98: Conscientious businessman?

At this moment, Xu Li, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted their conversation.

“Father, although the shop has many customers every day, there’s something we must Face.

Our Talismans stock is running low, and with just me making Talismans, I can’t keep up with the sales speed, and I also can’t refine Advanced Talismans.

Shopkeeper Han has been gone for almost a week, and I can’t contact him. If we don’t replenish in time, no matter how many customers we have, it will be useless.”

Hearing this, both of them fell silent.

They knew Xu Li was right; they had been so focused on attracting customers that they forgot about the supply and demand issue.

A moment later, Old Zhou sighed and said, “Shopkeeper Han should have his own plans regarding Karma. Let’s just focus on selling what we have for now!”

Xu Li could only nod helplessly at this.

She knew that the two big oafs in her family hadn't paid attention to this aspect.

And her worries weren't limited to these.

Xu Li thought for a moment, then reminded them: “Our income from selling Talismans has been too high recently. Even though other shops have been open for many years, their customer base is now far less than ours, which will probably make some people envious.

Moreover, it hasn’t been peaceful lately; even Cultivators dare to openly act in Immortal City. It’s better for us to be careful.”

Zhou Kang and his father both felt that Xu Li made sense, but they couldn't think of a better solution for a while.

Unless they had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator overseeing things, they could avoid some troubles.

But this thought was just a fleeting one for them; they didn’t dare to hope for it.

And they couldn’t just stop selling Talismans because they were worried, could they?

Competitors are enemies; no matter what, they would offend someone. There was nothing they could do about it but adapt as situations arose.

...

...

Xu Li’s worries were not unfounded.

A shop that could offer benefits to Loose Cultivators had won the favor of many Cultivators from the start.

With the same or even superior quality, everyone naturally preferred to choose the shop with lower prices.

However, some were happy, while others were worried.

At this moment.

In a certain room, lights were bright, and several owners of Talismans shops sat together, arguing endlessly.

“In just half a month, the business of our Talismans shops has shrunk by 30%. How can this go on?” one person said, annoyed.

“Yes, who knew that this discount and benefit strategy would actually work for Ink Talisman Pavilion.”

“Now, all of our shops are affected, and the customer flow has been drawn to Ink Talisman Pavilion.”

Recalling half a month ago, they had mocked Ink Talisman Pavilion as useless, a mere clown.

But they didn't expect that in just half a month, the situation would reverse for the other party.

This was tantamount to a slap in their Face.

And losing Face was a small matter; making less money was more unbearable than killing them.

Seeing the other party’s thriving business every day, it was false to say they weren't jealous and envious.

“Alas, now some Loose Cultivators are even starting to say that our Talismans are too expensive.”

Someone sighed, relaying the intelligence they had gathered.

“Expensive? Where is it expensive? It’s been this price for so many years! Our shops control the Talismans business in this district. Although we don’t offer discounts, our prices are absolutely fair. It’s this Ink Talisman Pavilion that’s breaking the rules.”

“How about we talk to the owner of Ink Talisman Pavilion and bring him into our fold? We can control the entire Talismans market together.

Of course, this is just a temporary measure. The goal is to stabilize him first, so he doesn’t continue this. Once he joins us, won’t he be at our mercy?” one person suggested.

“Hmph, I’ve already inquired. This owner is like a Dragon, seen at the head but not the tail; he hasn’t shown his Face in half a month. If you ask me, if you can’t beat them, join them. I plan to try discounts and price reductions.”

“How can that be? How many Spirit Stones would we lose with discounts!”

“Heh heh, you’re obsessed with money. What time is it now, and you’re still worried about Spirit Stones? If all your customers are gone, who will you cry to then!”

“...”

After some discussion, no one could convince anyone else, and they eventually parted ways unhappily.

Some of them were born in Immortal City and looked down on Loose Cultivators from the bottom of their hearts.

Asking them to offer discounts was like cutting off their own flesh and bleeding themselves dry.

But some with sharper minds felt that this method was indeed feasible, and this model was not difficult to replicate.

Small profits but quick turnover; as merchants, they naturally understood this principle.

Although they would earn a little less money, the large volume made up for it.

...

The next day.

Clone Han Feiyu arrived at the district where Ink Talisman Pavilion was located.

Counting the time, half a month had passed, and he estimated that the Talismans stock in Ink Talisman Pavilion should be running low.

He came this time to restock the shop and also to show his Face.

As the owner of Ink Talisman Pavilion, it wasn’t good to not show his Face for a long time.

However, as he walked along, he saw signs placed outside one or two Talismans shops, with familiar slogans on them, which made Lu Ming feel a bit amused.

“Hey, they learned so fast?”

Lu Ming had thought these arrogant fellows would stubbornly refuse to budge.

But business is business; everyone can do it. He didn’t care much if they learned these small tricks.

Then he leisurely arrived in front of Ink Talisman Pavilion.

Before he even got close, he heard a demonic musical sound.

“Opening celebration! Three days of special offers waiting for you to grab! Many discounts, full of benefits, Fellow Daoists, come and buy now!”

The demonic music combined with the brainwashing words played on a continuous loop, making Lu Ming’s Face twitch.

“Is this still the Cultivation World? It has no Immortal Qi anymore!”

He looked at the source of the sound, which was a fist-sized white jade stone.

“Sound-recording stone! Which genius thought of this?”

Lu Ming didn’t remember teaching Zhou Kang any of this; he only taught some sales techniques.

After all, he wasn't a professional salesperson and could only copy some tricks from his previous life.

But this ability to infer other things from one instance, Lu Ming admired it!

At this time, the shop was already packed with customers coming and going.

As Lu Ming walked in, he could still hear many Cultivators talking in low voices.

“Speaking of which, hasn’t this shop been open for a month? Why is it still having an opening celebration, and when I came last week, it was the last three days, and it still is now.”

“You mind your own business about their last few days; you talk too much. Besides, aren’t discounts good? It’s much better than other Talismans shops seizing every opportunity to exploit us!”

“That makes sense. This shop is truly conscientious! It can think for us Loose Cultivators, unlike those profiteering fellows whose Talismans quality isn’t higher than others, but their prices are ridiculously expensive!”

“Hehe, I’ll tell you, other shops are also following suit and starting to offer discounts, but they’re still stingy, only giving a 5% discount.”

“Hmph, of course I know, and they even raise prices first before discounting. They really think we’re fools!”

Lu Ming immediately chuckled when he heard these words; he didn’t expect to become a conscientious merchant.

But thinking about it, for him, it only increased his customer base and revenue.

For Loose Cultivators, wasn’t it also a good thing?

When various merchants start competing with each other in the future, Loose Cultivators will be the biggest beneficiaries.

“I guess I’m also doing good for various Loose Cultivators. I’m truly a great philanthropist!”

Lu Ming sighed and walked into Ink Talisman Pavilion.