82: Grand opening promotion

Half a month later.

In the Talisman crafting room, Lu Ming once again inserted a Spirit Stone into the Puppet's chest.

"This kind of consumption is completely disproportionate. It seems the matter of the Bloodspring cannot be delayed any longer."

The magical power consumed these days while drawing Talismans all came from Spirit Stone support.

Lu Ming gradually realized that such a cost expenditure was a bit too high, and the net profit might not be as much as he imagined.

Extended endurance needed to be put on the agenda.

After completing the spiritual refinement of the last Talismans, Lu Ming did not continue.

In the past half-month, he had refined many Medium Grade first-order Talismans, such as Vajra Talisman, Geng Metal Sword Talisman, and Flame Burst Talisman.

As for High Grade first-order Talismans, he currently only knew three: Water Prison Talisman, Water Shield Talisman, and Ice Blade Talisman.

These were no longer very useful once his cultivation was sufficient.

Picking up the Talismans, Lu Ming walked downstairs.

However, seeing the scene inside the shop, Lu Ming couldn't help but frown.

The main hall was deserted; there were only a few people inside, and they left after just looking around.

It was vastly different from the other Talisman shops he had seen. While it might not be bustling, it shouldn't be so dismal.

Zhou Kang noticed Lu Ming coming downstairs at this moment and quickly scurried over.

"Brother Han... Shopkeeper."

He originally wanted to call him Brother Han, but then remembered his father's warning.

"Without rules, there is no order. Since you are under someone else's roof, you must not overstep. You must know your place and address him as Shopkeeper during working hours."

So he changed his address at the last minute.

Lu Ming didn't pay attention to these details, but instead asked,

"Why are there so few customers in the shop?"

Lu Ming somewhat suspected that Zhou Kang and the others didn't know how to do business, and he might have overestimated them.

"Shopkeeper, it's probably like this when we first open. The main reason is that we don't have much reputation, and many Cultivators still prefer to go to familiar shops."

Zhou Kang gave a bitter smile. He saw the business in the shop and was anxious about it.

After all, their salaries were linked to performance; the more they sold, the more they earned.

His father, Dao Companion, and even his own son had gone out to attract customers for this matter, but the results were not satisfactory.

So he thought this was due to the recent opening. Perhaps when their reputation grew in the future, customers might increase.

After all, as the saying goes, good wine needs no bush.

Lu Ming walked out of the shop and glanced at Spirit Talisman Shop and Green Talisman Abode not far away.

Cultivators came and went there, forming a stark contrast to the desolate scene at Ink Talisman Pavilion.

Lu Ming fell into contemplation.

What Zhou Kang said was indeed reasonable; reputation was very important. The other shops had been in Immortal City for who knows how long, and repeat customers were certainly not few.

For a new shop, when prices were similar, Cultivators would naturally prefer to go to familiar places.

Even if Ink Talisman Pavilion's Talismans were of superior quality, who would know if they didn't come in?

Thinking of this, Lu Ming's lips curled into a smile.

He took out a wooden board from his Storage Pouch and quickly wrote a line of text on it.

【Grand Opening Sale! 20% Off Everything (Bold)! Discounts for stepping inside! Only three days, miss it and wait a year! Limited edition Talismans, first come, first served!!!】

After writing, Lu Ming carefully re-examined it, and once he confirmed there were no issues, he handed the wooden board to Zhou Kang.

"Hang this in the most conspicuous place in front of the shop door."

"Ah, this..."

Zhou Kang was a bit bewildered. What kind of strategy was the Shopkeeper employing?

Seeing his lack of movement, Lu Ming patiently explained,

"It's true that good wine needs no bush, but the premise is that someone can smell it.

Cultivators are a group of refined egoists; it's better to offer them benefits than to try and reason with them."

Zhou Kang was not a foolish person; he understood these principles.

However, in his perception, offering benefits was like cutting off a piece of his own flesh.

In fact, not only did he think this way, but the vast majority of people in the cultivation world did as well; it had become the norm.

Especially those Cultivators who owned shops, once they had their own businesses, they considered themselves superior in status.

After a long time, they became accustomed to being condescending, and their attitude towards Loose Cultivators was: buy if you want, otherwise get lost.

Offer benefits? Are you kidding me?

Lu Ming didn't think Zhou Kang was pedantic either. If he wasn't eager to make money quickly, he could also bide his time and build his reputation.

After all, Cultivators had long lifespans, and there were no worries about the internet impacting brick-and-mortar businesses like before his Transmigration.

Lu Ming patted Zhou Kang's shoulder.

"Just do as I say. Don't feel like you're losing much; small profits lead to high sales."

Although Zhou Kang was still somewhat reluctant, he did not refute Lu Ming.

However, he still asked,

"Shopkeeper, will the prices return to normal after three days?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the words Lu Ming had written on the wooden board.

Lu Ming smiled slightly, did not answer, but instead took out several identical wooden boards and began to write.

【Last three days, last three days! Massive clearance sale, 20% off everything, 20% off across the board!!!】

【Buy early, enjoy early; come late, no discount! First come, first served, don't miss out!!!】

【Clearance sale, regardless of cost, not a single one left, limited quantity, limited time, super value offer, come and buy now!】

【The owner and my Dao Companion ran off...】

...

At this moment, Zhou Kang was already dumbfounded.

It took him quite a while to come back to his senses.

He also understood that continuing like this was meaningless. If not a single Talisman could be sold, what was the point of talking about profit?

Perhaps there would be improvement in the future, but how long would that future be?

A year?

Or five years?

Unsold Talismans were no different from waste paper. Only by converting them into Spirit Stones and putting them into his pocket could they be considered valuable.

He now admired this Shopkeeper Han immensely, never expecting that he, as a Talisman Master, would also be so proficient in the Dao of making money.

So Zhou Kang cupped his fists towards Lu Ming.

"Shopkeeper, you are a great talent!"

Lu Ming waved his hand, not thinking much of it.

Although he wasn't in sales before his Transmigration, he had seen too many tricks.

There was a shop downstairs from him that had been having a 'going out of business' sale for twenty years, and even after he Transmigrated, it was still having one.

Although he knew it was a trick, some people just fell for it.

Moreover, in the cultivation world, such things had not yet appeared. When those Cultivators saw these, they would surely buy, buy, buy with all their might.

However, this kind of trick was extremely easy to learn, and he believed it wouldn't be long before other shops also started using it.

But Lu Ming didn't care. As the first one to try it, he would probably be raking in profits by then.

And given those people's disdain for Loose Cultivators, they would probably hold out for a while longer. By the time they couldn't endure it anymore, he would have already snatched away all their customers.

Once consumption habits were formed, it would probably not be so easy for them to win them back.

As for jealousy, or any crooked ideas to use underhanded tactics...

It's still the same saying.

Do business honestly, and everyone benefits.

If they dared to harbor crooked intentions, then he would also use underhanded tactics: the art of proxy combat by my true self!

Do you want money or your life?

At worst, he would overturn the table. I, Lu... Han Feiyu, am not afraid of death!

Lu Ming also harbored the thought of testing how deep the waters of Immortal City were.

After all, some Cultivators in Immortal City had intricate connections, and it was possible that if he provoked the younger ones, the older ones would come out.

But if there were none, then he would have to pick on the soft persimmons.

...