The guard went out and returned with a man from the Water Dragon Sect who had taken part in the mission. "Oh, pleased to meet you, warrior. The success of this mission is thanks to you. Here’s a small token of my appreciation," Luanchen picked the money pouch his servant brought to him, then handed it over to the man. "You are too kind, Master. I take it you’re new to this area? I’ve been around for a while but haven’t seen you before.” "I’ve only been here for less than two months. I intend to settle down here. It’s fortunate that the Water Dragon Sect is so kind. We’ll likely work together more in the future.” "Oh, and what kind of business do you plan to pursue? Perhaps I can offer some recommendations," the man pretended to ask. "Fengfu City is renowned for its herbs, so I plan to trade in herbs.” "Oh, I wish you success in your business.” They chatted for a while longer before the man took his leave. Luanchen watched him go. Once the man was gone, he then spoke disdainfully. "The Water Dragon Sect isn’t that impressive. They’re all just money-grubbing flatterers." Googlᴇ search 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕·𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎·𝚗𝚎𝚝 "That’s true. Everyone wants money. Now that we’ve dealt with the He family, it won’t be long before that pharmacy goes under. I think you should start your own pharmacy now, Father. At first, we can undercut their prices, and once they lose customers, they’ll have to shut down.” "True," Luanchen agreed with his daughter’s idea. Ten days later, a new pharmacy opened in Fengfu City. Rumors spread that this shop sold medicines at half the market price, including spirit pills of high tier. This created quite a buzz among the middlemen. Traders who used to do business with Ruyi Pharmacy and other local shops started ordering from this new shop instead. This new pharmacy was the Zhong Pharmacy, owned by Zhong Luanchen. "Hey, do you think the Zhong Pharmacy can make a profit selling their medicines so cheaply?" "I think selling at such low prices won’t just reduce their profits but will cause them losses." "Yeah, so why are they selling so cheaply?" "How should I know? Maybe it’s because they’re new and want to attract customers with the cheap prices. I’ve heard that even out-of-town traders are buying from Zhong Pharmacy. Even Ruyi Pharmacy can’t compete with their prices. Small pharmacies will probably have to shut down soon." "But they probably can’t keep their prices this low forever. They must be doing it just for the grand opening." "We’ll have to wait and see," the townsfolk were waiting to see how long the new pharmacy could maintain its low prices. Meanwhile, Master Tiao was invited to discuss this problem at the He Manor. Inside the reception hall were He Lei, Xincheng, and Master Tiao. At this moment, Master Tiao looked ten years older, with a grave expression on his face. "So, it turns out that Master Zhong wants to run a pharmacy business. Seeing that I’m allied with Master He, he sent people to harm Master He. Fortunately, he hired the Water Dragon Sect, and Young Master was able to help.” "Master Zhong has a suspicious background. I’ve sent people to investigate. We’ll know soon," Xincheng said. "Thank you very much, Young Master," He Lei expressed his gratitude sincerely. "No need to be so formal, Master He," Xincheng said. The He family had also done a great service for the Water Dragon Sect. If not for Zhenzhu, his mother might still be in a coma. "Master Tiao will have a tough time now, with the Zhong Pharmacy undercutting prices . I suggest reducing the production of your medicines. For the workers who are out of a job, send them over to the He family to work temporarily. Right now, Zhu’er is expanding the mulberry farm and needs a lot of labor," He Lei advised. Slowing down business also impacts the employees, as less trade means less work. Therefore, the He family would temporarily take them on as laborers to clear grass and turn over soil to expand mulberry farm. "Thank you very much, Master He." "It’s no trouble at all. We’re not strangers. We must help each other in times of need." "Oh, and where has Young Kid Zhu gone off to?" Master Tiao asked, having not seen Zhenzhu for several days. "She’s gone to check on the compost for the Governor. She’s probably at the end of the field now." "Compost? Young Kid Zhu is making compost for the Governor?" "Oh, you probably don’t know yet, Master Tiao. Our city is in the process of establishing the Fengfu City Farmers Association to promote more agricultural spirit energy cultivators and boost the economy. The Governor has already submitted a petition to the Emperor requesting a tax reduction. My family and I are supporting this by providing seeds and various management strategies. Now that I have been appointed to a special government position, it’s much easier to carry out these tasks," He Lei explained. "Hmm, the Fengfu City Farmers Association, you say? That means our city will have more spirit plants and herbs, right? That’s excellent. The pharmacy business will surely prosper," Master Tiao was not a selfish man. Although the establishment of the Fengfu City Farmers Association would increase the supply of spirit herbs, and thus more spirit pills for the pharmacies, he believed his store would remain strong as an ally of Master He. The quality of Master He’s spirit herbs was no ordinary, and Master He conducted business at fair price. Master Tiao was confident that no other pharmacy would be able to