Crafting an Immortal Race with Daily Hexagrams-Chapter 270 - 186: Southern Border (Part 4)

"Rest assured."

The father and son chatted leisurely in the courtyard for half an hour before a Shen Family disciple hurriedly approached and bowed.

"Patriarch, Miss Shen and Immortal Master Zhang have reached an agreement, and they’re asking for you to come over."

Reached an agreement?

A hint of joy appeared on Shen Wenxing’s face. He immediately handed Shen Xiuzhuo over to Shen Chongming and walked towards the front yard.

At the mansion’s main gate, Zhang Shen had already emerged from the guest room, engaging in a casual chat with Shen Wenping. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Seeing Shen Wenxing approach, Zhang Shen smiled and said, "Brother Shen, if your sister were not a mere woman unable to cultivate, she would be more suited for the position of Shen Family Patriarch than you."

"Oh?"

Shen Wenxing glanced at his sister, somewhat surprised that Zhang Shen would offer such an assessment.

"Immortal Master, you’re joking." Shen Wenping smiled sweetly and said, "I am merely adept at seeking small gains; when it comes to the bigger picture, I am far inferior to my brother."

Zhang Shen nodded with a smile, feeling quite moved inside.

In the years he had known the Shen Family, he always thought the eldest, Shen Wenxing, was a calm and resourceful man, good at managing the family, a rare talent.

The late second son, Shen Wenyan, though not often in the spotlight, had made a stunning impact in the battle at Hundred Beasts Mountain.

The third son, Shen Wen’an, needs no further explanation—recognized as a young genius in Sword Dao, with the bearing of a Sword Immortal.

Yet today, after conversing with this unknown Miss Shen, Zhang Shen suddenly realized that Shen Wenping, though a mere woman with a mortal body, possessed a wisdom that rivaled Shen Wenxing, the Patriarch of the Shen Family.

Her courage even surpassed his!

Suppressing his emotions, he slightly bowed and said, "Miss Shen, everything is decided. I will start making arrangements upon my return. I hope our two families can cooperate well."

Shen Wenping smiled and slightly bowed, saying, "Rest assured, Immortal Master Zhang, the Celestial Talisman Sect will not suffer a loss this time."

Zhang Shen nodded, bowed again to the two, and then left the Shen Family using Wind Manipulation.

As he departed into the distance, Shen Wenxing couldn’t wait to ask, "How did you negotiate with the Celestial Talisman Sect, dear sister?"

When Shen Wenping asked him to arrange a meeting with Zhang Shen, he had guessed her intentions.

However, he felt uneasy because this matter involved many complexities, and the foreseeable profit seemed minimal.

Shen Wenping looked at him with a gentle smile and said, "The Shen Family will provide Spirit Shuttle Grass to the Celestial Talisman Sect for free, and the numerous Talismans they produce will be sold by our Shen Family at thirty percent below market price."

"The Spirit Crystals gained will be split fifty-fifty between the two families."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenxing was quite surprised.

The process of making Talismans is very complex, requiring Spirit Paper and Spiritual Ink, all of which come at a cost.

Selling them at thirty percent below market price already leaves little profit, and the Spirit Crystals obtained are to be split evenly with the Shen Family.

Calculated this way, even if the Shen Family provides the Spirit Shuttle Grass for free, the profit for the Celestial Talisman Sect would be negligible.

Would Zhang Shen really be so foolish to agree to this?

He voiced his doubts.

Shen Wenping smiled and said, "One must not only look at the surface of things."

She briefly explained the key points after organizing her thoughts.

The Celestial Talisman Sect specializes in Talisman crafting, and their disciples must draw many low-tier Talismans in their daily practice.

Those low-tier Talismans, when unused for a long time, have their Spiritual Power dissipate, weakening considerably, and end up discarded—a waste.

For this reason, no matter how wealthy, the Celestial Talisman Sect cannot let their disciples freely practice with Spirit Paper and Spiritual Ink.

However, without using Spirit Paper and Spiritual Ink, the subtle changes influencing Talisman power—like Spiritual Power fluctuations and distribution—are hard to grasp.

Now, with the Shen Family providing Spirit Shuttle Grass for making Spirit Paper for free, and a market to sell those low-tier Talismans, Celestial Talisman Sect disciples gain ample practice opportunities while recovering costs and gaining some profit.

This interplay results in a profit much greater than what appears on the surface.

Shen Wenping smiled slightly and said:

"The Celestial Talisman Sect values market share and reputation as I mentioned."

"By capturing a significant portion of the low-tier Talisman market, other Immortal Sects and factions find it hard to sell their Talismans. Later, the Celestial Talisman Sect can profit from its mid-to-high-level Talismans."

Shen Wenxing was quite astonished after hearing this.

He truly had never considered such intricacies.

After pausing in thought, he asked, "Have you calculated how much profit the Shen Family could earn in a year from this collaboration with the Celestial Talisman Sect?"

At Jinghe Market, Shen Wenping had instructed people to gather some data.

He vaguely guessed that his sister must have been able to estimate the profits.

Shen Wenping nodded slightly and said, "I had people inquire among the cultivators entering the market; forty percent had a demand for low-tier Talismans."

"The specialized allocation for Attack Talismans, Defense Talismans, and other unique Talismans will have to wait for future analysis."

"As for the profits, initial estimates suggest four to five dozen Spirit Crystals in the first year and, once capturing the entire market, potentially reaching two hundred Spirit Crystals annually."

She suddenly smiled while speaking.

"These are just sales from Talismans. Including customers brought to our shops via Talisman sales, who might also buy our Shen Family’s Spirit Fruits or Spirit Ore, the profits could be much higher."

"Alright, big brother, you must quickly start growing the Spirit Shuttle Grass so we don’t delay our Spirit Crystal earnings."

Shen Wenxing grinned, patting his chest.

"Rest assured, leave it to me, brother!"

The cultivation of Spirit Shuttle Grass is quite demanding, initially requiring Spiritual Spring Water for germination and careful nurturing by cultivators.