. I'm going to ask the Dragon Clan for some shrimp soldiers and crab generals. We absolutely cannot let him sell talismans in peace today!"

The man hurriedly led the way, and Gongsun Yong waved his hand, heading straight for Yun Chuan's stall.

At this moment, the area was packed with customers, three layers deep, making it almost impossible to move. News from the mountains was arriving daily; cultivators were discovering new clues, eliminating demon cultivators connected to the snake demons, or bringing back snake demon heads, and then claiming generous rewards.

These achievements made them envious, but they hadn't prepared enough life-saving supplies, so they didn't dare to go into the mountains to investigate and exterminate the enemy. They also didn't want to buy the expensive life-saving treasures from the Gongsun family, which were several times more expensive. They had been extremely anxious these past few days.

Finally, today, Yun Chu'an suddenly appeared and brought a new Vajra Talisman. Immediately, the rogue cultivators were like parched soil receiving rain, or wild wolves that had been starving for several days, all of them howling!

"I want five medium-grade ones, quick, I need them now!"

"I want seven high-grade and fifteen mid-grade cards. Boss, round it down to twenty thousand spirit stones, how about that!"

"Alright, alright, take your time. Everyone, please don't cut in line. One at a time, so we don't miscalculate..."

……

The noise was incessant, and Hua Caiyan ran back and forth, helping to shout and maintain order, settle accounts, and let everyone come one after another.

Yun Chuan's talismans were more popular than expected, mainly because the premium for life-saving magic treasures was too high.

For example, before the market was so hot, the kind of self-defense bracelet that Zhu Yunqing bought for Yun Chuan could sell for as high as 20,000 to 30,000 spirit stones; now, due to the Gongsun family creating a shortage and speculating on the price, it has risen to 100,000 spirit stones!

Indeed, such magical treasures are useful for a long time and can even be passed down as family heirlooms to future generations. They can be used for decades without any problem. However, most cultivators are only interested in the current craze of besieging the Yellow Python. Once the hype dies down, they will no longer participate. Even if they buy magical treasures, they will not use them more than a few times. After that, they will probably just sit in their storage bags and collect dust, and they will not need them for a long time!

Chapter 203 A woman disguised as a man? Who is she?

Not to mention, the quality of magical artifacts varies, and they are also at risk of being damaged in battle. In comparison, even if you buy a dozen or twenty talismans for self-defense, it only costs ten or twenty thousand spirit stones, making the cost-effectiveness exceptionally high.

Yun Chuan prepared more high-grade talismans this time and did not take the opportunity to raise prices. Everyone understood the costs and benefits, so their spirits were naturally even higher.

The servants of the Gongsun family had already arrived around and were secretly observing. They watched as stacks of talismans were sold, and tens of thousands of them went into the stall owner's pocket. One after another, the rogue cultivators turned around and went into the mountain with satisfaction and smiles on their faces. At that moment, their hearts were bleeding.

What a tragedy! These talismans are only sold for this price, and all the precious spirit stones have ended up in the pockets of rogue cultivators!

Their hearts were bleeding, but the rogue cultivators were in high spirits and outnumbered them, so they dared not do anything and could only anxiously wait for their young master to arrive.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Suddenly, waves surged in the distance, and a crab the size of an elephant suddenly swam sideways toward them: "Dragon Palace soldiers are here to maintain order. All irrelevant people, disperse!"

Behind him, several lobsters as large as elephants followed closely, parting the crowd. The rogue cultivators naturally dared not contend with these lobsters and crabs, and had no choice but to disperse. The once bustling transaction was thus interrupted.

The giant crab walked up to Yun Chu'an, its two small eyes looking down at him condescendingly, and said, "You have violated the relevant laws. Come with us!"

Yun Chuan squinted and used his Qi Observation Technique to see that the crab leading the group was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, while the lobsters following behind were generally at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining.

Hua Caiyan stepped back behind him, frowning as she looked at the crab, and whispered, "It must be the Gongsun family who sent it! Oh dear, why haven't the people you sent arrived yet?"

Yun Chu'an said softly, "No rush," and was about to speak up to defend himself when a clear male voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Oh, General Crab, may I ask what rule this fellow Daoist has broken? Please tell me!"

They were taken aback. Hua Caiyan turned her head and saw that it was a young nobleman who wore a black round hat, a yellow mandarin jacket, and a folding fan in his hand. He looked low-key yet luxurious.