undercut their prices. "It seems the Water Dragon Sect should send people to do business with the people of Fengfu," Xincheng said, seeing the prosperous future of Fengfu City. "Why not? Our association will need middlemen. If a major sect like the Water Dragon Sect helps to distribute our products, it will be even more beneficial," He Lei said. "Thank you for your trust, Master He. I will definitely discuss this with the elders of my sect." "Thank you, Young Master.” "Until we catch the culprits, Zhu’er and I won’t be able to deliver herbs to you. I’ll have Xin Xi deliver them instead." "Alright, then I must take my leave." "Take care on your way back, Master Tiao. Be careful as well. We don’t know if that Master Zhong has hired more people from other places," He Lei warned with concern. "I’ll accompany Master Tiao back to the city. I’ll assign a shadow guard to protect him," Xincheng said. He was still staying in a rented house in Fengfu City to investigate Master Zhong. "Thank you, Young Master." Young Master Xincheng and Master Tiao left. He Lei then walked to the end of the field to check on his daughter’s compost. "Scoop it in, scoop it into the barrel and close the lid." "No, you need to add another portion of animal manure.” "That’s right, add another portion of Huichen grass now." "All done. All done, Now close it up and let it sit. As for those three large barrels, take them to the Governor Manor," Zhenzhu instructed the servants who were diligently helping her make the fertilizer. Making fertilizer from animal manure and fresh leaves was not difficult at all. She used everything available in the garden, including horse manure, cow manure, and chicken manure, mixed with a small amount of indigo-tier spiritual energized water. Interestingly, the fertilizer she created looked like ordinary compost. But a week after she applied it to a test plot of vegetables and watered it with non-spiritual energized water, the vegetables grew lush, with bright green leaves and thick stems, even developing a faint aura of blue-tier spirit energy. Zhenzhu was unsure how this spirit aura came about, but she speculated it might be due to the small amount of indigo-tier spiritual energized water she had added. This was excellent. Such results, when applied to the crops the townspeople were about to plant, would prevent them from getting too exhausted nurturing their plants. This compost would be exclusive to members of the Fengfu City Farmers Association. Initially, she would have the Governor distribute it to the townspeople for trial use. If it proved effective, they would naturally want to buy more. However, non-members of the Fengfu City Farmers Association would not have the right to purchase it. Whether the emperor agreed to reduce taxes or not would be of little consequence, as she already had an attractive offer to entice them. "Zhu’er, how is it? Did the fertilizer work well?" "It worked very well, Father. Look at this vegetable plot. I didn’t water it with spiritual energized water at all, yet it developed a faint blue-tier spirit energy aura, even if it’s not very strong." "Hmm, such good results." "Of course, Father. My compost must work well." "But the problem now is that our animal manure won’t be enough if we need to produce a large amount of fertilizer." The He family only had five horses and a pair of cows. She had already used all their manure for composting, and it wouldn’t be enough for large-scale production. "In that case, announce that we are buying animal manure. Our town has many herds of horses and cows. If we offer a good price, why wouldn’t people sell to us?" "I thought the same, Father. But we can’t handle buying ourselves right now. We’ll need to rely on Big Brother and Mother." Given that Lady Zhu and Master He were severely injured, they couldn’t go out to buy animal manure. "Alright, I’ll tell your mother to take care of the buying." "Good, Father. Once we establish the Fengfu City Farmers Association, I will propose you as the association’s president!" Zhenzhu smiled at her father, determined to make her father become the association’s president. "What is a president?" He Lei furrowed his brow. He had never heard the term before. Was a president like a manager? Zhenzhu’s smile faded instantly. She had forgotten that in these times, there was no such thing as a president. "Never mind about the president. Let’s just make you the head of the association." "I suppose that’s possible," He Lei murmured. By the beginning of the sixth month, the weather grew hotter. The vegetables, nourished by the rain, were flourishing and ready to be harvested. The drought had passed, and the capital of the Yan Region had regained its vibrancy. Yan Region was the fastest region to recover from the harsh winter and drought, thanks to the alleviating influence of Grandmaster Huo Bi’s painting. This painting now resided in the throne room as a testament to his great contribution. As a result of this event, Taizi proposed a water management system for the capital and initiated the construction of a large dam to store water for agricultural purposes. At night, the Jiri District in Yan’s capital, known for its ceaseless activity, lit up with lanterns hanging along the streets, illuminating the two main roads. These roads were lined with brothels, male brothels, theaters, dance houses, and taverns, attracting wandering martial artists and pleasure-seeking young men seeking entertainment to soothe their loneliness. Some courtesans, scantily clad, stood along the streets