The hunchbacked old man was still following behind him, just like the two people that Hua Caiyan suspected were women disguised as men that day!

Immediately, she leaned close to Yun Chu'an's ear and whispered, "It's those two people!"

Yun Chu'an also noticed it. He remained calm, but the expressions of the many rogue cultivators around him were excited, clearly indicating that this man had spoken their minds.

The crab general narrowed his eyes, staring at the tall man: "Who are you? I have evidence that he broke the rules. Are you here to cause trouble?"

The tall man smiled, but remained calm: "My name is Gao Tianci. I come from the capital. I heard that trade here is booming recently and the prices of all kinds of goods are rising, so I came to try my luck."

"I am new here and do not know the rules. I see that this gentleman has all the necessary documents, which are placed on the lotus leaf. I do not know where the violation is. I hope that General Crab can explain the ins and outs so that I will not make a similar mistake when doing business in the future."

His words immediately resonated with the other rogue cultivators: "That's right, tell me, where did he break the rules!"

"Make it clear, otherwise we won't be able to convince the public. If we take people away like this without any explanation, who will dare to sell things here in the future!"

"Did you take money from the Gongsun family? Seeing that his scheme to inflate prices had failed, you came to arrest people on his behalf?"

……

Voices rose and fell from the crowd, and a few words struck at his weak spot, instantly enraging the crab general: "Shut up! I have always acted with integrity and honesty, and have never done anything so underhanded!"

As he spoke, he raised his head, looked down at Yun Chu'an, and said condescendingly, "We've been keeping an eye on this man for a long time. He sells in large quantities in the Weihu Market, making huge profits, but he has never paid a single penny of tax!"

“The State of Jin has long had a rule that taxes must be paid at different rates depending on the profits from spirit stones. The Dragon King and the Duke had an agreement on this, and we are responsible for oversight. So today, I am not here on behalf of Weihu Market to arrest him; I am here on behalf of the high-ranking officials of the State of Jin to take him down!”

He spoke with righteous indignation and awe-inspiring conviction, and the surrounding crowd immediately fell silent. Not only Yun Chu'an, but none of them had paid for this item; if they were to be severely punished, they would likely all be arrested.

Yun Chu'an was prepared and was about to defend himself when he saw the man who called himself "Gao Tianci" turn his head and ask the short old man behind him, "Oh, teacher, is that so? I heard that things seem to have changed a long time ago?"

The old man coughed lightly and then said, "In February of last year, the seventh article of the agreement reached between the Duke of Jin and the Dragon King of the Wei River clearly stated that in order to reduce the burden of cultivation for Qi Refining stage cultivators and increase the efficiency and vitality of commerce, all transactions that take place in the Wei Lake market using low-grade spirit stones will be exempt from taxation."

He spoke as if these treaties were written by his own hand, as if he could recite them from memory.

Upon hearing this, the tall man laughed and looked at the crab general: "That's how I remember it too. The Duke supports the Dragon King and also cares for rogue cultivators, so he specially set up this place as a tax-free zone. What, could it be that for more than a year, the Dragon King has not fulfilled his contract with the Duke at all and has been levying taxes on these trades that use low-grade spirit stones?"

As she spoke, a playful glint in her eyes. The giant crab panicked. Of course, they hadn't actually confiscated him. They had just been taking advantage of the fact that Yun Chu'an might not know these things, finding a reason to arrest him, and then, once this was over, they would say they had made a mistake and release him.

At worst, he could just apologize and compensate him with tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones, and that would have been the end of it. But unexpectedly, such a troublemaker has appeared here, picking on him like this!

He immediately flew into a rage and made up another reason on the spot: "This general received a report that the raw materials for this talisman contain human blood, and it is suspected to be the product of evil cultivators. All of you, come with me, including you, for protecting members suspected of being evil cultivators!"

His enormous pincers pointed at the tall man who called himself "Gao Tianci" and his teacher. The latter raised an eyebrow, about to lash out, when a Zen voice came from afar: "Amitabha, this humble monk is curious, when did our Buddhist sect become a heretical and demonic path?"

Upon hearing this, a path spontaneously parted in the crowd, and the monk Huijing, draped in a kasaya and with his hands clasped together, walked up to Yun Chuan'an as if he were standing up for him.

Upon seeing the monk, Yun Chu'an's face lit up with joy: "Master, you've come!"