displaying their figures to lure guests into their brothels. Jiri District, a paradise for young men, hosted numerous competing brothels, all vying for their customers’ money. Thus, the trade of art and body were highly competitive business. Many owners intended to run such a business because they thought it was an easy business that came with high revenue. However, they frequently closed down their brothel shortly after opening, unable to attract patrons away from the larger brothels filled with beautiful women. The costs became unbearable, leading to their inevitable closure. One such establishment was the Manbao Brothel, located at the far end of this street. The Manbao Brothel, a long history brothel, had been in operation for 40 years and was once renowned, ranking among the top ten brothels. However, as new brothels sprang up, hiring beautiful women from other cities and training them to use their beautiful body and the performance arts to attract customers, Manbao Brothel’s fortunes waned significantly over the next decade. The madam worried that without customers, the Manbao Brothel would close within 1-2 years, just like many others. She tried to hire renowned beauties that she could afford, but they were quickly poached by competitors. Thus, the most famous and beautiful woman she had left was Meixing. A few months ago, however, she received word from an older relative who did business in Fengfu City. He claimed to know someone who could brew Yuchong liquor and wanted to sell it through her brothel. At first, she didn’t believe him. Who would brew Yuchong liquor and send it to be sold in another place? Yuchong liquor didn’t need to be sold at a brothel; simply placing it in a community area and opening the jar to let the aroma spread would have the travelers fiercely scrambling for just one jar of liquor. So, she did not really pay attention to her older relative’s words. But not long after, he sent her a batch of Yuchong liquor as promised. That day, she remembered it well. She received a jar of liquor from a courier service that brought it to her at dusk. The brothel had only a handful of customers inside. However, when she opened the jar of liquor, its fragrant aroma wafted outside on the breeze. She couldn’t believe her eyes as travelers, martial artists, and even high-ranking nobles from the brothel across the street rushed out and headed straight to her Manbao Brothel. That day, she realized that all her problems could be solved with that jar of liquor. Without delay, she wrote a letter to her older relative to discuss a contract for the liquor purchase and profit-sharing. Once the financial terms were settled, she received several more jars of Yuchong liquor. Since then, her Manbao Brothel, which was on the verge of closing, had regained its glory. Beauties from all over the city applied to become courtesans in her Manbao Brothel. Customers from far and wide reserved tables and seats on the days when Yuchong liquor was auctioned. During the weekly auctions, every table was occupied by wandering martial artists, nobles, young masters from prominent families, and sometimes even princes from the royal family. Within just a month, her Manbao Brothel had become the most renowned brothel in the city. In the madam’s mind, she wanted to auction Yuchong liquor every day to attract customers. However, she understood how rare Yuchong liquor was, and the rarer it was, the more valuable it became. But she had a small trick to ensure that customers came to her brothel every day. She would randomly hold a giveaway activity on someday, giving away one cup of Yuchong liquor. By drawing straws, one lucky customer would receive a cup of Yuchong liquor without having to spend a single coin. This event only occurred on certain days, depending on whether the customer was lucky enough to visit on a giveaway day. It was said that even a single cup of this liquor could leave the recipient enchanted, making it a story to tell for generations. Some lucky customers who drank Yuchong liquor even advanced their spirit energy tiers, going through the non-self phenomenon. Consequently, the Manbao Brothel never experienced a dull day as it had in the past. Today, the Manbao Brothel was set to auction Yuchong liquor again. On the stage at the front, which was built to showcase the talents of beautiful women, a small jar took the place. It was prominently displayed on the stage. All the customers watched it with eager, covetous eyes, each wanting to claim it as their own. Unfortunately, this Manbao Brothel had too many guards. They almost felt like they were in the royal palace. But it didn’t matter; with such a valuable item, it was no surprise that the madam hired guards to ensure its safety. "Welcome, gentlemen, to our Manbao Brothel. Today, as usual, we will be auctioning Yuchong liquor, the fine liquor just like the one in immortal’s realm. The one who tastes it would feel as if they were floating in a realm of immortals. Today, we have two jars of Yuchong liquor. The first jar will be auctioned alongside a beautiful lady, while the second jar will be auctioned by itself. Without further ado, let us begin the auction. The beauty for today is Miss Meixing, the most renowned beauty of Manbao Brothel. We will start the bidding at 300 taels." The auction on the stage proceeded step by step, with the bidding price rising steadily. Beside the stage, many beauties watched the customers’ bidding competition with interest. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en